A Night at the Opera

by Queen

Overview

Queen were straining at the boundaries of hard rock and heavy metal on Sheer Heart Attack, but they broke down all the barricades on A Night at the Opera, a self-consciously ridiculous and overblown hard rock masterpiece. Using the multi-layered guitars of its predecessor as a foundation, A Night at the Opera encompasses metal ("Death on Two Legs," "Sweet Lady"), pop (the lovely, shimmering "You're My Best Friend"), campy British music hall ("Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," "Seaside Rendezvous"), and mystical prog rock ("'39," "The Prophet's Song"), eventually bringing it all together on the pseudo-operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody." In short, it's a lot like Queen's own version of Led Zeppelin IV, but where Zep find dark menace in bombast, Queen celebrate their own pomposity. No one in the band takes anything too seriously, otherwise the arrangements wouldn't be as ludicrously exaggerated as they are. But the appeal -- and the influence -- of A Night at the Opera is in its detailed, meticulous productions. It's prog rock with a sense of humor as well as dynamics, and Queen never bettered their approach anywhere else. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/02/2015
Label:	Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602547202697
Rank:	14808

Tracks

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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Queen   Primary Artist
Roger Taylor   Handclapping,Vocals (Background),Gong,Drums,Vocals,Cymbals,Timpani,Triangle,Percussion,Tambourine,Lead Vocals,Drums (Bass)
Brian May   Harp,Koto,Guitar,Vocals,Ukulele,Lead Vocals,Handclapping,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Freddie Mercury   Piano,Vocals,Tack Piano,Lead Vocals,Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
John Deacon   Double Bass,Handclapping,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric),Piano (Electric)

Technical Credits

Kris Fredriksson   Audio Supervisor,Audio Restoration,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Roger Taylor   Executive Producer,Composer
Justin Shirley-Smith   Mixing,Producer,Audio Supervisor
Roy Thomas Baker   Producer
David Costa   Art Direction
Dave Richards   Assistant Engineer
Gary Lyons   Engineer
Queen   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Joshua J. MacRae   Mixing,Producer
Mike Stone   Engineer,Executive Producer
Brian May   Arranger,Composer,Executive Producer
Traditional   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Freddie Mercury   Composer
John Etchells   Engineer
John Deacon   Composer
David Richards   Assistant Engineer
Josh MacRae   Mixing