Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Queen
Label: Parlophone Records
Released: 1973
Runtime: 38:36
Rating: 4/5
With their debut, simply titled »Queen«, the British art rock titans Queen proved they were a truly one-of-a-kind band, one that would go on to claim the top spot among the main pillars of popular music in the seventies and later the eighties as well. Their unique blend of hard rock, progressive rock, glam rock, opera and classical music, all seasoned with plenty of mystical motifs and a generous dose of pomp, made »Queen« a solid foundation for everything these unforgettable rock heroes would go on to achieve in the studio, right from the very start of their career.
The four friends performing as Queen were exceptional talents from head to toe, though at their early gigs the lion’s share of attention, deservedly, went to the charismatic Persian-born singer Freddie Mercury (real name Farrokh Bulsara). His one-of-a-kind vocal talent was discovered by the brilliant guitar virtuoso Brian May, who built his Red Special electric guitar, with its totally distinctive sound, together with his father, and by drumming master Roger Taylor, the band’s founding members from the days when Queen were still called Smile. The last to join, in 1971, was bassist John Deacon, the youngest member of the band, who soon proved himself a songwriter on par with his three older bandmates. To sound as enigmatic as possible, he introduced himself on the Queen debut under the name Deacon John. An aura of mystery and mysticism, by the way, followed Queen practically from the very beginning.
Another big quirk of Queen was that on their early albums from the seventies they used no keyboards, something they made a point of stating in the credits every single time. Freddie did love to sit down at the piano on various tracks, and May occasionally stepped in on that instrument too. But the main trait that earned Queen their immortal status for all time was their exceptional knack for creating multi-part, often operatic vocal harmonies, which they used to build distinctly epic atmospheric shades. The baton of lead vocalist was passed on from the vocal icon Mercury, especially on the early albums, to May and Taylor on several occasions. Each of them, in their own way, was a very good singer with an equally distinctive vocal color.
Among the individual tracks on »Queen«, the opening hard rock anthem »Keep Yourself Alive« undoubtedly stands out, with its original riffing, soaked in the unique sound of May’s guitar, and Freddie’s theatrical singing. The excellent layered vocals confirm Queen right from the start, and they had an ideal role model for this practice in Uriah Heep, masters of that vocal craft. The youthful rebelliousness of their early days radiates through this hugely influential song from start to finish. »Doing All Right« is a gorgeous, upbeat ballad with acoustic guitar and piano, of the kind they would write in quite good numbers over their career. In the second half an electric guitar kicks in too, thoroughly heating up the subtle atmosphere. On the pompous epic »Great King Rat«, where the hyper-intense mood keeps shifting through numerous tempo changes and guitar variations, they show off their exceptional feel for prog-rock-minded epic drama, with lyrics that were often steeped in old English legends and fairy tales. That kind of thing was typical mostly of their early period.
The same mystical, secretive mood carries on in »My Fairy King«, which has a dash of glamour in it. Here Freddie, moving between high and low vocal registers with plenty of support from his bandmates, proves early in his career why he was rock’s greatest vocal ‘diva’. The central rhythm is once again driven by piano and guitar working in harmony. On the punchy energy catalyst »Liar«, one of the best achievements on this album, Queen show off their innate sense of progressive rock dynamics, while Freddie’s vocal and emotional range amazes in the middle of a bravura delivery of the sarcastically tinged lyrics. Once again there are plenty of multi-part vocal harmonies that would soon become their trademark, and the song is also marked by Mercury’s rarely heard use of the Hammond organ.
»The Night Comes Down« grows into a tender ballad after a short instrumental intro. On the slick hard rocker »Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll«, Roger Taylor successfully takes over the vocals. »Son And Daughter« is yet another interesting hybrid of hard rock, glam and pomp. The piously spiced »Jesus« is another fine example of this legendary band’s musical versatility, since it contains elements of gospel. The excellent closing instrumental »Seven Seas of Rhye« is the best-known song on the album, thanks mostly to its upgraded vocal version, which appeared on the next studio release, »Queen II« (1974).
Unlike a good chunk of legendary rock bands, who started out small, Queen knew exactly what they wanted from the very beginning of their studio career, so they made a very good debut that threw the doors wide open for their later masterpieces, far more polished in arrangement and lyrics. From here on, right up to the end of the seventies, their creativity only went up, which meant that Freddie, Brian, Roger and John soon began to enjoy enormous respect from music fans everywhere and quickly became one of the best rock bands of the seventies.
Lineup
Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano, Hammond organ on “Liar”
Brian May – guitar, piano, vocals
John Deacon – bass guitar, acoustic guitar
Roger Taylor – drums, vocals
GUEST VOCALIST:
John Anthony – backing vocals on “Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll”
Production
John Anthony, Roy Thomas Baker and Queen
Track list
1. Keep Yourself Alive
2. Doing Alright
3. Great King Rat
4. My Fairy King
5. Liar
6. The Night Comes Down
7. Modern Times Rock’n’Roll
8. Son And Daughter
9. Jesus
10. Seven Seas Of Rhye
