Customer Reviews

Meat Is Murder [Vinyl]

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not widely considered to be the band's best but it does contain their biggest hit, "How Soon Is Now?". MIM contains the perfect mix of Smiths' style songs including both fast and slow, fun and political. I remember back in the 80's when 'Spin Magazine' had "How Soon Is Now?" ranked as the best single of all time. I also remember thinking, "You know, that isn't even one of my favorite Smiths' songs." Actually not even my fave from this album. To me HSIN had great lyrics and a cool sound but was generally not very Smiths-like. The song lacked the rawness and edge of their other material due to its high-gloss production... precisely NOT the point of the band. Still it's a wonderful song with a catchy, highly original melody and Mozz' sharp wit.

I've always been partial to the underappreciated songs from this album. The haunting "Well I Wonder" is dreamy and melancholy declaring "This is the fierce last stand of all I am." "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" is simply brilliant as we watch the knife of past words turn sharply against the protagonist. "What She Said" speeds up the pace but remains downbeat lyrically with its angst and sarcastic humor; Marr delivers an understated but excellent performance. On "I Want the One I Can't Have" the singer laments his inability to hide his emotions or capture the subject of his desire. And in "Nowhere Fast" Morrissey questions whether he has the capacity to experience life or emotionally progress at all (hence the name).

The title track is often clasified as over-the-top and may be many people's least favorite from this collection of songs. I beg to differ. Morrissey is entitled to his opinion on us meateaters and I have no issue with that. He states his case in a dark, poetic manner backed by the cries of cattle and sounding of the screaming knife. Missed in the criticism of this track is MArr's ability to craft an otherwordly guitar melody that is both sad and majestic in a way I've rarely heard. Quite simply, this is the vegetarians' anthem. Actually there was a t-shirt in the 80's with every single lyric printed on it. "The Headmaster Ritual" speaks of systematic cruelty embedded in British schools while "Barbarism Begins at Home" echoes that abusive cruelty in the home.

All in all, this is not the band's best but still merits every bit of 5 stars. In other words, an average Smiths' release.

I think this album is really really good. A lot of the songs say things which are in my humble opinion critically important to humanity.

The song Meat Is Murder is powerful and frightening but also heartfelt, so I don't see why it is "over-the-top". Whilst I do believe in freedom of choice, Morrissey's opinion is being put forward, I think, in the interests of reducing suffering. Just because it is difficult to listen to doesn't make it over-the-top IMO. I don't normally make bold statements or submit reviews, but this was important to me.

This album really grew on me, when I purchased it in 1994, never hearing it before, except "How soon is now" on the radio back in the 1980's. I had no idea that there would be so many songs even better than that one. My favorite one being "That joke isn't funny anymore", it really showed me the kind of musical and guitar genius that Johnny Marr is. What a huge loss for Morrissey when he went solo without Johnny Marr. I find the Smith's view on vegetarianism commendable (eventhough a challenge), however they do run the risk of alienating many of their fans including me. Ironically the worst song on the album is "Meat is Murder". So if you can overlook that and take the whole album in context, there should be no doubt in your mind that this album is a work of art, worthy of praise for its immense creativity and musical magic.

i got turned on to these guys when i was living in baton rouge, louisiana, by a black woman who was really into alternative music. then i got my best bud to make me a tape of this album and strangeways, here we come. both are excellent records. this one i really like alot because you really see morrissey's sense of sarcasm and humor coming into bloom.i have never skipped a track since i've started listening to it. best songs are: " the headmaster's ritual," " i want the one i cant have," meat is murder " which is noteworthy because it takes on the subject of animal cruelty, and "how soon is now," which is the ultimate whipped puppy's anthem. such a shame morrissey and marr didn't get along. but the output they created was enough

Meat is Murder was one of my first forays into indie music as a 15 year old kid in 1987 and what a great place to start. Full of painful angst and alienation, Morrissey really bears himself... his wretched life lives all over these songs. Maybe it's a little dramatic, but it never seems faked and it always sounds fantastic.

Historically, the greatest songwriters in rock (Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello) have never articulated any original or remarkable thoughts within their lyrics. The most a successful rock lyricist can hope to accomplish, is to accurately mirror the status quo by encapsulating how and why certain segments of society feel. Not to write meaningless, relativistic "phonetic poetry" like Brian Eno. Not to claim that the difference between things there (the projects) and here is such that the taking of responsibility there and here should be on different principles, like most knuckle-dragging hip-hop "artists" try to do. That music not only says nothing about "my" life, but nothing about life in general (except that its absurd). It's like Camus with a drum-machine.

When Morrissey first emerged from the UK's New Romantic scene in the early 1980s, he and the Smiths immediately stood out from the crowd. Hitherto, he was the first lyricist to speak out for tens of thousands of disaffected, alienated adolescents, who had been waiting impatiently for such a spokesman as the flamboyant Mancunian. Unlike unbearably bleak successors Kurt Cobain and Richey Edwards, there was an occasional optimistic light at the end of the tunnel within Morrissey's lyrics.

"Meat is Murder" is full of somber, melodic tunes that cast a autobiographical light on Morrissey. The first song "The Headmaster Ritual," is a petulant diatribe aimed at the abusive faculty of St. Marys, a Catholic school he attended until he was 16. Track five, "That Joke isn't Funny Anymore," is my personal favorite; a song which Morrissey claimed in an interview was about the treatment he received by the music press. Then there's "How Soon is Now," a song that the Smiths are identified with here by most people here in the US, nothwithstanding the fact that it was never released as a single for the Smiths in the UK.

A definite must-have for any Smiths fan and a smart first-purchase for those looking to get acquainted with the band's best work.

Seems like everyone thinks this is either their best or worst album. I think it's neither, but every song is different and brilliant on it's own. Most of the songs have are pretty laid back, and it feels quite apparent that there was a lot more time spent writing them. I'd also like to say that the title track "Meat is Murder" is amazing. A beautiful six minute epic that I wish was longer.

This was the Smiths' 2nd album, and a very good one at that. I would still recommend "The Queen Is Dead" or "The Smiths" (debut) before this, but it's still a worthy one to add to one's collection. "Meat Is Murder" shows Johnny Marr's maturity and mastery as one of the 80's best guitarists. "I Want The One I Can't Have" and "Headmaster Ritual" absolutely rock. Flat-out stunners. And "Well I Wonder" and "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" show the Smiths at their more contemplative brooding mood. I think I'll go listen to it right about now!

I was first introduced to this album shortly after it's release in America by a friend of mine. Being on a strick diet of 80's electronic music, such as Depeche Mode, I was reluctent to try something new. I remember taking the RECORD home (Yes I said record. Actual Vinyl. I've just dated myself:()and listening to it ALL night long. I was completely dumbfounded. Never had I heard such honesty in lyrics or music in my life.I became an instant Smiths worshiper. The song most notable for it's raw meaning on the album would be "Well I Wonder". Steven Partick Morrissey is able to take exactly what so many people have experienced and wondered themselves, and just says it without any garbage watering the intent. This album and their release that followed, The Queen Is Dead, are my Two favorites from this true Underground band. I know I will be listening to the Smiths for MANY more years to come.P.S. I'm still an synth-pop FREAK!

how perfect are these lyrics? absolutely. hey, morrissey may have had his moments of despair, but overall he was a very sarcastic person. those imbeciles who don't understand the concept of sarcasm should bury their heads in the sand and continue to listen to tripe like creed and kravitz, lyrically challenged to the last. music can MEAN something and be done in a clever way that the beforementioned will never achieve. alas, i digress...
anyway, on this album, as is the case with the queen is dead, johnny really goes off on his guitar. the strumming in "rusholme ruffians" and "the headmaster ritual" is truly inspiring.
always criticized for being a depressing lot, you will be hard pressed to find a more emotional song than "well i wonder." a very simple, but moving moment to this album. if you haven't heard "how soon is now?" buy this album just for this song, though you will find all of it excellent. this one song is arguable the quinessential track of the '80's. brilliant and haunting.