Album of the Day

Smiths singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr combined encyclopedic musical knowledge with a literate, contemporary outlook to create songs that sounded classic but felt new. “You cannot continue to record and simply hope that your audience will approve, or that average critics will approve, or that radio will approve,” noted Morrissey of the band’s third studio album. “You progress only when you wonder if an abnormally scientific genius would approve – and this is the leap The Smiths took with THE QUEEN IS DEAD.” Widely considered to be both the U.K. quartet's finest work and one of the greatest albums ever made, the influential 1986 collection includes several of the band’s most memorable moments including the title track and “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” as well as the iconic singles “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again.”