231 - Queen - A Night at the Opera

[csberry]

Big and bombastic, A Night at the Opera is grand without being gauche and is over the top without going overboard. Somehow, Queen is able to take metal, turn of the century British pop standards, pop, and opera and mold them in such a way that the variety of genres on the album mesh. The band jumped right into the pursuit of spinning their own version of these far-flung musical genres. There's a humor and camp to the overall tone that helps add a wink to some of the excesses.

There is a limit to my adoration for such variety. The throwbacks of "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," "Seaside Rendezvous," and "Good Company" because automatic skips after repeat listens to the album. I appreciate their presence on the album, the sound of them just

Songs I Knew I liked: "You're My Best Friend" and "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Songs I Now Like: "Death on Two Legs," "I'm In Love With My Car," "'39," and "The Prophet's Song" (Well, I like most of it a lot.)

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: "Seaside Rendezvous" and "Good Company" I think "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" gets a pass from this group because it's only a minute long and the harmonies are really great.