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 is set to release a newly mastered and expanded version of the album.

This reissue represents the first time that The Smiths’ back catalogue has been revisited in such a way. It follows two recent limited edition vinyl singles sourced from the archives: a demo mix of ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ which was released for Record Store Day, and ‘The Queen Is Dead’ which debuted at #1 on the official vinyl chart when it was released in June 1986.

The album features several of the band’s finest moments including the title track and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’, as well as the iconic singles ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ and ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’.

“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.”