Good to see you put Shear Heart Attack at No 1. Night at the Opera is the easy/obvious choice but Shear Heart Attack is the one that I keep coming back to. Admittedly its not as polished, but I love the rawness and quality of the songs and Brighton Rock is a fantastic opener. Brilliant album.
I understand why some people don’t like Made In Heaven as much as other albums but I absolutely love it! It just feels like a such an amazing send off to such a talented musician. Songs like Made In Heaven, Let Me Live and Too Much Love Will Kill You are just so beautiful and legendary! And then there’s I Was Born To Love You which almost feels like the song that would play in the end credits of an epic story, much like The Show Must Go On!
You made this point also in your Bowie review, expressing your contempt for a lot of eighties production. Totally agree. So many great artists fell victim to the insipid bombastic gated snares and synth polyrhythms etc, often at the expense of actually decent songs.The lack of vision amounted to, what Bowie referred to as a "blah" period for himself and great bands like Queen. Well done once again for your fair analysis. Even the criticism is layered with passion for the artist. I do believe Queen were unlike any band ever, in that ALL four members were quality songwriters with their own merits. THAT is quite phenomenal!
I think your favourite album by any band is as much determined by where you are in your life musical journey as it is by the quality of said album. That is why The Works is my own favourite (just ahead of A Night at the Opera.
If one is open to the styles, as an album "Hot Space" is a very successful "experiment" of a record by a band at the top of their game. It is also littered with brilliant moments, like the guitar solo on "Dancer", or the bass on "Cool Cat", or David Bowie, full stop (!!!). It's one of my favorite albums ever (and I am a big fan of "Queen II" and "Sheer Heart Attack"). "Jazz" is also another (often maligned) favorite and "The Game" is classic and their most listenable album. It's cliche to say, but true, that "Hot Space" would be the best album of a lesser band.
@@CleitonSilva-mx3uj I quite enjoy it too I am finding alot of maligned 80s albums from 70s rock band are nowhere near as bad as I am told from the 80s rockers
Yet another great IMO ranking Barry! As a Queen fan and a musician, I just found Jazz and A day at the races albums maybe a dash underranked here. As for the rest, totally agree. Just a side note, which many people somehow seem to have missed, both ANATO, ADATR (too lazy as I am) are titled after Marx Brothers' movies with the same titles respectively. In fact Groucho Marx himself, even gave them his blessings. Thanks as always, for the dedicated work and the whole idea of sharing the ultimate gift of music.
Interesting choice for #1. Sheer Heart Attack may be the most cohesive of the ultra eclectic albums. I keep shuffling favorites between albums 2 through 6. A wonderful dilemma! FYI , for "She makes me" they recorded Roger at a quicker tempo, then slowed the tape for the track to get that humongous sound. If you have vinyl, play it at 45rpm and you get Roger's real-speed drum sound.
YES! I watched this cheering more and more as we entered the home straight. Absolutely nailed the top few for me. Sheer Heart Attack is that moment on the precipice, between self indulgence and over-polished bombast. A spark of brilliance from start to finish. Thanks for a great run down.
Great review! Surprised that "News of the World" is ranked so high. For me the first 4 albums are just brillliant. "A Day at the Races" is also quite strong. My ranking: 01. Queen II 02. Sheer Heart Attack 03. Queen 04. A Night at the Opera 05. A Day at the Races 06. Jazz 07. Innuendo 08. The Game 09. A Kind of Magic 10. News of the World 11. The Works 12. The Miracle 13. Made in Heaven 14. Flash Gordon 15. Hot Space
News Of The World IMO is the ONLY solid Queen album other than A Night At The Opera youll struggle to find more than 3 songa worth listening to on the other albums
I received “Queen” Christmas ‘73, and after peeling myself off the wall, have never looked back. That being said, “Sheer Heart Attack” is my favorite Queen album, perhaps favorite album period. I suppose it would have to be, followed by “Queen”. Lucky enough to have seen them at MSG, December ‘77. Amazing. Thank you.
Just discovered your channel -great stuff altogether ! I first picked up a guitar in '74 and well remember hearing about all the big names but having no cash to buy LPs . I enjoy collecting the stuff I missed the first time- or missed out on as I drifted away from rock,partially bored with the 'music press' and alienated by the indie crowd who emerged at the start of the 80s. Keep it up !
40 years Queen fan, man and boy. Still have my fan club bandana. I was at Knebworth in '86. Interesting listing with which I would largely concur but I'd have Queen II and Queen I in positions 1 and 2, ANatO at 3 and SHA at 4. NotW in at 5. Excellent video, thanks.
Have always enjoyed listening to Jazz. Love the vocal contributions of Brian May and Roger Taylor on it. Leaving Home Ain't Easy, is a beautiful song in my humble opinion.
Very much in agreement that Sheer Heart Attack is the pinnacle of Queen’s catalog. A wonderful assessment and incredibly close to my own. Though I would drop Flash Gordon to the bottom followed closely by Made in Heaven. I would put Hot Space a tad higher as side 2 still harkens back to earlier output while some later releases seem to abandon the classic sound completely. All in all an excellent way to start 2020. Happy new year my friend. Looking forward to many more thought provoking explorations.
A lot of people just don’t like Hot space and idk why I personally love it and I think it’s queens third best 80s album and about the disco vibe there’s only four songs that have that disco vibe but anyways good rankings and good video🤘
Yes! Sheer Heart Attack has always been my favorite Queen album and I'm glad to see a reviewer I hold in high regard that agrees. I've never seen anyone else list it as number one. Coolest album cover imo, also. Lol.
Loved that, superb entertainment. News of the World is for me what Queen are when they are firing on all cylinders and when they were at their creative best. All thriller and no filler indeed, and one of the very best album covers ever to boot!!.
Great stuff as always. Would be great to see more Queen content on the channel. I think reviews of some of the albums, particularly Sheer Heart Attack, would really go down well.
I’m a massive Queen fan and really enjoyed this , would largely agree with your rankings and comments, but A Night At The Opera just makes it to number 1 for me 👍🏻
Good stuff, as usual! When you were talking about "Jazz" it reminded me of how much I used to want Slade to cover "Fat Bottom Girls". Also, our top 5 are the same!
Hey there! Dig your channel man. I'm a huge Queen fan. They are the first band I ever got into. As I have aged my love and appreciation of Queen's later output has grown. Now days I actually listen to them more than the 70's albums. And I guess I'm one of the lone defenders of Hot Space. I think it's a truly underrated album. It doesn't help that the two active remaining band members both are not shy about how much they hate it. Anyway, keep up the good work my friend. Cheers!
I've enjoyed the two reviews I've seen so far. AC/DC was the first, now this. Here's my top 5: - 5. A Day at the Races 4. The Miracle 3. News of The World 2. A Night at The Opera 1. Sheer Heart Attack I'm looking forward to seeing more.
For Xmas one year the sister of a friend of mine had bought him II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At the Opera and A Day At the Races. He found them and we played them for a couple of months before the big day. Still my fave 4 Queen albums.
What I have long enjoyed about Queen is the almost insanely eclectic nature of their albums, particularly Jazz and before. You Take My Breath Away is one of only two songs that have ever brought me to tears (the other is Motorhead's 1916, one of the most poignant war songs ever performed) while Seaside Rendezvous congers up images of late Victorian day in Brighton or maybe Blackpool, soaking up the beauty of a rare-ish late summer day. My best friend died when I was seventeen, and given that she was my sweet cat I could find solace in my loss. So many good songs, even the album with Paul Rodgers was pretty good (and you didn't cover it!) We'll never see the likes of Queen again.
I loved this band throughout their career, but Sheer Heart Attack has always been my favourite. Right from the beginning of the album with Brighton Rock (complete with amusement park sounds), that song opens the album with such force that it was comparable to any of the other great rock bands of the time. Brian May's guitar work is pure genius, then it rolls into the ultimate camp song Killer Queen which would be the most perfect song for a great drag show. I love every song on this album, complete with their eclectic approach. Queen was showing it's audience that they were a true headlining act, and even though they made damn good albums after Sheer Heart Attack, no other album is complete like that one.
Wow what an interesting quandary. I am a 40 year fan, but I am only 53, I know older fans. But forever number one Queen album for me is Queen II - my favourite song of ALL TIME is Nevermore. I love the stuff that wasn't released as singles. My Melancholy Blues and It's Late from NOTW - I STOPPED listening to Queen when I bought Hot Space, now I realise that I wasn't ready for the Majesty. Simply just listen to Hot Space now - time has caught up with it.
Jazz is very underrated record. I'd say that Dreamer's Ball is (at least for me) one of the best Queen's songs - Freddie handles the melody like a hot lover, harmonies are spotless and that guitar solo...!
@@classicalbum Hope you and yours had a great holiday! BTW I saw ZAPPA on his last full tour.....blew my mind how great he and his band were....what a loss......I'm a guitarist myself......nowhere near as good as him though. Now we just lost Neil Peart. I have the "feels" all over again. CHEERS.
@@classicalbum The minstrels and poets are eternal. A sign from Neil: ruclips.net/video/oDXjvjqG0qo/видео.html ruclips.net/video/ZiRuj2_czzw/видео.html
Cheers mate. Nice thoughtful review. I first noticed Queen like many people through Bohemian Rhapsody. I would tune in to top of the pops every week as a 10 year old boy to watch the video when this was on the charts. My very first album was a present because I asked for "the Queen album" , thinking it would have this song on it. I actually got A Day at the Races , which I love. I eventually got all the albums and even saw Queen live in Sydney in' 85. Love your reviews.
Another excellent video. I gave up on Queen after album 5 in 1976, A Day At The Races. I had a friend at university who was a huge Queen fan and we'd both seem them at the same gig in Stafford. He played me the album's I'd missed but I wasn't particularly impressed. Of course I couldn't avoid the singles and they often brought class to the charts. If pushed, I think I'd pick Sheer Heart Attack as my #1 but it was the first Queen album I owned.
@Donald Duck Looking back to the second half of the 1970s, I think my tastes moved on one direction and Queen moved in another. The view that Queen peaked early isn't unusual.
@@paulsimister944 That gig you attended is probably one of the finest of their career.. the audience singing you’ll never walk alone apparently inspired Brian to write WWRY! Did you or your friend take any pictures or tape the show by any chance?
You won’t see this reply.. but I hope we are related by at least 100 cousin degree. The top 3 albums can always be argued over. No doubt. I totally understood your bottom 3 album rankings. The simple fact you found and used the ultimate “rock and roll” music rag paper criticism against them? Made me happy. I subscribed and hope I enjoy future evaluations in the future.. Cheers!
I totally understand how difficult it is to rank the top 8 or 9 in this type of list. I pretty much mirrored your list save maybe 1 or 2 albums as far as position but nothing shocking... I even agreed with the 1 and 2 positions. As much as I love ANATO and hold it as dear as I do, Sheer Heart Attack is just a bit better and a touch more cohesive yet almost disparate. But all of their catalog from the debut through Jazz are BRILLIANT. 🤗
I have owned Sheer Heart Attack for many years on vinyl. Then bought it on cd. I'm back on board with the vinyl now i have a record player again. Its a great record that always gets played to death by me. Love it!
Hmm I don't recall there being any 'strings' on Queen's 70s albums (which you allude to while discussing The Game). Still, great overview of a venerable catalog with lots of salient and insightful points as always!
Here is my ranking (at least as of now) 1. Innuendo 2. The Miracle 3. Made in Heaven 4. Sheer Heart Attack 5. Jazz 6. A Day at the Races 7. Queen II 8. A Night at the Opera 9. News of the World 10. The Game 11. A Kind of Magic 12. Queen 1 13. Hot Space 14. The Works 15. Flash Gordon.
Been a fan of the band since day 1. Saw them first on the Sheer Heart Attack tour, and more times than I could count up to the '82 tour. The ranking here is pretty much perfect. I would probably move Innuendo up, but the worst, bar none is Hot Space. Hated it then, hate it still. Us fans camped out for tickets and all night we all talked about how much we all hated it. And wholeheartedly agree that Sheer Heart Attack is their best. Still gets lots of play in my house. The band were unreal in concert. Look up the videos from that tour. Freddie was better than I thought later on when he mostly sang at a higher register. Good video. Thank you.
For me "News of the world" is my favorite go to Queen album. "it's late" is probably my favorite Queen song and "Sleeping on the side walk" is my favorite song that doesn't feature Freddy.
Great review. I just finished your Jethro Tull review and I was pleasantly surprised to see A Passion Play put at the top so I was eager to watch your Queen review. Funny thing about Sheer Heart Attack. It was never one of my favorite Queen albums (my favorites were the first Queen Album, Queen 2, News Of The World and Jazz) but a few years ago, I started listening to Sheer Heart Attack again realizing I never gave it the attention that it deserved. Now I find that each time I listen to the album I find something new and impressive. Thanks for an excellent and extremely articulate review. I look forward to more of your reviews. Thank you also for mentioning about that horrible 80s sound that a lot of classic rock bands tried to emulate at the time which in my opinion resulted in a hogwash of barely listable recordings. Thanks again.
Just a great video - but "Queen II" will always be just behind "Sheer Heart Attack" for me. I am surprised that you made no mention of "It's Late" when commenting on "News of the World". It is one of my top 5 favorite Queen songs with powerfully beautiful lyrics and great pacing between the slow and fast parts! Maybe an idea for a future video is "The third album". That seems to be where so many artists coalesce their sound/style and produce (arguably) their best work (Sheer Heart Attack, Led Zeppelin III, Look At Yourself, Master of Reality, etc.) even though they may go on to greater commercial success in the future.
In my opinion 'Made In Heaven' is the best. The lyrics and the sound is really phenomenal. songs like 'A Winters Tale' and 'Mother Love' are some of the strongest and emotional lyrics from Freddie and the band.
I've never been the biggest Queen fan, though there is no denying Mr. Freddie's stellar vocals and writing. Heck they are all beasts! But I've never really connected to their general approach -- I guess I identify more with their dozen or so hits. The orchestration bits -- almost of a ROCKY HORROR androgynous approach -- have never grabbed me. However, that said, I find THE GAME to be their best album. The production and hard hitting style of that album resonated with me more than their almost over-produced previous work. Thanks Barry for your offering!
top 10: 1- A Night at the opera 2- Jazz 3- A Day at the races 4- Sheer heart attack 5- News of the World 6- Queen 2 7- Queen 8- The Game 9- The Works 10- Innuendo
100% agree with your top 10. I was "worried" that you wouldn't put Sheer Heart Attack at #1, but I don't know any true Queen fan would wouldn't. One of the best albums ever, in my opinion. The way that it just segues from track to track so that the album needs to be listened as a whole album is just amazing.
1. Queen II 2. Sheer Heart Attack 3. A Night At The Opera 4. News Of The World 5. The Works 6. A Day At The Races 7. A Kind Of Magic 8. The Game 9. Queen 10. The Miracle 11. Innuendo 12. Jazz 13. Made In Heaven 14. Hot Space 15. Flash Gordon
Queen had a distinct sound. I’d say they didn’t. And because of that they created so much great and diverse music that all kinds of people can find tracks they love. Quite an achivement.
I apologize. I just now discovered your channel. Thanks to this awful pandemic. I subscribed because I like your style and you are very informative. Keep it up. I got more of your reviews to digest. ✌🏻
I was aware of Queen from their first album on. Though this listing doesn't reflect my tastes, preferences or interests, Sheer Heart Attack is a worthy choice. Unmentioned here is a fact in music magazines at the time, I think Circus in particular. During recording of Sheer Heart Attack, it was said Brian May was suffering from hepatitis and unable to fully participate. I read at the time John Deacon handled guitar duties on at least one track, I believe Misfire. I'm old enough to have witnessed their progression in real time and against the context and cultural atmospheres at the time of each album. My personal ranking of albums would have had their first three albums in the top three slots. My personal interest in Queen started tapering off after Sheer Heart Attack. The more they moved away from the progressive leanings of Queen II and into pop territory, the further they moved away from me. But it's not against the law to be into the more pop material, and I don't begrudge anyone who likes it. The first came out when I was a junior in high school...I'm 68 now
Definitely with you on your top spot! I Really only like their first 5 albums .After this , for me only the singles are essential; So here is their first 5 albums in order of preference ; 5.A Day At The Races 4.A Night At The Opera 3.Queen 2.Queen 2 1.Sheer Heart Attack
I agree, though I find sometimes Queen II occupies my number one spot. But that's the nature of great bands, they ahve albums which compete for your affections.
My favorite 5, Oueen II , Queen I Shear heart attack, Night at the Opera, Innuendo.The two SD blurays look amazingly great. The best Queen ever sounded live. Live in Montreal is being remastered in 4k for release. Night of the opera in bluray audio is must own. The prophet song in 5.1 will blow all minds. "listen to the wise man"
News of the world is an album that's really grown on me. On the first listens I thought it was a bit boring. Dunno why really since I've now discovered all the great songs. My fav song is actually It's late, such a bombastic song. An amazing album!
At a friend's house some young people were playing a very constricted, apparently very popular at the time, a capella version of Bohemian Rhapsody. I was lucky enough to have the TV remote control at the moment. I asked them if I could show them something. They watched the Live Aid set, through a massive stereo system, mouth agape.
Like your rankings. Would like to toss out a few (tough) rankings for you to do. The Scorpions, and Fleetwood Mac. tough to do, since the bands (esp. Fleetwood Mac) evolved so much over their lifespan.
I'm finding it tricky to rank all fifteen (well, fourteen - I haven't listened to Made in Heaven, for some reason it creeps me out a bit conceptually. Kind of like a zombie album?), but Hot Space is definitely at the bottom. For my favourite, it's actually a half-album - Side Black from Queen II. I love the heavy/proggy sound, March of the Black Queen is one of the best songs they've written, and I just love the concept of this whole epic fantasy world. Side White I absolutely do love and appreciate, particularly Father to Son, but Side Black is just something else entirely.
Great content coming from this channel. Keep on making these great videos, your research and opinions are incredibly interesting.
Queen II is one of the best albums ever.
So absolutely agree with you my friend
It’s the best Queen album period!
My favourite album and cover is Queen II.
Queen II is definitely the best album of all time
@@lukeoregan7440- what? Better than say Sgt Pepper or Dark Side of the Moon?
"Sheer Heart Attack"..I discovered this on my older sisters' 8-track in 1977. It is still my absolute favorite album of all time.
It's a desert island disk for me. Just a stylistic kaleidoscope with a hard rock base makes it a perfect album for me.
5. A Day At The Races
4. Queen
3. A Night At The Opera
2. Sheer Heart Attack
1. Queen 2
5. The Game/A Day At The Races
4. A Night At The Opera
3. Queen II
2. Sheer Heart Attack
1. News of the World
Agree except the "Races" Should be Innuendo!
I think I’m right with you
Wheres the Miracle
Omg this is my list
Apparently, I'm the weirdo who lists INNUENDO at number one.
Nothing weird about that. Innuendo is in my top 3 Queen albums. Such an underrated album!
Innuendo is a very good album, but it would not mean anything without the history built in the 70s.
Christ. Do you know Queen made some LPs in the '70s?
Queen made THE LPs in the 70s. Unbeatable ones.
My fave
Good to see you put Shear Heart Attack at No 1. Night at the Opera is the easy/obvious choice but Shear Heart Attack is the one that I keep coming back to. Admittedly its not as polished, but I love the rawness and quality of the songs and Brighton Rock is a fantastic opener. Brilliant album.
I understand why some people don’t like Made In Heaven as much as other albums but I absolutely love it! It just feels like a such an amazing send off to such a talented musician. Songs like Made In Heaven, Let Me Live and Too Much Love Will Kill You are just so beautiful and legendary! And then there’s I Was Born To Love You which almost feels like the song that would play in the end credits of an epic story, much like The Show Must Go On!
title track and let me live are awesome, I agree
I agree. I think it stands up very well with most of their studio albums.
You made this point also in your Bowie review, expressing your contempt for a lot of eighties production. Totally agree. So many great artists fell victim to the insipid bombastic gated snares and synth polyrhythms etc, often at the expense of actually decent songs.The lack of vision amounted to, what Bowie referred to as a "blah" period for himself and great bands like Queen. Well done once again for your fair analysis. Even the criticism is layered with passion for the artist. I do believe Queen were unlike any band ever, in that ALL four members were quality songwriters with their own merits. THAT is quite phenomenal!
I think your favourite album by any band is as much determined by where you are in your life musical journey as it is by the quality of said album. That is why The Works is my own favourite (just ahead of A Night at the Opera.
If one is open to the styles, as an album "Hot Space" is a very successful "experiment" of a record by a band at the top of their game. It is also littered with brilliant moments, like the guitar solo on "Dancer", or the bass on "Cool Cat", or David Bowie, full stop (!!!). It's one of my favorite albums ever (and I am a big fan of "Queen II" and "Sheer Heart Attack"). "Jazz" is also another (often maligned) favorite and "The Game" is classic and their most listenable album. It's cliche to say, but true, that "Hot Space" would be the best album of a lesser band.
Nice to read this. I also think that Hot Space is not that bad. A least 3 songs in the album are sheer Queen.
Cool cat and Back Chat are great songs.
@@CleitonSilva-mx3uj I quite enjoy it too I am finding alot of maligned 80s albums from 70s rock band are nowhere near as bad as I am told from the 80s rockers
I don’t see Jazz as a bad album. I love it, along with the previous six.
@@martinkulkarni3569 Right on
So glad to hear "The Prophet Song" get some love. It might be my favorite Queen track, but no one ever mentions it.
That song is a tour de force. The a capella canon section is just so unique and special. I've never heard anybody else do it like that.
Yes I love the prophet song !
Best song on the album! A Brian May masterpiece. Glad to hear you mention it.
Yet another great IMO ranking Barry! As a Queen fan and a musician, I just found Jazz and A day at the races albums maybe a dash underranked here. As for the rest, totally agree.
Just a side note, which many people somehow seem to have missed, both ANATO, ADATR (too lazy as I am) are titled after Marx Brothers' movies with the same titles respectively. In fact Groucho Marx himself, even gave them his blessings. Thanks as always, for the dedicated work and the whole idea of sharing the ultimate gift of music.
Interesting choice for #1. Sheer Heart Attack may be the most cohesive of the ultra eclectic albums. I keep shuffling favorites between albums 2 through 6. A wonderful dilemma!
FYI , for "She makes me" they recorded Roger at a quicker tempo, then slowed the tape for the track to get that humongous sound. If you have vinyl, play it at 45rpm and you get Roger's real-speed drum sound.
Great video mate .... Loving the ranking videos , keep it up .
YES! I watched this cheering more and more as we entered the home straight. Absolutely nailed the top few for me. Sheer Heart Attack is that moment on the precipice, between self indulgence and over-polished bombast. A spark of brilliance from start to finish. Thanks for a great run down.
Great review! Surprised that "News of the World" is ranked so high. For me the first 4 albums are just brillliant. "A Day at the Races" is also quite strong. My ranking:
01. Queen II
02. Sheer Heart Attack
03. Queen
04. A Night at the Opera
05. A Day at the Races
06. Jazz
07. Innuendo
08. The Game
09. A Kind of Magic
10. News of the World
11. The Works
12. The Miracle
13. Made in Heaven
14. Flash Gordon
15. Hot Space
news of the world has, its late, get down make love, fight from the inside, spread your wings....
News Of The World IMO is the ONLY solid Queen album other than A Night At The Opera youll struggle to find more than 3 songa worth listening to on the other albums
I received “Queen” Christmas ‘73, and after peeling myself off the wall, have never looked back. That being said, “Sheer Heart Attack” is my favorite Queen album, perhaps favorite album period. I suppose it would have to be, followed by “Queen”. Lucky enough to have seen them at MSG, December ‘77. Amazing. Thank you.
Wow!! Do you have any memories from that show in MSG???
@@lilack836 Yes, but they’re all in my head. Sorry.
Just discovered your channel -great stuff altogether ! I first picked up a guitar in '74 and well remember hearing about all the big names but having no cash to buy LPs . I enjoy collecting the stuff I missed the first time- or missed out on as I drifted away from rock,partially bored with the 'music press' and alienated by the indie crowd who emerged at the start of the 80s. Keep it up !
40 years Queen fan, man and boy. Still have my fan club bandana. I was at Knebworth in '86. Interesting listing with which I would largely concur but I'd have Queen II and Queen I in positions 1 and 2, ANatO at 3 and SHA at 4. NotW in at 5. Excellent video, thanks.
Have always enjoyed listening to Jazz. Love the vocal contributions of Brian May and Roger Taylor on it. Leaving Home Ain't Easy, is a beautiful song in my humble opinion.
Leaving Home Ain't Easy is the best song on Jazz, and in my top ten of Queen songs.
absolutely nailed this list. Well done.
Hi, well another great list here. Well done as always! Keep on going 🙂
Very much in agreement that Sheer Heart Attack is the pinnacle of Queen’s catalog. A wonderful assessment and incredibly close to my own. Though I would drop Flash Gordon to the bottom followed closely by Made in Heaven. I would put Hot Space a tad higher as side 2 still harkens back to earlier output while some later releases seem to abandon the classic sound completely. All in all an excellent way to start 2020. Happy new year my friend. Looking forward to many more thought provoking explorations.
A lot of people just don’t like Hot space and idk why I personally love it and I think it’s queens third best 80s album and about the disco vibe there’s only four songs that have that disco vibe but anyways good rankings and good video🤘
jazz is their fun album, every single song is a joy to the ear and i wish that they would continued with the albums direction
Yes! Sheer Heart Attack has always been my favorite Queen album and I'm glad to see a reviewer I hold in high regard that agrees. I've never seen anyone else list it as number one. Coolest album cover imo, also. Lol.
Sheer Heart Attack has always been my fav too!!! 👍🏼
GREAT SHIRT, btw. 😉
Loved that, superb entertainment.
News of the World is for me what Queen are when they are firing on all cylinders and when they were at their creative best.
All thriller and no filler indeed, and one of the very best album covers ever to boot!!.
Thanks... be sure to subscribe and share
@@classicalbum And you didn't even mention It's Late. Absolutely gorgeous song, one of the greatest works of the decade IMO.
Great stuff as always. Would be great to see more Queen content on the channel. I think reviews of some of the albums, particularly Sheer Heart Attack, would really go down well.
Noted
Excellent content as always. The Cyril Smith reference was unexpected but spot on. Keep up the good work!
Only discovered your channel a week or so ago, good to see intelligent music / album reviewing content on youtube.
Thank you... there are so many music reviews on RUclips now.
I’m a massive Queen fan and really enjoyed this , would largely agree with your rankings and comments, but A Night At The Opera just makes it to number 1 for me 👍🏻
Understandably so... it is great.
A Night At The Opera is also my favorite, with Sheer Heart Attack at number 2, and Queen 2 at number 3
Good stuff, as usual! When you were talking about "Jazz" it reminded me of how much I used to want Slade to cover "Fat Bottom Girls". Also, our top 5 are the same!
Hey there! Dig your channel man. I'm a huge Queen fan. They are the first band I ever got into. As I have aged my love and appreciation of Queen's later output has grown. Now days I actually listen to them more than the 70's albums. And I guess I'm one of the lone defenders of Hot Space. I think it's a truly underrated album. It doesn't help that the two active remaining band members both are not shy about how much they hate it. Anyway, keep up the good work my friend. Cheers!
I've enjoyed the two reviews I've seen so far. AC/DC was the first, now this. Here's my top 5: -
5. A Day at the Races
4. The Miracle
3. News of The World
2. A Night at The Opera
1. Sheer Heart Attack
I'm looking forward to seeing more.
For Xmas one year the sister of a friend of mine had bought him II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At the Opera and A Day At the Races. He found them and we played them for a couple of months before the big day. Still my fave 4 Queen albums.
What I have long enjoyed about Queen is the almost insanely eclectic nature of their albums, particularly Jazz and before. You Take My Breath Away is one of only two songs that have ever brought me to tears (the other is Motorhead's 1916, one of the most poignant war songs ever performed) while Seaside Rendezvous congers up images of late Victorian day in Brighton or maybe Blackpool, soaking up the beauty of a rare-ish late summer day. My best friend died when I was seventeen, and given that she was my sweet cat I could find solace in my loss. So many good songs, even the album with Paul Rodgers was pretty good (and you didn't cover it!) We'll never see the likes of Queen again.
I loved this band throughout their career, but Sheer Heart Attack has always been my favourite. Right from the beginning of the album with Brighton Rock (complete with amusement park sounds), that song opens the album with such force that it was comparable to any of the other great rock bands of the time. Brian May's guitar work is pure genius, then it rolls into the ultimate camp song Killer Queen which would be the most perfect song for a great drag show. I love every song on this album, complete with their eclectic approach. Queen was showing it's audience that they were a true headlining act, and even though they made damn good albums after Sheer Heart Attack, no other album is complete like that one.
Great video, Barry. A great pick for number 1. Definitely one of the greatest bands ever.
Wow what an interesting quandary. I am a 40 year fan, but I am only 53, I know older fans. But forever number one Queen album for me is Queen II - my favourite song of ALL TIME is Nevermore. I love the stuff that wasn't released as singles. My Melancholy Blues and It's Late from NOTW - I STOPPED listening to Queen when I bought Hot Space, now I realise that I wasn't ready for the Majesty. Simply just listen to Hot Space now - time has caught up with it.
Definitely Queen ll for me. Father to Son , Ogre Battle , Fairy Fellers Masterstroke, Seven seas of Rye, March of the Black Queen, Nevermore etc.
Jazz is very underrated record. I'd say that Dreamer's Ball is (at least for me) one of the best Queen's songs - Freddie handles the melody like a hot lover, harmonies are spotless and that guitar solo...!
Hell yeah, definitely the best new Orlean jazz tune for me
I was just listening to it yesterday. It is a glorious album.
All songs are wonderful.
YES !! Sheer Heart Attack all day long for me.
The Miracle is probably my top album along with Sheer Heart Attack but I really love all of the albums almost equally.
Being an 80s Kid A Kind of Magic would have to make my Top 5. But I can't agree more with the Top 5 otherwise.
The first three albums are the ‘holy trinity’ of Queen music as far as I’m concerned.
Agree 100%. I also prefer ADATR to ANATO also.
Agreed. For me it’s Q2, Q1, SHA and then a one hour compilation of the best tracks from the rest. Possibly 45 minutes. 😂
@@bobhale7302 absolutely
First four
I fully agree with your Number One.
fantastic review. a great honest opinion of the greatest bands ever albums.
Zappa shirt aside.......you are by far my favourite band/record reviewer.......GREAT JOB!
I need to get a Queen t-shirt. I don't buy many gig shirts anymore as they're too dear. ..
@@classicalbum Hope you and yours had a great holiday! BTW I saw ZAPPA on his last full tour.....blew my mind how great he and his band were....what a loss......I'm a guitarist myself......nowhere near as good as him though. Now we just lost Neil Peart. I have the "feels" all over again. CHEERS.
@@Anguirus2012 Never saw Zappa - but I saw Rush and was blown away. Listening to all their albums atm... Neil Peart - so sad.
@@classicalbum The minstrels and poets are eternal. A sign from Neil:
ruclips.net/video/oDXjvjqG0qo/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/ZiRuj2_czzw/видео.html
Cheers mate. Nice thoughtful review. I first noticed Queen like many people through Bohemian Rhapsody. I would tune in to top of the pops every week as a 10 year old boy to watch the video when this was on the charts. My very first album was a present because I asked for "the Queen album" , thinking it would have this song on it. I actually got A Day at the Races , which I love. I eventually got all the albums and even saw Queen live in Sydney in' 85. Love your reviews.
Love all of Queens 70's albums. Just a stream of amazing albums.
Thrilled to see Sheer Heart Attack at #1. Well done!
Another excellent video. I gave up on Queen after album 5 in 1976, A Day At The Races. I had a friend at university who was a huge Queen fan and we'd both seem them at the same gig in Stafford. He played me the album's I'd missed but I wasn't particularly impressed. Of course I couldn't avoid the singles and they often brought class to the charts. If pushed, I think I'd pick Sheer Heart Attack as my #1 but it was the first Queen album I owned.
@Donald Duck Looking back to the second half of the 1970s, I think my tastes moved on one direction and Queen moved in another. The view that Queen peaked early isn't unusual.
Wow!! What year did you see them in Stafford Paul?
@@lilack836 it was in May 1977 on the A Day At The Races tour.
@@paulsimister944 That gig you attended is probably one of the finest of their career.. the audience singing you’ll never walk alone apparently inspired Brian to write WWRY! Did you or your friend take any pictures or tape the show by any chance?
@@lilack836 No. Pictures or recordings. It was a great time to see them.
Very good review. Sheer heart attack has always been my favourite Queen album
Well, I certainly agree with your top two. And the order in which you put them.
My top 5
1 Queen II
2 Sheer Heart attack
3 News of the world
4 Day at the races
5 Queen
My top 4 (I can’t think of my 5th favorite)
1. A Night At The Opera
2. Sheer Heart Attack
3. Queen 2
4. A Day At The Races
You won’t see this reply.. but I hope we are related by at least 100 cousin degree. The top 3 albums can always be argued over. No doubt. I totally understood your bottom 3 album rankings. The simple fact you found and used the ultimate “rock and roll” music rag paper criticism against them? Made me happy. I subscribed and hope I enjoy future evaluations in the future.. Cheers!
Thank you for watching
FANTASTIC list
Another great review. Thank you
I totally understand how difficult it is to rank the top 8 or 9 in this type of list. I pretty much mirrored your list save maybe 1 or 2 albums as far as position but nothing shocking... I even agreed with the 1 and 2 positions. As much as I love ANATO and hold it as dear as I do, Sheer Heart Attack is just a bit better and a touch more cohesive yet almost disparate. But all of their catalog from the debut through Jazz are BRILLIANT. 🤗
Hard to say which is worst! but my two top Queen albums are their debut album of 1973 and Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
Great vid as always
I have owned Sheer Heart Attack for many years on vinyl. Then bought it on cd. I'm back on board with the vinyl now i have a record player again. Its a great record that always gets played to death by me. Love it!
Hmm I don't recall there being any 'strings' on Queen's 70s albums (which you allude to while discussing The Game). Still, great overview of a venerable catalog with lots of salient and insightful points as always!
Here is my ranking (at least as of now)
1. Innuendo
2. The Miracle
3. Made in Heaven
4. Sheer Heart Attack
5. Jazz
6. A Day at the Races
7. Queen II
8. A Night at the Opera
9. News of the World
10. The Game
11. A Kind of Magic
12. Queen 1
13. Hot Space
14. The Works
15. Flash Gordon.
Of all unsung, unpretentious albums, Sheer heart attack is the best ever made.
Been a fan of the band since day 1.
Saw them first on the Sheer Heart Attack tour, and more times than I could count up to the '82 tour.
The ranking here is pretty much perfect. I would probably move Innuendo up, but the worst, bar none is Hot Space. Hated it then, hate it still.
Us fans camped out for tickets and all night we all talked about how much we all hated it.
And wholeheartedly agree that Sheer Heart Attack is their best.
Still gets lots of play in my house.
The band were unreal in concert.
Look up the videos from that tour.
Freddie was better than I thought later on when he mostly sang at a higher register.
Good video. Thank you.
Wow!!! Where did you see them live?
For me "News of the world" is my favorite go to Queen album. "it's late" is probably my favorite Queen song and "Sleeping on the side walk" is my favorite song that doesn't feature Freddy.
Great review. I just finished your Jethro Tull review and I was pleasantly surprised to see A Passion Play put at the top so I was eager to watch your Queen review. Funny thing about Sheer Heart Attack. It was never one of my favorite Queen albums (my favorites were the first Queen Album, Queen 2, News Of The World and Jazz) but a few years ago, I started listening to Sheer Heart Attack again realizing I never gave it the attention that it deserved. Now I find that each time I listen to the album I find something new and impressive. Thanks for an excellent and extremely articulate review. I look forward to more of your reviews. Thank you also for mentioning about that horrible 80s sound that a lot of classic rock bands tried to emulate at the time which in my opinion resulted in a hogwash of barely listable recordings. Thanks again.
Excellent video!!!!!!
Just a great video - but "Queen II" will always be just behind "Sheer Heart Attack" for me. I am surprised that you made no mention of "It's Late" when commenting on "News of the World". It is one of my top 5 favorite Queen songs with powerfully beautiful lyrics and great pacing between the slow and fast parts! Maybe an idea for a future video is "The third album". That seems to be where so many artists coalesce their sound/style and produce (arguably) their best work (Sheer Heart Attack, Led Zeppelin III, Look At Yourself, Master of Reality, etc.) even though they may go on to greater commercial success in the future.
In my opinion 'Made In Heaven' is the best. The lyrics and the sound is really phenomenal. songs like 'A Winters Tale' and 'Mother Love' are some of the strongest and emotional lyrics from Freddie and the band.
for me, aside from Night at the Opera, Queen were a singles band. Still though, you explore their discography absolutely perfectly. Great job!
Really love your top 6 on this list. I almost agree with you on the order. I might place News of the World in the 6th slot.
I've never been the biggest Queen fan, though there is no denying Mr. Freddie's stellar vocals and writing. Heck they are all beasts! But I've never really connected to their general approach -- I guess I identify more with their dozen or so hits. The orchestration bits -- almost of a ROCKY HORROR androgynous approach -- have never grabbed me. However, that said, I find THE GAME to be their best album. The production and hard hitting style of that album resonated with me more than their almost over-produced previous work. Thanks Barry for your offering!
Love it. How different your list from mine!
top 10:
1- A Night at the opera
2- Jazz
3- A Day at the races
4- Sheer heart attack
5- News of the World
6- Queen 2
7- Queen
8- The Game
9- The Works
10- Innuendo
Fantastic list 🎉
100% agree with your top 10. I was "worried" that you wouldn't put Sheer Heart Attack at #1, but I don't know any true Queen fan would wouldn't. One of the best albums ever, in my opinion. The way that it just segues from track to track so that the album needs to be listened as a whole album is just amazing.
Very relatable list. First six albums are definitely my favourite.
Re: the Game, "We're being lubed-up in preparation for the calamity that is Hot Space" lol.
1. Queen II
2. Sheer Heart Attack
3. A Night At The Opera
4. News Of The World
5. The Works
6. A Day At The Races
7. A Kind Of Magic
8. The Game
9. Queen
10. The Miracle
11. Innuendo
12. Jazz
13. Made In Heaven
14. Hot Space
15. Flash Gordon
Queen had a distinct sound. I’d say they didn’t. And because of that they created so much great and diverse music that all kinds of people can find tracks they love. Quite an achivement.
I apologize. I just now discovered your channel. Thanks to this awful pandemic. I subscribed because I like your style and you are very informative. Keep it up. I got more of your reviews to digest. ✌🏻
Great list there. I agree with most of them!! 👍🏼
I was aware of Queen from their first album on. Though this listing doesn't reflect my tastes, preferences or interests, Sheer Heart Attack is a worthy choice. Unmentioned here is a fact in music magazines at the time, I think Circus in particular.
During recording of Sheer Heart Attack, it was said Brian May was suffering from hepatitis and unable to fully participate. I read at the time John Deacon handled guitar duties on at least one track, I believe Misfire.
I'm old enough to have witnessed their progression in real time and against the context and cultural atmospheres at the time of each album. My personal ranking of albums would have had their first three albums in the top three slots. My personal interest in Queen started tapering off after Sheer Heart Attack. The more they moved away from the progressive leanings of Queen II and into pop territory, the further they moved away from me. But it's not against the law to be into the more pop material, and I don't begrudge anyone who likes it.
The first came out when I was a junior in high school...I'm 68 now
My favourite band
Ranking Queen albums. What a Damn Jolly Good Idea!!
Definitely with you on your top spot!
I Really only like their first 5 albums .After this , for me only the singles are essential;
So here is their first 5 albums in order of preference ;
5.A Day At The Races
4.A Night At The Opera
3.Queen
2.Queen 2
1.Sheer Heart Attack
Just discovered this channel....it’s great!!
Thanks
Couldnt agree more. Sheer Heart Attack is not only Queen's best, but one of the great albums of all time.
I agree, though I find sometimes Queen II occupies my number one spot. But that's the nature of great bands, they ahve albums which compete for your affections.
My favorite 5, Oueen II , Queen I Shear heart attack, Night at the Opera, Innuendo.The two SD blurays look amazingly great. The best Queen ever sounded live. Live in Montreal is being remastered in 4k for release. Night of the opera in bluray audio is must own. The prophet song in 5.1 will blow all minds. "listen to the wise man"
You nailed it for me.
News of the world is an album that's really grown on me. On the first listens I thought it was a bit boring. Dunno why really since I've now discovered all the great songs. My fav song is actually It's late, such a bombastic song. An amazing album!
Also, the song One Vision was from the film "Iron Eagle".
At a friend's house some young people were playing a very constricted, apparently very popular at the time, a capella version of Bohemian Rhapsody. I was lucky enough to have the TV remote control at the moment. I asked them if I could show them something. They watched the Live Aid set, through a massive stereo system, mouth agape.
1. News of the World
2. Queen II
3. Sheer Heart Attack
4. Night at the Opera
5. The Works
I still think Flash Gordon is fabulous but no one believes me.
It's perfect for a comic book movie.
Its a great movie - its fun and sexy
Like your rankings. Would like to toss out a few (tough) rankings for you to do. The Scorpions, and Fleetwood Mac. tough to do, since the bands (esp. Fleetwood Mac) evolved so much over their lifespan.
Right off the bat, Hot Space is one of my favorite albums from the band.
I'm finding it tricky to rank all fifteen (well, fourteen - I haven't listened to Made in Heaven, for some reason it creeps me out a bit conceptually. Kind of like a zombie album?), but Hot Space is definitely at the bottom. For my favourite, it's actually a half-album - Side Black from Queen II. I love the heavy/proggy sound, March of the Black Queen is one of the best songs they've written, and I just love the concept of this whole epic fantasy world. Side White I absolutely do love and appreciate, particularly Father to Son, but Side Black is just something else entirely.