Looking back, I could’ve sworn that I’ve felt something I’ve never felt before when I was only a mere child of 7. Daddy put on Queen’s News of The World, and then…wow. I was mesmerized at how dynamic the sound of this album was. That’s sort of easy for me to say, because I’ve grown up as a huge Queen fan throughout my 17 years. The album cover grabbed my attention; what with giant killer robot with blood dripping from its fingers and the four band members falling and hanging over lifelessly…just look at the damn cover, why don’t ‘cha? So why not do a song-by-song review just to make time fly by faster? Here we go!
“We Will Rock You” - “Stomp-stomp, CLAP! Stomp-stomp, CLAP…!” We start off with the most-played song on the radio in all humanity. I mean, look at it this way: radios play it, high schools and sports arenas play it; hell, even the cast of Avenue Q did it! This proves to you that you don’t need an orchestra of synthesizers to make it a hit; just grab some good friends and get them to stomp, clap, and sing the chorus with you, and then add some kick-ass riffs from your guitar to the end of the song. You’ll never know where simplicity will take you, and for Queen, it worked out just fine for them!
“We Are The Champions” - The first track segues into this—dare I say it—“power ballad” that sent chills down the world’s back. What the previous song was, the way I look at it, was the fight. This song counts as their victory, their triumph. Hell-oooo, the song title itself is self-explanatory, for Pete’s sake! From Freddie’s shivery vocal delivery to Brian’s majestic guitar work, this song is to die for. Speaking of that…
“Sheer Heart Attack” - Now, this is the track that flipped every Queen fan’s world upside down. Not only that, but it was one of their merciless, fast-and-furious numbers that knocked every punk and every head-banger down flat on their ass. Yeah, say they ain’t heavy, punk! Just say it! Wish you hadn’t said that now, don’t ‘cha?!
“All Dead, All Dead” - Not the best track off there, but it’s still breathtaking. The harmonies and guitar “orchestra” in the instrumental section are just…wow, I’m speechless. Brian takes the floor here providing lead vocals on this solemn tune. The reason I say this is not their best track is because I feel that this song should be a little bit longer. Might just be the prog rocker in me, I guess.
“Spread Your Wings” - It’s another one of their slow numbers, but it picks up from the last track—well, the tempo does, anyway. It tells a simple story about a bloke named Sammy who sweeps the floor at a place called The Emerald Bar. I love how inspiring the chorus is, telling the character (as well as the listener) to “Spread [his] wings and fly away.”
“Fight from The Inside” - Here we go, we’re rockin’ now! The sound of the drums go together with the bump-and-grind bass guitar and rough guitars. Roger Taylor is head honcho in this track performing lead vocals as well as playing the rhythm guitar here. One of the best songs that he’s ever sang lead on, in my opinion.
“Get Down, Make Love” - OK, this is where everything starts getting weird. This steamy heavy breather begins with a funkified, disco-ey bass riff provided by John, soon to be interrupted by the feedback from Brian’s guitar. This is one of songs from Queen’s catalogue that is outright raw and sexual. Just between me and you, I prefer this track to that mushy crap we call “Body Language” any day.
“Sleeping on The Sidewalk” - Brian yet again steps up to the mic in this track. Another one of their tracks off here that are a bit “meh”. They get in touch with their bluesy side and I gotta say, they’ve done pretty good. Not stellar, but pretty decent, to say the least.
“Who Needs You” - A little bit of Latin flavor takes over here in this fun song. But I mean, c’mon…this is NOT Queen! I like it, but…it’s just not them. Please go back to your rock roots!
“It’s Late” - Now, THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about! The rock gods have finally heard our prayers and served to us an aggressive, but heartfelt, rocker that draws ears closer to the stereo and brings our hearts nearer to the matter of the song. And I like how they smoothly go from a thumping mid-tempo beat into this rapid-fire, pounding fury of the drums and guitars running amok. I think it’s safe to say that this is my all-time favorite of this album.
“My Melancholy Blues” - People, throw stones at me, but I think this is the wrong way to end the album. They could’ve switched around this song with “It’s Late” to make it an album-closer to remember. But you know, beggars can’t be choosers.
Bottom line:
I think it’s courageous of them to go different directions in their way of doing music, but just stick to what you’ve given in the first place. Nevertheless, this is a really good album. Go buy it when you get the chance.
