10 Most Overrated Indie Rock Albums Of All Time
6. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
The Queen Is Dead is a good album; it’s even a great album, a quintessentially British classic from a band at the peak of their powers. But an all-timer it isn’t due to the simple matter of the number of duff songs, many of them unforgivable comedy numbers, that pepper its track list.
There are moments of genius - the title track, “I Know It’s Over”, “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” - that stand up with the very best of this beloved and singular band. Elsewhere, though, there are tracks that illustrate clearly the worst impulses of Morrisey in particular. “Vicar In A Tutu” is music hall nonsense with irritating, tittersome lyrics. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” is sonically lovely, but with words that damage Morrisey’s status as one of the nation’s finest lyricists.
“Frankly Mr Shankly” is irritating and even the lovely “Cemetery Gates” is quite grating in parts. The Queen Is Dead seems to be the de facto best Smiths album, but by virtue of the duds, plus the more exciting songwriting on the records immediately before and after it, it’s in need of reevaluation.