Queen – A Night at the Opera

Queen’s popularity has risen in recent weeks due to the recent movie and we fans couldn’t be happier about it. While some dates and information in the movie is not as accurate or clear as one would want as a fan, it’s still great to see the band in the forefront of mainstream culture, showing their amazing body of work to younger generations.

So, why not have a look at one of their biggest and more groundbreaking album? One that stood the test of time and it’s also the album that holds one of the most songs of all times?

Yes, it’s that time, my friends. Time for A Night at the Opera.

To talk about 1975’s A Night at the Opera is to talk about one of Queen’s most grandiloquent, larger than life and artistic musical efforts (and that’s saying a lot), aiming to make a rock album that would be eclectic and still feel like a single musical unit–something they achieved in great fashion. It’s worth pointing out that this was the most expensive album ever made when it was released, so it’s very clear that they invested all they have, musically and financially, on this album.

While the band was already a somewhat known and liked on the UK, this was the album that cemented their status as part of Rock’s aristocracy, which was total opposite to their financial situations at the time–the band didn’t make any money with their previous albums due to poor deals with management and labels, so the recording of this album had to have them moved to four different studios.

Listening A Night at the Opera is to listen to musicianship at its finest. It’s a musical territory where boundaries have grown beyond common conceptions and Freddie, Brian, Roger and John are willing to try a little bit of everything with each song.

And lucky us, they succeeded at it.

What can we say of the songs themselves? They shift from one style to another with a fluidity that other groups would dream of. From the sheer intensity of the opener, Death On Two Legs (Dedicated to…), which was an apt description of the musicians’ personal lives at the time, to the almost heavenly beauty of Love of My Life and Freddie’s soulful and inspiring vocals, we have an album that it’s not afraid to try everything. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon or Seaside Rendezvous might be perceived as more playful tracks, but they still manage to convey the wide musical spectrum Queen was enjoying in their 70s period–something that was somewhat lacking in greater fashion in the 80s, if I’m honest.

One thing that separates Queen from other bands is the fact that each member is a creative force in their own right and they all have their own space to shine. This is due to how they work their songs: each band member will mention a song idea and the others will assist him to make it happen, giving him full reins of that particular song. So we have Brian May’s The Prophet Song, a Rock epic and a personal favorite of mine, or John Deacon’s pinch for soft Rock in You’re My Best Friend, achieving a Top 10 single for the band.

But of course, we’re all just avoiding the proverbial musical elephant on the room. A song that has withstood the test time and erected itself as one of music’s greatest expressions and Queen’s biggest contribution to the world. A song that it’s an album all on its own.

Bohemian Rhapsody.

What can we say about a song of this stature and legacy? What can we say beyond that is a testament to the band’s creativity at the peak of their powers and a great example of how multiple influences can mix in an exhilarating musical effort? The dramatism, the grandiloquence, the piano, the guitars, the drumming, Mercury’s vocals… all combined to create a musical masterpiece that is so rich and has been coveted and covered so many times to the point of becoming the musical standard to which all other Rock masterpieces are measured with.

Bohemian Rhapsody works (and all of A Night at the Opera, actually) because there are no limits, no boundaries; it’s all about the art, the music and the spirit. Especially the last part: these were four men that were in pretty dire circumstances at the time of creating this album and they had risen above that; they built a musical entity that was both eclectic and filled with personality. This is why Queen has aged so well and they are still captivating millions all over the world: their music has no boundaries and they always sound like them.

A Night at the Opera is a fantastic album and a fantastic listen, but it’s also much more than that; it’s an example of what great music can be: a memorable experience and a journey that shows you how far your musical perceptions can go.

A work of genius, a night of art.

Line up:

Freddie Mercury – Vocals.

Brian May – Lead guitar.

John Deacon – Bass.

Roger Taylor – Drums.

Track list:

1. Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…) – 3:43.
2. Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon – 1:08.
3. I’m in Love with My Car – 3:05.
4. You’re My Best Friend – 2:50.
5. 39 – 3:30.
6. Sweet Lady – 4:01.
7. Seaside Rendezvous – 2:13.
8. The Prophet’s Song – 8:21.
9. Love of My Life – 3:38.
10. Good Company – 3:26.
11. Bohemian Rhapsody – 5:57.
12. God Save the Queen (Instrumental) – 1:11.