A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

This is the ultimate rock album, every home should have this. Queen were at their creative peak and their previous hit (killerQueen) made them enough independant to again go about it their own way. The result is a nearly if not completely brilliant piece of rock music with huge variety in styles and movements.

To compare Queen with previous masters was possible with earlier recordings, Led Zep, Deep P, Hendrix, Beatles, The Who, etc. name them all, would come by, but with this recording they set themselves apart as a brand all for themselves. Combining the fun to listen but hard to accept simple idea's, like vaudeville, with heavy metal and even Opera, and make all those idea's melt into one coherent recording, really awsome.

The album starts with a fabulous piano intro, evolving into a very heavy piece of furieus anger. Elton john showed piano could be used to create a heavy metal piece, but Queen surpassed the point of dramatic piano use, and just involve the piano to make it all happen with Death On Two legs, listen yourself, Great. The following Lazing On A sunday Afternoon is one of the most astonishing songs I know, just a little longer than 1 minute, but more happening than in the 23 minutes of Supper's ready from Genesis (little excageration, but based on the keychanges I think I'm right), fabulous piano, with a great and totally suited guitar orchestrated solo.

From Lazing we go into the hard rock of I'm In Love With My Car, which isn't really my favourite song, but when listened to once in a while you will love the absolute 70's hard rock flavour. On occasional listen really great, just don't listen too much (which I did years back for it totally entranced me).

after the grand opening where Queen showed what was up their sleaves, You're my best friend seems like a nice little throwaway, but really it's more than that just listen to the really fabulous guitar and wonder with me why did the best May guitar solo's where the mixing cement that made the Deaon compositions so great. Easy answer deacon wrote fabulous music for guitar within a seamingly simple piece of rock music. "39 is again a seemingly simple accoustic guitar folk rock song, but lyracly it goes behond the scope of folk, and the futuristic elements are marked with some electric guitar orchestration as only Brian can create, just fabulous.

Sweet Lady is one of those typical heavy metal May songs, maybe not brilliant, but very enjoyable and probably needed, for the next song is very hard to preceed. One of those lovely Mercury compositions Seaside Rendezvous makes you forget you are listening to a 70's rock album, suddenly you'll find yourself in the late twenties courting a lovely lady from the upper class. nicely accompagnied by mouth-instruments resembling all kinds of brass instruments as provided by Roger Taylor. just brilliant, just don't over-play it.

Prophet's song is a great piece. Starting with some accoustics, turning bombasticly heavy, with great vocals from Freddie, with an accapela center piece where vocals run over each other, brillaintly produced so the individual repeated lyric lines produce new lyrics together. after the heavy final the song turns accoustic again, and leads us to one of the most fabulous love songs I know, the piano drenched love Of My Life, how good can a simple song get, fabulous piano, and naturally Freddie's voice which I can never find a match for.

Good Compagny might be a forgetable tune for many, but those who are willing to listen, they'll hear a complete orchestra all build up with guitar, as a song it's part jazzy 30's music, with lots of mandolin, and the work that has gone into producing this hidden gem is not wasted on me, it really showcases Brian's abillity to make everything happen with just his guitar.

Next in line is the well known Bohemian Rhapsody, if you don't know this song, than it will be the first step to take, forget graduating from school, who cares about promotion, if you haven't heard it, leave whatever you are suposedly doing and track it down and listen. little title reminder Bohemian Rhapsody.

The album ends as any classic album should end, paying hommage to the native land it comes from, so this classic finishes with the English anthemn. Very suitable considering the bands name.

One of the all time classic albums, there only a few of those albums, and this one belongs to those. Do yourself a favour and buy it, for your record collection can't be taken seriously without this album

REQUIRED LISTENING