A Night at the Opera (Queen album)
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| A Night at the Opera | ||
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| Studio album by Queen | ||
| Released | November 21, 1975 (Europe) December 2, 1975 (USA) |
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| Recorded | August-November 1975 Lansdowne Studios Olympic Studios SARM Studios Scorpion Studios Rockfield Studios The Roundhouse Wessex Studios |
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| Genre | Hard rock Heavy metal Progressive rock |
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| Length | 44:11 | |
| Label | EMI, Parlophone (Europe) Elektra, Hollywood (USA) |
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| Producer(s) | Roy Thomas Baker & Queen | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Queen chronology | ||
| Sheer Heart Attack (1974) |
A Night at the Opera (1975) |
A Day at the Races (1976) |
A Night at the Opera is a 1975 album by English rock band Queen. It was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Queen.
Contents |
[edit] History
Recorded in 1975, the album reportedly was, at the time of its release, the most expensive album ever made.[1]
Originally released by EMI in the UK and Elektra Records in the United States (also re-released in the US on Hollywood Records on September 3, 1991 with two bonus remixes), the album peaked at #4 and has been certified Triple Platinum (three million copies sold) in the US.
On 21 November 2005 it was again re-released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album and its first single, "Bohemian Rhapsody". This release is accompanied by a DVD with the same track listing featuring the original videos, old and new concert footage (including "'39" from the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour and Brian May on the roof of Buckingham Palace playing "God Save The Queen") and audio commentary by all four bandmembers. On the aforementioned commentary (and on In the Studio with Redbeard, which devoted an episode to A Night at the Opera) May stated that had the album not been a success, Queen certainly would have disbanded.
The album, along with the follow-up album A Day at the Races in 1976, takes its name from the Marx Brothers film of the same name.
In addition to all of this, the album is famous for not using any synthesizers throughout the recording of the whole album. Considering all of the different sounds that Queen produces during the album it is quite remarkable.
[edit] Track listing
- Side 1
- "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to..." (Mercury) - 3:43
- "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" (Mercury) - 1:07
- "I'm in Love with My Car" (Taylor) - 3:05
- "You're My Best Friend" (Deacon) - 2:52
- "'39" (May) - 3:31
- "Sweet Lady" (May) - 4:03
- "Seaside Rendezvous" (Mercury) - 2:15
- Side 2
- "The Prophet's Song" (May) - 8:21
- "Love of My Life" (Mercury) - 3:39
- "Good Company" (May) - 3:23
- "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Mercury) - 5:55
- "God Save the Queen" (trad.; Arr. May) - 1:18
- Bonus tracks
- "I'm in Love with My Car" (1991, Remix by Mike Shipley) – 3:28
- "You're My Best Friend" (1991, Remix by Matt Wallace) – 2:52
[edit] Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...
"Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To...)" could only be referred to as Mercury's hate letter toward Queen's ex-manager, Norman Sheffield, whom is reputed to have mistreated the band and abuse his role as their manager from 1972-1975. Though it never made a direct reference to him, upon listening to the song, Sheffield attempted to sue the band for defamation. During live performances, Mercury would usually re-dedicate the song to "a real mother-fucker of a gentleman", although this line was bleeped out on the version that appeared on their Live Killers album in 1979, possibly in attempt to avoid further legal proceedings.
As with 'Bohemian Rhapsody', most of the guitar parts on this song were initially played on piano by Mercury, to demonstrate to May how they needed to be played on guitar. As for the piano intro itself, it reportedly took Mercury many attempts to achieve the final result[citation needed].
[edit] Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon
"Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" was another song by Mercury. He played piano and did all of the vocals. The lead vocal was sung in studio, produced through headphones elsewhere in the studio in a tin bucket. A microphone picked up the sound from the bucket, which gave that hollow "megaphone" sound.
[edit] I'm in Love with My Car
"I'm in Love with My Car" is amongst Roger Taylor's most famous songs in the Queen catalogue. The song initially began life as a joke, at least to Brian May, who thought that Taylor was not serious when he heard a demo recording.
Taylor played the guitars in the original demo, but were later re-recorded by Brian May on his Red Special. All lead vocals were sung by Roger Taylor, showcasing his spectacular countertenor range. The revving sounds at the conclusion of the song were recorded by Taylor's then current car, an Alfa Romeo. The lyrics were inspired by one of the band's roadies, John Harris, whose Triumph TR4 was evidently the "love of his life". The song is dedicated to him.
When it came down to releasing the album's first single, Taylor was so fond of his song that he urged Mercury (author of the first single, 'Bohemian Rhapsody') to allow it to be the B-side and reportedly locked himself in a cupboard until Mercury agreed. This decision would later become the cause of much internal dilemma for the band, in that while it was only the B-side, it generated an equal amount of publishing royalities for Taylor as the main single did for Mercury.
The song was played live often during the '77-'81 period. Taylor sang it from the drums while Freddie Mercury only played piano. Roger would recover the song for his concerts with The Cross and solo tours, where instead of drums he played rhythm guitar.
[edit] You're My Best Friend
"You're My Best Friend" was John Deacon's first single, which he composed while he was learning to play piano. He does piano on the recording and overdubbed two bass lines. The song was written for his wife.
[edit] '39
"'39" was Brian May's attempt to do "sci-fi skiffle." He sang the lead vocals and jokingly asked Deacon to play double bass. Some days later Deacon dropped by in the studio with the instrument and said he'd already learned how to play it. There are backing vocals by Mercury as well as very high and fairly low harmonies by Taylor, and some falsettos by May. The B-side of "You're My Best Friend" and one of the band's most popular songs, "'39" relates the tale of a group of space explorers who embark on what is, from their perspective, a year-long voyage. Upon their return, however, they realize that a hundred (or possibly a multiple of 100) years have passed, due to the time dilation effect in Einsteinian physics, and the loved ones they left behind are now all dead.[2] (Because the "year of '39" resembles 1939, some have speculated that this is actually a song about the beginning of World War II; however this is not the case.)
Following his performance of '39 at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, George Michael cited this song as his favourite Queen song, claiming he used to busk it on the London underground.
[edit] Sweet Lady
"Sweet Lady" is a heavy metal number written by May. Lyrically and musically, it's usually thought to precede 'Tie Your Mother Down' as a loud, riff-heavy expression of disdain for the author's romantic interest. However, 'Tie Your Mother Down' had already been written at the time.
Roger Taylor remembers it as the most difficult drumming part he ever recorded. As DTS tracks reveal, there are several off-pitch notes by Freddie Mercury on the lead vocal, something covered up by harmonies and overdubbing.
[edit] Seaside Rendezvous
"Seaside Rendezvous", written by Mercury, is most notable for its "horn arrangement" which was performed entirely by Mercury and Taylor using their vocals alone; it also features a snippet of a tap dance segment, also "performed" by Mercury and Taylor on the mixing desk with thimbles on their fingers. Mercury plays both grand piano and jangle honky-tonk.
[edit] The Prophet's Song
"The Prophet's Song" was composed by May. On the show In the Studio with Redbeard, which spotlighted A Night at the Opera, May explained that he wrote the song after a dream he'd had while he was recovering from being ill while recording the Sheer Heart Attack album, and is the source of some of the lyrics. He spent several days putting it together, and it includes a vocal canon sung first by Mercury, then by Mercury, Taylor and May. The vocal, and later instrumental canon was produced by early tape delay devices. It is a heavy and dark number with a strong progressive rock influence. At over eight minutes in length, is also Queen's longest song (Not counting the untitled instrumental track on Made in Heaven).
[edit] Love of My Life
"Love of My Life" is one of Mercury's most covered songs (there've been versions by many acts like Extreme featuring Brian May, Scorpions and Elaine Paige). Mercury played piano (including a classical solo) and did all of the vocals with startling multi-tracking precision. Brian May played harp (doing it chord by chord and pasting the takes to form the entire part), Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar (which he'd bought in Japan) and his usual Red Special.
[edit] Good Company
"Good Company" was written and sung by Brian May. All vocals are May, as is a genuine Aloha Ukelele. The ukelele was his father's, and was a combination of a ukelele and banjo. The song was reminiscent of his father.
The recording is remarkable for featuring an elaborate recreation of a Dixieland-style jazz band, produced by May using his Red Special guitar, along with various forms of effects processing.
The song is a narrative tale, told by a man who in young age was advised by his father to "take care of those you call your own, and keep good company." In his younger years, the singer follows his father's advice, keeping his friends and marrying a girl named Sally. However, after their marriage, he begins to lose interest in his friends, who gradually disappear. As he grows older, he becomes increasingly skilled at and dedicated to his occupation, working long nights and neglecting his family.
Eventually, the singer's efforts are rewarded, he begins his own Limited company (which is also a pun, since throughout the rest of the song "company" is used in the sense of companions). Even more dedicated to his business, he hardly takes notice as his wife leaves him.
The song finishes with the speaker as an elderly man, puffing his pipe and pondering the lessons of his life, which he has no one left to share with.
[edit] Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody", written by Mercury, composed entirely and solely by its author, all guitar, bass and drum parts, as well as the vocal arrangements were literally thought up by Mercury on a daily basis, and written down "in blocks" on a phonebook (using note names instead of sheets). The other members recorded their respective instruments with no concept of how their tracks would be utilised in the final mix. The now phenomenally famous operatic section was originally intended to be only a short interlude of "Galileos" that connected the ballad and heavy metal portions of the song.
During the recording, the song became affectionately known as "Fred's Thing" to the band, and the title only emerged during the final sessions.
Despite being twice as long as the average single in 1975, the song became immensely popular, topping charts worldwide (where it remained for an unprecedented nine weeks in the UK) and is now widely regarded as one of the most significant rock songs in history.
[edit] God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" - Brian May recorded the British anthem in 1974 before their Sheer Heart Attack tour. He played a guide piano which was edited out later and added several layers of guitars. After the song was completed it was played as an outro at virtually every concert Queen played. When recording the track May played a rough version on piano for Roy Thomas Baker. He called his own skills on the piano sub-par at the time.
A song written by May and Mercury called "And Baby will Fall" was originally slated to end the album until it was decided that 'God Save The Queen' be the conclusion. Further, songs titled "Woe" (written by May and Mercury), "All for Nothing" (written by Deacon), and "Any Given Day" (written and sung by May) were also recorded.[citation needed]
Brian May has stated that the song is a homage to Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner[3]
[edit] Personnel
- Freddie Mercury: Vocals and Piano
- Brian May: Guitars, Harp, Ukulele, Vocals and Orchestral Backdrops
- Roger Taylor: Percussion and Vocals
- John Deacon: Electric bass, Double bass and Electric piano
[edit] Singles
- "Bohemian Rhapsody"/"I'm in Love with My Car" (October, 1975)
- "You're My Best Friend"/"'39" (June, 1976)
[edit] Accolades
The album was ranked number 230 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Channel 4 named it the 13th greatest album of all time.[4] It was also ranked #41 on Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" and #16 on Q's "50 Best British Albums Ever!". In 2006 it was voted the ninth greatest Number One album of all time by the British public.[5] Since its release it has consistently ranked high in many lists. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[1]
[edit] Charts and sales
| Country | Charts | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | Certification | ||
| Australia | 1 | |||
| Finland | 1 | 20.000 | ||
| Netherlands | 1 | 300.000 | ||
| United Kingdom | 1 | 50 | Platinum | 1.300.000 |
| Spain | 2 | |||
| Norway | 4 | |||
| United States | 4 | 56 | Triple Platinum | 3.500.000 |
| Germany | 5 | Platinum | 700.000 | |
| Austria | 9 | Gold | 25.000 | |
| Japan | 9 | Gold | 250.000 | |
[edit] References
- ^ All Music Guide - Queen
- ^ http://songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2891
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fux8b594psq0 AMG review of A Night at the Opera.
- ^ 100 Greatest Albums. Channel 4. Retrieved on November 21, 2006.
- ^ Beatles' Pepper tops album poll. BBC (2006-08-29). Retrieved on November 21, 2006.
