A Curtain Call for Queen’s Sprawling Night at the Opera

A Night at the Opera

Queen

1975

Taking its name from an old Marx Brother’s film, Queen’s A Night at the Opera has to be amongst the most unfocused hit records of the  70s.  Confident and determined to best their breakthrough Sheer Heart Attack album, the band wrote and recorded its follow-up with no apparent concern for the expectations of their audience. Indulging everything from progressive hard rock, to AM radio pop, old-time piano romps, torch ballads, sci-fi skiffle, and even classical influences, the album was dazzling in its diversity, but a daunting release for all but the most adventurous listeners.

While the record’s variety can be a strength, the knife cuts both ways.   I suspect the vast majority of those who bought A Night at the Opera on the strength of “Bohemian Rhapsody” rarely  listened to the record from start to finish.  My own scratched vinyl copy is a testament to how hard it once was for me to play through the album without lifting the needle and skipping tracks. In fact, I’m not sure I ever sat through “Love of My Life,” “Lazing on A Sunday Afternoon” or “Good Company” in their entirety until I was well into my twenties.  With age, however, my taste matured and I learned to appreciate every second of this rich, schizophrenic masterpiece.

Gorgeous, multi-part vocal arrangements, often tracked with remarkably precise pitch and timing by Freddie Mercury alone, are perhaps the record’s most distinctive sonic feature. The technique is used throughout A Night at the Opera, but is demonstrated to extraordinary effect on “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Prophet’s Song,” both featuring lengthy, harmonized a capella segments.

That being said, whenever freed of the need to harmonize with other voices, Mercury’s lead vocals could be even more staggering as a solo instrument.  Seemingly able to hit any note he could imagine, Mercury’s range was extraordinary.  He sang with a wide-eyed clarity rarely heard from “bloozey” rock and roll vocalists, and his voice could slice through the band’s dense arrangements like a search light.  But perhaps most endearing was his ability to match his approach to the mood of each song.  Just two songs in, you’ll hear Mercury effortlessly shift from the hateful sneer of “Death on Two Legs,” to the peaceful reverie of “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon.”

Mercury’s songs, voice and keyboard parts are so captivating throughout A Night at The Opera that a casual listener might overlook the band’s innovative lead guitarist Brian May.  Contributing half of the albums song’s, and singing several strong lead vocals, May was singular in his ability to construct elaborate, yet tasteful guitar arrangements.  May loved to tweak and tinker with gear, creating sonic textures that no one has ever been able to accurately reproduce.  At a time when Fender and Gibson guitars were the standard, May often performed and recorded with his trademark “Red Special”  — an instrument he built with help from his father when he was just 16, using wood from a dismantled 18th century fireplace.  In the studio, May created some of his most fascinating tones with a small, battery-powered amplifier designed by Queen’s bassist, John Deacon known as the Deacy.

And unlike most guitarists, May preferred British coins (especially a sixpence) over standard plastic picks.  May’s unusual arsenal of gear and layered recording technique enabled him to create a sonic backdrop that was at times so unexplainably orchestral, the band felt compelled to include the statement, “No synthesizers!” on the inside cover notes.

Financially speaking, A Night at the Opera was an enormous risk for the band.  Produced by Roy Thomas Baker (whom would go on to produce hits for the Cars, Journey, Foreigner and others) the recording budget was as extravagant as you might expect from a band named Queen.  In fact, at the time of its release in 1975, A Night at the Opera was the most expensive rock album ever produced.  Packed with over-the-top studio effects and creative production techniques, the record consistently rewards curious listeners.  Here are just a few of the more fascinating “hidden” production moments to look for as you explore the songs:

– The “horn section” in “Seaside Rendezvous” was created by treating and blending the recorded voices of lead vocalist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor.  No real horns at all were used.  The “tap dance” elements in the song were created by having Mercury and Taylor tap thimbles on the mixing board.

– The “megaphone” vocal effect in “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” was created by playing Mercury’s recorded vocal track back through headphones, putting those headphones in a metal bucket and re-recording the output to a new track.

– One of guitarist Brian May’s signature guitar tones, featured on closing track, “God Save the Queen” and many other songs, was created by recording up to 30 separate tracks and layering the performances together to create one symphonic sound.

While the record is stylistically diverse, the quality of the songs, performances and production is consistently stellar throughout.  Even today, nearly 40 years after its initial release, listening to A Night at the Opera, feels like visiting a favorite theme park.  It’s a dazzling collection of diverse yet complimentary attractions, each designed to surprise, amaze and delight you, one song at a time.

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