 QUEEN
A Day at the Races
Hollywood Records 1976
www.queenonline.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
After Queen released A Night At The Opera, they became rock legends
almost overnight. That classic gem of an album was going to be a tough
act to
follow. But nonetheless, the group followed it up one year later with A
Day At The Races. Although the album has, over the years, been left
in the shadow of its predecessor, the album did spawn several big hits,
and
does remain a fairly popular release for the group. The biggest hits this
album unleashed on the listeners were Freddie Mercury's classic, artsy
ballad "Somebody To Love," and Brian May's straightforward, hard-and-heavy
rocker "Tie Your Mother Down."
Tthe excellence here isn't limited to hits.
The band's diversity is beautifully demonstrated on this album on a number
of tracks. You've got Brian May rockers ("White Man"), John Deacon's
classic optimistic poppy rock ("You And I"), a Roger Taylor piece with him
doing
the vocals ("Drowse"), and, of course, the classic, piano-heavy Freddie
Mercury stuff ("The Millionaire Waltz," "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy").
Every song
on this album is a classic.
Like most Queen albums, there isn't a whole lot wrong with this album.
I won't deny that it doesn't top or equal A Night At The Opera before
it, though. Likewise, it's unfortunate that the album has been forced to
live
in that album's shadow over the years. It's a good album in its own right!
But, these are just people's views of the album - hardly flaws, if you
ask me.
The Verdict
Another kick-ass album from one of the greatest classic rock bands
of all time. If you're at all a fan of Queen, there's no reason not
to own this album. Rock masterpieces from this band were plentiful,
and this was one of the many.
Did You Know?
A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races took their names from films in
the thirties starring the Marx Brothers.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Queen - Flashback Reviews
Queen + Paul Rogers - Return of the Champions
Classic Album Series DVD: Queen - A Night at the Opera
--George Dionne
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