Queen debut album first arrived in july1973 but had been recorded very frantically and sporadically over a period of two years when the studio was free and not being used by anyone else which was mainly in the late evening or well into the night.
So not the perfect setting to make your debut but queen as queen always were ever determined to crack on and with finally signing a contract with EMI they released the eponymous debut album 'QUEEN'.
First track off the album is keep yourself alive written by brian may and the first single from the album,this track is brilliant early glimpses of brian's unique sound and playing freddie's vocal range and taylor and deacon easing rhythm through the song makes it enjoyable to listen to.
Rejected no less than 5times by radio1 playlist it also failed to chart.
Doing all right follows and another great track written back in late68 or 69 by then smile vocalist tim staffel and brian may this version however features freddie on vocalsand he delivers a great vocal and again great guitar playing by b. may, i wonder what would have happened if they released this instead of KYA i bet it would have charted!.
Liar follows and doesn't disapoint piano-led with bursts of operatic vocals and a great intro by roger.
The often slated 'jesus' takes queen to another dimension thankfully one they don't revisit until'all god's people' a story of the messiah told by freddie not a great track but IMO it features great guitar work by brian.
Seven seas of rhye ends side1 with a short instrumental freddie hadn't put many words down and serves as a taster for the future.
Great king rat opens side2 with feedback from brian and tells a story of Great king rat apparently he was born on the 21st of may multi-tracked guitars abound and freddie calling on people to not believe what they read in the bible,freddie a atheist? surely not.
My fairy king a mercury penned tune takes us to the land of fairies with freddie announcing to the world that he's no more bulsara but "mother mercury".
The night comes down recorded at dea lane lea studios as a demo arrives on the album a lovely track with melodic substance and a standout finish.
Modern times rock n roll sees roger's debut on the album a quick song quite heavy in places and sets up the finale which is son and daughter.
son and daughter written by may closes the album with freddie unsure if he's a boy or a girl and the first use of bad language exclaming that the women expects the man to work on a farm!!!!!, nice work by brian near the end with his tonal range it almost sounds like a organ but is actually his red special playing out the album.
A mixed first album dominated by mercury and may compositions and one from taylor sees queen over produced,over amplified,overdubbed and extravagant in every sense but hey that's queen all over isn't it,NOTE (no-one played synthesizer)
Thank you beautiful people good night god bless you.
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Wow! That was the track listing in Britian and Europe? What an odd sequence. Over in the US and Canada it was:
Side One
Keep yourself alive
Doing all right
Great King Rat
My fairy king
Side Two
Liar
The night comes down
Modern times rock nad roll
Son and daughter
Jesus
Seven seas of rhye
Side One
Keep yourself alive
Doing all right
Great King Rat
My fairy king
Side Two
Liar
The night comes down
Modern times rock nad roll
Son and daughter
Jesus
Seven seas of rhye
queen's first album is brilliant, one of the best debuts ever, sadly never a big hit. 'queen' is simply in my top 5 of favorite queen albums, not as polished as their later work, but the raw and heavy sounds make up for it , a young and hungry queen. ,great king rat' is tremendous, 'liar' is brilliant and 'fairy king' shows hints of the freddie mercury style we all know and love. great album.
Yeah great review. But I think that you should have given "Liar" and "great King Rat" more good credits, as they are the best on the whole album. When Freddie sings in GKR that you don't shall believe what is written in the bible, I think that means that great king rat thinks so, as he is a really great ugly rat.
queen's first album is brilliant, one of the best debuts ever, sadly never a big hit. 'queen' is simply in my top 5 of favorite queen albums,
i agree mike
i usually have it as my seocnd fave behind queen II. amazing how you always go back to what you always liked - remember thinking how much i liked innuendo but it kinda faded ...and i always go back to the first few albums upto and incl jazz
the 70s rocked - like the 80s could only imagine
Truly an amazing album....nothing has ever sounded as gritty and mean as Son & Daughter. Reminds me of Sabbath when they were good......
i agree, my favorites are queen2, anato, sheer heart attack, queen, adatr, i think the first 8 are brilliant, including 'jazz' and 'the game'. 'innuendo' is also in the mix.
I also love the 'piano led' Liar!?!
Truly an amazing album....nothing has ever sounded as gritty and mean as Son & Daughter. Reminds me of Sabbath when they were good......
it's an amzing phenomenom - that debuts always sound raw but full of potential
led zep, queen, sabs, pistols - christ - even Oasis - there's something about "finally getting the chance to record" that brings out all the energy and life
the second album is usually a contrast - the production is important and the kitchen sink gets thrown in - result a highly-polished better produced version of the debut
...which is why i love queen and queen II
Brenda, where DID you get your album from?? By the tracklisting, I'd have to imagine you pieced it together very poorly from misnumbered mp3s you downloaded off some deluded teenagers in Boston...
No thomas my information is correct i've just gone by my tracklisting from the orignal cassette which as a running order of:
KYA, Doing all right,liar,jesus,seven seas of rhye
Great king rat,my fairy king,the night comes down,modern times rock 'n'roll son and daughter.
It was distributed by a company called FAME and indeed the tracklisting is indeed odd and i have no idea why they did this, i have had this version for years and went from this rather than the 'Well known' version so apologies to you if it seem strange.
KYA, Doing all right,liar,jesus,seven seas of rhye
Great king rat,my fairy king,the night comes down,modern times rock 'n'roll son and daughter.
It was distributed by a company called FAME and indeed the tracklisting is indeed odd and i have no idea why they did this, i have had this version for years and went from this rather than the 'Well known' version so apologies to you if it seem strange.
And just to prove a point i've found this on the web and it has the same tracklisting that i have i hope it clears up any confusion.
http://www.geocities.com/queengui/discography.html
And thomas when you say facts to what are you referring to?
http://www.geocities.com/queengui/discography.html
And thomas when you say facts to what are you referring to?
No thomas my information is correct i've just gone by my tracklisting from the orignal cassette...
That's the thing Brenda. It's NOT the original cassette. I'd forgotten about the FAME re-issues, and God knows why anyone would mess with the running order, but believe me - this is not the correct running order. This is a joke. Try listening to the album in the correct order. It will probably sound funny if you've gotten used to hearing it in the Fame order, but it's the way Queen wanted you to hear it, so give it a go.
What a shitty and wrong statements!!!
"My fairy king a mercury penned tune takes us to the land of fairies with freddie announcing to the world that he's no more bulsara but "mother mercury".
- are you crazy?? Freddie had nothing to announce in this song, just listen to it carefully! Brian officially said that Freddie had decided to change his name after the track, because "Mother Mercury" had meant to be HIS MOTHER (as Freddie had said)...
"Son and daughter written by may closes the album with freddie unsure if he's a boy or a girl"
- do you have problems with sexual orientation? The song is definetely NOT about what you have written.
BRENDA, stop putting your very SUBJECTIVE reviews! Each of us has his own thoughts & visions. If everybody put his reviews there would be endless topics...
"My fairy king a mercury penned tune takes us to the land of fairies with freddie announcing to the world that he's no more bulsara but "mother mercury".
- are you crazy?? Freddie had nothing to announce in this song, just listen to it carefully! Brian officially said that Freddie had decided to change his name after the track, because "Mother Mercury" had meant to be HIS MOTHER (as Freddie had said)...
"Son and daughter written by may closes the album with freddie unsure if he's a boy or a girl"
- do you have problems with sexual orientation? The song is definetely NOT about what you have written.
BRENDA, stop putting your very SUBJECTIVE reviews! Each of us has his own thoughts & visions. If everybody put his reviews there would be endless topics...
You take my reviews as you like but i write them with 'tongue in cheek' style cause i don't take it too seriously and as i TRY to explain a song i elaborate from time to time,after all it's only opinion.
With regards to "mother mercury" i was referring to the point that after writng my fairy king freddie announced his name change from bulsara to mercury but again in my own way,though i take your point it might give out info which might not be true.
With the fame reissues i have heard the proper running order before on vinyl and i am sure i still have it somewhere and it sounds brilliant,but i went from the re-issue instead.
(banging head on table as we speak)
With regards to "mother mercury" i was referring to the point that after writng my fairy king freddie announced his name change from bulsara to mercury but again in my own way,though i take your point it might give out info which might not be true.
With the fame reissues i have heard the proper running order before on vinyl and i am sure i still have it somewhere and it sounds brilliant,but i went from the re-issue instead.
(banging head on table as we speak)