Review by Null
I am not a huge Queen fan; however, the band’s musical virtuosity and talent is undeniable. This fact should be clear to anyone with ears.
Like most kids who lived out their elementary school years in the late 1970s and early 80s, the big Queen hits on the radio were a part of our musical landscape. We were lucky to be exposed to such a unique, impactful, and musically diverse band. I cannot deny that they also had a subversive sensuality that was mysterious and magnetic to a young boy. I was pretty sure Freddie Mercury was gay, if only because he looked like the biker-guy from The Village People and he oozed a confusing sexuality. Queen always seemed to be from another planet.
Queen’s Greatest Hits was released in 1981. We had this album on 8-track back on the farm, but I would not listen to it very often for two reasons. First, every song seemed to be played on the radio all the time. So, I heard them a lot. Second, no matter how talented Queen were, they always became kind-of annoying after a while. Once I was two or three songs in, I had reached my limit. I also have a very clear memory of visiting my cousins in Minnesota, and they had the vinyl 45, 7” single, of “Another One Bits the Dust.” While we were captivated by the A-side, it was the B-side that stuck out to me. I distinctly remember lying on their bunkbeds, staring at the blue shag carpet on the walls and listening to the B-side, “Don’t Try Suicide,” over and over again while my cousins were outside playing in the yard. I’m sure a psychologist would have a lot to say about that moment.
There is, however, one Queen album that I can listen to from beginning to end. It is the quintessential Queen album, News of the World. It is filled with grit, grace, beauty, and even fear. My older step-brother had the vinyl LP, and I will never forget when I discovered it in the attic next to the record player. It was like being abducted by aliens.
Of course, I knew who Queen was, but I had never seen this album. The album art was terrifying. I threw the needle on the record and examined the album cover. It is a painting of an intelligent-looking robot (made of concrete?), who is holding humans (the band?) in one hand. They appear to be dead, and one of them is bleeding from the mid-section, while the robot’s middle finger on the other hand is dripping with blood. As I held open the gatefold, I could see that one of the members, again dead, seems to be falling back into some sort of cave that has been ripped open. The creepiest thing about this whole scene is the intelligent, inquisitive, and even kind look in the robot’s eyes. He knows not what he does, like a scientist collecting butterflies, only to mutilate and kill them, as part of a study. Even as a kid, this struck me as representing the random bullets of tragedy that spray across humanity. Such unintentional cruelty seemed par for the course. As I looked at the inner sleeve, my fears were confirmed. It showed the view from inside “the cave,” as humans are pictured running in terror as the robot reaches in to evaluate these mysterious organisms.
While I contemplated the album cover, the music played in the background. It opened with “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” I know that most people these days connect these songs to sporting events, which I find disappointing and unfortunate, as it steals the songs of their power. Luckily, I do not relate these songs to sporting events. Instead, I associate them to the uneasy feeling of the album cover, even after all these years. “We Will Rock You” is a menacing and gritty track about being at rock bottom: blood, dirt, poverty, and old age. It is a portrait of the abused, inebriated, dog on the street. “We Are the Champions” is a beautiful response to “We Will Rock You,” and the triumphant poetry seems to be in the protagonist’s mind alone. Its emotional impact is contingent on the proceeding track.
Next is “Sheer Heart Attack,” which is basically Queen doing punk rock. It works. It rocks. It is relentless. People forget how hard Queen can rock.
What follows is a creepy ballad, “All Dead All Dead.” It is a beautiful song with Queen’s excellent harmonies and minimalist instrumentation. The protagonist wonders why he is still alive when his love is dead: the sweet memories are gone forever. The song ends with: “In time it comes to everyone, all dead, all dead.” I admire Freddie’s forthrightness, the way he tended to lay things bare. In the recent decades, I often think of America’s epidemic of mass shootings when I hear this song. Its creepiness has not been diluted over time.
Already this album is a roller-coaster.
The beautiful, “Spread your Wings,” follows with a chorus that always pulled at my heartstrings. It is a classic Queen torch song, that has always been one of my favorites.
“Fight from the Inside” is a typical 1970s rock track. It is all funk swagger. I guess it is a little respite from the other tracks.
Next up is “Get Down Make Love,” which is fucking awesome. It is the musical equivalent of being in third grade and finding a Hustler magazine under your brother’s bed. It is so overly sexual that there is an innate fear of mother walking into the room. The song sounds like sex, cocaine, blowjobs, and sweat. It even has sci-fi sounds in it, because everything comes back to the album cover.
The song “Sleeping on the Sidewalk” literally sounds like another band. It is a fairly forgettable blues rocker. “Who Needs You” is a little, acoustic, jazzy number, because Queen is only consistent in their inconsistency. These songs do not really leave much of an impression, other than the fact that Queen seem to be able to do anything.
The second to last track, “It’s Late,” picks up the pace. It fluctuates between a slow groove and a barn burner. The final song, “My Melancholy Blues,” is Freddie doing his best piano, Broadway, showtune thing he did from time to time. It just leaves you with another reminder that, whether you specifically like it or not, this band was filled with accomplished musicians.
I hardly ever listen to Queen; however, when I do I usually grab News of the World. I guess it has functioned as alternative greatest hits throughout my life. It holds my interest due to the deep tracks and the overall connection to the album cover. It has everything I expect from Queen; it becomes slightly annoying at times, it has that unique “Queen sound,” and even after all these years it still surprises me how pretty and moving some of these songs are, be it tear-jerkers or an underlying sense of uneasiness.
If you feel the same way about Queen that I do, here is my suggested album list:
News of the World (1977) See above.
Bohemian Rhapsody Soundtrack (2018). This has the essential Queen hits you need, and it is interspersed with some really great deep cuts.
Hot Space (1982). This record is a much hated “dance album,” but it has some killer songs, like “Put Out the Fire,” “Life is Real,” and the masterpiece “Under Pressure.” You will learn to love it.
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