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Episode 43 covers the third Queen studio album, 1974’s “Sheer Heart Attack.” Digressing from the progressive themes featured on their first two albums, the album featured more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the “classic” Queen sound. 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 “Sheer Heart Attack.” Tune in next week for Episode 44 covering the forth Queen album “A Night at the Opera.”
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark Love this album and the score reflects that – an album to be listened to multiple times, all the way through.
Chris The hooks are back, but I still prefer the raw ferocity of the first record.
Alex Best album so far out of the 3. Got the production right and the perfect blend of rock, prog, and quirky.
Kevin More focused than Queen II, but some songs are just 75% of the way there. Others are 100% there for sure. With further listening, I feel this one might rise even more.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Brighton Rock" | 5:08 | B | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "Killer Queen" | 3:01 | T | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Tenement Funster" | 2:48 | L | L | L | L | |
| 4 | "Flick of the Wrist" | 3:19 | L | L | F | L | |
| 5 | "Lily of the Valley" | 1:43 | L | L | L | L | |
| 6 | "Now I'm Here" | 4:10 | L | B | B | B | |
| 7 | "In the Lap of the Gods" | 3:20 | L | L | T | L | |
| 8 | "Stone Cold Crazy" | 2:12 | L | B | B | L | |
| 9 | "Dear Friends" | 1:07 | L | T | L | L | |
| 10 | "Misfire" | 1:50 | L | F | L | F | |
| 11 | "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" | 2:13 | L | L | L | L | |
| 12 | "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)" | 4:08 | L | L | L | T | |
| 13 | "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited" | 3:42 | F | L | L | F |
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
Sheer Heart Attack is the third studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 November 1974 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on their first two albums, the album featured more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the “classic” Queen sound.[1] It was produced by the band and Roy Thomas Baker and launched Queen to mainstream popularity in the UK and throughout the world.
After the release of Queen II, the group embarked on a promotional tour with Mott the Hoople. However, in the middle of the tour, Brian May became severely ill, forcing the entire tour to end early. Much of the album was written while May was recovering in hospital; nonetheless, the album’s first single “Killer Queen” reached number 2 in the British charts and provided them with their first top 20 hit in the U.S., peaking at number 12 on the Billboard singles chart. Sheer Heart Attack was the first Queen album to hit the U.S. top 20, peaking at number 12 in 1975. The album has been acknowledged for containing “a wealth of outstanding hard rock guitar tracks”.[2] Retrospectively, it has been listed by multiple publications as one of the band’s best works and has been deemed an essential glam rock album.[3]
