September 13, 2021

1975 - November: Queen “A Night At the Opera”

40 minutes

Queen's fourth studio album is the one that would launch them into super stardom and bring them personal financial success as well. A Night at the Opera got its name from the Marx Brothers film, and many consider it to be the best album Queen ever made.

The band lineup was Freddie Mercury on lead vocals, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon on bass, and Roger Taylor on drums. Backing vocals were performed by May and Taylor - John Deacon was the only band member who didn't sing.

The first three Queen albums were produced under a contract that resulted in the band receiving almost none of the money earned by the albums, and the group had to negotiate their way out of the deal with Trident Studios. A Night at the Opera was quite complex, and rumored to be the most expensive album ever made at the time. Recording took place in seven different studios on 24-track tape. June and July of 1975 was devoted to rehearsing and developing new material, and recording was done from August to November. Unlike many bands, the songwriting was done by all four band members. Many innovations were used including multitracked vocals, guitar overdubs, and various instruments including the grand piano, a Wurlitzer electric piano, double bass, gongs and timpani - but no synthesizers.

The album name was inspired by the Marx Brother's movie of the same name, which the band watched on VHS during recording sessions. They would subsequently befriend Groucho Marx, and would again reference a Marx Brothers film with their album "A Day at the Races."

A Night At the Opera would peak at number 4 on the Billboard 200, was the first Queen album to be certified platinum in the U.S., and would be nominated for two Grammy awards.

You're My Best Friend

The second single from the album was the first Queen single to be written by bassist John Deacon, who composed it for his wife while learning to play the piano. Deacon also played the Wurlitzer electric piano on this single, and overdubbed the bass part afterwards.

'39

Brian May wrote and sings this deep cut as a sci fi number. The crew of an exploring ship travels off on a one-year mission, but because of the time dilation effects associated with relativistic speeds they return 100 years later. Mercury and Taylor sang backing vocals on this track, though Freddie Mercury would sing lead when it was performed in concerts.

Love of My Life

Freddie Mercury wrote this track for Mary, and it would be covered by many bands. This song would also become an anthem during Queen concerts in which the audience sings the song, and the band would play only the instruments from the stage without vocals. Brian May played the harp, and Mercury played the piano solo.

Bohemian Rhapsody

A cult classic, this was the first single released from the album, to the chagrin of the record company since it was about twice as long as the typical single at the time. The vocal arrangements were thought up by Freddie Mercury during recording - on a daily basis. He wrote down the arrangements in blocks on a phone book. The song would become a hit during its time, and once again when used in the movie "Wayne's World" in 1992.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Stardust by David Essex (from the motion picture “Stardust")

This movie chronicles the rise and fall of Jim MacLaine, an international rock star. David Essex plays the lead role and sings this song from the film.

STAFF PICKS:

I Cheat the Hangman by the Doobie Brothers

Bruce starts off the staff picks with a ghost story. Guitarist Patrick Simmons wrote and sang lead on this track with inspiration from the short story by Ambrose Bierce entitled "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." It is about a ghost returning to his home after the Civil War and not realizing he's dead.

SOS by ABBA

Rob's staff pick is a palindrome, both in the song name and the band. This is the sixth single from ABBA's self-titled third album. ABBA took its name from the first initial of each of the band members. This single made it to number 15 on the U.S. charts. S.O.S. would help define ABBA as a pop group.

Blue Mist by Mama's Pride

Wayne brings us a minor-key track from the pride of Saint Louis - Mama's Pride. The song describes the feelings produced by a break-up. Mama's Pride was a warm-up act for popular 70's bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Todd Rundgren, and Alice Cooper. The group disbanded in 1982, but has done periodic reunions in Saint Louis since 2003.

Nights on Broadway by the Bee Gees

Brian's track features the Bee Gees just before their launch into falsetto stardom with “Saturday Night Fever.” This is one of the first songs on which the Bee Gees employed some falsetto vocals, yet it retains a more soulful sound than the hits of the later disco era.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

The Hustle by Van McCoy

This disco line dance phenomenon closes out or mid-70's podcast.

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”

NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.

Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.

Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!

**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

...more

View all episodes

By Rob Marbury, Wayne Rowan, Bruce Fricks, John Lynch

4.9

4747 ratings