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The Queen Is Dead

3CD

The Smiths Format: Audio CD
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 369 ratings
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Editorial Reviews

Widely considered to be both The Smiths’ finest work and one of the greatest albums ever made, ‘The Queen Is Dead’ has cast a significant influence over subsequent generations since it was first released in the summer of 1986. Now Warner Bros. Records can confirm details of a newly mastered and expanded version of the album that will be released on 20th October.
Deluxe 3CD / 1 DVD box set – featuring 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’."You cannot continue to record and simply hope that your audience will approve, or that average critics will approve, or that radio will approve,” says Morrissey. “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." Johnny Marr adds, “The Queen Is Dead was epic to make and epic to live.”

Product details

  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 1.2 x 5.8 inches; 8.8 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Rhino/Warner Bros.
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 0190295783372
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ July 17, 2017
  • Label ‏ : ‎ Rhino/Warner Bros.
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B073ZBHG1R
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 4
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 369 ratings

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
369 global ratings
Good but with flaws
3 Stars
Good but with flaws
I’m a small-time vinyl collector. I mostly collect performers such as The Cure, The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc. I was excited to receive this special addition of The Smiths “The Queen is Dead” LP. I’m not an audiophile, but the records sound great to me. I enjoy the “Live in Boston” vinyl. The packaging is also of high quality. Unfortunately there is a significant flaw with this release.The printed lyrics on the inner sleeve are inaccurate. The lyrics, in several places, do not match the vocal. Also half the lyrics are missing on the track “Never Had No One Ever”. This is sloppy work on an otherwise quality product. I’m disappointed and can only give this release 3 stars.
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Top reviews from the United States

EddieIdol
5.0 out of 5 stars Santa...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...I've been a veeeeeery good and CHARMING MAN!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
I bought the original LP on the day of its American release...At 16, I was working at a local RECORD(!) STORE after school!!! Became an insane SMITHS fan, absolutely NEEDING more than oxygen to get my hands on anything and everything put to vinyl...then cd...
Here I am today...on this side of AARP enrollment, STILL needing to get my hands on EVERYTHING. Through the sheer result of being healthy I, and EVERY SMITHS fan, have been gloriously rewarded. With some sneaky maneuvering...my 9 year old niece, whom I adore, aware of my desire for this 3CD/1DVD set...is giving it to me for CHRISTMAS!! Shhhh...that would be naughty, naughty! The build to more anticipation will occur over the next 14 days waiting for the jolly one to make his yearly trip down the chimney. The free digital rip of the first 3 discs and the criminally vulgar low price on cyber monday made this whole situation a no brainer...costing just about the same price as a double album back in 1984.
3 people found this helpful
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JadeID
5.0 out of 5 stars Their original live album sounds like it was recorded in a garbage disposal so I’ve ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017
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First I’m a huge Smith fan and their first album and The Queen is dead I can listen to for days on end.

That being said I don’t understand the unhappy reviews other that they didn’t get extras beside the records. Some is redundant as I all ready own the remastered 180g version. But the live recording and the demo gave me huge insists into things I hadn’t full grasped in their heavy releases productions. To heat Johnny Mar rip through complex cords as he pick and strums, the down mix on the bass left room to hear a faults in Morriseys voice which made the songs sound more human was an interesting experience. Marr’s live fills were refreshing to songs I know by heart note to note. Their original live album sounds like it was recorded in a garbage disposal so I’ve always wanted to hear just what I got. If you understand production you can head the outboard effects vs the raw demos. Anyway get it if you can.
15 people found this helpful
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Stephen Sincoskie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Smiths have finally been properly remastered
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2017
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I just received and listened to the uncompressed album on the dvd disc from the 3 cd / 1 dvd box and I'm finally impressed with a Smiths / Morrissey remastering. Excellent instrument separation and Morrissey's voice is perfectly audible and not buried in the mix like the other remasters. 'I Know It's Over' has never sounded as haunting and heartfelt as it does here. I am so impressed with the attention paid to this seminal album that I purchased the 5 LP box as well.
The vinyl set will appeal to collectors as this first pressing has a Morrissey run out groove etching on one side of the records.
11 people found this helpful
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Sir Graves
5.0 out of 5 stars Jack Kerouac on a smiths Album!
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2018
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Freaking Awesome Album!! Sounds fantastic on this heavy 180 grm vinyl. The extra Live in Boston sounds very good. The songs of course are amazing on each platter. I have not heard the demo album yet but, I would recommend this to all Smiths fans. Johnny Marr's guitar playing is amazing as are Morrissey's lyrics. His wit and word usage is of course incredible. Morrissey is one of the funniest lyricist ever. Very clever. Plus Jack Kerouac is on a cover of a Smiths Album!!

Nice heavy cardboard box that houses nice gatefold albums
3 people found this helpful
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Nathan Mayhem
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazon version comes with MP3 download, so only played the Demos LP myself.
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2018
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Beautiful box set. Had to have the demos, though they are very close to the finished product TQID. Live sides would have been better if ALL songs in show included, regardless of the glitches or forgotten lines. The extra instrumentals already available in many places and formats could have been left off for some great live tracks like Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (version with the extra verse). Overall, not disappointed!
6 people found this helpful
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William M. Workman
4.0 out of 5 stars Music Good. Box Bad.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018
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• The remastered songs sound great
• Bonus material is quite good
• I really hoped for some more substantial information in the printed materials
• The cardboard CD cases are crap and the plastic sleeves are even worse

Overall, not really worth buying the physical box when there is very little of value in the printed booklet.
5 people found this helpful
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Robbey
5.0 out of 5 stars The Smiths
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2017
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This is worth the price of admission for the DVD Audio alone! It sounds fantastic! I know, people are loving vinyl again, and as a 40 something, I always loved vinyl, but these days, it all comes from digital masters, so just but DVD Audio or Blu-ray audio. If you're familiar with this album, the DVD will blow you away.
3 people found this helpful
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J in CA
5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely done remaster of an all-time great album
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018
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A perfect upgrade to one of my all-time favorite albums. The remastered tracks sound great. The bonus tracks (many of them demos) are pretty cool. The quality of the live performance in Boston in 1987 is top notch. Haven't watched the DVD yet, but I am looking forward to it.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
...and after all it´s such a mess
5.0 out of 5 stars Der Liebling der Independents
Reviewed in Germany on September 13, 2020
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Wer Leser von diversen Musikmagazinen ist, der lobt diese Band über alles. Ist halt so.
The Smiths, Johnny Marr und Morrisey, da guckt man über Stilrichtungen wie Brit-Pop, den gab es nämlich erst ein Jahrzehnt später, gerne hinweg.

The Smiths singen gewissen Leuten direkt aus der Seele, in einer Zeit in der es noch so etwas wie Punk oder stylische Dekadenz gab.
1986 drehte Derek Jarman die Videoclips zu "The Queen is Dead", "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" und "Panic", die man hier auf der DVD sehen kann.
Ein Livekonzert aus Boston, nicht schlecht, aber Konzertaufnahmen gibt es viele und nicht alle sind top notch. Dieses hier ist in Ordnung, aber nicht unbedingt mehr.

Warum diese Box? Am besten sind die Studioaufnahmen, die damals liegengeblieben sind und die Single B-Seiten. Warum war "Asleep" eine B-Seite? Ich denke, das Lied lässt so tief blicken, dass man es nicht mehr als reine Unterhaltung fürs kommerzielle Radio sehen würde und wenn, dann fürs Nachtprogramm vorgemerkt.
Mir kommen fast die Tränen.
The Smiths ist halt für die, die sich mit der Gruppe identifizieren und ansonsten scheiden sich hier die Geister.
Das Problem bei dem, was ich hier Independent nenne.

Wer klassische Literatur liest, kann mit den Texten halt oft auch was anfangen und weiß, die menschliche Seele kann tiefe Abgründe haben. Hier zelebriert man es.
Neo-Romantik war damals auch sehr angesagt. Die Achtziger waren nicht so pornografisch aber etwas sehr frivol und oft extrem düster. Man gibt sich halt auch mal den eigenen dunklen Phantasien gerne hin.

Für Fans unverzichtbar und ewig unvergessen. Die Nummer Eins in mancher Rockliste. Manchmal auch bei mir.
4 people found this helpful
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Madison
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente prodcuto
Reviewed in Mexico on February 23, 2018
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LLego en perfectas condiciones, el audio es impecable, un vinil que vale mucho la pena para los coleccionadores de la banda
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Matthew J MacKay
5.0 out of 5 stars There is light that never goes out.
Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2017
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This was The Smiths' distilled to their very essence. A masterpiece of self absorption and yearning, it is the best LP of the 80s, and one of the top five of al time. I bought it because I buy everything Smiths, but was pleasantly surprised at how much exciting new-too-me music there was on this. The demo of "Frankly Mr. Shankley" far outshines the LP version with it's dripping distain. A solid pressing-sounded good to my old ears. I'm not one for bric-a-brac, but if you are buying this hoping for books and liner notes, you'll be disappointed. take my review with a grain of alt-I LOVE The Smiths, and LOVer this LP.
2 people found this helpful
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JP B
5.0 out of 5 stars Un must have des Smiths
Reviewed in France on August 22, 2019
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Un THE QUEEN IS DEAD remasterisé avec en plus un cd de bonus démos et faces B, un excellent LIVE IN BOSTON et un DVD avec l'album en qualité PCM stéréo et un clip de Derek Jarman sur 3 morceaux. Le coffret est superbe et l'iconographie des Smiths est bien présente.
One person found this helpful
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Rafa Skam
5.0 out of 5 stars Reedición de uno de los mejores discos de la historia
Reviewed in Spain on December 7, 2017
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Con motivo del 30 aniversario de su publicación (aunque en realidad ha llegado treinta y un años después), nos encontramos con esta reedición que se publica en tres formatos: por una parte, la que tengo entre mis manos, un precioso box-set que incluye 3 CDs + 1 DVD; otra más sencilla con 2 CDs, y por último, un quíntuple vinilo, mucho más caro, y sin las imágenes que proporciona el DVD. En el primer CD encontramos una versión remasterizada de esta obra maestra del pop de todos los tiempos. En el segundo están las versiones demo de la mayoría de estos temas, muchas de ellas desconocidas hasta ahora, además de caras B. En el tercer CD nos encontramos con la grabación de un concierto inédito hasta la fecha, el que dieron en Boston el 5 de agosto de 1986, con un repertorio de lujo. Ya me hubiera gustado a mí estar allí! El DVD incluye el mini-film de Derek Jarman, “The Queen Is Dead – A Film By Derek Jarman”, formado por los vídeoclips de “The queen is dead”, “There is a light that never goes out” y “Panic”, y también tiene el máster en calidad suprema de 96kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo.
5 people found this helpful
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