A Night At The Opera
by Queen

Queen baffle me. The known hits from them give them some rock status. But it's when you get the studio albums, you realize they're not really very rock at all. More a blend of jaunty vaudeville and harmonies. It's not bad at all as they are one of a kind. It just solidifies my confusion at why they are lauded as a premier rock band. I do think this album gets more accolades than it should.

While side two, which is probably one of the best single LP sides ever made, with "Bohemian Rhapsody" as well as "Love of My Life" and the proggy and vocal-ladden "The Prophet's Song", is definitely stronger, side one, with its mix of rockers and shorter almost comedic-like-numbers, which Freddy Mercury was very fond of doing at the time, can still rock your socks off.

This isn't Queen's most consistent record but it definitely has some of their greatest ever songs. The most notable of these huge songs is the powerhouse that is Bohemian Rhapsody which is seen as one of the greatest songs ever recorded and for good reason as well. The way Queen beautifully combine genres on here is stunning and it makes for a truly unforgettable experience. You then add on top one of the best guitar and vocal performances on a song ever and you get an absolutely phenomenal track. They try to blend genres together across the whole release which always made me respect the groups ambition as they clearly weren't scared to experiment. However, this genre blending is successful to a degree with the best of it coming on the masterpieces that are '39, Love Of My Life, Death On Two Legs, You're My Best Friend and the already mentioned Bohemian Rhapsody. When it doesn't work it does lead to some pretty disappointing songs which can feel quite insignificant and more like filler. The two that always stand out for me are I'm In Love With My Car and Sweet Lady. Despite this, when you have a powerhouse duo as amazing as Mercury and May these weaker songs still have moments that you can enjoy. Overall, this is Queen at their most creative and we are rewarded with some fantastic music making this is a must listen for everyone.

"A Night at the Opera" from 1975 will probably go into rock history as the album containing "Bohemian Rhapsody". It was Queens' big worldwide breakthrough; the predecessor "Sheer Heart Attack" was also quite big. This is a studio album and there is plenty of time for production and overdubs, and all four group members contribute to the songwriting.
Freddie Mercury really shines on this album; of course by virtue of fantastic vocals but also his songwriting is top notch. His opening song "Death on Two Legs" is classic Queen - both very melodic and also fine guitar lines and hooks. Mercury apparently had a weak spot for music-hall and "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and "Seaside Rendezvous" are fine examples of this - quite fun and not too long. "Love of My Life" is a beautiful piano ballad, with strong inspiration from classical music. The big highlight, of course, is "Bohemian Rhapsody". A musical masterpiece - a mini opera of six minutes that contains everything a Queen fan could wish for; and unlike May's equally ambitious "The Prophet's Song" – it holds with time.

This brings me to May's four contributions. There are nice parts in "The Prophet's Song", but it appears overly constructed and looks a bit like a failed attempt to match "Bohemian Rhapsody". Far far better is "39" which is both uplifting, down to earth and very catchy - very folkish. A little George Formby style on is found on "Good Company", but it does not quite have the charm of Mercury's two songs in this genre. "Sweet Lady" is just an ordinary heavy rocker – filler??

Roger Taylor sings his own rocker "In Love With My Car" and he does it well - really well. John Deacon also contributes. With his fine "You My My Best Friend" he and the group achieved good rankings on the charts around the world; and this totally deserved. Mercury sings the song as if it were his own. As a whole "A Night at the Opera" must be Queen’s finest hour.

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Queen shows off their unique ability to seamlessly blend together different genres.

From FrankiieLDN 04/25/2022 10:47 | #284624

An influential and inspiring collection of much loved music.
The album is not without it's flaws but is undoubtedly one that will be cherished and listened to forever and undeniably Queen's greatest achievement.

Admittedly I used to feel as though Queen were a greatest hits band; even after trying this record. I was wrong of course, every track on the record is incredible and shows all of the best parts of the band at once. It is flamboyant and in your face but also is delivered with such skill and grace that you can't help but be enchanted by it.

This album is a great opera-like experience that they managed to do. It sounds the best as a whole, but obviously it has some incredible highlights which are Bohemian Rhapsody (one of the best songs of all time), suprisingly beautiful '39 and mostly great Prophet's Song also Death On Two Legs is amazing. The best Queen album for sure.

As with most Queen albums, there is some brilliance and a lot of mediocrity. Their greatest hits albums are incredible but the studio albums are very average. Half of this album is excellent - Death on Two Legs, 39, You're My Best Friend, Sweet Lady and of course one of the best songs ever written Bohemian Rhapsody. But the rest of it is so average.

I agree wholeheartedly with the comments of PeterSmith and planetneutral - if they had released studio albums every 3 years instead of every year over the 70s and 80s so they didn't need to pad them out with filler they definitely would have written at least one of my top 10 albums. The singles they wrote during that period were just immense.

I commented on a Day At The Races - that if you took best tracks from each album you would have one of the greatest albums of all time