Queen: Studio Discography (1973-1995)

Few bands embodied the pure excess of the '70s like Queen. Embracing the exaggerated pomp of prog rock and heavy metal, as well as vaudevillian music hall, the British quartet delved deeply into camp and bombast, creating a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars and overdubbed vocals. Queen's music was a bizarre yet highly accessible fusion of the macho and the fey. For years, their albums boasted the motto "no synthesizers were used on this record," signaling their allegiance with the legions of post-Led Zeppelin hard rock bands. But vocalist Freddie Mercury brought an extravagant sense of camp to Queen, pushing them toward kitschy humor and pseudo-classical arrangements, as epitomized on their best-known song, "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury, it must be said, was a flamboyant bisexual who managed to keep his sexuality in the closet until his death from AIDS in 1991. Through his legendary theatrical performances, Queen became one of the most popular bands in the world in the mid-'70s; in England, they remained second only to the Beatles in popularity and collectibility in the '90s. Despite their enormous popularity, Queen were never taken seriously by rock critics – an infamous Rolling Stone review labeled their 1979 album Jazz as "fascist." In spite of such harsh criticism, the band's popularity rarely waned; even in the late '80s, the group retained a fanatical following except in America. In the States, their popularity peaked in the early '80s, just as they finished nearly a decade's worth of extraordinarily popular records. And while those records were never praised, they sold in enormous numbers, and traces of Queen's music could be heard in several generations of hard rock and metal bands in the next two decades, from Metallica to Smashing Pumpkins.

The origins of Queen lay in the hard rock psychedelic group Smile, which guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor joined in 1967. Following the departure of Smile's lead vocalist, Tim Staffell, in 1971, May and Taylor formed a group with Freddie Mercury, the former lead singer for Wreckage. Within a few months, bassist John Deacon joined them, and they began rehearsing. Over the next two years, as all four members completed college, they simply rehearsed, playing just a handful of gigs. By 1973, they had begun to concentrate on their career, releasing their debut album, Queen, that year and setting out on their first tour. Queen was more or less a straight metal album and failed to receive much acclaim, but Queen II became an unexpected British breakthrough early in 1974. Before its release, the band played Top of the Pops, performing "Seven Seas of Rhye." Both the song and the performance were smash successes, and the single rocketed into the Top Ten, setting the stage for Queen II to reach number five. Following its release, the group embarked on its first American tour, supporting Mott the Hoople. On the strength of their campily dramatic performances, the album climbed to number 43 in the States.

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Queen: Studio Discography (1973-1995)

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Queen released their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, before the end of 1974. The music hall meets Zeppelin "Killer Queen" climbed to number two on the U.K. charts, taking the album to number two as well. Sheer Heart Attack made some inroads in America as well, setting the stage for the breakthrough of 1975's A Night at the Opera. Queen labored long and hard over the record; according to many reports, it was the most expensive rock record ever made at the time of its release. The first single from the record, "Bohemian Rhapsody," became Queen's signature song, and with its bombastic, mock-operatic structure punctuated by heavy metal riffing, it encapsulates their music. It also is the symbol for their musical excesses – the song took three weeks to record, and there were so many vocal overdubs on the record that it was possible to see through the tape at certain points. To support "Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen shot one of the first conceptual music videos, and the gamble paid off as the single spent nine weeks at number one in the England, breaking the record for the longest run at number one. The song and A Night at the Opera were equally successful in America, as the album climbed into the Top Ten and quickly went platinum.

Following A Night at the Opera, Queen were established as superstars, and they quickly took advantage of all their status had to offer. Their parties and indulgence quickly became legend in the rock world, yet they continued to work at a rapid rate. In the summer of 1976, they performed a free concert at London's Hyde Park that broke attendance records, and they released the hit single "Somebody to Love" a few months later. It was followed by A Day at the Races, which was essentially a scaled-down version of A Night at the Opera that reached number one in the U.K. and number five in the U.S. They continued to pile up hit singles in both Britain and America over the next five years, as each of their albums went into the Top Ten, always going gold and usually platinum in the process. Because Queen embraced such mass success and adoration, they were scorned by the rock press, especially when they came to represent all of the worst tendencies of the old guard in the wake of punk. Nevertheless, the public continued to buy Queen records. Featuring the Top Five double-A-sided single "We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You," News of the World became a Top Ten hit in 1977. The following year, Jazz nearly replicated that success, with the single "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" becoming an international hit despite the massive bad publicity surrounding their media stunt of staging a nude female bicycle race.

Queen were at the height of their popularity as they entered the '80s, releasing The Game, their most diverse album to date, in 1980. On the strength of two number one singles – the campy rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the disco-fied "Another One Bites the Dust" – The Game became the group's first American number one album. However, the bottom fell out of the group's popularity, particularly in the U.S., shortly afterward. Their largely instrumental soundtrack to Flash Gordon was coldly received later in 1980. With the help of David Bowie, Queen were able to successfully compete with new wave with the 1981 hit single "Under Pressure" – their first U.K. number one since "Bohemian Rhapsody" – which was included both on their 1981 Greatest Hits and 1982's Hot Space. Instead of proving the group's vitality, "Under Pressure" was a last gasp. Hot Space was only a moderate hit, and the more rock-oriented The Works (1984) also was a minor hit, with only "Radio Ga Ga" receiving much attention. Shortly afterward, they left Elektra and signed with Capitol.

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Queen: Studio Discography (1973-1995)

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Faced with their decreased popularity in the U.S. and waning popularity in Britain, Queen began touring foreign markets, cultivating a large, dedicated fan base in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, continents that most rock groups ignored. In 1985, they returned to popularity in Britain in the wake of their showstopping performance at Live Aid. The following year, they released A Kind of Magic to strong European sales, but they failed to make headway in the States. The same fate befell 1989's The Miracle, yet 1991's Innuendo was greeted more favorably, going gold and peaking at number 30 in the U.S. Nevertheless, it still was a far bigger success in Europe, entering the U.K. charts at number one.

By 1991, Queen had drastically scaled back their activity, causing many rumors to circulate about Freddie Mercury's health. On November 23, he issued a statement confirming that he was stricken with AIDS; he died the next day. The following spring, the remaining members of Queen held a memorial concert at Wembley Stadium that was broadcast to an international audience of more than one billion. Featuring such guest artists as David Bowie, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses, the concert raised millions for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was established for AIDS awareness. The concert coincided with a revival of interest in "Bohemian Rhapsody," which climbed to number two in the U.S. and number one in the U.K. in the wake of its appearance in the Mike Myers comedy Wayne's World.

Following Mercury's death, the remaining members of Queen were fairly quiet. Brian May released his second solo album, Back to the Light, in 1993, ten years after the release of his first record. Roger Taylor cut a few records with the Cross, which he had been playing with since 1987, while Deacon essentially retired. The three reunited in 1994 to record backing tapes for vocal tracks Mercury recorded on his deathbed. The resulting album, Made in Heaven, was released in 1995 to mixed reviews and strong sales, particularly in Europe. Crown Jewels, a box set repackaging their first eight LPs, followed in 1998. Archival live recordings, DVDs, and compilations kept appearing through the new millennium. The Queen name was revived in 2005, but this time with "+ Paul Rodgers" appended to it. Rodgers, the former lead singer of Free and Bad Company, joined Brian May and Roger Taylor (John Deacon remained retired) for several live shows, one of which was documented on 2005's Return of the Champions, a double-disc release issued by the Hollywood label. International touring continued, as did a new studio album featuring Rodgers' vocals. Released under the "Queen + Paul Rodgers" tag, The Cosmos Rocks appeared in September 2008, followed by an American release one month later. Reception was decidedly mixed.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Like any patchy but promising debut from a classic rock group, it's often easy to underrate Queen's eponymous 1973 debut, since it has no more than one well-known anthem and plays more like a collection of ideas than a cohesive album. But what ideas! Almost every one of Queen's signatures are already present, from Freddie Mercury's operatic harmonies to Brian May's rich, orchestral guitar overdubs and the suite-like structures of "Great King Rat." That rich, florid feel could be characterized as glam, but even in these early days that appellation didn't quite fit Queen, since they were at once too heavy and arty to be glam and – ironically enough, considering their legendary excess – they were hardly trashy enough to be glam. But that only speaks to the originality of Queen: they may have traded in mystical sword 'n' sorcerers themes like so many '70s prog bands, and they may have hit as hard as Led Zeppelin (and Jimmy Page's guitar army certainly was a forefather to May's overdubs), but they didn't sound like anybody else, they were too odd in their theatricality to be mistaken for another band. That much was apparent on this debut, but one thing was crucially missing: songs that could coalesce their sound and present it in a memorable fashion. There is an exception to that rule – the wild, rampaging opener "Keep Yourself Alive," one of their very best songs – but too often the album plays like a succession of ideas instead of succinct songs, and the group's predilection for suites only highlights this, despite the occasional blast of fury like "Modern Times Rock & Roll." This can be quite appealing as sheer, visceral sound and, in that regard, Queen is kind of irresistible. It showcases the band in all their ornate splendor yet it's strangely lean and hard, revealing just how good the band was in their early days as a hard rock band. That might not quite make it an overlooked gem – it remains patchy on a song for song basis – but it sure makes for an interesting debut that provides a rough road map to their later work.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Keep Yourself Alive 3:47
2 Doing All Right 4:10
3 Great King Rat 5:43
4 My Fairy King 4:08
5 Liar 6:26
6 The Night Comes Down 4:23
7 Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll 1:48
8 Son & Daughter 3:23
9 Jesus 3:44
10 Seven Seas Of Rhye 1:15



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano
Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano on Doing All Right
Deacon John - bass guitar
Roger Meddows-Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals

Produced by: Queen, Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony.
The Night Comes Down produced by Queen, recorded and engineered by Louis Austin.

Recorded: January 1972 - January 1973 at Trident Studios, London. The Night Comes Down recorded September 1971 at De Lane Lea Studios, London.

In one regard, Queen II does indeed provide more of the same thing as on the band's debut. Certainly, of all the other albums in Queen's catalog it bears the closest resemblance to its immediate predecessor, particularly in its lean, hard attack and in how it has only one song that is well-known to listeners outside of their hardcore cult: in this case, it's "Seven Seas of Rhye," which is itself more elliptical than "Keep Yourself Alive," the big song from the debut. But these similarities are superficial and Queen II is a very different beast than its predecessor, an album that is richer, darker, and weirder, an album that finds Queen growing as a band by leaps and bounds. There is still a surplus of ideas, but their energies are better focused this time around, channeled into a over-inflated, pompous rock that could be called prog if it wasn't so heavy. Even with all the queens and ogres that populate Queen II, this never feels as fantastical as Genesis or Uriah Heep, and that's because Queen hits hard as a rock band here, where even the blasts of vocal harmonies feel like power chords, no matter how florid they are. Besides, these grandiose harmonies, along with the handful of wistful ballads here, are overshadowed by the onslaught of guitars and pummeling rhythms that give Queen II majesty and menace. Queen is coiled, tense, and vicious here, delivering on their inherent sense of drama, and that gives Queen II real power as music, as well as a true cohesion. The one thing that is missing is any semblance of a pop sensibility, even when they flirt with a mock Phil Spector production on "Funny How Love Is." This hits like heavy metal but has an art-rock sensibility through and through, which also means that it has no true hook in for those who don't want to succumb to Queen's world. But that kind of insular drama is quite alluring in its own right, which is why Queen II is one of the favorites of their hardcore fans. At the very least, it illustrates that Queen is starting to pull all their ambitions and influences into a signature sound, and it's quite powerful in that regard.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Procession 1:13
2 Father To Son 6:12
3 White Queen (As It Began) 4:34
4 Some Day One Day 4:21
5 The Loser In The End 4:01
6 Ogre Battle 4:08
7 The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke 2:40
8 Nevermore 1:18
9 The March Of The Black Queen 6:04
10 Funny How Love Is 3:16
11 Seven Seas Of Rhye 2:49



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, harpsichord on The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano on Father To Son, lead vocals on Some Day, One Day, bells on The March Of The Black Queen
John Deacon - bass guitar, acoustic guitar on Father To Son
Roger Meddows-Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, marimba and lead vocals on The Loser In The End
Roy Thomas Baker - virtuoso castanets on The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke

Produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker.
Nevermore and Funny How Love Is produced by Queen and Robin Geoffrey Cable. The March Of The Black Queen produced by Queen, Roy Thomas Baker, and Robin Geoffrey Cable.

Recorded August 1973 at Trident Studios, London.

Queen II was a breakthrough in terms of power and ambition, but Queen's third album Sheer Heart Attack was where the band started to gel. It followed quickly on the heels of the second record – just by a matter of months; it was the second album they released in 1974 – but it feels like it had a longer incubation period, so great is the progress here. Which isn't quite to say that Sheer Heart Attack is flawless – it still has a tendency to meander, sometimes within a song itself, as when the killer opening "Brighton Rock" suddenly veers into long stretches of Brian May solo guitar – but all these detours do not distract from the overall album, they're in many ways the key to the record itself: it's the sound of Queen stretching their wings as they learn how to soar to the clouds. There's a genuine excitement in hearing all the elements to Queen's sound fall into place here, as the music grows grander and catchier without sacrificing their brutal, hard attack. One of the great strengths of the album is how all four members find their voices as songwriters, penning hooks that are big, bold, and insistent and crafting them in songs that work as cohesive entities instead of flourishes of ideas. This is evident not just in "Killer Queen" – the first, best flourishing of Freddie Mercury's vaudevillian camp – but also on the pummeling "Stone Cold Crazy," a frenzied piece of jagged metal that's all the more exciting because it has a real melodic hook. Those hooks are threaded throughout the record, on both the ballads and the other rockers, but it isn't just that this is poppier, it's that they're able to execute their drama with flair and style. There are still references to mystical worlds ("Lily of the Valley," "In the Lap of Gods") but the fantasy does not overwhelm as it did on the first two records; the theatricality is now wielded on everyday affairs, which ironically makes them sound larger than life. And this sense of scale, combined with the heavy guitars, pop hooks, and theatrical style, marks the true unveiling of Queen, making Sheer Heart Attack as the moment where they truly came into their own.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Brighton Rock 5:10
2 Killer Queen 3:00
3 Tenement Funster 2:46
4 Flick Of The Wrist 3:17
5 Lily Of The Valley 1:45
6 Now I'm Here 4:13
7 In The Laps Of The Gods 3:22
8 Stone Cold Crazy 2:14
9 Dear Friends 1:07
10 Misfire 1:49
11 Bring Back That Leroy Brown 2:15
12 She Makes Me (Stromtrooper In Stilettos) 4:09
13 In The Laps Of The Gods … Revisited 3:45



Credits:

Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, screams, lead vocals on Tenement Funster
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, organ on Now I'm Here, jangle piano on Killer Queen and Bring Back That Leroy Brown, vocal extravaganzas
John Deacon - bass guitar, double bass on Bring Back That Leroy Brown, acoustic guitar on Tenement Funster, In The Lap Of The Gods, Misfire, and She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettoes), almost all guitars on Misfire
Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano on Now I'm Here and Dear Friends, genuine George Formy ukulele-banjo on Bring Back That Leroy Brown, lead vocals on She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettoes), guitar orchestrations

Produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker.

Recorded July - September 1974 at Trident Studios, Wessex Studios, and AIR Studios, London; Rockfield Studios, Monmouth.

Queen were straining at the boundaries of hard rock and heavy metal on Sheer Heart Attack, but they broke down all the barricades on A Night at the Opera, a self-consciously ridiculous and overblown hard rock masterpiece. Using the multi-layered guitars of its predecessor as a foundation, A Night at the Opera encompasses metal ("Death on Two Legs," "Sweet Lady"), pop (the lovely, shimmering "You're My Best Friend"), campy British music hall ("Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," "Seaside Rendezvous"), and mystical prog rock ("'39," "The Prophet's Song"), eventually bringing it all together on the pseudo-operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody." In short, it's a lot like Queen's own version of Led Zeppelin IV, but where Zep find dark menace in bombast, Queen celebrate their own pomposity. No one in the band takes anything too seriously, otherwise the arrangements wouldn't be as ludicrously exaggerated as they are. But the appeal – and the influence – of A Night at the Opera is in its detailed, meticulous productions. It's prog rock with a sense of humor as well as dynamics, and Queen never bettered their approach anywhere else.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Death On Two Legs 3:44
2 Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon 1:07
3 I'm In Love With My Car 3:05
4 You're My Best Friend 2:50
5 '39 3:30
6 Sweet Lady 4:02
7 Seaside Rendezvous 2:14
8 The Prophet's Song 8:20
9 Love Of My Life 3:34
10 Good Company 3:17
11 Bohemian Rhapsody 5:59
12 God Save The Queen 1:12



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, vocals, Bechstein Debauchery, and more vocals, jangle piano and vocal orchestration of woodwinds on Seaside Rendezvous, operatic vocals on Bohemian Rhapsody
Brian May - guitars, orchestral backdrops, vocals, lead vocals on '39 and Good Company, toy koto on The Prophets Song, orchestral harp on Love Of My Life, genuine 'aloha' ukulele (made in Japan) and guitar jazz band on Good Company, operatic vocals on Bohemian Rhapsody
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, lead vocals on I'm In Love With My Car, bass drum and tambourine on '39, vocal orchestrations of brass on Seaside Rendezvous, operatic vocals on Bohemian Rhapsody, timpani and gong on Bohemian Rhapsody and God Save The Queen, orchestral cymbals on God Save The Queen
John Deacon - bass guitar, electric piano on You're My Best Friend, double bass on '39

Produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker.

Recorded August - November 1975 at Sarm Studios, Olympic Studios, Scorpio Studios, Lansdowne Studios, Roundhouse Studios, London; Rockfield Studios, Monmouth. (God Save The Queen recorded July - October 1974 at Wessex Studios.)

In every sense, A Day at the Races is an unapologetic sequel to A Night at the Opera, the 1975 breakthrough that established Queen as rock & roll royalty. The band never attempts to hide that the record is a sequel – the two albums boast the same variation on the same cover art, the titles are both taken from old Marx Brothers films and serve as counterpoints to each other. But even though the two albums look the same, they don't quite sound the same, A Day at the Races is a bit tighter than its predecessor, yet tighter doesn't necessarily mean better for a band as extravagant as Queen. One of the great things about A Night at the Opera is that the lingering elements of early Queen – the pastoral folk of "39," the metallic menace of "Death on Two Legs" – dovetailed with an indulgence of camp and a truly, well, operatic scale. Here, the eccentricities are trimmed back somewhat – they still bubble up on "The Millionaire Waltz," an example of the music hall pop that dominated Night, the pro-Native American saga "White Man" is undercut somewhat by the cowboys 'n' indians rhythms – in favor of a driving, purposeful hard rock that still could have some slyly hidden perversities (or in the case of the opening "Tie Your Mother Down," some not-so-hidden perversity) but this is exquisitely detailed hard rock, dense with minutiae but never lush or fussy. In a sense, it could even function as the bridge between Sheer Heart Attack and Night at the Opera – it's every bit as hard as the former and nearly as florid as the latter – but its sleek, streamlined finish is the biggest indication that Queen has entered a new phase, where they're globe-conquering titans instead of underdogs on the make.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Tie Your Mother Down 4:46
2 You Take My Breathe Away 5:07
3 Long Away 3:33
4 The Millionaire Waltz 4:54
5 You And I 3:25
6 Somebody To Love 4:56
7 White Man 4:58
8 Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy 2:54
9 Drowse 3:43
10 Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) 5:51



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, choir meister, tantrums, choir vocals on Somebody To Love
Brian May - guitars, vocals, leader of the orchestra, introduction on Tie Your Mother Down, lead vocals on Long Away, guitar orchestrations on The Millionaire Waltz, choir vocals on Somebody To Love, slide guitar on Drowse, harmonium, piano and plastic piano on Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
Roger Taylor - drums, vocals, percussion, pandemonium, choir vocals on Somebody To Love, rhythm guitar and lead vocals on Drowse
John Deacon - Fender bass, acoustic guitar on You And I
Mike Stone - additional vocals on Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

Produced by Queen.

Recorded July - November 1976 at The Manor, Wessex Studios, and Sarm Studios, London.

If Day at the Races was a sleek, streamlined album, its 1977 successor, News of the World, was its polar opposite, an explosion of styles that didn't seem to hold to any particular center. It's front-loaded with two of Queen's biggest anthems – the stomping, stadium-filling chant "We Will Rock You" and its triumphant companion, "We Are the Champions" – which are quickly followed by the ferocious "Sheer Heart Attack," a frenzied rocker that hits harder than anything on the album that shares its name (a remarkable achievement in itself). Three songs, three quick shifts in mood, but that's hardly the end of it. As the News rolls on, you're treated to the arch, campy crooning of "My Melancholy Blues," a shticky blues shuffle in "Sleeping on the Sidewalk," and breezy Latin rhythms on "Who Needs You." Then there's the neo-disco of "Fight from the Inside," which is eclipsed by the mechanical funk of "Get Down, Make Love," a dirty grind that's stripped of sensuality. That cold streak on "Get Down, Make Love" runs through the album as a whole. Despite the explosion of sounds and rhythms, this album doesn't add up to party thanks to that slightly distancing chilly vibe that hangs over the album. Nevertheless, many of these songs work well on their own as entities, so there is plenty to savor here, especially from Brian May. Whether he's doing the strangely subdued eccentric English pop "All Dead, All Dead" or especially the majestic yet nimble rocker "It's Late," he turns in work that gives this album some lightness, which it needs. And that's the reason News of the World was a monster hit despite its coldness – when it works, it's massive, earth-shaking rock & roll, the sound of a band beginning to revel in its superstardom.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 We Will Rock You 2:01
2 We Are The Champions 2:59
3 Sheer Heart Attack 3:25
4 All Dead, All Dead 3:09
5 Spread Your Wings 4:32
6 Fight From The Inside 3:03
7 Get Down, Make Love 3:51
8 Sleeping On The Sidewalk 3:07
9 Who Needs You 3:07
10 It's Late 6:27
11 My Melancholy Blues 3:29



Credits:

John Deacon - bass guitar, acoustic guitar on Spread Your Wings and Who Needs You
Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano on All Dead, All Dead, lead vocals on All Dead, All Dead and Sleeping On The Sidewalk, maracas and acoustic guitar on Who Needs You
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, harmony vocals on All Dead, All Dead, cowbell on Who Needs You
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, rhythm and bass guitars on Sheer Heart Attack and Fight From The Inside, lead vocals on Fight From The Inside

Produced by Queen, assisted by Mike Stone.

Recorded July - September 1977 at Basing Street Studios and Wessex Studios, London.

Famously tagged as "fascist" in a Rolling Stone review printed at the time of its 1978 release, Jazz does indeed showcase a band that does thrive upon its power, thrilling upon the hold that it has on its audience. That confidence, that self-intoxication, was hinted at on News of the World but it takes full flower here, and that assurance acts as a cohesive device, turning this into one of Queen's sleekest albums. Like its patchwork predecessor, Jazz also dabbles in a bunch of different sounds – that's a perennial problem with Queen, where the four songwriters were often pulling in different directions – but it sounds bigger, heavier than News, thanks to the mountains of guitars Brian May has layered all over this record. If May has indulged himself, Freddie Mercury runs riot all over this album, infusing it with an absurdity that's hard to resist. This goofiness is apparent from the galloping overture "Mustapha," and things only get a lot sillier from that point out, as the group sings the praises of "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Races," as May and Mercury have an unspoken competition on who can overdub the most onto a particular track while Roger Taylor steers them toward their first disco song in the gloriously dumb "Fun It." But since over-the-top campiness has always been an attribute in Queen, this kind of grand-scale exaggeration gives Jazz a sense of ridiculousness that makes it more fun than many of their other albums.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Mustapha 3:01
2 Fat Bottomed Girls 4:16
3 Jealousy 3:13
4 Bicycle Race 3:01
5 If You Can't Beat Them 4:15
6 Let Me Entertain You 3:01
7 Dead On Time 3:23
8 In Only Seven Days 2:30
9 Dreamer's Ball 3:30
10 Fun It 3:29
11 Leaving Home Ain't Easy 3:15
12 Don't Stop Me Now 3:29
13 More Of That Jazz 4:16



Credits:

John Deacon - bass guitar, acoustic guitar on In Only Seven Days
Brian May - guitars, vocals, lead vocals on Leaving Home Ain't Easy
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, co-lead vocals on Fun It, lead vocals, bass and rhythm guitars on More Of That Jazz

Produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker.

Recorded July - October 1978 at Superbear Studios, Nice, and Mountain Studios, Montreux.

While writing and recording The Game, Queen were asked by renowned movie director Dino DeLaurentis to provide the soundtrack for his upcoming sci-fi epic Flash Gordon. The band accepted and promptly began working on both albums simultaneously. Although at first many fans criticized Flash Gordon since it was issued as an official Queen release rather than a motion picture soundtrack, it has proven to be one of rock's better motion picture soundtracks over the years. The majority of the music is instrumental, with dialogue from the movie in place of Freddie Mercury's singing (only two tracks contain lyrics), but the songwriting is still unmistakably Queen. Highlights abound, such as "Football Fight," "Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawkmen)," "The Wedding March," and the heavy metal roar of "Battle Theme." But it was the two more conventional songs that were the album's two best tracks – the anthemic U.K. Top Ten hit "Flash's Theme" and the woefully underrated rocker "The Hero." With Queen involved, Flash Gordon is certainly not your average, predictable soundtrack.

by Greg Prato

Tracklist:

1 Flash's Theme 3:29
2 In The Space Capsule (The Love Theme) 2:42
3 Ming's Theme (In The Court Of Ming The Merciless) 2:40
4 The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction Of Dale) 0:57
5 Football Fight 1:28
6 In The Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise) 2:24
7 Execution Of Flash 1:05
8 The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash) 1:44
9 Arboria (Planet Of The Tree Men) 1:41
10 Escape From The Swamp 1:43
11 Flash To The Rescue 2:44
12 Vultan's Theme (Attack Of The Hawk Men) 1:12
13 Battle Theme 2:18
14 The Wedding March 0:56
15 Marriage Of Dale And Ming (And Flash Approaching) 2:04
16 Crash Drive On Mingo City 1:00
17 Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations) 1:23
18 The Hero 3:31



Credits:

John Deacon - bass guitar, synthesizer, guitar
Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano, organ, synthesizer
Freddie Mercury - vocals, synthesizer
Roger Taylor - drums, vocals, timpani
Howard Blake - orchestral arrangements

Produced by Brian May and Mack.

Recorded October - November 1980 at The Townhouse, Advision Studios, The Music Centre, London. The Hero recorded at Utopia Studios, London. Orchestrations recorded at Anvil Studios, London.

Queen had long been one of the biggest bands in the world by 1980's The Game, but this album was the first time they made a glossy, unabashed pop album, one that was designed to sound exactly like its time. They might be posed in leather jackets on the cover, but they hardly sound tough or menacing – they rarely rock, at least not in the gonzo fashion that's long been their trademark. Gone are the bombastic orchestras of guitars and with them the charging, relentless rhythms that kept Queen grounded even at their grandest moments. Now, when they rock, they'll haul out a clever rockabilly pastiche, as they do on the tremendous "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," a sly revival of old-time rock & roll that never sounds moldy, thanks in large part to Freddie Mercury's panache. But even that is an exception to the rule on The Game. Usually, when they want to rock here, they wind up sounding like Boston, as they do on John Deacon's "Need Your Loving Tonight," or they sound a bit like a new wave-conscious rocker like Billy Squier, as they do on the propulsive "Coming Soon." But even those are exceptions to the overall rule on The Game, since most of the album is devoted to disco-rock blends – best heard on the globe-conquering "Another One Bites the Dust," but also present in the unintentionally kitschy positivity anthem "Don't Try Suicide" – and the majestic power ballads that became their calling card in the '80s, as they reworked the surging "Save Me" and the elegant "Play the Game" numerous times, often with lesser results. So, The Game winds up as a mixed bag, as many Queen albums often do, but again the striking difference with this album is that it finds Queen turning decidedly, decisively pop, and it's a grand, state-of-the-art circa 1980 pop album that still stands as one of the band's most enjoyable records. But the very fact that it does showcase a band that's turned away from rock and toward pop means that for some Queen fans, it marks the end of the road, and despite the album's charms, it's easy to see why.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Play The Game 3:30
2 Dragon Attack 4:18
3 Another One BitesThe Dust 3:35
4 Need Your Loving Tonight 2:48
5 Crazy Little Thing Called Love 2:44
6 Rock It (Prime Jive) 4:31
7 Don't Try Suicide 3:52
8 Sail Away Sweet Sister 3:32
9 Coming Soon 2:50
10 Save Me 3:48



Credits:

John Deacon - bass guitar, rhythm guitar and piano on Another One Bites The Dust, acoustic rhythm guitar on Need Your Loving Tonight
Brian May - guitars, vocals, synthesizer, piano on Save Me, lead vocals on Sail Away Sweet Sister
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, synthesizer, acoustic rhythm guitar on Crazy Little Thing Called Love, intro vocals on Rock It (Prime Jive), bridge vocals on Sail Away Sweet Sister
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, synthesizer, rhythm guitar and co-lead vocals on Coming Soon, lead vocals on Rock It (Prime Jive)
Mack - synthesizer

Produced by Queen and Mack.

Recorded June - July 1979 (Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Sail Away Sweet Sister, Coming Soon, and Save Me) and February - May 1980 (all other tracks) at Musicland Studios, Munich.

Anybody who was a little dismayed by the pop inclinations of The Game would have been totally distressed by Queen's 1982 follow-up, Hot Space, an unabashed pop and dance album. The band that once proudly proclaimed not to use synthesizers on their albums has suddenly, dramatically reversed course, devoting the entire first side of the album to robotic, new wave dance-pop, all driven by drum machines and colored by keyboards, with Brian May's guitar coming in as flavor only on occasion. The second side is better, as it finds the group rocking, but there are still electronic drums. But the Beatlesque "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)" is a sweet, if a bit too literal, tribute and with "Calling All Girls" Queen finally gets synth-driven new wave rock right, resulting in a sharp piece of pop. But the album's undeniable saving grace is the concluding "Under Pressure," an utterly majestic, otherworldly duet with David Bowie that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting melancholy heart that gives it a genuine human warmth unheard in much of their music. Frankly, "Under Pressure" is the only reason most listeners remember this album, which is as much a testament to the song's strength as it is to the rather desultory nature of the rest of Hot Space.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:

1 Staying Power 4:12
2 Dancer 3:46
3 Back Chat 4:33
4 Body Language 4:30
5 Action This Day 3:33
6 Put Out The Fire 3:18
7 Life Is Real (Song For Lennon) 3:29
8 Calling All Girls 3:51
9 Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love) 4:29
10 Cool Cat 3:27
11 Under Pressure 4:05



Credits:

John Deacon - bass guitar, synthesizer, rhythm guitar on Staying Power, Back Chat, and Cool Cat, drum programming on Cool Cat
Brian May - guitars, vocals, synthesizer, synth bass on Dancer, piano on Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, synthesizer, synth bass and drum programming on Staying Power and Body Language
Roger Taylor - drums, electronic drums, vocals, synthesizer, rhythm guitar on Calling All Girls
Mack - synthesizers
David Bowie - vocals on Under Pressure

Produced by Queen and Mack.

Under Pressure produced by Queen and David Bowie. Horns on Staying Power produced by Arif Mardin.
Recorded July - September 1981 at Mountain Studios, Montreux, and December 1981 - March 1982 at Musicland Studios, Munich. Additional recording done at an unknown studio in New York, for Under Pressure and Staying Power (horns only).

Following the disappointing commercial performance of the dance-oriented Hot Space in 1982, Queen took 1983 off to get refocused and work on a follow-up that would put the band back on track. While the songwriting had definitely improved on the resulting The Works in 1984, the album sonically lacked the punch of such earlier releases as News of the World and The Game (strangely, Hot Space even had a better overall sound). Although the album only peaked at number 23 on the U.S. album charts, it was a Top Ten hit in just about every other area of the world, producing the huge single "Radio Ga Ga." Three other tracks were hits in Queen's native England – the uplifting "I Want to Break Free," the love song "It's a Hard Life," and the politically conscious rocker "Hammer to Fall," which dealt with the danger of nuclear weapons. Other highlights included the '50s-sounding "Man on the Prowl," the electronic experiment "Machines," the thunderous "Tear It Up," and a touching acoustic ballad, "Is This the World We Created…?" Perhaps with a more straight-ahead production (and a U.S. tour), The Works would have landed Queen back on the top of the charts stateside.

by Greg Prato

Tracklist:

1 Radio Ga Ga 5:49
2 Tear It Up 3:28
3 It's A Hard Life 4:08
4 Man On The Prowl 3:28
5 Machines (or 'Back To Humans') 5:10
6 I Want To Break Free 3:20
7 Keep Passing The Open Windows 5:22
8 Hammer To Fall 4:28
9 Is This The World We Created…? 2:13



Credits:

John Deacon - bass guitar, acoustic rhythm guitar on I Want To Break Free, synthesizer
Brian May - guitars, vocals
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, synthesizer
Roger Taylor - drums, electronic drums, vocals, synthesizer
Fred Mandel - piano finale on Man On The Prowl, synthesizers on Radio Ga Ga and I Want To Break Free, programming on Radio Ga Ga, and candy-floss on Hammer To Fall
Mack - Demolition Fairlight programming on Machines (Or 'Back To Humans')

Produced by Queen and Mack.

Recorded August 1983 - January 1984 at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, and Musicland Studios, Munich

By the release of 1986's A Kind of Magic, Queen's stature as a prominent rock band in the U.S. had slipped considerably, while in all other parts of the world (especially Europe), they remained superstar hitmakers. A Kind of Magic was their biggest album yet in England, where it reached number one, remained on the charts for 63 weeks, and spawned several hit singles – the epic title track, the tuneful pop/rocker "Friends Will Be Friends," and one of their most haunting ballads, "Who Wants to Live Forever" (also included was the Live Aid-inspired hit anthem "One Vision," which was originally released as a single in 1985). Most of the songs were written for the movie Highlander – "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)," "Princes of the Universe," the aforementioned "Who Wants to Live Forever," etc. – but instead of issuing just a movie soundtrack, the band added a few non-movie tracks and made an official Queen release out of it. It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but A Kind of Magic was their best work in some time. Queen would embark on a sold-out tour of outdoor stadiums in Europe upon the album's release, which would sadly turn out to be their final tour.

by Greg Prato

Tracklist:

1 One Vision 5:11
2 A Kind Of Magic 4:24
3 One Year Of Love 4:27
4 Pain Is So Close To Pleasure 4:22
5 Friends Will Be Friends 4:07
6 Who Wants To Live Forever 5:17
7 Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme) 4:34
8 Don't Lose Your Head 4:38
9 Princes Of The Universe 3:33
Extra Magical Ingredients
10 A Kind Of 'A Kind Of Magic' 3:37
11 Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends… 5:58
12 Forever 3:20



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, keyboards
John Deacon - bass guitar, keyboards, occasional guitar
Roger Taylor - drums, occasional vocals, keyboards
Brian May - guitars, occasional vocals, keyboards, orchestral arrangements on Who Wants To Live Forever

Spike Edney - extra keyboards
UMI & BBC B - computer keyboards
Lynton Naiff - string arrangement on One Year Of Love
Steve Gregory - saxophone on One Year Of Love
Michael Kamen - orchestral arrangements on Who Wants To Live Forever
National Philharmonic Orchestra - strings on Who Wants To Live Forever
Joan Armatrading - incidental vocals on Don't Lose Your Head

Produced by Queen and Mack (One Vision, One Year Of Love, Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, Friends Will Be Friends, Princes Of The Universe, Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends…, and One Vision (Extended Vision); Queen and David Richards (all other tracks).

Recorded September 1985 - March 1986 at The Townhouse, London, Musicland Studios, Munich, and Mountain Studios, Montreux. Orchestra recorded by Eric Tomlinson at Abbey Road Studios, St. John's Wood.

Following their massive 1986 European stadium tour for the A Kind of Magic album, Queen took an extended break. Rumors swirled about an impending breakup, but it turned out the break was brought on by a painful marital divorce for guitarist Brian May (who subsequently battled depression and contemplated suicide), and Freddie Mercury being diagnosed with AIDS. Instead of sinking further into misery, the band regrouped, worked on each other's mental state, and recorded one of their most inspired albums, 1989's The Miracle. Lyrically, the songs tend to reflect on the band's past accomplishments ("Khashoggi's Ship," "Was It All Worth It") as well as the state of the world in the late '80s (the title track, "I Want It All"). Produced by the band and David Richards, The Miracle packs quite a sonic punch, recalling the rich sounds of their past classics (1976's A Day at the Races, etc.). Split 50/50 between pop ("Breakthru," "The Invisible Man," "Rain Must Fall") and heavy rock (the aforementioned "I Want It All," "Khashoggi's Ship," "Was It All Worth It"), the album was another global smash, even re-establishing the band stateside (going Top 30 and attaining gold status). Along with The Game, The Miracle is Queen's strongest album of the '80s.

by Greg Prato

Tracklist:

1 Party 2:24
2 Khashoggi's Ship 2:48
3 The Miracle 5:02
4 I Want It All 4:41
5 The Invisible Man 3:57
6 Breakthru 4:08
7 Rain Must Fall 4:22
8 Scandal 4:42
9 My Baby Does Me 3:23
10 Was It All Worth It 5:45
Extra Tracks
11 Hang On In There 3:46
12 Chinese Torture 1:44
13 The Invisible Man (12" Version) 5:28



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, keyboards
John Deacon - bass guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards
Brian May - guitars, vocals, keyboards

David Richards - programming, keyboards
Brian Zellis - computer programming

Produced by Queen and David Richards.

Recorded January 1988 - February 1989 at Olympic Studios and The Townhouse, London, and Mountain Studios, Montreux.

Unbeknownst to the public, Freddie Mercury had been diagnosed with the AIDS virus in the late '80s. Although his health weakened by the '90s, Mercury insisted that the band work on music until the very end; their final album turned out to be 1991's Innuendo. Although it didn't receive the same critical praise as its predecessor, 1989's The Miracle, it was another strong album and global hit (again going gold in the U.S.). With hindsight, the song's lyrics are blatantly autobiographical from Mercury's standpoint, such as the reflective "These Are the Days of Our Lives" and the bold "The Show Must Go On." Also included are a pair of tracks that deal with mankind's inability to live harmoniously (the superb epic title track and "All God's People") and a humorous tribute to Mercury's beloved pet felines ("Delilah"). Queen's heavier side is represented by both the rock radio hit "Headlong" and "The Hitman," while "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "I Can't Live With You," and "Don't Try So Hard" show the band's pop sensibilities in full force, and on "Bijou," Brian May gets to show off his guitar chops. Innuendo was a fitting way to end one of rock's most successful careers.

by Greg Prato

Tracklist:

1 Innuendo 6:31
2 I'm Going Slightly Mad 4:22
3 Headlong 4:38
4 I Can't Live With You 4:33
5 Don't Try So Hard 3:39
6 Ride The Wild Wind 4:42
7 All God's People 4:21
8 These Are The Days Of Our Lives 4:15
9 Delilah 3:35
10 The Hitman 4:56
11 Bijou 3:36
12 The Show Must Go On 4:35



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, keyboards
Brian May - guitars, keyboards, harmonies, vocals
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, keyboards, harmonies, vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar, keyboards

Mike Moran - keyboards on All God's People
Steve Howe - additional wandering minstrel Spanish guitar - Somewhere In The Middle - on Innuendo
David Richards - computer programming

Produced by Queen and David Richards.

Recorded March 1989 - November 1990 at Metropolis Studios, London, and Mountain Studios, Montreux.

During the 1980s, Queen ceased to be a big record seller in the U.S., but maintained its superstar status at home. In the '90s, following the death of Freddie Mercury, there was a brief resurgence of interest in America triggered by the inclusion of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the movie Wayne's World. But in 1995, when the surviving members got around to releasing the final recordings done with Mercury in the form of Made in Heaven, the status quo had returned. The album topped the charts in Western Europe, with its single, "Heaven for Everyone," reaching the Top Ten, while in the U.S. it was on and off the charts within weeks. Musically, Made in Heaven harked back to Queen's 1970s heyday with its strong melodies and hard rock guitar playing, topped by Mercury's bravura singing and some of the massed choir effects familiar from "Bohemian Rhapsody." Even if one did not know that these songs were sung in the shadow of death, that subject would be obvious. The lyrics were imbued with life-and-death issues, from the titles – "Let Me Live," "My Life Has Been Saved," and "Too Much Love Will Kill You" – to lines like "It's hopeless – so hopeless to even try" ("It's a Beautiful Day"), "Waiting for possibilities/Don't see too many around" ("Made in Heaven"), and "I long for peace before I die" ("Mother Love"). The odd thing about this was that Mercury's over-the-top singing had always contained a hint of camp humor, and it continued to here, even when the sentiments clearly were as heartfelt as they were theatrically overstated. Maybe Mercury was determined to go out the same way he had come in, as a diva. If so, he succeeded.

by William Ruhlmann

Tracklist:

It's A Beautiful Day 2:33
Made In Heaven 5:25
Let Me Live 4:46
Mother Love 4:49
My Life Has Been Saved 3:15
I Was Born To Love You 4:50
Heaven For Everyone 5:36
Too Much Love Will Kill You 4:20
You Don't Fool Me 5:25
A Winter's Tale 3:49
It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise) 3:01
Yeah 0:04
Untitled 22:33



Credits:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, keyboards
John Deacon - bass guitar, keyboards
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals
Brian May - guitars, keyboards, vocals

Rebecca Leigh-White, Gary Martin, Catherine Porter, and Miriam Stockley - backing vocals on Let Me Live

Produced by Queen, David Richards, Justin Shirley-Smith, and Joshua J. Macrae.
Additional material recorded by Mack.

Recorded January - June 1991 at Mountain Studios, Montreux; late 1993 - early 1995 at Allerton Hill and Cosford Mill Studios, Surrey, and Metropolis Studios, London.

All thanks go to bki71, Mark557585, Konstantin_slash, kurok79, jktu_p and Olaf der Weisse