THE BEST OF QUEEN

Queen was a British rock band formed in London in 1971, consisting of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals and piano), Brian May (vocals and guitars), John Deacon (bass guitar) and Roger Taylor (vocals and drums). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, especially their five first studio albums, which are, in general, considered their best works. The band gradually dared into more conventional and radio works, incorporating diverse styles into their music.

"The Best Of Queen" is the debut compilation album of Queen and that was released in 1976. This is a very important compilation album of the group, because, from what I know, this is one of the few compilation albums made by Queen that covers only songs from the 70's, the golden era of the band. So, it only has songs that were originally released on four of their first five studio albums, "Queen II" released in 1974, "Sheer Heart Attack" also released in 1974, "A Night At The Opera" released in 1975 and "A Day At The Races" released in 1976, only missing songs from their debut. It became a nice compilation because it's a rare vinyl release that would become important for all collectors and fans.

"The Best Of Queen" has eleven tracks. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is from "A Night At The Opera". This is probably the most known and the best song ever made by Queen. It was also released as a single and it soon became a huge commercial success. This is perhaps the most progressive single of all time. It's really that such complex song may have been so successful. It's one of the greatest rock songs ever. "Killer Queen" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". This is a very sophisticated and pompous art rock song with amazing vocals and chorus. It became one of their most successful singles and it's also one of the best known Queen's songs. "Somebody To Love" is from "A Day At The Races". It's a song with some complex harmonies, great guitar solos and an incredible gospel choir. This is one of their most recognizable tracks. This is an extraordinary track that represents Queen at their peak. "The March Of The Black Queen" is from "Queen II". This is a very complex song with some progressive lines that is divided into multi-sections, some are heavy and some are quiet. Like "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke", a song of the same album, we are in presence of a progressive, melodic, intelligent, complex, harmonious and very well arranged song. "Tenement Funster" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". It's a good rock number with a heavy tune. It has a brilliant melody over some inspired chord choices together with a carefully paced arrangement and good lyrics. This is one of the best Roger Taylor's compositions, one that had stood better the test of time. "White Queen" is from "Queen II". It's an acoustic fantastic ballad with a very dark atmosphere, great lyrics, beautiful melody and a great guitar solo. It has also an incredible arrangement. The final result is absolutely astonishing and perfect, because it has everything we could expect of a great song. "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettos)" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". It's a simple, nice and beautiful ballad sung by Brian May, almost acoustic. It's a repetitive song very hypnotic. This is a great song that curiously reminds me the sound of The Velvet Underground. "You're My Best Friend" is from "A Night At The Opera". It was a song written to John Deacon's wife, Veronica. This is a very beautiful and catchy song with some nice harmonies. The electric piano was performed by him. "'39" is also from "A Night At The Opera". It relates the story of a group of space explorers who embarked on a very far way space travel, and upon their return, the loved ones they left beyond are all dead. We are in presence of a superb acoustic ballad with great guitar work and beautiful harmonies. "Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...)" is another song from "A Night At The Opera". It was written to be a "non-homage" to the band's manager at the time, for a less honest financial conduct with the band. Lyrically, it's an extraordinary song that represents the best character assassination of someone, I've ever heard. Musically, it's a great rock song with good harmonies, nice piano and a fantastic vocal work. "Brighton Rock" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". It's a brilliant hard rock song that shows the incredible and extraordinary range of Freddie Mercury's voice. This is a great song, not only in terms of song writing, but also in terms of guitar performance. In here, Brian May shows his great skills, brilliantly.

Conclusion: "The Best Of Queen" is, without any doubt, a great compilation of Queen. It was released in their best and most progressive musical period, and therefore, it has only songs from their first studio albums. It has only songs from their first studio albums, is a way of speaking, because, in reality, it has only songs from "Queen II", "Sheer Heart Attack", "A Night At The Opera" and "A Day At The Races". So, however and despite it has songs like "Tenement Funster" and "You're My Best Friend", which are, without any doubt, two good songs but are miles away from being two great songs, and by the other hand, missing songs like "Great King Rat" and "My Fairy King" from "Queen", "Ogre Battle" and "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" from "Queen II" and "Prophet's Song" from "A night At The Opera", "The Best Of Queen" remains an excellent compilation album that is very well representative from their first musical period.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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