A Night At The Opera

There's a quote from fabled film director Howard Hawks about what makes a great movie: "Three great scenes, no bad scenes." That same rule applies to one's definition of a great album. But it has to check both boxes. Queen surely meets the "3 great songs" criteria here (You're My Best Friend, Bohemian Rhapsody and Death On Two Legs qualify, as does 39 on a good day). But imagine you're the drummer for Queen, and your band's frontman is Freddie Freaking Mercury. You decide to bring in a song you wrote for your band's make or break album, and it's titled "I'm In Love With My Car". You're so fond of this song that you insist it can only be sung by you. The drummer. Who can sell the song in a way the iconic Freddie Mercury just wouldn't understand. Your belief in this song is such that you go so far as to lock yourself inside a cabinet unless it not only makes the album, but it also has to be the B Side of the Bohemian Rhapsody single. As one does. There are 3 songs of which Mercury takes a back seat (although in the interest of full disclosure, I don't mind guitarist Brian May's vocals on the aforementioned "39"). But it's the bad songs that keep this album from the fabled 5 rating. Listen to this with a great set of headphones to really appreciate the finer moments. Even the auto enthusiasts can feel free to skip Roger Taylor's car song.

Amazing. A work of art. But not the car song

A surprising amount of fluff surrounding the eternal hits makes for a night at the opera that’s less memorable than you might hope.

Scaramouche

To have you’re my best friend, love of my life, and Bohemian Rhapsody on the same album, is one of the greatest accomplishments in modern-day history. I know this is only the first album that we are listening to, but it’s going to be hard to beat this collection of songs.

I really wanna like the album more than I can honestly admit. I think it’s a 5 in terms of cultural impact but for my listening pleasure a lot of the songs are just on. Bohemian Rhapsody is a 5/5 and the production is very good but, I wish the rest of the album was as catchy and bombastic as that.

Absolutely a fantastic album. I’d never listened to all of this and it was such a delight to listen to some Queen deep cuts. There’s a reason why they’re held in such regard. This album blows me away.

Fantastic album, a beautiful voice with a beautiful band. I particularly liked The Prophet's Song

Another one I don’t even have to try on.

Yeah, I mean, this hits all my sweet spots. It rocks. It's huge. It's dumb. It's weird. I love it. If you also love this and you've never heard The Kleptones A Night at the Hip-Hopera, I suggest you do so. This is all good.

Just fantastic, varied and fun, front to back awesome

Brilliant

I lost my virginity to my best friend Puma while listening to this album. Sex was one star. Album is a 5.

Dogshite overrated.

Almost unbearable

An album I should have listened to a long time ago. I picked it up on vinyl years ago. An incredible listening experience, as per usual with Queen.

I never owned this one but this was one of those albums you didn't have to buy since it was played so much at all the parties. Side 1 doesn't have THE song, but it is still a strong side. The Side 1 songs I remember most from the parties where this LP was spun are "You're my best Friend" and "I'm in Love with my Car". You're My Best Friend still sounds great. Death on Two Legs is also musically good and lyrically full of piss and vinegar to say the least. Wiki just taught me that this song was with respect to their management that they fired at the time over financial and contractual issues. I recall the Bohemian Rhapsody movie made it seem like the old label was fired because they wouldn't agree to make THE Song a single because it was too long for radio. I guess this was a better storyline for the movie than the legal one. It also allowed the brilliantly casted scene where Dana Carvey plays the record company exec who gives a diatribe about how bad Bohemian Rhapsody was. I can't watch that scene without thinking of Dana and Mike Myers bobbing their heads in the car while they lip sync THE Song. There is a lot of genre hopping in this LP: On Seaside Rendezvous I keep waiting for the tap dancing solo, lol, 39 is a cool folk song, Good Company is a funky Ragtime song, The Prophet's Song has a 2 1/2 minute capella segment, and THE Song brings us opera. One could argue whether or not the music itself brings this to a 5 but, imo, Queen's ability to record good songs in so many off the beaten path genres gets it there.

Now that's a fine album, REAL fine album, you can get a first class listening experience there

YAS QUEEN! i've been expecting this here

This album is brilliant, silly, fun. My ex girlfriend used to love it and it reminded me of the good times with her. So much fun

Okay, so this is great. I don’t really know why I haven’t been more into Queen before. This album has a sort of cinematic sound. I loved the quirkiness of the second song. They are so varied! Like, they have so much versatility in their style, and I think it’s fantastic.

Love queen

Classic. Random weirdness and gold standard all-time greats.

Queen were straining at the boundaries of hard rock and heavy metal on Sheer Heart Attack, but they broke down all the barricades on A Night at the Opera, a self-consciously ridiculous and overblown hard rock masterpiece. Using the multi-layered guitars of its predecessor as a foundation, A Night at the Opera encompasses metal, pop, campy British music hall, and mystical prog rock, eventually bringing it all together on the pseudo-operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody." In short, it's a lot like Queen's own version of Led Zeppelin IV, but where Zep find dark menace in bombast, Queen celebrate their own pomposity. No one in the band takes anything too seriously, otherwise the arrangements wouldn't be as ludicrously exaggerated as they are. But the appeal -- and the influence -- of A Night at the Opera is in its detailed, meticulous productions. It's prog rock with a sense of humor as well as dynamics, and Queen never bettered their approach anywhere else. [Source: https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-night-at-the-opera-mw0000391519]

No other band can jump from heavy metal to cabaret to prog rock with the effortless grace of Queen, and this album displays that with a beautiful smattering of song variety.

I could go the rest of my life without hearing Bo Rhap again and die a happy man. Yet, in terms of being the cherry on top of this overblown, bombastic confection, it's hard to argue with its aptness. Anyway, this also has 'Death on Two Legs', 'Love of My Life' and an eccentric love letter from Roger Taylor to his favourite motor. Oh, plus 'You're My Best Friend', the best thing Queen ever did. Eclectic, stuffed to the gills and, ultimately, glorious. Where's this ambition these days?

Adrenaline rush from start to finish. Tracks keep jumping without a moment's breath. Really puts the prog in prog rock by taking inspiration from all sorts of classical genres, from the namesake opera ("Bohemian Rhapsody") to ragtime ("Good Company"). There are the really poppy songs. The true-to-form hard rock songs ("I'm in Love with my car"), which gets even heavier, metal-like with "Sweet Lady." The beginning of the folk '39 sounds like it could have come out today, especially with that beat. The songs are catchy and fun to sing to. Production sounds amazing. Weaknesses? I'm not sure this is a weakness, but I felt the diversity in genres could be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it grabs your attention the entire album, interested to discover not just what the next song will be, but what the very song you're listening to will sound like in a minute. On the other hand, they don't share much in common beyond the high energy, and it can be kinda exhausting with the sound constantly changing with each passing second. I think a better example of genre-blending is LDIV, but I don't think this deters from a perfect score. The songs can stand on their own. Each song is interesting to listen to from start to finish. There's really not much to dislike about anything about this album.

You suck my blood like a leech You break the law and you breach Screw my brain ‘til it hurts You’ve taken all my money and you want more - death on two legs (dedicated to … )

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon into I'm In Love With my Car is the rock n roll one-two punch you never knew you needed.

Amazing range and variety. Not all songs stick in the mind though.

Gives a whole other level of appreciation for Bohemian Rhapsody

Queen albums are always entertaining. This is the big one - featuring everyone's favorite song, at least for one moment in their life. Varies a bit in quality throughout, but you gotta give respect to Freddie and the gang's most accomplished effort to bring ballet to the masses.

great start!

I was blown away by the scope of this album. It's probably best known for its two epics, but that summary ignores the depth and breadth of the rest of its offerings. What other rock project contains a hate song for a former manager, a Bowie-esque space folk song, and a combination Dixieland/ukulele number? All of the experiments work. I have a tendency to reduce Bohemian Rhapsody to a product of Wayne's World fame, and I'm definitely guilty of taking it for granted due to its overexposure. A fresh listen reaffirms its status as a masterpiece, and the thing of it is, it's not out of place on the album. The whole thing is a work of art. Best track: Bohemian Rhapsody

Woot. Queens good.

A great album with a contender for best song ever almost at the end.

Echt een aantal pareltjes op dit album.

Heh, you'll have a hard time finding a Queen album for which I will *not* give 5 stars. This is NOT that album. 5 stars.

Good album. I know so many of the queen songs on it but have never listened to the full album.

Love this album, this is exactly what I was hoping for in this project— I really only knew the hits. I know this is one my dad probably wore the vinyl out of when he was in high school

Not much that can be said. Brilliant.

Top of the heap

One of Queen's best. Not much else to say

4/7/22 The easiest 5 I’ve given yet! Such a fun album with the perfect blend of theatrics and talent. Excellent guitar as well! Really enjoyed every song in the album and the ending was amazing! Favorite song: Bohemian Rhapsody Favorite new song: ‘39

So I bought my first records when I was 12 in the mid-70’s, and “A Night At The Opera” & “A Day At The Races” were early additions to the collections, and have always been a fan of Queen… This is a spectacular album, and really enjoyed the diversity of music throughout the tracks – and it was produced with exceptional audio quality, which always scores points in my book… So many great tracks – especially on Side 1, and the best IMO were – “Death On Two Legs” – 6-stars out of 7… Great revenge track about their former Trident Studios manager… “Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon” – 4-stars out of 7… Fun little ditty with a lot packed into this 1:08 track… “I’m In Love With My Car” – 5-stars out of 7… Enjoyed the power and guitar work on this one… “You’re My Best Friend” – 7-stars out of 7… Staple on the soundtrack of the 70’s – absolute classic… “39” – 5-stars out of 7… Always one of my deep cut favs, and finally got to see it performed live in 2022 when we did a spur of the moment weekend trip to Minneapolis to see Queen & Adam Lambert perform – highly recommend by the way… “Love Of My Life” – 4-stars out of 7… This version is a bit over-produced, as I prefer the stripped-down version they used to play live – but a really unique, and well-written track… “Bohemian Rhapsody” – 7-stars out of 7… Loved this one from the first listen, and one of the foundational tracks in the rock canon… Only compliant was the dead spot at the end of Side 1, and beginning of Side 2, as everything from “Sweet Lady” though to “The Prophet’s Song”, are nowhere near as good as everything that preceded it on this album… Also – “Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon” was a perfect alternative track, and they really didn’t need to add 2 more shanty’s (i.e. “Seaside” & “Good Company”) as that was really a bit much… Would probably give this a 4.50 if I could, as there is so much goodness here, but the dead spot in the middle, and a few too many “shanty” tunes – keeps it from registering as a 5 for me… Awesome album, from one of the true originals – highly recommend!

“Mamaaaaa, uwu” - Freddie Mercury

There are very few things I dislike more than the marriage of rock music and cabaret/music hall. …and I say that as a Kinks fan. This record is excellently produced, which distracts from A Night at the Opera’s haughty cabaret-rock. Musically, however, Queen has never really been for me.

This is a top-tier 3/5 album, always fun, the preponderance of oddball song-shapes almost incidental to the record’s pleasures, the vocal and guitar fireworking, the pointed daftness, and the hugeness of the production. This contains maybe two and a half very good songs (and one and a half are BR), but I’m not sure that matters.

As much as I like some of their songs individually, I’ve never been that much of a Queen guy, and I tend to find their albums pretty grating. This is no exception.

I’ve always been a tounge in cheek Aueen hater, but this album didn’t do much to change that. The 2 famous songs are great, BH might be one of the best songs ever, but I don’t really love the rest of it, which is a common theme for a lot of Queen I’ve found. Controversial 2

Awful.Awful.Awful.

I tried but had to bail before the end. Overblown and frankly a mess - 39 doesn't sound like it should be on any album, never mind this one. Too much guitar, too little melody.

Pretentious crap

terrible

Queen's problem is that their good songs are overplayed and their deep cuts are an embarrassment to music.

Gostei muito, fazia um tempão que não escutava.

How can the album that bore Bohemian and Rhapsody not to be a five. Love the 70s shredding.

5

Hard not to rate this well. Not every song is a gem but those that are make up for it. I’m thankful that Wayne’s World revived the interest in Queen.

Great album from start to finish

Revisitar esta obra que ya conocia es siempre chulo. Más rock del que recordaba.

Bardzo pomieszane gatunki, ale są dobrzy we wszystkim. No i Bohemian Rhapsody <3

Just love this album with all of its eccentricity.

Incredible album - Queen always puts me in a good mood. You're my best friend and Bohemian Rhapsody are both iconic. I also feel like I know a lot about this album because it was featured in the movie.

Just great and suuuper original!

No me ha encantado, pero ...

It fucking kills it. Thats it

Classics don't crack!!

10

Amazing classic. Discovered '39, probably a 10 ten queen song for me now. Prophet song great stereo experience. Album excellence

Fantastic

Lives up to its name, Bohemian Rhapsody is worth the price of admission alone

Obviously some absolute jams here, but I really liked ‘39, which I’d never heard before, and The Prophet’s Song” was like a Bohemian Rhapsody 2.0 that I didn’t know existed.

love love love Queen

Has BR so...

Bohemian Rhapsody tem 1,5 bilhoes de listens

Faves: Love of my life, Bohemian Rhapsody, seaside revenue

Eclecticismo puro, bordea el heavy, pasa por el pop, se asoma brevemente al folk y es puro rock. Mercury desatado. Cambios de ritmo contínuos. Temazo mítico incluído. Sobresaliente

This is a 5 star album from start to finish. Queen at their finest.

Рубрика "Не даром жирными жопами топ заняли". Тупа мастхиар-альбом. Пусть и не каждым треком по отдельности, но альбомом единым. Прям вообще проходняка не завезли, все треки плюс-минус интересные, от середняка до "боже мой, 10/10". Рапсодия, мб, лучший трек всех времён и народов. Туды и музла, и композиционных решений, и смыслу, и работы с языком, и элементов разных жанров завезли, и всё работает, как положено. К ней единственная претензия условная разве в том, что митольный фрагмент "So you think you can stone me..." слишком короток, имхо охуенен, мб больше, чем четверостишие на него выделить. Ну вот полвека прошло, до сих пор вполне актуально звучит. В смысле не по трендам, канеш, но по качеству, по доступности, так скать. Слушать не затем, чтоб знать, откуда есть пошло, а ради того... чем всё закончилось, грубо говоря. То есть решения, что Queen в золотое время напридумывали, опосля в мейнстриме особо развития особо нигде не получили, так и оставшись в своих альбомах. Мб, канеш, цэ тупа продукт своегоо времени, и опосля было как-то нерентабельно особо заморачиваться, дабы повторить. Но мб всё же Queen были ярким неповторимым явлением эпохи, к которому так просто и не подсосёшься. Так что всё же мастхиар из 10.

Great album, Queen was at the top of their game and produced a brilliant album out of it. It’s a little mix of everything and it’s all brilliant

Canciones que no conocía tanto, canciones rápidas casi todo el álbum para un gran crescendo. Lo mejor para el final.

Nice

Bohemian rhapsody bleibt einer der besten Songs aller Zeiten, aber auch sonst enthält das Album ein paar gute tracks

Still amazing

Another Queen album already? Let's GO. This album has some great songs. Of course Bohemian Rhapsody is the most well known, but they're all great.

Quite an iconic album. Nice to hear some of the other songs on the album instead of just the hits.

Finally! An album that I agree should be on this list!

V good.

Classic Queen!

Absolutely brilliant in every sense.

Yaaasssss Queen!!!! I loved this album. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a full on queen album and I’m glad this one was my first. Vocals and instruments are fire and Freddie Mercury is just incredible in everything Top tracks: you’re my best friend, Love of my life, bohemian rhapsody, sweet lady

first track- killer guitar parts, menacing gritty vocal performance, experimental structure second track- a psychadellic take on a classic British style, quite funny and tongue and cheek third track- hard/ blues rock style reintroduced, much more traditional rock structure, comedic lyrics fourth track- classic queen song, poppy and fun, lighthearted. fantastic songwriting on all tracks so far fith track- folky style with breaks into wierd choral vocals, quite nice but overall most bland track so far sixth track- comes in sounding like led zeppelin, punchy, dirty and aggresive lyrics and vocal performance seventh track- a British summertime inspired piano/vocal ditty, fun and funny eighth track- prog intro using acoustic guitar, whole track builds throughout its runtime, strange acapella vocal lines, very prog inspired ninth track- quite beautiful denounment with just Freddie and his piano, leads on beautifully from the eighth track, almost tear inducing tenth track- airy guitar lines, plodding ukelele, almost like something off of Abbey Road eleventh track- in the running for greatest song of all time, so operatic, amazingly structured with huge tonal shifts that come naturally, iconic moments and performance, a huge number that will be remembered in legend for all time closer- an instrumental of god save the queen, not as dramatic as the former track but still quite a tongue and cheek summary of the albums themes with the consistency in sound

5

An excellent album. I listened to this one a lot when I was little, and most are songs I still listen to regularly. Really formative for my music taste today. A respectful 5 stars

Queen rules, such a fun listen.

An eternal classic

Queen, you've done it again. Consistently good with a good scope of sound.

There will never be a better singer.

Iconic. Some filler in the middle but enough classics to keep it going