I don’t think it takes that long to realize when you’ve hit the jackpot, at least as far as albums of already successful groups is concerned. I wonder if Queen - Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor - realized this in 1977 as they were recording this outstanding piece of musicianship. One should realize that this is the album in which both We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions made their debut. And to top it all off, we also have such outstanding gems as All Dead, All Dead, It’s Late, and My Melancholy Blues. All amazing songs that helped to cement Queen into the annals of rock history (as if they hadn’t already done that with Bohemian Rhapsody).
But it’s another one of the songs from this album that also became a single off it that truly shows to me the majesty that is Queen (no pun intended). Spread Your Wings is one of those songs that absolutely has it all within the context of the music of Queen. Soaring vocals by Mercury, May showing off hard-edged guitars, Taylor unselfishly giving us a heavy-hitting drum sound, and a melody that just mesmerizes you from the get go. Ironically enough, this song was written by John Deacon, bass player to the band and also, later on, responsible for penning such hits as Another One Bites The Dust and I Want To Break Free. I say ironically because Deacon was the Queen member with the least amount of tracks actually put down on vinyl.
Jumping into a side note here, News Of The World’s cover art, by Frank Kelly Freas, is one of the many reasons why, as great as CD technology is, it really is a bummer that the cover art of so many great albums is now being lost due to miniscule proportions in the medium. Album covers were (and to some extent, still are) an art form, and this album’s cover just proves how true that statement was (or is).
Reasons to get this album:
1) Spread Your Wings (can't say enough about that song!) - Deacon's biggest gem.
2) It's Late (if you are going to listen to it for the very first time - I envy you!)
3) WWRY, We Are The Champions and All Dead, All Dead make you want to find out exactly who Mercury and Co. sold their soul to in order to be able to write these songs.
Should you buy this album? Hell, yes. Should you bother your friends with it during your next party? You betcha. Should you become defensive if any dumbass tells you that it’s dated or passé? Sure! A kick in the ass never hurt anyone. In closing, a great piece of the Queen that you should have. Spread Your Wings alone is enough reason for you to Amazon this album right away.
But it’s another one of the songs from this album that also became a single off it that truly shows to me the majesty that is Queen (no pun intended). Spread Your Wings is one of those songs that absolutely has it all within the context of the music of Queen. Soaring vocals by Mercury, May showing off hard-edged guitars, Taylor unselfishly giving us a heavy-hitting drum sound, and a melody that just mesmerizes you from the get go. Ironically enough, this song was written by John Deacon, bass player to the band and also, later on, responsible for penning such hits as Another One Bites The Dust and I Want To Break Free. I say ironically because Deacon was the Queen member with the least amount of tracks actually put down on vinyl.
Jumping into a side note here, News Of The World’s cover art, by Frank Kelly Freas, is one of the many reasons why, as great as CD technology is, it really is a bummer that the cover art of so many great albums is now being lost due to miniscule proportions in the medium. Album covers were (and to some extent, still are) an art form, and this album’s cover just proves how true that statement was (or is).
Reasons to get this album:
1) Spread Your Wings (can't say enough about that song!) - Deacon's biggest gem.
2) It's Late (if you are going to listen to it for the very first time - I envy you!)
3) WWRY, We Are The Champions and All Dead, All Dead make you want to find out exactly who Mercury and Co. sold their soul to in order to be able to write these songs.
Should you buy this album? Hell, yes. Should you bother your friends with it during your next party? You betcha. Should you become defensive if any dumbass tells you that it’s dated or passé? Sure! A kick in the ass never hurt anyone. In closing, a great piece of the Queen that you should have. Spread Your Wings alone is enough reason for you to Amazon this album right away.
Next up: Have you ever thought that impressing your parents is almost impossible when it comes to rock music? Think again (and think like them).
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