Queen ‎– A Night at the Opera (1975)

A Night at the Opera is the fourth album by English hard-rock/art-rock band Queen, released in 1975 on Elektra.

“Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…)” – ecoey fade-in, piano filigree w/ descending rootnote, rising, sinister two note guitar riff (octave Aflat, fifth (Eflat), octave Aflat, diminished 5^th (D, tri-tone), whirling siren sounds and smoke… abruptly cuts to a stately piano figure in Cminor (trick of the tail), descends as full band commens, high fret bends/sustains, booming drums… choral flash ushers Mercury’s intro vocal @ 1:05, projecting sassy/macho swagger with a biting broadside at Queen’s former manager (the metaphorical title, red lyrics, tricky syllable=bar measures, hard to lipsinc without practice)… Cminor drops to an abrupt Aflat minor (unorthodox low-plunge)… trademark multi-track opera vocals around 2:00…smoldering guitar break (thick, pick-up echoey effects)… an overall fussy structure with jarring, abrupt key changes, stop/starts, interruptions… a musical reflection of the frustration/damnation expressed in the lyrics… cuts abruptly to the ‘20s cabaret of Lazy on a Sunday Afternoon

“The Prophet’s Song” – lengthy fade-in, harp droplets, acoustic figure takes shape.. vocal call-and response presages tense Am riff, signaling the song proper… chorus of harmonized vocals over heavy. Lurchaing, menacing riff in D…. dark, low-chorded verses… rising, swelling pre-chorus (“”I see no day,” I heard him say, So grey is the face of every mortal”), with its vocal flare-ups and intensified volume… most arresting moment of the track…. Music pauses @3:40 for echoey, layered, multi-tracked harmonies, goes on for more than two minutes, never letting up…slide riff leads to jams around in several key centers for 60 second before reinstatement of song proper… 7:22 final fadeout of the chorus, swallowed by chiming guitar figure in G, explosion, harp/acoustic return, outro, harm

Tracklist:
A1. “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To…..” (3:43)
A2. “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” (1:08)
A3. “I’m in Love With My Car” (3:05)
A4. “You’re My Best Friend” (2:50)
A5. “’39” (3:25)
A6. “Sweet Lady” (4:01)
A7. “Seaside Rendezvous” (2:13)
B1. “The Prophet’s Song” (8:17)
B2. “Love of My Life” (3:38)
B3. “Good Company” (3:26)
B4. “Bohemian Rhapsody” (5:55)
B5. “God Save the Queen” (1:11)

Credits:
Freddie Mercury — piano, lead vocals, backing vocals, vocal, orchestration, woodwind, writer
Brian May — guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals, koto, harp, ukulele, writer, arrangements
Roger Taylor — drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals, writer, vocal, orchestration, brass
John Deacon — electric bass, electric piano, writer, double bass

Mike Stone — engineer
Gary Lyons — additional engineer
Roy Thomas Baker — producer
Queen — arrangements, producer
David Costa — art direction