On the Trail of The Smiths in Manchester (Meat is M**der at 40)

TheMeat is M**der album of 1985 revealed Morrissey as a fundamentalist vegetarian. How apt in the city where vegetarianism was found in 1809 by an offshoot of the Swedenborgians.
Away from the proselytising, this was an album packed with glorious homages to rock’s history. The lengthy guitar intro for the opening track, “The Headmaster Ritual”, in which Morrissey savages ignorant teachers, is based on Davey Johnstone’s work on Elton John’s “Love Lies Bleeding” fromGoodbye Yellow Brick Road. “Rusholme Ruffians”, which follows, is a clear nod to the ubiquitous Bo Diddley rhythm famously used by Elvis Presley in “His Latest Flame”. There’s an oblique Moors Murders reference: “A schoolgirl is denied/She said: ‘How quickly would I die?’”.
A power surge drives the album on the third track, “I Want The One I Can’t Have”, while the fourth, “What She Said”, honours Led Zeppelin’s magnificent “Four Sticks”, one of the highlights ofLed Zeppelin IV. All this came courtesy of Johnny Marr’s immense knowledge of rocks history, able to pick a riff from Elton John here, an idea from Bert Jansch there, and a rhythm from James Brown somewhere else.

Host or Publisher New Liverpool Walks