A DAY AT THE RACES

While this is not the worst of the Queen albums, this may have been the most disappointing. Their first four albums are all works of wonder, with intricate hard rock, some softer ballads, but always at least a hint of darkness. Maybe it was having a huge hit in the MOR single You're My Best Friend from the previous album "A Night At The Opera" that convinced either the band or the record company executives to soften Queen's sound, but whoever is to blame, it took hold here. And here is where Queen started down the path that would have their songs featured not on hard rock radio stations, but on the ones that featured Teri Garr in their TV ads.

Don't get me wrong, the guys could still play. Songs like Tie Your Mother Down and White Man (which almost sounds like a Kansas rocker) are strong hard rock tunes, but both lack the inventiveness and feel of the great early Queen rock songs.

And there is the heavily overdubbed vocals that Queen had been known for. But this time, instead of usig them to simulate an operatic chorus, as they did in Bohemian Rhapsody, they chose the simple path of simulating a gospel choir in Somebody To Love. And the majority of the rest of the songs seem to want to simulate early 20th century foppish pop. The band does this well, but to me it is much more regressive than progressive.

At least they haven't started singing stupid songs about women with fat butts. Yet.

2.5 stars. I guess since they made much worse albums than this, I'll have to round it up.