QUEEN

Originally broadcast live on BBC radio and television at Christmas 1975, Queen releases their performance at London's legendary Hammersmith Odeon forty years later, in 2015, "A Night at the Odeon", a clear allusion to the release of the iconic "A Night at the Opera" available on the market just a few weeks earlier (November 1975). A new and unexpected present for the band's fans after the release in 2014, also forty years late, of the double album "Live at the Rainbow '74".

"A Night at the Odeon" captures one of the most prolific and creative periods of the English band, about to take off in the world thanks to the immortal "Bohemian Rhapsody", which curiously in the setlist of the concert is part of a medley shared, without its complex operatic section, with the vaudevillian "Killer Queen" and one of the most progressive and best achieved pieces of the band, the intricate "The March of the Black Queen". The album also includes powerful pieces taken from their first four albums, such as the hard rockers "Now I'm Here", "Ogre Battle" (very close to heavy metal), "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Liar", the infallible and complex solo guitar display by Brian May after the also rocking "Brighton Rock", the intense and emotional pause proposed by the beautiful "White Queen (As It Began)", the restless and very brief "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" with almost no vocal work, and the lilting "In the Lap of the Gods. .. Revisited" which for some reason failed to become a stadium anthem despite its very chantable chorus.

The approximately five thousand people who packed the theatre also watched as Freddie Mercury's band paid tribute to 50s rock and roll with a medley that included fragments of "Jailhouse Rock", "Stupid Cupic", "Be-Bop-A- Lula" and "Shake, Rattle And Roll", before the final encore with the only single from "Queen II", "Seven Seas of Rhye" and its B-side, the bluesy "See What a Fool I've Been", and finally the tape version of the English hymn "God Save the Queen", the closing song that the band kept as an unalterable tradition in their live shows.

"A Night at the Odeon", with a very good sound production work, is another great opportunity to appreciate many of the songs that stopped being part of Queen's setlists in later tours, displaced by the mega hits that began to follow one after the other after "Bohemian Rhapsody".

4/4.5 stars

Review Nº 879

"Live Killers" is the debut live album of Queen and that was released in 1979. It was recorded live during the European Queen's "Jazz" live world tour, between January and March of 1979 in several locations. It seams that "Don't Stop Me Now", "Spread Your Wings" and "Brighton Rock" were taken from Stadthalle, Bremen on January 20, "Death On Two Legs" was taken from Sporthalle, Cologne on February 1, "39" and "Now I'm Here" were taken from Festhalle, Frankfurt on February 2 and "Love Of My Life" was taken from the DVD release "Greatest Video Hits 1". About the rest of the tracks, it seems to me that apparently, it's impossible to know from which shows the rest of the songs were taken for.

"Live Killers" has twenty two tracks. At the time where "Live Killers" was released, Queen had already seven studio albums, "Queen" which was released in 1973, "Queen II" which was released in 1974, "Sheer Heart Attack" which was released in 1974 too, "A Night At The Opera" which was released in 1975, "A Day At The Races" which was released in 1976, "News Of The World" which was released in 1977 and "Jazz" which was released in 1978. However, not all these albums are presented on "Live Killers". And of those who are present, not all are represented in the same way. So, from "Queen" we have only one track, "Keep Yourself Alive". From "Queen II" we don't have any track here. From "Sheer Heart Attack" we have three tracks, "Killer Queen", "Now I'm Here" and "Brighton Rock". From "A Night At The Opera" we have seven tracks, "Death On Two Legs (Dedicated to?)", "I'm In Love With My Car", "You're My Best Friend", "Love Of My Life", "39", "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "God Save The Queen". From "A Day At The Races" we have only one track, "Tie Your Mother Down". From "News Of The World" we have six tracks, "We Will Rock You", "Get Down, Make Love", "Spread Your Wings", "Sheer Heart Attack", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions". Finally, from "Jazz" we have four tracks, "Let Me Entertain You", "Bicycle Race", "Dreamer's Ball" and "Don't Stop Me Now".

In 1979, Queen was considered among the rock elite class bands. With a string of hit albums, singles, and sold- out live tours to their credit, the group was about to enter in a new musical phase of their career. And since bootleg copies of their live concerts were fetching exorbitant prices among their fans, the band decided that the better way to close this phase would be the release of their first official live double album, "Live Killers". For unknown reasons, the album was criticized harshly when it was first released. But, listening to it today, I think that we can consider it a good live document of Queen at the height of their 70's arena rock powers, despite its failures. All in all, the album is a solid mix of early hits and forgotten album's tracks, all given new life in the concert setting while the zealous crowd sings along.

"Live Killers" starts with the fast version of "We Will Rock You", which really starts the fire. Next, it was followed in quick succession by some less well known songs like "Let Me Entertain You" and "Death On Two Legs". The medley versions of "Killer Queen", "Bicycle Race" and "I'm In Love With My Car" all flow together perfectly well, and after "Get Down, Make Love" the album picks up again with "You're My Best Friend" and the rollicking "Now I'm Here". The acoustic break of Freddie's "Love Of My Life" and Brian's "'39" is perfect, showcasing the amazing talents of all four members, before the grandiose extravagance of "Keep Yourself Alive", "Don't Stop Me Now" and "Spread Your Wings" show why this band was considered one of the finest live acts ever. The classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" is then followed by the hard rocking completion of the album, with "Tie Your Mother Down" and "Sheer Heart Attack" complemented by "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions", along with "God Save The Queen" as the final conclusion, as usual.

Conclusion: Despite "Live Killers" be a good live album, I was a bit disappointed with it when I heard it for the first time. For a great band like Queen I expected a bit more from the first live album of them. "Live Killers" suffers, in my opinion, from several problems. In the first place, it isn't a very cohesive live album because its songs were taken from several live shows. In the second place, the choice of the repertoire wasn't very well balanced and representative of their entire career, despite being the "Jazz" live world tour. Incomprehensibly, it hasn't any song from "Queen II", which is probably their best studio album and definetely, their most prog album. In the third place, the recording and the mixing of the album aren't really good. So, because of that the final result isn't properly famous. In the fourth place, the live performance of the band sounds distant, in many moments, and the final result sounds without the flame that a live album should have. Thus, the final result isn't a cohesive and a well balanced album. However, the second disc is globally better than the first one. It has some heavy musical moments like "We Will Rock You", "Let Me Entertain You" and "Death On Two Legs", some weak musical moments like "Get Down, Make Love" and even a medley composed by "Killer Queen", "Bicycle Race" and "I'm In Love With My Car". Still, it has also some great live moments like "Now I'm Here" and "Love Of My Life", in disc 1 and "Brighton Rock" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", in disc 2. So, I give to it 3 stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 876

"Stone Cold Classics" is a compilation album of Queen that was released in 2006. It was made in conjunction with the broadcast of an episode of the U. S. television series American Idol, in which the contestants performed songs taken from Queen's catalogue. "Stone Cold Classics" has a decent selection of some of the greatest hits of Queen. Besides that, it has two bonus live songs too, "All Right Now" and "Feel Like Makin' Love" featuring Paul Rodgers singing them.

"Stone Cold Classics" has fourteen tracks. "Stone Cold Crazy" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". It's a heavy metal rock song with many and sudden musical changes and great guitar work. This is a great rock song. "Tie Your Mother Down" is from "A Day At The Races". It's a good hard rock guitar based oriented song, where Brian May shines. It was also a big success on the rock radios. "Fat Bottomed Girls" is from "Jazz". It's a good rock song based on an open tuning guitar riff based in blues and hard rock. It has also a great choral work. This is a great song with a slight country touch and excellent vocal harmonies. "Another One Bites The Dust" is from "The Game". It's an interesting song with a mix of styles, rock, funky and disco. It has a great bass line. This isn't one of my most favourite songs of them, but I like it very much. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is also from "The Game". It was written as a tribute to Elvis Presley. It's an interesting song that sounds different from the rest of "The Game". It sounds like a 50's rock song. This is a nice tribute song. "We Will Rock You" is from "News Of The World". We are in presence of a great rock song that soon became one of the best known and most popular songs of Queen. This is a very powerful short song that works very well as an introduction for "We Are The Champions". "We Are The Champions" is from "News Of The World". Like "We Will Rock You", it soon became as one of their most famous and popular songs. It also remains among rock's most recognizable anthems, even in our days. "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" were issued together and became a worldwide top ten single. "Radio Ga Ga" is from "The Works". It's a protest song against the growing influence of the music videos on the record sales against the musical quality. This is an excellent song, probably the best song written by Roger Taylor for the band. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is from "A Night At The Opera". It's the most known and probably the best song made by Queen. It was released as a single and soon became a huge commercial success. It's perhaps the most progressive single of all time. It's incredible that such complex song may have been so successful, one of the greatest rock songs ever. "The Show Must Go On" is from "Innuendo". It's an extraordinary song full of drama and emotion. This is one of the most beautiful, dramatic, touching and emotional songs of Queen. It was the last song composed by Freddie Mercury. "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" is also from "Innuendo". This is a very emotional song. It represents one of the last farewells of Freddie Mercury. That is particularly noticed on the music of the video, when he whispers "I still love you" at the end of the song. "I Want It All" is from "The Miracle". This is a great rock song full of mood changes and some nice guitar solos. It's a kind of a classic Queen's hard rock song that satisfies almost all rock fans. The thirteenth track "All Right Now (Live With Paul Rodgers)" isn't a song made by Queen and it has never been released on any studio album of them. It's a rock single recorded by the English rock band Free and was released in 1970. It also originally appeared on the third studio album of Free called "Fire And Water" released also in 1970. Free was a band formed by Paul Rodgers in 1968 that was disbanded in 1973. This live version is a version recorded on Queen's live album and the DVD with the same name called "Return Of The Champions", both released in 2005. The fourteenth and last track "Feel Like Makin' Love (Live With Paul Rodgers)" isn't also a song made by Queen and also it has never been released on any studio albums of them. This is a rock single recorded by the English rock band Bad Company that was released in 1975. It also originally appeared on the second studio album by Bad Company called "Straight Shooter" released also in 1975. Bad Company was a band formed by Paul Rodgers in 1973 after Free was disbanded. This live version is also a version recorded on Queen's live album and the DVD "Return Of The Champions".

Conclusion: "Stone Cold Classics" is a good and honest compilation album of Queen. It has a set of some of the best hits from Queen from a friendly radio perspective. This isn't a strange thing if we think this compilation was made in conjunction with an American broadcast television to the series American Idol. So, "Stone Cold Classics" covers only songs from a straight commercial perspective. And seen by that point of view, it's good and complete with songs taken from many and of their studio works covering almost their entire musical career. However, if we see it in a progressive perspective, it has practically nothing real to offer, especially regarding the early more progressive albums by Queen. Finally, if we see it in a global perspective, we can say that "Stone Cold Classics" is a good compilation from the band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

When it seemed that the Queen story had come to an end after the passing of Freddie Mercury in 1991, four years later Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon regrouped to record "Made in Heaven" (1995), the band's fifteenth and final album. A work of poignant sentimental as well as musical value, it is the result of a decision by the surviving members of Queen to share Mercury's posthumous vocal recordings with the public, combined with tracks that for various reasons were never released, others released in different arrangements, and previous solo initiatives.

A permanent halo of melancholy and sense of loss surrounds the work, very present in tracks like the delicate "It's a Beautiful Day" (taken from the recording sessions of 1980's "The Game"), the lilting "Made in Heaven" (adapted from Mercury's 1985 solo album "Mr. Bad Guy") and the very dark "Mother Love" (the last track Mercury was able to record but May had to complete vocally). A lot of emotion also with the gospel "Let Me Live", the beautiful "My Life Has Been Saved" (B-side of the single "Scandal" from 1989's "The Miracle") and the thunderous ballad "Too Much Love Will Kill You" (from May's 1992 solo album "Back to the Light").

Some of the enthusiasm that Mercury always conveyed, however, can be found in the radiant, rocking version of "I Was Born To Love You" ("Mr. Bad Guy") and the dance pop "You Don't Fool Me" adorned by May's magnificent and hurtful guitar solo. And the peaceful and elegant "A Winter's Tale" (the last song composed by Mercury) is the step before the reprise of "Its a Beautiful Day" concludes the album.

As a curiosity, for the Cd version, a relaxing instrumental piece of more than 20 minutes was included, created between producer David Richards and the band.

The great emotional effort involved in the careful recording process and the respectful arrangements of 'Made in Heaven' resulted in the best album possible under the circumstances, and its worldwide acceptance allowed it to sell more than 20 million copies.

3 stars

Review Nº 855

"Greatest Hits III" is a compilation of Queen that was released in 1999. It's a compilation of latter day songs from the band, bands member's solo hits and band's collaborations with some other artists. It was released eight years after the dead of Freddie Mercury and "Greatest Hits II", and eighteen years after "Greatest Hits". Despite being a greatest hits compilation, the first two tracks "The Show Must Go On" and "Under Pressure", are new versions of the classic songs.

"Greatest Hits III" has also seventeen tracks, like their two previous compilations "Greatest Hits" and "Greatest Hits II". "The Show Must Go On" is from "Innuendo". It's a great song full of drama and emotion. This is one of the most beautiful, dramatic, touching and emotional songs of Queen. It was the last song composed by Mercury. This is a live version performed by Queen and Elton John. It was taken from a show recorded at Theatre National De Chaillot, Paris, in 1997. "Under Pressure" is from "Hot Space". It's a collaboration work between Queen and David Bowie. This was largely played live by the band. It's a well known song. It has great moments, especially the vocal duet between Mercury and Bowie. This is a remixed version. "Too Much Love Will Kill You" is from "Made In Heaven". It was made for "The Miracle", but it was never released. It was written by May and it was included on his solo album "Back To The Light". It was first performed by Brian at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, in 1992. This is a nice song. "Somebody To Love" is from "A Day At The Races". It has complex harmonies, great guitar solos and a nice gospel choir. It's one of their most recognizable tracks that represent Queen at their peak. This is a live version performed by Queen and George Michael. It was also taken from Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert At Wembley Stadium. "You Don't Fool Me" is from "Made In Heaven". It was one of the last songs recorded for that album. It isn't a great song. It sounds too much too funky and disco and has nothing to do with Queen's sound. It was written and recorded by Queen with Mercury. It was never released until 1995. "Heaven For Everyone" is also from "Made In Heaven". It's a beautiful and sentimental song. Despite it was conceived for the Taylor's solo project, The Cross, this version sounds as a Queen's song. "Las Palabras De Amor" is from "Hot Space". It's a rock ballad with vocals provided by Mercury with May on the high vocal harmony. It's a beautiful song, a fine Brian's ballad, beautifully sung and with good acoustic guitar work and a nice synthesizer performance. "Let Me Live" is from "Made In Heaven". It's a rock ballad that features vocals from Mercury, May and Taylor. It was completed after Freddie's dead. It's a good song that sounds to the early Queen. It was written by Queen but never was released before 1995. "Princess Of The Universe" is from "A Kind Of Magic". It's the shortest song on that album, but it's a good rock song. This is one of the highlights on that album. It brings to our memory, the good old Queen's days. It was a song written for the soundtrack of the film "Highlander". "Another One Bites The Dust" is from "The Game". It's interesting with a mix of styles, rock, funky and disco. It has a great bass line. This isn't one of my most favourite songs, but I really like it. This is a remixed version performed by Wyclef Jean, Pras Michael and Free released for the 1998's film "Small Soldiers". "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" is from "Innuendo". This is an emotional song. It represents one of the last farewells of Mercury. That is particularly noticed on the music of the video, when he whispers "I still love you" at the end of the song. "Thank God It's Christmas" is a Queen's song only released as a single. It has rather simpler lyrics and meaning and is far from the much more complex works of Queen.

Besides the Queen's songs, there are more five songs on this compilation. "Barcelona" is from "Barcelona", a Freddie Mercury's studio album. It's performed by Mercury and Montserrat Caballe. "Living On My Own" is a Freddie Mercury's song from "Mr. Bad Guy". This is a remixed version included on "The Freddie Mercury Album", a posthumous solo project with material from Queen and Freddie Mercury, released in 1992. "The Great Pretender" is a Freddie Mercury's cover song of The Platters. It was only released as a single. "Driven By You" is a Brian's song and was released as a single and later included on his debut studio album "Back To The Light". "No- One But You (Only The Good Die Young)" was written by Brian May as a tribute to those who pass before their time, like Princess Diana and Freddie Mercury.

Conclusion: "Greatest Hits III" isn't a Queen's compilation. It's more like a compilation of Queen about Queen's related material. It has also some solo member's compositions and some band's songs made with the collaboration of other artists. It has some great moments like "The Show Must Go On", superior sung by Elton John, "Barcelona", with a great duet between Montserrat Caballe and Mercury, "Too Much Love Will Kill You", "Heaven For Everyone" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives". But, it has also weak songs like "You Don't Fool Me", "Las Palabras De Amor" and "Living On My Own". But, the worst are the remixes of "Under Pressure" and "Another One Bites The Dust". "Under Pressure" was changed into a disco/pop song and "Another One Bites The Dust" was transformed into a rap song. It destroyed both.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 851

"Queen Rocks" is a compilation album of Queen that was released in 1997. The remaining three members chose to record it as a bookend for the career of Queen. It was the last recording with Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor and the first one without Freddie Mercury. It was the last to feature Deacon, who subsequently retired from public life.

"Queen Rocks" has eighteen tracks. "We Will Rock You" is from "News Of The World". It's a great rock song that soon became one of the best known and most popular songs of Queen. This is a powerful short song that works well on that album. "Tie Your Mother Down" is from "A Day At The Races". It's a good hard rock guitar based song, where Brian May shines. It was a big success on the rock radios. This is the single's version. "I Want It All" is from "The Miracle". This is a great rock song full of mood changes and nice guitar solos. It's a classic Queen's hard rock song that satisfies almost all rock fans. This is a hybrid album/single's version. "Seven Seas Of Rye" is from "Queen II". It's the final track on the first two Queen's albums. On this album, the song is lengthier than the version on their debut, and it has vocals. This is a good song that closes well "Queen II". "I Can't Live Without You" is from "Innuendo". It's a happy rock song with a simple structure, different from many songs on that album. This is one of its less attractive songs, but it still is a good song. "Hammer To Fall" is from "The Works". The song harks back to Queen's old sound, built around a hard and muscular guitar riff. It became one of their live favourite songs. "Stone Cold Crazy" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". It's a heavy metal rock song with many and sudden changes and a great guitar work. This is a great rock song. "Now I'm Here" is from "Sheer Heart Attack". It's a song with great vocal harmonies. This is a powerful rock number with a great riff, heavy beat and some nice and catchy vocals. "Fat Bottomed Girls" is from "Jazz". It's a good rock song with an open tuning guitar riff based in blues and hard rock. It has also a great choral work. This is a great song with a slight country touch and excellent vocal harmonies. "Keep Yourself Alive" is from "Queen". It's an energetic rock piece that shows Brian May's distinct and typical guitar sound. We are in presence of a straight forward rock song with different and unexpected changes in tempo, with great guitar and a nice vocal work. "Tear It Up" is from "The Works". It's a hard song in the same vein of some of the old songs of the band. It's a typical Brian May's song. The final result is a nice and good rock song very pleasant to hear. "One Vision" is from "A Kind Of Magic". It's a well known song with mysterious distorted vocals in the beginning. This is an excellent pop rock song powerful and pleasant to hear. It's one of the best songs on that album. "Sheer Heart Attack" is from "News Of The World". It's a heavy punk rock song, probably the heaviest song that Queen ever wrote. It should have been the title track for "Sheer Heart Attack", but it seems they didn't finish it in time. I don't like very much of this song. "I'm In Love With My Car" is from "A Night At The Opera". It has its lyrics inspired and dedicated to one of the band's roadies, Jonathan Harris, whose car was the love of his life. This is a great rock song, simple and catchy, one of Roger Taylor's most famous songs in Queen's catalogue. This is a hybrid album/single's version. "Put Out The Fire" is from "Hot Space". This is a traditional Queen's song. It has lead vocals by Freddie Mercury with Brian May singing lead vocals in falsetto at the end of the verse. It has a nice guitar solo by Brian May. It isn't a bad song, but it's a bit repetitive and I don't like of the Bee Gees' vocal parts. "Headlong" is from "Innuendo". It's a fast rock song with great guitar solos and a nice vocal performance. This is one of the heaviest songs on that album that proves they were still capable to write some amazing new material. "It's Late" is from "News Of The World". It's one of the four best moments on "News Of The World". This is a classic rock Queen's song with excellent melody and great individual performances by all band's members. "No-One But You (Only The Good Dye Young)" isn't properly a Queen's song. It was recorded by the three remaining members in 1997 following the death of Freddie Mercury. Originally, this song began its life as a track for Bryan May's second studio album "Another World" released in 1998. Despite the song came after the death of Diana, it was dedicated to Mercury and to all those that died too soon.

Conclusion: Like ZowieZiggy wrote, this is also, for me, exactly the same type of compilations that appeal to me. It has all the exact ingredients that a compilation must have. The album is a selection of songs from Queen's heavier side that revisit practically all Queen's studio albums with Freddie Mercury still alive. From those all albums, only three were left out, but in reality only "The Game" was forgotten because "Flash Gordon" and "Made In Heaven" are two very special albums in Queen's discography. "Flash Gordon" is a soundtrack album and "Made In Heaven" was released after Freddie's dead. Of course, many of the songs on this compilation aren't properly progressive songs. However, this compilation has the merit of not being properly focused on the more known and more commercial side of the band. Concluding, "Queen Rocks" is a great compilation album of Queen and is strongly recommended to all hard rock fans.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 828

"Innuendo" is the fourteenth studio album of Queen and that was released in 1991. Unfortunately, this was the final studio album to be released in Freddie Mercury's lifetime and is also the last to be composed entirely with new material. Freddie Mercury died in the same year, ten months after its release. There are some emotional and nostalgic tracks on this album as well as some creative and imaginative works. It has some of Freddie Mercury's most stunning vocal work.

Musically, "Innuendo" represents a return to the original Queen roots, with its hard rock sound. It has complex and progressive musical compositions, psychedelic effects and very strong vocals. Deserve special mention the presence of the Yes guitarist Steve Howe, who was involved in this album, contributing with a performance on acoustic guitar, on the title track "Innuendo". "Innuendo" is the best album released by Queen since the old 70's. It's varied in ability and contains 3 of Queen's greatest songs, "Innuendo", "The Show Must Go On" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives".

"Innuendo" has twelve tracks. All songs were written by Queen, except "All God's People" written by Queen and Mike Moran. The first track "Innuendo" is one of the lengthiest Queen's songs. It was the first single from the album and is the lengthiest song ever released by them as a single. It's truly a progressive song with constant change of styles and moods. It features a flamenco guitar section performed by Steve Howe and Brian May. This is an extraordinary song and one of the highlights on the album. The second track "I'm Going Slightly Mad" was the second single taken from the album. It represents a very funny musical moment which can be perfectly seen seeing its video-clip. The third track "Headlong" was the third song released as a single. It's a fast rock song with some great guitar solos and a nice vocal performance. This is one of the heaviest songs on the album that perfectly proves they were in great shape and still were capable to write some amazing new material. The fourth track "I Can't Live Without You" was released as a promo single. It's a happy rock song with a very simple music structure, very different from the previous songs. This is one of the less attractive songs on the album, but still is a good song. The fifth track "Don't Try So Hard" is a beautiful song, a true amazing song. It's probably the darkest song on the album where Freddie Mercury sings most of the song in falsetto. This is a wonderful ballad, one of their most beautiful ballads. The sixth track "Ride The Wilde Wind" is a good rock song with great rhythm and a delicious choral work. It's really a great song, which is, in my humble opinion, one of the best compositions of Roger Taylor to the band. The seventh track "All God's People" is a song with some influence of African music and gospel music. It's a song with an amazing vocal performance, but despite that, it's one of my less favourite moments on the album. The eighth track "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" is one of my favourite songs on the album and was the fifth single taken from the album. This is, for me, a very emotional song. It represents the last farewell of Freddie Mercury. That is particularly noticed on the music of the video, when he whispers "I still love you" at the end of the song. The ninth track "Delilah" is the weakest song on the album. This is a song made and dedicated to Freddie Mercury's favourite house cat Delilah. It's a song with silly lyrics, but musically it isn't a bad song. The tenth track "The Hitman" is the second hard rock song on the album. It's a heavy song, very fast and aggressive. This is the heaviest song on the album and is interesting and enjoyable to hear. The eleventh track "Bijou" is essentially a guitar solo piece. It's a good and enjoyable song where Freddie Mercury sings beautifully, as usual, and Brian May proves that is a great guitarist. The twelfth track "The Show Must Go On" was the fourth single taken from the album. It represents the other highlight with "Innuendo". It's another extraordinary song full of drama and emotion. This is one of the most beautiful, dramatic, touching and emotional songs made by Queen. It seems that this was the last song composed by Freddie Mercury approaching the theme of the feelings of him near his dead. It shows that Freddie Mercury knew perfectly well that his end was very close and, for the second time on the album, his last farewell is again present on it.

Conclusion: "Innuendo" is a great joy and a great sadness at the same time. It's a great joy because it represents the return of the masters of art rock to their great rock and progressive roots. "Innuendo" is, without any doubt, one of the best studio musical works from Queen, the best since the 70's. Of course it hasn't the same quality, progressivity and creativity of "Queen II" and "A Night At The Opera". However, it's perfectly at the same level of "Queen", "Sheer Heart Attack" and "A Day At The Races". It's also a great sadness because it represents the end of a great band and the end of one of the best and most loved composers and singers ever existed. Freddie Mercury and Queen deserve to have a very special place in the history of music. So, thank you Queen. Your contribution to rock music has been immense. However, the show must go on and we still love you too, Freddie. R.I.P., we will never forget you. And that is for sure.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Just six months after the release of their album "The Game", Queen surprises with a new work: the soundtrack of the film "Flash Gordon" (1980), based on the comic books of the 1930s in which a New York field marshal (Flash Gordon) embarks on an intergalactic journey with the female Dale Arden and the scientist Hans Zarkov to the planet 'Mongo' to save the earth from the evil tyrant 'Mingo'.

Queen recreates a cosmic and suspenseful atmosphere through the extensive use of synthesizers, interacting mainly with Brian May's guitar riffs and Howard Blake's orchestral arrangements. A scenario that parallels the timeline of the film, including some of the characters' dialogue, and which as a whole has less to do with the band's known dynamics.

Only two tracks sung by Freddie Mercury accompanied by the backing vocals of May and Roger Taylor are included on the album: the opening single, "Flash's Theme" and the closing "Hero", and in between, and beyond the unexpectedness of seeing Queen in this guise, there are a few tracks that are well worth picking up, such as the gloomy "Ring (Hypnotic Seduction Of Dale)", the very interesting harmonies created from the synthesizers in both the restless "Football Fight" and the spacey "Vultan's Theme (Attack Of The Hawk Men)", the orchestrated and dense "Flash to the Rescue", and above all, the last part of the album, starring May's guitars in the hard rocker "Battle Theme", the beautiful nuptial guitar solo in "Wedding March", the "Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations)" and the already mentioned "The Hero" and its explosive ending, surely the best piece of the album.

"Flash Gordon" had no major commercial impact at the time and is remembered more for being 'the film with Queen's music' than for its intrinsic value, but over the years it has come to be considered a cult film linked like Siamese to the soundtrack of the band led by Mercury.

2.5/3 stars

Although "A Night At The Opera" from 1975 is unanimously considered a milestone in both Queen history and pop music, I think it's successor "A Day At The Races" (1976) is just as good. The fact that both album titles are from films by the Marx Brothers make them perfect twins. The similarities are multiple, the differences nil although the white and black album cover suggests otherwise. If we listen to the music, both albums are actually very close to each other. Let me tell you just a little bit about the band itself.

At that time the striking foursome from London knows better and better how to conquer the world with their music. Their songs (especially at that time) all have an artistic and distinctive look. The band does not shy away from a good dose of theatricality when composing and arranging and that makes their mixture of hard rock and pop music so contagious.

Queen has a dynamic rhythm section with drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon. Add the creative, often layered guitar work of Brian May, as well as the sparkling piano playing of Freddie Mercury to that and you're already well on your way. With Freddie Mercury as the singer, Queen has the most fantastic finisher you can think of. The inspired main figure feels like a fish in water. Mercury, with his brilliant voice, has everything to actually be that in full glory. Nothing seems to stand in his way. With his sparkling voice he also excels in the sublime choirs that he performs together with his bandmates. Noteworthy here are the ultra-high parts that Roger Taylor has added to the choruses.

Queen makes music for young and old. I was 13 years old when I bought my first Queen record, "A Day At The Races". For a while there were 3 of them, until this recalcitrant young lover of symphonic music no longer tolerated pop in his collection. From the last song of many at "A Day At The Races", Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together), it was difficult to say goodbye to. What a beautiful song. The atmosphere is carried with a slight bombastic glow over which a strong melody line manifests itself. The fact that the chorus is sung in Japanese is a genius find and also the fact that there is a resigned climax of a children's choir may be called special, especially considering the image of that time. Some guitar playing by Brian May, who is also the composer of the song, concludes this gem.

Still, it would be another 45 years before I bought the album again. How could I have ever sold the LP, ten songs with enormous expressiveness, with a mouth-watering drive.

The CD I bought was a feast of recognition right from the guitar introduction. With the rolling riffs of Tie Your Mother Down, the first song sets itself in motion convincingly. This hard rock song has wide choruses, bombastic drums and vicious guitar solos with an over all sound that has a bit of a glam rock allure. The ensuing You Take My Breath Away is breathtaking, Freddie Mercury at his best. Lyrical, passionate, tender and extraordinarily expressive. His singing and his piano playing go together as one. Listen to the timing of his runs. This song is also decorated with beautiful choirs and towards the end Brain May lets his creativity assert itself again (as always). A remarkable song is The Millionaire Waltz, written by Freddie Mercury. The fact that the tempo and atmosphere changes are multiple makes my prog heart beat faster. Sometimes you imagine yourself in a decadent ballroom, sometimes you listen to a Bohemian Rhapsody-like piece of metal. The fact that this is a genuine Mercury composition drips off on all sides. You can smell his grandeur like that, so to speak. You can also hear in this song the good coöperation of everyone. There are beautiful bass loops and the guitar work is also very good.

About the mega hit Somebody To Love I only want to say that I think the complex arrangement of the background vocals is really brilliant. Also important: it fits perfectly with the 6/8th swing of the song. Despite the fact that it is an earwig of the highest order, it remains a sublime song. Sublime yes, and actually it's not even that noticeable. There are so many excellent songs on the album. What always appeals to me is the You And I written by John Deacon that has a smooth rhythm and a strong melody. The sturdy White Man is also remarkable because it closely matches the old Queen. With the Beatles/Klaatu-like Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, Queen clearly carves out a sound of its own. The smooth song is Mercury at its best. When the album closes with the beautiful Teo Torriatte, you can only conclude that the ten songs together produce an album that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Orginally posten on www.progenrock.com

I have mixed feelings about compilation albums. I think it's okay for some bands like ZZ Top, Status Quo or AC/DC. They've always stayed true to their style and roots, they weren't very diverse, they didn't create conceptual albums, and many of their established hits often rock the listeners just as much as the tracks on the album next to them. In my opinion, starting your first acquaintance with their music with such a compilation is ideal.

It's completely different with bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, ELP. How can you make a guide to their work if many of their outstanding compositions last longer than 10-15 minutes? Theoretically, it's possible, but how will it work in practice? Such songs will be taken out of context, and this will not give a full understanding of the album and period of the band's work from which they were taken. It's like reading Stephen King's Dark Tower in separate chapters. Or even fragments of separate chapters.

There are some nuances with Queen Greatest Hits (I and II). The mention of the word Hit in the title immediately warns that the songs selected here are those that occupied the top lines of the charts, were released as singles and were frequent guests on radio broadcasts. This is logical for promoting the album. But it does not give a full picture of Queen's very diverse creative heritage. I think that it is better to listen to this group as albums to perceive their music more fully. And if someone starts getting to know their music with this collection, they will form the wrong opinion about the group - well-made pop music with separate forays into the territory of more complex musical forms, for example. Of course, this is not really the case. To be convinced of this, it is enough to listen to their classic albums Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera in their entirety. Some songs from that albums are presented on this collection, but even the great Bohemian Rhapsody cannot fully represent the album A Night at the Opera.

Finally I will say that I do not have an answer to the question of how I see the ideal collection of Queen songs. I think it is impossible to compile such a collection. At least for the most interesting period of the band's work before the early eighties. The albums of the band are best listened to in their entirety up to and including The Game. I think that the rating of three stars perfectly corresponds to my conclusion.