Night At The Opera, A (Limited Edition Replica Vinyl) [Remastered] - Queen > Reviews > POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	A classic album with several outstanding tracks
Disadvantages:	A few quirky experimental tracks

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Queen’s fourth studio album, “A Night at the Opera”, released in 1975, was the first of two Queen albums to be named after Marx Brothers’ films. (The second being 1976’s “A Day at the Races”). It is regarded by many as their best album, not least because it contains their ‘magnum opus’ “Bohemian Rhapsody”. It is also the first album to really make full use of the intricate multi-layer vocal harmonies for which they became famous.

For purist Queen fans, it contains no use of synthesisers (a synthesiser did not make an appearance on a Queen album until “The Game”, some four albums later in 1980) and probably epitomises the trademark Queen “style” in the 1970s. Its overall style could not be called anything other than Rock (Queen were criticised by many fans on some of their later albums for moving away from their usual style and experimenting with a dance/funk sound), but encompasses many creative variations on the theme.

As a long-time Queen fan, I spent the majority of my teenage years listening almost exclusively to their music and at the time this album was my favourite. Some years on, my musical taste has broadened somewhat, and I am now able to see the album’s flaws, and would probably choose others as favourites, but the flaws are minor and it is still a classic album, groundbreaking for its time.

The album cover features Queen’s famous crest, reproduced in vivid colours on a white background. The crest depicts a letter Q, wearing a crown, surrounded by symbols denoting the star signs of the four band members.

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1. DEATH ON TWO LEGS (DEDICATED TO…)

The album opens with a heavy rock track, full of typical Queen cheekiness and humour. Although we are never told exactly whom it is “dedicated to”, it is rumoured to have been written as an attack on an ex-manager who had cheated them financially. The song is a vitriolic tirade of somewhat amusing insults – lyrics include “You’re a sewer rat decaying in a cess pool of pride” and “Was the fin on your back part of the deal? Shark!” The track is not one of the strongest on the album, but sets the pace nicely and is a good choice for an opener.

2. LAZING ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

This is again a fairly humorous track, with Freddie singing in an affected voice. For some reason it conjures up images of 1920s upper class gentlemen! Probably amongst my least favourites on the album.

3. YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND

A distinctive John Deacon composition, released as a single and instantly recognisable from its electric piano baseline. The first of several ballads on the album, and as with most songs penned by Deacon, the lyrics are typically romantic.

4. I’M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR

The first track on the album where Freddie Mercury does not take lead vocals. For anyone not familiar with Queen’s earlier albums, it was usual for the other two vocalists in the band, Roger Taylor and Brian May, to take the lead on a self-penned track or two. In this case, the song is Taylor’s and is a testimony to his love of fast cars. It’s a short, powerful track, again with amusing lyrics (“I’m in love with my car, got a feel for my automobile.”) and although Taylor’s harsh vocals may not appeal to everyone, it is one of my favourites due to its insistent heavy guitar and piano. This track was also the original B-side to “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

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On this track, it is Brian May’s turn to take lead vocals. A folk-inspired track with a beautiful acoustic guitar-based theme and haunting backing vocals. When Queen performed live, they would all move to the front of the stage, away from any electric instruments, and sing an acoustic version of the song (Freddie used to take lead vocals for the live performance – presumably to avoid him feeling like a spare part at the side of the stage!) At first listen, the song sounds like a tale of someone going away, perhaps to war, and their family having moved on and lives changed when they return. I later found out, however, that May intended it as a tale of time-travel, and listening to it in the light of this, the lyrics – including “Oh so many years are gone, though I’m older but a year. For my life still ahead, pity me,” take on a whole new meaning. This is another of my favourite tracks on the album, and one of the few songs sung by Brian May that I actually like. I am not a fan of his voice, which either sounds too bland on ‘easier’ songs, or strained on more challenging vocals, but this song seems to suit his range perfectly.

6. SWEET LADY

Another heavier track, penned by May, but sung by Mercury. It is probably one of the more “traditional” songs on the album (excluding the ballads) as it does not feature any quirky lyrics or musical styles.

7. SEASIDE RENDEZVOUS

Yet another quirky song, quite similar in style to “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” in that Freddie reverts to an affected tone of voice, but this time sounds rather like he is singing into a bucket or similar receptacle! It certainly conjures up images of civilised trips to the seaside, again in the 1920s. Later in the song, we are treated to an “instrumental” where Mercury and Taylor imitate instruments (it ends up sounding rather like a paper and comb recital!)

8. THE PROPHET’S SONG

One of my favourite tracks on the album. It is actually very similar in style to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, featuring quieter verses at the beginning, then building up to a crescendo before entering into what could be described as an opera section, although it is probably more choral than operatic. It then finishes off with a heavy rock section. Multi-layered vocals are very much evident on this track, and the talk of prophets and seers in the lyrics is reminiscent of another of my favourite Queen albums, “Queen 2”, which was almost a concept album with tales of fairies, ogres and black and white queens. I personally think that had this been chosen instead of “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the first single from the album, it would have been just as successful as it is equally groundbreaking – and even longer at some 8 minutes.

9. LOVE OF MY LIFE

This track was released as a single, but in its live version. It became so popular as a live track that when Queen performed it, Freddie would leave the audience to sing parts of it – complete with lighters held aloft and arms swaying! It is a beautiful ballad about lost love and features Freddie’s flawless vocals at their best, together with some amazing acoustic guitar work from Brian May. When performing live, May and Mercury would take to the stage on their own for this track, and it was a staple of any Queen live show.

10. GOOD COMPANY

On the whole, I much prefer the second half of the album to the first half, but unfortunately the second half is marred by this track, which I think would sit much better with the quirkier first half than with the more philosophical, meaningful second half. Another track on which Brian May takes lead vocals, but unfortunately in this case he ends up sounding bland and a little dull. The song features a ukulele and is reminiscent of George Formby or similar. Not a favourite!

11. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

I hesitate to even review this track, as I doubt there is a person on the planet who is not familiar with it! Anyone who missed its first long stay at number one could not have failed to hear it when it was re-released in 1991 following the untimely death of Freddie Mercury. For anyone who has been passed by, this is Queen’s best-known track and regularly comes in the top few positions of any “all-time chart” – whether it be calculated on sales or popularity. It falls into the same bracket as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”, The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, Eric Clapton’s “Layla” and – more recently – Robbie Williams’ “Angels”. The song begins as a normal ballad, telling the story of someone who has committed a murder and is now facing the consequences. Two piano-accompanied verses lead into a guitar solo, and then convention goes out the window as we enter the now familiar opera section. It seems a normal transition hearing it now, but at the time nothing like it had ever been heard before and references to “Beelzebub”, “Galileo” and “Bismillah” were somewhat alien! The opera section reaches a climax and leads into a heavy guitar riff – headbanging to which was popularised in “Wayne’s World”! Then the energy subsides and we have a refrain of the opening section, with the song closing with a soft crash of a gong. At the time of release, the song was so unusual (and so long, at almost 6 minutes) that many advised against making it a single, but its innovation, together with what is widely acknowledged as the first ever music video, ensured that it was a smash hit.

12. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

How better to end such a regal album than with a rousing rendition of the national anthem!? This is an instrumental version, complete with twiddly guitars, which was always played at the end of Queen’s live shows as the band took to the stage for their goodbyes at the end of the final encore. If nothing else, it demonstrates the band’s skills in musical arrangement of almost any piece.

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This album is not for everybody. At the time that I loved it so much, I thought that Queen could do no wrong, but certain parts of the album do now grate on me slightly. There are certain creative styles which appear here, but have not reappeared on a Queen album since, suggesting they either learned from their experience or simply got it out of their system and did not reoffend! There is also an awful lot of theatrics and “trying to be clever” lyrics. Being Queen, however, they can get away with a lot more than most bands, and what would you expect from a character like Freddie Mercury other than something over the top, pretentious and ostentatious?! You’ve certainly got it here!

The quirkiness and experimental nature of some of the tracks could easily prove irritating, and these do not sit entirely comfortably with more obvious classics such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Love of My Life” and “The Prophet’s Song”. On the whole, however, the inclusion of these classic tracks make it a five-star album, and a must-have for the record collection of any Queen fan – or any musical connoisseur for that matter. It may not appeal to fans of Queen’s later recordings during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s, but anyone who is a fan of 1970s rock will undoubtedly enjoy this album.