3.25.14 More QAL Dates presale underway
Mar 25, 2014 13:38:05 GMT -5
Post by talon on Mar 25, 2014 13:38:05 GMT -5
Ok Talon if you already own the Platinum collection and were to download only TWO Queen albums, which would they be? Don't know why I bypassed their music as a kid, was too young then but also more into Pink Floyd.
Very tough question. My answer really is...it depends on what you are really into?
Queen - is a very rough album - raw and raucous - not that coherent of an album as it was really a compilation of everything they had done so far. Known songs: Keep Yourself Alive. Great tracks: My Fairy King, Liar, Great King Rat, Doing All Right
Queen II - Personally my favorite album by the band...but not for everyone. The lyrics are fantasy world based - ogres, and black Queens and fairy's etc. BUT the theatricality and sheer musicality is awesome. A favorite of Queen fans. Known songs: Seven Seas Of Rhye. Great tracks: White Queen, Nevermore, Ogre Battle, March of the Black Queen.
Sheer Heart Attack - went a bit opposite. Tried to do a ton of shorter tracks but still kept the same expanding production and theatricality. Cited as a favorite of many bands later on. Known songs; Killer Queen, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy. Other great tracks: Brighton Rock, In The Lap Of The Gods, In THe Lap Of The Gods Revisited.
A Night at the Opera - The seminal album. The one they are most famous for - their Sgt. Peppers. The top of the line as far as studio work goes. Known songs; Bohemian Rhapsody, You're My Best Friend, Love Of My Life, I'm In Love With My Car, '39. Other great tracks: The Prophet's Song, Death On Two Legs.
A Day at the Races - Made from tracks written basically at the same time as Opera. A companion album if you would. Known songs: Somebody To Love, Tie Your Mother Down, Good Old Fashioned Loverboy Other great tracks: The MIllionaire's Waltz, White Man, Teo Toriatte, Long Away
News of the World - A conscious decision to strip their sound back and become a more raw rock band. Some would say their finest hour. But less studio prowess. Known songs: We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Spread Your Wings. Other great tracks: It's Late (one of my favs), My Melancholy Blues, Fight From The Inside
Jazz - A weird one. The band seemed to be floundering a bit, not knowing where to go so they kind of just came up with a hodgepodge collection. Not a coherent album but a lot of highlights. Known songs: Fat Bottomed Girls, Bicycle Race, Don't Stop Me Now. Other great tracks: Jealousy, Dead On Time, Mustapha.
The Game - A change in production and a decision to go a bit more snappy and concise and a bit more poppier. Sharpened focus and opened up a new world to them. Known tracks: Another ONe Bites The Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Play The Game, Dragon Attack, Save Me. Other great tracks: Sail Away Sweet Sister, Rock It
Flash Gordong Soundtrack - It is what it is. A nice sci-fi/fantasy soundtrack. Mostly instrumental. But some nice gems. Known song: Flash's Theme. Other great tracks: The Hero, The Kiss
Hot Space - Considered by most Queen fans to be the worst album but at least the band was experimenting. They decided after AOBTD to go into a more dance oriented direction to capture the same new crowd. It didn't work and lost them a lot of their older crowd. Known song; Under Pressure. Other great tracks: Las Palabras De Amor, Cool Cat, Action This Day
The Works - After the Hot Space debacle this is a "safe" album. A return to basics of a sort. They really tried to recreate many of their known sounds. Mostly successful but a bit tame. Definitely poppier than the earlier versions of the band. Known Songs: Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free. Other great tracks; It's A Hard Life, Is This The World We Created?, Hammer To Fall
A Kind Of Magic - Another soundtrack - kinda - this time for Highlander but also filled with other tracks. It's a bit like Jazz to me in that there are some great highlights but it is a bit hodge podge. Known songs ; Who Wants To Live Forever, A Kind Of Magic, One Vision. Other greats: Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, Princes Of The Universe.
The Miracle - The band trying to regain it's form by solidly working together again instead of apart. Not as successful as hoped, but it was a nice effort. Very cohesive at least. Known songs; I Want It All, Breakthru. Other great tracks: Was It All Worth It, The Miracle, The invisible Man
Innuendo - Truly a return to form. Easily their best album since the 70s. Like The Works in that it is sort of a Greatest Hits of Queen's yesteryears but more original and less paint by numbers. Brilliant all the way through. Known songs: The Show Must Go On, These Are The Days Of Our Lives Other greats? Innuendo, DOn't Try So Hard, Bijou, Ride The Wild Wind
Made In Heaven - Posthumous. BR&J working on Freddie's last tracks and remaking some solo/other tracks to fill the space. Despite the hodgepodge approach, surprisingly cohesive and a fitting goodbye. Known tracks; Heaven For Everyone, Too Much Love Will Kill You. other great tracks; Mother Love, Let Me Live, A Winter's Tale
SO that's an overview. If I had to choose 2? Ok I'm going to cheat. I can knock it down to the 3 I would get: Queen II, A Night At The Opera, and Innuendo.
But I would quickly find a way to get News of the World, Day at the Races, Sheer Heart Attack, and Made In Heaven soon after
