Posted in
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Queen
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Genre
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Rock
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Media
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CD
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Label | Parlophone | ||
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Reviewer
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Gareth
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Track List
1) We Will Rock You
2) We Are The Champions
3) Sheer Heart Attack
4) All Dead All Dead
5) Spread Your Wings
6) Fight From The Inside
7) Get Down Make Love
8) Sleeping On The Sidewalk
9) Who Needs You
10) It's Late
11) My Melancholy Blues
Description
In the tradition of 1975's A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, NEWS OF THE WORLD solidified Queen's position as '70s rock gods while expanding the group's vision through an eclectic batch of tunes. The album is primarily known for the anthemic medley "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions", which would grace sporting events worldwide for decades to come. Like OPERA, though, there's more to this album than the blockbuster hit. TheRoger Taylor-sung "Sheer Heart Attack" veers damn close to punk. "Get Down, Make Love" is a funky, vamp-driven number that merges "Whole Lotta Love"-style effects with a brazen sensuality that could make Prince blush.
Freddie Mercury indulges his cabaret fantasies with the supper club cha-cha ofthe Spanish guitar-laced "Who Needs You". Brian May sings the mournful, folkish piano ballad "All Dead, All Dead". Things get downright Cole Porter-ish on the jazzy torch song "MyMelancholy Blues". Once again, Queen prove themselves to becapable of much more than the arena rock many take to be their stock in trade.
Review
Showing a leaner and meaner sound, this is Queen at their stadium rocking best! With an amazing one-two punch, the first two stonkers; the anthemic We Will Rock You & We Are The Champions provide the strongest opening of any rock album. Sheer Heart Attack provides the coup de grace and is one of Queens heaviest songs. Luckily with All Dead All Dead we're allowed to gain our breaths back and get our pulses back to normal.
Spread Your Wings is another strong song from John, and soon became a fan favourite. Get Down Make Love, despite the dodgy lyrics, showcases some truly sublime pyrotechnics from Brian courtesy of his "fireplace guitar". This is an amazing song to hear live, and in some ways the studio version doesn't quite do it justice (the same can be true of Let Me Entertain You from their next album Jazz).
This album also has two of my favourite Queen songs on it; and they're so mis-representative of the "Queen sound" that they're a testament to the sheer diversity of the band. The first is Sleeping On The Sidewalk which is a nice bluesy number, that was recorded in one take by the band and it's got a really nice, spontaneous sound to it. The second is My Melancholy Blues, a sublime blues ballad which really highlights Freddie's piano playing skills. Few people really appreciate his abilities as a pianist, he was extremely talented (with Brian actually calling him a human metronome at one stage due to his uncanny ability to keep perfect time), able to fly up and down the keyboard with such skill and dexterity. Listen to Seven Seas of Rhye on Queen II if you need proof.
This album proved that Queen could rock with a much leaner sound. Gone were the elaborate flourish that so characterised their last two albums, but not the spirit of adventure. Although they had moved on from that exuberance they never lost the energy and it helped fuel their touring for Queen were fast becoming a touring powerhouse and News Of The World catapulted them into the forefront!
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