A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

My brother is a big Queen fan. I remember, when he put this band on the CD player, I always listened to it on the 'background', not really paying too much attention to their music. Well, I was wrong !! So, I listened carefully (a lot of times) to "A Night At The Opera", their so called 'best' or 'masterpiece' album, and without a doubt, this is a real classic, with some songs that will be reminded forever, like "Bohemian Rhapsody" ,"You're My Best Friend" and "Love Of My Life". This was the album with the expensivest production (the FIRST, yes, the FIRST musical video was "Bohemian Rhapsody", so it costed a lot, considering on that times that is an innovation) when released on 1975, and the one that made Queen become famous. Well, let's go to the music. The production, as I said before, is really good, close to an actual CD. The songs (except "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "The Prophet's Song"), aren't progressive, but it's an excellent album, innovating !! No one will disagree that Queen are superb musicians, with an own style: the best voice in music, Freddie Mercury, the characteristic guitar sound of Brian May, and the operistic choir too !! That's Queen. Here they combine glam rock, rock, hard-rock, pop, folk and even classical. Every song is played perfectly; it semms that it took a lot of work to record finally the songs. The tracks:

"Death On Two Legs": starts with classical piano, and then enters a very nice (classical) guitar solo. When the voice enters, I go into the typical Queen climax, I can't decribe it with words ... This is a haevy rock song; the guitars are very distorted, and that fits well with the 'terror' or 'dramatic' ambient here. Nice opener !!

Then comes the crazy "Lazing In A Sunday Afternoon" is a comedial (?) song, seems that it can go well to describe an scene on a theatrical piece. The chords here look like typical, I mean, the first time I heard this song, I thought I've listened to it before, a bizarre situation !! Funny guitar solo at the end. The song finishes from a moment to another.

The following song is "I'm In Love With My Car". Here Roger Taylor sings. The first time I heard this, I laughed a lot !! But then the song seemed more serious to me. Very catchy chorus and vocal melodies. The guitar solos seems like David Gilmour has done them. Good song.

"You're My Best Friend" is one of those classics you can find on the CD. I love this song, very sentimental. It has a hazy electric piano motif. Nice vocal melodies (incredible voice).

"'39" is the acoustic camping song. I can imagine all the hippies reuned, (smoking) and applauding on the rhytm of this song. The same thing happens to me with the traditional Led Zeppelin's "Brown Y-aur Stomp". Here Brian May takes the vocals. I think John Deacon hasn't sang a word during all Queen's career. As it happens to me with "Lazing In A Sunday Afternoon", I think I've heard this song before, maybe because of the chords. But nice song.

The Hard Rocker "Sweet Lady" comes next. I like very much that Deep Purple - like riff. Yeah !! We need some hard rock here. Powerful and very energetic song, this ROCKS !!

"Seaside Rendezvous" is another piano-based crazy song, on the ambient of "Lazing In A Sunday Afternoon". Classic stuff.

The first prog song of the album "The Prophet's Song". Starts with a wonderful acoustic guitar intro, wonderful !! Then goes like a typical mid tempo song, but after the second chorus tha "vocal game" starts: it's Freddie and his amazing voice (duplicated several times, that it seems a choir) singing and repeating things like "Listen to the man", "Now I know !!", and others. Very, very crazy and innovating !! The guitar solo that comes then is beautiful. Very good song !!

"Love Of My Life" is one of the most beautiful ballads I've ever heard. Simply beautiful. Some of the best Freddie vocal performances. Very romantic, the song I would put to the girl I love (it would be a nice strategy to pick up a chick, really !!). This is the favourite Queen song of argentinean fans. BEAUTIFUL song ...

"Good Company" .... CRAZY song !! Yes, another very crazy song. May uses a rare instrument on the middle of the song that sounds VERY FUNNY !! Overall, funny song !!

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is, as everybody knows, one of the most famous songs of all time, and the song that made Queen famous (specially by the video). What could I say ? Surely on my top 10 favourite songs. This IS a prog track. Starts with nice piano, like a ballad, and one of the best vocal performances ever that really touches me and takes me to tears sometimes ... On the interlude, the famous choir comes, with phrases like "Mama mia, mama mia, mama mia, let me go !!" and "Galileo - o - o - o - o" that will be reminded forever. One of the most known parts of a song on rock history, definitely. Well, then, really, rocks, yeah, it ROCKS !!, with the heavy guitar riffs, and some of the best solos I've ever heard ... Overall, one of my favourite songs of all time, and by far the best one on "A Night At The Opera".

"God Save The Queen" is, as everybody knows, Queen's interpretation of the United Kindom's hymn. Nice to finish an all-time classic disc.

Overall, it's an excellent addition to any prog music collection, and I do not give it five stars because it's not prog enterely, and some of ProgArchives people may do not like it because of that. But it's a very original and EXCELLENT album !!

Rating: 4.2/5

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