I prefer ADATR
Thread
Posts in chronological order
It's hard to choose, but I think I would go for "A Day At The Races" today.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<font color=pink>Account Deleted wrote: [/QUOTENAME]ANATO is a bit over-rated, but I still think it's better.[/QUOTE]
:-)
:-)
Night At the Opera
Can't have one without the other. A Night At The Opera/A Day At The Races, A Night At The Races/A Day At The Opera
definitely ADATR
all the songs on that album are great
and in my opinion, some songs on ANATO are crap, like "Seaside..." and "Lazing on a..."
all the songs on that album are great
and in my opinion, some songs on ANATO are crap, like "Seaside..." and "Lazing on a..."
A Night At The Opera
Seems like the perfect topic to remind that Brian wanted the songs in both albuns to be featured in only one, a double album (One of Brian's best ideas ever. And sadly wasted).
The record company and the other 3 members however, did not fancy the idea.
I am sure that it would certainly gain a forever podium in any best-album-poll. Any.
The record company and the other 3 members however, did not fancy the idea.
I am sure that it would certainly gain a forever podium in any best-album-poll. Any.
I like both albums but in my opinion A Night At The Opera is better and I also read somewhere that Brain May said that A Night At The Opera is Queen's best album :)
I think the four of them were better instrumentalists in Races. Production was better with Mike Stone being their super-engineer, and now they could use 32-track instead of just 24. Their experience was enough for them to try out even more eccentric projects than before: now Brian didn't use a mini-banjo, but a plastic piano! Now the skiffle-esque tune wasn't with double-bass and tambourine, but with full rocking electric bass and Roger's powerful drumming. They didn't have to bounce so much so they could do more overdubs (vocal + instruments) with better quality, and Freddie's experience as producer for Eddie Howell had given him more knowledge in that field. Moreover, Roger's kit in Hyde Park was the biggest ever, and a 1975 Freddie probably wouldn't have been able of recording the piano parts in 'Millionaire Waltz' with such quality. 'You And I' is lyrically, harmonically, melodically and production-wise better than 'Best Friend', although sadly the lads didn't promote it as they should have: no single, no video, no live performances.
All of that means that ... 'Races' is the one album that COULD/SHOULD have outdone 'Opera', but DIDN'T. The reasons: they tried too hard (IMO). Brian's 'Waltz' orchestra is astonishing, but it fails to have that playful cheerful quality of the jazz band in 'Good Company'. 'Drowse' is far more complicated (harmonically) than 'Car', and is definitely an oeuvre that requires a deeper musical knowledge, not to mention that lyrics are much more mature; yet it fails to roll as readily as 'Car' does.
Brian's vocal work in 'Long Away' is, by technique and strength, better than the ones in '39 and 'Good Company', yet he failed to deliver the lyrics as smoothly as he'd done with the earlier numbers. The band as a whole did have some extraordinary ensemble when it came to backing vocals: the harmonies in 'Tie Your Mother Down' are better sung, better arranged and better mixed than those in 'Two Legs', and something similar happens even with 'Breath' against 'Love Of My Life', or 'Teo' versus '39.
So the band got too obsessed about trying too hard, and they forgot some key elements: they lost the outrageousness of forming a woodwind/brass vocal orchestra, and epics were lost: 'White Man' is largely inferior to 'Prophet's Song' and both 'Somebody' and 'Waltz' are far less complex than 'Bo Rhap'. 'Races' didn't have stupid lyrics such as "some kind of cheese" ('Sweet Lady'), but they neither had anything as heartfelt and poetic as '39 (only 'Teo' comes close to some extent) or 'Love Of My Life'.
That's my opinion anyway.
All of that means that ... 'Races' is the one album that COULD/SHOULD have outdone 'Opera', but DIDN'T. The reasons: they tried too hard (IMO). Brian's 'Waltz' orchestra is astonishing, but it fails to have that playful cheerful quality of the jazz band in 'Good Company'. 'Drowse' is far more complicated (harmonically) than 'Car', and is definitely an oeuvre that requires a deeper musical knowledge, not to mention that lyrics are much more mature; yet it fails to roll as readily as 'Car' does.
Brian's vocal work in 'Long Away' is, by technique and strength, better than the ones in '39 and 'Good Company', yet he failed to deliver the lyrics as smoothly as he'd done with the earlier numbers. The band as a whole did have some extraordinary ensemble when it came to backing vocals: the harmonies in 'Tie Your Mother Down' are better sung, better arranged and better mixed than those in 'Two Legs', and something similar happens even with 'Breath' against 'Love Of My Life', or 'Teo' versus '39.
So the band got too obsessed about trying too hard, and they forgot some key elements: they lost the outrageousness of forming a woodwind/brass vocal orchestra, and epics were lost: 'White Man' is largely inferior to 'Prophet's Song' and both 'Somebody' and 'Waltz' are far less complex than 'Bo Rhap'. 'Races' didn't have stupid lyrics such as "some kind of cheese" ('Sweet Lady'), but they neither had anything as heartfelt and poetic as '39 (only 'Teo' comes close to some extent) or 'Love Of My Life'.
That's my opinion anyway.
Although I think they're both incredible, ANATO is the better one in my opinion.
Because although ADATR has songs I absolutely love like Long Away, You and I, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, and Teo Torriatte, i was brought up listening to Bo Rhap, and i never really can get enough of other songs like '39, Good Company, and Seaside Rendezvous (although Sweet Lady does somewhat spoil the album). But, like I said before, it is very close.
Because although ADATR has songs I absolutely love like Long Away, You and I, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, and Teo Torriatte, i was brought up listening to Bo Rhap, and i never really can get enough of other songs like '39, Good Company, and Seaside Rendezvous (although Sweet Lady does somewhat spoil the album). But, like I said before, it is very close.
To quote someone else's reply ... ADATR wins by a nose... a pelican's nose.
Although DOTL and Prophet are masterpieces and LOML studio is a trillion times better than these campy live versions, Races is much better. Technically speaking maybe not that much (not as in "playing skills"), as the things achieved with ANATO with the equipment of that time were really unusual and unique (and some were "fine tuned" a bit in Races, with better results, in better songs). The experimentations of ANATO gave birth to much other good results, like for example the "drums" of WWRY, and that probably was the best thing of ANATO, it gave them the courage to just try new stuff, not caring much if it would work or not - but it did work. Then a few years later Roy Thomas Baker stole the same operatic vocals and used it with The Cars...
Although DOTL and Prophet are masterpieces and LOML studio is a trillion times better than these campy live versions, Races is much better. Technically speaking maybe not that much (not as in "playing skills"), as the things achieved with ANATO with the equipment of that time were really unusual and unique (and some were "fine tuned" a bit in Races, with better results, in better songs). The experimentations of ANATO gave birth to much other good results, like for example the "drums" of WWRY, and that probably was the best thing of ANATO, it gave them the courage to just try new stuff, not caring much if it would work or not - but it did work. Then a few years later Roy Thomas Baker stole the same operatic vocals and used it with The Cars...
A day at the races is one of those rare albums that gets better with age, but the problem is your comparing this great album with a true classic. It's hard to beat songs like death on two legs and 39, Prophet song, LOML and BO Rhap. good company and seaside R. are also brilliant. My ordor is Queen2, Anato, ADATR/sheer heart attack are tied and then Queen 1.
i think also that people who "found queen" later on have an advantage over us older ones who were there at the time. generally speaking those that are either late teens now or adults since Freddie died have a greater degree of objectivity and are more able to get away from "classic" tags.
those of us about at the time, tend to attach songs/albums to events in our lives...we are the generation who looks fondly on programmes like the BBC's "rock years" and remembers what we were doing and when.
songs/albums like bo rhap/opera/bat out of hell/ smoke on the water / rumours / led zep 4 / etc etc don't just bear memories for us. they are time/date stamped with the all the important events in our lives.
so for that reason - and many others - we are unable to get passed certain song...once you love a certain album it WILL ALWAYS be your favourite. so for me Queen II will always beat Opera. and Races will too.....sorry for going on.
those of us about at the time, tend to attach songs/albums to events in our lives...we are the generation who looks fondly on programmes like the BBC's "rock years" and remembers what we were doing and when.
songs/albums like bo rhap/opera/bat out of hell/ smoke on the water / rumours / led zep 4 / etc etc don't just bear memories for us. they are time/date stamped with the all the important events in our lives.
so for that reason - and many others - we are unable to get passed certain song...once you love a certain album it WILL ALWAYS be your favourite. so for me Queen II will always beat Opera. and Races will too.....sorry for going on.
Now that I think of it, Races may be an overall better album in terms of performance, production, sound quality and mixing. But Opera's got better songs.
'Sheer Heart Attack' has got IMO some of the best songs they all wrote, but the quality of their playing, singing, mixing, producing and particularly their backing tracks, is far inferior to that in 'Opera', 'Races' or 'Innuendo'. Amongst other things, that proves 'SHA' is in some ways even more complicated than 'II'.
'Sheer Heart Attack' has got IMO some of the best songs they all wrote, but the quality of their playing, singing, mixing, producing and particularly their backing tracks, is far inferior to that in 'Opera', 'Races' or 'Innuendo'. Amongst other things, that proves 'SHA' is in some ways even more complicated than 'II'.