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Episode 44 covers the fourth Queen studio album, 1975’s “A Night at the Opera.” Hailed as Queen’s best album and their crowning achievement, does it truly deserve this rating or do the “singles” on this album cloud judgement? Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this hard rock album as well as share personal stories of discovering Queen’s “A Night at the Opera.”
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark They danced across the line here, and it shows.
Chris A slow burner record, in a good way. Once I got several listens in and dig in, the magic happens.
Alex Overrated in my opinion as their highest rated “album” front/back speaking. Singles are great but that’s all that’s really here.
Kevin Impressive from a distance. Some highs and some lows.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" | 3:43 | L | B | L | B | |
| 2 | "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" | 1:08 | L | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "I'm in Love with My Car" | 3:05 | L | L | B | B | |
| 4 | "You're My Best Friend" | 2:50 | L | L | L | L | |
| 5 | "'39" | 3:30 | L | F | L | L | |
| 6 | "Sweet Lady" | 4:01 | L | F | F | F | |
| 7 | "Seaside Rendezvous" | 2:13 | L | L | F | L | |
| 8 | "The Prophet's Song" | 8:21 | L | L | T | F | |
| 9 | "Love of My Life" | 3:38 | B | L | L | L | |
| 10 | "Good Company" | 3:26 | F | F | F | F | |
| 11 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | 5:55 | F | L | L | F | |
| 12 | "God Save the Queen" (instrumental) | 1:11 | T | T | F | T |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
A Night at the Opera is the fourth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 21 November 1975 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Queen, it was reportedly the most expensive album ever recorded at the time of its release.[1] The album’s title is taken from the Marx Brothers film of the same name.
A Night at the Opera was recorded at various studios across a four-month period in 1975. Due to management issues, Queen had received almost none of the money they earned for their previous albums. Subsequently, they ended their contract with Trident Studios and did not use their studios for the album (with the sole exception being “God Save the Queen”, which had been recorded the previous year). They employed a complex production that extensively used multitrack recording, and the songs incorporated a wide range of styles, such as ballads, music hall, dixieland, hard rock and progressive rock influences. Aside from their usual equipment, Queen also utilised a diverse range of instruments such as a double bass, harp, ukulele and more.
Upon release, A Night at the Opera topped the UK Albums Chart for four non-consecutive weeks. It peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and became the band’s first platinum-certified album in the US. The worldwide sales for the album are over six million copies. It also produced the band’s most successful single in the UK, “Bohemian Rhapsody“, which became their first UK number one. Despite being twice as long as the average length of singles during the 1970s, the song became immensely popular worldwide.
Contemporary reviews for A Night at the Opera were mixed, with praise for its production and the diverse musical themes, and recognition as the album that established Queen as worldwide superstars. At the 19th Grammy Awards, it received Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Arrangement for Voices. Retrospective reviews have hailed it as Queen’s best album, and one of the greatest albums in rock music history. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it at number 128 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[2] In 2018, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
