Queen - 2011 remasters reviewed.

Upon examining the first 5 Queen albums that were re-released this month, some thoughts come to mind. While the debut record released in 1973 demonstrates a swagger very few first records by any other band can match, it was absolutely nothing compared to the bravado and confidence that would adorn future efforts. In fact, the first record can be described precisely as that. “Phase one in which Queen demonstrates and sharpens their collective chops”.

Most of these songs were firmly implanted into the band’s live repertoire by this point and in most cases are actually re-recordings of a studio demo the band made some two years previous. In fact, bonus cuts on the first LP are comprised of that original 1971 De Lane Lea studio demo and are presented here officially for the first time. A highlight among these highlights include a remarkable version of “The Night Comes Down” that may be the earliest recorded evidence of the immaculate vocal blend that would soon take over the world.

Since it took almost 2 years for these tunes to see the light of day, it comes as no surprise that the band had enough of a backlog of material to release 2 records in 1974. “Queen 2”, released in February of that year, adds some progressive rock leanings to go along with the crunching rock riffage and provides a key early window into their trademark versatility. The second part of the effort, also known as “Side Black” is comprised entirely of Freddie Mercury songs, and vocally are just as ambitiously arranged as anything they’ve ever done. “March Of The Black Queen” is arguably the center piece here, with several musical twists and turns and it’s clever lyrical wordplay. “Side White” conversely is dominated by Brian May for the most part, and he blossoms here as a songwriter with shimmering tracks such as “White Queen(As It Began)” and “Father To Son”.

Brian May’s guitar playing cannot be underestimated when examining key components of the band’s sound. On “Brighton Rock” the opening track on the bands third LP “Sheer Heart Attack”, his homemade “Red Special” axe gets an extended workout. Roger Taylor delivers one of his greatest songs in “Tenement Funster”, and John Deacon begins adding his tunes to the mix with the delightfully tongue in cheek “Misfire”. Taylor’s vocal range emerges more prominently than ever before, as he delivers a stunning falsetto track on “In The Lap Of The Gods”, which Mercury would later describe as a direct prelude to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, both in song structure and complexity of vocal harmonies.

“A Night At The Opera”, and it’s aforementioned hit single were unleashed in November of 1975, resulting in the band’s first worldwide smash hit LP. Nothing would ever be the same from here on out, as the band would finally reap the major rewards due them for all their efforts up to this point. The record takes the diverse approach of “Sheer Heart Attack” one step further, displaying an even wider range of styles and experiments. “The Prophet’s Song” employs the digital delay effect that first showed up on “Now I’m Here” a year earlier, but used more extensively on this track. “Seaside Rendezvous” features a “brass ensemble” comprised entirely of vocals.

The worldwide success of “Opera” left the band with the unique problem of trying to top an effort that was essentially un-toppable. Critical backlash to “A Day At The Races” was inevitable, although enough good notices were written to be able to say that reviews were mixed. “Races” actually would go on to be among their more popular and critically favorable releases, gaining stature over an extended period of time. Look no further than the record’s first two songs as evidence of the band’s extraordinary versatility coming to full fruition. The album’s opener “Tie Your Mother Down”, a bone crunching rocker juxtaposed against “You Take My Breath Away”, a piano ballad with vocal harmonies that are among the greatest ever written and arranged by someone not named Brian Wilson.

The box set serves as a document of the band’s high water mark, recorded over a timeframe of only four years. Future releases would add to their legacy and cement their status as the second greatest English band in the history of pop. Although their global popularity would continue to grow exponentially in the years to come, the band would for the most part find it nearly impossible to deliver any future releases that would come close to the immense quality of these early works.