A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

Following the recent release of the Freddie Mercury biopic, I felt like listening to "A Night At The Opera" for the first time in about 30 years. I've never been a Queen fan and the first three albums escaped me completely, but at some point in the late 70s I bought this one (and the next one "A Day At The Races") and loved it. Then 1980 and college years came, I was immersed in jazz-fusion and Canterbury scene and King Crimson and Zappa and all sorts of obscure music and Queen started gathering dust in the attic.

And so a few days ago I put "Night" through my headphones, and I was truly amazed. What remained in my memories as something I used to listen to when I was a kid hit me in the face : this album is just absolutely BRILLIANT (and so it should be, to make me use the capital letters !). It's so full of invention and creativity, so beautifully conceived, the guys play so bloody well, that it really makes it a masterpiece of 1970s music. The comparison has been made and to me it seems absolutely right : "A Night At The Opera" is Queen's "Double White", the same impression of a colourful collection of jewels, totally different from each other but somehow held together by the artists' vision.

Now, is it prog or not ? I'd say that, as in Pink Floyd's case, the question is ultimately irrelevant. Like Pink Floyd, Queen are in their own category and defy all classification. The spirit of 70s prog is undoubtedly present on the album and on all of Queen's works, and that alone justifies their presence on PA.

Now folks, would you guess which of those twelve jewels I found the most amazing (I listened to it three times in a row!) ? "Seaside Rendez-Vous" ! Listen to it again, to each and every piece of vocal harmony, every note, every gimmick, all packed in less than 2:30 : pure genius ! 5 stars for an eternal classic.