Search - Queen :: Night at the Opera

Night at the Opera
Queen
Night at the Opera
Genres: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock, Metal
 
  •  Track Listings (14) - Disc #1

Japanese Version featuring a Limited Edition LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing Only.

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Queen
Title: Night at the Opera
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: Hollywood Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2000
Re-Release Date: 9/3/1991
Genres: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock, Metal
Styles: Progressive, Progressive Rock, Album-Oriented Rock (AOR), Supergroups, Glam, Arena Rock, British Metal, Hard Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
Other Editions: A Night At The Opera [MFSL Audiophile Original Master Recording]
UPCs: 720616106520, 020616106545, 720616106544

Synopsis

Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Limited Edition LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing Only.

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Member CD Reviews

Jes G. (jesgear) from DAVENPORT, IA
Reviewed on 7/4/2012...
"Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To ...)"
"You're My Best Friend"
"'39"
"Seaside Rendezvous"
"Good Company"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

CD Reviews

A Good Title Is Neccesary to Get Your Review Noticed
Soontobepresjoe | New Jersey | 02/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ah. What could i say where could i begin? So much to say that's been said a thousand times before. The year was 1975. Queen had released 3 previous albums, ranging from good to amazing. They had done everything - classic rock, hard rock, metal, punk-esque, ragtime, caribean, comedic, operetic, poppy, ballady, and quite frankly all of it was extremely experiemental and worked beautifuly. Where did queen have to go with all the expirimentation they had done on previous albums?



somewhere good.



Where Queen found all their creativity I doubt we'll ever know. Freddie mercury was really a genius musician. He excelled at piano and songwriting. The magnitude of his voice goes without saying, as it is in my opinion possibly the greatest voice of all time. He could do anything vocally as this album would prove. One problem that bands with superpowers like Freddie always face is that every other member or the band will be overshadowed or just quite frankly not good. Oh, but that was not Queen. Brian may, while certainly not the greatest guitarist ever, was still amazingly good. Some of the most creative and signature riffs out there. John deacon often gets overlooked but his bass playing is really top notch and his songwriting were also very good. Roger taylor was the glue that held the band together as good a drummer as anyone could hope to meet. He even lent a hand singing every now and then when he felt like it.



Oh. I seem to have drifted off the subject. If you don't feel like it ignore those paragraphs above 'cause they weren't really important. I suppose I'll give the songs on this cd a rating.





1. Death on Two Legs - Freddie sure knew how to open an album. classical sounding piano riff leads into a total excess of noise and pure guitar fury which is on the very brink of exploding. Then back to a lovely piano riff and some sweet brian may guitar lickage. The lyrics in this song are first rate. A furious stab at the band's previous producer. honestly this song will be one of your favorites. 9.5/10



2. Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon - Absolutely ridiculous! Freddie Mercury was insane. The kick A$$ loud "Death on Two Legs" segues right into this super campy and fun piece. It's piano based and then finishes with an amazing three-part guitar solo. It's just so fun and you'll love singing along. Great contribution to the album! 9/10



3. I'm in Love with my Car - Roger taylor always had something to offer the band. this song's pretty intense. The guitar riff is just crazy. it's mind boggling that Roger Taylor could while playing drums but some people got skills like that. He's got such a raspy voice which contrasts so much with Freddie's or Brian's. It's a very nice voice nonetheless. This song rocks, and is now being used for Lexus commericials, if I am not mistaken. 8.5/10



4. You're My Best Friend - Chances are pretty good that you've heard this Deacon track. Terrific bassline. ok, I admit it - the lyrics are a little corny - but the way Freddie sings them just gives it so much power and beauty. Deacon played keyboard on this one, in fact. Wote it for his best lady friend. Another one that will get you singing and ripe for quotation. 9/10



5. '39 - When i first listened to this song I didn't know what to think. An acoustic based song with standup bass in the midst of such an overblown album as this seemed rather strange. Eventually it dawned on me that this song's simplicity was what made it beautiful. Brian may wrote this one and he does all the vocals too. The lyrics are absolutely terrific on this one. The closing line is absolutely haunting: "for my life, still ahead, pity me." This song is really just beautiful. one of brian may's finest creations. 9.75/10



6. Sweet Lady - ugh! Brian!! What were you thinking?? For all this album's greatness, it's not perfect. Brian may had to throw in this more or less crap filler right after one of his greatest songs. This is, as another reviewer noted, Queen trying to show they could rock. Don't get me wrong -

queen could rock. They did it a lot. This song, however, is just so weak. Even freddie's vocals don't impress me, much which is rare. This is the only song on the cd that is skippable. The ending guitar solo is pretty good and makes up a bit for the rest a bit. Still, one of Queen's worst songs. 4.5 / 10



7. Seaside Rendevous - ah Freddie, way to bring the album back up! It is quite similiar to "lazing on a sunday afternoon" in its campiness, but different in every other aspect. The lyrics are hilarious and amazing. The piano line just works so well with this song. The vocal overdubs are just great, too. The real highlight, however, is the middle. Freddie plays a woodwind section with his voice, and Roger Taylor plays a brass section with his voice! Truly amazing to hear! There really was no end to the talent these guys possessed. 9.75/10



8. Prophet's Song - Brian makes up for "Sweet Lady" with this one. Stars off with some wooshy noises followed by acoustic guitar and some kind of japanese string instrument. Freddie comes in with his vocals which are top notch. Oh, but then it rocks - and it rocks hard. This is queen rocking. the guitar riff remind me of somethign native american - esque. A war dance of sorts. The lyrics are absolutely amazing. Interpret them as you would, but i think they contain a highly religious theme. Freddie sings them with so much feeling. BUT the highlight is the hugggge accapella middle. Sure it's long. Sure it's excessive. But if you listen to it loud enough, sing along, and have an open mind you will absolutely fall in love with it. The song soon gets back to rocking and finishes the way it entered. a real winner. One of Brian May's best. 10/10



9. Love of my life - The transition from "prophet's song" to this song is so impecabble. It just works so well. lovely piano + harp + simple bassline + freddie's truly angelic voice = pure success. One of queen's greatest songs ever. freddie puts so much feeling into every single word he sings. It's mind boggling how good his singing and piano line work. The vocal overdubbs work amazingly too. This is truly a queen masterpiece. 10/10



10. Good Company - An interesting transition from the sad "Love of my Life". This song is just fun. Have an open mind! I love singing along to this song, and yes, it will be stuck in your head for days. Some dismiss it as filler but it's got too much in it to be filler. Jazz guitar orchestration (a whole lot of guitars at that) and ukelele - what more could you want!?! Clever lyrics as well - brian may was possibly the best lyricist from the band. A great addition to this album. Nice bassline too. 9/10



11. Bohemian Rhapsody - Funny how no one actually says anything about this song. Everyone always says "everyone's heard this song" or "this is the most amazing thing ever." Well, maybe not everyone has heard this song and not everyone understands why it is so amazing. It therefore bears neccesity to be said. tTe introduction is freddie overdubbeed four times producing some lovely vocal harmonies. Then the piano line comes in which quickly becomes one of the greatest in rock history. Eventually we get to "mama just killed a man" part. This first verse is absolutely stunningly beautiful. Freddie's voice, the lyrics, bass, and piano all come together to form one of the most amazing products immaginable. The whole first and second verses are stunning - truly stunning. This is followed by another one of rock's most esteemed guitar solos courtesy of Mr. Brian May. Instantly recognisable. Brian may had a terrific way of not just sticking a solo into a song. Rather he wrote a song to be the defining apex, to build upon the crescendo that had led up to it - and then to exceute. But the song is far from over. It then goes into probably the most ridiculous and crazy minute some odd in rock history. Over 128 vocal overdubs! Amazing harmonies! Finally this section boils over to the third section of the song, the rocking part. And it truly is queen rocking. They could do it and here it is proved. This part also has very strong lyrics. Finally Brian does a couple runs up his guitar and there's some more piano fanfare before it finally returns to a similar vibe from the first verse. The lyrics get quieter and quieter and eventually it's just some nice guitar tapping from brian and piano. At the very end it's just piano and Freddie singing "any way the wind blows" - and with a cymbol crash from Roger, it's all over. 12/10



12. God Save the Queen - A challenge for every band is what song to put after the most epic song you've ever written. The only thing that could really live up to it would be another epic, and that cycle could go on forever. Therefore, Queen choose to end the album with a great guitar orchestration piece by Brian which really closes the album well. For tying together all loose ends, 9/10





Well, that's quite a lot to say about this one album. But it truly is that amazing. If "Night at the Opera" is not in your cd collection by now you should be ashamed of yourself. It truly is an album which everyone will love, from fans of classical to hardcore punks. An incredible album and quite possibly queen's greatest work. Buy it. You will be wow-ed

"
This album is more than just "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Melissa Menifield | Pittsburgh, PA | 01/04/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the Queen song that almost every person on the planet knows, the album that it is taken from as a whole offers many other varieties of tracks, each one better than the next. Queen combines classical sounds with a rock n roll inspired outlook, from the fade-in piano of the vicious "Death on Two Legs" to the rockin' "I'm in Love with my Car." It's difficult to see exactly which direction the band is taking with this album; I believe that they were still experimenting with sound at this stage. That would explain why some of the songs (such as "...Rhapsody" and "The Prophet's Song") are so mulitlayered and over the top, while others ("You're My Best Friend," and my favorite, the sweet "Love of My Life") are a little simpler. All in all, a great rock album, one of the first that got me hooked on the Queen sound. It has a little bit of everything for many different musical tastes."