Queen Music:

A Night at the Opera Track Listing:
1. Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...) - Queen, Mercury, Freddie
2. Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon - Queen, Mercury
3. I'm in Love With My Car - Queen, Queen
4. You're My Best Friend - Queen, Deacon, John
5. '39 - Queen, May, Brian
6. Sweet Lady - Queen, May, Brian [1]
7. Seaside Rendezvous - Queen, Mercury, Freddie
8. The Prophet's Song - Queen, Queen
9. Love of My Life - Queen, Mercury, Freddie
10. Good Company - Queen, May, Brian [1]
11. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen, Mercury, Freddie
12. God Save the Queen - Queen, Queen

Editorial Review:
SUPERB 180G REMASTERED VINYL WITH ALL ORIGINAL ARTWORK (INCLUDING INNER SLEEVES). Hollywood Records. 2008.

A Night at the Opera Reviews:
Not all vinyl sounds good...
2008-11-02 - These new Queen vinyl releases are pretty shrill sounding. Not at all what you'd expect from a nice piece of vinyl. Find an original UK pressing if you want to hear how good Queen records can sound.

Unfortunate mastering on these new issues.

Remastered Masterpiece!
2007-06-21 - It's been well over thirty years since this album came out and I finally bought it. I've been missing out on a lot of fantastic music. This album is extraordinary in its own merit, and I finally understand what "Queen" really was all about - the entire experience! Sure, "You're My Best Friend" was a really nice song and "Bohemian Rhapsody" defined an entire generation, but hearing it as it was pieced together in one collage of a musical experience and you'll understand what the big fuss is all about. Freddie Mercury's vocals are astounding. There simply is no `best' song on this album. Every song is its own masterpiece, but I am partial to the anthemic, "'39". God Save the Queen!



The album which forever immortalised Queen
2007-06-15 - A Night At The Opera (1975.), Queen's fourth studio album

Throughout their career, Queen would always challenge themselves musically and would create a musical spectacle that would win over millions of fans. The band were especially innovative in their early career; powering out a blistering hard-rocking debut with `Queen I' and experimenting with more progressive ideas in `Queen II'. With their third release, `Sheer Heart Attack', the band got everything together to produce a `70's classic. However, the musical train definitely didn't stop there as a year later Queen released `A Night At The Opera'; an album you just may have heard quite a lot of press about over the past 30 or so years...

...Indeed, as most reviewers for this album will have stated, this is a seminal hard rock classic and in many ways marks a creative peak in the great career which Queen enjoyed. The album, filled with operatic harmonies and memorable tunes has influenced countless other bands down the years and across the genres. At a first listen, this album strikes you as a crazy operatic charade and in many ways it is! Queen here create an album which is based on the theme of an opera performance with all the crazy twists and turns thrown in. However it works brilliantly and is a truly innovative display that also rocks hard (in some parts at least!). An argument I've often heard with this album is that the whole thing is only made coherant by the one song `Bohemian Rhapsody'. Many agree that the song is the centrepiece of the album. However, I would not hesitate to say that a large number of the tracks stand up on their own two feet. Tracks like `Death On Two Legs' and `You're My Best Friend' are timeless classics in their own right. All in all, `A Night At The Opera' is definitive Queen; there is the pomp, excess, craziness and creative genius all fully featured on this disc. The album also marks a continuation of each member of the band contributing their own material. Brian May's compositions make up the more guitar driven works on the album such as `Sweet Lady' whilst Freddie Mercury contributes the more operatic and quirky songs such as `Seaside Rendezvous', `Love Of My Life' and not to mention the all time famous `Bohemian Rhapsody'. Roger Taylor and John Deacon also leave a clear statement on the album too.

`Death On Two Legs' opens this great album. This is one of Queen's best album openers and one of their best songs, period. Written as a cynical tribute to their previous band manager, Freddie Mercury spews venom in the lyrics in an amusing fashion over some great guitar harmonies and melodies from May. The grand piano work, which is synonymous with early Queen is there as well in this blistering opener too. `Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' is next; a catchy one minute song with some amusing lyrics. There is more piano and overblown guitar lines and as a listener you can feel the operatic stylings in the album building. Then, enter Roger Taylor for `I'm In Love With My Car'. I've always been a big fan of the Roger Taylor songs in the Queen catalogue and this one is no exception. This song rocks hard and Taylor gives a great vocal performance, expressing his love for his car. `You're My Best Friend' is a beautiful song; John Deacon, the quiet man of the band really pulls out the stops in this song of his. A timeless Queen classic, the keyboards work a treat and Freddie Mercury delivers some fantastic emotive vocals. `'39' is an excellent semi-acoustic song about a couple being split up due to the beginning of World War II. `Sweet Lady' is another really cool song. With it's waltz like rocking guitar riff and strong vocals, this is a strong closer to the first half of the album.

`Seaside Rondezvous' keeps the operatic nature of the album going. The song has the excess and hilarity which a number of the tracks on the album exhibit and it again works a treat. `The Prophet's Song' is the epic of the album, clocking in at 8 minutes. Here we see what the sound Queen pioneered is all about, there are vocal harmonies and operatic squeals galore in this one. Although the track is a littel drawn out in parts, there is no denying the significance of this particular song. `Love Of My Life' is a Queen fan favourite; a calm and serene song, Freddie gives another brilliant vocal performance in this excellent ballad. `Good Company' is another amusing song, this time a Brian May composition. May performs the vocals and plays the ukelele to create a unique sounding song which I personally think is great. Next is a track I need not say too much about. `Bohemian Rhapsody' is a track everyone knows, whether you know this album or not - it is 6 minutes of pure craziness and genius. For it's time, it was the most expensive single ever made - the number of vocal layers on this song show this. Following this masterpiece, the album closes with Brian May rockin' out to the tune of `God Save The Queen'. Again we see the opera theme and Queen's joking around it, as operas traditionally had the song played at them after a performance.

`A Night At The Opera' is definitive Queen. If you want a showcase of what Queen is all about then this is the album to get hold of. The vast praise this album has been given over the years is completely deserved and this album is a milestone album in music. `A Night At The Opera' has aged extremely well and as aware as everyone is that this album dates back to '75, it still sounds fresh and lively. This album and it's predecessor `Sheer Heart Attack', for me marked the creative peak for Queen. This album is a must for any rock fans collection or for any fan of great music in general.

MY RATING: 9.5/10

Queen's Greatest
2005-10-26 - While progressive rockers may have been the first to provide significant injections of bombast into rock music, Queen raised bombast to a fine art, and created one of the greatest rock albums in the process of doing so. Though there is bombast, there is beauty too, and Queen proved that a rock album could incorporate a huge diversity of styles and be successful. This album is a critical component of any rock music collection.

The album opens with the first of three rockers, "Death on Two Legs." This song has excellent metal poetry that eschews mumbled and garbled lyrics for clarity and evocation. The words contain gems from beginning to end, such as the line "you're a sewer-rate decaying in a cesspool of pride." Guitars scream and wail and Queen's harmonies are sprinkled liberally throughout. Yet this song retains an element of fun and retains a twinkle in its musical eye. The other heavy rocker is an ode to muscle cars. "I'm in Love with My Car" is a perfect cruising song with crunchy guitars and Roger Taylor's roaring vocal. The two songs are different, but anchor one end of Queen's musical range. Also included is a 1991 remix of this song. There are a few differences between the songs, but I still prefer the original. The third rocker is "Sweet Lady." This third song is loud and fast paced, but seems less inspired than much of the music on this album.

After "Death on Two Legs" is the first of three songs that are quirky, fun and kind of clear the aural palate between songs. "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" is an ode to the era of flappers and speakeasies. "Seaside Rendezvous" is in a similar vein, and also comes after a rocker. Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury both do vocal interpretations of instruments that are remarkably effective and fun. The third song in this vein is "Good Company," which comes after "Love of My Life." This song has lead vocals by Brian May, along with a ukulele. This song has a musical style more similar to songs of the 1930s, though with sufficient electronic effects to remind you that the song is influenced by that era but could only have been made in this era. For reasons I am unable to explain this song is a perfect lead-in to "Bohemian Rhapsody."

"You're My Best Friend" and "Love of My Life" are two love ballads that show yet another capability of Queen. "You're My Best Friend" was released as a single backed by the interesting song "'39" and reached #16 on the pop singles chart. Freddie Mercury's vocals provide the emotional kick for this song, and make this song one of Queen's best. "Love of My Life" falls into a similar vein, and features Brian May playing the harp. This song is also beautiful and emotional, and in many ways is more powerful than "Love of My Life." In retrospect, I think this song could have been released as a single and would have done well. This version of the CD includes a 1991 remix of "You're My Best Friend." I am unable to discern any significant difference between the two versions, and thus the addition is of minimal value.

There is one song that is hard to categorize. "God Save the Queen" is Brian May's interpretation of the English anthem. Guitars predominate in this brief piece that is intended to be a thank you to Queen and country.

Though the remaining three songs are quite different from each other, they share a commonality in that they are among the more experimental tracks on this CD, and being a fan of progressive rock, I think they are among the best tracks on this CD.

The first of these songs is "'39." I have seen many interpretations of this song that combines a flavor of country-rock with several other styles. I saw one review compare the style to Paul McCartney, and I see the relationship. I could also see a comparison to the Eagle's Joe Walsh years. The harmonies also remind me just a little of the Moody Blues.

The next song in this category is "The Prophet's Song," an 8:21 progressive rock masterpiece. Brian May uses a toy koto, an unusual instrument that lends a slight Asian flavor to the introduction. This song also features an a capella vocal by Freddie Mercury that is fascinating and adds to the numerous dimensions of this song that features a rocking end.

The third song is the bombastic art rock classic "Bohemian Rhapsody." This phenomenal song can be treated as a parody of glam rock, or it can be considered in the context of a rock group that was unafraid of performing their art as they saw fit. The pseudo operatic elements are wonderful and occasionally eerie and always fascinating. The harmonies are outstanding and wonderfully excessive. If ever a song captured everything good about rock music, this one is it. This song charted the first time in 1976 and reached #9. The second time the song charted was in 1992, when it reached #2. You will have some kind of feeling about this song regardless of whether that reaction is one of awe or distaste, but those us who are fans of Queen and progressive rock usually love this one.

Queen hit pay dirt with this album, which reached #4 on the Pop Albums chart. This album was easily Queen's best album, showcasing the talents of four individuals who were able to able to come together and stay together until Freddie Mercury passed away. While Queen had many excellent songs, they had at least one great album, and this was it.

Note that this is the gold version of this album and there are several others available. Choose wisely!


A Classic Album!!
2005-07-19 - From start to finish this album is great to listen to. It has great lyrical, harmony, & musical quality. The album appears to have a little satire (Death on Two Legs - Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, Good Company, & Seaside Rendezvous) to great story telling of love and adventure (I'm in love with my car, You're My Best Friend, '39,) with a touch of the dark (The Prophet's Song and Bohemian Rhapsody) thrown in. A great album for the ages!!