Queen “A Night at the Opera”

Though criminally underrated by most music fans, Queen has created an enduring legacy with a career spanning three decades. Mixing sequins and glam rock with recognizable hits, they conquered the charts with songs like “Another One Bites The Dust” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” A mainstay on radio stations worldwide, “Bo Rhap,” as it’s affectionately known needs no introduction. But the album is just as varied as the beloved single. Released in 1975, it was considered the band’s breakthrough and is still attracting praise even now.

Containing an astounding blend of heavy rock, jazz, folk and even a bit of lighthearted pop, “A Night At The Opera” is Queen’s crowning achievement. Each member (guitarist Brian May, bHelp John Deacon, drummer Roger Taylor and the incomparable Freddie Mercury on vocals and piano) penned songs and Queen to this day is the only band to ever have each person achieve a number-one hit song.

Standouts include May conducting an entire orchestra of guitars on the plaintive ode to lost youth, “Good Company,” as well as the most beautiful harp-accompanied ballad, “Love Of My Life” – a concert favorite. The album tends to be overshadowed by the huge success of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but every song is truly a gem. From the biting venom in the band’s ode to a greedy manager, “Death On Two Legs,” to the jaunty interlude of “Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon,” each song flows seamlessly into the next.

And as usual, lead singer Freddie Mercury is outstanding, switching styles effortlessly – from jaunty on “Seaside Rendezvous,” sweet in bass player John Deacon’s pop hit, “You’re My Best Friend,” and mixing yearning, remorse and astounding operatic vocals in, of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

This album is a definite must-have not only for Queen fans, but for any music-lover.