Queen - A Night at the Opera [5/17]

Artist:

Queen

UPC:

050087240745

See Also:

George Michael/Queen - Five Live [EP] Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Bohemian Symphony: The RPO Plays Queen Various Artists - Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen Paul Rodgers/Queen - The Cosmos Rocks

Description:

Queen: Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano); Brian May (guitar, harp, ukulele, background vocals); John Deacon (electric piano, acoustic & electric basses); Roger Taylor (percussion, background vocals).
Recorded at Sarm Studios, Roundhouse Studios, Olympic Studios, Scorpio Studios, Landsdowne Studios, London, England and Rockfield Studios, Wales.
Personnel: Freddie Mercury (vocals); Brian May (guitar); John Deacon (electric bass); Roger Taylor (percussion).
Recording information: Earl`s Court (06/1975); Lansdowne (06/1975); Olympic (06/1975); Rockfield (06/1975); Roundhouse (06/1975); Sarm (06/1975); Scorpio (06/1975); Trident (06/1975); Earl`s Court (06/1977); Lansdowne (06/1977); Olympic (06/1977); Rockfield (06/1977); Roundhouse (06/1977); Sarm (06/1977); Scorpio (06/1977); Trident (06/1977); Earl`s Court (06/1979); Lansdowne (06/1979); Olympic (06/1979); Rockfield (06/1979); Roundhouse (06/1979); Sarm (06/1979); Scorpio (06/1979); Trident (06/1979); Earl`s Court (1974-1975); Lansdowne (1974-1975); Olympic (1974-1975); Rockfield (1974-1975); Roundhouse (1974-1975); Sarm (1974-1975); Scorpio (1974-1975); Trident (1974-1975).
Arranger: Queen.
Queen were straining at the boundaries of hard rock and heavy metal on Sheer Heart Attack, but they broke down all the barricades on A Night at the Opera, a self-consciously ridiculous and overblown hard rock masterpiece. Using the multi-layered guitars of its predecessor as a foundation, A Night at the Opera encompasses metal ("Death on Two Legs," "Sweet Lady"), pop (the lovely, shimmering "You`re My Best Friend"), campy British music hall ("Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," "Seaside Rendezvous"), and mystical prog rock ("`39," "The Prophet`s Song"), eventually bringing it all together on the pseudo-operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody." In short, it`s a lot like Queen`s own version of Led Zeppelin IV, but where Zep find dark menace in bombast, Queen celebrate their own pomposity. No one in the band takes anything too seriously, otherwise the arrangements wouldn`t be as ludicrously exaggerated as they are. But the appeal -- and the influence -- of A Night at the Opera is in its detailed, meticulous productions. It`s prog rock with a sense of humor as well as dynamics, and Queen never bettered their approach anywhere else. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Track Listing:

DISC 1:

1. Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To......)
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. Prophet`s Song, The
9. Love of My Life
10. Good Company
11. Bohemian Rhapsody
12. God Save the Queen

DISC 2: BONUS EP:

1. Keep Yourself Alive [Long-Lost Retake, June 1975] - (take, alternate take)
2. Bohemian Rhapsody [Operatic Section a Cappella Mix 2011] - (remix)
3. You`re My Best Friend [Backing Track Mix 2011] - (remix)
4. I`m in Love with My Car [Guitar & Vocal Mix 2011] - (remix)
5. `39 [Live at Earl`s Court, June 1977] - (live)
6. Love of My Life [South American Live Single, June 1979] - (live)

Album Information

Release Date:

05/17/2011

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Rock & Pop

Subgenre:

Art Rock

Label:

Hollywood

Producer:

Queen; Roy Thomas Baker

Catalog Number:

D00136480

Original Release Year:

1975

# of Discs:

2

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

62 : 4

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