'' is
The Smiths ' second studio
Album , released in February of 1985. It would become their only original release to hit No. 1 in the
United Kingdom . In the
United States , the album reached No. 110. It featured in the book ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die '' and regularly features on other best albums ever recorded lists.
''Meat Is Murder'' is the most eclectic Smiths album, featuring songs which had elements of styles such as
Funk ,
Rockabilly ,
Ballad ,
Post-punk and
Dance , along with the Smiths' signature
Indie Rock . As such, it contains some of the most unique and lauded songs of the Smiths catalogue. However, because of the album's extreme diversity and lack of coherence, some fans believe it is the least listenable work from their catalogue. Considered a 'grower' rather than an instant favourite, the album is often overlooked in favour of more accessible work.
After the relative disappointment over the production of the band's
Debut Album ,
Singer Morrissey and
Guitarist Marr decided to produce the album themselves, only aided by engineer
Stephen Street . Production was officially credited to The Smiths as a whole with
Rourke and
Joyce being allowed input on the sound level of their instruments in the mix, but the major productional decisions and arrangements were done by Morrissey and Marr.
Possibly detracting from the album's appeal is the fact that no popular single came from it. The only single taken from ''Meat Is Murder'' was "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," which stalled at No. 49. A beautiful ballad and the centrepiece of the album, its selection as a single was perhaps not that fortunate.
"How Soon Is Now?", included on the U.S. version of the album and the post-1992 to "William, It Was Really Nothing" and an album track on ''
Hatful Of Hollow ''.
Two ''Meat Is Murder'' tracks served as B-sides to support contemporary singles and promote the album: "Well I Wonder" ("How Soon Is Now?" single) and "What She Said" ("Shakespeare's Sister" single).
This album was more strident and political than its predecessor, including the vegetarian proselytizing of the title track (Morrissey forbade the rest of the group from being photographed eating meat), the light-hearted republicanism of "Nowhere Fast," and the anti-
Corporal Punishment "The Headmaster Ritual" and "Barbarism Begins at Home." Musically, also, the band had grown more adventurous, with Marr adding rockabilly riffs to "
Rusholme Ruffians" and Rourke playing a funk bass solo on "Barbarism Begins at Home." The album was preceded by the re-release of the B-side "How Soon Is Now?" as a single, and although that song was not on the original
LP , it has been added to subsequent releases. ''Meat Is Murder'' was the band's only album (barring compilations) to reach number one in the UK charts.
As well as the album being more political than its predecessor, Morrissey brought a political stance to many of his interviews, courting further controversy. Among his targets were the
Thatcher administration, the Monarchy, and
Band Aid . Morrissey famously quipped of the last, "One can have great concern for the people of
Ethiopia , but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England."
1
The subsequent single-only release "
Shakespeare's Sister " was not a great success in chart terms, nor was the only single taken from the album, "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore." Many considered this an odd choice for a single, with its backwards guitar and lack of any consistent hook. The charts reflected this, with it barely cracking the top 50. September 1985's "The Boy With The Thorn in His Side," however, was an indication of bigger things to come.
The album's sleeve features an edited still from
Emile De Antonio 's 1968
Documentary ''
In The Year Of The Pig ''. The legend on the
Soldier 's
Helmet originally read "Make War Not Love".
On vinyl and American CD releases, four copies of the image were used, whereas only one was used on European CD issues (presumably for reasons of legibility).
- The Chord sequence in "Rusholme Ruffians" is identical to the Elvis classic '(Marie's The Name) of His Latest Flame'. Occasionally when playing live the band would incorporate both into a medley.
- "Rusholme Ruffians" was inspired by an early comic song by Victoria Wood called "Fourteen Again" and has some lyrics in common (including "She is famous, she is funny"), giving the viewpoint of the boys in the Wood song.
All songs written by Morrissey/Marr.
#"The Headmaster Ritual" – 4:52
#"Rusholme Ruffians" – 4:20
#"I Want the One I Can't Have" – 3:14
#"What She Said" – 2:42
#"
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore " – 4:59
#"
How Soon Is Now? " – 6:46 ''(some releases only)''
#"Nowhere Fast" – 2:37
#"Well I Wonder" – 4:00
#"Barbarism Begins at Home" – 6:57
#"Meat Is Murder" – 6:06
