Music Review: Queen - 2011 Remasters: Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races

It goes without saying that Queen were one of the all-time great British bands of the '70s. While Led Zeppelin may have sold more records, there was something oddly American about them. This was not the case with Queen. From their coat-of-arms logo, to their name itself — Queen were extremely proud of their English heritage. Maybe it it was that very British-ness that set them apart, but Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar), John Deacon (bass), and Roger Taylor (drums) had something special right from the start.

Anglophiles were hip to them early on, but it took album number three, Sheer Heart Attack (1974), for the group to really catch on in the US. In particular, it was the single “Killer Queen” that broke through, although the whole record was great. Opening with Brian May’s amazing guitar work on “Brighton Rock” through classics such as “Now I’m Here,” and “Stone Cold Crazy,“ this was definitely one of the year’s best.

As an instant convert I needed to hear more, and quickly purchased their first album — simply titled Queen (1973). This was clearly a group who knew who they were right from the start. The very first track on the very first album is “Keep Yourself Alive,” which like “Liar” stayed in their set forever. There were also some seemingly unusual tunes, like “Great King Rat“ and the instrumental “Seven Seas Of Rhye.“ As time would tell, these other musical sides of Queen would prove integral to their overall sound and success.

Queen II (1974) was yet another revelation. The old adage about the “difficult sophomore effort” may have initially applied, but not to my ears. While the band may have had their entire lives to write their first record, the second was done on the fly, so to speak. In some respects, I find Queen II to be the most intriguing album of their career. From May’s “Procession”/”Father To Son” through to Mercury’s full lyrical version of “Seven Seas Of Rhye,” Queen II is an outstanding recording.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is an old time "music biz" groupie/writer. He thinks that nothing good has been recorded since 1978.

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