Linda Poulnott

Favourite track: 'The Queen Is Dead'

I was 19 and already a Smiths fan when the Queen is Dead was released. I remember rushing home to get it on the turntable. (Unfortunately, I don't have my original vinyl copy now.) It opened with such an explosion of sound. Johnny's frenzied guitar playing and Mike's energetic drumming on the first track left me feeling breathless. From the start I knew this album was going to be something special...and I was right. So many of the songs that followed became favourites, Bigmouth, Some girls, There is a light. It seemed The Smiths had developed a new confidence in their sound. The fact that I still love the album 30 years later and that 19 year olds in 2016 are still buying it, is proof that it's a real gem.