1985: THE SMITHS
Meat Is Murder
Has rock music ever had a poet-prince more spectacularly emotive than one Mr. Stephen Patrick Morrissey? On the Smiths' second full-length, their only non-compilation release to hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts, Moz came into his own as a man of political principle, condemning carnivores, corporal punishment, and the Thatcher regime in the sweep of 10 gorgeously crafted pop songs. From its military album art to screeds like the title track and ''The Headmaster Ritual,'' Meat Is Murder at times seemed more like an ambitious civics lesson than a mere album, and many bemoaned its lack of cohesive musicality. Still, while the band would go on to create more polished and melodic works (1986's The Queen Is Dead is, track by track, a masterpiece) in their brief, brilliant career, this release remains a giant of its time. And for all his polemics, Morrissey still managed to strip himself bare with one immortal, shimmering refrain: ''I am human and I need to be loved/Just like everybody else does.''
ESSENTIAL TRACK ''How Soon Is Now?''
