rhyeking 03.08.2010 23:07 |
Each album has a few songs which I think are pretty underrated. It's not that people don't like these songs, but I think they get overshadowed by either the hits or the more ambitious songs on the same album. Let's take a look... Queen The Night Comes Down A quiet, moody and I'd say nearly perfect little gem on Side 2 of Queen's debut album. What's all the more interesting is that this version was a demo, recorded at De Lane Lea in 1971. Freddie's voice is in fine shape and Brian's acoustic guitar adds so much to the atmosphere of the song. Queen II Some Day One Day This song has a lot in common with The Night Comes Down, both penned by Brian. In the songwriting, you can hear the same soul's voice, though now a touch more optimistic. Sheer Heart Attack Misfire John's first song to appear on an album, this has sone great understated guitar work, in my opinion, and some clever drum fills. And it's catchy. I think it gets overlooked because the second side of the record moves so quickly along. A Night At The Opera Sweet Lady Only recently have I really started to appreciate this song. On an album where every song is clever and full of experimentation and ambition, this song just kicks you in the pants and says "Fuck the gimmicks, we're rocking out! We still know how to do that!" And yet, there IS some cleverness in this song, as it's written in a 3/4 time. I think it's the lyrics that throw people off, but come on, they're much more entertaining than most rock love/hate lyrics! A Day At The Races You And I Another John Deacon number, which, as I've said before, I feel is the best song never released as a single. It's got great piano, drums, harmonies and guitar. It's got everything. I defy you to not feel good while listening to this song. News Of The World Fight From The Inside This is gritty funk-rock that just rolls along with a blistering vocal by Roger and some wicked rhythm guitar from Brian. John's bass playing is in fine form here too. Jazz Dreamer's Ball Freddie's last real venture into the old-time dance hall world. Brian's little guitar quartet and the harmonies both recall the Opera and Races days, though perhaps not as laiden with in-studio tricks as it might have been if recorded a few years before. I think the song is better for not employing such gags and just having the band play it straight. The Game Save Me Okay, it may be hard to see why I think this song is underrated because it was UK hit after all. It wasn't released in the US, though was in Canada. The North American Hits 1 didn't feature it in 1981, but it did pop up on the US Red GH. After all that, it never comes up in conversations about great Queen songs, which I think is a shame. The song is so steeped emotion and pent up energy, the way only Queen songs can be. Flash Gordon The Hero Should have been a single, particularly if it were slightly remixed with the Battle Theme. Hot Space Calling All Girls Okay, okay, it's hard to make a case for a song that was released as single in the US and did absolutely nothing, despite having a video. Even Roger forgot he wrote it. I argue that this is a pretty decent song and would have garnered more respect if it had been on a different album, like The Game. It doesn't try to do too much and is refreshing after all the heavy funk/disco of Side 1. The Works Keep Passing The Open Windows Written for the film "Hotel New Hampshire," but not used, this Freddie song would probably have been a single if it had been in the movie and might well have been a hit, as it has all the classic Queen trademarks of piano, guitar, harmonies and an atypical structure. There is so much going on in this song and it has so many awesome instrumental breaks. A Kind Of Magic Princes Of The Universe Technically another song which appeared on a Hits collections, despite not charting in the States, even with an awesome video. The lyrics being so esotaric, I can see why it failed to chart (the fact that, after The Game, the States practically forgot who Queen were didn't help much either in the '80s). The song is epic Freddie and what's not to love here? The Miracle Was It All Worth It Someone once called this "The Show Must Go On" Part 1 and I sort of agree. Like "Princes Of The Universe," this is epic Queen, with a majestic instrumental backing and the vocals making the walls shake. Innuendo All God's People No one does gospel-rock like Freddie and Queen. Put the headphones on and listen to everything going on in this song, in the foreground and the background. I don't know how much this resembles "Africa By Night" but I'm guessing the rhythmic sections give us a glimpse of what the earlier song soounded like, particularly the ending. Someday, we may find out. Made In Heaven You Don't Fool Me It's hard for me (and I'm sure many of you as well) to seperate the final product from what we know about this album and its creation. Knowing how it was made and where the various tracks came from, how can we compare it to the previous works, where the four band members collaborated equally and, well, together. Well, I'm going to try, knowing what I do about David Richard's work on creating this song with the remaining band members. This song was always a favourite and I'm glad it was single and a #17 hit. For me, in a lot of way, it recalls the moody atmosphere of Queen and Sheer Heart Attack. It conjures images of an electric blue sky just after the sun has gone down, gleaming of glass skyscrapers as the night in the city comes alive. The guitar solo, in my opinion, is one of Brian's best. |
mike hunt 04.08.2010 01:32 |
Queen have way too many underated songs, but i'll pick a few on each album that should have been more popular. Queen- Liar, My fairy king......Though i do agree 'night comes down' was awsome. Queen2- Almost every song, lol......But fairy feller's masterstroke/nevermore are plain brilliant. White Queen/black queen SHA- flick of the wrist. In the lap of the gods revisited......Bring Back that leroy brown ANATO- Death on two Legs, Prophet song, love of my life, Good company......almost every song! ANATO- Millionare waltz=Brilliant.........You and I should have been a hit. NOTW- Spread your wings should have been a huge hit........My melancololy blues and it's late both brilliant The game- Dragon attack, Need your loving tonight should have been a bigger hit. flash- The hero hot space- Staying power, cool cat, life is real, words of love are all underated....album isn't as horrible as people say. The works- Keep passing the open windows, Is this the world we created? AKOM- Princess of the universe the miracle- Was it all worth it Innuendo- The show must go on, I know it was a hit, but this song should be as popular as Bo Rhap, Rock you/champions, And the rest of the classics, also, I'm going slightly mad. MIH- The title track. A winter's tale was a hit but should have been bigger. I agree 'you don't fool me' was a good one. |
freddiefan91 04.08.2010 04:31 |
I love Save Me, Freddie captured the emotion of the song perfectly when he sang it live |
mike hunt 04.08.2010 06:50 |
Jazz.........Mustapha, Dreamer's ball, Let me entertain you, Dead on time are underated. |
Wayne Gretzky 04.08.2010 08:43 |
rhyeking wrote: News Of The World Fight From The Inside This is gritty funk-rock that just rolls along with a blistering vocal by Roger and some wicked rhythm guitar from Brian.John's bass playing is in fine form here too. That's Roger on the bass. |
rhyeking 04.08.2010 09:17 |
You're right, Great One, my mistake. It is in fact Roger on bass. |
plumrach 04.08.2010 10:15 |
Let me live - i dont know if its underated or not but I like the fact that it has Freddie, Roger and Brian singing vocals on it and i love the way Roger sings on this song |
pittrek 04.08.2010 10:27 |
Queen - Jesus Queen II - White Queen (As It Began) Sheer Heart Attack - Brighton Rock / Stone Cold Crazy A Night At The Opera - '39 A Day At The Races - Teo Torriate News Of The World - Spread Your Wings Jazz - Mustapha The Game - Cumming Soon Flash Gordon - The Kiss (maybe the best vocals on a Queen song) Hot Space - Dancer (the only good song on this album imho :-) ) The Works - Tear It Up (Am I REALLY the ONLY ONE who loves this song ???) A Kind Of Magic - Gimme The Prize (how can Freddie sing this without vomiting ?) The Miracle - Was It All Worth It ? Innuendo - The Hitman (even when it needs REALLY stronger bass) Made In Heaven - You Don't Fool Me |
rhyeking 04.08.2010 10:44 |
pittrek wrote: The Game - Cumming Soon The Works - Tear It Up (Am I REALLY the ONLY ONE who loves this song ???) ======== "Cumming Soon"...? Puts a WHOLE new spin on the song! Haha I like "Tear It Up" too. Like "Sweet Lady," the riff and lyrics are much more entertaining than a lot of "I love you" or "I hate you" rock songs. |
tcc 04.08.2010 10:56 |
I also like the song Tear It Up. |
pittrek 04.08.2010 11:13 |
rhyeking wrote:Oops, this is what happens if you think about something "else" while writing :-)pittrek wrote: The Game - Cumming Soon The Works - Tear It Up (Am I REALLY the ONLY ONE who loves this song ???)======== "Cumming Soon"...? Puts a WHOLE new spin on the song! Haha I like "Tear It Up" too. Like "Sweet Lady," the riff and lyrics are much more entertaining than a lot of "I love you" or "I hate you" rock songs. I'm glad I'm not the only one liking TIU |
rhyeking 04.08.2010 11:34 |
pittrek wrote: The Game - Cumming Soon The Works - Tear It Up (Am I REALLY the ONLY ONE who loves this song ???) ======== "Cumming Soon"...? Puts a WHOLE new spin on the song! Haha I like "Tear It Up" too. Like "Sweet Lady," the riff and lyrics are much more entertaining than a lot of "I love you" or "I hate you" rock songs. ++++++++ Oops, this is what happens if you think about something "else" while writing :-) I'm glad I'm not the only one liking TIU ========= The Bicycle Race poster has been known to do that! |
ITSM 04.08.2010 13:54 |
My Baby Does Me Delilah Cool Cat Pain is so close to Pleasure --- --- --- --- --- --- My Fairy King Great King Rat Ogre Battle In the Lap of the Gods (nr. 7) Drowse In only seven days Don't try so hard |
master marathon runner 04.08.2010 14:19 |
No. 1 underrated; 'The Night Comes Down'. It's simply an absolute masterpiece. Maybe even Freddie's sweetest vocal performance. No. 2 underrated; 'You Don't Fool Me'. Maybe in another period of their career it could have been a worldwide smash, a la 'Another one Bites The Dust' |
Wijnand 04.08.2010 14:19 |
"You Take My Breath Away" is my favorite Queen song, and underrated too! :-) |
mandocello 04.08.2010 14:37 |
Unbelievable that no one mentions "Dead On Time"...that was one of the most rockin' Queen tunes ever recorded. Brian May himself even mentioned (many years later) that he wish people would have noticed that song! |
Legy 04.08.2010 15:10 |
Mike mentioned "Dead on Time". |
Sith 04.08.2010 15:24 |
The most underrated song that stands out in my mind is Sweet Lady. Great rock song , especially live. My favorite live version is from MSG February 5,1977. Their very first show at that arena. Freddie Scats along with Brian's solo. Here's my top 5 most underrated 1.Sweet Lady 2. Liar ( I'd love to hear this on classic rock radio) 3. Fight From The Inside (Great Riffs and Vocals) 4. Doing Alright 5. Scandal |
rhyeking 04.08.2010 17:56 |
I heard both "Sweet Lady" and "Liar" on my hometown's classic rock station, on their Album Track Saturdays, a show where they played, well, album tracks from big-name rock bands. They played these two back to back. On another episode, they played "Tenement Funster," "Flick Of The Wrist," and "Lily Of The Valley" straight through. |
The Real Wizard 04.08.2010 23:38 |
I'd say their entire 70s catalogue is under-rated, since Queen are generally known as a singles band by the wider public. Very few people under the age of 40 have heard Queen II, a horrible shame as it's one of the greatest rock records ever made. |
rhyeking 05.08.2010 01:54 |
Well, it's sort of true for every band which isn't "the latest thing," that their back catalogue is overshadowed by their hits. Most record sales look something like this: Hits/Best of = Fans, casual fans, general public Masterpiece albums = Fans, some casual fans, album connoisseurs The other albums = Fans, some casual fans I have hits collections on my shelf from bands of whom I own no actual original studio albums, despite hearing that such-and-such-an-album by them is a "masterpiece" and that I'll love it. Sometimes I'll check it out, sometimes I agree and it earns a spot on the rotation (In The Court Of The Crimson King...Ogden's Nut Gone Flake). Other times, I listen to the "masterpiece" and it does nothing for me (anything by Coldplay or The White Stripes...so freakin' vanilla!). |
mike hunt 05.08.2010 07:08 |
master marathon runner wrote: No. 1 underrated; 'The Night Comes Down'. It's simply an absolute masterpiece. Maybe even Freddie's sweetest vocal performance. No. 2 underrated; 'You Don't Fool Me'. Maybe in another period of their career it could have been a worldwide smash, a la 'Another one Bites The Dust' The vocals on the night comes down is sweet!... |
Dan C. 05.08.2010 08:00 |
This should be fun! Queen: The Night Comes Down - Everything about this song is spot-on perfection if you ask me. The vocals are great throughout and I especially love the high harmony during the choruses. John's bass work is pretty damn special too. Queen II: The Loser in the End - Roger writes great rock 'n' roll and that's exactly what this is. His vocals here are incredibly badass and I love the sentiment behind the lyrics. Other than that, I really don't know what more to say! Sheer Heart Attack: She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes) - This song gets a lot of hate from the fandom, but over the years it has actually become one of my favorites from the album. I love the reverb-soaked production on it, I love the kind of weak lead vocals, I adore the harmonies, I love the simple lyrics... This is perhaps the most unjustly hated song in all of Queen's career, in my opinion (followed very closely by my next choice). A Night at the Opera: Sweet Lady - Another widely reviled Brian tune. Yes, it's a stupid rock song, but that doesn't automatically have to mean it's bad. I'm a big fan of rock in 'waltz-time', I love the riff, I love the ragged vocals and I love the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. I have a feeling a lot less people would hate it if the 'cheese' line weren't there. A Day at the Races: Drowse - Roger really shines here, in my opinion. This is a big favorite of mine and has one of the best bridge sections on the whole album, if you ask me. Roger's vocals and lyrics are great and the lazy slide guitar works really well. News of the World: Sleeping on the Sidewalk - I seem to be championing ol' Brian here, but I think it's because I feel a lot of his songs are perhaps misunderstood and thus overlooked. This one's just a fun blues-rock tune! I really dig Brian's lead vocal during the bridge. Jazz: In Only Seven Days - I am a sucker for a simple love song, and John always delivers. I like the theme of a week of love and the character's pining after it's done. Lost love songs are great! The Game: Need Your Loving Tonight - If you ask me, John really brought his 'A' game on The Game and this is my favorite of his contributions. I really enjoy fun, pop-rock and this is just that. It's simple, it's catchy... It's perfect. Hot Space: Calling All Girls - Another great pop tune. Roger really came into his own in the eighties and, for my money, wrote some of the most enjoyable Queen songs that decade; This being one of my favorites. However, I think I would rather have him singing lead on it than Freddie. The Works: Keep Passing the Open Windows - I love how jaunty this one is! It's full of pep and hope and I find that very appealing coming from Freddie. He had a knack for really fun pop in the eighties that many seem to frown on. I am not one of those people! A Kind of Magic: One Year of Love - The use of saxophone here is one of my favorite things about it because you don't hear much of those kinds of instruments in Queen's music. Also, as I said before, I'm a sucker for a simple love song. The Miracle: Rain Must Fall - A rather silly pop tune, but I like the groove and Freddie's ham-fisted vocal delivery. Brian's lead work is super fun as well! Innuendo: Delilah - Yup. I said it. This song never fails to put a smile on my face and that is reason enough for it's existence. Also, I'm a really big cat lover! Made In Heaven: You Don't Fool Me - I love everything about this song. Especially Brian's lead work. Flawless fucking victory, sir! Wow! I think this is the longest post I've made in years! |
mike hunt 06.08.2010 01:01 |
Dan C. wrote: This should be fun! Queen: The Night Comes Down - Everything about this song is spot-on perfection if you ask me. The vocals are great throughout and I especially love the high harmony during the choruses. John's bass work is pretty damn special too. Queen II: The Loser in the End - Roger writes great rock 'n' roll and that's exactly what this is. His vocals here are incredibly badass and I love the sentiment behind the lyrics. Other than that, I really don't know what more to say! Sheer Heart Attack: She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes) - This song gets a lot of hate from the fandom, but over the years it has actually become one of my favorites from the album. I love the reverb-soaked production on it, I love the kind of weak lead vocals, I adore the harmonies, I love the simple lyrics... This is perhaps the most unjustly hated song in all of Queen's career, in my opinion (followed very closely by my next choice). A Night at the Opera: Sweet Lady - Another widely reviled Brian tune. Yes, it's a stupid rock song, but that doesn't automatically have to mean it's bad. I'm a big fan of rock in 'waltz-time', I love the riff, I love the ragged vocals and I love the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. I have a feeling a lot less people would hate it if the 'cheese' line weren't there. A Day at the Races: Drowse - Roger really shines here, in my opinion. This is a big favorite of mine and has one of the best bridge sections on the whole album, if you ask me. Roger's vocals and lyrics are great and the lazy slide guitar works really well. News of the World: Sleeping on the Sidewalk - I seem to be championing ol' Brian here, but I think it's because I feel a lot of his songs are perhaps misunderstood and thus overlooked. This one's just a fun blues-rock tune! I really dig Brian's lead vocal during the bridge. Jazz: In Only Seven Days - I am a sucker for a simple love song, and John always delivers. I like the theme of a week of love and the character's pining after it's done. Lost love songs are great! The Game: Need Your Loving Tonight - If you ask me, John really brought his 'A' game on The Game and this is my favorite of his contributions. I really enjoy fun, pop-rock and this is just that. It's simple, it's catchy... It's perfect. Hot Space: Calling All Girls - Another great pop tune. Roger really came into his own in the eighties and, for my money, wrote some of the most enjoyable Queen songs that decade; This being one of my favorites. However, I think I would rather have him singing lead on it than Freddie. The Works: Keep Passing the Open Windows - I love how jaunty this one is! It's full of pep and hope and I find that very appealing coming from Freddie. He had a knack for really fun pop in the eighties that many seem to frown on. I am not one of those people! A Kind of Magic: One Year of Love - The use of saxophone here is one of my favorite things about it because you don't hear much of those kinds of instruments in Queen's music. Also, as I said before, I'm a sucker for a simple love song. The Miracle: Rain Must Fall - A rather silly pop tune, but I like the groove and Freddie's ham-fisted vocal delivery. Brian's lead work is super fun as well! Innuendo: Delilah - Yup. I said it. This song never fails to put a smile on my face and that is reason enough for it's existence. Also, I'm a really big cat lover! Made In Heaven: You Don't Fool Me - I love everything about this song. Especially Brian's lead work. Flawless fucking victory, sir! Wow! I think this is the longest post I've made in years! i never understood the dislike of 'in only seven day's' a beautiful tune from John, and a nice vocal from freddie. also I agree with rain must fall. One year of love is another song that I love. Never understood the hate towards that one. Beautiful vocals and love the sax. |
rhyeking 06.08.2010 02:09 |
Like "Sweet Lady," "One Year Of Love" is also written in 3/4 time...you can waltz to it. Go ahead. Try it. |