Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
1974
Album Summary
Sheer Heart Attack is the third studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 November 1974 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on their first two albums, the album featured more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the "classic" Queen sound. It was produced by the band and Roy Thomas Baker, and launched Queen to mainstream popularity in the UK and throughout the world. The album's first single "Killer Queen" reached number 2 in the British charts and provided the band with their first top 20 hit in the US, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard singles chart. Sheer Heart Attack was the first Queen album to hit the US top 20, peaking at number 12 in 1975. It has been acknowledged for containing "a wealth of outstanding hard rock guitar tracks". Retrospectively, it has been listed by multiple publications as one of the band's best works and has been deemed an essential glam rock album.
Wikipedia1/25 Incredible album from four guys who look straight out of JoJo's. Standout Tracks: Brighton Rock, Tenement Funster, Flick Of The Wrist, In The Lap Of The Gods, Stone Cold Crazy
I cannot believe I've never listened to this album and have always loved Queen. It's true rock and roll, with enchanting, rolling diddies. I can hear inspiration for other bands decades after them to come. Great job Queen. I love how each song has a different musical theme. That is SO my style. Some of the songs are just SILLY and I love it.
Queen is absolutely my favorite band of all time. I think their worst album probably still gets 4 stars from me. SHA is by no means their worst, though. Brighton Rock - I loved this song before Baby Driver made it cool. The chord progression through the chorus always gives me the goosebumps, and May's guitar solo here, finally perfected from Queen II, is one of the top five solos HISTORY. Killer Queen - Their biggest "hit" from the album. Probably my least favorite track because of its ubiquitousness. How many times have I heard it? 10,000 at least. Still, it slaps. Tenement Funster - Roger Taylor tracks always get short shrift from Queen fans, but I have a soft spot for him. I love the youthful rebelliousness. The transition from this into Flick of the Wrist into Lily of the Valley is the best thing Queen *ever* did. Flick of the Wrist - Shades of their later Death on Two Legs piece. Angry, but still playful. The drums and, again, the guitar solo here really stand out. Lily of the Valley - A bold operatic piece that nearly always brings me to tears. Freddie shows off his vocals for truly the first time on the album. Tingly piano throughout. Now I'm Here - A song that cannot truly be appreciated without listening on headphones. Queen does a bunch of goofy name dropping here that is always funny. In the Lap of the Gods - Another headphone essential. Taylor shows off his insanely high range here. Kind of a Pink Floydy song. Stone Cold Crazy - I have heard this getting more radio play in the last few years, which I find interesting. It's a great, quick rocker that doesn't overstay its welcome. Dear Friends - A sad, mournful little piece that is gorgeous Misfire - A Middle-of-the-road Queen track. Its worst sin is being forgettable. Bring Back That Leroy Brown - A goofy, good-time skiffle song. All the different voices and rhythms make this one a real treat. She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettos) - The harmonies here are just perfection. The most underrated song on the album. In the Lap of the Gods Revisited - The better Lap song. Really shows off their arena sound a few years early. You can just hear audiences of thousands singing along. Love love love this album.
Lovely to see more of Queen than just their greatest hits. This feels like an insight into their more casual work, but it's still a stunning range of music.
Probably a 2.5. Rounded up because it's opened these mouldy cabbage ears to Queen as album-worthy. I'd say I hadn't considered that possibility before because they're victims of an enduringly popular greatest hits collection excpet no band with these sales can be called a victim. Find a better word and let me know. Killer Queen is still my favourite of all their songs, Bring Back That Leroy Brown is a hoot and the "Don't look back" but in Flick of the Wrist (about wanking, I hope) gets me pumped every time. Prog - pfft. This is just good ol' gay as fuck rock 'n' roll!
Probably Queens best album. Full of different styles, dramatic vocals and searing guitar. Would listen to this every day.
Queen has such a diverse sound, and they don't really sound like anyone else either. A lot of the songs on this album presage what would come on their next album, A Night at the Opera. 4/5
It's crazy that these four guys all jizzed into the Queen's hole and 9 months later produced a royal, sweat-free, pizza hut dwelling definite non-nonce.
I would buy this, no song that stood out as bad. Favorite songs were killer queen, stone cold crazy, now I’m here, flick of the wrist, and in the lap of the gods
Ahhhh Queen, always a delight. This is a solid collection of tunes that is so much *fun* to listen to, something I think is lacking even from better albums. Did you have a good time, and did it rock? Yes and YES. Stylistically the album is kind of all over the place, but the band makes it work for them. It has all the touches you expect from Queen, the sense of grandeur delivered with masterful musicianship, ethereal vocals and a bit of cheeky humor. The band moves rather effortlessly from full throated rockers like “Brighton Rock” and “Stone Cold Crazy” to delicate ballads like “Lily of the Valley” and “Dear Friends.” The perfect, hooky pop confection that is “Killer Queen” stands above them all. It’s a perfect song and there really isn’t another song like it, by any artist. The quality of the music is undeniable. Brian May's guitar is brilliant, existing on a technical level that few guitarists will ever approach. John Deacon and Roger Taylor are also in top form. The vocal arrangements are stunning, functioning as an instrument in their own right. Freddie Mercury is, of course, a force of nature. His charisma just crackles, elevating even the less interesting songs to a higher level. I also think the songs improve on repeated listening. I like the album better today than I did last night. Fave Songs: Killer Queen, In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy, Lily of the Valley, Brighton Rock
This album is a whole ass fucking MOOD and I am loving every minute of it!!
It was good revisiting Sheer Heart Attack again. I used to listen to this regularly as a teen on the way to and back from High School. There isn't much enthusiasm for Queen as there was back then but still can't fault a near-perfect album. I must say though that re-listenting to this after a few years has gained me a new love for the deeper cuts like Lily in the Valley and Bring Back That Leroy Brown. It's got two fantastic singles, a great guitar solo in a quirky opening number, a couple of song suites that go well and a perfectly fitting closer. None of the 13 songs overstay their welcome here. Behind A Night At The Opera, this is their best album.
Freddy's tone on Brighton Rock isnt great. Killer queen is incredibly, duh. Stone Cold Crazy is a cool thrash piece. Bring Back Leroy Brown is wacky. some good tracks but it didnt really leave me with much as a whole
I listened to my original vinyl copy of this album. I didn’t have Queen’s earlier stuff but recall this album had a new sound - glam rock as it’s called. We now know they still had another gear or two to ramp up the glam. The liner notes give Freddie the credits for “vocal extravaganzas”. How 1974 is that? I don’t recall Killer Queen being in the recent(ish) Boh Rap movie which surprised me since it was a big hit. While I had this LP for 45 years, the vinyl is in great shape which means I didn’t play it much. Aside from Killer Q and Now I’m Here, I don’t really remember the other songs. I thought "Flick of the Wrist" was a vg song but it was like today was the first time I heard it. I appreciate the historical and transitional significance of this LP for Queen but the fact I can’t remember 11 of the 13 tracks means I can’t justify a rating north of 3.
Brighton Rock and Killer Queen is a pretty great opening for the album! It's then followed by the incredibly bland Tenement Funster, sadly (while it's great the group operated quite democratically regards songwriting, it did mean some rubbish slipped through!) Flick of the Wrist is another song, and I didn't realise this, which is pretty damning. It's 50/50 so far. Lily of the Valley is camp as balls, and therefore ace. Then Now I'm Here is great fun too. Very Queen, and I think the variable quality is part and parcel. It's an album of brilliant ups and mediocre downs, which makes sense of Queen's reputation as a 'Best of' band.
A really solid Queen album. I definitely prefer the following 2 albums, but there are some belters here. It lacks cohesion and feels like a collection of songs rather than an album.
I rather enjoy Queen, but feel this album is a bit on the overrated side. Killer Queen is a banger, but the rest I could potentially pass on. 3/5
Very fun to listen to. A good mixture of high energy and interesting melodies. Lots of fun guitar solos. Only one traditionally popular song on here (Killer Queen), the rest were new to me but very good. Very solid album!
I think my favorite Queen album so far. I’m a sucker for good medleys. I really did enjoy it end to end.
I'm not entirely sure if this is the first (non-compilation) Queen album I've listened to in full. That said, I've listened to multiple Queen compilations up and down and there are a couple of their songs that I really love (none of them included here though). The majority of songs on this album are versatile, very good & interesting and the guitars as well as the singing of course are frequently fantastic. Some of the songs seem a bit overly dramatic. But it's well-executed enough to contribute to Queen's charm. Also, this album doesn't contain any of their really annoying and uninteresting/cheesy hits (which Queen also have a couple of... the horrendous We Are The Champions, Another One Bites The Dust and We Will Rock You come to mind... urgh). Instead, this album is straight-up quality - only In The Lap Of The Gods was sort of, uh, weird.
Hellingur af lögum sem ég held ég hafi aldrei heyrt, naut þess að hlusta á þessa meistara
I think this was the first queen album I listened to as a teenager. Instant classic. Aggressive but beautifully done. One of the best
A bit more rockin' Queen than A Night at the Opera. This is a great, fun album
This album is amazing and I love it. Guitar solos don't get much better, and good luck finding better vocals than Freddie Mercury. It simply rocks, and has enough breadth that you can't wait for what you're going to hear on the next track. I came to this album later in life and wish I had it when I was younger.
Wow, wow, wow! Amazing album from start to finish. I knew a couple songs prior to listening to this album in full but I'm surprised I hadn't given it a full listen earlier than today. My favourite songs are Killer Queen, In The Lap Of The Gods, Dear Friends, Misfire... but my most favourite has to be Now I'm Here. I've added all of these songs into my library and will definitely keep revisiting this album. 5/5 stars.
A wonderful record from an amzaing band at His best. I love you John Deacon
Este fue el primer disco de Queen que tuve después del Greatest Hits I y es uno de mis dos o tres favoritos de la banda. Creo que sí es de esos discos que hay que oír, en especial quien le late Queen pero solo conoce los de éxitos. Me encanta el amplio rango que tiene: desde el solo elaborado y lleno de delay de 'Brighton Rock', y el poder rockero de 'Stone Cold Crazy' hasta el sonido jangly de 'Bring Back Leroy Brown'. Obviamente 'Killer Queen' y 'Now I'm Here' son las súper conocidas del disco y me encantan, pero el medley de 'Tenement Funster', 'Flick of the Wrist' y 'Lily of the Valley' son mi parte favorita y puedo oírlas (siempre juntas) una y otra vez. Por cierto, Dream Theater tiene un cover muy bueno de este medley.
Mis favoritas: Brighton rock Killer queen In the lap of the gods Stone cold crazy She makes me In the lap of the gods... revisited
This Queen album was new to me. The only song I knew was “Killer Queen” (a classic!). I loved it. Really nice early Queen that has a strong rock edge in the guitar solos (“Brighton Rock”) mixed in with some very prog-rock sounds all mixed together with Queen’s pure glam! “Killer Queen” is easy to identify as the big single off the album - it’s arrangements, little sound effect touches, and the way the instruments and the bands voices play together make it a no-brainer hit record. The big surprise was how much great Queen I have yet to discover. I loved the rock sound of “Tenement Funster” - this is a great song that joins with the two songs that follow into an incredible song trilogy. It has a more straight rock sound. Then it blends seamlessly into “Flick of the Wrist” that starts with a great piano interlude and takes things in a darker direction. This feels like more of a prog-rock song that blends seamlessly into “Lily of the Valley” which begins with ‘baby you’ve been had,’ a line from “Flick of the Wrist” that starts the third movement of this trio. This song is piano driven and a beautiful ending to this song trilogy. These three songs need to be listened to as a group to really appreciate, reminding us that there will always be a place for albums even in our digital future as the three songs are so much more when listened to together than they are as separate pieces. “Dear Friends” is a really sweet song of hope (in the best way). “Misfire” and its rhythm is so great! I love this song. Wow Wow Wow. And a love song subtitled “Stormtrooper in Stilettos”? I LOVE QUEEN! This album is spectacular Queen that brings me a lot of much needed joy and hope. Listening to it made me feel like I was listening to Queen for the first time again. So amazing! I will be coming back to this often!!!
Wowee! That was exhilarating! I am giddy. That's what I wrote last night. This morning I woke up to the news of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict and I wasn't so giddy. This album's great though and I expect to be in the mood for it again someday. It had managed to fly under the radar for me all this time and I'm glad to be finding it now. I love that, though there are several different styles of music here, Queen is as unique a band as you'll find, hard rocking and broadly theatrical and fun (if you're into fun). Definitely will come back to this one again and again.
First of all, I love Queen! I had never listened to this album, and now that I have, I love it. I will admit that I got confused when Freddie was not on lead vocals, but I still enjoyed it.
Queen needs no introduction, being one of the most popular pioneers of hard/glam rock. In 'Sheer Heart Attack', Queen enlists both uptempo and downtempo elements in its tracks, demonstrating their dynamic ability through intimate piano ballads like 'Lily Of The Valley' or anthem-worthy guitar arrangements and solos in 'Brighton Rock'. The proficiency and understanding of musical direction is highly apparent, with the album never losing its step lead by Freddie Mercury's energetic vocals.
A glorious step forward for Queen into stardom. Despite its troubled development, Sheer Heart Attack comes packed with several early standout hits from Queens career, along with excellent deep cuts. This might be on of their first albums to not be afraid to deviate from their typical rock form of music, which helps this album feel a lot more unique from others of the time. Even with their later albums, I still come back to this one, because even on here the band has already mastered the Queen formula to a tea. Favorites: "Brighton Rock", "Killer Queen", "Flick Of The Wrist", "Stone Cold Crazy", "Bring Back That Leroy Brown"
Another classic. What is there to say about Queen that hasn't already been said?
This a good album. Very operary. I liked the singing of it and the change in speed and tone. I can see that in music today.
i don’t think it is possible for queen to have lower than a 5 for me. I love this album and was unfamiliar with a lot of the songs but they were very fun to listen and learn to
It's a fucking musical! In my opinion, this album feels like an improvement of Queen II bc its narrative is not just complete but more complex than the previous one. It has more feelings involved, and we can hear that. We go from glory to misery, epic to heroic in a way that only Queen does it. It's not easy to go everywhere and still kill it.
Vrhunski!! Sami instrumental je maestralan, a tek sve ukupno. Baš san zadivljena. Par pisama me podsjeća na one sountrackove iz crtića pa budi nostalgiju. Sviđa mi se šta su raznolike pisme. Obozavan!! 🥰
Very cool. Only complaint is it's tendency to track heat and explode when near warm objects or people.
It's a stone cold classic and a ton of fun. So many great tracks, including classics like Killer Queen (Queen's breakthrough, with all the elements that make Queen great), Now I'm Here (Queen goes full glam, even mentioning Mott the Hoople in the song), and Stone Cold Crazy (proto-thrash). Songs I was less familiar with but enjoyed: Tenement Funster - in any other band Roger Taylor would be an impressive lead singer, but hard to beat Freddie! Flick of the Wrist - a cross between Queen and Black Sabbath. Lily of the Valley - sounds like it would fit well on A Night at the Opera. Bring Back that Leroy Brown - fun track. Weakest tracks: Misfire and She Makes Me. Misfire has seriously cheesy lyrics - literally a misfire. She Makes Me sounds like it was recorded in a large room with two small mics. Also, when you have singers like Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor in the band, maybe Brian May shouldn't sing. Not to insult Brian May - he's the very definition of a guitar god. The guitar solo on Brighton Rock proves it right from the start. In fact, Brian May is outstanding across the entire album. Finally (literally), In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited is a great album closer. Easy 5.
I am embarrassed at how much I profess to be a Queen fan and yet I don't own a single album that isn't greatest hits. Oh well, making up for lost time. So many different styles on this album. They don't all fit seamlessly but like Led Zeppelin III it shows a band who can play whatever the hell you want. Brighton Rock - classic hard rock and damn does Brian May heat up around the 2:40 mark. What. A. Solo. It just keeps going. Killer Queen - quintessential glam rock. Tenement Funster - a mix between the Who and LA Rock (nice acoustic work from John Deacon and wow can Roger Taylor sing), which turns a bit progy when considered alongside Flick of the Wrist and Lily of the Valley. I love how these three fit together and Freddie Mercury's vocals on the latter two are as entrancing as any of his most notable performances. In the Lap of the Gods - not my favorite but it does have a rock opera feel (and it's Taylor hitting the high notes). Stone Cold Crazy - frenetic pace (almost Sabbath-esque). Dear Friends - soft and sweet, piano and vocal harmony only. Bring Back that Leroy Brown - almost ragtime. In the Lap of the Gods Revisited - a soaring rock opus (that's how you close out an album). Other notes - I've always loved Now I'm Here, especially the effect that makes the acoustics sound like its jumping from one side of you to the other (also used at the end of Misfire). So much to like, so little to dislike.
As much as I enjoy the first 2 albums of Queen, here is where they really develop their sound. Going from metal (Brighton Rock) to glam (Killer Queen), they can really do it all. Even the songs that don't clunk resonate on this album. Yes, "Killer Queen" is overplayed on the radio, but it's still a damn good song. As great as Mercury's voice is, I think it's May's guitar work that really shines here. "Brighton Rock" and "Stone Cold Crazy" are real statements as to what he can do. Definitely one of my favorite Queen albums.
Awesome! Short, but catchy and a few classic songs. Glad I was able to give it a few listens through; it meant even the "lesser" songs were able to shine
Yeah I agree Queen is grossly overrated most of the time and the idea of them as a “Greatest Hits” artists is pretty common, but god damn theirs a good reason for it. They’re good, really good. And this album is by far my favorite (and their best) in my humble opinion.
Fajnie posłuchać utworów Queen, których wcześniej nie miałem okazji poznać - między innymi In The Lap of Gods w dwóch wersjach w stylu opery rockowej, co było zapowiedzią późniejszego "A Night At The Opera". Zespół postarał się o wszystko - przedstawienie uniwersalnego wokalu Freddiego, wysokiej skali Taylora, niesamowicie rytmicznej perkusjii świetnych solówek gitarowych. Na płycie numerem jeden oczywiście Killer Queen, moim zdaniem jeden z trzech najlepszych utworów zespołu. Większe wrażenie robi jednak otwarcie albumu Brighton Rock, które swoją drugą młodość przeżyło dzięki filmowi "Baby Driver". Mimo wszystko album bardzo eksperymentalny, warto odciąć się na pół godziny i przesłuchać go na dobrej jakości słuchawkach, dość głośno - postprodukcja i mastering płyty są wtedy najlepiej odczuwalne, a Queen poukrywało kilka smaczków. Zdecydowanie nie jest to najlepszy ich album, w skali wyrównanej pod Queen dostaliby 3.5/5 - ale w tym challenge'u mogę na spokojnie dać 5, bo płytka jest ponadczasowa i po 50 latach nadal brzmi nowocześnie.
Sheer Heart Attack is a delightful record. There's something about Queen that I cannot resist, most likely one of the most beautiful voices in music history. Before listening to it I knew nothing but Killer Queen, however, all other tracks felt familiar - in a good way. I never felt any boredom during listening and was excited to see what else might surprise me in following songs. A work of beauty. Highlight: In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited
This album is all over the place, much like the members of the band in the fairly weird cover photo. Which can we take a moment to appreciate Freddie's one nail polished hand, unbuttoned pants, Brian's weird silver bolo/neck tassel and the wildly different expressions. Anger, amazement, amusement and ... Freddie. Anyway, I appreciate the momentum carried throughout. I might even call this a "fun romp". I don't love every single song (I'm looking at you, Tenement Funster), but most of them are fantastic and a few are transcendent. I hope these guys keep making music!
Ok I'm not a huge Queen fan, but only because I've heard the hits to death. But this only Killer Queen, my fave on, and loads I havn't heard. And it's great, polished glam rock. Joyful.
One of Queen's best with a lot of songs that I think should have been bigger hits than they were. The big standouts were 'Brighton Rock,' 'Killer Queen' obviously, and 'Stone Cold Crazy.' Amazing that Queen could put together such an astounding album with great lyrics, vocals, instrumentals, and production and it's not really one of their most talked about.
Queen is a band I’ve mostly heard on best of albums. Hadn’t heard this one before. I thought it was a exceptional album. A lot of interest throughout.
Brian May shines on this album, for me his best work. Killer Queen is the perfect single. Favorite Songs: Killer Queen and Lily of the Valley.
I mean it’s fucking queen it’s gotta be a positive review… The album opens with Brighton rock one of the most rocking songs on the album, I love how it builds up from the fairground noises and then Brian May’s guitar solo just shows his power as a guitarist that we’ve never seen before ( even if it is very long). Then is the most popular song off the album and that is killer queen and it’s honestly my 2nd favourite off the really big queen hits ( favourite is obviously bohemian rhapsody) but yeah killer queen is just perfect! < three song medley time> Starting with Tenement Funster this one is a great spiralling builder of a track with one of one the most kick arse explosive choruses of all time. But flick of the wrist is my favourite one of the medley being a very quirky for the sake of it type song ( especially the verses) but I love it! Lilly of the valley is okay just feels like a coda to flick of the wrist. < end of medley> Now I’am here is a standard issue rock banger, something that is really essential in a good queen album, it’s one of those queen songs that work perfectly with stereo speakers, but honestly it’s not a favourite on this album for me but that’s probably because there are so many brilliant songs. In the lap of the gods is a bit odd for the sake of it kinda music but like flick of the wrist earlier this is executed perfectly so it doesn’t matter. Stone cold crazy is the heaviest queen has ever went in their career and honestly great song can’t fault! Dear friends is a short heavenly sounding piano track yeah it’s okay just short. Same thing with misfire but this song is guitar based and just a better song. Bring back that Leroy brown is a slightly dumb but fun little piano skiffle but still really enjoyable. Now for queens most under appreciated song she makes me ( stormtrooper in stilettos) it’s a song that grows as it develops from a slow happy clappy acoustic song to an anthemic rocker with the coolest coda on any song off the album. Now for the closer in the lap of the gods ( revisited) well it’s not really revisited as it’s a completely different song in general with this one being a more straightforward anthem apparently meant to be a sing along song live before we will rock you existed. This album slaps there isn’t anything bad and all of the less interesting moments are tiny blips so it’s obviously a 5/5.
With Queen 1 easily my favorite Queen album. More diverse and original than than the later albums, the other (than Freddy mercury) band members are of more influence to the music.
Fantastic album. Plays so well all the way through and has a few bangers like Killer Queen. Wish more music was made like this
Amazing. Queen has perfect harmonies, their use of dynamics, mix of guitar and choral quartet is iconic. Freddie died too young.
"Brighton Rock"......THAT'S how you start off an album. God save Queen.
No way the first one is one of my favourite albums of all time?? That's so funny oml. Brighton Rock - Remains one of my favourite songs ever and definitely my favourite Queen song. LOVE the instrumental in between the lyrics. This song is mostly instrumental and oh my Lord I love it so much - 10/10. Killer Queen - What an iconic song. Freddie perfectly pains a picture of this woman and her habits. Almost to the point that we know her. I remember listening to this song so much in 2019 (2018?) when I was in Lanzarote. The opening finger snapping makes me excited every time I hear it, as I know what iconic song is about to come - 10/10 Tenement Funster - The only Roger song from this album, sadly. I’ve always loved Roger’s songs. From this song to ‘Fun It’ to songs about fucking cars.. his songs are brilliant - 9/10 Flick of the Wrist - What a beautiful transition from the last song. I love this one too. I can’t pretend I know what they’re on about but it’s a great song. Like that’s a lot of big words, Freddie - 9/10 Lily of the Valley - Another beautiful transition. The soft ‘Baby you’ve been had’ is amazing, as the phrase was used already in the previous song, signalling a tonal shift. The harmonies are beautiful and I appreciate the reference to ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ - 10/10 Now I’m Here - The tonal shift quickly changes back to the rock epics that came before. ‘Now I’m Here’ is one of the most Rock-n-roll songs of this album (‘Flick of the Wrist’ and ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ being another two). The song was written about Mott the Hoople, who Queen toured with early in their career. An altogether great song! - 9/10 In The Lap of the Gods - Roger’s falsetto cuts like a goddamn knife oh my God. The first ‘Lap of the Gods’ song on the album and.. it’s not my favourite of the two, but I still love it to pieces. The start is very all over the place but I can’t pretend like that’s a bad thing at all. The revisited version is even better but this one is really fucking good too. You know what? - 10/10 Stone Cold Crazy - Here comes some more Rock-n-roll! This is an amazing song too. It’s high and beautiful and I think it really shows what kind of an album this is. I love Freddie’s fast-paced vocals, they really add to the beauty of this song. The chorus is brilliant, basically just being the title said twice with the ‘y’know?’ at the end of the second one. Simple. Amazing - 10/10 Dear Friends - That more sombre mood is brough back again. ‘Dear Friends’ is a strange transition from the previous song. It’s never been my favourite song on the album. In fact, it may be my least favourite. It’s still an elegant song though - 9/10 Misfire - John wasn’t really hiding what this song is about, was he? I’m not even gonna talk about the lyrics too much because… I know what it’s about John I see you. Wonderful song anyway - 10/10 Bring Back That Leroy Brown - Oh my God I used to listen to this RELIGIOUSLY back in the day.. like 2 years ago. I love this song. Who’s Leroy Brown? The baddest man in the whole damn town? Some sort of President? I don’t know but he has at least 2 great songs about it - 10/10 She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettos) - What a Freddie title! Although this is a Brian song. A nice little track with wonderful vocals - 9/10 In The Lap Of The Gods (Revisited) - Oh what a beautiful song to end the album on. I don’t have much to say about the revisited track, but it’s one of my favourites from the album. You can practically hear the stadiums full of adoring fans singing along - 10/10 Coming in at 9.6153844, Sheer Heart Attack is an easy 10/10. The band really came together to make a classic for the decades. Their next album is often regarded as their magnum opus, but I think this one might be even better…
Queen's best album. It's got the band's best guitar work, and probably their best drum work too. There are still a few silly Queen songs, but there's so many hard rock moments throughout. I love diverse albums like this one. Their vocals sound so tight, as always. Brighton Rock is awesome, my favorite Queen guitar solo for sure. In the Lap of the Gods is just crazy and magnificent. Flick of the Wrist is a favorite of mine too. Queen was basically my gateway into both hard rock and prog rock, so I'll always have a soft spot for this album and for Queen II. I'm convinced the only people who hate Queen have just been severely overexposed to their music, or hate Queen's annoying fanbase.
Ok this is straight up the best rock I have ever heard on this list. No other band can compare to the energy Queen has! 5!
This album sees Queen emerge out of their hard rock beginnings and step towards their unique sound. Though some tracks are still very much steeped in 70s rock, they begin to introduce new sounds gleaned from a wide array of genres including vaudeville, opera, rockabilly, and skiffle. The result is a the suite like theatrical music that would define Queen’s sound. It is a huge step forward from them, and shows their willingness to experiment and try something that at the time, they were unsure was going to sell records.
Queen fucking rules. Elaborate, fun, technical, almost absurdly dramatic. Awesome guitar work from Brian May as always. And Freddie just goes without saying.
Big leap forwards from Queen II. Close to perfection, and one but best Queen album for me: 1. A Night at the Opera 2. Sheer Heart Attack 3. The Game 4. News Of The World 5. A Kind of Magic