Queen Music:

		List Price: $19.99		Label: Hollywood Records Salesrank: 3652 Released: November 22, 2005
		Our Price: $13.08
		Used Price: $12.99
		Media: Audio CD

A Night at the Opera (30th Anniversary Coll. Ed) [CD/DVD Combo] Track Listing:
1. Death On Two Legs
2. Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon
3. I'm In Love With My Car
4. You're My Best Friend
5. '39
6. Sweet Lady
7. Seaside Rendezvous
8. The Prophet's Song
9. Love Of My Life
10. Good Company
11. Bohemian Rhapsody
12. God Save The Queen

Editorial Review:
A landmark release, this special edition features both the new CD and DVD formats of the album completely restored from original analogue tapes and digitally re-mastered by Bob Ludwig, in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound. As well as the original 1975 videos for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'You're My Best Friend', the DVD also contains brand new video footage for the other 10 tracks, along with archive audio commentary from all four members of Queen, including the late Freddie Mercury.

Description of A Night at the Opera (30th Anniversary Coll. Ed) [CD/DVD Combo]:
Nothing succeeds like excess--at least that's the case with Queen's breakthrough classic, A Night at the Opera. On one level, the title is a reference to the band's operatic pretensions, best in evidence here on the classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," which was championed by headbangers a generation before being revived by the Wayne's World set. Of course, A Night at the Opera was also the title of a Marx Brothers movie, and the reference isn't lost on Queen, who seldom scaled the heights of pomprock without a knowing wink. The album is remembered for its meticulously produced bombast, but the truth is that there's a wide variety of material here, from the gorgeous piano-based "You're My Best Friend" and the McCartneyesque "39" to the music-hall-style "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and the pedal-to-the-metal rockers "Death on Two Legs" and "I'm in Love with My Car." A Night at the Opera is viewed by most as the quintessential Queen album, and justifiably so. --Daniel Durchholz

A Night at the Opera (30th Anniversary Coll. Ed) [CD/DVD Combo] Reviews:
Queen at the Opera
2008-11-09 - I loved it! It was so nice to get the added videos too! Awesome!

Rather buy me a new carbouretor
2008-10-07 - The album that essentially defined Queen to an American Audience gets the royal treatment, and it was well worth the upgrade. Marked by the operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody," "A Night At The Opera" mixed all the grand elements of Queen's first three albums into one pastiche of glory. Each band member contributed songs and Roy Thomas Baker perfected his kitchen sink approach to production on this. From the simple Sci-Fi Ballad "39" to the Prog-rock excess of "The Prophet Song" to the snappy rock of "Death on Two Legs," "A Night At The Opera" had it all.

Queen (and primarily Freddie Mercury) loved the exaggerated pomp and camp of rock, and were determined to capture it all on record. There are stories that the vocals for "Bohemian Rhapsody" consisted of over 1,000 overdubbed Mercurys, Taylors and Mays to get it perfect, and yet the show-hall sounds of "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon" couldn't be goofier. It was almost as if the band was trying to show up prog bands like Yes, only to squeak a rubber-duck in their faces at the coda.

The end result is perfection. The remaster sounds incredible, with the nuances of the softer songs ("39" "You're My Best Friend" clearer than ever and the stunning production on the rockers ("Death On Two Legs," "The Prophet Song") confirming just how brilliant the band could be when they were firing all the engines. "A Night At The Opera" influenced decades of artists: everyone from The Darkness to Mike Meyers owes Queen a bow.

As for the bonus material, the DVD is mostly a waste. The commentary is interesting and it's nice to have the "Bohemian Rhapsody" original video, but the cut and paste quality of the rest leaves much to be desired. Since you can't get the CD remaster any other way, this version of "A Night At The Opera" is still worth it. Now, how about similar re-does on Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack or News of the World?

Queen's GRAND breakthrough to the US gets a 30th anniversary fit for a king
2008-09-20 - Queen's fourth album A Night at the Opera was originally released in December of 1975.
The album was the band's sink or swim album, if it flopped it would have been the end of Queen.
Here is a track-by-track summary of the album.
"Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" kicks off the album in a hard rocking manner which was frontman Freddie Mercury's ode to an ex-management company whom treated the band like dirt. The vaudevillian sounding "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" follows and is great with its 1930s-ish sound and harmonized heavy metal guitar solo at the end is amazing. Drummer Roger Taylor's ode to the automobile "I'm In Love With My Car" follows and is a superb rocker sung by Roger. The ballad "You're My Best Friend" follows and is a nice song written by bass player John Deacon for his wife Veronica (whom he is still married to today) and was a US Top 20 hit in the summer of 1976 peaking at #16. I love the melodies and harmony parts. Guitarist Brian May's "'39" is a great skiffle (folk) song with Brian singing. The song is Queen's sci-fi song about a man who goes time travelling for a hundred years but comes back one year older. Musically sounds like an outtake from either The Beatles' Rubber Soul or a Kingston Trio album. Brian writes the next track, the rocker "Sweet Lady" which is a great hard rock track. Freddie's vaudevillian sounding "Seaside Rendezvous" ends the first half. Got to love those voice orchestrations from Roger and Freddie imitating a brass and horn section.
Brian's epic "The Prophet's Song" kicks off the second half in epic style and all I can say is WOW! The song was written while Brian was sick with the curable form of hepatitis and an ulcer which forced Queen to cancel a US tour in 1974. It's a great epic, superb vocals. Especially with Freddie's vocal solo which was pure genius. Freddie's "Love of My Life" follows and is a great song about a breakup. Brian's "Good Company" is next with Brian's jazz guitar orchestra, ukulele and vocals on this track just rock. Next is the album's biggest hit and Queen's arguable greatest moment, Freddie Mercury's nearly six minute "Bohemian Rhapsody". The song is Freddie's 6 minute magnum opus and a song unlike any in rock history. It has it all, ballad, an OPERA section (voices by the Queen members and was overdubbed and overdubbed to point where master tape almost deteriorated). This song would be Queen's first US Top 10 hit reaching #9 in 1976. Then it would reach #2 in 1992 in the US when re-released because of Wayne's World. Brian's classic rendition of the British anthem "God Save the Queen" closes this masterpiece.
When this album was released, it went to #4 in the US and became Queen's first million seller and has sold up to 3 million copies to date in the US alone (I helped when I first bought the album on CD in March of 1992 only being familiar with Bohemian Rhapsody and You're My Best Friend as they were on Elektra/Asylum's 1981 version of Queen's Greatest Hits).
In November of 2005, Queen re-released A Night at the Opera complete with a new remaster which buries any previous CD version of ANATO(including the remastered version on the 1998 Queen box set The Crown Jewels) plus a DVD of videos, commentary and the album in 5.1
The cut and paste videos on the DVD I liked the best are Death on Two Legs(showing footage from the Earls Court and Houston concerts in 1977), I'm in Love With My Car(which features more rare concert footage), Sweet Lady(with footage from the Hyde Park performance Queen did in 1976) and The Prophet's Song. Also, you get new re-mastered videos for You're My Best Friend and the "flames" version of Bohemian Rhapsody which was only an easter egg on the Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD released in 2002.
The commentary may not be new but at least it gives stories behind each track.
Some will say why buy again but I say go for it because of the remastering!
Highly recommended!

This tribute is an absolute must have for every Queen fan
2008-09-15 - This remastered edition, together with the DVD are a great tribute to this immortal classic album, which first hit the world in 1975.

An amazing classic of the 20th century.



Everyone knows the multi-layered classic rock-opera Bohemian Rhapsody, voted over and over the number one hit of all time.

I think The Prophets Song ' is just as powerful.Queen guitarist. Brian May wrote this after he had a dream about the Great Flood. Many religions and cultures have stories of floods, including the Great Flood of The Bible that led to Noah's Ark.But most (not all) music stars today lack imagination.)

Both Bohemian Rhapsody and The Prophets Song change pace and mood several times at just the right places making for a magnificent overall masterpiece.

The angry hard rocker 'Death on Two Legs' was dedicated to a former manager of the band. It is fantastic. I enjoyed the nonchalant and whimsical 'Seaside Rendezvous' and the camp 'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon'.
I think '39'is a lovely story (it's about a man who go's into space for many years and does not age , but when he returns , his daughter , or granddaughter , is now an old lady). It shows why Brian May is recognized as one of the greatest guitarists of all times. Also poignant and beautiful is the reflective

'Good Company' about a man's cycle of life from infancy to old age.

.The operatic 'Love of My Life' -is a classic rock opera piece and was redone in 1979.
And the hard-rock Sweet Lady is great song about the two sides of a strained love relationship !

The DVD complements the album in every way. All the clips here are rivetting to see.
Whether it is the original video of Bohemian Rhapsody digitally remastered for DVD format, pics of Queen and their friends in the early 70s living it up in the video for Lazing On A Sunday Afternnon,or collages of live and studio performances of the band for such tracks as Death On Two Legs, Sweet Lady and The Prophet's Song. Love Of My Life consists of live performances shown of Queen performing that hit, while there is an excellent collage of old seaside scens from Brighton in the 1920s and 30s for Seaside Rendezvouz.
The two most magnifficent creations for the DVD are the videos for 39 which include space exploration shoots and shots of life from childhood through life to old age, makes for a really poignant video for Good Company. This brings a lump to my throat and brings strong new appreciation to a song I had previously regarded as a filler.


The greatest tribute ever to rock opera is The Night At The Opera.
It will always be a classic and testimony to one of the greatest pieces of rock ever.
This DVD is a real treat, something to really llok forward to seeing for anyone who has ever enjoyed a Night At The Opera.
If you have ever enjoyed this album this anniversary edition is an absolute must have.

The best anniversary set of any artist
2008-02-09 - Very impressed by the remastering, and very impresed with the dvd and footage. couldn't get any better than this , a must buy, especially for hardcore Queen fans.