Music_Legends_-_The_Queen_Special_Edition_2019

under the radar, and the album was
passed over by the critics and the band
alike. Roger Taylor, for example, recently
recalled, ‘There were lots of things on the
first album I don’t like, for example the
drum sound. There are parts of it which
may sound contrived but it is very
varied and it has lots of energy.’
Touring the album in support
of Mott the Hoople, Brian
May quickly became infatuated
with the glam-rockers from
Hertfordshire, England, and
there are clear signs of the band’s
influence throughout his own
writing career.
In 1974, Queen quickly
followed up the small success of
their first studio outing with two
new releases, the first of which was
Queen II, featuring hit single Seven
Seas of Rhye. The album garnered
the band a plethora of new fans, and
despite the album as a whole being highly
experimental and gaining little critical
acclaim, Seven Seas of Rhye went to No. 5
in the charts, and Queen were more than
pleased with the results.

Reflecting on the success of Queen

II Roger Taylor remarked, ‘We took so

much trouble over that album, possibly

too much, but when we finished we felt

really proud. Immediately it got really

bad reviews, so I took it home to listen to

and thought, “Christ, are they right?” But

after hearing it a few weeks later, I still

like it. I think it’s great. We’ll stick by it.

Considering the abuse we’ve had lately,

I’m surprised that the new LP has done

so well. I suppose it’s basically because

people like the band.’ Speaking a few

years later Taylor added that, ‘It’s very

difficult to choose one album I prefer out

of all of them. But I do like a lot of the

work on the second album, second side.

It all runs into one – very epic. Musically

it’s quite daring because we did lots

of counter seven part harmonies

a nd t h ing s.’

Later that same year, the third

studio album Sheer Heart Attack

was released. Killer Queen – the

first single – proved to be the

album’s standout track, and a

major jumping-off point for the

band. Shooting into the Top 10

of the UK Single Charts, as well

as peaking at No. 11 in the US

Billboard Single Charts, the track

combined the Led Zeppelin-esque

sound of their first two albums,

along with Mercury’s grandiose

music hall stylings. Brian May quickly

picked up on the track’s importance:

‘Killer Queen in 1974, was the turning

point. It was the song that best summed

up our kind of music, and a big hit, and

we desperately needed it as a mark of

Queen in 1976. From left: Freddie Mercury,

Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.

“I thought up the name

Queen... it’s just a name,

but it’s very regal, and it

sounds splendid. It’s a strong

name, very universal and

immediate.”

Freddie Mercury