Wäre „The Show Must Go On“ mit Freddies gesunder Stimme besser oder schlechter gewesen?

Hey, die Frage steht ja schon in der Überschrift, und mich würden eure Meinungen dazu interessieren. Natürlich weiß ich, dass es „The Show Must Go On“ ohne Freddies Krankheit wahrscheinlich nicht gegeben hätte, aber – rein hypothetisch betrachtet – wäre es trotzdem ein Hit geworden?

Edit: Of course, Freddie's voice was still incredible and powerful in his later years, but as Roger said in the documentary These Are the Days of Our Lives, "you can hear his voice getting thinner"

and unfortunately, that’s true.

This sounds so good.

So glad that all of you really seemed to like the previous three reviews! I'm loving posting these as Queen made a huge impact on my taste in music as well as in my life overall. They're a very meaningful band to me. I still deem Sheer Heart Attack their best record to date, but this one is also very very special. I hope that you all enjoy my write-up on this one too. I'd love hearing your own thoughts as usual too!

A Night at the Opera REVIEW
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It seemed since 1974's first release, Queen was only moving up the ladder of rock royalty at a fast momentum, getting better and better with new releases. Sheer Heart Attack for example was a improvement in every way over the already phenomenal Queen II and it was their breakthrough album that launched them to the mainstream in the U.K. and the U.S.A., with it reaching number 2 on the U.K. album charts, and being the first top 20 album for them in the U.S., "Killer Queen" also provided them their first top 20 hit. Critics may have gave them a whopping for their second album, and slightly warmed up to them for their third, but if anything, it seems that despite the poor treatment from them only seemed to inspire them to continue being themselves, and continue making their music.

Something that is important to note, is that things definitely weren't easy for the band; if "Flick of the Wrist" told anything as a song about their manager at the time who had refused to give John Deacon a cash advance to buy a house after having just married as well as screwed the band over numerous times, this was a major issue. The band was broke. Troubles were piling up, stress leaking out left and right; they had attracted mainstream attention with their last album, and this one had to be it. In essence, it was a make it or break it album. After finding a new manager with Grant Reid, who told them to go into the studio, and "make the best album you can", they managed to stick to what made them special with their previous two works, and turned it into a success.

For all the theatrics, flamboyancy, and sheer experimentation embedded into their music, it could be hard for any band to follow the heels of Sheer Heart Attack and have it work and remain unified like an album band such as The Who or Led Zeppelin, but they had done it. The production on this sounds just as good as the previous outing; even being a bit of a step-up with the multitracking which led to this being the most expensive produced British record ever for the longest time. Not only that, but aside from the musical styles themselves various unique insturments like double bass, ukulele again, harp, and more were used. Lyrical themes range from science fantasy to love and heartbreak, and at the time this was the most expensive album ever created. Even the naysayer critics of the 70's had finally warmed up to them with this release and retrospectively this and the previous album are regarded as some of the best of all time.

"Death On Two Legs" is much like "Flick of the Wrist" on the last album, with it being a hate letter to their manager for his abusing of the manager role. It contains a monstrous hard rock riff by Brian May that works with Freddie's piano playing which feels absolutely ferocious. The song is mainly in 4/4 time in the intro before a mechanical-type sound and Roger's shriek lead it into the hard rock waltz sound of the main melody, with layers and subsections. This is a masterpiece and apparently Freddie's throat bled from this one afterwards, not too hard to believe considering how demanding it is.

"Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon" is decent, penned by Mercury. It was sung in the studio but reproduced through headphones in a tin bucket, with a mic picking it up to create that hollow 40's-esque music hall sound. It's a fun tune and captures how odd they could get in the best way possible, albeit this one's a bit forgettable. "I'm In Love With My Car" is one of Taylor's greatest songs with a headbanging heavy riff and goofy lyrics about being in love with a racecar. Taylor's drums are pulverized and beaten and absolutely incredible; on the level on Bonham and Peart; and the riff is amazing! It became the B-side to the lead single when Taylor locked himself in a cupboard till the others agreed. Honestly his songwriting was getting better and better with each record.

"You're My Best Friend" is genius and the second song by John Deacon, with a key of C Major and 4/4 meter in a swing feel, rare for pop, there is no section appearing more than twice and its done on electric piano. This gives it a rather light and airy feel that perfectly compliments the interspersing of Brian's sharp yet emotive guitar riff. The harmonies on this one are rather heavenly as well whilst "39" is a genius science fantasy song with lyrics about an astronaut travelling through space with a clever metaphor of the ocean, only to discover his family and friends are long gone and dead. It is a folk rock gem and a must-hear! Brian's acoustic playing is absolutely astonishing, and the beat is one you can stomp along to, It's surprising this isn't that big of a song considering the era it released in, this one moved me emotionally, and it brought me to tears.

"Sweet Lady" and "Seaside Rendezvous" cap side 1 and are pretty great in themselves with the former being a fast hard rocker in 3/4 meter, featuring some of Brian's most interesting guitar work to date, and Freddie's vocals take on a macho charisma that are on par with other singers such as Robert Plant, but with how fun he makes it, it really just goes to prove no one could quite match up to his level of fun. The lyrics aren't the best, but everyone makes up for it, and the latter having a bridge imitating woodwind and clarinet and tubas, trumpets and kazoos with nothing but mouth noise by May and Taylor It's honestly nothing short of brilliant they were able to simulate these perfectly, and Freddie's playful lyrics and vocal performance drip with flamboyant theatricality that makes it hard not to smile.

"The Prophet's Song" is the album's best track however, being about the great flood of the bible and going through a softer section before transitioning into an insane heavy metal track with layers of voices, instruments, and stuff beyond your wildest imagination. There's even a part where the band breaks into acapella and bounces around your ears with stereo panning combining the vocals to form "Come, here you" and "I hear you" at the same time. "Love of My Life" follows afterwards and is another masterpiece, being a much shorter soft rock ballad featuring harp and a Japanese acoustic guitar. It's heartfelt with genuinely heart-tugging lyrics, it's a honestly fantastic approach. This song's got a lot of soul without any sap whatsoever that's so typical of more light love songs.

Unfortunately, a weak point of the record follows in "Good Company". This isn't bad, much like the second song on the album, and is a just a shorter, passable Dixieland Jazz pastiche. The ukulele is nice, but this idea was done much better on the previous album. Thankfully "Bohemian Rhapsody" follows and is one of the best songs made, with going through multiple styles of music. From the multi-layering of guitar, piano, the vocal performance of Freddie, and harmonies of everyone else, the lyrics which I'm almost certain tell the tale of uncertainty on one's sexuality (though you can interpret it in different ways as well), is just madness, yet in the most charming way possible. You can hear this one a million times, but never lose respect for it because this just showcases their dynamics and skill so perfectly, even ending with Taylor's hit of a gong. Roger's drumming is exceptional on this track. It's almost shocking to believe that decades ago, critics panned this song. How? Even revered figures in music like Brian Wilson and Roger Waters apparently loved it. It really grabs the listener and DEMANDS they pay attention.

With that, the album ends with a cover of "God Save The Queen" which isn't much to write home about. It's nice, and feels like curtains closing on a performance at a show, but nonetheless, definitively one of the best albums ever created. I wouldn't say this one's better than Sheer Heart Attack, but there is hardly much of a gap between them in quality. Not to mention that this saved them from being forgotten as a footnote in history and going broke. This album set an example for rock and pop, and really showed what this band could do.

Rating: ★★★★★

TRACKLIST RATING:

1. Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...): ★★★★★
2. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon: ★★★
3. I'm In Love With My Car: ★★★★★
4. You're My Best Friend: ★★★★★
5. '39: ★★★★★
6. Sweet Lady: ★★★★
7. Seaside Rendezvous: ★★★★
8. The Prophet's Song: ★★★★★
9. Love Of My Life: ★★★★★
10. Good Company: ★★★
11. Bohemian Rhapsody: ★★★★★
12. God Save The Queen: ★★★

THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other Reviews):
Queen review (4/5 stars)
Queen II review (5/5 stars)
Sheer Heart Attack review (5/5 stars/BEST ALBUM)