With their second proper album Meat Is Murder, the Smiths begin to branch out and diversify, while refining the jangling guitar pop of their debut.
In other words, it catches the group at a crossroads, unsure quite how to proceed.
Taking the epic, layered "How Soon Is Now?" as a starting point (the single, which is darker and more dance-oriented than the remainder of the album, was haphazardly inserted into the middle of the album for its American release), the group crafts more sweeping, mid-tempo numbers, whether it's the melancholy "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" or the failed, self-absorbed protest of the title track.
While the production is more detailed than before, the Smiths are at their best when they stick to their strengths -- "The Headmaster Ritual" and "I Want the One I Can't Have" are fine elaborations of the formula they laid out on the debut, while "Rusholme Ruffians" is an infectious stab at rockabilly.
However, the rest of Meat Is Murder is muddled, repeating lyrical and musical ideas of before without significantly expanding them or offering enough hooks or melodies to make it the equal of The Smiths or Hatful of Hollow.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Headmaster RitualJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 2 | Rusholme RuffiansJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 33 MB |
| 3 | I Want the One I Can't HaveJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | That Joke Isn't Funny AnymoreJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:58 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 5 | What She SaidJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | Barbarism Begins at HomeJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 06:57 | 15 MB | 49 MB |
| 7 | Meat Is MurderJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 06:06 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 8 | Nowhere FastJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 02:37 | 5 MB | 18 MB |
| 9 | Well I WonderJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | How Soon Is Now | The Smiths | Play | 06:46 | 15 MB | 47 MB |
| 46 mins | 106 MB | |||||
| 46 mins | 329 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caryn Gough | Layout Design |
| 2 | Mike Joyce | Drums |
| 3 | Johnny Marr | Composer, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Songwriter |
| 4 | Morrissey | Composer, Lyricist, Sleeve Art, Vocals |
| 5 | John Porter | Producer |
| 6 | Andy Rourke | Guitar (Bass) |
| 7 | The Smiths | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 8 | Stephen Street | Engineer |
| 9 | Tim Young | Mastering |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |