The Smiths’ ‘The Queen Is Dead’ reissued as 5 x vinyl set and 3CD/DVD set
The Smiths’ “The Queen Is Dead” was first released in the summer of 1986 and was the third studio album by the Smiths. Guitarist Johnny Marr wrote several songs that would later appear on “The Queen Is Dead” while the Smiths toured Britain in early 1985, working out song arrangements with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce during soundchecks. The album was produced by Morrissey and Marr, working predominantly with engineer Stephen Street, who had engineered the band’s 1985 album, “Meat Is Murder”.
It will now be re-released as a newly mastered and expanded version on 20th October.
The 3CD/1DVD box set (available here) features the 2017 master of the album; additional recordings featuring demos, b-sides and alternative versions; the “Live In Boston” album recorded at the Great Woods Center For The Performing Arts on 5th August 1986; and a DVD featuring the 2017 master of album in 96kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo and “The Queen Is Dead – A Film By Derek Jarman”.
The demos and B-sides included are “The Queen Is Dead” (full version), “Frankly, Mr. Shankly” (demo), “I Know It’s Over” (demo), “Never Had No One Ever” (demo), “Cemetry Gates” (demo), “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (demo), “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” (demo), “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” (demo), “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (take 1), “Rubber Ring”, “Asleep”, “Money Changes Everything”, “Unloveable”.
The 5LP box set of the reissue (available here) features the 2017 master of the album, additional recordings and the “Live In Boston” recording. For those who just want to stick to the normal reissue, there is also this 2CD set.
Here’s the video for the documentary (before it was remastered for the DVD inclusion that is).
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Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
