Grrr... I was getting irritated while reading SO many posts (not here!) about Queen declining after A Night At the Opera (or after Queen II!! WTF? o.O). Then, came the question, what about Innuendo?
OK, the whole album might not be as epic and fantastic as Queen II, not as diverse and elegant as A Night At the Opera, or not as charming as Sheer Heart Attack... But the energy, charisma is still there... with the gained experience, depth and self-reflection, there's hardly an album that can match it...
For example, just listening to Innuendo, I imagine what I have been doing all these times... it is more of a self-exploration than a song. So poignant... yet so diverse. Freddie's new (?) vocal delivery is perfect. How can a song be more questioning, connotative and heart-felt than I'm Going Slightly Mad? Even Headlong, my least favorite in the album (just a personal taste), is infinitely better than most of the other recent pops. Don't Try So Hard, my most favourite in the album, just proves to the world that Freddie's beautiful falsetto never died, never dies and never will die. And when it gets to Show Must Go On... (wipes eyes) Add the rest of other songs and you have yourself a treat... a magical gift.
I don't understand those people who dare to judge anything's "decline" as if they knew everything from the beginning to the end. It is often that when a band changes its style over the years they are often said to "decline" and "follow the trend". Well yes, bands do follow the trend, and everyone declines by dying in the end. But genius can't simply disappear for no reason... -_-; Unfortunate for those who think that the second last album cannot be one of the best, but accept it! Had Freddie not died, we'd be swarmed with more of his musical genius... but I'll not think about if onlys.
Oops... just realized after reading a few posts that someone already talked about Innuendo... err... excuse me, being a newbie here and all...
But anyways, my point was that Queen did NOT decline after Queen II or A Night At the Opera... but you'd all think so anyways without my input...? (at least most of you.)
Inuendo, is non debate-able in my heart,,, its Queen in its most genius and humane,, and Freddie in all his musical spirit,,
unlike its previous album Miracle the modern artistic vibe of the synth and things was tone down to let the natural flow of voice and played instruments rock to the forefront
"till the end of time"
("!!Bang!!")
Inuendo rocks all the songs are prophetically legends!
I love Innuendo. I love all of the studio albums. The only thing I notice that's a little off about Innuendo.. and it's very minor, don't get me wrong.. is Freddie's voice sounding more nasally, sometimes too strained than usual. I would imagine that this was due to his illness. The same probably applies to the tracks with new vocals on MIH, though I can't call one up in my head the way I can with Innuendo.
Innuendo IMO is a decent album, some great tracks, great music and fantastic vocals, shame about All gods people and The Hitman but, the rest of the tracks are OK.
Innuendo was a good album to listen to until Freddie passed away, and then all the songs sounded sad. Delilah makes me cry because we all know how much Freddie loved his cats, and he couldn't live to be with them...a real downer!
Bijou can make me tear up, and forget it when Show Must Go On comes on -- I'm drowned in a flood of tears.
It's a brilliant album, don't get me wrong (I wish I could find the vinyl version to add to my collection because I've been seeking it for the past dozen or so years)...but listening to it now does tug at the heartstrings. Seeing the videos (especially TATDOOL) rips your heart right out, especially when Freddie says, "I still love you".
ARRRGGGHHHH!! *sob* Even talking about it makes me cry!
I agree with you Lisa. Innuendo is a great album...brilliant...but I have to be in a certain mood because the whole tone of the album kinda is depressing.
When I first heard Innuendo, it sounded very heavy, very dark, almost the same audio "landscape" as Queen II. That was exciting, and the first track had one of my favourite guitarists of all time, Steve Howe of Yes, doing a flamenco bit and I could tell it was him before I read the credits on the album!
The other songs were not heavy -- "Slightly Mad" was great fun (love all those references to madness!) and so was "Headlong" (though I could do without the "hoop diddy diddy"s). The rest of the album was dark, but All God's People was very powerful (beginning Side Two with a big bang). I could see in my mind's eye a retrospective-type video for TATDOOL (there never was, sadly) and a cute cat thing for Delilah (never was either).
Since Freddie died, it has been my least favourite Queen album, I hate to say -- it's just too heavy, knowing Freddie was doing his damndest to beat Mr Death, and lost. I would give anything if he had lived. He had so much still inside his mind, so much to do yet so little time...
I really love the whole album cause of the different type of song wich are on it. For example the rexaling and calm don't try so hard.. and the hitman!
The songs are a little too synth oriented. It would be neat to see a stripped down version with no synths, the way the new Let it Be Naked albumn was done. Innuendo, the song would have sounded much more epic if Brian had used his layered guitar for the synth parts like on Father to Son. The synths make me sooo mad!