Twenty-five years ago today, The Smiths released their third — and, arguably, best — album, the 10-track The Queen is Dead, a note-perfect marriage of Johnny Marr’s peerless pop songcraft and Morrissey’s pointed political commentary, lovesick laments and wicked humor.
Released June 16, 1986, in the U.K. and a week later in the U.S., the album reached No. 2 in the British charts, and spawned a pair of unforgettable singles “The Boy With the Thorn In His Side” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” as well as perhaps the most beloved song in the band’s canon: “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.”
To suitably mark the anniversary of one of the landmark albums of the ’80s, we offer up this (nearly) complete video of the band’s Oct. 23, 1986, Queen is Dead tour stop at the National Ballroom in Kilburn, from which the posthumous live album Rank was culled.
The Smiths played 20 songs at that show, although only 14 were included on Rank; we’ve assembled video from YouTube user GambiniUK of 18 of that night’s songs (still missing are “I Want the One I Can’t Have” and “Never Had No One Never”). You can watch the whole show in the playlist below, or check out the individual tracks at Slicing Up Video.
Watch The Smiths’ ‘Rank’ concert after the jump…
Setlist: The Smiths, National Ballroom, Kilburn, UK, 10/23/86
1. “The Queen Is Dead”
2. “Panic”
3. “I Want The One I Can’t Have” *
4. “Vicar In A Tutu”
5. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
6. “Ask”
7. “(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame/Rusholme Ruffians”
8. “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”
9. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”
10. “Rubber Ring/What She Said”
11. “Is It Really So Strange?”
12. “Never Had No One Ever” *
13. “Cemetry Gates”
14. “London”
15. “Meat Is Murder”
16. “I Know It’s Over”
17. “The Draize Train”
18. “How Soon Is Now?”
19. “Still Ill”
20. “Bigmouth Strikes Again”
* Video missing
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:
- Stream: Morrissey debuts three new songs on Janice Long’s show on BBC Radio 2
- Morrissey’s summer tour continues to grow; eight more concerts added in Europe
- Milestones: Morrissey is 52 today; watch a complete ‘Kill Uncle’ concert from 1991
- Morrissey mourns Poly Styrene, whines about ‘Best Of,’ reports new album finished
- Audio: Morrissey on The Smiths, his upcoming memoir and David Cameron
- Morrissey releasing new ‘Very Best Of,’ will issue 2 ‘Viva Hate’ outtakes as B-sides
- Hear The Smiths’ reggae version of ‘Girlfriend In A Coma,’ other rare outtakes
Awesome job putting this video collection together! I can’t believe it’s twenty-five years, already… still sounds so good!
Who is the 5th guy on stage?
That’s Craig Gannon. He toured with the band in the later years.