Rank (album)

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Rank is a live album by the English rock band The Smiths. It was released in September 1988 by their British record company, Rough Trade, and reached No. 2 in the British charts. In the United States, the album was released on Sire Records and made No. 77.

About the album

Rank was released as a contractual obligation, a year after the band had split. It was recorded on 23 October 1986 at National Ballroom in Kilburn, London, and is a fourteen-track distillation (of 21 songs) by singer Morrissey from the complete concert recording that had earlier been transmitted by BBC Radio 1. The album rode high on Smiths nostalgia and the success of Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, earlier the same year.

The record finds the group in top form and strengthened by the presence of rhythm guitarist Craig Gannon. The focus naturally lies on songs from the then-current album, The Queen Is Dead, but new songs are played as well ("Ask", "Is It Really So Strange?", "London"). It is speculated that the addition of "The Draize Train" was a peace offering from Morrissey to guitarist Johnny Marr; as Marr has the sole writing credit for the song, he receives all royalties from its addition. What is known is that the inclusion of "The Draize Train" as the twelfth track gives the listener a sense of the rhythm and pacing of a Smiths show, as the band typically played an instrumental while Morrissey took a quick break backstage before returning to belt out the electrifying set-closers.

The songs omitted from the recording of the Kilburn show are: "I Want the One I Can't Have", "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out", "Frankly, Mr. Shankly", "Never Had No One Ever", "Meat Is Murder", and "How Soon Is Now?" Also, some edits can be readily heard in the concert itself, such as at the end of "I Know It's Over" when the crowd starts cheering. In late 2009 video footage appeared from the show on YouTube.

According to Smiths biographers Johnny Rogan and David Bret, Morrissey originally titled the album The Smiths in Heat. Rough Trade objected and Morrissey proposed Rank, "as in 'J. Arthur'" (J. Arthur Rank is Cockney rhyming slang for "wank").

Cover

The sleeve for Rank, once again designed by Morrissey, stars actress Alexandra Bastedo. The image is from photographer John d Green's 1967 book Birds Of Britain. The gatefold album's interior features a photo of dozens of Smiths fans ripping apart Morrissey's shirt. The picture was taken by Ian Tilton at the 1986 Factory Records "Festival of the Tenth Summer" concert at GMEX concert and exhibitions venue in Manchester U.K.

Track listing

All tracks written by Johnny Marr and Morrissey except "His Latest Flame" (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman) and "The Draize Train" (Marr).

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Queen Is Dead"	4:11
2.	"Panic"	3:07
3.	"Vicar In A Tutu"	2:40
4.	"Ask"	3:12
5.	"His Latest Flame/Rusholme Ruffians" (Medley)"	3:55
6.	"The Boy With The Thorn In His Side"	3:47
7.	"Rubber Ring/What She Said (Medley)"	3:41
8.	"Is It Really So Strange?"	3:45
9.	"Cemetry Gates"	2:50
10.	"London"	2:38
11.	"I Know It's Over"	7:49
12.	"The Draize Train"	4:23
13.	"Still Ill"	4:09
14.	"Bigmouth Strikes Again"	5:51

Personnel

The band

• Morrissey – vocals
• Johnny Marr – lead guitar
• Craig Gannon – rhythm guitar
• Andy Rourke – bass guitar
• Mike Joyce – drums

Technical staff

• Pete Dauncey and Grant Showbiz – producers
• Paul Nickson – engineer