| Lester Burnham 19.06.2005 11:53 |
As this is the inaugural album discussion thread, I found it only appropriate that we start with the first Queen album. But first, some basic rules:
1. If you don't own the album, do not contribute. I want this to be a discussion, and posts by somebody saying only "I like 'Keep Yourself Alive' on Classic Queen, is that on this album?" or something to that nature contributes nothing to the discussion. 2. As most people have been quick to jump down the throats of foreign posters about their English, I can only ask that those not familiar with the language do their best. For those who speak English as their first language, there really is no excuse. Try to formulate your thoughts so that everyone can enjoy them. No speaking in tongues, please. 3. You don't need to like the album - these aren't appreciation threads, these are discussion threads. If you don't like the album, don't be afraid to say so! Everyone should be responsive to constructive criticism, so if the album isn't one of your favorites, explain why in a decent manner instead of just saying, "This album sucks because of X song." 3a. Disagreements are encouraged. Well, okay... not exactly encouraged, but don't be afraid to disagree with someone as long as you disagree in a dignified manner. BAD: Poster A: "'The Kiss' is probably my favorite song off the album." Poster B: "WHAT?! 'THE KISS' IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SONG RELEASED BY QUEEN! YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT, YOU JACKASS! ANYONE WHO LIKES 'THE KISS' LIKES BOILS ON THEIR FACE AND BEING TORTURED BY TOADS BITING THEIR FINGERNAILS! A POX ON YOUR FAMILY AND ANYTHING YOU SHOULD SPAWN, YOU HEATHEN!" Poster A: "..." GOOD: Poster A: "'The Kiss' is probably my favorite song off the album." Poster B: "It's not that great, in my opinion, but what do you like about it?" Poster A: "I like the segue from 'Execution Of Flash' and the orchestration. Freddie's vocalisations are just great." Poster B: "Hmm. That's exactly what I don't like about it." *Posters A and B share a beer and become best friends* 4. These will be posted every two weeks. They won't necessarily follow the chronological order of Queen albums, nor will they be restricted to Queen-only albums. I know that many people don't have the solo albums, myself included - I do not possess any of The Cross's records - so if there is someone who would like to take control of those three albums, please let me know and I would be more than happy to surrender my duties in those instances. However, for the most part, I'm going to be in charge of this. If anything should happen to me, then I would hope the album discussion threads would be the LEAST of your worries!Alright, with those unpleasantries out of the way, on with the show: "Overture, curtains, lights! This is it, the night of nights! And oh, the heights we'll hit! On with the show, this is it!" Ahem. |
| Lester Burnham 19.06.2005 12:03 |
First, a review from All Music Guide ( link ) by Greg Prato:
Although it may not be up to par with such future classics as A Night at the Opera and The Game, Queen's 1973 self-titled debut is one of the most underrated hard rock debuts of all time. Chances are that many will only be familiar with one song (the classic rock radio staple "Keep Yourself Alive"), but it is a very consistent and solid album; even the more uncommon compositions are impressive and memorable. Unlike other notable hard rock debuts of the '60s/'70s (Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Kiss, etc.), Queen's first album was not recorded quickly, but over the course of a year or two, since the band had to record during the studio's off hours to minimize costs. Even so, the album does retain continuity, a perfect balance of anthems (the aforementioned "Keep Yourself Alive"), gorgeous ballads ("The Night Comes Down," "Doing All Right"), and raging heavy metal ("Liar," "Great King Rat," "Son & Daughter"). All of the band's future musical trademarks can be detected here as well -- Brian May's sweeping guitar orchestras (several different guitars overdubbed to create harmonies), Freddie Mercury's vocal acrobatics, and the solid rhythm section of drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon (listed as Deacon John in the credits here). At the time, many critics dismissed the band and the debut (unfairly classifying Queen as "disposable glam"), but in hindsight, Queen laid down the groundwork for this legendary band's future triumphs.I do agree that the album is severely underrated as a debut album, and was decidedly Led Zeppelin in nature ('Keep Yourself Alive', 'Liar', 'Son And Daughter'). This was obviously a band who knew their material well and had honed it to near-perfection in the live setting, but they seemed to get the raw end of the deal by having to record it over the course of eighteen months or so. Most bands just get in, record songs quickly, and get out, and the debut album is done within a few weeks, but Queen were already showing what kind of perfectionists they were turning out to be with the meticulous production qualities that they would incorporate into nearly all their albums: multitracked guitars, walls and walls of vocals and harmonies, and slightly ambiguous lyrics, especially from Freddie. The one track that is sublime beauty is 'The Night Comes Down', which is sandwiched between the six minute tour de force 'Liar' and the manic burst of 'Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll'. It is stripped back to just acoustic guitar, electric bass, and drums, with occasional subtle guitar orchestrations, while Freddie (through Brian's words) waxes nostalgic about the Summer of Love. 'Doing All Right' is of special mention here, as it really grew on me since I first got this album nearly a decade ago. Initially, I thought it was just another ballad, but grew to appreciate it after purchasing the Queen At The BBC disc, which has Roger singing the final verse of the song. That made me listen to the album version again, and I'm glad I did - it's now one of my favorites from the album, and I really think it could've been a good follow-up single to 'Keep Yourself Alive'. There are some downsides to the album - the exclusion of 'Mad The Swine', apparently which was supposed to be placed between 'Great King Rat' and 'My Fairy King', the inclusion of the pointless instrumental 'Seven Seas Of Rhye...', and, some might say, 'Jesus' - but overall, the album is strong and while the band do show their influences (Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles) in some instances, there are many original moments on here, and it's a shame that it's started to become forgotten amongst the other Queen albums out there. |
| Lester Burnham 19.06.2005 12:26 |
You done good, Linda. Glad to see people are receptive to this, especially with the semi-strict rules I came up with... But, that was a good point about the instrumental 'Seven Seas Of Rhye' that I forgot to mention. Apparently, Queen II was going to start off with 'Seven Seas Of Rhye', making it a sort of "segue" between albums, which didn't follow through for whatever reason, but it did happen with Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack... but that's for another discussion thread! |
| Fenderek 19.06.2005 12:27 |
It's extremely underrated album IMO. Anyone can put it proudly on the shelf just next to such classics as Led Zeppelin II or Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality". It's an awesome one. Obviously the band was criticised for copying other artist and jumping on the bandwagon, but... were they really? We can agree on that one- it was released much later than it was written... Who knows- maybe it would have been less criticised had it been released in 1971...? I must say though one thing- as much as I enjoy this record, I think the De Lane Lea cuts sound much better. It's really evident on "Jesus"- demo version is much longer, the solos inside are excellent. Album cut lacks any expression, it's also too "clean" compared to the rest. Doesn't fit IMO, whereas demo version would. Great King Rat must be one of the most underrated tracks ever. It's just bloody brilliant- I love the rythm and the pace. Melody and structure are also not very obvious; dirty production, sleazy riffs. It's just what rock is all about! Another forgotten pearl is "Son And Daughter". Heavy riff may be one of the heaviest Brian ever commited to the tape! Sounds very Tony Iommi to me- Black sabbath influence is all over it... Pity they didn't use the arrangement from BBC's session 3. It's even better... "Liar" is an epic and it just showed band's potential straight from the begining. The bass line is absolutely perfect, it also showed Freddie's voice in the very good light. "Doing All Right" is another beauty, much better than Smile's version. "Modern times Rock'n'roll" is extremely naive, but... that's its beauty! I don't know why but I'm not very big fan of "My Fairy King". It could work rteally nice on QUEEN II but compared with raw and riff driven tracks like "Son/Daughter" or KYA it just doesn't fit... But that's just my opinion! The production is weird. I like the band when it sound raw. I guess that's why I love BBC sessions so much. BUT it's too dry and too tight. The album WOULD benefit if they were more "live"- like the BBC cuts. Raw, spontaneous, fresh and... honest... I love this album very much. Underrated gem, an album that any debuting band would be proud of. Production is the thing that lets it down but the band is at its best. PS I love the moment in "Great King Rat" after the little acoustic section when the guitars come in with the heavy chords and the voice follows with "Noooo-no, I'm not gonna tell you, what you already know...". AND THAN after words "I told you once befooooore" is one of the best riffs I've ever heard. Easy, but extremely nice. Pretty much the whole instrumental section on this track is just pure genious. I think this one particular track is in my personal top 10 fav Queen songs... |
| bitesthedust 19.06.2005 12:30 |
Queen, or Queen 1...is a underrated album in my view. The first 5 tracks all stand out and help make the album a success, if not through recognition but through fan support. I agree that Keep Yourself Alive didn't get the chart recognition the song deserved, but stood the test of time in terms of future live performances. Doing All Right is another gem, originally performed by Smile and is one of the few songs in the Queen catalogue that is written or co-written by a "third party". A simple yet powerful song. Great King Rat, My Fairy King & Liar finish off Side 1...King Rat and Liar give an early indication of the powerful rock sound (as does Son And Daughter on Side 2) whilst My Fairy King has always sounded to me at least, in some ways the forerunner to the more harmonious songs like Bring Back That Leroy Brown, '39 and of course, the Bohemian Rhapsody operatic sections. Modern Times Rock 'N' Roll is Roger performing the track full of energy like there's no tomorrow. As for The Night Comes Down, Jesus & Seven Seas Of Rhye instrumental, I can't say much positive about these tracks as they are the weaker points of the album. Netherless Queen 1 is classic early Queen - a strong album, a great forerunner to the more spotlighted albums that followed. |
| bitesthedust 19.06.2005 13:08 |
edit |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 19.06.2005 17:11 |
Queen is definitely an underrated album amongst fans, and I think that might have to do with the production and the sound - the way it sounds kind of gritty and imperfect. But in my opinion, that's not necessarily bad, just different from how slick the production was on future albums. To start off, Keep Yourself Alive. I also don't understand why this didn't chart; it's the perfect opener to a debut album. And I love that both Brian and Roger get a line in the middle of the song. Doing All Right and The Night Comes Down are two songs I think should have gotten more recognition, especially the first. The switch between ballad and full on rocker is one of the best. The Night Comes Down is just an enjoyable, relaxing song and shows the depth of Brian's lyrics right from the start. But Freddie was Brian's match for lyrics, as evidenced by My Fairy King, one of the first of the intricate, mystical songs and the one that inspired him to be Mercury in the first place! I've even managed to forget about this song along the way, but on another listen, I remember why I liked it in the first place. Freddie's vocals were so clean and it's amazing to compare songs like these at the start of their career to ones in the eighties where his voice has deepened and become sort of smokier. Another one of these songs from Freddie is Great King Rat and even I tend to forget about this song. But I love when Freddie proves that he can write the heavier rock songs just as well as anyone else. Liar is another one of Freddie's early great songs. I like the lyrics, love the video and how well Freddie's voice turns from accusing to pleading all in the course of a six minute song. Modern Times Rock And Roll and Jesus are two songs that I think are decent, but not some of my favorites. Roger was a songwriter that just got consistently better through the years and though his first song is good, it loses something when put next to Brian and Freddie's songs. Jesus I just have a hard time getting into, not sure why. Son And Daughter - I don't love the lyrics that much, but the guitar is so great and it's even better from the BBC Sessions. I think instrumental Seven Seas Of Rhye was a good way to wrap up the album and started the linking of the albums up to Sheer Heart Attack. All in all, it's definitely a strong album that deserves more recognition than it gets! Queen at their heaviest, I think, and a great thing to play for someone who thinks that they were just a disposable pop band. |
| brENsKi 19.06.2005 17:38 |
it's my seocnd favourite queen album (for those that don't know - my fave is II) liar - an awesome epic of a song - blending blitzkreig rock and delicate vocal harmony in equal measure. TNCD - dark (no pun intended) with some great hope in the general feel of the song - one of bri's better tunes JESUS - i love it! but i love the de lane lea version more - perhaps it should've rocked out like the demo! Doin' Alright - Love the change of tempo and feel - reminds me (in that concept) of Wings Band On The Run - don't know why Fairy King - absolutely love it to bits...did FM use Pied Piper, or did the Pied Piper use FM? great stuff....advance warning for the epic that was to follow...Queen II MTRNR - Roger trashes everything in sight...this is cliche-ridden but clever too! KYA never used to like this, but it has grown lately, - Freddie and Roger managed to counter each other in the final climax SAD - no.no no. don't like it, and it's not until lately that i realised why i dislike it...it was the inception of the Brighton Rock solo when done live...and i do hate that whole Bri self indulgence 15-min solo stuff. if you can't hear the Br slo in this then there's something wrong with your ears.... |
| Suigi 19.06.2005 18:23 |
Hmm...I'm going to need to cycle through this one again on the ol' Zen Micro to really make some constructive comments, but I can add a few. KYA: I enjoy this tune, but if you can find the Long-Lost Retake, it's a better tune. DA: Kinda slow-paced. GKR: Thumping. Loud. I like it. Liar: I feel it's more of a prequel to BoRhap than a good tune on its own, but enjoyable. MFK: Too fairy-like. Seems kinda out of place on this album. TNCD: Not really all that enjoyable, too melancholy. MTRNR: Definitely souding like a classic rocker, and Roger does indeed kick ass. SaD: Zeppy. Jesus: Not a big fan of the religious tunes. SSoR: This is like the curtain raising on the Queen saga, quite portent. Especially with the tune also being played in It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise) on MiH. And just to tack on one more comment, Mad the Swine just seemed too darn weird for me. |
| djaef 19.06.2005 20:00 |
The trouble with rock music is that it inevitably 'dates' to some extent, some albums a lot more than others. So if we hear an album made in 1971 (even if it was released in 1973) in 1985 or whatever, it's never going to sound as it would have in the early seventies. Context means a lot in popular muscic. That said, I first heard "Queen" in 1975, the second Queen album I'd ever heard (after ANATO) and reasonably within context. Even then, I'm insanely jealous of the fans that were around for the first few albums who heard them in both order and context. Queen is a great debut album, full of promise. It falls short on a few points imo, but its precisely the development of a band that is so exciting. Just look at Queen's first 8 albums and hear the amazing journey... But back to Queen. Keep Yourself Alive is, as many have already stated, a truly underrated masterpiece. Whether it's the album version, the long lost retake or the BBC sessions version, they all have amazing energy. This should have charted. The other standouts on this album imo are Great King Rat (Roger's drumming is outstanding), My Fairy King and Liar. But really, the first 6 songs are just wonderful. It's after this the album falls over a little. Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll is a little cliched for my tastes, and while I think Son & Daughter is a very good song, it is one that sounds extremely dated to my ears. Jesus I can't abide at all. Turgid - both in content and form. And SSOR seems a bit bizarre really - a strange way to go out. Considering Freddie was prancing around in front of a mirror doing Cliff Richard impersonations a year or so before they went into the studios to record this, I think the first two albums in particular really chart the phenomenal growth of Freddie into a fully fledged rock star / genius. His songwriting ability came out of nowhere. Of course this is even more evident on Queen II than the first album, but the signs are there. Just listen to My Fairy King... But overall, while not a perfect album, it was a bloody great debut. |
| Saint Jiub 19.06.2005 21:49 |
Overall, I place Queen well into the bottom half of Queen albums. KYA, GKR, Liar, TNCD have always been favorites (for reasons others have mentioned), but not at the top of my list. The rest of the album is mediocre (for queen standards) IMHO. MFK has particularly been on of my least favorite Queen songs. I tend to think of Freddie's song writing as being a work in progress for the Queen album: Jesus and GKR (a nursury rhyme) have simplistic lyrics. Liar is a good song, but was heavily reworked by Brian, and of course I have a slightly negative view of MFK. It was not until Queen II (and the black side) that Freddie's song writing really turned to gold. |
| djaef 19.06.2005 22:34 |
Rip Van Winkle wrote: Overall, I place Queen well into the bottom half of Queen albums.I agree with you for sure, but they did make worse albums :) If you consider that Queen basically improved dramatically over the first 3 or 4 albums and then continued their development with the next 4, it would be very difficult for the first album to be better than albums 2 through 8 would it not? In that context, it's not really an album that you can equally compare to the others. As a young band's debut album though, it's pretty promising stuff don't you think? Rip Van Winkle wrote: MFK has particularly been on of my least favorite Queen songs. I tend to think of Freddie's song writing as being a work in progress for the Queen album.Definately, his song writing was definately a work in progress. (So was Rogers, and it took him another 15 years to write a decent song :))))) Freddie made a quantum leap from Queen to Queen II, but I don't think he would have written the black side if not for songs like MFK. Rip Van Winkle wrote: Liar is a good song, but was heavily reworked by Brian..Does that reduce it in any way? I don't care whether Freddie wrote it or in the end it became more of a Mercury/May collaboration (something we never really got enough of). It's still a great song, no? Rip Van Winkle wrote: It was not until Queen II (and the black side) that Freddie's song writing really turned to gold.You sure got that right. :) |
| NJQueenFan 19.06.2005 22:52 |
Queen is a pretty good debut album. Keep Yourself Alive is, in my opinion, one of their best songs, probably Top 10. Doing Alright and Great King Rat round out the top of the album nicely. My Fairy King and Liar are pretty average Queen songs, but it picks back up greatly with The Night Comes Down, which is really a song that stand out to me in the entire Queen catalogue. Although the first 6 songs on the album are all what I would say is above average for them, I think it end really weakly. Roger's done alot better than Modern Times' Rock and Roll, Son and Daughter is painfully mediocre, and Jese just passes as a decent song. I like the idea of including the intro to Seven seas of Rhye at the end of the album, but kinda wish they would've just included the full thing. Most Queen albums finish up with a high point, but their debut finishes pretty slow and not too good and having Seven Seas of Rhye there would've changed that. |
| Saint Jiub 19.06.2005 23:13 |
djaef wrote:Rip Van Winkle wrote: Overall, I place Queen well into the bottom half of Queen albums.I agree with you for sure, but they did make worse albums :) If you consider that Queen basically improved dramatically over the first 3 or 4 albums and then continued their development with the next 4, it would be very difficult for the first album to be better than albums 2 through 8 would it not? In that context, it's not really an album that you can equally compare to the others. As a young band's debut album though, it's pretty promising stuff don't you think? RVW: I enjoy it - yesRip Van Winkle wrote: MFK has particularly been on of my least favorite Queen songs. I tend to think of Freddie's song writing as being a work in progress for the Queen album.Definately, his song writing was definately a work in progress. (So was Rogers, and it took him another 15 years to write a decent song :))))) Freddie made a quantum leap from Queen to Queen II, but I don't think he would have written the black side if not for songs like MFK. RVW: TrueRip Van Winkle wrote: Liar is a good song, but was heavily reworked by Brian..Does that reduce it in any way? I don't care whether Freddie wrote it or in the end it became more of a Mercury/May collaboration (something we never really got enough of). It's still a great song, no? RVW: yes it is a great song .. I meant to imply that Freddie needed help finishing the song and making it greatRip Van Winkle wrote: It was not until Queen II (and the black side) that Freddie's song writing really turned to gold.You sure got that right. :) |
| Maz 19.06.2005 23:57 |
I would like to know where some of these songs came from. For instance, we know that Doing All Right was originally recorded by Smile and that Liar is supposedly a re-worked track of Freddie's called "Lover." But what about the other songs all the album, such as My Fairy King or The Night Comes Down? How many were new compositions of the Queen unit, and how many were essentialy ideas that began with Smile or Ibex/Wreckage? |
| GreatKingSam 20.06.2005 06:13 |
Keep Yourself Alive - Great first track for an album, and a debut album too. Great riff, great lyrics (catchy etc.) and has abit of everything. Strong bass, great guitars, drum solos, introduction of Bri and Rog singing, a mixture of all. Brilliant by means of the whole album. Doing Alright - Good song, not a huge favourite of mine, but very good. The echo-ness of the beginning of the song, for me at least, I find annoying and I don't know why. I kinda prefer the way Smile did it. If Queen had done it that way, with Brian's great solo, and with Rog singing the last verse, I would have far prefered it. All said, still a good solid track. Great King Rat - This is where, for me, the album hots up. A taste of Queen's ability to create great lyrics and great guitars. The drums are awesome too, the first track Roger gets to shine on. Especially the outro, awesome (would like to have heard how this originally segued into Mad The Swine). Classy guitar solo though. My Fairy King - Hmmm... not a huge fan of this I have to say. I hate to say it, but I find Fred's vocals aren't fantastic. In parts, it's just a bit undeveloped yet. All said, it's a great insight into his songwriting talents. Great piano too, and the way it builds up at the end it fantastic. Liar - Well - I don't listen to it much often anymore, I listened to it abit too much in the early days, but I drift in and out of it. Still though, the first proper PROPER Queen track. Quiet bits, different types of music, harmonies, guitars - the lot. The Night Comes Down - I love the intro to this song, and overall its a pretty cool song. Nothing too amazing, and not one of the best Queens song IMO, but its a nice slow down track before Modern Times, for the listener to catch their breath. Modern Times Rock N Roll - Not the best Rog track, but a nice track. For some reason, I really like the piano towards the end of the song. But I far prefer the BBC version (except I find Roger's vocals aren't as good as the album version). Son & Daughter - Arguably the best track on the album. Classic heavy Brian. Way ahead of its time. Great riff, and the BBC version is the complete article. It's a shame he didn't stick the big solo in the middle of the studio version too. Jesus - I, for some reason, used to hate this track. But since hearing the De Lane Lea version, I revisited it. Despite lacking the cracking guitars at the end that are featured in the demo version, it's another one of those Queen II-eqsue tracks (also like Mad The Swine) with kinda mystic lyrics (if you catch my drift). But I kinda like this track. Seven Seas Of Rhye - Perhaps a boring finish to the album. But, like someone said, back in '73 when people heard this album for the first time, this last track might have made people excited for a follow up album. But for some of us, who may have heard the real Seven Seas before this short version, can't see what the point or fuss is about. and... Mad The Swine - Odd track. It's ok, but I don't find it anything special. It's cool, and a nice idea though. KYA Long Lost Retake - I'm not sure whether this is better than the original or not. I like the sound of the solo, but it is far too short. Different parts of both versions are good and bad. Overall, its pretty much the same as the original, but in different "updated" ways. I think I lost myself throughout that somewhere. Well, as long as it makes sense... |
| Lester Burnham 20.06.2005 08:53 |
Zeni wrote: I would like to know where some of these songs came from. For instance, we know that Doing All Right was originally recorded by Smile and that Liar is supposedly a re-worked track of Freddie's called "Lover." But what about the other songs all the album, such as My Fairy King or The Night Comes Down? How many were new compositions of the Queen unit, and how many were essentialy ideas that began with Smile or Ibex/Wreckage?I don't like to guess all that much, because that means I give out false information, but we know for sure that at least 'Keep Yourself Alive', 'The Night Comes Down', 'Jesus', 'Liar', and 'Great King Rat' were written in 1971. I'd be willing to bet that 'The Night Comes Down' was written circa 1967, or at least more toward the end of the sixties, as it seems to have that sort of "end of the flower power" feel to it and is more about the laziness of the aftermath than anything. "Lucy was high and so was I" is a good indicator of this theory, as it references 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' from The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", released June 1967. 'Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll' and 'My Fairy King' were most likely written specifically for the album, as was 'Seven Seas Of Rhye...'. 'Son And Daughter' just sounds like a reworked tune to me, especially the extended BBC versions, so I wouldn't be surprised if it had started life as a Smile track in 1969 or so. Incidentally, several songs were played live around this time (1970 - 1973) but not included on the debut album: 'Ogre Battle', 'Father To Son', 'See What A Fool I've Been', and 'Stone Cold Crazy'. |
| Benn 20.06.2005 10:18 |
It all comes down to what you are a fan of where Queen is concerned, I guess. Some people care only for their '70's output (pre being forced to provide chart-selling singles en masse) or the material that all appeard to be the same in the 80's. For ME, Queen is qunitessential Queen. It's a band that have come along pretty much after the event in terms of Glam Rock. It's an album that shows the nervousness of the first steps into the big time and conversely, a maturity that stems from months working the material out in their heads and stretching what they had learnt from gigging. All the influences are there The Beatles (melody), The Who (open chord work), Led Zeppelin (heaviness), Jimi Hendrix (innovation), but also given a truly unique flavour with Freddie's distinctive piano playing and Brian's well-known guitar. Great King Rat and Liar are absolute powerhouse tracks that can ONLY ever be played at high volume - anything less renders the sound dull and somewhat compressed (going on the original vinyl copy) ad have been criminally ignored by the band themselves. As a debut, what better example can there ever have been for a band that are looking to move forward and do things their way? What a shame they stopped doing that after 1982.... |
| Fenderek 23.06.2005 06:09 |
Don't tell me that's it... |
| AC 24.06.2005 08:25 |
*bump* |
| Bobby_brown 25.06.2005 09:19 |
I allways thought that this is a fantastic debut album. I remember i read once a rock boock/guide that put critics to all Rock albums since the sixties. The review that Queen have for their debut was something like this: It;s an excelent album, and i can;t think of an album that heavy since the Black Sabbath debut. Put simply, until the year of 1973 you didn;t hear heavy metal that sounded like this. Then they talcked about Brian;s huge heavy sound and song structure, and they finished by saying that Queen debut was one of their favourite heavy metal albums, and they;ve mentioned a friend that was dead recently that never got tired of that album. My opinion is: Queen is a great album, and has a great production for a debut in 73. It has strong songs and heavy guitars (Nuno Bettencourt said that nobody sounded as heavy as Brian on Queen - Listen to Great King rat and Liar- He said that Brian has made a sound revolution the same way Van Halen was to make 5 years from that.) Of all the album i just don;t like the instrumental seven seas of rhye and the drum sound. Apart from that i think it;s great, and have they included Stone Cold Crazy on this one and we could have one of the greatest heavy pieces ever. My Fairy King is suberb and Doing allright is really different. So, yes i love the album and its one of my favourites. Take care |
| Boy Thomas Raker 25.06.2005 10:18 |
Excellent work, Lester, and good knowledgeable posts from everyone. I love the raw, heavy sound of Queen, and nowhere was it rawer and heavier than their debut. Not a big fan of the drum sound, and obviously Brian hadn't perfected his sound yet or the band with their trademark doubled harmony lines. But the songs were great, an indication of things to come down the road. For my money, Modern Times Rock and Roll is a classic. Tremendous energy, powerful, and a great story. Lines like "the old bop's gettin' tired/need a rest" and "'58 that was great/but it's over now and that's all" really describe the frustration of "the same old, same old." Throw in a few Beatle and Chuck Berry references, a merciless beat and a dive bombing guitar solo, and that's rock and roll. |
| gazfred 25.06.2005 14:11 |
whilst i think QUEEN is a fantastic album i believe it would have been improved vastly by the following 1 the reworking of son and daughter so its like the bbc sessions version (althought then we would have no brighton rock!) 2 the inclusion of hangman, a glorious epic 3 the inclusion of polar bear, to replace jesus. freddies falsetto is stunning |
| deleted user 25.06.2005 15:19 |
Keep Yourself Alive - the heavy rock intro and the magnificent melody/lead vocals simply blow my mind every time i listen to it: 10/10 Doing All Right - one of my least favorites on this album, but still a good one, mainly because of freddie's vocals: 7/10 Great King Rat - if you want heavy metal, this is the song to get it from (though the song is kind of long): 9/10 My Fairy King - propably their weirdest song by a long shot, and the multitracking of the lead vocals is incredible: 10/10 A-Side: 36/40 Liar - another great example of heavy metal, but a little annoying in some points: 8/10 The Night Comes Down - propably the third best song on the album (best is Keep Yourself Alive and second is My Fairy King), though i think it might have been better sung by freddie and brian: 9/10 Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll - though im not much of a fan of roger's voice, its still a great rockin' song: 8/10 Son And Daughter - IMO, the worst lyrics of any queen song, but still a good heavy metal song: 8/10 Jesus - one of the best examples of freddie's vocals, and an okay melody, overall a really good song: 9/10 Seven Seas Of Rhye - though i dont dislike this song, it was kind of pointless to make an introduction to the future hit: 6/10 B-Side: 48/60 Overall: 84/100 one of the better debut albums of its time |
| deleted user 25.06.2005 15:59 |
Keep Yourself Alive - Used to be my favourite song, as you maybe has noticed by my nickname. I think it's a great rock song, wonder why it never charted. The first time I heard it I heard it from Greatest Video Hits 1 on a Playstation 2 without the "DVD plugin" and then you could only hear the sound from one speaker and then the guitar riff in the beginning sounded different and when I bought a DVD player and I thought, is this a "easter egg" with a remix :P Doing All Right - Really like this song, cool mixture of a soft ballad and heavy rock riffs, I actually prefer the BBC version when Roger sings the last verses. Great King Rat - Great rock song, nothing much to say about this. My Fairy King - What a masterpiece, I think this is one of the most underrated songs Queen have ever done (along with If You Can't Beat Them). Liar - Great song with many different genres, contains genres from soft ballad to heavy rock. The Night Comes Down - An average song, strange that the demo version was put on the album :S Modern Times Rock'n'Roll - WOW, how could Roger sing that fast, I have tried and tried and tried to sing along, but everytime I fail :P. After I heard the album for the first time I looked at the tracklist and I thought, I didn't hear Modern Times Rock'n'Roll, it was too short for me to notice it was there :P Son And Daughter - The weakest song on the album IMO, it's not one of my favourites. Jesus - I wonder why so many fans hate this song, it's great IMO, btw I think every Queen song is good :P. I prefer the De Lane Lea demo version instead of the album version actually, it's rockier. Seven Seas Of Rhye... - Wonder why they put this on the album instead of Mad The Swine or Polar Bear, this is just pointless. |
| JDL2nd 25.06.2005 18:11 |
Queen I is a great album. I think it's better than Queen II. Queen I just rocks and it's very variated. It hasn't got the real Queen sound jet but some very good beginnings are recognizable. Keep Yourself alive : great track, but it sounds too commercial to me. I like the guitar intro. I hate the drumsolo. Way too simple, Roger could have done a much better job. Doing Allright : nice track. Back to the silence and than ... --> heavy metal riffs. Great differences in intensity. Great King Rat : Great song. Nice guitar and drumwork. But I think the song is too long. It ends great with those drum fills. My Fairy King : Very nice, difficult track. It's a bit of ''I want to write an difficult song '', but I like it. All those voices. Once I made an analysis of this song for a school project. It's very difficult to hear the differences between Freddie's and Roger's voice. I like the outro. The outro has an great construction. Liar : great track. Nice guitar and basswork. John really did a very good job in this song. The Night Comes Down : Well, this is perhaps my favourite song of this album. It has really nice dark and sweltering mood. Very nice akoestic guitar and the harmonies are really great. Modern Times Of Rock'n Roll : great powerfull and simple track. It has some very fast (powerchord I think ?) riffs which I really like. I like Roger's singing in this song. Really fast and with a lot of power. Son and Daughter : this is not my kind of song. I don't like the mood. Difficult to describe what I mean ... Jesus : this is a great track. It's very difficult to play the drums in this song. Very nice and fast beats (esspecialy in the middle solo section). I think the guitar solo is awsome. A lot of nice guitar lines in the solo section. Seven Seas Of Rhye : nothing special, but a nice finisher. |
| Fenderek 26.06.2005 13:03 |
Noticed one thing. Queen is probably the only album that is really riff driven... Most of their work is actually extremely eclectic- sth like Bring Back That Leroy Brown stretches the ROCK category to its limits... Queen's debut is I think THE ONLY record where guitar riffs build pretty much 80-90% of the tracks! If you think about it- only Fairy King isn't riff driven- even Night Comes Down and Doin'All right have an extremely important guitar riffs... They have never went THAT heavy again! Every single album after that CONTAINED FEW riff driven tracks (even in 80s) BUT also had MANY songs not based on a guitar lick. Queen is the ONLY album where guitar has that much to say... D'you agreee? |
| The Real Wizard 26.06.2005 15:42 |
Fenderek wrote: Noticed one thing. Queen is probably the only album that is really riff driven... Most of their work is actually extremely eclectic- sth like Bring Back That Leroy Brown stretches the ROCK category to its limits... Queen's debut is I think THE ONLY record where guitar riffs build pretty much 80-90% of the tracks! If you think about it- only Fairy King isn't riff driven- even Night Comes Down and Doin'All right have an extremely important guitar riffs... They have never went THAT heavy again! Every single album after that CONTAINED FEW riff driven tracks (even in 80s) BUT also had MANY songs not based on a guitar lick. Queen is the ONLY album where guitar has that much to say... D'you agreee?Yeah man, I do... and I never thought of it that way until now! |
| AC 08.07.2005 22:22 |
I've finally found the time to post a review for this album, althought it's past 4 A.M., I'm drunk and still drinking a beer. I think threads like this are important for this board and I want to add all I can do. This album, as a whole, is a good starting point. Full of good songs, mainly riff driven as pointed out in previous posts, showing the most rocking side of Queen. I like it, but I have to say that I prefer the "At The BBC" version for most of the songs. They just have a better sound, in my opinion. KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE: I love this song. Wonderful opener for an album, sheer rock down your spine. I have to say I prefer the "Long lost re-take" but this song rock anyway. It's the spirit of rock and I like the way the bass adds heavyness to it (at least in my opinion). Keep yourself alive! Rock and fucking Roll! DOING ALL RIGHT: this track is wonderful especially live I believe. The fast pace changes are very good but again I prefer the BBC version with Roger sharing the main vocals with Freddie. It adds another "change" to this beautiful song. It feels like great rock again. I don't know what was Tim Staffel involvement in this, but if he said that the royalties from this helped him suriviving in his bad times, well it's really deserved according to me. GREAT KING RAT: nice rock song, but I find it nothing special when compared to other songs on this CD. Rock Rock and only Rock! Another good track, but I think it lacks something to be outstanding as other tracks on this album. MY FAIRY KING: a masterpiece. I disagree with those who believe this is an "immature" prelude to Bohemain Rhapsody. This tracks has something that makes me want to listen to it again and again and again. Mainly because of it's instrumental parts. It maybe simple sometimes, but for me it's a wonderful example of piano, guiat, bass and drums coexisting together on a tracks with the same dignity and importance. The outro (one of the longest "separated" music parts of all Queen catalogue) is wonderfoul and outstanding. I simply love it. My Fairy King RULES! LIAR: Liar is Liar. If there is a track I would choose as reprensentant of the rock side of Queen that would be Liar. It's a very good song, wonderful intro, good vocals drums guitars and all, but I prefer the BBC version. The Hammersmith Odeon '75 version is the one I love more. ROCK AND FUCKING ROLL!!!! THE NIGHT COMES DOWN: Another good track, I enjoy listening to it. It sound a bit dated and I don't like the vocals lines, but it still is a nice song. Nothing more, but also nothing less. MODERN TIMES OF ROCK'N'ROLL: A heavy change from the previous track, I like how Roger voice enters this albums as main vocals, but I'm not very fond of this song. Again, I prefer the BBC track, more similar to the "live version" if I'm not wrong. SON AND DAUGHTER: Never very fond of this song, it is a bit annoying for me. Live, especially as reprise from the guitar solo, is a different thing. JESUS: many persons don't like this songs, mainly because of its lyrics. I like it, I think it's a good song, both with vocals and instrument. I prefer the De Lane Lea Demo but I would really love to heard it live. It must rock! SEVEN SEAS OF RHYE (INSTRUMENTAL): when I first heard it, I already knew the complete song of the Queen II album. It's nice, but it leads to nothing. It could have been a nice way to end the album, but it should have been longer. In the end, QUEEN is a wonderful album being their first one. I love most of it's song and although it maybe be not my favourite album, it is still one I really enjoy listening to. But I would like to point out the fact that I mainly like verisons of these songs different from those on the album (BBC and live above all). |
| ARMANDO MARTINEZ 09.07.2005 11:49 |
I think this is my second favourite album,(Queen II being the first),I still remember when I bought the tape.Since I live in a small city in México,It was kind of difficult to find Queen's first albums, so when I saw that tape with the purple cover and Freddie in his immortal pose holding high his mike stand, I just ran back home to get some money!I was then about 14 years old and didn't know a lot of English, so the absence of lyrics on the tape got me creating fantastic images in my mind about fairy king's and Great King Rat.Besides, the photo collage in the back of the album (which I could appreciate later on as a friend lend me his LP)made me wonder how Queen had evolved in those three years since they started.I find "Great King Rat" lyrics really mysterious,the music itself an early master piece considering that it was their first album!.By the way, I've noticed that in this song Freddie says something like " Don't believe all you read in the bible" and in some live versions I've heard (Waterbury 74,New Orleans 74 and Budokan,Japan 75)he changes the lyric to something like "Very soon you gonna read the Bible".Has someone else noticed this? What do you think about it? Maybe he was concious about some religious people who might have gotten ofended?.All in all,this is a great album,and an interesting insight into Queen's famous trademarks! Who was the "dirty old man" in Great King Rat? Maybe a early predecesor of "Death on Two legs? A.M. |
| Kuku 18.09.2006 00:27 |
Fenderek wrote: Noticed one thing. Queen is probably the only album that is really riff driven... Most of their work is actually extremely eclectic- sth like Bring Back That Leroy Brown stretches the ROCK category to its limits... Queen's debut is I think THE ONLY record where guitar riffs build pretty much 80-90% of the tracks! If you think about it- only Fairy King isn't riff driven- even Night Comes Down and Doin'All right have an extremely important guitar riffs... They have never went THAT heavy again! Every single album after that CONTAINED FEW riff driven tracks (even in 80s) BUT also had MANY songs not based on a guitar lick. Queen is the ONLY album where guitar has that much to say... D'you agreee?Wonderful point. |
| mike hunt 19.09.2006 02:24 |
brians sound wasn't completly developed yet, but I find his guitar work on that album to be his finest. He really showed how great he truly was. For me "queen" was a very tight album. KYA- 10/10 doin alright- 10/10 GKR- 10/10 fairy king- 10/10 liar- 10/10 WTNCD- 10/10 MTRR- 8/10 jesus- 9/10 SAD- 6.5/10 SSOR- 6/10 |