| fras444 01.02.2014 00:51 |
After regularly reading comments and topics about my favourite band, I thought to start my very first one. Queen (I) the very first album.. After seeing the comments to the post (favourite queen album) and only seeing Queen mentioned once or twice... Where does everyone rank Queen esp those who didn't rank Queen as their fav album or at the very least the top 5. A album so unique in Queen's catalogue, not just for being the first album to hear Freddie's youthful voice, John's complicated bass runs, Brian's red special and Rodgers frantic drumming. It was made up of songs that where written before Johns direct involvement with the band the very "Deacon John" when Freddie was still known by his birth sir name. The only album showcasing everyone's individual instrumental talents. Freddie's voice and brilliant piano solo on My Fairy King, Brians unique synth sounding guitar solo's, the only Queen album with a distinct (only the 70's) drum solo by Rodger Taylor and even a small bass solo and possibley the only uncredited backing vocals by John in the song Liar, one of which would give John his only real true individual spotlight performance live on stage and his only official backing vocal recognition when playing this song live Queen live at the Rainbow (John Deacon Bass guitar and backing vocals "Liar").. This is the album which Queen was known as a heavy metal band, with heavy borderline satanic songs such as great king rat and even a apparently psychedelic song Jesus. A album where most heavy metal artist such as Metallica are regarding when they mention Queen as one of their main influences. Doesn't the song "hit the lights" borrow some rift's from the great king rat...? Its the only album with a "non Queen/" song "doin all right" from the Smile day's. Where is Queen I rated in everyone's all time Queen favs... is it a forgotten album? a album people can listen to over and over like Queen II or a album only listen to occasionally... more than say hot space, just to remember where they started from or when you want to listen to something heavy after a frustrating day. Would Queen I be a album for Brian and Rodger to specifically remaster like Night at the Opera and the Game, being the very first album? talk about Queens very brief flirt with heavy metal and what they thought about at that time and how it and queen as a band having a huge influence on heavy metal bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden.. Maybe release some of those smile era Freddie sung songs such as goin back, I can hear music, polar bear and silver salmon maybe hangman if it dose exist and the long son and daughter version along with the songs released on the remastered 2011 double disc. Queen My Favourite album a very unique album in many ways what's everyone's opinion and thoughts to this amazing debtu album, a album rolling stone quotes There's no doubt that this funky, energetic English quartet has all the tools they'll need to lay claim to the Zep's abdicated heavy-metal throne, and beyond that to become a truly influential force in the rock world. Their debut album is superb |
| brENsKi 01.02.2014 06:10 |
i think it's a great album to listen to - it usually ranks second in my own list - after "II" (occasionally i do actually prefer it) there's some great powerhouse tunes in there Liar, GKR and MTRnR...and these are complimented nicely with the vocal grace and gymnastics in Doin' Alright and My Fairy King. You could make the perfect LP by having the best of II with the best of I a sort of Side Black/Side White and Side Grey |
| Martin Packer 01.02.2014 07:25 |
I love it, despite it sounding like it was recorded in a paper bag. :-) |
| crazy duck 01.02.2014 09:18 |
I always see that album as the queen2 prototype its like they wanted to be as overblown and grand as possible but didn't quite have the means. Having said that its a fantastic album. It carries all the queen trademarks and should rank high in anybodys opinion. Definitely does in mine! Infact its a testiment to them really how they can be given such small means to produce a first album and come up with an end product like queen1. Im sure new acts of today are given more promotion, funding, studio time than queen got. |
| Heavenite 01.02.2014 09:19 |
I didn't take to I initially all that much, possibly because its a bit heavier than later albums and has less vocal harmonies.. But these days I just love it! King Rat, Doin Alright, My Fairy King and Jesus are probably my favourites. |
| noorie 01.02.2014 11:44 |
It is definitely one of my two favourite Queen albums. Sometimes I cannot decide between Queen and Queen II. I just love Liar and Great King Rat and My Fairy King and Doin Alright and.... I could go on and on. But I think Queen II with MOTBQ, Ogre Battle, and White Queen is perhaps slightly the winner with me. Hmmm.. difficult decision. Queen and Queen II - the very best in my opinion. |
| PrimeJiveUSA 01.02.2014 13:15 |
@fras444 I think this is a great thread idea. Hmmmmmm...I think Queen is a fantastic album...one of the greatest debuts in hard-rock history. Freddie sounds almost supernatural in places. Personally, I cannot rank it with my "untouchable four", though. Here's how I rank the Queen albums in personal preference: 1st Tier(in no order...love them equally) Queen II Sheer Heart Attack A Day At The Races News Of The World 2nd Tier(again, in no particular order) Queen A Night At The Opera Jazz The Game Innuendo 3rd Tier(again, in no particular order) Flash Gordon Hot Space The Works The Miracle A Kind Of Magic Made In Heaven |
| Thistle 01.02.2014 16:11 |
Great first post fras444! I don't dislike "Queen". It's a really good album, fresh for the time but also raw - it's a try-out, but it's not the pioneering, exquisite effort that "Queen II" is. (in my humble opinion, "Side Black" is the finest output ever achieved by the band). There are a few tracks on "Queen" that I'd class as great ("Keep Yourself Alive", "Doing All Right", "Great King Rat" and "The Night Comes Down") but it has others I just can't tolerate, namely "Modern Times Rock n Roll", "Jesus" and "Son & Daughter". My top 5 ranks like this: Queen II Innuendo The Game A Day At The Races Made In Heaven MIH is the album that got me into Queen, and holds a lot of happy memories for me,so it stays in my top lot. I also love, despite the bad rap it takes, "Hot Space". A musically different album obviously from "Queen", but I like more of the tracks on that than I do the debut LP. Funny how tastes vary :) |
| liam 02.02.2014 02:29 |
Absolutely love this album and would definitely be in my top 5. Its got everything that made them such an amazing band. Top 5 - in no order Queen Queen 2 Sheer Heart Attack ADATR ANATO |
| jondickens1 02.02.2014 06:26 |
Queen has some great tracks,KYA,Son and Daughter,Great King Rat and The night comes down. However,the album sound/production are a problem. If only it could be remastered.....The drum sound too is so dead! Such a shame. |
| sgs8789 02.02.2014 11:16 |
The first album is great but as has already been noted there were some sound problems in the recording. Similar deal with "Jazz" - great album that has a weird sort of "tinny"/"flat"/"dead" sound with the drums. Can overlook the sound problems on the first album since they were unknowns at the time and getting free studio time but by Jazz there shouldn't have been any reason for them to not get the sound they wanted, especially with how meticulous they normally were. |
| fras444 07.03.2014 22:38 |
Glad you guys enjoyed my first post and thought it was ok... Hey Walter White! Son and Daughter ain't to bad....?! it is a great bluesy track... Live version is better though before Brighton Rock it took over I love listening to a band's first album, that crisp youthful sound and to me, Queen are in that exclusive club with the likes of Metallica, Led Zep Deff Leppard and Iron Maiden, to release great debut album to then follow it up with consistently great albums. My favourite Queen albums will always be their first three albums. Just love the very delicate mix of heavy metal/hard rocking songs connecting the fantasy world and some very delicately written songs mixed in. These are albums that I can listen to over and over..! especially Queen II... The two classics and the "trilogy". Classics..... A term I feel best describes a rock band that either released very few great albums or... a band that went through many line up changes but had one steady line up that made their biggest hits, I guess for example.. Iron maiden and their four albums starting from the number of the beast... Something which Queen weren't... same line up from day one and.... At least least one good hit from each of their albums, all of which are top notch. For Queen their first two albums are classic to me because... They are just amazing albums made up of amazing songs full of experimenting and trying new things... Brian May, with lashings of his guitar work full of multi tracking and delayed effect's and the extensive use of backing vocals, of which lay the foundations to their trademark sound and those two famous Freddie hits... (Bohemian Rhapsody and Somebody to Love) on almost every song. Also, apart from their famous Seven Seas of Rhye hit and to a handful of non queen fans the Keep Yourself Alive, these albums are also made up songs that most people have never heard of, all of which are now considered as hidden gems. And the "trilogy...." Their first three albums you could say follows a very loose trilogy/concept/story album of good versus evil "for Freddies songs anyway".,Based on his fantasy world he and his sister developed in their youth. Starting from Freddies very first song on Queen, Great King Rat, which reaches its peak with the Queen II album, especially with the SSOR at the end. Which ends in the third album. That very delicate song which flows from his ferocious song Flick of the Wrist into Lily of the Valley, the perfect song that bookmark's the end of Freddie's innocent childhood, fantasy,dungeons and dragons style, good versus evil songs, the album Sheer Heart Attack. A beginning of Freddies more mature path in his songwriting career dealing with more reality.... in his tongue and cheek style of course. These three albums also contain the so called prequel songs to Bohemian Rhapsody (My Fairy King, March of the Black Queen and In The Lap of The Gods) Sheer Heart Attack also marks a end to their heavy metal era of songwriting which Queen were known for and with the entry of John Deacon into songwriting "barring Boh Rhap" a dawning of a new era in Queens songwriting... a new era of more radio friendly music from Queen I guess one could say. Writing from little old NZ, at 23 years of age I guess you could say I'm part of the "next generation of Queen fans" I was late to music. It wasn't until I was 15 that my mate played me a very well known "Night at the Opera song" which well and truly roped me into rock music and Queen in general...So gutted when my mum got me Queens greatest hits II not Queens greatest hits for my 16th... Quickly realised that there was far more to Queen than Bo Rap and really enjoyed it after the second time through..! It has taken me the past eight years to realise that there is more to queen than the 80's pop songs they will always be known for to the the general listener and have been successfully showing other mates through bootleg recordings of their early 70s concerts that they are a band to be reckoned with... Which will bring me to my next topic... Queen as a heavy metal band....! And hope that Brian and Roger realise that there are is a growing fan base of 20 year olds and a market out there for them to release some of these amazing concerts of the 70s |
| fras444 07.03.2014 22:39 |
I think Rodger Taylor has also stated many times that he hated his drum sound on this album. Wasn't he not forced to have tape wrapped round his drums to give it that sound? |
| marc.s 08.03.2014 00:06 |
jondickens1 wrote: Queen has some great tracks,KYA,Son and Daughter,Great King Rat and The night comes down. However,the album sound/production are a problem. If only it could be remastered.....The drum sound too is so dead! Such a shame.yeah great debut but production is not the best . After all they recorded on downtime but even.... And if you listen to the demos on KYA, GKR LIAR JESUS they kick ass and Roger Taylor's drumming and sound on them is first rate IMO |
| br5946 08.03.2014 09:24 |
Personally, Queen I is easily in my top five albums by the band, clocking in third. The whole first side of the album is raw as hell, with Brian's guitar work going here, there and everywhere - the proto-metal of KYA and Doin' Alright, and then Hendrix emulations on Great King Rat and My Fairy King - GKR especially. But in all honestly, the second side is weaker. Modern Times, Son and Daughter, and Jesus are the sore spots if you can call them that - they have slight weaknesses among their glory. Queen I is just one of those albums I can play beginning to end and smile for all the 38 minutes said LP contains. I could write down a whole album review and post it if I wanted. It's weird, as I adore Opera's depth and multi-tracking, people might expect me to be against the debut's rawness. But one must realise the band tried to mix what we now know as their signature seventies sound with their influences - Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and the Beatles - on the first album. And it turned out spectacularly. What I love the best is when the songs offer up clues towards Bohemian Rhapsody. Yes, "MOTBQ is the proto-Bohemian" - we've heard all that before - but listen thoroughly enough to Queen I and you'll see what I mean. Great King Rat's and My Fairy King's multi-sectioned structures are just one clue. |
| Raffy 08.03.2014 14:24 |
Queen is one of those albums full of very good songs ruined by poor production (like "Hotter Than Hell" for Kiss, "Rocks" for Aerosmith, or Jazz speaking about Queen). Other than the track Jesus and the outro of SSOR we have all top class tracks with "My Fairy King" towering all of them. Unfortunately for the "poor production" reason it goes way down on my personal list: 1) Innuendo 2) Queen II 3) The Miracle 4) Sheer Heart Attack 5) Jazz 6) ADATR 7) Queen 8) ANATO 9) The Game 10) Made In Heaven 11) A Kind Of Magic 12) The Works 13) News Of The World 14) Hot Space 15) Flash Gordon |