Queen albums, favorites?

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Although I've recently burnt out on it due to overplay, Queen II is quickly becoming a favorite. Queen I, despite the common opinion, comes off to me as too messy and while it has a lot of bright spots, some songs like "Doin Alright" just outright suck and they hadn't found their niche yet.

I'm also partial to Night at the Opera, of course, and Sheer Heart Attack, and I pretty much have everything up through Jazz except News of the World.

― uh, Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Day at the Races. Thread closed.

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I stand by Hot Space personally.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Odd, I never got into that one so much. "Somebody to Love" is a spectacular doowoppy track, and "You Take My Breath Away" and "Teo Toriette" are splendid ballads, but I felt too many of the other songs fell into their lazier oversimplied pop/rock format that towards the middle to end of the 70s they oftentimes found themselves caught in. I'm not saying I didn't like a lot of those songs, but the redundance of the tunes, which wasn't a problem for most of the early part of Queen's career, started to become an issue.

Still, I can respect your preference.

― uh, Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Could there possibly be a finer Queen album than A Night at the Opera? I think -- nay, I KNOW -- not!

That said, I'd give second place to News of the World.

I stand by Hot Space personally.

You should be buried up to your septum in badger dung.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to meet the badger that can generate that much dung.

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

What I liked about Night at the Opera is that all their ideas seemed to mesh together perfectly, finally...they all came to fruition.

Queen II is a good competitor due to the sheer silly fun of some of the tracks ("Fairy-Feller's Master Stroke"), or epic goodness ("March of the Black Queen") and arty rock balladry ("Father to Son")...but Night at the Opera had many of those same elements, and they worked extremely well.

"Death on Two Legs" is still one of my favorite tunes of theirs, and nothing beats "Prophet's Song" whatsoever.

― uh, Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Jazz.

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I just got Jazz. I like it, but some of the songs do little for me. "Bicycle Races" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" rule, though, definitely, and of course "Don't Stop Me Now". I just missed the fun variety Queen was accustomed to putting in their music on their first wave of albums. Not to say there's no variance, because there is, but compared to some of their other masterpieces it was missing a bit.

― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The one I listen to most often these days is The Game.

― Broheems (diamond), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Highlander OST

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:31 (twenty-one years ago)

News Of The World kicks off like a motherfucker but dies at the halfway point. I only heard Jazz once and it sounded pretty generic (I've never liked "Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls"). A Day At The Races does practically nothing for me. Mercury's songs on A Night At The Opera are godly but I don't feel May's or Taylor's. I'll take Classic Queen over any of the full-lengths but Sheer Heart Attack and The Game are consistently listenable. Hot Space is Mercury's shining hour, the album where he grew a moustache and offers everybody rides. I'm shocked "Body Language" was the single when "Backchat" sounds like the best ABC song not on Lexicon Of Love (ok with a lot more whoops and shrieks than Martin Fry could possibly incorporate), "Dancer" is the best disco-metal number I've never heard Chuck Eddy praise (May's solo on this track is VIOLENT) and "Life Is Real"'s beat is waiting for Puff Daddy to steal it. Plus the album ends with "Under Pressure," the finest three-plus minutes in the history of recorded music.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm partial to Sheer Heart Attack, but the 1st 4 records are essentially flawless. I also like News of the World A LOT. "It's Late" is one of the best things Queen ever did. I second the badger dung sentence for likers of Hot Space. Start force-feeding the badgers.

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, on Jazz, they had sort of settled into a comfortable "pop/rock" niche on a large portion of the songs, and it worked for some of them, but didn't on others.

QUEEN II FOREVER.

― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I really wish the other guys didn't sing on the early albums. How the fuck can you take the mic when FREDDIE MERCURY is in your band?

I do want to revisit "It's Late," which mega-Queen fan (and Hot Space defender) Guy Picciotto says is the Queen song Fugazi would cover if they had to do one.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I liked a lot of the other vocalists songs. Taylor's "I'm In Love with my car" and May's "39" are pretty cool. though the songs they sing on Queen II are definitely some of the weaker tracks on the album.

― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't heard any of the albums before Sheer Heart Attack or after Hot Space (though I know a good number of tracks from the hits comps).

Since I'm already up to my neck in dung here I might as well say I think Queen is one of the finest bands ever when it comes to singles but they were WAYYY too filler-happy albumwise.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I would agree with you, Anthony. I've never like any of their albums, but their hits collections are fine.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't say I agree with that.

If there was one thing that Queen did before Day at the Races, it was fill their albums with quality songs. I don't think any of their albums are completely free from duds, but I'd say for the most part, they were consistently on top of their game in the early days. Queen II is one I suggest you check out, as despite a loss in momentum early on with the Taylor/May songs (which, to be fair, are decent), it totally picks up and never lets go for the rest of the album.

I think the "filler" era of Queen began mostly when they decided to become a singles band around the time of Day at the Races and further beyond. Night at the Opera had "singles" and pop tunes, but it still retained the eclectic nature of it's prior albums, whereas they started to go to a straight 2 minute verse/chorus/verse pop rock format with a few gimmicky hits from then on out.

― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I do mean to grab Queen II if I ever see it cheap.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

fortunately for me I get a discount at work on cds, altho it really didn't make it all that cheap for me even afterwards.

but it was worth it. definitely takes a few listens to sink in though. Not cuz it's dense or anything, because it's not, but because it's a bit different than their later material.

I still think "Father to Son" is one of their most beautiful songs.

― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll take Classic Queen over any of the full-lengths

Compilations are for grandmothers.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 3 May 2004 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know which album I'd pick (I fully admit to listening mainly to the compilations--all "my" Queen albums were on vinyl and were actually my dad's and as such I have none of them now), but I do know that my absolute favorite Queen song of all time is "Princes of the Universe" so wtf. The Flash Gordon soundtrack is underrated, also.

― Allyzay, Monday, 3 May 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

1. sheer heart attack
2. queen ii
3. jazz

― dleone (dleone), Monday, 3 May 2004 02:09 (twenty-one years ago)

a kind of magic!

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Monday, 3 May 2004 02:34 (twenty-one years ago)

FLSH GRDN MTHR FCKR!

― johnzorneatscorn (johnzorneatscorn), Monday, 3 May 2004 02:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I spent a lot of time in 1991 and 1992 listening to Queen albums, and my favorites list (going by memory -- the only Queen CD that I have is "Greatest Hits") would look something like this:

1. Sheer Heart Attack
2. A Night At The Opera
3. Hot Space

News Of The World, Jazz and The Game start are strong on "Side 1," but the quality falls off considerably on "Side 2" for all three albums. Innuendo is my favorite album that hasn't been mentioned yet. Fat-Bottomed Girls is my favorite Queen song -- a great karaoke number.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Either II or A Night At The Opera.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 3 May 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

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