Description
Widely considered to be both The Smiths’ finest work and one of the greatest albums ever made, ‘The Queen Is Dead’ has cast a significant influence over subsequent generations since it was first released in the summer of 1986. Now Warner Bros. Records can confirm details of a newly mastered and expanded version of the album that will be released on 20th October.

Deluxe 3CD / 1 DVD box set – featuring the 2017 master of the album; additional recordings featuring demos, b-sides and alternative versions; the ‘Live In Boston’ album recorded at the Great Woods Center For The Performing Arts on 5th August 1986; and a DVD featuring the 2017 master of album in 96kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo and ‘The Queen Is Dead – A Film By Derek Jarman’.

“You cannot continue to record and simply hope that your audience will approve, or that average critics will approve, or that radio will approve,” says Morrissey. “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.”

Johnny Marr adds, “The Queen Is Dead was epic to make and epic to live.”

Tracklist
[CD1: 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

[CD2: 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 are previously unreleased.
Track 8 was released on 7” 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.

[CD3: 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 the 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

3CD/1DVD Super Deluxe Edition (shown above)
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZBHG1R/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073ZBHG1R/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073ZBHG1R/?tag=imwan-21

2CD Deluxe Edition (contains CD1 and CD2 only)
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073Z9DQMJ/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073Z9DQMJ/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073Z9DQMJ/?tag=imwan-21

Whoa whoa WHOA. This was pretty much the first "alternative" record I ever fell in love with, as an impressionable middle-schooler. This is just the excuse to revisit it 30 years later that I needed.

Definitely getting this!

my, my, my... what a nice piece of music news to start the week!

This pawn is in for this Queen!

So is this jester.

Probably my favorite group that I never got to see in person (have seen Morrissey many times). This is a no-brainer.

Rhino says that the big box will now include not two, but three CDs in addition to the DVD. No tracklist for that third CD yet.

Even better!

I am starting to get interested!

Me, I'm locked and loaded and that was before the mention of the third CD.

The contents get bigger and the price gets smaller -- all releases should work this way! The UK pre-order price for the big box has dropped by more than £10, down to £25.43:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073ZBHG1R/?tag=imwan-21

Locked in too. Anyone wager a guess what's on the DVD?

Check this out.

Disc Three: 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 the 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

Everything is up in the first post now, including the description from Warner/Rhino.

The USA pre-order links in the first post are now active. (The UK price for the big box is still best, at least for the moment.)

It's up to £31.99, so for the moment, the US price is best. Glad I locked it in earlier.

Jaw-droppingly great album. I have long been happy with my thin 5-CD Smiths collection, but this may change things.

Glad to see this album getting a well-deserved expanded and deluxe treatment. It will be interesting to see who was involved in this "newly mastered" version, as the remaster from Johnny Marr a few years ago was quite good, to my ears. Looks like even the front cover has been remastered to a monochrome image for this new edition!

I look forward to the "Live in Boston" disc, which contains minimal overlap with the live Rank album taken from the same tour. It might have been nice to get the complete 19-song performance from the Boston show, but they likely had to cut some songs due to side time constrictions on the corresponding vinyl release.

I also wish that the "Panic" single could be included on Disc 2, due to the fact that "Panic" was released as a non-album single less than a month after The Queen Is Dead came out, and the two have always been connected, at least in my mind. It's a pity, because "The Draize Train" (studio version), found on Panic's b-side, has to my knowledge never been released on a Smiths CD or compilation, other than an extremely rare CD-single.

I am definitely in for this one, hopefully more Smiths expanded reissues will follow!

As I understand it the missing songs are due to the guy that ran the soundboards back in the day being rather lackadaisical in his efforts. He'd use the last bit of a tape from a previous show he'd recorded, then flip the tapes to record and take his time about it, resulting in many missing minutes. This is supported by the bootlegs of the Rank show, which are supplemented by several minutes of audience recordings to make the show complete. Too bad.