#128 Queen, 'A Night at the Opera' (1975)
Previously #231
This is the album that broke Queen wide open. Despite enjoying a reasonable level of success on their previous records (‘Sheer Heart Attack’ reached #2 in the UK, while ‘Queen II’ charted at #5), the band was broke due to a bum deal they’d made with Trident Studios and its owner, who also happened to be their manager, Norman Sheffield. Freddie Mercury would dedicate the opening track on the album, ‘Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To…)’ to Sheffield; “Killjoy, bad guy, big-talking, small fry.” They hired a new manager, John Reid, who was also the manager of Elton John, as well as his ex-boyfriend. They also hired lawyer, Jim Beach, who got them out of the deal with Trident and negotiated a new, better deal with EMI.
This album is eclectic in every sense of the word. It opens with a hard rock song going into a 1 minute 1930s-eque interlude. ‘I’m In Love With My Car,’ is Roger Taylor’s love letter to his car. A ridiculous song that was ridiculed by the rest of the band, Taylor begged Mercury to make the song the B-side to the first single, locking himself in a cupboard until Mercury agreed. Subsequently, it’s one of the biggest selling songs of all time because on the flipside of it was a little song called ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ Often voted by radio stations as the greatest song of all time, it rose to prominence thanks to Capital Radio DJ, Kenny Everett. Producer, Roy Thomas Baker, and the band gave the song to him on the condition that he wouldn’t play it on air. Of course he did, and the rest is history. Listeners started requesting the song and a DJ in the USA got wind of it and started playing it too. The album was reportedly the most expensive album every recorded at that point and thanks to the success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ all costs were recouped and the band shot to mega stardom. The album also includes second single, the John Deacon-penned, ‘You’re My Best Friend,’ and the gorgeous fan-favourite, ‘Love Of My Life.’ Other than Hard Rock and the 1930s ditty, it features Prog Rock, Opera, Dixieland Jazz, Skiffle, and Pop. Songs like ‘Seaside Rendezvous’ and ‘’39’ could not have been performed by any other band. The album ends with Brian May’s interpretation of ‘God Save The Queen,’ done in a similar style to Hendrix’s ‘Star Spangled Banner’ from Woodstock. This album is a real journey culminating in one of the greatest songs of all time. The song, unusual at the time (let’s be honest, it’s even unusual now), makes so much more sense in the context of this album and it’s worth the trip to get there.
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