The Smiths’ musical output during their short time together is quite impressive. Four influential studio albums, two official singles compilations and countless unofficial ones are still enjoyed by fans and casual listeners the world over. While many point to their 1986 release The Queen is Dead as their landmark album, I believe 1985’s Meat is Murder is the band’s crowning achievement.
Coming off the success of their first album and early singles, the Manchester-based quartet set out to create an album with more focus, tighter songwriting and improved production, and Meat is Murder is all of these. In contrast to the slow, methodical jangle of their self-titled release’s opener, “Reel Around the Fountain,” the band kicks off this album with “The Headmaster Ritual,” a searing takedown of the Manchester school system wherein vocalist Morrissey recounts his experiences with corporal punishment accompanied by one of Johnny Marr’s most unique and moody guitar riffs.
The next three tracks reveal Marr’s rockabilly influences, with “Rusholme Ruffians” featuring rhythmic strumming that would fit right in with an early Elvis record. That said, the rest of the band certainly doesn’t take a back seat. Bassist Andy Rourke wears his funk influences on his sleeve, providing a slick and melodic low end, while drummer Mike Joyce keeps an almost robotically clean tempo with his layered percussion tracks.
Side A builds up energy until we reach the pounding emotion of “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore.” The longest track so far, it is a shining example of each member’s strong suits working in concert to create an intense, thundering depth of sound. Morrissey’s baritone droning fits in perfectly with Joyce’s relentless drumming, Rourke’s melodic bass work, and Marr’s orchestral layers of guitars. The track also features a common Smiths production technique, the fake-out fade, lowering the volume of the track and then building it back up, holding the ear of the listener all the while.
Side B opens with “Nowhere Fast,” a necessary shift in tempo and mood. The back half of the album features some of the more contemplative songs, such as “Well I Wonder” and the title track, “Meat is Murder.” Right in the middle is “Barbarism Begins at Home,” which features Marr and Rourke paying homage to their roots in the funk and disco music of American bands like Chic, while Morrissey croons once again about corporal punishment.
This album has its flaws. Some of the tracks overstay their welcome, which in my opinion is most present on the title track. There are times while revisiting this disc when I begin to understand why some dismiss The Smiths as a droning, depressing group with little to say. But I think the high points of this album are leagues ahead of the band’s other releases. There is such a unity in the sound of Marr’s guitar work, with each track having some guitar melody that will invariably be missed on the first listen. Morrissey seems actually interested in the words he’s saying, which is not always a sure thing on other Smiths’ LPs. Meat is Murder creates a singular mood, and will envelop you in sound if you let it.
May Cassidy can be contacted at May.Cassidy@keene.edu
