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Early Queen Albums
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Queen have always been one of my favourite bands. The first band I really got into, and followed. (Flash Gordon started it!) From them I got into lots of other bands, Beatles, The Who, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Sabbath. I go through long periods where I dont listen to them as I know the songs so well (same with The Beatles), and then have a splurge where they are all I will listen to.
Anyway, I am currently going through a listen of Queens albums from the beginning, and am loving it! The first 2 albums are as good as anything Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Sabbath were up to at the same time, and it made me realise that people have forgotten what a hard rock band they were in the early days. As much as I like some of the later stuff (The Works, Kind of Magic, Innuendo), it is the early stuff I like to go back to.
They really are a band that deserve a re-appraisal, especsially of the early stuff.
Anyway, I am currently going through a listen of Queens albums from the beginning, and am loving it! The first 2 albums are as good as anything Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Sabbath were up to at the same time, and it made me realise that people have forgotten what a hard rock band they were in the early days. As much as I like some of the later stuff (The Works, Kind of Magic, Innuendo), it is the early stuff I like to go back to.
They really are a band that deserve a re-appraisal, especsially of the early stuff.
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Queen the debut album considering it was recorded on down time in the studio. (ie the middle of the night), is a fantastic debut cant think of many other band who have had such a strong first album. Zeppelin and Sabbath are probably the only others.
From Queen to News Of The World all of those albums are fantastic. though ADATR is the weakest of them all.
Listened to Night at the Opera today, and the Prophets song blew me away as it always does! Awesome, one of the best tracks they ever did.
Agree about Day at the Races, dissaponting after Opera, but still enjoyable. They kind of lost there way after the Jazz album, imo, but could still come up with the goods if they wanted to. The Works, and Innuendo were probably there best albums of the eighties.
The Miracle is a horrible album.
The main problem with Queen is that, like The Rolling Stones, they've mastered music as a corporate entity. I don't get why people are so shocked about Brian May and Roger Taylor and their desire for quick bucks when the band, high on the American success of News Of The World in 1977, pretty much became a singles band and from Jazz onwards. They were just writing a few great numbers and an awful lot of filler so they could sell the good songs as singles and then again in an album.
It probably would've stayed the same (and, as with most bands/musicians from the 1960's and early 1970's, they were starting to struggle in the singles charts by the late 1980's, as Stock-Aitken-Waterman hit their stride), with increasingly diminishing returns, were it not for Freddie Mercury's illness giving them a new focus. Granted, The Miracle was still a poor record as, if I recall correctly, most of it was already written by the time they knew of Freddie's condition (Was It All Worth It, Scandal and The Miracle are the exceptions, I think), and then out came Innuendo and Made In Heaven, which, whilst obviously making allowances for the handicap of no Freddie to work with in the latter, were the first albums made with real care and love since the pre-Jazz stuff. And it's not coincidental that it's arguably their best work since those days also.
Have to say though, to remain on-topic. I've always adored A Day At The Races, even if most people consider it harder to love than its predecessor. It is quite obviously a straight-up sequel, but I mean, do Queen have a stronger opening triumvirate of songs than Tie Your Mother Down, You Take My Breath Away and Long Away? Not in my opinion.
Still got at least 4 very good tracks on it though. The title track, I Want It All, Breakthru and Scandal. I also like Rain Must Fall but I am yet to meet anybody else who likes that song
Not forgetting Was It All Worth It. A very fine track and no doubt the reason for it being the final track is because at the time the band did not know how long Freddie had left.
Yeah that's a bad song either. I do get where Soupietwist is coming from though. The production is horrid and the band do sound like they are treading water. I'm glad they didn't end with that album. Innuendo was a much more fitting way to bow out. Again though, that album has it's flaws
Yes I don't really like the song Delilah. However it was Freddies song to his beloved cats so I could not deny him that song.
the most beautiful song. chills.
Just my opinion, The Works was a good return to form, but Hot Space is definitely a better album than The Miracle.
I know everyone says Queen has filler...but really every track they have has something amazing about it.
The early albums really are gems though. No other rock band could pull off Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, Killer Queen, Bring Back that Leroy Brown, Brighton Rock, The Millionaire Waltz, Flick of the Wrist, It's a Hard Life, Seaside Rendezvous, Misfire.
All classics underrated and totally unique.
^^^BTW to the person above, I like Rain Must Fall.
Queen
Queen II
Sheer Heart Attack
A Night at the Opera
A Day at the Races
News of The World
Jazz
I still play it weekly along with day at the races and news of the world. I just love 70s Queen, I bought their albums up to and including Jazz, love them all.
You really have no idea.
There are lots of reasons why Queen were so good, they gave glam rock a hard edge at the time, they experimented with musical styles, sounds and studio techniques, they composed complex songs but didn't become too self-indulgent, they told stories. I think Queen were heavily influenced by the idea of rock opera in the early days which is why you get that tremendous variation of styles/ genres and dynamics within songs right back to the first and second albums.
And then you get the covers which define everything about them, Queen l Freddie the showman caught in the spotlight and on Queen II, the iconic picture of the four together. In any history of UK rock and pop music Queen's works are nearly all required listening.