Agreed all 4 studio albums are great plus they had the best compilations ever in Hatful of Hollow and The World Wont Listen.
Music press/top album polls always put TQID above all other output but for me as with most of my favourite music it's a question of who/where/why/when/what.
Meat is Murder was the first album I heard by them and got me hooked. Still gives me goose bumps when I hear certain tracks. What She Said, Nowhere Fast and Well I Wonder got me through some bad times.
Listened TQID to death so it's in a compartment of my brain reserved for classic albums I never need to hear again.
It's Strangeways that does it for me. They were on a different level but also dead at the same time. Also the cynical core running through the whole album has been like a second backbone to me over the years. I still quote lines (in my head) from it on a regular basis, not because I'm some sort of arch, chin stroking smartarse but because they actually have a relevance to me.
Debut albums fine but a backward step in comparison to the others. I've heard the same about the Troy Tate version and Morriseys regrets over his vocals etc.
Can't believe I'm talking about the Smiths. I usually keep mine hidden.
