'Queen' (1973) (now known as 'Queen I')

Queen's debut album, and immediately the controversies start. For the rock purists, 'Queen I' is the real Queen, with everything issued after a fall from grace. This is Queen the prog rock band who pioneered a unique brand of Led Zeppelin and Glam Rock. For such people, the smash hits that made the band's name are a 'sellout.' To those who bought those hits and became big Queen fans in light of them, the early stuff sounds 'odd,' bone-crunching hard rock with lyrical references to fairies and ogres. Putting it that way could make Queen like a Spinal Tap-like send up of Led Zep multiplied to a factor of a thousand. Queen soon transcended their influences in finding their own unique style. If the idea of a unique synthesis of glam, prog, and hard rock appeals, then 'Queen I' is the album for you. The references to Glam Rock fit Queen more as a matter of their timing than their style. Queen are more of a hard rock band than Glam, their flash and flair being derived from other influences. It is easy enough to identify the influences, but the real value of this album lies in the way it showcases the attributes that are uniquely Queen. The band would come to be both celebrated and criticised for its painstaking production values in the studio, and that quality is evident on this first album. The songs on the album emerged over the period of a year in sessions that took place at the esteemed Trident Studios. Spare studio time was made available to the band and they took full advantage, learning how to hone their original sound. The individual members of the band were blessed with a high intelligence, three of them with strong science backgrounds - astro-physics, electronics, and dentistry, with Freddie bringing his diploma in Fine Art. Welding an immense vision of what rock could be with state-of-the-art studio technology, the Queen the world would come to revere and revile in equal measure was born.

Musically, the songs and sound on 'Queen' show all of the bands' seminal influences. You can hear Led Zep in the guitars and vocals, you can hear Hendrix, and you can hear echoes of 60s psychedelia as well as opera behind the appearance of Glam. I think the association of Queen with Glam is more the coincidence of timing than the sound. The fact is, though, that the album is much more than its various influences, and it is this that makes it an identifiably 'Queen' album. The album is replete with thumping beats, immense riffs, multi-tracked guitars, towering vocals and group harmonies. Whilst there are none of the smash hits that would come to characterise later Queen albums, a number of tracks exhibit the great pop sensibility for which the band would come to be known. For all that, mind, the album rocks hard. The obvious example here is 'Keep Yourself Alive,' which was selected for the band's first single release. Disc magazine's critic opined that the single 'should do well,' praising its 'attractively stilted, vaguely Hendrix-y lead riff.' The single didn't chart - the only Queen single never to chart - but the accessible pop qualities behind the hard rock were much in evidence. The same applies also to 'Liar,' which the band were still playing in their huge live concerts in the 80s. The album closes with a short instrumental of 'Seven Seas Of Rhye,' the song which was to become the band's first hit single when completed for their follow-up album. 'Queen' has that unique blend of pomp and power that the band was to perfect as the seventies progressed. Queen had their own very unique take on prog rock from the first. In moving beyond their influences, they didn't 'sellout,' but rather found their own identity as a band that was equally adept at both hard rock and pop.

My memories of this album were those of a late-comer. I had started with 'Killer Queen' in 1974 and moved forwards from there. I'm a cautious person by nature. I was sure of my starting point and sought validation in the singles and albums that came after. I didn't like to investigate the past in case I discovered something contrary to my high standards. I remember a school friend who was selling his record collection to raise money, constantly seeking me out knowing I was a Queen fan who didn't have the first album. I refused to buy it, not even at the fairly reasonable price of £2. Of course, by the time I was ready to take the plunge, two or three years later, the album was hard to find in the shops. Eventually a copy was spotted. My brother reported back, although he noted that one side contained a little bubble that could make the sound defective. This time I risked it and was immediately bowled over. For a long while I made it my favourite Queen album. At that time I was well into hard rock, bands like 'Rainbow,' 'Deep Purple,' 'Motorhead,' and and a little later 'Iron Maiden.' I liked the heavy sound of the early Queen. This was a band of real heavy rockers. At the same time, I also liked also the dash, flash, and panache, something that raised the band well above the boring, the loud, and the predictable. 

Queen I (1973)

"Keep Yourself Alive"

The opening track on the first album and the very first Queen single. This should have been the breakthrough single, with Queen coming in on top and staying there for the duration. The song is catchy and rocks hard. It didn't happen, but some indication of the song's qualities is given by the fact that it became a mainstay in live performance. The band encapsulated its life-affirming ethos from the get-go in the song. Whatever the history books say, the song is remembered as a hit. And a Queen classic.

"Doing All Right"

This song is carried over into Queen from Brian May and Roger Taylor's days in Smile, being written by May and Tim Staffell. The song isn't in Freddie Mercury's usual style, being more laid back, but he acquits himself well. From the opening ballad section, the song cuts into a furious hard rock section. Queen re-arranged the original Smile version to produce something much heavier. The soft opening section sounds like it comes from another era, and the dynamics in the middle section also sound like the style of another band, the relaxed beat - the electrifying switch into hard rock is pure Queen, though.

"Great King Rat"

A great rocker which, lyrically, is in the mould of 'Flick of the Wrist,' 'Death on Two Legs,' and 'Scandal.' The song takes a swipe at those neurotics who are obsessed with the seedy side of life. Journalists, managers, and businessmen and such like, toadstools on the putrefying flesh of a decaying culture. Abominations to all that is healthy and holy. There's a lot of them about. At a length of more than six minutes, it is an ambitious song, of the type which Queen would come to perfect. It is one of the early Queen classics, one of the songs which impressed all who would come to see the band live in concert. 

"My Fairy King"

Quirky and complex, fairy tale lyrics set to intricate piano, guitar, and vocals. The song goes fast and slow, hard and soft. Classic Queen dynamics, then. I rate the song most highly, and place it ahead of the much more heralded 'Keep Yourself Alive.' 'Alive' is an obvious single choice, given that it traverses familiar rock territory. 'My Fairy King' is in another orbit when it comes to the musical imagination. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was not born in a void. Queen came in on a rhapsody. The lyrics tell the tale of a mythical realm, where all is pure and good, followed by a fall from innocence. It is the realm of Rhye that pops up in other early Queen songs, giving some insight into the source of Freddie Mercury's flights of lyrical fancy.

"Liar"

Grand, ambitious, and dramatic, the band's style was fully-formed from the first. The pop sensibilities would become more apparent as the years went by. 'Liar' was a memorable statement of the band's hard rock credentials, as well as its flair and panache and pronounced tendencies for theatre, play, spectacle, impact, comedy, tragedy, the lot. The band stood out immediately, and this song makes it clear that the operatic qualities came from Brian May and not just Freddie Mercury (this song as well as 'The Prophet's Song' and 'It's Late' were written by May).

"The Night Comes Down"

This is an interesting song in many respects. It is one of the earliest Queen songs, if not the earliest, having been originally recorded in demo form at De Lane Lea studios, before the band recorded it at Trident. Brian May's guitar harmonies and techniques are already in evidence at this early stage. It's an unusual sounding song for Queen, exuding a certain mood and texture. It's hard to think of another song comparable to 'Night' in the Queen catalogue. It's such a relaxing and reassuring song, slow and softly sung, with lots of unusual musical aspects. John Deacon's bass notes underneath the verse chords are simply gorgeous. There is a lovely guitar intro from Brian May, too, and lots of rich and varied textures throughout, and something of a soothing feel, evoking a certain nostalgia for who knows who, what, where, and when.

"Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll"

'Modern times rock'n'roll' sounds remarkably like old times rock'n'roll at its most basic, only with the tempo sped-up and the volume turned up. The description is on the tin. This is a straight-ahead, simple rocker, fast and furious. I think it is some indication of the distinctive character of Queen that this perfectly acceptable hard rock comes over as somewhat unimaginative in the company of other Queen songs. Good rock for most other bands is something of a 'by the books' throwaway for Queen.

"Son and Daughter"

A bit Hendrix and a lot Queen. This is Queen in super heavy form. You can hear why the purists would be inclined to turn their noses up at the later pop turn of the band and would pine away endlessly for the old days. This is very much the 'heavy' Queen, showcasing the early Queen blending of blues and hard rock with their showy style. The song was played in the very first concert performed under the name of 'Queen' in 1970, and remained in the set until as late as 1976. The live version of the song housed Brian May's famous guitar solo from 'Brighton Rock,' which he further expanded over the years.

"Jesus"

This is an unusual 'religious' track, telling the story of Jesus of Nazareth, forming a counterpart to 'Mad the Swine' (which was kept off the album). People speculate that Mercury may have been taking an interest in Christianity at this time. I always look upon Freddie Mercury as an intelligent magpie, with an eye for things he could make use of. But you didn't need too much by way of acute vision in 1973 to pick up on Christian references in popular culture. It was the year of 'Godspell' and 'Jesus Christ Superstar.' The song possibly made more sense back then than it does now. Restored back into its context and it becomes possible to hear the track in new light. At least as interesting as the lyrics are the effects created by May's Red Special guitar, which led to the band being considered psychedelic in some quarters.

"Seven Seas of Rhye"

This is a short instrumental of the hit single contained on the follow-up album 'Queen II.' Mercury hadn't finished writing the song when the first album was being completed. The plan was to use this taster as an outro on Queen I and have the finished track opening Queen II. As it happened, 'Seven Seas of Rhye' closed the second album too. Why? I like to think it was so they could end an album of hard rock with a burst of 'oh we do like to be beside the seaside.' And it makes for the curious fact that the same song would close both of Queen's first two albums.

"Mad the Swine"

This religious song is a parallel piece with 'Jesus,' but wasn't used on the album. The track is believed to have been recorded in June 1972. It seems that the original intention was to place the track between 'Great King Rat' and 'My Fairy King.' That the song fell into obscurity is hardly surprising, given the speed with which the band moved beyond their early heavy sound from 1974 onwards. Imagine the surprise people had when hearing this for the first time, leading them to re-discover the sound and feel of the debut album. Many declare a surprise that Queen would write and record material such as this, only to find themselves developing an ear for the early Queen sound. It can sound like another band to some people. That was my experience of 'Queen I.' My beginnings with Queen were with 'Killer Queen' in 1974 and I went forwards from there. I was slow to pick up 'Queen I.' It's hard to describe just how different the early Queen sound when your ears have become attuned to the band that was now scoring huge pop hits.

As for the song, I particularly like the lines:

For all the people in the land

A message of love

I bring you from up above.

Wherever that message comes from, it is one we can all respond to: it is a message for all of us to take on board. It is repeated in various forms throughout a number of Queen songs. Cynics will point to it as a message of such generality and banality that few would disagree. It is a message that turns up again in the more ostensibly pop setting of 1982's 'Calling all Girls,' which enjoins us to 'take a message of love far and near ... for all to hear.' There's no reference to Jesus and God in that later song though. The religious references are clear in 'Mad the Swine,' making this a most intriguing song. Mercury himself was a Parsi of the Zoroastrian faith. 'Mad the swine' is a name that was used to mock Jesus Christ. The song tells the story of how Jesus cast out demons into the form of pigs and how the pigs then committed suicide. With that explanation in place, the presence of this song on the album would have made more sense of the song 'Jesus,' which stands out as something of an oddity. But maybe it was considered best not to have two such oddities on a debut album. Although this was left off the album, it is unlikely that the problem was one of quality: all the classic Queen elements are present and correct. It has all the classic Queen harmonies. Musically, this is a well-structured track, with drums, guitar, and vocals blending well. 

"Polar Bear"

This is another track which was originally done by Smile, recorded at some time between 1971 and 1973. Freddie Mercury's vocals are stronger than Tim Staffell's, and there are other modifications in the Queen version. It's a beautiful track, evoking something of the atmosphere of 'The Night Comes Down.' We may regret that, like 'Mad the Swine,' the song didn't make the album. I think the band were always concerned that an album have a clear and coherent musical definition as well as balance along with variety. This required a judicious selection of material. I think the track could easily have been included ahead of 'Jesus,' which - without the support of 'Mad the Swine' - really does stand out as something of an anomaly. You may 'want it all,' as a later Queen hit would have it, but you can't fit it all on the one record. The song is sweet and soft and would have been nice to have had all those years ago.

"Feelings"

This track, written by Brian May, is thought to have its origins some time before John Deacon joined the band. It is a very heavy jam, with guitar and drums to the fore. The more well-known Queen track 'Feelings, Feelings' has its origins here.

"Rock and Roll Medley"

Queen would always perform a number of rock'n'roll covers in their concerts, and were still doing it in 1986. It is a way of paying tribute to sources, as well as breaking up the show by way of a breather. A studio version was pressed onto a one-sided 10" acetate. The medley would include 'Jailhouse Rock,' (the very first song that Freddie Mercury sang to a paying public), 'Stupid Cupid,' 'Bama Lama Bama Loo,' 'Be Bop A Lula', 'Shake Rattle And Roll,' and 'Big Spender.' I was never quite sure about the rock'n'roll credentials of 'Big Spender.' But I always liked Shirley Bassey.