1001 Albums Summary

Big fan of the overall production of this album, love the slightly jazzy sound of the drums and the atmospheric guitars. Although half of the songs do sound a lot like sultans of swing. Favourites are down to the waterline, sultans of swing and in the gallery.

Not bad hahhahhahahah no it’s actually alright. I didn’t think Michael Jackson would be my thing but I got some enjoyment out of this album, particularly at the start. I do think bad loses its charm towards the end, along with Jackson’s constant ad-lib screams. And the production has aged impressively badly - I actually thought it was released in the early 70s from the sound of this thing. Maybe that’s the point. I don’t really care

This is my first serious introduction to Queen, and if this is considered to be one of their good albums then I don’t understand how they’re a highly regarded group. It sounds like they’re recording every song standing ten feet away from the microphone, and the only way you can distinguish the confusion of noice is because they pan instruments so far to the left or right. There’s some interesting ideas on this album but they’re executed poorly. It’s not charming, it’s not vintage; it’s just disappointing.

It’s an interesting album. The lyrics are often engaging, the production choices are innovative and the instruments are all given plenty of space. What it lacks in consistency, it makes up for with charisma. I’m not sure I’d return to it, but I definitely enjoyed it.