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) Revisited Brighton Rock
2) Killer Queen
3) Tenement Funster
4) Flick Of The Wrist
5) Lilly Of The Valley
6) Now I'm Here
7) In The Lap Of The Gods
8) Stone Cold Crazy
9) Dear Friends
10) Misfire
11) Bring Back That Leroy Brown
12) She Makes Me
13) In The Lap Of The Gods (Revisited)
Description
SHEER HEART ATTACK is widely considered Queen's best pre-"Bohemian Rhapsody" album. Containing their first global hit single, "Killer Queen", it certainly qualifies as one of Queen's best all-time releases. Just prior to the recording of the album, Queen was making very important inroads in Americaby opening a US tour for Mott the Hoople, but had to cut itshort when guitarist Brian May became seriously ill. Instead of moping, the band immediately began writing and recording SHEER HEART ATTACK while May recovered. Upon its release, fans were pleasantly surprised to witness Queen's growth--although there were still plenty of hard rock numbers, other musical styles were tried and perfected, while the energy of their live show shined through in many of their new songs.
The album's other popular single, "Now I'm Here", would prove to be a concert staple for years to come, while the opening "Brighton Rock" is a superb showcase for the many talents of May. Perhaps most significantly, singer Freddie Mercuryreally came into his own on SHEER HEART ATTACK, having no problem handling ragtime tunes ("Bring Back That Leroy Brown"), sounds from the Caribbean ("Misfire"), unaccompanied piano ballads ("Dear Friends"), or raging heavy metal ("Stone Cold Crazy", "Flick Of The Wrist").
Review
This album starts with an almighty powerhouse of a song showcasing not only Freddie's dazzling falsetto singing but also Brian's amazing guitar skills. There is a super guitar "solo" in the middle which ranks up there with (and in my opinion beats hands This album starts with an almighty powerhouse of a song showcasing not only down) Stairway To Heaven. I use the term Solo because, in typical Brian May fashion there is a echo cell involved which means that he is able to layer up his harmonies. Brian was streets ahead with his style of playing and Brighton Rock exemplifies this perfectly!
Killer Queen acts as a perfect counterpoint and is a hazy rocker about a high-class callgirl and not only gave Fredddie an Ivor Novello award for songwriting, but gave Queen their first No 2, and their first appearance on Top Of The Pops!
Tenement Funster is a cracking rocker by Roger, as She Makes Me is a beautifully slow and measured ballad by Brian. There are a couple of "fillers" on this (and subsequent albums) that although a nice songs detract a little, for me. Both Dear Friends and Lilly Of The Valley are "pretty" songs but seem to be weaker when held up against the rest of the album. However when you have the heavy rock of Stone Cold Crazy and the jazzy Bring Back That Leroy Brown I can't really complain too much... The last song is as anthemic as they get, and it was such a joy to hear it when Queen performed in Wembley in 1986 (finally giving it the kudos it deserved). And I mustn't forget Now I'm Here, which is on a par with Seven Seas of Rhye as far as lyrics and the Queen magic goes. Another track that deserves special mention is Misfire by John Deacon. This is the first song that he wrote and is such a departure for Queen, it's a nice funky sound with a strong lilt that would turn up in many different guises. The interesting thing for me is that John played nearly all the guitars in this song, as well as the bass. Queen were certainly a multo-talented band, and this is a cracking album and needs to be turned up loud!
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