I'm about to say something that will doubtlessly piss many of you off, I'm aware of that, but it's been carefully thought out......and I know I'm not the only one who thinks this.....
A Night at the Opera is overrated and detracts from Queen's other studio works.
The 1975 album, generally considered by fans and critics alike to be Queen's crowning achievment and masterstroke, seems to be overhyped and draws attention away from other albums that are equally as good and (in my opinion) even better.
Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon is disposable novelty, Seaside Rendezvous the same, Sweet Lady is abominable and Good Company sub-par.
This leaves you with Bohemian Rhapsody, You're My Best Friend, Prophet's Song, I'm In Love With My Car (and even that was sub-par as far as a Queen rocker goes) and Death On Two Legs. I love all of those songs, but their presence doesn't necessarily equal an entirely solid album.
To me, Sheer Heart Attack and News Of The World blow A Night at the Opera away. Sheer Heart Attack was an incredibly solid album that showed how eclectic Queen could be and how well they could pull it off, but without compromising their hard-rock roots. It's tough to find a weak link on the entire album. No wonder it was recently voted the sixth greatest British album of all time by Kerrang! Magazine readers.
News Of The World, while maybe not as "concept" album-esque as their previous albums to that point, had so many incredble songs all in one place. Only Queen could pull off making an album where anthems like We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions AREN'T the best tracks on the album. Spread Your Wings, It's Late, Sheer Heart Attack, Get Down Make Love, Sleeping On the Sidewalk.....almost every song on that album knocks my dick in the dirt every time I listen to it.
I'm not saying A Night at the Opera was bad--it was awesome. But there were other albums where Queen were just as eclectic, just as solid but also kept their hard-rock roots intact and strong--something A Night at the Opera doesn't really capture. To me, it shows a lot of Queen at their lightest, and to me, many other Queen fans and critics alike, it was when Queen were at their heaviest that they were at their best. I think that's why they were so much better in concert-- it was Brian May and Roger Taylor unleashed, ready to give every song their all with guitar and drumming power.
Like I've said, they could still be eclectic but keep a rock sound to it. To me they didn't keep their rock roots intact on ANATO, and to canonize this album distracts from other compositions that were stronger and capture both the power as well as the essence of Queen much better.
Discuss!
Thread
Posts in chronological order
I totally agree - my favourite albums are A Day at the Races and Queen II. So many of the songs on ANATO have better predecessors:
Bohemian Rhapsody - March of the Black Queen Death on Two Legs - Flick of the Wrist
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon - Bring Back That Leroy Brown
The list goes on...
Bohemian Rhapsody - March of the Black Queen Death on Two Legs - Flick of the Wrist
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon - Bring Back That Leroy Brown
The list goes on...
Queen II-ADATR (IMO!!!) were the best of the 70's. But that is just me.
Good post QZ, but while SHA is an amazing album, ANATO is the album where Queen hit their creative stride. It would be just as easy (I won't) to call Leroy Brown disposable novelty as Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon or Seaside Rendezvous. But all of those songs found Queen mining new territory, and doing it tongue in cheek. I think Sweet Lady is a great Queen rocker with more guitar subtlety than 99% of the fans pick up on, and personally think that Good Company is the most under-appreciated guitar song EVER, regardless of band. That is utter genius.
I hear where you're coming from though. BoRhap brought more focus to the band, and because of that other albums get lost in the shuffle. Well thought out though.
I hear where you're coming from though. BoRhap brought more focus to the band, and because of that other albums get lost in the shuffle. Well thought out though.
Hm, yes, I see where your coming from but it seemed like the novelty was in greater abundance in ANATO then in Sheer Heart Attack or News Of The World.
i'll agree to disagree with queenzep. anato is queen truly at their creative peak. queen were never just a hard rock band, if you want that go listen to AC/DC. i agree sheer heart attack is as good, also queen2, i think their first six you could go back and forth with, debate forever which one is the best, there's no right or wrong answers, my first 6 are queen2, anato, sha, adatr, and queen, notw, those 6 change alot. MY point? i think it's a typical queenzoner to call anato overated, it kind of shows who i'm talking queen with, people who know very little about queen.
I think ANATO was a great album, but I do believe it isn't the only Queen masterpiece. To me, Queen and Queen II also are, as well as SHA, ADATR and, later, Innuendo. I don't think ANATO is overrated but I have the feeling that the other masterpieces didn't get ALL the credit they actually deserved - but that's only my opinion.
Queen II-ADATR (IMO!!!) were the best of the 70's. But that is just me.
I think you'd find a LOT of fans agree with you on that assessment. They're the two best albums the band ever made. :)
I'm about to say something that will doubtlessly piss many of you off, I'm aware of that, but it's been carefully thought out......and I know I'm not the only one who thinks this.....
A Night at the Opera is overrated and detracts from Queen's other studio works.
The 1975 album, generally considered by fans and critics alike to be Queen's crowning achievment and masterstroke, seems to be overhyped and draws attention away from other albums that are equally as good and (in my opinion) even better.
Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon is disposable novelty, Seaside Rendezvous the same, Sweet Lady is abominable and Good Company sub-par.
This leaves you with Bohemian Rhapsody, You're My Best Friend, Prophet's Song, I'm In Love With My Car (and even that was sub-par as far as a Queen rocker goes) and Death On Two Legs. I love all of those songs, but their presence doesn't necessarily equal an entirely solid album.
To me, Sheer Heart Attack and News Of The World blow A Night at the Opera away. Sheer Heart Attack was an incredibly solid album that showed how eclectic Queen could be and how well they could pull it off, but without compromising their hard-rock roots. It's tough to find a weak link on the entire album. No wonder it was recently voted the sixth greatest British album of all time by Kerrang! Magazine readers.
News Of The World, while maybe not as "concept" album-esque as their previous albums to that point, had so many incredble songs all in one place. Only Queen could pull off making an album where anthems like We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions AREN'T the best tracks on the album. Spread Your Wings, It's Late, Sheer Heart Attack, Get Down Make Love, Sleeping On the Sidewalk.....almost every song on that album knocks my dick in the dirt every time I listen to it.
I'm not saying A Night at the Opera was bad--it was awesome. But there were other albums where Queen were just as eclectic, just as solid but also kept their hard-rock roots intact and strong--something A Night at the Opera doesn't really capture. To me, it shows a lot of Queen at their lightest, and to me, many other Queen fans and critics alike, it was when Queen were at their heaviest that they were at their best. I think that's why they were so much better in concert-- it was Brian May and Roger Taylor unleashed, ready to give every song their all with guitar and drumming power.
Like I've said, they could still be eclectic but keep a rock sound to it. To me they didn't keep their rock roots intact on ANATO, and to canonize this album distracts from other compositions that were stronger and capture both the power as well as the essence of Queen much better.
Discuss!
Hmmmm . . . one of the guys from Motley Crue (Nikki Sixx maybe?) was quoted a while back on brianmay.com to have said a very similar thing (in caps) "almost every song on that album KNOCKS MY DICK IN THE DIRT every time I listen to it." about Queen II. Strange coincidence or is positively EVERYONE using that term to describe Queen's work? ;-)
A Night At the Opera was One of their finest...but I think A Day at the Races was tremendously over-rated...but had some great songs Tie Your Mother Down, Somebody to Love, White Man and Millionaire Waltz...after that it got weaker in a hurry....Seaside Rendezvous was way better than Good Old Fashioned Loverboy which is a struggle for me to listen to......other great albums were SHA, Queen 1, NOTW, Jazz, Innuendo and I still love the Miracle...
Actually I tend to agree. I think Q2, ADATR and NOTW are all much more complete albums.
I'm about to say something that will doubtlessly piss many of you off, I'm aware of that, but it's been carefully thought out......and I know I'm not the only one who thinks this.....
A Night at the Opera is overrated and detracts from Queen's other studio works.
The 1975 album, generally considered by fans and critics alike to be Queen's crowning achievment and masterstroke, seems to be overhyped and draws attention away from other albums that are equally as good and (in my opinion) even better.
Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon is disposable novelty, Seaside Rendezvous the same, Sweet Lady is abominable and Good Company sub-par.
This leaves you with Bohemian Rhapsody, You're My Best Friend, Prophet's Song, I'm In Love With My Car (and even that was sub-par as far as a Queen rocker goes) and Death On Two Legs. I love all of those songs, but their presence doesn't necessarily equal an entirely solid album.
To me, Sheer Heart Attack and News Of The World blow A Night at the Opera away. Sheer Heart Attack was an incredibly solid album that showed how eclectic Queen could be and how well they could pull it off, but without compromising their hard-rock roots. It's tough to find a weak link on the entire album. No wonder it was recently voted the sixth greatest British album of all time by Kerrang! Magazine readers.
News Of The World, while maybe not as "concept" album-esque as their previous albums to that point, had so many incredble songs all in one place. Only Queen could pull off making an album where anthems like We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions AREN'T the best tracks on the album. Spread Your Wings, It's Late, Sheer Heart Attack, Get Down Make Love, Sleeping On the Sidewalk.....almost every song on that album knocks my dick in the dirt every time I listen to it.
I'm not saying A Night at the Opera was bad--it was awesome. But there were other albums where Queen were just as eclectic, just as solid but also kept their hard-rock roots intact and strong--something A Night at the Opera doesn't really capture. To me, it shows a lot of Queen at their lightest, and to me, many other Queen fans and critics alike, it was when Queen were at their heaviest that they were at their best. I think that's why they were so much better in concert-- it was Brian May and Roger Taylor unleashed, ready to give every song their all with guitar and drumming power.
Like I've said, they could still be eclectic but keep a rock sound to it. To me they didn't keep their rock roots intact on ANATO, and to canonize this album distracts from other compositions that were stronger and capture both the power as well as the essence of Queen much better.
Discuss!
Hmmmm . . . one of the guys from Motley Crue (Nikki Sixx maybe?) was quoted a while back on brianmay.com to have said a very similar thing (in caps) "almost every song on that album KNOCKS MY DICK IN THE DIRT every time I listen to it." about Queen II. Strange coincidence or is positively EVERYONE using that term to describe Queen's work? ;-)
Either that, or we have Motley Crue members posting on this website.
I fully agree about the opinion that ANATO is not better then most of their 70's albums. I still have Queen II on top of my list (closely followed by Queen I)
i'll agree to disagree with queenzep. anato is queen truly at their creative peak. queen were never just a hard rock band, if you want that go listen to AC/DC. i agree sheer heart attack is as good, also queen2, i think their first six you could go back and forth with, debate forever which one is the best, there's no right or wrong answers, my first 6 are queen2, anato, sha, adatr, and queen, notw, those 6 change alot. MY point? i think it's a typical queenzoner to call anato overated, it kind of shows who i'm talking queen with, people who know very little about queen.
I think that's a very good point - the first six albums all have very different characteristics and ingage the listener in different ways. ANATO/ADATR are closer together than any of the others, and that has been acknowledged by the band.
But then you put Innuendo into the mix, and you see that they were turning back to the 70s model - some awsome intricate numbers (Innuendo, SMGO) with some "fun" or "delicate" numbers (IGSM, Delilah, Bijou).
You could indeed argue this stuff for hours (and we probably will) but all that means (and proves) is that Queen were a great group who wrote excellent and varied music (and I'd still include HS and FG in that!!!! - Ducks...)
Am i the only one or did someone else saw that he didnt mention Love of my life???
It's NOT their best (SHA for me), but it's definitely ONE OF the best. Unlike many other albums this one is an entity, AN ALBUM rather than few songs just put together