The upcoming expanded reissue of The Smiths’ classic 1986 album The Queen is Dead, it turns out, will be bigger than originally thought. Rhino Records this morning formally announced the first-ever expanded reissue from the legendary band, revealing that it will be be released as a 3CD/1DVD boxed set and feature a previously unreleased live album.
Initial reports about the expanded reissue — based on an early, and since deleted, listing on Amazon in the UK — showed it being a 2CD/1DVD set, with no mention of the live album that makes up the third disc.
Related: Slicing Up Eyeballs readers rank all 70 of The Smiths’ original songs
The Queen is Dead reissue will arrive Oct. 20 on digital and streaming, and these three physical formats:
- Deluxe 3CD/1DVD boxed set: Features a new 2017 remastering of the album on one disc; a second disc with 13 demos, B-sides and alternate versions, eight of which are previously unreleased; and a third disc with the 13-track, previously unreleased Live in Boston album, which was recorded Aug. 5, 1986 (it’s not the full show). The DVD features the 2017 remastering of the album in 96kHz/24-bit PCM stereo and “The Queen Is Dead — A Film By Derek Jarman.”
- 2CD version: Features the 2017 remastering of the album on one disc, and the 13 additional demos, B-sides and alternate versions on the second disc.
- 5LP boxed set: Features the 2017 remastering of the album, the demos, B-sides and alternate versions, and the Live in Boston album spread over five records.
In a statement accompanying the announcement of the reissue, Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr says: “The Queen Is Dead was epic to make and epic to live.” Morrissey, the band’s former frontman, adds:
“You cannot continue to record and simply hope that your audience will approve, or that average critics will approve, or that radio will approve. 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.”
The band has been leading up to this reissue all year, first with a Record Store Day 7-inch featuring the previously unreleased “demo mix” of Queen is Dead track “The Boy with the Thorn In His Side,” and the “early Drone Studios version” of “Rubber Ring,” later compiled on Louder Than Bombs. Then, on June 16, the 31st anniversary of The Queen is Dead’s release, new 7-inch and 12-inch singles of the album’s title track appeared in U.K. record shops, each with previously released B-sides.
And on Wednesday, the band released the previously unreleased “Take 1” version of “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” that’s included on the set (stream it here).
Below, check out the full tracklist for the expanded Queen is Dead reissue and the new artwork.
Tracklist: The Smiths, The Queen is Dead
Disc 1: Original Album — 2017 Remaster
1. “The Queen Is Dead”
2. “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”
3. “I Know It’s Over”
4. “Never Had No One Ever”
5. “Cemetry Gates”
6. “Bigmouth Strikes Again”
7. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”
8. “Vicar In A Tutu”
9. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
10. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”
Disc 2: Additional Recordings
1. “The Queen Is Dead” (Full Version)
2. “Frankly, Mr. Shankly” (Demo)
3. “I Know It’s Over” (Demo)
4. “Never Had No One Ever” (Demo)
5. “Cemetry Gates” (Demo)
6. “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (Demo)
7. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” (Demo)
8. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” (Demo Mix)
9. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” (Take 1)
10. “Rubber Ring” (B-side)
11. “Asleep” (B-side)
12. “Money Changes Everything” (B-side)
13. “Unloveable” (B-side)
Tracks 1-7 and 9 previously unreleased.
Track 8 released on 7-inch for Record Store Day.
Tracks 10 and 11 are 2017 masters of B-sides from “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”
Tracks 12 and 13 are 2017 masters of B-sides from “Bigmouth Strikes Again”
Disc 3: Live In Boston (Previously Unreleased)
1. “How Soon Is Now?”
2. “Hand In Glove”
3. “I Want The One I Can’t Have”
4. “Never Had No One Ever”
5. “Stretch Out And Wait”
6. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”
7. “Cemetry Gates”
8. “Rubber Ring/What She Said/Rubber Ring”
9. “Is It Really So Strange?”
10. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
11. “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”
12. “The Queen Is Dead”
13. “I Know It’s Over”
Recorded at Great Woods Center For The Performing Arts on August 5, 1986
DVD:
The Queen Is Dead on 96kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo
The Queen Is Dead — A Film by Derek Jarman
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Listen: The Smiths debut unreleased ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ (Take 1)
- The Smiths’ ‘The Queen is Dead’ expected to receive expanded 2CD/1DVD reissue this fall
- Watch: Jack Lowden is Morrissey in first trailer for upcoming ‘England is Mine’ biopic
- The absolute best of The Smiths: All 70 songs ranked by Slicing Up Eyeballs’ readers
- The Smiths’ ‘The Queen is Dead’ getting new 7- and 12-inch vinyl releases next week?
Well, what a disappointing piece of crap the dvd is. A 15 minute video everyone’s already seen where you can’t even see the band once?? come on!
The live cd is also a big disappointment, was it so much to ask to have the complete recording. At lest I hope the quality is better than the bootleg from that date (which is actually a great bootleg)
Getting the same sick feeling I had with the Velvet Underground expanded editions of “drawer cleaning” in the form of sprucing up bootlegs (as much as one can) to appeal to fans who already have the bloody things on the part of Sire/Warners through Rhino.
It’s the same thing with The ‘Mats, RAMONES, and R.E.M. (though if the fan club singles came out, I’d be all over that like Brenda Richie on Lionel circa 1988).
Does anyone know where I can pre-order the LP, besides amazon?
Give Landlocked Music a go, Pearl. I noticed they had pre-order notice up on their Twitter feed. That lot is amazing. Hope this helps.
Norman’s records are very good.
The live LP is a jip! It includes Never Had No One Ever, Stretch Out & Wait, Is It Really So Strange and That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore at the expense of Still Ill, Panic, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now and Bigmouth Strikes Again. Can’t see the point really…