NEWS OF THE WORLD

The first thing that catches the eye with Queen's 1977 release, "News Of The World" is the awesome robot killer cover!!! Originally a painting by sci-fi artist Frank Kelley Freas, Roger Taylor found this and ask Freas if he could adapt it to have the members of the band on the cover!! There you have it, four bleeding band members being ravaged by a giant robot...excellent!!!!!

On to the music, which is mostly forgotten by the casual listener to this band. Everyone knows the world's greatest rock anthems "We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions" which open this album together and are still played back to back on rock radio...not to mention that you can't go to any sporting event without these being played...AND Queen closed every single show with these songs from 1977 until 1986, and are probably doing so on their reunion tour right now.

That's all folks! There aren't any other huge hits or radio friendly songs included here, and many of these tracks may not be known my most people. "Sheer Heart Attack" was Queen's answer to the growing punk scene, proving they could play any style of music they wanted without sounding lame! The screeching guitar noise in the middle is rather irritating though! "All Dead All Dead" and "Who Needs You" are the worst tracks on the album, although the reggae-ish "Who Needs You" has some great acoustic guitar work. "Spread Your Wings" is another great rock track, this time written by John Deacon, possibly his strongest ever writing credit.

"Fight From The Inside" and "Get Down Make Love" are two rather funky tracks, the former written and sung by Roger while the second is all Freddie's!! The lyrics on this song should be avaoided at all cost, heheheh, as Freddie gruntily invites someone into his bed! As a live track there was a really cool section in the middle where Freddie played with vocal effects and echoes while the lighting man provided a great accompaniment. These are followed by an excellent Brian May blues number "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" showing Brian's love for the the genre.

The album ends with a short and mellow piano piece (Roger plays the brushes) entitled "My Melancholy Blues", not a blues number by any means, and probably one of the Top 5 unknown Queen songs. The true masterpiece on this disc is the 6 and a half minute rock track "It's Late" which not only contains some basic rock moments but also elements of punk. This song just rocks!!!!!! There are parts for everyone to shine here, including the excellent guitar of Brian and Freddie's flawless vocals. Roger Taylor finds reserves of energy toward the end of the song where he kicks everything up a notch with some awesome drum runs. Even bassist John Deacon is easily recognized here, keeping a killer bass rhythm that remains one of his best!! THIS IS THE SONG you need to hear from this album, hands down!!!!

As with all Queen albums, this album sounds completely different than anything before it or after it. While the previous two albums were mixing rock / classical / pop / and moments of operatic grandeur, this album leaves the classical and operatic stuff behind while focusing on the hard rock and adding some blues, funk, punk, and even reggae!!!!! Queen were NOT the best at what they did...they were the ONLY ones that did what they did!!!!!

After the succes of the previous two albums, Queen had the choice, either to continue on the path they had set with songs like BoRap, Somebody to Love, or change. They decided to change. And they minimalised their sound somewhat, less overdubs, and basicaly less complex. Still a good album though, but nothing you would expect knowing their former 5 albums.

News Of The World is the first of a series of albums that each explore a different side of music, in the typical Queen style, on this album the focus (second side of the album mostly) lies on more blues rock based songs (It's Late, Who Needs You, Sleeping On The Sidewalk, My Melancholy Blues, Spread Your Wings and All Dead All Dead, all have a bluesy feel to it IMO).

The album opens with the duo-single Will Rock You/We Are The Champions somehow these two songs appear to belong together, and that's not a coincidense. during the previous tours Queen noticed that often the audience wanted to sing along with the band, so Freddie and Brian decided to write some audience-participation songs. And thus Brian thought up the two stamps one clap structure (in practice the audience prefered three claps), combined with an easy sing-a-long chorus. Freddie wrote the ultimate stadium rocker We Are The Champions, fabulous basline, typical Mercurian keyboards and gorgeous singing with the Queen choir in great form. 4,5/5

Sheer Heart Attack, the first of two Roger compositions, originally written for the Sheer Heart Attack album, but they didn't finished it in time. A great high speed heavy rock song with Punk energie running through it, probably the most heavy song Queen ever wrote. Fabulous, like the title suggests, this can cause a heart attack, sheer fabulous. 4/5

All Dead, All Dead, a very sad ballad by Brian, with beautifull piano's (Brian) and good singing from Brian also. after the high energie rock from the previous song, this is a welcome slow break. 3/5

John delivers a great rock ballad with Spread Your Wings, great guitar harmonies and really a beautiful song. 4/5

Side 1 ends with Fight From The Inside, written by Roger, based around some cool rhythms, reasonable good, but one of the lesser songs on the album. 3/5

The second side of the album starts with the Freddie Mercury composition Get Down Make Love not really brilliant, but it was mostly written to be played live, with a light-orchestra and weird sound-effects from Brian on guitar and Freddie's vocals. 3/5

Sleeping On The Sidewalk is a blues song, mainly played on accoustic guitar, it sounds a bit sloppy, but that only enhances the effect, nice but forgettable song. 3/5

Who Needs You is the second John song on the album, some latino/spanish elements interwoven to this sweet song, and Mercury's vocal lines are incredible sweet 3/5

It's Late The longest song on the album, in shortened form released as a single in the US. Great guitars drums bass and fabulous singing, and for non-Queen fans, don't judge this band before listening to this awsome rock song. 5/5

My Melancholy Blues ends the album, with some marvelous piano playing, and Freddie's singing is absolutely the highlight of the album for me. Just Fabulous. 4/5

News Of The World is a complete change of style from Queen, and thus it's hard to compare it with other Queen albums, the only other album I can compare it too is the following Jazz. A good album, but not as consistantly good as previous efforts, the first couple and the last couple of songs are great if not fabulous, but between that there's too much lesser songs. 3,5 stars really, but highly recommended to Queen fans, or fans of good music in general.

Yes, this is a sub-par 70's Queen album but still much better than what they will release in the 80's. How could we avoid the WWRY/Champions duo, as it was all over the airwaves and have filled all the stadiums around the world. Clearly , Queen was not about to lose its ability to make obvious shoo-in #1 hit singles.

But behind that shooting star , is a fairly poor album (by Queen standard of course ) , with plenty of fillers (although those fillers would be highlights in many band's best albums) , and rather shoddy sound. It is also a harder rocking album somehow taking youy back to Queen II or SHA but without reaching the waist level of those two albums. Get Down , Make Love was yet another blatant call to young males and is probably my fave on this album , as I did just that without them having to tewll it to me twice.

Start with another album , Opera , II , debut or Jazz. This is for confirmed fans!!

This album is better than some critics think. Ok, it spawned two of the most overplayed and aggravating songs the band did, 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions', but the rest of the album is worth listening to. I find it very annoying to think of all people, who possess nothing more than Queen's greatest hits, and know only of the above two songs, plus 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Another One Bites The Dust', and call themselves 'fans'. The reality is the band were much better on the tracks that weren't singles. When this record came out, I was already a long term Queen fan, had been since their first hit, 'Seven Seas Of Rhye', and I rushed out the purchase this. In those days, the opener was not, of course, well known, and it was a very effective way to start the album. Ok, 'We Will Rock You' was not their best track, but it was fresh and new at the time. A couple more tracks on here are not up to the mark, namely 'Get Down Make Love' and 'It's Late', but the rest of the songs are, in fact, catchy and decent. 'Spread Your Wings', 'Sleeping On The Sidewalk' and 'Who Needs You' are all worthy of repeated plays, and the closing number 'Melancholy Blues' is maybe my favourite track on the album, a lovely, bluesy, piano-led number, which demonstrates just how good a pianist Freddie actually was, and how good his voice could be. All in all, this almost ranks with the best of their output, and was, in fact, to be their last more than decent offering until 'It's A Kind Of Magic'. The album cover, too, is very good, and the vinyl itself was the third one in a row to sport a variation of the famous Queen crest as its label. I would probably rate this as good, if not slightly better than its predecessor, in fact. Give it a go. Maybe four stars is a tad too generous, but it is worth three and a half at least.

News of the World is one of the last truly great Queen albums until Innuendo in 1991. This one contains We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions which I'm sure some don't like, but I find to be great songs. The solid hard rocker Sheer Heart Attack picks up the pace of the album and the (lack of) transition to All Dead All Dead, a slow, sad, melodic piece, is perfect. Then comes Spread Your Wings which has great vocals by Freddie Mercury. Then is Fight From the Inside, sung by drummer Roger Taylor who has a great hard rock voice, but I find this to be one of his weaker tracks. The follow up, Get Down Make Love, sinks the album further, this one is much better live. Sleeping on the Sidewalk, sung by guitarist Brian May is a jazzy song which returns the album to its original greatness. However, the next song, Who Needs You, is a horrible pop tune. Then...the highlight of the album It's Late, absolutely astounding and powerful. The closing song, My Melancholy Blues is another bad track and a huge let down after the previous one.

I love this album, especially the first half, but all in all it's well short of a masterpiece. News of the World is the album that pulled them away from their classic sound and began their slow downfall continued through Jazz (still a pretty good album), The Game (not bad but very pop sounding), and went right into the absolutely terrible Hotspace, the low point of their carreer. Recommended for Queen fans. 7.5/10

Read all about it, Queen in sudden loss of ideas sensation!

Queen have returned to form a number of times in their career, with albums such as "The Works" and "Innuendo" reassuring the fans that they still had it. The reason these return to forms were needed though was because they dramatically lost their form on several occasions. Up until the release of "News of the world", every Queen album had pleased or delighted me. Here however, the magic evaporated quicker than a beer spill in the Sahara desert.

In retrospect, the early warning signs were clear for all to see in the rather uninspired sleeve illustration. It is the music though which shows all too clearly that the band had suffered a sudden collective bout of creative block.

The first two tracks, while undoubtedly immensely popular, are prosaic to the extent that they could be by virtually any pop band. "We will rock you" is a basic crowd pleasing chant, great for getting the crowd going, but in musical terms they don't come any more basic. "We are the champions" is clearly intended to be an anthem for football crowds and the like, and is certainly played regularly at cup finals etc. Once again though, the song is utterly generic and could equally have been part of the catalogue of Slade, Sweet, etc.

Things fail to improve with "Sheer heart attack", a song which was not even considered good enough for inclusion on the previous album which actually bore that title. The anonymous nature of the tracks continues through a succession of 3-4 minute underdeveloped songs, with only "Spread your wings" rising slightly above the mediocrity. Even here though, the song is little more than a verse/chorus number, entirely suitable for a single release.

Finally we reach "It's late", the only track on the album with a modicum of inspiration. Had this song appeared on a previous album, it would have been among the slightly weaker tracks, but here it stand on its own as the only song which is truly worthy of the Queen name.

In all, a thoroughly disappointing album which lacks virtually all of the qualities which distinguished previous Queen albums from their peers.

Not bad..really!!I think it may be the greatest album of the Queen...there are lots of great songs (pop songs): we will rock you.....we are the champions, spread your wings, sheer heart attack (nearly a punk rock song) and get down make love...It's not a prog album but a nice pop rock album. Differently from the other work of the Queen, this one sounds a bit more conscious of what the group want to express...and I prefer it to Innuendo.

Let's see...I have all queen previous albums and i thought that this album would be bad.But i was WRONG.I loved this album from the first time.....The album opens with the great WWRY/WATC.Spread your wings oh my god..Very catchy song but the best song in the record is It's Late.Brian wrote it and it's a powerful and bombastic.One of my fav records!

This album is quite a big drop from "A night at the opera" and Queen " 2" The main saving grace of this album are the two anthems "We will rock you" and "We are the champions" which can be heard at any major sporting event these days. These are both great songs though. The third good song is the beautiful 'Spread your Wings" about someone leading a miserable life and the possibility of escaping from it. (I think a lot of people could relate to those lyrics)

Other than those three songs , the remainder is very below average. To buy this album for three songs just isn´t worth it, I would suggest getting a greatest hits compilation. Two stars.

This album for me was an improvement on A Day At The Races, the sound was more basic and stripped out but the delivery far more emphatic. Anthem songs in abundance on this album especially the first two songs ' We Will Rock You' and ' We Are The Champions', yes every American Football team has used them, every football club has used them and even boxers!!! Great branding and stunning vocals by Freddie Mercury. Brian May at his usual high level as is John Deacon on bass and Roger Taylor's pounding drums.' Get Down, Make Love' another great track. Yes they were going in a more commercial direction with this album BUT the result is an excellent album.

Let's see what guys were doing during the punk euphoria.

The first thing that meets the eye is album cover; this one is modification of an well-known illustration by famous science-fiction illustrator, Frank Kelly Freas. It's probably the only good cover in entire band's discography.

When the cover is examinated enough, we can start doing the same thing with the music:

At the beginning we have boring crowd-pleaser "We Will Rock You" and anthemic football-championship's baby "We Are The Champions". They are both leaning one onto another, and they are both forged to please the masses. And they both succeeded in that task. Despite the fact that "We Are The Champions" is a crowd-pleasing piece, it was done very well. However, these two song are so overplayed on thousands of radio stations during the years that I am not intending to do any deeper analysis.

"Sheer Heart Attack" always makes me smile; this is in fact the heaviest, the loudest, the punkiest and most furious song that QUEEN ever did. The same superlatives apply not only within the boundaries of QUEEN's catalogue! The song is unique in its own brutality and charm. Somewhere in the middle of the song (just before the brief drum solo) dissonant feedback noises start to torture your ears. The song ends abruptly. I mean, really abruptly. I'll try to demonstrate it: I will finish this review in the same manner, just for an illustration. Anyway, I like it because that total opposition of fade-out is emphasising the noisiness of the song itself - like the voices are still screaming in your head while you are actually hearing the silence.

After the silence, mellow piano chord starts "All Dead, All Dead", lovely ballad with beautiful vocal melody, one of the best Brain's vocals in band's career. The song starts being somewhat spoiled after the moment when bass and drums came in. However, it's a pleasant listening.

"Spread Your Wings" is another excellent ballad in unmistakable band's style, but nothing more than that.

The next two tracks are not only the highlights of the album, they are actually masterpieces themselves: "Fight From The Inside" and "Get Down Make Love". The first one is not really prog at all ( all songs mentioned above neither), but it's incredible. Raw, almost grungy sound with Roger screaming his lyrics out. All of the Roger's songs from the seventies contains some sort of agony within and this one is the best example.

"Get Down Make Love" is a mixture between hm...blues, glam-rock, avantgarde and electronic experimentation. Pure art, worth all the album's stars alone. I know for a dozen debates about how band actually managed to produce all those sounds: someone said that Brian May was using Eventide Harmonizer effect ( in 1977 ? ); someone sad that band betrayed their own "no synths" policy by using Theremins, and the only obvious fact is that band used Brian's guitar and Freddie's voice for sure.

"My Melancholy Blues" will appeal to listener with jazz tendencies, this is a piece with self-explanatory title, with traces of 50's easy-listening style and no guitars.

The longest track on the album ( clocking at six and

I must confess that I'd never taken much notice of Queen before I bought this album. Oh, sure, I was as impressed as the next guy with the obvious greatness of "Bohemian Rhapsody" but I didn't really give them another thought once the next tune came on the radio. Then one day in the Fall of 1977 I heard "It's Late" for the first time and I knew I had to have that epic rocker in my collection ASAP. Basically a power trio behind an incredible lead vocal and huge choral harmonies, the song possesses an all engines full steam ahead attitude that I craved but rarely found in those disco-dominated days. I consider it Brian May's most explosive guitar solo ever and one of the earliest examples of the then mysterious "tapping" technique. Once I slapped this album down on my turntable I found that, though it's a tad inconsistent, it has some really good stuff on it. I know that Mr. May simply meant to write an audience participation tune that would liven up their concerts when he came up with "We Will Rock You." But there's no possible way he could have envisioned what an international anthem it would become and turn it into the most recognizable crowd chant on the planet. And then comes the second half of the double punch. If you pay attention to the words of Freddie Mercury's "We Are the Champions" you know that it never mentions anything about a team. I know he was quoted as saying he had English football in mind when he wrote it but I think he also refers to his band when he sings "it's been no bed of roses, no pleasure cruise" on their long trek to the top of the heap. Yet it doesn't come off as gloating, just a statement of fact and perhaps that's why it's so universally accepted as an ode to honest achievement. When all is said and done it's a well-composed song performed and sung brilliantly. I also like Mercury's raw "Get Down, Make Love." It's an unconventional, sexually charged track that's angry in tone rather than romantic. Very intense and menacing but a fun ride all the same. May's "All Dead, All Dead" is another treat. This song about a cat he loved as a child has an interesting arrangement and some nice layered guitar lines that make it stand out. His smoky blues shuffle, "Sleeping on the Sidewalk," lays down a nice groove and shows off his versatility, as well. Bassist John Deacon contributes the lively tropical and rhythmic "Who Needs You" but his predictable ballad, "Spread Your Wings," is flat as a cookie sheet. The low points of the album (by far) are drummer Roger Taylor's excruciating "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Fight From the Inside." I fully understand that the punk rock movement was starting to influence everybody at the time and that the group felt compelled to offer a more "back to basics" sound on this record but there's no excuse for these terrible songs being included. They are so rancid they cast a pall on the whole album like two big red blemishes. Freddie ends the album with a pleasant, nostalgic piano tune, "My Melancholy Blues," in which he croons prophetically "My guess is I'm in for cloudy and overcast/don't try and stop me/'cause I'm heading for that stormy weather soon." Fateful words, indeed.

Not much in the way of prog-related music to be found on this one but there are some outstanding tracks to enjoy, for sure. Queen tried to show the fickle, "any way the wind blows" critics who said they were too pompous and overproduced that they could peel away some layers and be more "real." The result is a mixed bag of diamonds, rock specimens and a few dirt clods.

Overrated, over-blown and pompous album. Several nice moments ("Spread Your Wings") but far, faraway from recommendation to serious prog fans. This is mostly an ambitious and pretentious variant of glam rock for kids, even the cover suggests the Marvel Comics type of illustration. T. Rex did it in much more poetic and substantial way, while THE OSMONDS and BAY CITY ROLLERS did it in a simpler and more genuine pop and unpretentious style. And yes, I simply hate to hear "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".

There were two songs that came out from this "News of The World" album which became widely accepted themes all over the world. First is of course the frequently used "We Are The Champions" as sport anthem all over the world and second is "We Will Rock You" which has been used frequently also in sport or any event which creates motivation (in workshop, seminar, gathering, etc.). From these two facts, how could we say that this is not successful album?

But it's not only that. Musically, this album still represents the early sounds of Queen like in "A NightAt The Opera" even though "News of The World" is less attractive. There are good tracks like "Sheer Heart Attack" which has good power, the mellow "All Dead, All Dead" and the energizer "Spread Your Wings". The lyrics of "Spread Your Wings" is really good, and the music is very motivating to energize emotion.I also personally love "Fight From The Inside" which lyrically a very encouraging message with positive words and I also like the music.

It's not the best, but it's a good album from Queen.

I have several passions in my life.

Two of which are music and major sports events; I have countlessly attend great sports events (football, athletics and tennis). Needless to say that the first two hymns from this album sounded, sounds, and ever will sound so special to me. Just great, powerful and closely related with another side of my life.

The third song here :Sheer Heart Attack is another hymn. To the punkish scene. Rather a precursory song since originally written during the Heart Attack sessions (74). I was so deeply involved in the punk movement in 77, that I can of course not remain alien to such a vigorous tune.

This album is of course nothing close to their greatest first five albums. But Queen is not a common band. One of the greatest rock band in the history? Yes, probably. And Spread Your Wings is another convincing number. More on the melodic side but at the end of the day, it is at least half of their characteristics (melodic / rocking).

Weak numbers? Yes there are : the funky/noisy Fight From The Inside, Get Down, Make Love which is the most unbearable here. Press next (unless you would like to make it while listening to this number). But I have far much better recipes for you if you want to (just post me a mail for suggestions).The bluesy Sleeping On The Sidewalk i sanother one.

I am not either sublimated with Who Needs You and its flamenco beat. It brings some diversity of course, but it weakens the whole as well. In this context, a song as It's Late is very much welcome. Heavy and trong ; it features a band at the unisson in his wild rocking attempt. Wild? Yes! The best unknown song from this album.

Three stars. Some anthems, some good songs and some weak parts. But don't expect any prog in here. Maybe for their next album?

They will rock you.

At the same time one of Queen's most under and over appreciated albums, this is one that's always a hot topic for discussion. While it's undeniable that this was the start of a tremendous downfall for the band (in terms of rock and prog, but a stupid uprising in terms of pop), there's still some fantastic moments on this disc none the less.

Starting with two of the best rock anthems ever composed, the album gets off on the right foot. Often considered one song (and for some reason they also receive fire for being a gay anthem... I don't think that's what they were going for) We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions are excellent reasons why Queen still knows what they're doing. A killer solo from May in We Will Rock You, and some great deliver from Mercury in the second song make these two a very strong combination. Following up close behind is the rebellious and heavy Sheer Heart Attack. Not unlike the style of the album that it's named after, this song is frantic and rocking. A warning, though, don't turn it up too loud on a system that has a lot of high end... your head will explode. Some very strange computer-y effects near the end of the song are questionable, but good when they're not hurting your ears.

Then the album really picks up.

While the first songs were good... they just keep getting better and better. All Dead, All Dead is a melancholic song with some great melodies in the vocal department (as to be expected from Mercury). Dark in tone, this is one track that certainly stands out. Similar in tone, but even better in music is the sublime Spread Your Wings. This is definitely one of Queen's most overlooked tracks. Emotional and well played as any good Queen song is, this is one that is a huge standout on the album.

From here on in the songs get a bit mixed. A couple of standard rock songs are on the way as Fight From The Inside starts up. This is the trademark Taylor voiced song, and he doesn't let down... but the song is nothing special on the album. Sleeping On The Sidewalk is more of the same, this one a bit more low-key and zoned out in sound. Who Needs You follows in the formula of the other recent songs and is soon over. While they may represent a weaker point of the album, each one of these tracks are definitely enjoyable... if nothing completely remarkable.

But then we get what we've been waiting for... a Queen classic. It's Late is that song on this album. Soaring vocal parts and song excellent melodies form each member make this song the true standout on the album, above and beyond any other track. The album is worth it for this song alone, really. Afterwards there's really nothing left to do but let the album wind down with a slow track like My Melancholy Blues. Slow and peaceful, the album comes to an end.

Like each Queen remaster this album also has a remix of one of the songs from the album. On this particular CD it's We Will Rock You which gets the treatment, but really... just stop the cd before this track starts... because it's not really worth your time.

One of my personal favorites and one that's often looked down upon, this is a great album. Not really prog in any sense of the word, it will still entertain the socks off of most prog fans. 3 stars for a strong rock album.

Go on, rock us then.

What, you can't? You've cut anything resembling genuine rock from your albums, surrendering your breadth of vision to a pastiche of half-baked musical ideas in an attempt to be all things to all listeners?

You're the champions? You were, once, only three years previously. Not now though. You're a sound-alike band capable only of the occasional palpitation, nothing like the sheer heart attack you inflicted on us in 1974. The staggering beauty you were capable of is now all dead, all dead. If only you would spread your wings once again - but no, you'd go on to foist even narrower visions on us in the future, remakes of old styles with a dash of patented QUEEN (TM) sound to make the public think you still 'had it'. Was there never a fight from the inside of the band? Did not even one of you consider leaving in the interests of musical integrity? Obviously not: your lineup remained stable until FREDDIE's untimely passing.

Inspiration gone, you've tried to draw from the blues well already sucked dry by the likes of LED ZEPPELIN, who did it much better than you. The latter half of this record is so tedious, I'd rather get down ... well. There's a poverty of ideas here that, if this had been your first album, could well have left you destitute, sleeping on the sidewalk.

Who needs this? Who needs you? Not me. Sadly, this is an album I can do without. It sounds as limp and uninspired now as it did in 1977. It's late in the album, and finally you provide me something worth listening to - at over six minutes, you finally choose a canvas large enough to allow a few of your ideas to emerge. Still, my melancholy blues over QUEEN's substandard output continues. The more you're tryin', the more you seem to let me down. I can't help it: such promise frittered away leaves me with a sadness I can't get over, and this review reflects my disappointment.

News of the world? Hardly. More like yesterday's fish and chip paper.

Duck Soup!

News Of The World ended the exceptionally strong series of albums released by Queen in the 70's; the self-titled debut, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races were all excellent albums. Admittedly, A Day At The Races already showed some signs of what was to come on this album, but A Day At The Races was still a great album. The progressive and epic aspects of the band's sound took a backseat here for the first time and some Arena Rock entered the "royal court". But, on the other hand, there are some very good moments here. But News Of The World is still one of the band's least good albums ever, in my opinion.

We Will Rock You is a song I just cannot listen to anymore, I always skip it! It has simply been played to death and it has a tedious beat that I find overly simple and too repetitive. We Are The Champions is a very good song, indeed a Queen classic. However, I mostly don't listen to it anymore while playing this album. Indeed, I usually skip the three first tracks. Sheer Heart Attack is something of a Punk song! It is completely out of place on a Queen album in my opinion.

All Dead, All Dead is sung by Brian May and he sings very well in my opinion, a very nice little piano ballad. Spread Your Wings is, however, the first great song of this album. It is a very typical Queen song and as such it offers nothing really new in relation to earlier albums; great melody, great vocals, great lead guitar. The standards set by previous albums is high indeed, so maybe one shouldn't be too harsh here?

Fight From The Inside is a Roger Taylor number and one of his least interesting ones ever on a Queen album. It gets a little bit boring towards the middle, I think. Get Down Make Love has a strong chorus melody but overall I find this song slightly tedious. This is far away from the greatness of earlier sonic experiments like the amazing The Prophet's Song from A Night At The Opera, for example.

Sleeping On The Sidewalk is a pretty straightforward Blues Rock number again sung by Brian May. Not quite what you expect from Queen, and hardly very interesting from a Prog point of view. Who Needs You is actually one of the better songs here! The acoustic guitar work is great! 'I like it, I like it' (as Freddie says in the background during one of the great guitar solos).

It's Late is a good bluesy Rock song, but it is a little bit too long for its own good. My Melancholy Blues is a wonderful song and a great ending to a not so great album.

There is not much progressive material on this album and it is a major disappointment after the fantastic string of albums that went before it. Recommended to all fans and collectors, but others should get most other Queen albums before this one.

Freddie once joked in an interview about calling this album 'Duck Soup' as that was the title of the Marx Brothers movie following their two previous movies A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races for which Queen borrowed their two previous album titles.

1.5 stars really!!

Before I even begin to rate this, get one thing straight: I am not a huge Queen fan. I like to listen to an occasional song or two from them, but I struggle to listen to an entire album of theirs. Nothing really stands out on this album especially. I book this album as the weakest Queen album I've heard, and none of the songs are progressive either.

The album starts with We Will Rock you, which is one of the most overplayed, overrated, and worst songs ever. It's repetitive, an awful guitar solo, and has no depth. Thank God they followed this with We Are The Champions, which is an incredible shorter song. There are a couple other really lousy tracks, most are just okay, and the only other great song is Spread Your Wings.

This album, like I've said earlier, isn't proggy at all. If you're expecting Queen I or II, you won't get that here either. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but then again I don't love Queen.

Final Score: 1.5/5

|D| Some of the worst news I've heard in a while.

This was another one of my parents' old vinyls that finally got to be played after twenty years on the shelf once I obtained a turntable. And I can safely say this was one of the worst all the vinyls in that stack (or at least of anything on this site...). Upon first listen, boom, the duo tracks We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, two immortal tracks played in stadiums everywhere that everyone knows and almost the entire rest of the album (especially upon hearing Shear Heart Attack, an appropriate title to say the least) was, especially on that first listen, total garbage and made me want to throw the album out the window. Upon the next few listens, I realized that All Dead, All Dead and Spread Your Wings were somewhat decent AOR pop sounding tracks, and the rest was a complete disaster, especially just about everything on side two. Some very obnoxious mainstream material, what isn't already filler material to start with.

I am very strict with the albums I give ones and fives. I must love and respect every moment of an album to give it a five and borderline loath every moment of an album to give it a one. This album was close to a one, but the less annoying two immortal tracks and the other two I named above saved it from such a fate. For die hard fans of Queen alone, and I certainly am not one of those.

The End of an Era"

Despite what people believes, I consider "News of the World" the last album from an outstanding trilogy that started with "A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races", as a fact it's the last one with references to the Marx Brothers, because in 1934 Groucho and Chico Marx made a radio program in which they made mockery about the news of the World.

I believe that many people who originally liked the album was overwhelmed by the massive impact that two songs had in the radios and simply rejected all the record, but in my opinion the album is a solid representation of QUEEN'S golden era.

"News of the World" starts with the powerful "We Will Rock You", a strong track that talks about the contradictions of a young man who wants to change the world and how the time turns him into an old man asking for peace, this short song works as an introduction for the universally known "We Are the Champions", a track that has turned into an anthem for all sport contests.

"We are the Champions" is at least as good as past songs like "Somebody to Love", in which Freddie Mercury gives us a taste of his incredible voice, sadly the criminal overplay has destroyed the initial impression that was caused on the QUEEN fan.

"Sheer Heart Attack" is a frenetic rock that wasn't included in the band's second album with that title, not a Prog oriented or delicate chance for Mercury and May to show their skills, but still a good Hard Rock track.

"All Dead, All Dead" is an extremely beautiful tune based mostly on Freddie´s vocals and piano, the usual chorus by Mercury, May and Taylor revive the older spirit of QUEEN'S songs, plus Brian's unique guitar and the duet Taylor & Deacon giving all the support a rhythm section can.

More melancholic and simultaneously pompous "Spread Your Wings" is another track in which all the band does the best possible work, they sound coherent and solid, this time Brian May's guitar makes the change, another good moment of the album.

"Fight from the Inside" is one of the weakest songs in the album, despite the good bass work by Roger , the track never reaches a climax, sounds a bit flat and predictable, QUEEN, maybe for a B class Hard/Metal band this sound would be OK, but not for QUEEN, from whom we always expect much more.

"Get Down Make Love" is some sort of Avant and Glam Rock encounter, May provides solid experimentation, the chorus sound dissonant and irrupt when less expected, interesting changes and again coherent structure with Roger Deacon breaking the leader of the drums.

It's time for Blues and "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" is a prove that this guys were really versatile, they play Rock, Prog, Vaudeville, 12-bars and now Southern Blues, few bands were able to play all this genres and sound well in all. But if this is not enough "Who Needs You" is some sort of electric Calypso where Freddie's voice delights all of us.

"It's Late" begins with Brian presenting us a strong guitar intro that soon is joined by Freddie, seems that song will go by this soft path but the vocal work and chorus that explodes when less expected take us back some years showing that they still had that Midas touch that could turn every song into gold.

"News of the World" is closed by the extremely nostalgic "My Melancholy Blues" in which Freddie exploits his ambiguous and magnificent vocal range to take us back to any dark Blues bar in the 40's or 50's, the piano and jazzy drumming are just perfect, strong closer.

It's true that "News of the World" is not in the level of the two predecessors, but sill is an excellent addition for any musical collection, so if I want to be fair, I can't rate it with 3 stars being that this is the average rating and this album is above this level, so being that there are no 3.5 stars, will go with 4.

Not a bad 70's rock album. For a website named "Rock Archives", we could entertain serious discussion as to whether this collection of songs is worthy of 3, 4 or 5 stars. But without a legitimate prog song from cover to cover, on "Prog Archives" how could this album be anything other than for "collectors/fans" only?

Now, on to the album. News of the World opens powerfully with Brian May's foot-stomping hand-clapping declaration "We Will Rock You" which transitions seamlessly into Mercury's anthemic ballad "We are the Champions". These songs were ubiquitous on rock radio. Their sports arena staying power bear witness to how deeply they have been embedded into our collective consciousness. Think it is easy to write and perform a song that is simultaneously uncomplicated enough to instantly connect with a wide audience, unique enough to capture the attention and appreciation of such an audience, and universal enough to retain its appeal to future generations? If so, I encourage you to give it a try and let me know how successful you are.

Roger Taylor gets to include two edgy hard rockers "Sheer Heart Attack" and the slightly funky, yet ever-so powerful "Fight from the Inside". Brian May adds the (only slightly operatic) solid rock song "It's Late", a breezy blues number "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" and the sentimental "All Dead, All Dead". John Deacon contributes the lazy pop tunes "Spread Your Wings" and "Who Needs You".

Mercury contributes the embarrassingly exhibitionist "Get Down, Make Love" as well as the extremely moody "My Melancholy Blues".

This record is completely different from the other Queen records. Despite de fact that it has two of the most well known songs in the whole world it's a very dark record. The sound is in perfect sinc with the stark artwork the adorns the record sleeve. As all of this band's records whe have al sorts of styles and sounds. With any other band this would probably sound convuluted and confusing, but somehow they manage to pull it off! Themes like sex, alianation, love and lonelyness permeate this fantastic record. I understand that its not a record for everybody, even among fans of the band its a polarizing issue. But if you give this record the time and efford it deserves you will find its at par with their greatest records.

I remember back when this album came out, many of my friends just loved it. I could never understand that. After the disappointing "Day At The Races", I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but this album was a continuation of Queen heading in the wrong direction.

The best I can say about this album is that it's not Queen's worst effort. It opens with the two best known songs on the album, the empty headed anthems We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. And it just goes downhill from there. While the pop and rock songs that fill this album are pleasant and inoffensive, they just aren't memorable.

2.5 stars.

After the 1st 5 fine Queen releases, this was a huge dissapointment to me. NEWS OF THE WORLD is a mess of overplayed anthemns, overblown rock, and the typical Freddie Mercury dance-hall music- none of which makes it for me. There is nothing memorable on NEWS OF THE WORLD like on earlier albums. Maybe Queen was just tired and had to fill a record company contract so just went throught the motions of making what had worked in the past? Whatever the reason, this is a very poor effort by a great band who should have been in their prime. 2 stars is a charitable gift. Stick to QUEEN, QUEEN II, or NIGHT AT THE OPERA. Even the semi-good DAY AT THE RACES is a step above this release.

News of the World ? 1977

(2.4/5)

8 ? Best Song: Spread Your Wings

Ouch, what a significant drop in overall quality. Talk about selling out to the lowest common denominator and being thoroughly punished for it. This was, what I deeply consider to be Queen's big sell-out record. It has 'We Will Rock You' and 'We are the Champions' on it. It doesn't matter if the next eight songs following were some of the grandest, most brilliant statements in heartfelt music that would put Lennon's solo career to shame, this record would still have some major issues to contend with before I started praising it. Evidently the band weren't making enough money, so they shove both feet deep into arena rock mush.

The two opening singles are offensively poor excuses for songs. Freddie sings like he's in Bad Company, which is very much an insult. It's also kind of fitting for how the poor future of the band would become. What else is notable about News of the World? Well the recording values are atrocious. 'Sheer Heart Attack' is a banal punk rock [&*!#]. The only saving grace I can find on the damn album is 'Spread Your Wings', which is the only convincing thing a foolheaded fop like Mercury ever crooned. In fact, I actually love that song. I'm surprised they stuck it here, and didn't save it for a more appropriate collection. Oh well, this is a surprising drop in quality. What are ya going to do? Ignore this record? I might.

Established classic rock acts were faced with the snarling, spitting challenge of punk in 1977. Some of them reacted better than others, and in my view Queen were one of the groups that reacted poorly, padding News of the World out with unenthusiastic and sloppy hard rock numbers clearly intended to give the band some tough guy credibility. We Will Rock You is one of the most moronic, repetitive, dull and dreary rock anthems I have ever heard, and it baffles me how anyone above the age of 11 manages to find any enjoyment in it at all. Sheer Heart Attack is an old song from, obviously, the Sheer Heart Attack sessions, which has transparently had a punkish guitar line superimposed over it in order to repurpose the song as a jab at punk.

Sandwiched between those is We Are the Champions, which like We Will Rock You is horribly overexposed, terminally cheesy, horrendously predictable and simplistic and overall really not that good. After three utter duds in a row like that, the album improves somewhat, meandering through unappealing pomp-rock and fey pop of the sort dabbled with on A Day At the Races. None of it is notable enough to forgive the horrible opening of the album, nor is it significant enough to really merit a place in the Queen canon. Quite simply, this is one the most inessential and skippable albums Queen would release in the 1970s.

9/10

Well, well, who knew. Once again I'm going against the general opinion to say that this record is very good, even if probably the strangest of Queen albums of the 70s. The sound here just remember the pomposity of the past - even the vocal harmonies are at lower doses than in previous albums - with the focus on more commercial and heavy songs. However this does not contravene the quality of this work, however much it variance with what the band had produced so far.

Even a non-fan of this wonderful band have to say that the first two songs are classics in rock history. And if you've never heard of We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions, one of two things: either you live in a place isolated from the rest of the world or outside the Earth. Because really, who does not know these two songs? From the classroom to the stage, these songs have been performed millions of times, and are so well known that not worth describing them! I can only say that unlike other reviewers here I do not get tired of hearing them!

Things only get better with Sheer Heart Attack, originally written for the album of the same name, but it falls right here on News of the World, which was launched in the wave punk who beat prog. It can be seen as a response to this movement, and God ... that answer! With impressive speed and aggression even to the Queen (who always had a vocation for hard rock), masi is probably the song that the band has quickly made​​! All Dead, All Dead is a gentle ballad sung by May - a reminder of the influence of classical music on the band - and Spread Your Wings is a neglected classic, a song out of this world! Fight from the Inside is sung by Taylor, and the strong bass line makes me think as if it were a cross between the Bee Gees and hard rock.

And then comes the bizarre Get Down, Make Love. This seems soul with avant-garde and psychedelic doses. Dude, that's good! Perhaps the most experimental song on the album (and one of the most around the band's catalog), but undeniably one of the most fantastic. After that comes the blues Sleeping in the Sidewalk, which is also sung by May, and soon after come the Spanish influences on Who Needs You (long before Steve Howe in Innuendo), a delightful acoustic song.

It's Late is the epic of the album - and wow, it works well! This is the last song of the band with more than six minutes to Innuendo and that but lacks the complexity of Liar or The March of Black Queen (other songs in this term) is really a highlight of the album with a chorus. My melancholic Blues (which is actually a jazz, but oh God, who is this gorgeous jazz that I implemented for 30 years?) closes the album.

I know I'll be in the minority here (actually I'm second to give a comment to this album five stars), but I feel obliged to value this work so neglected. Listen to him!

"News of the World" is the 6th full-length studio album by UK rock act Queen. The album was released through EMI/Parlophone in Europe and Elektra/Hollywood in the US in October 1977.

"News of the World" generally features Queen in a more rock oriented and stripped down version compared to the more flamboyant/theatrical predecessors. Sure Queen had always had a rock oriented sound and some tracks on earlier releases are very direct and hard rocking, but on "News of the World" the band go for a less layered sound than usual. There are of course still the trademark extensive use of choirs and harmony vocals in the music but it´s like the lead vocals are given more room here.

The album opens with what is arguably two of the band´s greatest "classics" in the stripped down and quite original "We Will Rock You" and the anthemic "We Are the Champions" and from there until the end of the album we are treated to the band´s usual eclectic genre blend. Queen´s music simply defies catagorization and I guess "rock" is the closest we get to a genre term. We get hard rockers like "Sheer Heart Attack" and "It´s Late" but also some more "experiemental" tracks like "All Dead, All Dead" and "Get Down, Make Love". The brilliant and epic "Spread Your Wings" deserves a special mention too.

There are a couple of more standard quality tracks on the album but they are far outnumbered by high quality material and overall "News of the World" comes off as an excellent release to these ears. I really like how they tightened up their sound without sacrificing integrity or adventurous songwriting. A 4 star rating (80%) is deserved.

Oh boy, did I dread getting this album. Granted, my overall experience with News Of The World turned out much better than I expected, but considering the album's reputation for giving Queen their final push into arena-rock status, I was half expecting the musical quality to take a nosedive. Fortunately, this was not the case, at least for me.

Most of my initial nervousness was a result of, not surprisingly, the one-two punch of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions". After a lifetime of having these songs being needlessly drilled into my head by "classic rock" radio, sports arenas, commercials and bad movies, I can easily see why these two songs are the most frequently used in the multitude of "Why Queen Stinks" essays, not to mention that this two-headed monster was one of the reasons why I've stopped listening to "classic rock" radio altogether and avoided this band like the plague for years. Nonetheless, I've finally managed to make peace with these songs. "We Are The Champions" is actually a pretty good power ballad that was famously featured in the ending to the B-movie classic Revenge Of The Nerds, arguably one of the few times this song was put to effective use instead of being slapped on to a sports cliché, totally redeeming it in my eyes. Its brother, "We Will Rock You", on the other hand, has been a tougher nut to crack for me, with its sing-along chorus and incessant (not to mention legendary) stomping. Yes, it's cheesy, but, thankfully, it never outstays it welcome. It's still a gas to listen to, though, whenever you pop the record in and push play. So, yeah, good songs. About the only complaint I have left with them is that I really wish "We Are The Champions" had been put near the end of the record instead of at the beginning. "We Will Rock You"' is the most obvious song to open the album, so it would make sense that "We Are The Champions" would be its climax to mark the end of our journey.

Acquiring the commercial taste aside, the rest of the album is surprisingly good. The Zeppelinish "Get Down, Make Love" is a delightfully raunchy number (perhaps too raunchy for fans of their earlier work) which pounds just as hard as "We Will Rock You", while May slashes away like a knife counterpointing Mercury's machismo, culminating in a brief moment of electronic insanity. "Fight From The Inside" is another stomper that foreshadows some of the band's funk experiments. A lot of fans seem to hate this one, and, I admit, if some other band did this, it might have been lost in the shuffle of Seventies rock, but here it's quite harmless. Meanwhile, what was supposed to be the title track to Sheer Heart Attack makes an appearance here as a ferocious speed rocker, most likely left off due to the presence of "Brighton Rock" and "Stone Cold Crazy". Compared to those two, it's relatively simple, most likely a jab at the growing punk movement. It even includes a parody of the Velvet Underground-like feedback that a lot of alternative rock groups were starting to adopt. I'm not sure if the band's audience in America would have gotten the joke at the time. "It's Late" is yet another good, pounding rocker, this time with a more arena-rock flavor to it.

If you can't stand the pounding of the above tracks, there's always the piano ballads. "All Dead, All Dead", is a moving elegy, capped off with one of the most eerie guitar solos I have ever heard. The uplifting "Spread Your Wings" is just as lovely, thanks to Mercury's singing, which is probably his best on the album and probably would make a Top Ten entry if I ever decided to make one on his performances in Queen. "My Melancholy Blues" is a nice way to close the album, a jazz ballad straight out of the 30s or 40s that conjures up images of a bar closing after a wild night.

Rounding out the album are a couple of stylistic curve balls. "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" is May's attempt to one-up Brownsville Station. Once again, it's another number that I might have dismissed if virtually anyone else did it, but here, it's a neat little diversion. "Who Needs You" is a nice tropical sounding ditty with some delicious acoustic guitar.

If you're not comfortable with Queen's arena rock shift, this might be a good place for you to jump ship. As for me, I think it's one of the few arena records that's deserving of its classic status.

Final rating: I was thinking of giving this a 4/5, but I've decided to just give it a weak 5/5. It's not progressive rock per say, but it's still high quality music. The classics are great and the diversity really helps make it a memorable listen. Nice album cover, too.

Personal favorites: "We Will Rock You", "We Are The Champions", "Sheer Heart Attack", "All Dead, All Dead", "Spread Your Wings", "Get Down, Make Love", "Sleeping On The Sidewalk", "Who Needs You", "It's Late", "My Melancholy Blues"

Personal dislikes: None

Obviously people know by now that Queen's masterpiece (proclaimed by tons of fans) was A Night at the Opera. Fusing so many genres into one classic prog rock mixing pot and doing so well at it was just a stroke of genius. Of course then, Queen had to devise a proper follow-up to the record. Sadly, A Day at the Races did not live up to that name... In fact, it didn't even come very close. It was a bit too streamlined and poppy for many people's standards. However, with Queen's second chance, they recorded News of the World, one that would change their career.

It's not to say that News of the World is better than A Night at the Opera, but its explosion of genres definitely puts Queen at their prime once again like they were in that album. Sure, some songs don't exactly work, like the Latin rhythms of "Who Needs You" or the bland hard rock of Roger Taylor's "Fight from the Inside," but when things do work here, they are an absolute triumph.

The most popular and most recognizable songs are the two first ones, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." The former starts off with a very popular stomping beat combined with A capella vocals, before ending with a nice solo from Brian May. The latter focuses more on Freddie Mercury, whose piano and vocals are the forefront of the piece. It's chorus is very inspiring and bombastic.

The other songs on this album are quite interesting. My personal favorite on the album is "All Dead, All Dead," which has Brian May doing both vocals and piano work. The poetry that permeates the song is absolutely beautiful, as is the elegant piano. However, the three songs mentioned are not even close to the end of how many styles are present here. "Spread your Wings" is another amazing piece, and probably the best of Deacon's works. This time Freddie takes the lead vocals, and definitely excels in doing so.

The heavier moments that offer a contrast are here as well. "Sheer Heart Attack," Queen's answer to punk rock (as well as an attack on it), is extremely heavy for the time it was released, and Freddie has more aggressive vocals to this one. However, traces of glam can also be heard in the chorus, almost reminiscent of Sweet. Also, the song "It's Late" has the best (and some of the heaviest) fret work in the album. Freddie might be doing vocals, but Brian May is the star of the show on this one.

As for flaws on the album, there are few. However, two songs make you wonder just what Queen was trying to do. Those happen to be "Fight from the Inside" and "Who Needs You." The former is another average hard rock song from Roger Taylor. Instead of being energertic, though, it decides to be a bland, low-riding rocker that just goes on for too long, and it's simply directionless. The latter is an annoying Latin piece by Deacon that gets very boring, and it just doesn't fit well with the other styles present.

The flaws aren't too destructive to the album, however, and News of the World is still a triumph for Queen. Too band they never went back to it after Jazz.

News of the World is one of those orphaned classic rock albums that features one hit that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE knows, and then a bunch of forgotten tunes that will never hear the light of day for most listeners - even those who would confess being fans of the artist. With this album, Queen treads water within a rapidly transforming musical landscape, producing a familiar blend of hard rock and homages to vintage styles of music that inspired them as young musicians.

The rock songs on the album are mixed bag. The big ones, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" use massive hooks to and even more massive vocals to make them all-time standouts. They're simple, epic, memorable, and uplifting... and not very progressive. The other upbeat tunes on this album are a mixed bag. "Sheer Heart Attack" is schizophrenic, punk-rock like, and an experiment that doesn't really work for the band. On the other hand, "Spread Your Wings" and "It's Late" a impressive and rousing ballads that actually pretty good, being forgotten Queen classics. "It's Late" especially has a great rock feel, sultry Vocals by Mercury, and exciting tempo shifts. How did this one not make it in to a Greatest Hits collection?

"Fight From the Inside" is another hidden gem. It's got Taylor taking the lead with a huge bass groove that crushes the listener with feedback fuzz and Deacon's great vocals. Deacon in general is an under rated vocalist; if he weren't in a band with Freddie Mercury, he would easily be remembered as a strong voice in the genre.

Many of the other songs feel like homages or experiments that don't always work. "All Dead" has interesting piano textures, but doesn't stick with me. "Get Down Make Love" is another misfire, "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" is vintage blues that May's guitar and voice doesn't do justice. Meanwhile "Who Needs You" is a Latin pastiche with nice vocal harmonies, but not much else. These songs aren't bad, but are not mentioned when we talk about Queen for a reason.

News of the World will remembered for it's two opening tracks, and for fans of the band's stronger works it's still a worthy purchase for great songs like "It's Late." Bumped up to 3-stars, because even Queen on the mediocre side is still great fun and the good parts are legitimately good.

Songwriting: 2 - Instrumental Performances: 2 - Lyrics/Vocals: 3 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 3

From the very beginning, QUEEN cleverly walked that line that skirted a pigeonholed genre definition and rather crafted a unique mix of hard rock, piano pop ballads, touches of jazz, Victorian music hall and subtle and not so hints of progressive rock which culminated on their hugely successful album "A Night At The Opera" which continued on the followup and sequel "A Day At The Races." While the progressive rock scene was fading and then suddenly practically obliterated once the Sex Pistols detonated their punk rock bomb onto an unsuspecting music industry which once unleashed, the world would never be the same. Wise bands either folded completely or adapted. QUEEN wasn't going anywhere and found a way to sally forth without completely abandoning their signature idiosyncrasies but by merely streamlining them into more digestible packets that would find them in a more commercial mood on their sixth album NEWS OF THE WORLD.

The punk rock scene was predominantly a backlash against the pompous fantasy bands that were more engaged in escapism than confronting the realities and injustices of the world that surrounded them. While the true prog acts were the most greatly affected, pseudo-prog light bands like QUEEN felt the impact as well but had less of a problem adapting since they were already half way there. Indeed, the relevance of the early 70s arena rock bands was fading and a new brand of ugly in-yer-face stripped down errancy was in the works ranging from the angry anarcho-punk of the Sex Pistols to the more artistic post-punk that followed. Adding to the pressures of change were also the more funk fueled bass grooves of the disco scene. The new audiences either wanted the world go down in flames or they simply wanted to usher in a new form of simplified escapism in the form of the dance floor. Either way, QUEEN was due for a makeover and that's exactly what the doctor ordered and delivered with NEWS OF THE WORLD.

The irony of QUEEN's situation was in that their music was about as far from punk as possible. It was multi-layered, slick and often had more in common with a ballet recital than a rock band but as luck would have it they would record their sixth album in the same studio that the Sex Pistols were working on their landmark punk album "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here Comes The Sex Pistols." Joining the ranks of the once complex bands who were watering down their sound in response to the new wave reality, QUEEN tamed their musical compositions significantly and focused on more straight forward arrangements that kept the tracks more easily categorized with infinitely easier to swallow hooks. The tracks ranged from straight forward blues rock to funk and even a punkish metal guitar driven fury in the form of "Sheer Heart Attack," an unfinished track during the sessions of the album of the same name that was revived for a modern day adaptation.

While QUEEN tamed the complexity, they made no attempt to decrease the diverse elements that made them stand out from the rest of the rock world. NEWS OF THE WORLD finds just as many musical genres nestled into the mix and while the over-the-top production had been tamed and used to create subtleties that weren't so overweening, they were still there to be found. The music on the other hand was a new form of sing-along arena rock that was designed to be played in a live audience setting and nothing conveys this more than the album's opening dynamic duo powerhouse combo of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions," which have been literally played somewhere ceaselessly since they emerged back in 1977, especially after having caught on as being as mandatory as the national anthem at stadium sports events. Although played to death, the anthemic stomp and dripping with attitude lyrical content has guaranteed that the band probably made a billion dollars in royalties off these two tracks alone.

While the two openers are the sounds of dread for many including myself, the rest of the album isn't quite as bad if taken in an arena pop rock context. "Sheer Heart Attack" is a feisty heavy metal punk infused rocker that proves that QUEEN didn't wimp out while they were strolling down simplicity alley and an equal middle finger back to the punk crowds that made fun of their musical style. NEWS OF THE WORLD also became more a democracy for the band with both Roger Taylor and John Deacon composing two songs each. Taylor crafted the heavy ball busting "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Fight From The Inside" whereas Deacon contributed with "Spread Your Wings" and "Who Needs You." May would write four tracks and Mercury only three making this the least Mercury dominant album up to this point in their career.

NEWS OF THE WORLD is a fairly decent set of pop rock tunes laced with other genres minus the first two overplayed tracks that i can no longer tolerate in any way shape or form. The tracks range from the same operatic piano led rock such as "All Dead, All Dead" and "Fight From The Inside" to the more funk and jazz laced tracks like "Get Down, Make Love," "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" and "My Melancholy Blues." Some of the music hall tendencies of the past still emerge briefly in tracks like "It's Late," but have mostly been replaced by bluesy rockers that are more suitable for a live arena rock setting. This was the period when QUEEN were on top of the world as far as playing in live venues.

While most fans of QUEEN's earlier music won't find NEWS OF THE WORLD to be anywhere near the top of their favorite QUEEN albums, the album has remained their most successful commercially speaking with sales exceeding 10 million as well as making them one of the most successful arena rock bands of all time. While i rarely listen to this one, mainly due to the two opening tracks, this is not a bad album for a once mighty progressively infused rock band in simplified form but in terms of sophistication a clear step down the totem pole. The artwork was also a stroke of genius in that it cleverly latched onto the sci-fi themes in the same year that Star Wars stole the public's attention, so no matter what you may think of the music on NEWS OF THE WORLD, one can only gaze back in time in admiration as to how cleverly QUEEN played their cards in terms of a business oriented brand name and laughed all the way to the bank a mere four years after they were in utter poverty. Now that's a true tale of rags to riches if i've ever heard one.

3.5 rounded down

A major piece of progressive rock, hard even!

1 'We Will Rock You' remember it was cold, they were alone in the snow and they were stomping hard... to warm up, yes before the solo which suddenly tumbles out that was the QUEEN that many listened on a new moon night, clinging to their post, timeless solo even for the grumpy! 2 'We Are The Champions' attack! direct, the clip recorded for a handful of lucky guys, the title that completely des-notes with we will, but chance of the calendar or not, we will see it in stadiums later and not only for their shows; 2 titles, 2 hits fold up the tent, there's no better way to start an album; the title which shows the creation of their various previous albums and the melting pot operated on it 3 'Sheer Heart Attack' for those who didn't know, a bit of QUEEN, yes that was it above all; a crazy space between bombastic glam, low-level hard rock and riff power; I love the 'inar inar inar' that's how it is, I love the speed, this good-natured side like 'Flash' like I could see them doing a BOF on it!; in short, we're in hyperspace, a drum roll on the snare drum and we're off again; 15 mins of music condensed into 3 mins, have you heard the QUEEN effect? 4 'All Dead, All Dead' is also the QUEEN spirit, a banal piano ballad that takes you by the throat, which sends you very far from what you have been able to listen to before; the Impulse effect, I who have little hair, I'm fed up, in short, remember Brian's orgasmic rise with his legendary 'made at home' guitar, the slap even if you're all dead! 5 'Spread Your Wings' 4'35'' for the longest piece of this side A, a title apart that must be tamed; I didn't like it, that's how it was, too easy to record, I liked it better many years later when I saw the clip shot in the same place as we will, 6 'Fight From The Inside' and the return to the heavy dirty title, don't forget that QUEEN was decried everywhere, among the hardos too because... they weren't real hardos; at home the LP sat in front of my LP storage just to indicate the color; and my father, brave among the brave hearing these vulgar cries which threw me 'ah that squeaks', immense, in short the riff which saw you suddenly, Freddie who becomes nervous and this rhythm which was also rocking, come on I get up and flip the disc. 7 'Get Down, Make Love' therefore begins on the other side and the anachronistic title, but there is only that in it; out of tune, sound effects, bass that will go further into disco rock later, Japanese riff, drums that attack you; like an orgasm from Freddy, 3 piano notes here and this heady chorus from entêtemps; shh the break 'Flash' is coming, it's spoiled, before time, I'll leave you; no synths marked on it? 8 'Sleeping On The Sidewalk' for the second track which I didn't like; the voice, obviously it's not him, the air, the too predictable rhythm I kick into touch; and don't tell me there's a ZZ TOP bluesy thing in it, in short it looks like they had a good time 9 'Who Needs You' for stereophonic pleasure and the memory of my sapphire screwed up for a while and therefore not this musical quality, not my ears filled with this divine nectar, of the voice well on the right; for the trouble with a new sapphire I ate the whole disk all day, just like that; soft track with fruity spleen, a Harlequin candy that melts in your mouth and this dry guitar that runs down my ears like human wax, honey, jelly. 10 'It's Late' that's why I said from the start that it's prog!, see the length of the track, see the intro, see the evolution, the nervous title that chills all the critics, a minimalist crescendo which gives pride of place to the brutality of the queen who could show her claws, good for the faithful... the brutality of the robot but what was it called, who stuffs your head to agree to move on it; it starts on Brian's twisted solo, on his putting into orbit, on the improvised crazy break where everything seems to be unable to stop; phew Roger with his roll manages to hang up everything before launching into this final boosted boogie. Little fun note, look who is under the hand of the robot and who should have been kneaded instead of governing later, if you recognize! 11 'My Melancholy Blues' for the finale and the cabaret title, the sensual tune that would make you want to see Freddie as a maid, a melancholy title no no I hadn't read the title before, the title that brings the album back in the musical concept, a work of art from the start and not only when Freddie left in 91!

Queen's sixth album came in some very interesting (and tumultuous) times for rock music, with punk rising towards the top of the charts, and the birth of the gradual and undefeatable stupidification and simplification of popular music. So, here we have a 'blockbuster' rock band from Britain that was enjoying a lot of success with their anthemic hard rock that had strong leanings towards progressive rock here and there, that has to stay relevant and has to continue being a factor in the mainstream rock scene. This was easily achieved with a more conventional, acceptable sound, for me marking the beginning of a new era of Queen - the era of massive hits, questionable clothing, and stadium touring.

'News of the World' is strangely entertaining, as it might be the most diverse record since the band's beginning. Each member of the band, as usual, contributed to the writing, and each member of the band got to sing on at least one track (without John Deacon, obviously). And it has to be admitted: there are some pretty good songs on here. However, as much as it is entertaining and colorful, 'News of the World' also contains some not-so-excellent moments.

I can safely say that I do not need to hear 'We Will Rock You' or 'We Are the Champions' ever again. In fact, I like to pretend these songs do not exist while listening to the album; But the fact that 'News of the World' contains two of the three most iconic and recognizable Queen songs has to say something. 'Sheer Heart Attack' is a Led Zeppelin-esque proto-glam metal rocker, of course, written by Roger Taylor; Sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it. 'All Dead, All Dead', the fourth song on the record, was written by May, who also sings the lead vocals, and it is just decent; For example, 'Sleeping on the Sidewalk', the other song by him on which he sings lead vocals, is much more interesting, and not your standard Queen song. 'Spread Your Wings' has a tremendous performance from Freddie Mercury, a song written by Deacon, and 'Fight from the Inside' is a fantastic hidden gem in the band's catalogue, a trailblazing hard-rocker of a song, with lead vocals from Taylor. 'Get Down, Make Love' and 'My Melancholy Blues', by Mercury, are also good songs that are not necessarily known to everyone. The rest of the album is either dull, or too uninspired, and taking out the two massive hits from the equation, one gets a good album!

At the time of its release in 1977, 'News of the World' was met with mixed reactions, which I believe to be easily justifiable. Two gargantuan hits, a few songs which are actually better and more interesting that those aforementioned hits, and a few unimpressive songs, all making up for an entertaining listen, with Queen shifting styles with virtually each song.

Review Nº 626

"News Of The World" is the sixth studio album of Queen that was released in 1977. It was the second album to be produced solely by the band. The first was their previous studio album "A Day At The Races". As the last two studio albums, "A Night At The Opera" and "A Day At The Races", the title of the album followed the references to Marx Brothers. This time, its name wasn't taken from another film of the Marx Brothers, but was based on a radio program, made by them in 1934, that mocked with the news of the world. Queen decided to go a slightly different route from their albums of the mid of the 70's. As punk rock was growing in popularity, Queen went for a back to a basics rock album.

"News Of The World" has eleven tracks. The first track "We Will Rock You" written by Brian May was the song chosen to be released as the B side from their single "We Are The Champions". We are in presence of a great rock song that soon became one of the best known and most popular songs of Queen. The second track "We Are The Champions" written by Freddie Mercury was the song chosen to be the first single of the album and like "We Will Rock You" soon became one of their most famous and popular songs. It also remains among rock's most recognizable anthems, even in our days. It's interesting to note that "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" were issued together and became a worldwide top ten single. These two songs represent, without any doubt, the two highlights on the album. The third track "Sheer Heart Attack" written by Roger Taylor is a very heavy punk rock song, probably the heaviest song that Queen ever wrote. It's interesting to note this song should have been the title track from their previous studio album, but it seems they didn't finish it in time. Sincerely, I don't like very much of this song and it represents, for me, the lowest musical point on the album. The fourth track "All Dead, All Dead" written by Brian May is a lovely sad ballad with a beautiful vocal melody and a nice and beautiful piano work. The song is magnificently sung by Brian May, and is, for me, one of his best vocal works in the band's career. After "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions", this song is, for me, one of the best musical moments on this album. The fifth track "Spread Your Wings" written by John Deacon was the song chosen to be released as the A side of the single "Spread Your Wings/Sheer Heart Attack". This is, in reality, a beautiful rock ballad with good guitar harmonies. With this song, John Deacon did a good and interesting work, making of this song, in my opinion, one of his better musical contributions to the band's musical career. The sixth track "Fight From The Inside" written by Roger Taylor is probably with his other composition "Sheer Heart Attack", the two weakest songs on the album. Despite have a good bass work by John Deacon, it's an uninspired song, very repetitive and predictable, and that never reaches the real musical climax. From a band like Queen we expected much more. The seventh track "Get Down, Make Love" written by Freddie Mercury is a very strange song. It's a kind of an avant-garde track with some electronic experimentation, weird guitar effects and strange vocal sounds. It isn't, in reality, a bad track but it's nothing brilliant, either. The eighth track "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" written by Brian May is clearly a bluesy song, mainly played on the acoustic guitar. Despite being a good song and proving that we are in presence of a very versatile band, we aren't definitely in presence of one of the best musical moments on the album. It's the weakest Brian May's song on the album. The ninth track "Who Needs You" written by John Deacon is a very sweet song with some Latino/Spanish musical influences. It's another nice and beautiful song with some good acoustic guitar work and interesting vocals, but, in reality, it doesn't bring anything new and interesting to the album. The tenth track "It's Late" written by Brian May is, in my opinion, after "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and with "All Dead, All Dead", one of the four best musical moments on the album. This is a real classic rock Queen's song with excellent melody and great individual musical performance by all band's members. The eleventh track "My Melancholy Blues" written by Freddie Mercury is, as its name says, a melancholic blues song. It's a slow and a peaceful song, with some nice piano work and some beautiful vocal performance. This is in reality a calm and nice way to close the album.

Conclusion: "News Of The World" is, in my humble opinion, an unbalanced album because it has some great songs, some good songs and some weak songs too. It hasn't also practically anything to do with progressive rock. I sincerely think there are two main reasons for that. In the first place there are more contributions in the songriting from Roger Taylor and John Deacon on the album that was usual, and we all know that they aren't the best composers of the group. In the second place, we are in presence, in my opinion, of a Freddie Mercury less inspired in the composition duties, than was usual. For me, "We Are The Champions" is the only great song signed by him, on the album. Fortunately, with Brian May is the opposite. He only signed a weak song "Sleeping On The Sidewalk". "News Of The World" is different from their albums released before. It's far from been one of their best works, but it still is a good album from Queen.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The constant need of the brilliant Freddie Mercury and his bandmates not to repeat themselves and to continue exploring new territories, led them to leave aside the development of intricate pieces characterised by an endless number of superimposed layers of voices and guitars, whose maximum expression was the everlasting "A Night at the Opera" and, to a lesser extent, "A Day at the Races". With "News of the World", their sixth album, Queen focused on more direct songs, embracing different musical styles and less complex sonic textures, in a clear demonstration of their versatility and lack of risk-taking.

From the minimalist and powerful "We Will Rock You" and the timeless anthem "We Are the Champions", created to be part of the interaction with the audience at concerts, the album contains a handful of dissimilar pieces with no apparent connection, such as the sensitive ballad "All Dead, All Dead" sung by guitarist Brian May, the singular "Sheer Heart Attack" and its proto punk airs loaded with saturated guitars, the sexualised "Get Down, Make Love", the warm bluesy reminiscence of "Sleeping on the Sidewalk", the fun "Who Needs You" with its frugal Caribbean tune with bassist John Deacon taking charge of the acoustic guitars, or the hard-rocking "It's Late", one of the heaviest and most intense pieces in the band's catalogue, where May takes the lead role with powerful guitar riffs backed by Roger Taylor's raw percussion. And the collage represented by "News of the World" is completed by the sleepy "My Melancholic Blues", a meditative, jazz-influenced rendition, sung by Mercury alone accompanied by his piano, in late-night bar mode.

While the stratospheric success of the double A-side single ("We Will Rock" / "We Are the Champions") took most of the spotlight, the rest of the album's tracks maintained a considerable compositional level and instrumental quality. With "News of the World", a new era was about to dawn for the Brits: stadium rock.

3/3.5 stars