In the fall of 1975 a work colleague went home to the UK and came back to let us know there was this unbelievable song setting records in the UK called "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. In those days songs did not come across the pond until bands released them here. I knew the LP was coming, so I haunted the local record shop after work every Wednesday (the day new albums came out) until Night At The Opera was magically there. I bought it on the spot, raced home, sat down to play it and was blown away, starting with "Death On . . . ". Went back the next day and bought the first three albums and have never looked back!
Similar story here, except in the Netherlands Bohemian Rhapsody raced the charts to no1. Got the album, loved it and got the back catalogue as soon as I could (although I knew Killer Queen as it was a hit in the Netherlands before Bohemian Rhapsody as well).
I'd heard "Killer Queen" on the radio a lot in the previous year, but I didn't get into Queen until the first time I heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the radio in November 1975. I went out and bought "A Night at The Opera' the next day! Imagine a 12-yr old 8th-Grade honor student dropping the needle on this album for the first time, and hearing this track! It was the most EVIL thing I'd ever heard! I was glad my Mom wasn't home at the time. My 16-yr-0ld Sister came in just in time to hear the second half, and I had to go back and start the album over again. We both agreed we couldn't play it too loud when Mom or Dad were home, but we couldn't stop talking about the whole album. In the next couple months I bought the other three Queen albums, and they went into heavy rotation on the living room stereo.
Night at the Opera is an experimental album and Freddie would favor a different method and style on just about every track. It does feel like a compilation album with such heavy switches in mood and tone, which is interesting.
Great song from a great album.....when you consider how old this is,you have appreciate just how good the production is on the whole album. The tone of Brian May's guitar couldn't be replicated by anyone else.....way ahead of its time......masterpiece 👍
First semester senior year high school. Hit the record store at lunchtime and brought this album back. Talked the teacher into checking out a record player from the library. Played the album through The Prophet Song when teacher said she was getting a headache. Played the rest of the album when I got home.
Stunning song when I first heard it and full of anger and wicked transitions. Now that you've done Death on Two Legs, do Flick of the Wrist as it is also reportedly about Queen's relationship with their agents. Plus Flick of the Wrist is just classic Queen!
Love these old 20's/30's melodies and arrangements (Lazing…) . It's the only Queen album I ever bought because it has so many great tracks, even the little ones. Queen presented this album to Groucho Marx personally since they were all MB fans (they named a few albums after Marx Brothers movies).
This album was the beginning of a lot of people's long relationship with Queen. This album was to me bonkers when I first heard it, which was 75 or 76. A Day At The Races, A Night At The Opera and News From The World are just monolithic albums for most of us early teen rockers of that time period.
First got into Queen with 'Queen II'. So I went back and bought the debut. LOVED both albums. 'Sheer Heart Attack' comes out and blows me away, but there are some indications of changes coming. Which took a little getting used to, but eventually I fell in love with "In The Lap Of The Gods" and "Bring Back That Leroy Brown". But then 'A Night At The Opera' hit the music stores and the kid gloves were off. From beginning to end, it was a wild, but fun, ride. I'm so glad you played "Lazing...". Such a fun throw away tune that just makes the album brighter and better for being there. For filler, you can't beat Queen.
I love that Queen can be so cutting and then so whimsical in the space of two songs. I am reminded of two other songs after listening to these two tracks, firstly "Twat" by punk poet John Cooper Clarke for it's litany of insults and secondly "Mr Moody's Garden" by Gilbert O'Sullivan for it's quirky and eccentric lyrics and music.
No band like them,so creative,so different. Every album,certainly in the 70’s,was a tour de force by Queen and full of difference. Never imitated because well,you just couldn’t imitate them,but they influenced many,hello Axl Rose,among many others.
Someone who remembers better than I do, or who has a physical copy at hand, am I remembering correctly that proudly stated among the liner notes are the words (paraphrasing): Recorded with all real instruments and no synthesizers!
Great album. (I think *The Prophet's Song* is more than Bohemian Rhapsody, so maybe there's even something in that to look forward to. And there's a video on UA-cam going into the finer details of what it was, and how it came to be, featuring the main writer, Brian May, giving you the horse's mouth account). I always imagine some kind of Bertie Wooster character (of the Jeeves novels fame - worth looking for on the out of copyright books sites if you don't mind reading on a screen, and don't know of them - er, and written by an American author, PG Wodehouse) when I hear Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon. (Only Bertie prefers to laze on all the other days of the week, when he's not up to ill advised shenanigans that the butler, Jeeves, has to keep saving him from suffering the consequences of.) It helps that it has that old gramophone record sound simulated in things like the muffling of the vocals, and is sung in that old 1920's tenor style. Like *James Melton* singing *Sleepy Valley* , for instance. ua-cam.com/video/lz-S8im6tHc/v-deo.html Edit: Actually that's something to think about if you feel like something new to do reactions: Early recorded music. See if you can borrow a gramophone and really get in the spirit of things. Ragtime, old jazz, and all sorts of things we've just about forgotten, like the tenors, or music hall/ vaudeville. (If you ever do a classical listen to Debussy, you'll have to also orient yourself to some Scott Joplin, since ragtime was an inspiration of Debussy for some of his works.)
Angry Freddie is good for Queen and country! I spent years trying to get Brian's tone and found out a treble booster was the key. This is quite possibly my favorite little piece from them. Peace & Love.
There is another song about cars. Sung by Brian May, to advertise Ford cars in the UK, also released as a single. Brian also did the starfleet project with Eddie Van Halen. We'll worth a listen.
Like so many albums of this era, it sounds so different if you let it just play all the way through the side. There are no cross-fades here on side 1 but the abrupt changes of instrumentation and tempo make for an amazing experience. Hearing all these great albums for the first time is one of the greatest memories of my high school years.
JP, "Lazing" was a nod to the vaudevillian, roaring 20's era style, and very well done. This album was the pinnacle imo, The Prophet's Song is one of my favorites, hands down. I think Mercury's influence grew stronger, May's weaker and they slowly left the prog influences for a more commercial appeal.
Freddie is the one who wrote the most complex music and least commercial music. Freddie wrote the most prog type of songs and really complex music, he even created his own fantasy world. Roger and John wrote the most commercial music. Freddie's songwriting was never that commercial, some of his songs just became hits. It is like Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon, that is a 1920's vaudeville song it is not something that was commercially viable in 1975.
@@ZENOBlAmusic I don't know much about music so not following your comment not commercial but were hits? mean most of his music was not commercial but he could write commercial music? Q2 seven seas no 10 SHA Killer Queen no 2 ? US no 12 ( now Im here no 11) NATO Bo Rap no 1 ( YMBF no 7) DATR STLove no 2 ( GOFLB no 17) NOTW WATC uk no 2 ( double A side US with RY no 4) Jazz BR/FBG no 11 Dont stop me now no 9 ( now their second most popular) the Game CLTCL no 2 / US no 1 (save me no 11) ( AOBTD Uk no 11 / US no 1 huge hit) HSpace ( UP no 1) body language US no 11 the works ( Ga Ga no2) (I want to brake free no 3) hard life no 6 KOM KOM no 3 ( freddies version!) the miracle ( Iwia Brian first independant hit no 3 ) I keep forgetting flash no 10 ok second! (brake thru no7) Innuendo F/R no1 KOM Rogers version was not commercial until Freddie tinkered with it Ga Ga was but I think the video that Freddie had ideas for helped Brake thru was a hit again the video helped there not well known songs now though John didnt write much but YMBF is still well known BF to less extent and ABTD still well known but Freddie did help with that even with their songs Freddie helped tweak them except maybe YMBF Freddie seemed to have more idea what would be commercial despite also writting a lot of songs with no intent of them being individually commercial sorry if I've misunderstood you but I don't think I've understood your comment
YAY!!! You found my favorite ever Queen song! It’s an absolute gem. So clean production, such nasty vile in a beautiful sound. Hey, thanks for educating me on Raconteurs in background!
After hearing Bohemian Rhapsody and Killer Queen before it, I got this album because the BoRap single was no longer in the stores. By the time the three-song medley (run-on song, whichever) was done playing, I was an official Queen fan. This album had the kitchen sink, and you could tell they were having a great time making it and not trying to be terribly serious. I believe the song you said Lazing reminded you of was I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas. :)
I'd call that an opening salvo. For the 2nd song the word you want is music hall. Other British bands would dip into that as well, such as The Kinks and early Genesis.
Music Hall, yes! so an occasional source for McCartney, Harrison, was it George Formby in Britain, 1940s but the tradition goes way back- Gilbert and Sullivan
Great reaction Justin! I loved how you went into Death... without any background knowledge of the song. Some who have reacted to it elsewhere read about it before listening so they went into it expecting harsh words. Please do more from this album. Besides the elephant in the room (Bohemian Rhapsody) there are a load of great tracks on it.
It’s well known Death on two legs was a blistering attack on a former manager who tied them up in knots and legally kept most of their earnings in the early days - Freddie REALLY gave him it tight ! 😅 👍🏴
They had a string of great albums, of which this may have been the second one. Sold on the first song, this record was a staple at parties. They knew how to work a studio as well as their instruments.
Finally… whew, that took some doing. An iconic album that blew me away with its variety of genres and tones. Yes, yes, others will love other albums but this is my favorite with Day At The Races a close second. Thank you for this much anticipated album reaction. Wonderful.
Brian may could make his guitar sound like a razor blade or a helicopter even half a century ago, and all in this marvelous heavy diverse pop music. Queen are still unlike any other major musical act. Despite their massive success so few acts really follow in their footsteps of "anything goes", as long as it's musical. Oh by the way, Brian may once said they wanted to be "Yes but poppier", and was a fan of prog himself (He would watch the live shows of Morgan, Tim Staffel's prog band (tim was the previous singer for Queen)".
Yeah back before streaming when opening songs were important. Very cool to know nothing about this albums and put it on and start with that. For a long time Brian May was probably my most influential guitarist. He did everything. Heavy, delicate, strange. Could make his guitar sound like any other instrument. And I miss bands like Queen and Beatles doing a variety of styles of songs like here with just these two examples. This album goes on to have folky songs, pop, prog, rock.
I was 9 years old when this album was released. My dad was a huge fan of Queen and played the album a lot, so even before I had any real interest in music "ANATO" worked its' way into my consciousness. The musical variety is impressive, as is the music and production. BTW, "The prophet song" is one of the most ludicrously overblown songs I've ever heard but enjoyable for precisely that reason.
The warning song to the managerwas Flick of the wrist,he ignored it hence Death on two legs. Flick is well worth a listen, there is a live version which is hot xxx
Proof that modern drag queens have nothing on old Freddie when it comes to throwing shade and getting revenge on your old manager. Hello, Justin. Been a while, glad to see you still mining the classics. 😊
This album is the first album I ever bought when it came out. This album will represent both what the were and what they will become! Every song is its own masterpiece!
“There he goes again” is also a backing line from “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy”. Probably an accurate statement of what is was like working with Freddie.
Just saw a clip of Brian on Rick Beato and he said that he viewed every solo as an extension of the singer and what another verse would be in guitar form. There’s a reason he’s called “The Professor”. And it’s not just the phd.
Round a friend's house for a meal as a kid back then. I took a newly purchased Night at the opera and an early ELO album. Played Bohemian Rhapsody and ELO's Roll over Beethoven. The guys were stunned, there was nothing about like that at the time.
Hi JP. Dave from Old England. Hands down, my favourite Queen album. Terrific opening, and there are many stories from the 70s of artists being ripped off by managers - the singer songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan is just one that comes to mind. I love the variety, including the musical hall songs like Lazing. Oh I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside - was that the song you were thinking of? It was used at the end of Seven Seas of Rhye off Queen II. P.S. my song ref Old England is by The Waterboys.
I don't listen to this record a lot, I certainly _never_ listen to the two big hits from it, but it does have really strong tracks. "'39", and this probably being my favorites. The vocal effects that you mention on 10:44 were introduced in Queen II, an album I consider to be superior to this because it was harder, artier and way more daring.
I love this album. A top 25 easily. 3 tracks in my top 250 including Death on Two Legs. The album is like a variety show. Be prepared for more twists and turns that never get dull.
Pretty much Queens best album. Great video Justin. I just wish you'd played the third song "I'm in love with my car" written and sung by Roger Taylor. It really flows nicely from the second song.
I thought that you'd get a kick out of the lyrics in the first song. They really didn't hold back. You should have included the next song on your review since it goes right into "I'm in love with my car." It really shows how versitile Queen is. Maybe you can do a movie review of "A Night at the Opera". Marx Brothers. So even then they show that they have a sense of humor.
Your thinking of Wouldn't You Like To Be Beside The Seaside with Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, and i until now have not thought of that considering Queen used that in an earlier song Seven Seas Of Rhye from Queen 2 but it is similar
4 give me . I've paused the video. U've triggered me something major here JP. Ain't heard this since I played the cassette over & over as a ten year old. It is possibly as integral to my upbringing as Giant Hogweed, for twas around the same time that my sister-inspired record collection (Abba Barry White Bay City Rollers K Tel VA collections and David Cassidy etc).... blew up in a cultural muso prog revolutionary shift and defined my horizons as Broadened.......and this song scared the life outta me I shall now list words as I listen: Thanks ...Jaws Jaws Jaws x100 Opera BÖC imaginos wow heavy or wot? What a song this is. I was ten . "Shark!! " is what I heard Smaallll Fry Feel Good Wot a song this is Blows BO Rap outta the Park AH ! it wasn't me He sang Shark after all... and the segway.... This album in it's beautiful diversity shaped my musical perspective. But i was 10. Now ? I can't take it again. I've changed. Great songs though. Diolch. I told u years ago about this song and album such was it's impact on me. Thanks for allowing me to hear Sunday Afternoon. Theatrical and Joyous Jellyfish "Spilt Milk" comes to mind . U gotta do that sometime Yes that's JUST AS GOOD as this Queen classic. Highly highly recommended Justin. Diolch eto. I'm back in real time. x
Thanks, Just.. lesson here is "Don't piss off Freddie"...lol... hope you have lyrics! appreciate your reaction...and the usual Queen transition to the next song with no breaks... (p.s. not Freddie's first "diss" track.. check out "Flick of the Wrist" on Queen II)
Brighton Rock is equally good as an opening track imho. Death on Two Legs and Prophet’s Song are my favorites on NATO. They were at peak creativity during this period.
awesome review i have this album bought it when i was 16 years old when the album came out, i hope you do a follow through track by track of this wonderful Album , keeping in mind the Operatic Theme of the Album Cover Title "A Night at the Opera" - which includes the Legendary Track " Bohemian Rhapsody ". Another great track is "your my best friend" written by John Deacon Queen's Bassist and also played the keyboard on that track, its a song dedicated to his then girlfriend / wife " and sung by Freddie. There's also a track called "i'm in love with my car written and sung by the Drummer Roger Taylor
I was 4 or 5 when our elder sister brought this music in da house. I was still into panflute music, but when I was twelve I rediscovered Queen with the difficult Hot Space, and the fantastic Greatest Hits album. My musical life has never been the same (and just like Freddie I fell for Michael Jackson too, who didn’t)
Hi Justin. Glad you like it so far. This is a very eclectic album. A great album all the way through. Death on Two Legs has to be one of, if not the best, put down song ever written. You're sure to like what is coming up, right up to the finale.
WATCH the movie Bohemian Rapsody, and you will see the first manager who would not allow them to release the record Boheian Rapsody. They stormed out. Released the record, and the manager sued Queen.
Nice!! One of my favorites by them... If you don´t already know it, a great song trio for you to make a reaction to is "Tenement Funster - Flick of the Wrist - Lily of the vallley" !
Lazing on a Sunday afternoon sounds like it’s just a piss take on variety hall music that they were mucking around with in the studio that they eventually put in the album and why not eh ? 🍻 👍🏴
'Ole Audiophile to JP: Like my name implies, I seek out & find the very best of editions of this & all albums I care about. Even though this was originally written in 1975, in the year 2002 Queen had this recording remastered to 5.1 & hi-def stereo (24bit X 96k x 6 channels or 24bit X 192k in stereo) on a DVD-Audio format. It played 5.1 in either DTS or Uncompressed linear PCM. It requires a very special recording to create superb 5.1 recordings from, one must have all the studio outtakes & cutting room floor material to create one in proper fashion. Queen did both A Night At The Opera & The Game in such fashion & they both turned out to perfection. If one really wants to really hear this, seek out both the recording & a well-equipped home theater to properly play back Queen's perfection. Thanx. (Queen included the DTS version for folks who owned a regular dvd player instead of a DVD-Audio equipped one. But back then one had to own a reciever with a 6 channel input. Now they use HDMI instead/works far superior.)
Sometimes environment trumps quality, like my first listen of this 8track on a roadtrip in my blue ‘64 Chevy Impala with my guitarist friend Big David. I think he nudged me to buy it for the road. It played pretty much all the way there and back… RIP Jeff Beck. Miss him. Nice setup you have.
Here is a suggested (Song) for you to try to do a reaction/review to called (Rain) by Dream 6 aka (Concrete Blonde). This is a little out of the ordinary for me to listen to this but it’s a really Good Song ! I found it on UA-cam and thought you might like it check it out and review it for All your Fans that Follow you on UA-cam.
Sorry for "double commenting". Maybe grab the link then delete the comment? Subject: Tip: *Molly Tuttle and Tommy Emmanuel* (not a masterclass, not a performance, something more intimately musical, with some great insights into why you might want to hear more of her music. Tommy stays "off stage" as much as he can, so the lights can shine on Molly. It's worth a look. Form your own impressions.) ua-cam.com/video/XMyITAxbe30/v-deo.html
Apparently Freddie did damage to his throat because he sang the song with such venom. Sheffield lost the court case as he wasn't mentioned. The judge actually said he must have had a guilty conscience. Love your reactions
There really aren't very many album openers as good as this, and it's probably Queen's most consistent album, with only one real miss among the hits. It was a slow decline into catastrophe for Queen from this point on.
In the fall of 1975 a work colleague went home to the UK and came back to let us know there was this unbelievable song setting records in the UK called "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. In those days songs did not come across the pond until bands released them here. I knew the LP was coming, so I haunted the local record shop after work every Wednesday (the day new albums came out) until Night At The Opera was magically there. I bought it on the spot, raced home, sat down to play it and was blown away, starting with "Death On . . . ". Went back the next day and bought the first three albums and have never looked back!
Similar story here, except in the Netherlands Bohemian Rhapsody raced the charts to no1. Got the album, loved it and got the back catalogue as soon as I could (although I knew Killer Queen as it was a hit in the Netherlands before Bohemian Rhapsody as well).
The next song is a happy go lucky, it's like another slap at the old manager. They're happy living their best life. 😊
One of my favorite Queen songs. A beast of a song!
I'd heard "Killer Queen" on the radio a lot in the previous year, but I didn't get into Queen until the first time I heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the radio in November 1975. I went out and bought "A Night at The Opera' the next day! Imagine a 12-yr old 8th-Grade honor student dropping the needle on this album for the first time, and hearing this track! It was the most EVIL thing I'd ever heard! I was glad my Mom wasn't home at the time. My 16-yr-0ld Sister came in just in time to hear the second half, and I had to go back and start the album over again. We both agreed we couldn't play it too loud when Mom or Dad were home, but we couldn't stop talking about the whole album. In the next couple months I bought the other three Queen albums, and they went into heavy rotation on the living room stereo.
I've learned to Sing "Death On Two Legs" in the voice of Thurl "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" Ravenscroft if you get me drunk enough.
One of the great headphone albums. Enjoy.
Fun review! As soon as Sheffield sued them, he let the world know the song was about him. I guess money WAS more important to him than dignity.
Night at the Opera is an experimental album and Freddie would favor a different method and style on just about every track. It does feel like a compilation album with such heavy switches in mood and tone, which is interesting.
Even the little diddy of “Sunday”, it had to be SO MUCH WORK!
So much accomplished material in so little time🍷
Of course it's an album that's meant to be heard as one continous play where the tracks flow into each other.
Great song. Written about their previous manager, who ripped them off
listening to this whole album in one sitting is a tremendous trip. So effing Great!
It truly is a great album from start to finish.
Great album, amazing opener, one of the greatest albums ever!
definitely one of the best albums in history. i love its variety, its eclecticism
So much of my taste in music was inspired by this album.
Great song from a great album.....when you consider how old this is,you have appreciate just how good the production is on the whole album. The tone of Brian May's guitar couldn't be replicated by anyone else.....way ahead of its time......masterpiece 👍
Brian's guitar is unmistakeable.
Fantastic album!!! I'm sure you will enjoy it.
This was my first "adult" album I owned and this song was really my first musical love.
Love your reactions man! 😃 MORE QUEEN!!! 👑🔥
Amazing album. Super Classic!
First semester senior year high school. Hit the record store at lunchtime and brought this album back. Talked the teacher into checking out a record player from the library. Played the album through The Prophet Song when teacher said she was getting a headache. Played the rest of the album when I got home.
Stunning song when I first heard it and full of anger and wicked transitions. Now that you've done Death on Two Legs, do Flick of the Wrist as it is also reportedly about Queen's relationship with their agents. Plus Flick of the Wrist is just classic Queen!
He's already done the whole Sheer Heart Attack album.
Yes once freed from the Trident manager Queen could let themselves go in this therapeutic track
Love these old 20's/30's melodies and arrangements (Lazing…) . It's the only Queen album I ever bought because it has so many great tracks, even the little ones. Queen presented this album to Groucho Marx personally since they were all MB fans (they named a few albums after Marx Brothers movies).
This album was the beginning of a lot of people's long relationship with Queen. This album was to me bonkers when I first heard it, which was 75 or 76. A Day At The Races, A Night At The Opera and News From The World are just monolithic albums for most of us early teen rockers of that time period.
My oldest daughter has been getting into vinyl. Gave her my original copy of this album
First got into Queen with 'Queen II'. So I went back and bought the debut. LOVED both albums.
'Sheer Heart Attack' comes out and blows me away, but there are some indications of changes coming. Which took a little getting used to, but eventually I fell in love with "In The Lap Of The Gods" and "Bring Back That Leroy Brown".
But then 'A Night At The Opera' hit the music stores and the kid gloves were off. From beginning to end, it was a wild, but fun, ride.
I'm so glad you played "Lazing...". Such a fun throw away tune that just makes the album brighter and better for being there. For filler, you can't beat Queen.
A good filler gives space and breathingtime to an album
My favorite Queen song from what I consider their best album.
Definitely their finest album, although I would claim "The Prophet's Song" as my fave, both from the album and from Queen's ouevre.
@@sourisvoleur4854No definite. I prefer 'A Day At The Races'!
OMG this was one of the first albums I ever got. Such a classic album!
I love that Queen can be so cutting and then so whimsical in the space of two songs.
I am reminded of two other songs after listening to these two tracks, firstly "Twat" by punk poet John Cooper Clarke for it's litany of insults and secondly "Mr Moody's Garden" by Gilbert O'Sullivan for it's quirky and eccentric lyrics and music.
'You've got this slippery quality
It makes me think of phlegm
And a dual personality -
I hate both of them!' 🤣🤣🤣🤣
No band like them,so creative,so different.
Every album,certainly in the 70’s,was a tour de force by Queen and full of difference.
Never imitated because well,you just couldn’t imitate them,but they influenced many,hello Axl Rose,among many others.
Someone who remembers better than I do, or who has a physical copy at hand, am I remembering correctly that proudly stated among the liner notes are the words (paraphrasing):
Recorded with all real instruments and no synthesizers!
Great album. (I think *The Prophet's Song* is more than Bohemian Rhapsody, so maybe there's even something in that to look forward to. And there's a video on UA-cam going into the finer details of what it was, and how it came to be, featuring the main writer, Brian May, giving you the horse's mouth account).
I always imagine some kind of Bertie Wooster character (of the Jeeves novels fame - worth looking for on the out of copyright books sites if you don't mind reading on a screen, and don't know of them - er, and written by an American author, PG Wodehouse) when I hear Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon. (Only Bertie prefers to laze on all the other days of the week, when he's not up to ill advised shenanigans that the butler, Jeeves, has to keep saving him from suffering the consequences of.) It helps that it has that old gramophone record sound simulated in things like the muffling of the vocals, and is sung in that old 1920's tenor style.
Like *James Melton* singing *Sleepy Valley* , for instance. ua-cam.com/video/lz-S8im6tHc/v-deo.html
Edit: Actually that's something to think about if you feel like something new to do reactions: Early recorded music. See if you can borrow a gramophone and really get in the spirit of things. Ragtime, old jazz, and all sorts of things we've just about forgotten, like the tenors, or music hall/ vaudeville. (If you ever do a classical listen to Debussy, you'll have to also orient yourself to some Scott Joplin, since ragtime was an inspiration of Debussy for some of his works.)
Angry Freddie is good for Queen and country! I spent years trying to get Brian's tone and found out a treble booster was the key. This is quite possibly my favorite little piece from them. Peace & Love.
When this came out I had a particularly bad job and put this on when I came home from work with my boss in mind.
There is another song about cars. Sung by Brian May, to advertise Ford cars in the UK, also released as a single. Brian also did the starfleet project with Eddie Van Halen. We'll worth a listen.
Like so many albums of this era, it sounds so different if you let it just play all the way through the side. There are no cross-fades here on side 1 but the abrupt changes of instrumentation and tempo make for an amazing experience. Hearing all these great albums for the first time is one of the greatest memories of my high school years.
JP, "Lazing" was a nod to the vaudevillian, roaring 20's era style, and very well done. This album was the pinnacle imo, The Prophet's Song is one of my favorites, hands down. I think Mercury's influence grew stronger, May's weaker and they slowly left the prog influences for a more commercial appeal.
Freddie is the one who wrote the most complex music and least commercial music. Freddie wrote the most prog type of songs and really complex music, he even created his own fantasy world. Roger and John wrote the most commercial music. Freddie's songwriting was never that commercial, some of his songs just became hits. It is like Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon, that is a 1920's vaudeville song it is not something that was commercially viable in 1975.
@@ZENOBlAmusic
I don't know much about music so not following your comment
not commercial but were hits?
mean most of his music was not commercial but he could write commercial music?
Q2 seven seas no 10
SHA Killer Queen no 2 ? US no 12
( now Im here no 11)
NATO Bo Rap no 1
( YMBF no 7)
DATR STLove no 2 ( GOFLB no 17)
NOTW WATC uk no 2 ( double A side US with RY no 4)
Jazz BR/FBG no 11
Dont stop me now no 9 ( now their second most popular)
the Game CLTCL no 2 / US no 1
(save me no 11)
( AOBTD Uk no 11 / US no 1 huge hit)
HSpace ( UP no 1)
body language US no 11
the works ( Ga Ga no2)
(I want to brake free no 3)
hard life no 6
KOM KOM no 3 ( freddies version!)
the miracle ( Iwia Brian first independant hit no 3 )
I keep forgetting flash no 10 ok second!
(brake thru no7)
Innuendo F/R no1
KOM Rogers version was not commercial until Freddie tinkered with it
Ga Ga was but I think the video that Freddie had ideas for helped
Brake thru was a hit again the video helped there not well known songs now though
John didnt write much but YMBF is still well known BF to less extent and ABTD still well known but Freddie did help with that
even with their songs Freddie helped tweak them except maybe YMBF
Freddie seemed to have more idea what would be commercial despite also writting a lot of songs with no intent of them being individually commercial
sorry if I've misunderstood you but I don't think I've understood your comment
2 songs from A Night at the Opera…..thank you
YAY!!! You found my favorite ever Queen song! It’s an absolute gem. So clean production, such nasty vile in a beautiful sound.
Hey, thanks for educating me on Raconteurs in background!
Queen was the first band that made my father rap on my bedroom door and tell me to turn that racket down. Day At The Races, probably.
After hearing Bohemian Rhapsody and Killer Queen before it, I got this album because the BoRap single was no longer in the stores. By the time the three-song medley (run-on song, whichever) was done playing, I was an official Queen fan. This album had the kitchen sink, and you could tell they were having a great time making it and not trying to be terribly serious.
I believe the song you said Lazing reminded you of was I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas. :)
I'd call that an opening salvo. For the 2nd song the word you want is music hall. Other British bands would dip into that as well, such as The Kinks and early Genesis.
Music Hall, yes! so an occasional source for McCartney, Harrison, was it
George Formby in Britain, 1940s but the tradition goes way back- Gilbert and Sullivan
This is the stuff. Great choice! 👍
Great reaction Justin! I loved how you went into Death... without any background knowledge of the song. Some who have reacted to it elsewhere read about it before listening so they went into it expecting harsh words. Please do more from this album. Besides the elephant in the room (Bohemian Rhapsody) there are a load of great tracks on it.
It’s well known Death on two legs was a blistering attack on a former manager who tied them up in knots and legally kept most of their earnings in the early days - Freddie REALLY gave him it tight ! 😅
👍🏴
Just watched this one again love it love you
Ty David!
The Christmas song that you were humming is “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas“ sung by Gayla Peevey!
They had a string of great albums, of which this may have been the second one. Sold on the first song, this record was a staple at parties. They knew how to work a studio as well as their instruments.
Finally… whew, that took some doing. An iconic album that blew me away with its variety of genres and tones. Yes, yes, others will love other albums but this is my favorite with Day At The Races a close second. Thank you for this much anticipated album reaction. Wonderful.
I won’t dismiss any queen album; every album, even Hot Space is made with ambition, but… you can’t beat classics
@@jerkedevries
I will never hate on Queen. Imagining music without them is pretty dismal. Two for one today!
Brian may could make his guitar sound like a razor blade or a helicopter even half a century ago, and all in this marvelous heavy diverse pop music. Queen are still unlike any other major musical act. Despite their massive success so few acts really follow in their footsteps of "anything goes", as long as it's musical.
Oh by the way, Brian may once said they wanted to be "Yes but poppier", and was a fan of prog himself (He would watch the live shows of Morgan, Tim Staffel's prog band (tim was the previous singer for Queen)".
Razor blades and helicopters! Two sounds he somehow manages to achieve on the opening track. Astonishing creativity!
@@Owlstretchingtime78yes May’s perfectionism always payed off, especially in corporation with Mercury
Yeah back before streaming when opening songs were important. Very cool to know nothing about this albums and put it on and start with that. For a long time Brian May was probably my most influential guitarist. He did everything. Heavy, delicate, strange. Could make his guitar sound like any other instrument.
And I miss bands like Queen and Beatles doing a variety of styles of songs like here with just these two examples. This album goes on to have folky songs, pop, prog, rock.
I was 9 years old when this album was released. My dad was a huge fan of Queen and played the album a lot, so even before I had any real interest in music "ANATO" worked its' way into my consciousness. The musical variety is impressive, as is the music and production. BTW, "The prophet song" is one of the most ludicrously overblown songs I've ever heard but enjoyable for precisely that reason.
I was 9 too, and my Dad bought it for me!
And the musical transition to Love of my life, still is stunning
The warning song to the managerwas Flick of the wrist,he ignored it hence Death on two legs. Flick is well worth a listen, there is a live version which is hot xxx
Next song is probably Roger's finest moment taking the lead vocals...always loved that song
Proof that modern drag queens have nothing on old Freddie when it comes to throwing shade and getting revenge on your old manager.
Hello, Justin. Been a while, glad to see you still mining the classics. 😊
The lesson today is: Never mess with Freddie!
This album is the first album I ever bought when it came out. This album will represent both what the were and what they will become! Every song is its own masterpiece!
“There he goes again” is also a backing line from “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy”. Probably an accurate statement of what is was like working with Freddie.
Just saw a clip of Brian on Rick Beato and he said that he viewed every solo as an extension of the singer and what another verse would be in guitar form.
There’s a reason he’s called “The Professor”. And it’s not just the phd.
Ah! This song also has a verse by guitar, and a good one
This is not just "the album that has "Bohemian Rhapsody". To me, it's always been their best album, front to back.
Round a friend's house for a meal as a kid back then. I took a newly purchased Night at the opera and an early ELO album. Played Bohemian Rhapsody and ELO's Roll over Beethoven. The guys were stunned, there was nothing about like that at the time.
Great opening track for a perfekt album. I hope this means you're going to listening to the whole LP. Thanks for your reaction!
Yes this album plus ELO’s Out of the blue are masterpieces
Good good stuff here What a way to begin this album love you
Hi JP. Dave from Old England. Hands down, my favourite Queen album. Terrific opening, and there are many stories from the 70s of artists being ripped off by managers - the singer songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan is just one that comes to mind. I love the variety, including the musical hall songs like Lazing. Oh I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside - was that the song you were thinking of? It was used at the end of Seven Seas of Rhye off Queen II.
P.S. my song ref Old England is by The Waterboys.
HOORAY! Great album! DOTL is such a hot song! Thank you Justin!
I don't listen to this record a lot, I certainly _never_ listen to the two big hits from it, but it does have really strong tracks. "'39", and this probably being my favorites. The vocal effects that you mention on 10:44 were introduced in Queen II, an album I consider to be superior to this because it was harder, artier and way more daring.
I love this album. A top 25 easily. 3 tracks in my top 250 including Death on Two Legs. The album is like a variety show. Be prepared for more twists and turns that never get dull.
One of the best songs Off album ☮️🇺🇸🇦🇺 say no more
Pretty much Queens best album. Great video Justin. I just wish you'd played the third song "I'm in love with my car" written and sung by Roger Taylor. It really flows nicely from the second song.
As great as this album is, i've always found 'A Day At The Races' surpasses it song for song.
@@Owlstretchingtime78I like The millionaire waltz a lot, and Drowse. But both albums are far from dull
I thought that you'd get a kick out of the lyrics in the first song. They really didn't hold back. You should have included the next song on your review since it goes right into "I'm in love with my car." It really shows how versitile Queen is. Maybe you can do a movie review of "A Night at the Opera". Marx Brothers. So even then they show that they have a sense of humor.
For me still their best album ever
Your thinking of Wouldn't You Like To Be Beside The Seaside with Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, and i until now have not thought of that considering Queen used that in an earlier song Seven Seas Of Rhye from Queen 2 but it is similar
4 give me . I've paused the video. U've triggered me something major here JP. Ain't heard this since I played the cassette over & over as a ten year old. It is possibly as integral to my upbringing as Giant Hogweed, for twas around the same time that my sister-inspired record collection (Abba Barry White Bay City Rollers K Tel VA collections and David Cassidy etc).... blew up in a cultural muso prog revolutionary shift and defined my horizons as
Broadened.......and this song scared the life outta me
I shall now list words as I listen:
Thanks
...Jaws Jaws Jaws x100
Opera
BÖC imaginos
wow heavy or wot?
What a song this is. I was ten . "Shark!! " is what I heard
Smaallll Fry
Feel Good
Wot a song this is
Blows BO Rap outta the Park
AH ! it wasn't me
He sang Shark after all...
and the segway....
This album
in it's beautiful diversity
shaped my musical perspective.
But i was 10.
Now ? I can't take it again.
I've changed.
Great songs though.
Diolch. I told u years ago about this song and album
such was it's impact on me. Thanks for allowing me to hear Sunday Afternoon. Theatrical and Joyous
Jellyfish "Spilt Milk" comes to mind . U gotta do that sometime
Yes that's JUST AS GOOD as this Queen classic. Highly highly recommended Justin.
Diolch eto. I'm back in real time. x
Wow great story, I was 5 ( and my sister was guilty as charged too!!!
Queen always knew how to open an album better than anyone.
To kneel down❤
Thanks, Just.. lesson here is "Don't piss off Freddie"...lol... hope you have lyrics! appreciate your reaction...and the usual Queen transition to the next song with no breaks... (p.s. not Freddie's first "diss" track.. check out "Flick of the Wrist" on Queen II)
Brighton Rock is equally good as an opening track imho. Death on Two Legs and Prophet’s Song are my favorites on NATO. They were at peak creativity during this period.
Best Queen opener track, with Innuendo
awesome review i have this album bought it when i was 16 years old when the album came out, i hope you do a follow through track by track of this wonderful Album , keeping in mind the Operatic Theme of the Album Cover Title "A Night at the Opera" - which includes the Legendary Track " Bohemian Rhapsody ". Another great track is "your my best friend" written by John Deacon Queen's Bassist and also played the keyboard on that track, its a song dedicated to his then girlfriend / wife " and sung by Freddie. There's also a track called "i'm in love with my car written and sung by the Drummer Roger Taylor
I was 4 or 5 when our elder sister brought this music in da house. I was still into panflute music, but when I was twelve I rediscovered Queen with the difficult Hot Space, and the fantastic Greatest Hits album. My musical life has never been the same (and just like Freddie I fell for Michael Jackson too, who didn’t)
Yee-haaa!
RECORD COMPANIES
This song is bangers AND mash!!!
Hi Justin. Glad you like it so far. This is a very eclectic album. A great album all the way through. Death on Two Legs has to be one of, if not the best, put down song ever written. You're sure to like what is coming up, right up to the finale.
Music Hall is the term you want. Or maybe Vaudeville.
The moral of this story is:
Don't Piss off Freddy Mercury!
Just... don't.
WATCH the movie Bohemian Rapsody, and you will see the first manager who would not allow them to release the record Boheian Rapsody. They stormed out. Released the record, and the manager sued Queen.
Nice!! One of my favorites by them... If you don´t already know it, a great song trio for you to make a reaction to is "Tenement Funster - Flick of the Wrist - Lily of the vallley" !
He already has. About 18 months ago! 😊
@@Owlstretchingtime78 I'll check it out!!! Thanks!
@@rockonileva You're welcome.
😊😊😊 yes the opening of Death… is very strong
Its definetly an album which is hard to not listen in one go. Especially, the first 3 songs.
I don't see why!
Yes Lots of self restraint, which I don’t always have. Same for ProphetSong and Love of my life
Love these! "Death on Two Legs" reminds me of "The Hell of It" from 1974's "Phantom of the Paradise" soundtrack by Paul Williams!
Old Souls haunted me for years, till streaming brought it back.
@@-davidolivares great ballad! Love it!
You are still the best at what you do.
Talk about a hammer in the face beginning.
Lazing on a Sunday afternoon sounds like it’s just a piss take on variety hall music that they were mucking around with in the studio that they eventually put in the album and why not eh ? 🍻
👍🏴
Mercury had the Broadway musical recording of Cabaret in heavy rotation whilst making songs for ANATO, and Lazing would have fit right into that.
Kween 😍
'Ole Audiophile to JP: Like my name implies, I seek out & find the very best of editions of this & all albums I care about. Even though this was originally written in 1975, in the year 2002 Queen had this recording remastered to 5.1 & hi-def stereo (24bit X 96k x 6 channels or 24bit X 192k in stereo) on a DVD-Audio format. It played 5.1 in either DTS or Uncompressed linear PCM. It requires a very special recording to create superb 5.1 recordings from, one must have all the studio outtakes & cutting room floor material to create one in proper fashion. Queen did both A Night At The Opera & The Game in such fashion & they both turned out to perfection. If one really wants to really hear this, seek out both the recording & a well-equipped home theater to properly play back Queen's perfection. Thanx. (Queen included the DTS version for folks who owned a regular dvd player instead of a DVD-Audio equipped one. But back then one had to own a reciever with a 6 channel input. Now they use HDMI instead/works far superior.)
I still have me old Grundig cassette player in 't garage if that helps! :>)
Sometimes environment trumps quality, like my first listen of this 8track on a roadtrip in my blue ‘64 Chevy Impala with my guitarist friend Big David. I think he nudged me to buy it for the road. It played pretty much all the way there and back… RIP Jeff Beck. Miss him.
Nice setup you have.
A pleasure too read your comment is (as master Yoda would put it)!!! Thanks
Here is a suggested (Song) for you to try to do a reaction/review to called (Rain) by Dream 6 aka (Concrete Blonde). This is a little out of the ordinary for me to listen to this but it’s a really Good Song ! I found it on UA-cam and thought you might like it check it out and review it for All your Fans that Follow you on UA-cam.
Tgis about their manager,they were hardly able to eat and their manager turn up in a new rolls royce.
Sorry for "double commenting". Maybe grab the link then delete the comment?
Subject: Tip: *Molly Tuttle and Tommy Emmanuel*
(not a masterclass, not a performance, something more intimately musical, with some great insights into why you might want to hear more of her music. Tommy stays "off stage" as much as he can, so the lights can shine on Molly. It's worth a look. Form your own impressions.) ua-cam.com/video/XMyITAxbe30/v-deo.html
Apparently Freddie did damage to his throat because he sang the song with such venom. Sheffield lost the court case as he wasn't mentioned. The judge actually said he must have had a guilty conscience. Love your reactions
He sued both the band and EMI. I'd say that was a success for Sheffield!
There really aren't very many album openers as good as this, and it's probably Queen's most consistent album, with only one real miss among the hits. It was a slow decline into catastrophe for Queen from this point on.