Allen Lulu

Jeez, guys, Sabbath much? This is Queen at its heaviest. Sludgiest. One of the (few) things I like about this song, as opposed to dislikes, (like freddie’s mic…) is the sudden burst into multi-harmonies from the vocals. It doesn’t last long but it’s a high point and it aims right Continue Reading

For years this was my favorite song on what I would have described as a half-assed attempt to be current, schizophrenic debut. It’s barely a blip, coming in at under 2 minutes. It’s speed metal with feedback, full stops, lightning solos and, surprisingly no drum flash. Given that it was Continue Reading

Oh, if ever there was a song that sounded like a band obsessed with Jimmy Page it’s this one. Written by May between Smile and Queen it smacks of all that is annoying about 70s frilly-hippy-metal rock. Goofball lyrics (“Lucy was high and so was I), a sound so desperate Continue Reading

Liar opens Side Two of Queen and it is truly the moment when the band declared their importance in the pantheon of theatrical rock. It’s credited to Freddie Mercury but that was mainly because he decided that the lyricist (and hence the writer of the melody) should be the writer Continue Reading

As we close the side one of the debut album we are privy to the first real taste of the Queen Sound. Multi-layered baking vox, histrionic vocals, triumphant falsetto, balladeering mid-section and some fiery ferocious piano playing (the first we’ve gotten to hear from Freddie) all result in a splendid Continue Reading

Oh, the 70s. Queen was one of those bands that, in their early days, got caught up in the middle earthian mythologies that groups like Zeppelin were dabbling in. Sandals, middle ages, pomp, etc. While Great King Rat is not about that, per se, it sounds like it should be. Continue Reading

The second track on Queen’s debut record is a dribbly ballad that wishes it was Zeppelin but comes across as a treacly ode to the burgeoning California sound. It breaks into sections, falls into a minor key, comes back as a jazzy groove number, it’s all over the place and Continue Reading

On November 24th 1991 Freddie Mercury died. He was my age. That just really blows my mind… Queen really started in 1972 although they formed 2 years prior, and, like lightning, were topping the british charts in no time. They exploded here for a while and by 1985 had almost Continue Reading