'Sheer Heart Attack' (1974)

It's an open secret in the Queen community of old that "Sheer Heart Attack" is the masterpiece album that "A Night At The Opera" is routinely proclaimed to be. "Sheer Heart Attack" is the perfect realisation of all of Queen's early rock potentials, without the pretensions, no frills, with all lyrical and instrumental excess stripped back for a red hot focus on the rock sound. 

It is possible that that leaner sound emerged from the circumstances in which the album was recorded, with Brian May having been struck down by hepatitis, and then a duodenal ulcer. With May having to record his guitar parts after most of the recording had been finished, a more disciplined and economical approach emerged in the studio. The result is a hard-hitting razor-sharp sound on track after track. The effect is intensified by the way that a number of the tracks link into one another, connecting the immense variety of material by way of a continuous flow and feel. Rather like Dante's Divine Comedy, then. 

With "Sheer Heart Attack," Queen perfectly summed and concentrated all the hard rock, prog, and 'glam' (which in truth was Queen's own unique panache and flair) that had been present in their first two albums. That focus accentuated the pop possibilities of the Queen musical blend. Whilst Brian May expressed a concern that "Killer Queen" had veered too much away from rock in the direction of pop, it was the song that broke the band and got people like me hooked for life. Queen had arrived as 'Gunpowder, gelatine / Dynamite with a laser beam / Guaranteed to blow your mind / Anytime.' They could hardly have done it any other way. 

The "Killer Queen" single was my introduction to Queen. "Flick of the Wrist" on the B-side caused me to pause before taking the plunge. The combination of hard rock and caustic lyrics was a shock to the system. I liked the sound, though, and acquired the appetite for more. 'More' is what Queen did best. With "Bohemian Rhapsody," I took the plunge, bought "A Night at the Opera" and then worked forwards and then backwards. "Sheer Heart Attack" was just sheer hard, exciting rock music. It's my pick for the greatest Queen album (although the top six in that selection are interchangeable according to taste and mood). "Sheer Heart Attack" spans the early and the later Queen, summarizing the old and anticipating the new. In truth, the album stands in a category of its own, bringing the 'early' Queen to an end by presenting its hard rock sound in concise form. I just wish it could have been blessed with a better album cover.

Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

"Brighton Rock"

The song begins in a fairground with a carousel sound and then takes us on a Helter Skelter ride of hard rock guitar, with Brian May clearly invoking the spirit of Hendrix. May would incorporate - and expand - his work here as a guitar showcase in the Queen concerts, extending to fifteen minutes. It is classic Brian May guitar, with that triple echo sound. 'Brighton Rock' makes it crystal clear how much of the Queen sound is down to the distinctive guitar sound of Brian May. This is one of those numbers that made Queen concerts just so damned thrilling. In the 1980s, those new to the band tended to forget that Queen rocked as hard as anyone and, live, could blow 'em all away. I knew them first as a rock band with an outsized imagination. Since they had the talent to back it up, they rarely overreached themselves. Maybe in time, the concert staging of the song, with the heavy - and long - emphasis on guitar came to overshadow the actual song. This is a superb opener to what is most probably Queen's best album, Sheer Heart Attack. It sets to tempo and style for the rest of the album.

"Killer Queen"

This was the first Queen single I bought. In fact, this is where my love affair with Queen begins. I was always the Elvis fan (and remain so). I only ever wanted Elvis records. No other artist ever got a look in. I remember when it was my birthday in 1973. My mum sent my dad out with me to buy a present, an Elvis record of my choice. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I had every Elvis record in the shops. My dad, in desperation, tried to tempt me with records by all the latest and best bands. I was quite tempted by Slade, I must admit. But I insisted on Elvis and so went home empty handed. My poor dad caught hell off my mum who, to make amends, took me to the shops later in the week and bought two Elvis records for me. Things changed in 1974. There was a new commercial radio station on Merseyside, Liverpool's Radio City, and it would play 'Killer Queen' over and again. 'It's that record again,' I would say to my mum, who liked the song, too. So I kept nagging away at her to buy the single, which reached #2 in the UK charts. This was the breakthrough. It is perfectly crafted pop, tempering the rock down so as to be generally accessible. It is quintessential Queen, with all of the quirkiness and cleverness associated with the band's trademark style. As to what the clever lyrics were all about - a high class call girl - we all pretended not to know what that meant and just ignored it. At least in public. We would do that quite often with Queen songs. Take notice and play at being unknowing. Which made things all the more entertaining. In word and music, the song was just irresistibly catchy. This is one of the elite Queen songs. Just a perfect case. Pop perfection, in fact.

"Tenement Funster"

A slow, low, gritty, and groovy rocker, with drummer Roger Taylor on lead vocals, this is the low key highlight on the Sheer Heart Attack album. For some reason, it works wonderfully well when heard as a trilogy with 'Flick of the Wrist' and 'Lily of the Valley.' Segued together, these very different tracks complement and enhance one another. The band had the intelligence and musicality to run so many different styles together as one in the manner of The Beatles' Abbey Road. This band had the smarts to compass a genuine multiplity in music and forge it into a seamless whole. 

"Flick of the Wrist"

'Tenement Funster' runs directly into 'Flick of the Wrist' via a dramatic, flowing piano. I remember this one most of all as the B-side of 'Killer Queen.' This was tougher and harder than the A-side, a rock song with a razor-sharp lyrical edge. I remember the malice in the vocal as it spat out its curses against the backdrop of a hard grinding sound. It transpires that the song was, like 'Death on Two Legs,' aimed at a former manager. It was full of threat and aggression. I loved it. This is one of the tracks in which the band reveals its inherent rock power, with the visceral qualities of both vocal and guitar being incendiary. I remember the older boys at school trying to impress on me the salacious nature of the lyrics - 'dislocate your spine,' 'the beast within him rise,' 'it's a rip-off,' 'you've been had,' 'prostitute yourself,' 'castrate your human pride,' 'sacrifice,' 'let me squeeze you till you've dried,' 'seduce you with his money make machine.' Pure vitriol! On the A side we had the cute, catchy, clever pop of 'Killer Queen,' on the B side we had the vicious, venomous and no less clever rock of 'Flick of the Wrist.' I felt I was being initiated into a dark and dangerous world. To those who persist in claiming that Queen are mere 'pop,' this band could rock the house like no one, with real visceral power, with no need to go to 11 (which they could, if need be).

"Lily of the Valley"

This is a rather elegant, ornate, ballad, both delicate and dramatic, one that would more than merit a high placing in the Queen catalogue. The song was released as a single but failed to chart. It's not obviously a pop ballad and has a certain refined, even literary character. The song is believed to be inspired by Honoré de Balzac' s 1835 novel Lily of the Valley. The song has tended to be forgotten over the years, being overshadowed in the ballad stakes by the likes of 'Love of My Life.' 'Lily of the Valley' is of the very highest order of Queen ballads.

"Now I'm Here"

A classic hard rocker, and a song which became a mainstay in live performance; yet another Queen showstopper (they had a few). For a long while, this is the song with which the Queen concerts would open. Like Richard Barbieri of Porcupine Tree (I've never heard of either him or them, but somebody has) said, 'Although Freddie camped it up, and much of their material was delicate, when Queen rocked out they easily rivalled Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Purple.' Easily. That's how they struck me from the first, a thrilling hard rock band with added panache, flair, and imagination. I also remember 'Now I'm Here' as a single aiming for the top ten at the same time as Elvis' new single 'Promised Land.' Queen hit UK #11, Elvis hit UK #9. The King was still just about on top of Queen, then. But it was thrilling watching this band on the rise. (It wasn't thrilling to see Elvis on the wane). The song ends with a little tribute to another King of rock'n'roll, the author of 'Promised Land' himself, Chuck Berry, with the band exiting with the line 'go, go, go Little Queenie' (a reference to the Chuck Berry song of the same name). 

"In the Lap of the Gods"

With that dramatic, ear-piercing, wall-shattering opening, this song hits you with the sounds you would expect to hear before the Gates of Heaven and Hell as the fate of your soul is decided. Side Two of Sheer Heart Attack is bookended by this introductory song and "In the Lap of the Gods Revisited." They are not merely early intimations of the greatness that Queen would go on to achieve with "Bohemian Rhapsody," they are full realisations of that greatness. Roger's falsetto here is unearthly, setting the mood for the entire song. That first thirty seconds, followed by Freddie's distorted vocal, panning out as resignation - and those ever-changing octaves - make for a remarkable song. 

The fact that song segues into "Stone Cold Crazy" should make clear the obvious truth - this entire album is one continuous flow of immensity. Sheer Heart Attack has never been appraised as a concept album to the best of my knowledge. But if you go back to side one, you have the trilogy of songs in the middle - "Tenement Funster," "Flick of the Wrist," and "Lily of the Valley" - bookended by two great rock numbers - "Brighton Rock" and "Now I'm Here." And "In the Lap of the Gods" is a remarkable opening to side two, with "Revisited" the perfect closer. The difference is that "In the Lap" the opener is just incredibly unique and different whilst "Revisited" is more familiar and anthemic. One is a superb opener to another world and the other is the perfect ending. The sheer other-worldly weirdness of this song is indescribable. You feel like you are about to be plunged into the depths or be taken soaring through the heavens; as I said, these are the sounds you hear whilst awaiting to hear your fate.

"Stone Cold Crazy"

'One of the fastest songs ever,' a heavy rock fan in the sixth form told me, shaking his head in disbelief at the sheer awesome brilliance of "Stone Cold Crazy." He should know, too, since he played drums in a heavy rock band. This song is a particular favourite of the rockers in the Queen fraternity. The song rocks hard, loud, and fast. "Stone Cold Crazy was one of Freddie's frenetic ideas," Brian May said in 2014. "But the original was much slower." The original actually went back to 1970, when it was the first song that Queen (minus John Deacon) played. I love the way Freddie hams it up on this live in concert, really selling the song for all it is worth. As a song, it is pretty basic for Queen, just loud and fast, but very exciting all the same. Sometimes, a burst of visceral energy is all that we need. The song is often said to have been the origin of thrash metal. Whilst some have contested that view, the fact that such a view is plausible is more important than the facts of the matter either way. This is a stone cold crazy fast rocker of the kind that very few bands could pull off in the studio, let alone live. Many bands can play fast, many bands can play loud, but few bands can play both fast and loud and fewer still who can play fast and loud and keep complete control over the quality. That's what separates Queen from most other bands. 

"Dear Friends"

A simple, soothing piano ballad which lasts just over a minute. For some reason, it always sounded like a Welsh hymn to me, particularly when the choir enters. It is short and sweet, like a poem accompanied by piano and vocal harmonies. It takes the tempo down and is really rather beautiful.

"Misfire."

I've said it before and someone will no doubt say it again, but John Deacon knew how to write incredibly catchy pop songs. This is his first contribution to Queen and it stands out as something of an anomaly on an album packed with hard rockers. But that points to one of the strengths of Queen - each of its members brought something uniquely different to the mix. Roger Taylor's songs were often very different to the general sound of the album. It added great variety. This track needs a good home, like the top of the charts. As it is, it changes the temper and the mood of the album, balances it up, prevents the relentlessly brilliant hard rock becoming monotonous. As for the lyrics, the song is about the skills set required for successful sex.  

"Bring Back that Leroy Brown"

The quirkiest song on an album which was heavy on the rock. There are less frills on Sheer Heart Attack than other Queen albums, but they are there all the same, among the many thrills. This song has a vaudeville style and invokes the name of 'big bad Leroy Brown,' but the song itself is actually a tribute to Jim Croce. It's an odd tribute, certainly. Only Freddie Mercury would laud the singer of sad songs with overblown theatrics played against the backdrop of barbershop harmonies and ukulele-banjo. The song slows to a halt, sings a paean of praise, then storms back to life in full Charleston mode. In essence, it is a tribute to one guy sung as a demand to bring back another guy, who in turn stands for another kind of music entirely. It makes no sense whatsoever and stays jammed in your head for aeons after.

"She Makes Me"

Subtitled 'Stormtrooper in Stilletoes' (Brian May seems to have had a problematic relationship with women), this is one of the oddest songs in the Queen catalogue, which really is saying something. It sounds a little like something left over from Smile, like 'Some Day One Day,' but with a hypnotising monotony. It has an early seventies feel about it, with strummed acoustic guitars and drums on a repeated two chord pattern. It all makes for a hypnotic effect. It is a most unusual song for Queen, lacking the complex dynamics and tempo changes. Another oddity is the fact that although it is written by Brian May, the song lacks a guitar solo. Because it is in a category of its own, the song tends to be overlooked in favour of more familiar sounding material. But it's a fantastic track all the same. It may not be the classic Queen sound, but it's Queen in their infinite variety all the same.

"In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited"

This song makes it plain how much a shared love of opera goes a long way in explaining the attractions of Queen. Freddie Mercury loved opera and incorporated all the big hooks we know and love into many of his songs. He unashamedly went for the big sing-a-longs, and won mass appeal for his efforts. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker, as we were meant to. Melodramatic, anthemic, and irresistible, I loved it when Queen reintroduced this track in their concerts of 1986.