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Queen: A Night at the Opera

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Parlophone Records
Released: 1975.12.02
Time:
 48:47
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: **....... (2/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.queen-fip.com
Appears with: Brian May, Roger Taylor,  Freddie Mercury
Purchase date: 1997.09.06
Price in €: 12,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Death on Two Legs [Dedicated to...] (Mercury) - 3:43
[2] Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon (Mercury/Queen) - 1:08
[3] I'm in Love With My Car (Queen/Taylor) - 3:05
[4] You're My Best Friend (Deacon/Queen) - 2:50
[5] '39 (Queen) - 3:25
[6] Sweet Lady (May/Queen) - 4:01
[7] Seaside Rendezvous (Mercury/Queen) - 2:13
[8] Prophet's Song (Queen) - 8:17
[9] Love of My Life - 3:38
[10] Good Company (May/Queen) - 3:26
[11] Bohemian Rhapsody (Mercury/Queen) - 5:55
[12] God Save the Queen (Queen) - 1:11

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


FREDDIE MERCURY - Piano, Vocals, Orchestration, Arranger, Composer, Producer
BRIAN MAY - Banjo, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Ukulele, Vocals, Koto, Arranger, Composer, Producer
ROGER TAYLOR - Percussion, Drums, Vocals, Arranger, Composer, Producer
JOHN DEACON - Electric & Double Bass, Electric Piano, Arranger, Composer, Producer

ROY THOMAS BAKER - Producer
GARY LYONS - Engineer
MARCIA MCGOVERN - Pre-Production
STEVE HOFFMAN - Remastering
DAVID COSTA - Art Direction
JEAN LUSBY - Layout Design  

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1975 LP Elektra 7E-1053
1991 CD Hollywood 61065-2
1991 CS Hollywood 61065-4
1991 CD Hollywood 161065
1991 CS Hollywood 161065
1999 CD Import 65104
2000 CD Discovery Channel 1144
2000 CD DCC 1144
2001 DVA Valley 1091
2002 DVA Digital Sound 1091



Queen was 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 ("Death on Two Legs," "Sweet Lady"), pop (the lovely, shimmering "You're My Best Friend"), campy British music-hall ("Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," "Seaside Rendezvous") and mystical prog-rock ("'39," "The Prophet's Song"), 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 finds dark menace in their bombast, Queen celebrates its 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.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2002 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



Nothing succeeds like excess - at least that's the case with Queen's breakthrough classic, A Night at the Opera. On one level, the title is a reference to the band's operatic pretensions, best in evidence here on the classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," which was championed by headbangers a generation before being revived by the Wayne's World set. Of course, A Night at the Opera was also the title of a Marx Brothers movie, and the reference isn't lost on Queen, who seldom scaled the heights of pomprock without a knowing wink. The album is remembered for its meticulously produced bombast, but the truth is that there's a wide variety of material here, from the gorgeous piano-based "You're My Best Friend" and the McCartneyesque "39" to the music-hall-style "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and the pedal-to-the-metal rockers "Death on Two Legs" and "I'm in Love with My Car." A Night at the Opera is viewed by most as the quintessential Queen album, and justifiably so.

Daniel Durchholz - Amazon.com essential recording



Nichts ist erfolgreicher als die Übertreibung -- dies ist zumindest bei Queens klassischem Durchbruchs-Album A Night at the Opera der Fall. Zum einen ist der Titel ein Hinweis auf die Ambitionen der Band im Bereich der Oper; am besten erkennbar am Beispiel des Klassikers "Bohemian Rhapsody", der bereits eine Generation vor seiner Wiederentdeckung in Wayne's World ein Lieblingsstück der Headbanger war. A Night at the Opera ist aber auch der Titel eines Films der Marx Brothers, und natürlich passt auch dieser Verweis zu Queen, die die Höhen des Pomprock nur selten ohne ein wissendes Augenzwinkern erklommen. Das Album ist für seinen aufs Genaueste durchdachten Bombasteffekt bekannt. Tatsächlich liegt hier jedoch eine Vielfalt an Material vor, die von dem großartigen Pianostück "You're My Best Friend" und dem McCartney-haften "39" über den Music-Hall-Stil von "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" zum beinharten Metal-Rock von "Death on Two Legs" und "I'm in Love with My Car" reicht. A Night at the Opera wird von den meisten als das Queen-Album an sich betrachtet, und das zu Recht.

Daniel Durchholz - Aus der Amazon.de-Redaktion



Ein wahrhaft königliches Ereignis war 1975 das Erscheinen dieses Queen-Albums: Niemand bewegte sich so geschmacksicher auf dem schmalen Grat zwischen Rock und Rokoko wie Freddie Mercury und sein Hofstaat. Die Bohemian Rhapsody wurde gar zu Mercurys unsterblichem Vermächtnis. In Gold gegossen, rauscht sie nur noch ganz vornehm.

© Audio



Noch einmal stellt die EMI den Queen-Katalog in die Läden. Vom 1973er Debüt spannt sich der Bogen bis zu "The Works" (1984). Das Besondere: Alle zwölf Alben wurden in den Londoner Abbey Road Studios neu digital gemastert. Aber Vorsicht: In den Verkaufsregalen stehen alte und überarbeitete Ausgaben oft einträchtig nebeneinander. Erkennbar ist die aktuelle Reihe nur an den Bestellnummern (7 89... statt 7 46...) und dem Aufkleber "Digital Master Series". Der klangliche Mehrwert fällt unterschiedlich aus. Während "The Works" (7 89498) lediglich kleinere Korrekturen an Schlagzeug oder Piano vorweisen kann, gibt sich das Queen-Meisterwerk "A Night At The Opera" majestätisch: mit geringerem Grundrauschen, einem wärmeren und ausgewogeneren Klangbild sowie weniger verzerrten Dynamikspitzen. Auch der Titeleinsatz bei der "Bohemian Rhapsody" ist endlich an der richtigen Stelle. Nur noch Nuancen trennen diese EMI-Ausgabe von dem doppelt so teuren MFSL-Goldtaler. Auch "News Of The World" (7 89494 2) hat gewonnen: Die bisher mittig und spitz klingenden Aufnahmen wirken nun differenzierter und weicher. Und die Queen-Hymne "We Will Rock You" kommt noch energiegeladener aus den Lautsprechern. Pluspunkte verbucht auch "Jazz" (7 89495 2): Die Songtexte sind abgedruckt, Freddie Mercurys Gesang in "Mustafa" erhält mehr Raum, und die Chöre zu Beginn von "Fat Bottomed Girls" treffen jetzt mit voller Wucht. Unterm Strich ist die neue Serie lohnenswert. Nur: Queen-Fans, die schon die CD-Erstauflage besitzen, müssen sich wohl leicht verladen vorkommen. ** Interpret.: 09-10

© Stereoplay



One of the most preposterous albums ever made, A Night at the Opera also remains one of the most popular. While it is difficult to completely dislike a record that successfully introduced the phrase "Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the fandango?" into the popular lexicon, it is harder still to understand quite what Queen were thinking of when they made this. Whether or not Queen were fully aware of their own absurdity remains a moot point. However, if one can find the hefty psychic hooks and pulleys necessary to suspend this much disbelief, A Night at the Opera is a perversely enjoyable record. The awesomely daft and supremely catchy "Bohemian Rhapsody" aside, it contains the almost equally risible excursions "The Prophet's Song" and "39", a couple of the irresistibly amusing headbanger numbers that Queen could write in their sleep ("Death On Two Legs") and the very possibly heartfelt pop ballad "You're My Best Friend". Immortally baffling, like the pyramids. Yet also enjoyably compelling.

Andrew Mueller - Amazon.co.uk



To call Queen's fourth album eclectic -- or even schizophrenic -- is an understatement. Listeners could get whiplash from the contrast between the tracks. Switching gears between Freddy Mercury's vituperative "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" and campy "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" to Roger Taylor's turbocharged "I'm in Love with My Car" to John Deacon's cheery "You're My Best Friend" to Brian May's bittersweetly nostalgic, music-hall-like "'39" -- the first five tracks, in order -- assumes a breadth of taste and stylistic tolerance that may have been asking a lot of Queen's audience, a combination of progressive rock and glam fans, and metal heads worshipping May's wall-of-guitars overdubs. But the year was 1975, Queen's breakthrough hit "Killer Queen" from its previous album (Sheer Heart Attack) was still current, and the LP's final track -- the melodramatic, operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- was destined to hit No. 9 on the U.S. singles chart (and be revived in 1992 as a key track in the movie Wayne's World). The best track in that vein is actually the dark "Prophet's Song," which opens with May playing toy koto, and features a lengthy polyphonic a cappella vocal section. But there's no denying the iconic power of "Bohemian Rhapsody" with its opening -- "Is this the real life / Is this just fantasy" -- and its chillingly detached verse starting, "Mama, just killed a man / Put a gun against his head / Pulled my trigger, now he's dead." Its subsequent movie and commercial appearances have trivialized it for current audiences -- perhaps too much so for them to hear past Roy Thomas Baker's extravagant production to its disturbing emotional core. On future albums, Queen would prattle on about fat-assed girls, provide cheesy sports anthems, cash in with rockabilly and disco parodies, and make one last great song in collaboration with David Bowie. Looking back, it's easy to hear that A Night at the Opera was the group's lovably bombastic peak.

Steve Holtje - May 15, 2001, CDNOW Senior Editor
Copyright © 1994-2002 CDnow Online, Inc. All rights reserved.



In less than three years, with four albums, Queen has risen from the heavy-metal minor leagues to a position approaching that of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. But the group has some annoying weaknesses, notably a tendency toward lyrical abstraction. In addition, the imagination that inspired the slick ragtime jazz (with vaudeville overtones) of Sheer Heart Attack's "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" becomes obsessive on A Night at the Opera, where the same stylistic idea is reworked into three songs. But ultimately, the group's willingness to experiment, even when they fail, makes them interesting. They have the ability to write first-rate pop/rock songs. Guitarist Brian May's "'39" is his best attempt yet at Paul McCartney-style crooning, but it's on side two that the vocals really take command. On "The Prophet's Song," the best track, May's powerful guitar perfectly complements the rich, multitracked harmonies of lead singer Freddie Mercury. Throughout the record, the group makes the most effective use of vocal rounds, choruses and harmonies in the heavy-rock genre since Argent's Ring of Hands. Like all heavy-metal groups, Queen's most easily distinguished trait is a knack for manipulating dynamics. But what sets them apart is their selection of unlikely effects: acoustic piano, harp, acapella vocals, no synthesizers. Coupled with good songs, Queen's obviously the strongest contender in its field.

KRIS NICHOLSON - RS 210
© Copyright 2002 RollingStone.com

 

 L y r i c s


DEATH ON TWO LEGS (DEDICATED TO...)

You suck my blood like a leech
You break the law and you preach
Screw my brain till it hurts
You've taken all my money
And you want more
Misguided old mule with your pig headed rules
With your narrow minded cronies
Who are fools of the first division
Death on two legs
You're tearing me apart
Death on two legs
You've never had a heart of your own
Kill joy bad guy big talking small fry
You're just an old barrow boy
Have you found a new toy to replace me?
Can you face me?
But now you can kiss my ass goodbye
Feel good are you satisfied?
Do you feel like suicide?
(I think you should)
Is your conscience all right
Does it plague you at night?
Do you feel good feel good?

You talk like a big business tycoon
You're just a hot air balloon
So no one gives you a damn
You're just an overgrown schoolboy
Let me tan your hide
A dog with disease
You're the king of the 'sleaze'
Put your money where your mouth is
Mister know-all
Was the fin on your back
Part of the deal? (Shark)
Death on two legs
You're tearing me apart
Death on two legs
You've never had a heart (you never did) of your own
(Right from the start)
Insane you should be put inside
You're a sewer rat decaying in a cesspool of pride
Should be made unemployed
Then make yourself null and void
Make me feel good I feel good


LAZING ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

I go out to work on Monday morning
Tuesday I go off to honeymoon
I'll be back again before it's time for sunnydown
I'll be lazing on a Sunday afternoon
Bicycling on every Wednesday evening
Thursday I go waltzing to the Zoo
I come from London town
I'm just an ordinary guy
Fridays I go painting in the Louvre
I'm bound to be proposing on a Saturday night
There he goes again
I'll be lazing on a Sunday lazing on a Sunday
Lazing on a Sunday afternoon


I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR

The machine of a dream
Such a clean machine
With the pistons a pumpin'
And the hub caps all gleam

When I'm holdin' your wheel
All I hear is your gear
When my hand's on your grease gun
Oh it's like a disease son

I'm in love with my car
Gotta feel for my automobile
Get a grip on my boy racer rollbar
Such a thrill when your radials squeal

Told my girl I'll have to forget her
Rather buy me a new carburetor
So she made tracks sayin'
This is the end now
Cars don't talk back
They're just four wheeled friends now

When I'm holdin your wheel
All I hear is your gear
When I'm cruisin' in overdrive
Don't have to listen to no run of the mill talk jive

I'm in love with my car
Gotta feel for my automobile
I'm in love with my car
String back gloves in my automolove


YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND

Ooh you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It's you you're all I see
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live

Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
Oh you're my best friend

Ooo you make me live

Ooh I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you
In rain or shine
You've stood by me girl
I'm happy at home
You're my best friend

Ooo you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live

You're the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do
You're my best friend

Ooo you make me live

I'm happy at home
You're my best friend
Oh you're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
You you're my best friend


'39

'In the year of thirty-nine'
Assembled here the volunteers
In the days when lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen
And the night followed day
And the story tellers say
That the score brave souls inside
For many a lonely day
Sailed across the milky seas
Never looked back never feared never cried

Don't you hear my call
Though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I'll take your hand
In the land that our grand-children knew

'In the year of thirty-nine'
Came a ship from the blue
The volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news
Of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey
Little darlin' we'll away
But my love this cannot be
Oh so many years have gone
Though I'm older than a year
Your mothers eyes from your eyes cry to me

Don't you hear my call
Though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I'll take your hand
In the land that our grand-children knew

Don't you hear my call
Though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
All your letters in the sand
Cannot heal me like your hand
For my life still ahead pity me


SWEET LADY

You call me up and treat me like a dog
You call me up and tear me up inside
You've got me on a lead
Ooh you bring me down you shout around
You don't believe that I'm alone
Ooh you don't believe me

Sweet lady sweet lady
Sweet lady stay sweet you say

You call me up and feed me all the lines
You call me sweet like I'm some kind of cheese
Waiting on the shelf
You eat me up you hold me down
I'm just a fool to make you a home
Ooh you really do and you say

Sweet lady sweet lady
Sweet lady ooh c'mon stay sweet

My sweet lady
Though it seems like we wait for ever
Stay sweet baby
Believe and we've got everything we need
Sweet lady sweet lady
Sweet lady stay sweet
Stay sweet sweet lady

Oh runaway come on
Yeah yeah
Yeah yeah
Sweet lady


GOOD COMPANY

Take good care of what you've got
My father said to me
As he puffed his pipe and baby B
He dandled on his knee
Don't fool with fools who'll turn away
Keep all good company oohoo oohoo
Take care of those you call your own and keep good
company

Soon I grew and happy too
My very good friends and me
We'd play all day with Sally J
The girl from number four
And very soon I begged her
Won't you keep me company?
Oohoo oohoo oohoo oohoo
Come marry me for evermore
We'll be good company

Now marriage is an institution sure
My wife and I our needs and nothing more
All my friends by a year by and by disappeared
But we're safe enough behind our door

I flourished in my humble trade my reputation grew
The work devoured my waking hours but when my time
was through
Reward of all my efforts
My own Limited Company
I hardly noticed Sally as we parted company
All through the years in the end it appears
There was never really anyone but me
Now I'm old I puff my pipe but no one's there to see
I ponder on the lesson of my life's insanity
Take care of those you call your own
And keep good company


THE PROPHET'S SONG

Oh oh people of the earth
Listen to the warning the seer he said
Beware the storm that gathers here
Listen to the wise man

I dreamed I saw on a moonlit stair
Spreading his hand to the multitude there
A man who cried for a love gone stale
And ice cold hearts of charity bare
I watched as fear took the old man's gaze
Hopes of the young in troubled graves
'I see no day' I heard him say
So grey is the face of every mortal

Oh oh people of the earth!
'Listen to the warning' the prophet he said
For soon the cold of night will fall
Summoned by your own hand

Ah ah children of the land
Quicken to the new life take my hand
Fly and find the new green bough
Return like the white dove

He told of death as a bone white haze
Taking the lost and the unloved babes
Late too late all the wretches run
These kings of beasts now counting their days
From mother's love is the son estranged
Married his own his precious gain
The earth will shake in two will break
And death all round will be your dowry

Oh oh people of the earth
Listen to the warning the seer he said
For those who hear and mark my words
Listen to the good plan

Oh oh oh oh and two by two my human zoo
They'll be running for to come
Running for to come out of the rain

Oh flee for your lives who heed me not
Let all your treasures make you fear for your life
Deceive you not the fires of hell will take you
Should death await you

Ah people can you hear me?
And now I know and now I know
And now I know and now I know
That you can hear me
And now I know and now I know
And now I know now I know
Now I know now I know
Now I know now I know
Now I know
The earth will shake in two will break
Death all around around around around
Around around around around
Now I know now I know
Now I know now I know
Now I know now I know
Now I know now I know
Now I know now I know
Now I know
Wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo
Listen to the wise listen to the wise listen to the wise
Listen to the wise listen to the wise man
La la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la
La la
La la
Come here I hear you
Come here I hear you
Come here I hear you
Ah ah ah ah ah
Listen to the man listen to the man listen to the man listen
to the mad man

God gave you grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh oh children of the land
Love is still the answer take my hand
The vision fades a voice I hear
Listen to the madman!
But still I fear and still I dare not
Laugh at the madman!


LOVE OF MY LIFE

Love of my life you've hurt me
You've broken my heart and now you leave me
Love of my life can't you see
Bring it back bring it back
Don't take it away from me
Because you don't know
What it means to me

Love of my life don't leave me
You've taken my love you now desert me
Love of my life can't you see
Bring it back bring it back
Don't take it away from me
Because you don't know
What it means to me

You will remember
When this is blown over
And everything's all by the way
When I grow older
I will be there at your side to remind you
How I still love you I still love you

Back hurry back
Please bring it back home to me
Because you don't know
What it means to me
Love of my life
Love of my life
Yeah


SEASIDE RENDEZVOUS

Seaside whenever you stroll along with me
I'm merely contemplating what you feel inside
Meanwhile I ask you to be my Clementine
You say you will if you could but you can't
I love you madly
Let my imagination run away with you gladly
A brand new angle highly commendable
Seaside rendezvous

I feel so romantic can we do it again?
Can we do it again sometime I'd like that
Fantastic c'est la vie mesdames et messieurs
And at the peak of the season
The Mediterranean
This time of year it's so fashionable

I feel like dancing in the rain
Can I have a volunteer?
Just keep right on dancing
What a damn jolly good idea
It's such a jollification as a matter of fact
So 'tres charmant' my dear

Underneath the moonlight
Together we'll sail across the sea
Reminiscing every night
Meantime I ask you to be my Valentine
You say you'd have to tell your daddy if you can
I'll be your Valentino
We'll ride upon an omnibus and then the casino
Get a new facial start a sensational
Seaside rendezvous so adorable
Seaside rendezvous ooh
Seaside rendezvous
Give us a kiss!


BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Is this the real life-
Is this just fantasy-
Caught in a landslide-
No escape from reality-
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see-
I'm just a poor boy,I need no sympathy-
Because I'm easy come,easy go,
A little high,little low,
Anyway the wind blows,doesn't really matter to me,
To me

Mama,just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger,now he's dead,
Mama,life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away-
Mama ooo,
Didn't mean to make you cry-
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow-
Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters-

Too late,my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine-
Body's aching all the time,
Goodbye everybody-I've got to go-
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth-
Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows)
I don't want to die,
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all-

I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the Fandango-
Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me-
Galileo,Galileo,
Galileo Galileo
Galileo figaro-Magnifico-
But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me-
He's just a poor boy from a poor family-
Spare him his life from this monstrosity-
Easy come easy go-,will you let me go-
Bismillah! No-,we will not let you go-let him go-
Bismillah! We will not let you go-let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go let me go
No,no,no,no,no,no,no-
Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go-
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,for me,for me-

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye-
So you think you can love me and leave me to die-
Oh baby-Can't do this to me baby-
Just gotta get out-just gotta get right outta here-

Nothing really matters,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters-,nothing really matters to me,

Any way the wind blows....


GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

(Instrumental)
  

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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