Recently I asked YOYOY does everyone else like A Night at the Opera except me. Since the replies, I've been listening to it again. I had made 2 mistakes with it. First, I told myself that I MUST like it, all of it, because I AM A QUEEN FAN
(novice) therefore, I MUST like everything they do. Secondly, it was produced in 1975 , but I was listening to it with
2009 ears and expectations.
Would I have liked it in 1975 if I were hearing it for the 1st time then?? I thought back to summer 1975. I was 21 and
my wage was £21 pw and Babycham was 18p! The radio at work played 10CC's Life is a Minestrone and Abba's
Waterloo constantly. The few LPs I had included Jesus Christ Superstar, Carpenters, Elton John, Roxy Music, Moody
Blues, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and Wings. I played them so often that I knew most of them off by heart. (And when
I lost my Venus and Mars LP - by Wings - when my record player packed up, and bought the CD over 20 years later,
I still knew it off by heart).
So, would I have liked ANATO?? Yes, I probably would. So I've been listening to it again and not telling myself I MUST
like it.
It has grown on me and I do appreciate it more, but I still can't stand The Prophet's Song.
I'm glad I aired my opinion on QZ and that there were so many constructive replies.
Somebody said they didn't think they would change my mind about ANATO, well, they were wrong!
But don't all shout at once "told you so!".
I still think A Day At The Races is the better album. The only thing that ruins A Night At The Opera for me is Lazing on a sunday Afternoon and Seaside Rendevouz. Not my favourite Queen tracks at all. But, everyone will have their own opinions on it I guess. The first Queen album I heard was News Of The World which my brother bought when I was 7 years old. I then picked up ANATO a few weeks later on tape from a second hand shop whilst our family were on holiday and my love of Queen went from there.
LittleSilhouetto wrote:
Recently I asked YOYOY does everyone else like A Night at the Opera except me. Since the replies, I've been listening to it again. I had made 2 mistakes with it. First, I told myself that I MUST like it, all of it, because I AM A QUEEN FAN
(novice) therefore, I MUST like everything they do. Secondly, it was produced in 1975 , but I was listening to it with
2009 ears and expectations.
Would I have liked it in 1975 if I were hearing it for the 1st time then?? I thought back to summer 1975. I was 21 and
my wage was £21 pw and Babycham was 18p! The radio at work played 10CC's Life is a Minestrone and Abba's
Waterloo constantly. The few LPs I had included Jesus Christ Superstar, Carpenters, Elton John, Roxy Music, Moody
Blues, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and Wings. I played them so often that I knew most of them off by heart. (And when
I lost my Venus and Mars LP - by Wings - when my record player packed up, and bought the CD over 20 years later,
I still knew it off by heart).
So, would I have liked ANATO?? Yes, I probably would. So I've been listening to it again and not telling myself I MUST
like it.
It has grown on me and I do appreciate it more, but I still can't stand The Prophet's Song.
I'm glad I aired my opinion on QZ and that there were so many constructive replies.
Somebody said they didn't think they would change my mind about ANATO, well, they were wrong!
But don't all shout at once "told you so!".
Your initial thought regarding ANATO are exactly the same as mines regarding The Miracle and The Works albums. They were not instant hits with me and they still arent. There is, in my opinion, some serious filler tracks on those albums. I cannot really slate ANATO since I have some fond memories of hearing it for the first time all those years ago.
Btw... Venus And Mars by Wings is a fantastic album. I had (and still do have the vinyl version somewhere) CD version of which I played to death, like I did with the original lp. Wings at their best!!!