Just been digging out the old Queen albums (Queen, Queen II etc)

Very well written stuff, surprised it doesnt gain more recognition, favourite for me is Liar..

Yes, Queen 1 and 2 are very good. Rather different from what they produced later.

Liar is one of my favourites too.

Definately, although I'm a fan of 70s Queen, the earlier part is the greatness for me, although I like the Raw nature of News of the World.

TBH, I only really heard the first few albums, after that all I heard was their singles and some of the songs they played in concerts. So I can't really judge the later works as such.

Most of the singles were good pop though and of course Queen were always very entertaining in concert.

I never really got into the first two albums - all that fairy/ogre nonsense, it was just silly!

But Sheer Heart Attack through to News Of The World, what a fantastic quartet of albums (and the next 5 are pretty good too)!

Definitely. Queen II has some lame filler (Some Day One Day, Loser in the End), but the 'black' side has some of their best songs - March of the Black Queen is probably in their top 5 of all time. A Night at the Opera is definitely their best album, since Prophet's Song and Death on Two Legs are on there.

I like all their early stuff up to Jazz. I also like most of Queen's stuff was good in the 80's/90's, but detest Hot Space with a vengeance as it feels like a pop/disco album.

I think Queen 2 is one of the best produced albums ever.Amazing sound quality and effects of anything I've ever heard.It was well ahead of it's time.

70s Queen far surpasses anything they did in the 80s, and Queen II is just a fantastic album.

Would love to see the Rainbow 74 show released on DVD if they could..

I have a full SBD recording of that show on my PC - I think they trimmed Liar down to 4 or so minutes sinces its too hard to play live lol.

I hope they release the Hyde Park 76 shows.

Yes, Queen II was very ahead of its time in terms of production. Some say that 'Stone Cold Crazy' from Sheer Heart Attack was apparently the first 'thrash metal' song, and was a major inspiration for bands like Metallica (they did cover the song after all).

I wasn't terribly keen on A Day at the Races, it didn't have the flare that Opera had. Is their debut any good? I know it has some good tracks like Keep Yourself Alive and Liar. What about the rest of their albums?

Huge Queen fan near enough my entire life, started with the later pop rock stuff in my childhood before gradually moving back.

Yes their early stuff is fantastic, varied stuff. In some ways they are very much like Muse, in the sense that they were very pretentious, but were pretentious with a nod and a wink, and in that respect it works very well.

I couldn't say my favourite album, they are all great in their own way. Queen is actually a fantastic album, with four phenomenally talented young men with everything to prove and nothing to lose. Aside from Keep Yourself Alive and Liar, you have Son & Daughter, although the version on Queen At The Beeb is probably better (and features an embryonic Brighton Rock in the middle), My Fairy King, like The March Of The Black Queen and In The Lap Of The Gods, are something of a blueprint for Bohemian Rhapsody. Liar is one of my all-time favourite songs. Jesus is probably the weakest track, and I'm surprised it was chosen for the album ahead of Ogre Battle (which was knocking about at least two years before it was released on Queen II)

Queen II was the last Queen album I got into, but is now one of my favourites. Father To Song, White Queen (As It Began), Nevermore, it's a wonderful album that is best heard in it's entirety, I think. It's verging on concept album, really. While not a bad song by any means, Funny How Love Is is not up to the standard of the rest of the album I think, and personally I think I would've dropped that and put See What A Fool I've Been as the final track, as an ironic twist to a very dark album.

Led Zeppelinesque Heavy Prog you mean.Queen have said they wanted to combine the powerful rock of Zeppelin & the vocal harmonies of Yes.That's the main two influences of early Queen.Led Zeppelin & Yes were the 2 most popular contemporary (formed after '69) rock bands in Britain at the time - so no surprise really.I don't think most people realise just how popular Yes were in those days.They certainly felt the negative hit that Punk rock gave them.

I love both of those!

major Queen fan, best band ever
Queen2 has no filler at all in my opinion, its my second favourite album ever, second to A Day at the Races, not a single bad track on this album and so much better than A Night at the Opera for me, as A Night... doesn't really do it for me - plus it has one of Brians worst songs, Sweet Lady. I quite like Hot Space too
least fave album Innuendo

Really? I thought it was a return to form for Queen after some very patchy albums (A Kind Of Magic, The Miracle). It wasn't quite the same as their early stuff, of course, but it was the closest thing to it, from a band that have matured considerably. It does have some weak tracks, such as Ride The Wild Wind and I Can't Live With You, but songs like These Are The Days Of Our Lives, The Show Must Go On, Innuendo and Don't Try So Hard made up for it, I thought.

While a bit of a patchwork, I thought Made In Heaven was very well done as well.

For me there have always been 2 Queens as far as albums are concerned.

The heavy, intricate, raw Queen from the 70s with songs like the march of the Black Queen, and, the pop led Queen of the 80s with songs like Radio Gaga.

Both were good, but personally i dont like a lot of 80'S Queen,far too poppy for my liking.

But Live....no matter what decade they were in,they blew everyone else out of the water, their pop songs also took on a more rockier feel when performed live also.

They did IMO head more towards their roots towards the end though.
Innuendo, show must go on, ect.

Queen were amazing, ever changing, and always top of whatever game they played (get it.....i'll get me coat)

Innuendo was a killer album though.

I agree its only Delilah that I dont like of that album is a daft song about a cat however to be fair to Freddie as this was his song about his pet and considering how he was at the time, I let him off still dont like the song though Sorry Fred.


for me the first first 4 Queen albums are pure gold. I find A day at the Races very good but theres quite a bit of filler on that album. Long Away, You and I, White Man and Drowse. The remaining tracks kind of make up for it but I think 4 average tracks count against it. News of the World was a much better album.

Lol, those four average tracks you mention are in my top ten of Queen tracks ! Good job we all have different tastes. Have played ADATR to death over the years and have used it many times to introduce people to Queen. A young lad i work with is into metal and vinyl but has never really heard much queen so i dug my vinyl copy out of the garage. He was blown away by it and is now a convert. Have now got him listening to Queen2, with him saying "i wish i'd grown up in the 70's" !

Never knew there were so many DS members with such good taste in music

Heres a nice clip for you to enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FPI3Fm4jhk