5 comments about More.

1. to begin with I absolutely abhor all the so called commercial stuff they did. Meddel and Dark slight of the moon and beyond were all atrocious LPs and cds.
   This one, and the zabrisky point soundtrack and atomheartmutha and oomagooma are good staff also obscurred by clothsis an okay album yes?
   
   
   Wendell Thudd



2. Pink Floyd does movies? Well, that explains the whole "soundtrack" sound they had. More is a movie about heroin that came out in 1969. Don't bother watching it, it's extrememly dated with some bad acting and a dumb story. The music, however, is not so bad, but the band is still unsure what they want to do. This is probably the most diverse Pink Floyd record ever, ranging from folk to heavy metal to trippy keyboard/bass freakouts to spanish guitar passages. This album demonstates that, for the first time, the band can make some great songs if they really worked at it. Roger Waters finally blooms as a song writer, though a lot of his songs are very...folky. Yup, folky. Cirrus Minor, Crying Song, Green Is The Coulor, they have the Floyd treatment, don't get me wrong, but they're all very beautiful songs that owe something to Simon and Garfunkel. The best one of these being Cymbaline, with it's quiet foreboding verses and defiant choruses. Lovely. The songs are not all joyful though, but it's quite suprising if all you ever thought that Pink Floyd go do was write mournful dirges. However, I can't stand Quicksilver. Energy-less keyboard/drum noises? No thanks. Back to the goodies, Main Theme is pretty groovy, and More Blues is (suprise!) the Floyd doing blues. And they're quite good at it. Well, as good as Floyd could get at playing blues. This is the first good Floyd album, though I wouldn't reccomend it as your first buy. That would come later.



3. 
   Some people consider More just a passable (or forgettable) soundtrack album in the legendary career of Pink Floyd. Not me. I believe the music on here is highly memorable and filled with exciting (and bizarre) musical ideas. Some of them really give me the creeps! It's NOT an album filled with pointless atmospheric ideas. No, there's plenty to like about this one. I'd say it's really just as exciting as one of Floyd's more popular albums such as Meddle. "Cirrus Minor" will certainly go down as one of the most eerily bizarre songs that was ever created. There's plenty to like about this album, so give it a chance.



4. A difficult album to rate, in that it was written to score a film and, if any limits can be imposed on Pink Floyd, this one has been. Again, flashes of future greatness, with Roger Waters doing most of the writing, but possibly their weakest overall effort.



5. Cirrus Minor from Pink Floyd's More was my introduction to Quadrophonics. I understand it is now called something else but back in the late 60's, it was something special to listen to what appeared to be a bird flying all around the room. More Blues took blues to a different level. Forget the drug stuff. This is innocent compared to much of the music one hears today. Just let the music carry you to exotic lands.

5 comments about Who's Next (Deluxe Edition).

1. I like the Deluxe Edition packaging in general, and the remix on the original album tracks is superb. I do have one complaint: MCA needs to release one CD of all of The Who's 1971 Olympic recordings. The Who cut 17 songs (that were eventually released) as part of the Who's Next sessions at Olympic Studios for an intended double album, and they all sound fantastic. The Who never sounded better than they did on these tracks, with Glyn Johns producing and giving the excellent band performances a remarkably clean sound (compare Quadrophenia, where the band's sound tended to be washed out by the brass arrangements), and with the great Nicky Hopkins providing brilliant piano work which makes several songs by itself . In fact, it is difficult for me to say that the tracks that made it on to the album are much better than the ones left off-- Pure and Easy is a masterpiece, and the others aren't far behind. These tracks are, in short, the Holy Grail for anyone who appreciates the Who; the band simply never sounded better.
   
   Townshend has said that, with the Lifehouse concept scrapped, he wanted to avoid making an unfocused double album ala the White Album. In hindsight, however, the 16 tracks collectively would have constituted the Who's most consistent and listenable double album musically, if not their most conceptually ambitious (both Tommy with its instrumentals and Quadrophenia with its overblown arrangements are sometimes difficult to listen to end-to-end). The songs from the Olympic Sessions each have a depth, power, and subtlety not found on other Who tracks or indeed really anywhere else.
   
   For the record, here are the eight "lost" Who's Next tracks to which I am referring. They are not all easily available, by the way, and the obscurity into which they've fallen annoys me because had they been on the original album they'd have become fan favorites if not AOR radio hits:
   
   1. Pure and Easy (on the Ultimate Collection; released originally on the 1974 Odds & Sods album, which is unfortunate because it is neither an odd nor a sod but rather one of Townshend's finest songs)
   2. Let's See Action (the Ultimate Collection) (not released in the U.S. until it was included on the cash-in Hooligans compilation album in 1981)
   3. Naked Eye (Odds & Sods) (Good live version on the Deluxe Edition bonus CD, although I like the studio version better for the reasons I generally prefer the studio versions of these tracks: Johns's production and the piano part).
   4. Too Much of Anything (Odds & Sods) (the live version on the Deluxe Edition bonus CD is not good at all and put me off of the song until I heard the studio version, which is far, far superior.)
   5. Water (bonus track on the Odds & Sods CD reissue; first released in 1973 as the b-side of the "5:15" single. There is a passable live version on the Deluxe Edition bonus CD which goes on too long).
   6. I Don't Even Know Myself (bonus track on the 1995 Who's Next CD reissue; first released in 1971 as the b-side of the "Won't Get Fooled Again" single. The Deluxe Edition bonus CD has an excellent live version of this song, but the studio version is slightly better.)
   7. When I Was a Boy (a fine Entwistle song: it doesn't rock as hard as "My Wife", but is a nice song reminiscent of the later "905" on "Who Are You", and it brings to bear the trademark Entwistle dark perspective which was so important in leavening Townshend's sometime tendency towards pretentiousness. I don't think When I Was a Boy is available anywhere now besides some out-of-print compilation CDs and LPs; it was first released in the U.S. on the now out-of-print Join Together compilation album in the early 1980s.)
   8. There is also an Olympic Studio version of Time Is Passing, available as a bonus track on Odds & Sods. This studio version is the only one which lags behind the live version on the Deluxe Edition bonus CD in quality; the studio version has a goofy synth part appended to the end of the track, and the performance on the live version is tougher-sounding).



2. If I had but one album choice, it would be this one. Their finest work.



3. Others have done a great job summarizing the band and the music. Let me just add that I bought this for the sound quality (already having the album on vinyl and the standard issue CD). This was worth the money. The sound is fantastic and I have encouraged anyone I know who is a WHO fan to invest in this reissue.
   
   Definitely an example of "if they improve the product enough - you are not getting ripped off to buy it again."



4. A classic album that has only been made better with it's re-release as a deluce edition. The best part about this reissue is disc two--we already know what is great about the original album. The April 1971 show in which many of the Who's Next songs were played live for the first time is a breathtaking performance. This is saying alot when you consider that this concert comes in an era of truly great Who live performances. A great addition to the Who remastered re-releases.



5. If you love The Who then this disc set is a must own.
   
   If you love Rock & Roll then this disc set is a must own.
   
   If you have a pulse then this disc set is a must own.

5 comments about The Game (+ Bonus Track).

1. As most people know, this was the first Queen album to utilize synthesizers, though they did not go overboard with them, as they later did on 1982's "Hot Space." This album opens with the sublime Mercury-penned "Play the Game," then heads into more bass-laden funky tunes like "Dragon Attack" and "Another One Bites the Dust." There are some weaker songs on here as well, notably Roger Taylor's "Rock It (Prime Jive)" and "Coming Soon," which are both kind of...well, dumb. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a rockabilly goof/homage that actually works. "Need Your Loving Tonight" is a light bit of pop, but not bad. This is also shorter in length than their '70s albums, so that's a bit disappointing. A mixed bag of songs and definitely a new era as Queen headed into the '80s.



2. First of all this is not a bad record. Over all it is quite a good record. It contains several good songs. For Queen fans this marks the point were Queen began to transform it's self.
   Instead of forging new ground, they began to take in what was happening around them and sort of conforming their style. The sound is a bit toned down from its previous offerings and it also sounds compressed and tight. You never get the sense or feeling of grandeur or over the top production that they become famous for. Still a nice effort.
   Never really cared for "Another one bites the dust" I feel this song is way overrated and very silly.



3. Queen may have jumped the shark by the time the seventies drew to a close but they were still by anyone's definition a serious hard rock band. 'The Game' which was released in June 1980 was first and foremost a pop album. For many longtime fans, the record may have come as a disappointment. Queen had always been a pop band with a slew of hit singles but their albums contained hard rock bombast along with the pop ditties. 'The Game' was different, it seemed to go out of its way to be poppy and bright and very much for the 1980's. Evidence would show that American audiences made it (next to 'News') Queen's biggest selling LP, a true case of crossover appeal. Add this to the fact the album, Queen's eight studio record, contained TWO US number one hit singles and both songs were like nothing the band had ever done. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was the first, a rockabilly for Chrissakes!...but it works! Freddie's tribute to the stylings of the King, the song actually made its debut the previous year before the rest of the album was reoorded. John Deacon's "Another One Bites the Dust" was the other megahit...a funk song but it blew the band's previous attempt, Taylor's "Fun It", out of the water! Brian contributed another funk rocker in "Dragon Attack", a good but not great song and my personal fave "Save Me", a ballad, sung beautifuly by Freddie and like "Crazy" came out in '79. Overall though I'm not a huge fan of this record, mainly because it is TOO pop. "Rock It" is a perfect example of what I mean...great anthemic intro by Freddie and then Taylor starts singing and...awww man...its like new wave! Ruins it. "Need Your Loving Tonight" is decent but again too poppy...sort of the sister song to John's "If You Can't Beat Them" from 'Jazz'. Title track is good but...it's too sappy, only Brians's metal guitar makes the song for me, and the synths are cool too. Needless to say I don't play 'The Game' that often...to me it's the end of an era....and Freddie cuts his hair and grew a moustache...oh well.



4. Queen's first album of the 1980s entitled The Game was released in June of 1980.
   The Game album was a fresh album for the band as they had not recorded a studio album since 1978's uneven effort Jazz.
   First, they switched producers and engineers from Roy Thomas Baker and Geoff Workman to one-time ELO engineer Mack. The album was recorded in Munich, Germany between the summer of 1979 and the spring of 1980.
   Frontman Freddie Mercury has three great song on this album starting with the opener "Play the Game" (a minor hit here in the US), the rockabilly sounding US #1 "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (which came out months before the rest of the album) and the anti-suicide number "Don't Try Suicide" which is a great song with a powerful message.
   Drummer Roger Taylor had the hard rocking "Rock It (Prime Jive)" in which he did lead vocal and the new waveish "Coming Soon".
   Guitarist Brian May had the hard rocker "Dragon Attack", the ballad "Sail Away Sweet Sister" in which he sang lead vocal and the closing ballad "Save Me" which is a great song and a UK hit though the song was not released as a single here in the US.
   Bass player John Deacon contributed the mammoth #1 rock/disco hybrid hit "Another One Bites the Dust" (which was the reason for this album's huge success) and the US Top 50 rocker "Need Your Loving Tonight".
   The Game album was Queen's only US chart-topper as it hit #1 and stayed for 5 weeks and sold 4 million in the US alone (tying News of the World's US sales tally making it Queen's best selling non-compilation album in the US).
   This was also Queen's last flawless IMHO album until 1989's The Miracle.
   Highly recommended!



5. 3 1/2
   
   There is always something for everyone on most popular Queen albums. Unfortunately, wonderfully competent they may be in the art of pop songwriting, the band succumbs too often to their keen, even innovative (the beginning of the 2nd verse of Another One Bites the Dust is transcendent) take on the genre instead of concentrating on their more fluid, tender, and most importantly, well written and played ballads (always fronted by the brilliant antics of guitarist Brian May coupled with Mercury's vocal mastery) as shown with a few of the album's closing songs, not to mention the great intro song. In between however, lies some of their more predictable and formulaic material (when they still released important albums)

5 comments about Led Zeppelin.

1. my husband was very satified with this product and it made the perfect father's day gift.



2. This is a very good collection of Led Zeppelin tunes, and the remastering by Jimmy Page highlights the guitars (surprise surprise). An outstanding collection for those who don't want or need the full albums. But beware, Atlantic Records is releasing a new compilation, "Mothership" in November 2007. Overall, this set is much more comprehensive with its four CDs than Mothership's two CDs. Mothership will also be available in an edition with a bonus DVD, but according to news reports that will also just be recycled material from the earlier issued Led Zeppelin DVD. This set, along with the full DVD, is probably better, because you get more Zep. But very casual fans may find "Mothership" adequate.



3. Let me make clear at the outset that this review is NOT intended to be critical of Led Zeppelin as a musical group, and hopefully avoid some terrible comments and negative feedback. I like Led Zeppelin. I have every song they ever recorded. Wonderful band. Unfortunately, no matter how great of a band they are, that can't save this boxed set from being truly awful.
   
   Honestly, I can't begin to understand the inspiration behind this collection. It's four discs of music containing almost - but not quite - everything the band ever recorded, including some off-album tracks that can be harder to get. Certainly, this set collects the majority of the desirable Led Zeppelin tracks, but unfortunately, it also collects a large amount of other detritus that will only be of interest to the dedicated fan and will most likely be skipped over by the casual listener. I don't know what the audience of this boxed set is supposed to be, but the odds are you aren't it.
   
   Aside from being a somewhat scrambled set, this box carefully avoids collecting all of the tracks from even one of Led Zeppelin's original studio albums, no doubt in a ploy to force listeners to purchase another CD or 10. The completist will be dissatisfied with the fact that there are gaping holes in this collection, while the casual fan or an individual just looking for radio hits, in addition to finding a couple of notables missing, will find much, much more material here than he could ever want. For a short while, the Led Zeppelin Boxed Set Volume 2 2-CD set served to complete the box and turn it into a complete collection of studio recordings, but that box has long since gone out of production, forcing anybody who finds that they like the majority of the music on these 4 discs to either lay out for the 10-CD boxed set or buy the CDs individually, and in both cases utterly invalidates their purchase of this set.
   
   I can't recommend this set to anybody. Led Zeppelin is a terrific band - II, IV, Houses of the Holy, and still more are all classic rock recordings - but this boxed set has an audience of exactly nobody. For dedicated fans, I recommend that you go out and get the 10-CD complete recording set, and for casual fans, I would recommend one of the many other 1 and 2 CD greatest hits compilations, or just going straight to the original recordings to get a taste of what the group is all about. This box, however, will ultimately satisfy nobody.



4. I bought both Vol.1&2 Box sets and I really regret doing that, the songs are in no particular order and growing up hearing Zep songs your used to certain songs running together such as "Heartbreaker" into "Living loving maid" or "you shook me" into "dazed and confused" you get none of that classic line up on here. Led Zeppelin were an ALBUM band and their Classic music should be listened to as they intended it to be heard, one album at a time. I plan in the future to buy all of the individual albums.
   I highly recommend anyone else to go that direction also.



5. The order arrived 5 days late, and my emails to inquire about it went unanswered. So when it did arrive, I was a little upset. The packaging of this collection is exactly like that of an old LP collection, and I immediately thought "Oh great, they sent the wrong media!". But it turned out to be right. There are some minor flaws with the CDs (this is not their fault either) in that they play correctly, but iTunes could not convert 3 songs on 2 different discs. To get around the problem, I had to use another program to rip the songs to hard disk, then import them.

5 comments about Classic Queen.

1. What hasn't been said about Queen? They are definitely one of the best classic rock bands of all-time. Led by Freddie Mercury, they made some of the best rock of the '70s, '80s and early '90s.
   
   And now to the review. 'Classic Queen' is full of five star music. But, is this really necessary? I don't think so. Yes, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is here, but like 'I Want To Break Free' on the American version of 'Greatest Hits,' it's out of place. 'Classic Queen' mostly focuses on the 1981-1991 time period, so why are these '70s tracks here?
   
   Thank goodness for 'The Platinum Collection' and 'Greatest Hits I & II.' Those are the original U.K. hit collections. Do yourself a favor and seek that out instead. There, you will find most of the songs offered on 'Classic Queen' and 'Greatest Hits (American version).' I suggest 'Greatest Hits I & II' because of how mediocre 'Greatest Hits III' is (that appears on 'The Platinum Collection'; it doesn't on 'Greatest Hits I & II.')
   
   Overall, save your hard earned cash. If you want a Queen collection, 'Greatest Hits I & II' is the way to go. The good news is, disc one focuses on 1973-1980 and disc two focuses on 1981-1991, meaning that it devotes one disc per phase for Queen. Disc one is phase one, disc two is phase two.
   
   Save your money. You will be glad you did. This isn't a bad compilation, and again, everything here is five stars, but the three stars are here because there are so many better options.
   
   Recommended for the easily pleased Queen fan.



2. I try not to review best ofs too often but sometimes that's all I own of a group. It occured to me the other day that all the Queen I ever owned in the past I have sold off for cigarettes and beer while living in the cold depths of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
   
   So I ran off to buy me some Queen. I figured I'd start with the most obvious and get all the hits I could. This collection is for sure a great way to start, with the hits like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "We Will Rock You" etc. I can't stop listening to it. Unfortunetly they had so many hits, they had to put out a second version called "Classic Queen" which has "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Under Pressure" so I bought that one too. There is a remastered Greatest Hits out there but once again it doesn't have all the songs, perhaps one day someone will come up with the perfect Queen mix. Until then Queen Classic Queen and Queen's Greatest Hits will do just fine.



3. CD is great, nice fast transaction. Would recommend this seller to
   everyone.



4. I just love every song on this Cd. Its great to have evry song a classic and its the ones that bring back many memories of the wonderful past.The world is a much different place today the 1970s were the best times ever.



5. This compilation serves as a great companion CD to Queen: Greatest Hits. It also is a good look at Queen's lesser-known songs (with the obvious exception of "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was inexplicably missing from Greatest Hits.) The only way this would be better is if it included "Princes of the Universe". My personal favorite is "Who Wants to Live Forever", it is such a gorgeous song. Other must-hear tracks are "Hammer to Fall", "These Are the Days of Our Lives", and "The Show Must Go On".
   
   All in all a top-notch collection. If you are a sampler type, buy this. If you want more, get the Platinum Collection (Greatest Hits Vol. 1-3).

5 comments about Emotional Rescue.

1. After all these years I played this and it was as much fun as it was the first time I had heard it.
   
   I love the rough lazy casual feel about the songs. I imagined them playing, without much effort, cigarette smoke, booze lying around and just the songs pouring out. Indian girl was my least favourite. Where The Boys Go and She's So Cold as the best tracks. I liked the way they took Disco and made it theirs.
   
   Years later I read reviews really giving this album bad ratings......dont know why......
   
   Anyway, it's playing right now, and Where the Boys Go is about to begin....LOL this is going to be fun...again!



2. People - and mea culpa, I'm certainly one - tend to vilify this album because it incorporates all the elements that came pretty damn close to rendering the Stones null and void during the eighties. VERY lame "funk": "Dance Pt. 1," lame reggae, the title song, dreary blues, "Down In The Hole," and sad attempts at "new wave" or "punk," whatever you want to call that crap, "She's So Cold" and "Let Me Go." Um...well, THAT said, after getting over the initial horror of hearing "Miss You, part 2" regurgitated - TWICE - I kind of began to...DIG the album. In truth, it was released in the summer of 1980, just as I was weathering an acrimonious divorce, and embarrassing as this admission is, the album did indeed slowly become "an emotional rescue." And when you stop to consider that, post Mick Taylor, the Stones were only good for about 2, maybe 3, songs per album, "Let Me Go," "She's So Cold," "Emotional Rescue," and especially "Send It To Me" are - again, excuse the pun - a GAS GAS GAS! (and I shan't implicate myself nor bore the reader by explaining how "Emotional Rescue" changed my life forever, October, 1980...)



3. It is quite clear that by the 80s, the Stones had lost some of what had made them great. With 1980s Emotional Rescue, the Stones should that they could rock, just not as well as on Some Girls. Some of the better tracks would be the title track, which is a fairly decent dance number. Not too far behinnd this number is 'She's So Cold' which is a typical Stones rocker. 'Let Me Go' and 'Where the Boys Go' seem a bit tossed off and are on the light side but can still be enjoyable. Also on the dance siide is 'Dance Pt. 1' which is a bit overdone but is still enjoyable. 'Down in the Hole' os a fine bluesy nimber as well.
   
   On tje downside would be the country-tinged 'Indian Girl' and 'Summer Romance.' 'Send it to Me' isn't terrible but it still seems a bit tossed off and isn't as interesting as some of the other numbers. Overall, the record is enjoyable but just isn't that good, which is not what Stones fans would obviously like to hear.



4. Perhaps not one the "most classic" Stones albums, but the 1980 release is another outstanding album. The title track is one of my all time favorites. Other highlights include Let Me Go and She's So Cold.



5. This is the best of the Rolling Stones. Its the kind of music you and I grew up on.

5 comments about Odds & Sods.

1. This was a purchase of a CD to replace the cassette version of this album that I had enjoyed. I obviously knew then that I would like it from a musical standpoint. As an added extra, it contained many more songs that were not on the cassette version. Although there were no songs I had never heard, there were different versions of some of them that I had not heard (studio v.s. live or just a different version). Overall I am extemely satisfied, Shipping was fast and CD was received in excellent condition. Overall, an excellent transaction.



2. John came up with this album out of sheer boredom - Roger was heading law suits against MCA for back record royalitys they didn't get - Pete was totally ingrosed in the production of the Tommy movie sound track - and keith was just partying in every pub in England - this period was the start of the downfall of the tight playing live act up to this point - John had to do something being the band was not touring which he lived for at that point - so he dug up out takes old singles and compiled this album Odd & Sods - also they owed MCA a record for 1974 - Its a die hard fans album - better then boots but not as good as a regular alblum - Most songs on Odd's & Sod's are Who's Next outtakes or special recordings like Little Billy made for the cancer society about the dangers of smoking - they use to play that live from 1968 to about 1970 usually about the third or fourth song in the gig - Pete still thinks it's a real gem that never went anywhere - This version is the 1967 studio version not as good as it was live - they played it a Woodstock in 1969 too - like I said John was bored - This would have been a good time for the Who to release a Live Tommy - Who's Next or Quadraphinia album - what a loss - oh well - This was a lame Who period - You have to remmember the boys where really on a holiday after a grueling touring and recording schedule that burned out everybody - There is a picture of the Who in this period at Keith's house outside together sitting on the grass - I swear they all look burned out - you know like when peoples faces look a little puffy and bags under there eye's - stressed out I guess - Kieth played with the Beach Boys for about a hour at a concert that had Elton John there too( he was a big fan of theirs - knew every drum part of their surf music - It was the highlight of his life - he used to play Beachboys music 24 seven at his house) John also toured as a solo act over here the states with his own new band for the first time around this period that he lost 100 grand on to support his new solo release Rigamortis - like I said he was bored - There are many classic songs on here too the they played live also like Naked Eye a great live song - I like Pure and Easy myself - Their use to be a poster of a stage scene from the 1973 Quadraphinia Tour include in the old Vinyl alblum - like I said it's not Who's next but it's interesting just the same - 1974 was a good year for Rock - Hit songs everywhere - Elton John Ruled the Radio - Zepplin was still touring - there where a million classic rock hits in this year of 1974 - Eagles - Linda Ronstad you name it - so maybe they felt there wasn't more room for them on the radio then for pushing new songs or studio album of new songs - Like I said pete was working on the Tommy Movie etc.. and other Tommy projects like the Rainbow gig and the Clapton Comeback gig at the Raibow theater too just before this period - which took up a lot of time - He is credited for saving Eric Clapton from drugs and getting him back on his feet - There was a Electric Tommy album I think he was in volved in that had like a moog style sound to it - anyway it's pure and easy - there are Who gems on here a must have for any fan or should I say Hooligan



3. Originally conceived and compiled by John Entwistle in 1974, this was an 11-track collection looking back at some tracks which were, for some reason or another, never released. They weren't in chronological order, and it was sort of like looking at someone elses' old photographs, despite the good quality of said tracks. Everything in it was good, and one felt priveleged to get an inside look.
   
   So much reissued material nowadays, seems to sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity. You often get many different versions of a song, which for obvious reasons, didn't get released. It usually just adds clutter; do I really need to hear a poorly recorded demo of a song without half the arrangements, just because someone found it last year? Maybe, in some rare cases, but not really. The new version of "Odds And Sods" does what any expanded reissue should do. It takes the original 11 tracks, adds 12 more, then rearranges them into chronological order. You then get the first decade of The Who's music, from earliest available, a song they recorded when they were known as "The High Numbers, (Peter Meaden's "I'm The Face")" up through to the long-time stage staple "Naked Eye," in it's polished form. Live, it is always missing verses, or the performance just goes all chaotic.
   
   One trait of note here, apart from displaying how the band relied less on covered material as the years wore on, would be the way this collection depicts Roger Daltrey's emergence as one of rock's most respected vocalists. It is even more obvious in the video from the "Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B" gift box; the video is also available separately, but as one can see, very plainly, Roger Daltrey wasn't a very good singer early on. In the "Odds & Sods" disc, it isn't quite as glaring, given the advent of outtakes, as the best possible version of a song is the one to be released to the public, but even here, with careful listening, one can tell, he just wasn't all that good. But something happened sometime in 1968; toward the end of the year, his stage presence, vocal delivery, and basic charisma exploded. His transformation was complete by 1972. And the whole band, as well, simply grew into one of the most powerful spectacles in rock. They didn't have the props and lights like one finds with Pink Floyd, or the blood and pyrotechnics of a KISS show, nothing of the sort. Just four tough men from London putting it all out there, warts and all. Technical glitches didn't seem to matter to the fans, and after a while, even the band didn't seem to mind. It's amazing, though, how they had stayed together as long as they did. The infighting wasn't just disagreements and such, it often got physical. Bruce Johnson of The Beach Boys once said he was in the audience at a performance by The Who in 1968, and an on-stage brawl took place during the show; he claims it was the worst fight he had ever seen. It seems Pete Townshend accidentally knocked one of Keith Moon's cymbal stands over, causing Moon a minor injury. He responded by hitting Townshend with one of his drums or something. And in seconds, the entire band were involved in the biggest, most vicious fight many people had ever witnessed, and it continued until long after one of the stage hands brought the curtain down.
   
   Listening to the band play their softer, more introspective material here, numbers like "Too Much Of Anything," belies this image. But the main ingredient on "Odds & Sods," is GROWTH. You witness the band, via, recordings, growing, as musicians, and as people. Pete Townshend used to cover up shortcomings in his guitar skills with volume, feedback, pick-scrapes, and on-stage dynamics, and when you listen to any "High Numbers" recordings, the guitar solos were actually by a session player. This continued into the early career of The Who, as the guitar solo in "I Can't Explain" is reputedly Jimmy Page's. Daltrey's development is aforementioned, but one consistency in this disc, would be the rhythm section. People who discuss Keith Moon fall into two distinct camps; those who say he was the best drummer ever, and those who say he was an enthusiatic amatuer. Realistically, he was not a very good technical drummer, but nobody before him or since, has ever, ever done anything like that. I enjoy listening to him, I am one of his biggest fans, but I honestly see what his detractors say. Sometimes, he just couldn't do it. The percussion track in 1978's "Music Must Change" is actually a recording of Pete Townshend's footsteps; Moon couldn't make himself play 3/4 at the time. He played strictly by instinct, and many of his peers, people like Ginger Baker, could run laps around him. But, get him on a good night, when he's on top of his game, and you won't find better.
   
   And John Entwistle, I have to say, personally, I think he was the best bassist in contemporary music. And a total consummate musician as well. It's sad, rock's most interesting rhythm section is now dead. But they have made their mark. John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and Pete Townshend, a four headed monster that forever changed the music world, will live forever, dead OR alive.
   
   And "Odds And Sods" is a record of the first ten years of the phenomenon known as "The Who."



4. As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.
   
   Originally a terrific vinyl treat from 1974, the 1988 remastered "Odds & Sods" includes twelve bonus tracks that completely changes where the previously released songs appear.
   
   I recall very vividly having conversations with a plethora of Who collectors when the improved "Odds & Sods" hit the CD shelves. The majority clearly wanted the running order from the album to be maintained and the bonus tracks to follow. This doesn't detract in any way the sheer brilliance that awaits.
   
   Although "Odds & Sods" put together a myriad of previously unreleased tracks, it was never intended to be a replacement for a studio record. To the surprise of many, the material was strong and consistent, including some of the most underrated tunes the band would pen.
   
   The studio "Summertime Blues" didn't lose any of the raw in your face rock and roll from the live version. There aren't too many better three minute numbers.
   
   "Under My Thumb" sees the Who playing the Rolling Stones. The version well constructed and Pete's background to Roger's lead vocal gives us a terrific rendition.
   
   "My Way" often mislabeled as "Easy Going Guy" pays homage to the earlier days of rock and roll (After all it was composed by Eddie Cochran) but the Who has put the definitive stamp all over the song. Townshend's guitar and Daltrey's vocals have the intensity and quality needed to push this over the top. Keith's drums and John's bass are mixed well so the tasty playing is very much in the front.
   
   "Young Man Blues" written by Mose Allison could have easily lost its way in the recording studio. Then again when the Who were at their peak the studio wasn't off limits to high energy and raw passion.
   
   "Love Ain't For Keeping" is double the length of the "Who's Next" masterpiece. The version used here isn't any less impressive!
   
   John Entwhistle's "Postcard" is not only a standout track on the album but one of the finest period. The song is a living letter home to his wife with complete tails of the difficulties of being on tour. You can play this one hundred times in a row and it wouldn't lose any of its eternal shine.
   
   With twenty-three tracks and almost seventy-seven minutes of Who rock and roll, the only question left is what are you waiting for?



5. As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.
   
   Originally a terrific vinyl treat from 1974, the 1988 remastered "Odds & Sods" includes twelve bonus tracks that completely changes where the previously released songs appear.
   
   I recall very vividly having conversations with a plethora of Who collectors when the improved "Odds & Sods" hit the CD shelves. The majority clearly wanted the running order from the album to be maintained and the bonus tracks to follow. This doesn't detract in any way the sheer brilliance that awaits.
   
   Although "Odds & Sods" put together a myriad of previously unreleased tracks, it was never intended to be a replacement for a studio record. To the surprise of many, the material was strong and consistent, including some of the most underrated tunes the band would pen.
   
   The studio "Summertime Blues" didn't lose any of the raw in your face rock and roll from the live version. There aren't too many better three minute numbers.
   
   "Under My Thumb" sees the Who playing the Rolling Stones. The version well constructed and Pete's background to Roger's lead vocal gives us a terrific rendition.
   
   "My Way" often mislabeled as "Easy Going Guy" pays homage to the earlier days of rock and roll (After all it was composed by Eddie Cochran) but the Who has put the definitive stamp all over the song. Townshend's guitar and Daltrey's vocals have the intensity and quality needed to push this over the top. Keith's drums and John's bass are mixed well so the tasty playing is very much in the front.
   
   "Young Man Blues" written by Mose Allison could have easily lost its way in the recording studio. Then again when the Who were at their peak the studio wasn't off limits to high energy and raw passion.
   
   "Love Ain't For Keeping" is double the length of the "Who's Next" masterpiece. The version used here isn't any less impressive!
   
   John Entwhistle's "Postcard" is not only a standout track on the album but one of the finest period. The song is a living letter home to his wife with complete tails of the difficulties of being on tour. You can play this one hundred times in a row and it wouldn't lose any of its eternal shine.
   
   With twenty-three tracks and almost seventy-seven minutes of Who rock and roll, the only question left is what are you waiting for?

5 comments about Sheer Heart Attack.

1. Looking back at the 1970s, sometimes many forget how big the band Queen was. Even as Queen moved into the 1980s, while their popularity did slightly decline in the United States, it continued to be very high in Europe. Their performance at Live Aid is widely considered one of the greatest of all-time and their subsequent "Magic" tour is considered one of the all-time greatest concert tours. If it weren't for Freddie Mercury's death in 1992, we might still be talking about Queen being as big a band as the Beatles. When Queen released their 1973 self-titled debut album, it showed all of the signs of greatness to come. This album would show how the band embraced a "theatrical" feel to their music (which was something seen by other bands such as the Kinks) as well as embrace a sound that would evolve into what would become Heavy Metal. I expected the follow-up album, "Queen II" to continue much of what "Queen" had started. While "Queen II" continues down the road of theatrical music, overall this album just didn't capture my interest as much as the first album. However with Queen's third album, "Sheer Heart Attack", Queen would successfully build on the fundamentals of the first two albums and expand their sound. They would still revolve around the theatrical sound, but move away from the medieval themes of the first two albums. It would also prove to be their first breakthrough album in terms of commercial success.
   
   Queen is an example of the sum of the parts actually being greater than the whole. However, if you take each of the four members of Queen, they easily stand on their own as a top musician in their profession. Freddie Mercury is easily known to be the emotional and flamboyant lead vocalist of Queen who indeed has a legendary voice. Brian May is the legendary lead guitarist and probably the second most popular member of the band. Roger Taylor and John Deacon go extremely underrated. Listen to Taylor's thundering drumming in the studio or live and one can easily understand why he was asked to participate in an All Star Drum Jam (The S.O.S. All-Stars) at the Live Earth concert. As for John Deacon, he might be one of music's all-time underrated bass players. Many of his bass lines have proven to be the foundation for Queen's musical sound. In addition to being top musicians, all four members play integral roles in the songwriting. As with the first two albums, the band's instrumentation continues to operate a high level. However on this album, I think its Mercury that takes it up a notch and establishes a foundation as a hall of fame vocalist.
   
   Here is a track by track synopsis of this collection:
   
   "Brighton Rock": This is a great track. Queen improvises by using carnival sounds (indicative of the seaside resort of Brighton). While May's guitars shine, this song is a real breakthrough for Mercury who performs both parts of a duet - simply outstanding.
   
   "Killer Queen": Legendary track as Mercury once again takes it up a notch again with his vocals. The song has a theatrical feel to it. Terrific piano work is also done by Mercury. However the real underrated hero of this track is Deacon - his bass completely sets the tone for this track.
   
   "Tenement Fuster": This song features Taylor on vocals who once again proves he can also be a lead vocalist. Taylor's high octaves give this song a prototype for some early Heavy Metal.
   
   "Flick of the Wrist": This song has a great segue from "Tenement Fuster". Mercury takes over lead vocals for this track. Once again, Mercury demonstrates great harmonies. This song takes on more of a progressive rock feel.
   
   "Lily of the Valley": This song has a segue from "Flick of the Wrist". This song takes a softer tone, yet still with a theatrical feel.
   
   "Now I'm Here": Mercury shines again and shows he too can hit the high vocals. May's guitars are right on form. Terrific harmonies are prevalent throughout this track.
   
   "In the Lap of the Gods": This track again showcases a theatrical feel to it - and Queen is awesome in doing so. This features some great piano work.
   
   "Stone Cold Crazy": "In the Lap of the Gods" has a segue to this track. This song almost sounds like a cross between classic Rock of the fifties and early Heavy Metal.
   
   "Dear Friends": Soft piano ballad. Not a bad song, but didn't have me doing handstands.
   
   "Misfire": Much of this song was composed by Deacon and the fruits of his efforts shine. This song almost gives me a feel for what sound that the band Boston would feature in the late 70s.
   
   "Bring Back that Leroy Brown": Queen has always they could pull off a Rockabilly sound - and this song proves it. Nice work of banjo and jangle piano are featured in this song. Great bass work by Deacon.
   
   "She Makes Me": This song has more of a classic rock feel. Underrated track. May has some great acoustic guitar work. I like the way the use of sirens are used in this song.
   
   "In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited": Queen wraps this one up with a theatrical finale feel to it. The perfect way to end the album.
   
   I think Queen moving away from the Medieval themes of the first two albums has a lot to do with why they grew as a band on this album. While Mercury has his breakthrough on this album, the whole band shines. Overall, this is a terrific effort that will keep core Queen fans and casual fans happy. Highly recommended.



2. I know I may be going out on a limb here, but for my money this is the single best studio album this band ever did. And yes, that includes "A Night at the Opera." The production, the overall sound and cohesion, and of course the songs, all come together on this one. There are so many styles here it's truly mind-boggling, but somehow it works. The glam-rock opener "Brighton Rock" leads into the campy majesty of "Killer Queen." "Now I'm Here" is another rocker and a concert favorite. "Stone Cold Crazy" is fast and furious, so much so that it was a natural for Metallica to cover years later. "Flick of the Wrist" is an absolutely acidic kiss-off to a crooked former manager. "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" may make you feel you're sitting in a speakeasy on a Saturday night, while "Dear Friends" is a short and sweet tearjerker. Even Roger Taylor -- notorious for penning the weakest songs on Queen albums -- hits the mark with "Tenement Funster." If you're looking for everything this band was capable of on a single disc, look no further. Highly recommended.



3. There's no denying that Queen were one of a kind, and this album demonstrates that again and again. From straight up hard rockers, to their more operatic tendencies, to acoustic and atmospheric pieces, this album has it all.



4. English rockers Queen released their third album Sheer Heart Attack in October of 1974.
   The album was a huge improvement over the somewhat bland Queen II (my least favorite Queen album and many Queen fans will probably disagree with me on that) and set the pace for their experimentation that they would take to the enth degree on the next two albums A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races.
   SHA kicks off with guitarist Brian May's "Brighton Rock", which had the innovative use of a delay meachine during the guitar solo to make it sound like there were two guitarists playing the middle solo and would be his solo showcase for the next three years and then again on the 1978/79 tour (on the '78-'79 tour it was more of an improv with John Deacon's bass and Roger Taylor's drums although Roger had a tympani solo spot and Brian with a guitar solo on his own). Brian also contributed the rocking "Now I'm Here" and the ballads "Dear Friends" and "She Makes Me" (in which he also does lead vocal).
   Lead singer Freddie Mercury contributed "Killer Queen" (which was the band's first US Top 20 hit rightfully peaking at #12 and pushed the album to #12 in the US and Gold status in sales as a result), the rocking "Flick of the Wrist", the ballad "Lily of the Valley", the weird "In the Lap of the Gods", the ragtime sounding "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" and the closing masterpiece "In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited".
   Drummer Roger Taylor wrote the rocking "Tenement Funster".
   Finally, bass player John Deacon wrote his first track for the band "Misfire" and is the first of many great tracks he would write for Queen in later years.
   Also, all four members of the group co-wrote "Stone Cold Crazy", which was the first song they wrote together as a band. That track would be in the setlist for the next few tours and was also covered by Metallica in 1991. James Hetfield of Metallica also did that track with the surviving members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April of 1992.
   Sheer Heart Attack was Queen's first hit album here in the US as it peaked at #11 and attained Gold status (the first Queen album to do so) and was the first taste of things to come for the band.
   This album has aged gracefully in the 33 years since release and is highly recommended!



5. ..Bueno que puedo decir..! realmente no se si han escuchado algo asi, pero la verdad de todo es que es una obra magistral, no cabe la menor duda que en ese momento queen estaba llegando a su cuspide, realmente que no podemos negar de ninguna manera que la influencia glam era notable en QUEEN pero con mucha fuerza y distinción, las palabras sobran para detallar todo lo que se puede decir de SHA ... MI EDAD CUANDO LO ESCUCHE ERA DE 13 AÑOS Y CREO QUE ME ABRIO LA CABEZA DE UNA MANERA IMPRESIONANTE, LAMENTABLEMENTE PARA MUCHOS DE LOS JOVENES DE AHORA ESTO NO SUENE TAN GENIAL PORQUE ESTAN ACOSTUMBRADOS A LA GENIALIDAD CON EL SONIDO DIGITAL PERO SI NOS REMONTAMOS A LA EPOCA..ESTO ES UNA PIEZA QUE NO PUEDE FALTAR EN LA COLLECCION DE UN ROQUERO DE VERDAD, SIN LUGAR A DUDAS ESTO ES UNO DE LOS MEJORES LOGROS DEL GRUPO, PARA MI, CON "QUEEN A NIGHT AT THE OPERA" ¡POR FAVOR NO SE PIERDAN ...APRESURENSE Y APRECIEN ESTO, PUEDA QUE SE LAMENTEN DE NO HABER VIVIDO ESA EPOCA PERO DE TENER...EN LA COLECCION; JAMAS! NUNCA!!! POR FAVOR DEJEN DE TRATAR DE BUSCAR LO QUE YA SE INVENTO HACE 4,3 O 2 DECADAS NO PIERAN EL TIEMPO

5 comments about Tattoo You.

1. Apparently this album was made out of outtakes from previous albums but it's very good indeed. In fact it's one of their best albums from the 80's. It was released in 1981 and features both lead guitarists Ron Wood and Mick Taylor plus Wayne Perkins who played during the "Black And Blue" sessions. For the rhythm section there's rhythm guitarist Keith Richards, bass player Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts as always.
   
   The first track "Star Me Up" is one of their most popular songs by far! It's still played on radio frequently. "Hang Fire" and "Neighbours" are memorable up tempo rockers.
   There's also a jam called "Slave" that includes a catchy riff plus keyboard and saxophone solos.
   "Little T&A" is sung by rhythm guitarist Keith Richards and it's pure hard rock at it's finest. One of the best songs on the album!
   Another highlight is the R&B number "Black Limousine" which wouldn't sound out of place in one of their early albums while "Tops" features great vocals by Mick Jagger, catchy verses and chorus, and at the end there's a great outro solo by Mick Taylor.
   The last number "Waiting On A Frined" is the other popular song that's still played on radio and again features saxophone playing. Also note the ballad "Worried About You" where Mick Jagger sings in his falsetto voice and about half way into the song, a guitar solo by Wayne Perkins shows up.
   But the most unusal song here got be "Heaven". One of the most experimental songs the Stones ever did! It sounds like psychedelic rock.
   
   This is a an excellent choice if you want to get into 80's Rolling Stones as this is one of their best!
   Thanks for taking the time to read!
   Later...



2. Hello, Happy 3itch. We have recommendations for you. (Not Happy?)
   
   Back in '81, I was so appallingly hip. Nothing but Gang of 4, PiL and Devo for me. "Hang Fire" on the dashboard, though; what a crunch - probably the last unconditionally great rocking pop Stones tune. Timeless adolescence, a perfect mate for "Get Off Of My Cloud." The silly vocal hook, Chuck Berry solo, trailer trash narrator, bar 'n grill drum rolls, brittle slapback - the genius is in the brevity. Gang of 4, PiL and Devo probably thought they were revolutionaries back then, the rubes. Who NEEDS, like, progress? "Black Limousine," throwaway changes but, DUDE, the FEEL of that solo. "Neighbors," both obnoxious and charming; so unabashedly the Stones. And "Start Me Up," reactionary as hell, the Stones doing the Stones. Live long enough and you can get away with ANYTHING.
   
   [Insert belch here.]



3. The Rolling Stones had a string of stunning albums, up to "Exile on Main Street." Then, after a number of albums that had some strengths and some weaknesses, "Some Girls," one of their best came out. Then a disappointing "Emotional Rescue." But the Stones bounced back with a pretty good work, "Tattoo You." Many of the albums after "Exile" would have a few great songs--but also a number that did not measure up (and some were little more than filler). There is very little filler on "Tattoo You."
   
   The CD starts out, fittingly enough, with "Start Me Up," an absolutely classic Stones' rocker. The guitar riff is top notch, reminiscent of the best of the group's songs.
   
   "You start me up
   . . .
   You make a grown man cry."
   
   A real rocker. The band is in fine form here; this song has even been used (ugh) to signal the start of sporting events over the past decade or so.
   
   "Hang Fire." Just 2 minutes and 20 seconds, but what is packed into that brief time frame! The guitars growl nicely and the steady drumming of Charlie Watts provides a firm foundation for this song.
   
   "Black Limousine": Starts with some nice harmonica. This is one of the Stones'' home grown blues songs, a genre at which they have done well (recall the wonderful little classic, "Down in the Hole").
   
   "We used to ride baby,
   Ride around in a limousine.
   You looked so fine, baby,
   You in white and me in red."
   
   Sinuous guitar work is displayed and the Stones' rhythm section lives up to its reputation.
   
   "Waiting on a Friend": A softer sound, and effectively done! This is more intimate and contemplative than other pieces on this album. Nice piano work at the outset.
   
   "I'm just standing in a doorway,
   I'm just trying to make some sense.
   . . .
   I'm not waiting on a lady,
   I'm waiting on a friend."
   
   This represents an interesting change of pace.
   
   And these aren't the only songs of interest. As earlier noted, there is not much filler here. Other strong works: "Slave," "Neighbours," "No Use in Cryin'," and so on. Keith's obligatory song on this album is one of his better efforts.
   
   Rolling Stones' fans will appreciate this CD greatly. One of their best between "Exile on Main Street" and the present, along with "Some Girls" and "Bigger Bang."



4. Although never less than the most visible of rock bands, the Stones were in the midst of a commercial resurgence that began with Some Girls in 1978. Tattoo You (1981) remains the last album of the Stones' classic period and for good reason. Not only does it contain their last true classic song in "Start Me Up" but it also has the tender "Waiting on a Friend", the melodic pop rock of "Hang Fire" and Keith's ode to his newfound love in the catchy "Little T&A". "Start Me Up" was unavoidable on the radio but it's highest charting position was number 2 for several weeks never quite hitting number 1. There was only one song during this time that received more airplay than "Start Me Up" and this song prevented it from topping the charts. Anyone know what it is? I'll tell you at the end.
   
   Upon release the album was divided into a rock side and a ballad side and the first half contains some of the punchiest rockers the Stones have done but the ballad side contains a lot of material that we wouldn't normally get all in one place on a Stones record...and the ballads are gorgeous ("Worried About You", "Tops" and the ghostly "Heaven"). I remember not liking "Heaven" very much and one day in the summer, after a long day at the beach with my then girlfriend, we began our ride home. The sun was going down and we were driving in my convertible over the bridge that takes you over the water and back to 'civilization'. "Heaven" began to play and the whole atmosphere of the song just reflected the whole moment. The evening sun beating down upon the ocean as we crossed over it with the top down on a warm summer evening. That image is forever tattooed in my brain when I hear that song. It captured the moment as perfectly as any song could.
   
   Critics of this release often cite that the material was a patchwork of leftovers and new songs that they put together for an album. This may be true but the Stones are not the first band to do this. Elo's "Do Ya" was written before ELO was even formed, Van Halen did "House of Pain" on 1984 when that song predated their first album in 1978. The list goes on...Hey, if you wrote the song, you deserve to use it. Sometimes the timing just isn't right.
   
   That being said, if you're new to the Stones this is a good place to start. It's got more of an MOR feel to it than any of their other records and the main reason why casual fans seem to prefer it to their other recordings, even the classics. The Stones always had hits, but they were never as commercial on one recording as they were here. Commercial doesn't always mean 'better' but in this instance, it's timeless rock that they haven't been able to top since.
   
   ANSWER: "Private Eyes" by Hall and Oates
   
   Yeah, I know..but nobody ever said life was fair...



5. In the run-up to Scorsese's concert film Shine A Light I dusted off Exile on Main Street, the only Stones album that I owned until recently, and which I'd tried in vain to appreciate for probably 10 years. The timing must have been right because I found myself mentally comparing it to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or the Great Pyramid of Cheops instead of to other rock albums.
   
   Since then I've been frantically collecting the Stones' recorded legacy and so far have heard everything except Black and Blue, Bridges to Babylon, and Steel Wheels. Though Exile is still tops, what surprised me is how consistent the Stones have been, and how they retained their kingship right until the end. Since I wasn't overly anticipating each album the way fans who grew up with the Stones had to, and bought the albums haphazardly, going from Undercover back to Beggar's Banquet and onto Between the Buttons, there was no disappointment. Yeah, I can hear that Beggar's Banquet or Sticky Fingers have a more "classic" feel than Emotional Rescue, but this is mostly because the singles from those earlier albums have been driven into our heads. Otherwise these guys have never really fallen off track. There is no growth apparent in their albums, but there is a constant, almost heroic reinvigoration of formula. No two Stones albums sound quite alike, yet they all have that raw, chaotic, "Where'd that bongo come from, and where'd it disappear to so quickly?" sense of surprise.
   
   The Stones are not only underrated as players and orchestrators ( though that word brings to mind tubas and mellotrons and George Martin, while the Stones try to conceal their art behind an organized messiness ), but Jagger's lyrics deserve much more respect. Jagger seems to embody a reluctant fallen angel, and his perspective on life has a fascinating ambivalence -- it's almost like he went against his nature to live up to the image of a rock star. There's a sense he's too smart to go to hell, but he's chosen to anyway. Most debauchees don't have this kind of self-awareness, or the ability to stare so coldly at their own downfall. Compared to this spectacle of ugly, monkey-man burnout, stretched out slowly and painfully over 40 years, Dylan seems like a boring mystifier cobbling Old Testament phrases together with hippie sentiment, and Lennon like a self-loathing would-be guru. Jagger is not admirable, but he's also not a hypocrite. He IS rock music, and always will be. In fact, I think the entire concept of rock will die with him. The irony of Jagger, like the irony of Lucifer, is the insane hard work that went into his hedonism, and that all those lines on his face are a result of the effort it took to make others believe that he's having fun.
   
   All this is a bit heady for a review of Tattoo You, maybe the most M.O.R. of the Stones' albums. I'm not even sure why I'm reviewing this one. Maybe because glimmers of a once-heavenly nature are evident on "Heaven" or "Waiting on a Friend," giving this album a slightly tragic feel that left me unexpectedly shaken. I thought this album would be radio-ready pop, and it is, but some of the songs here are the closest Jagger came to abandoning his act, the edifice of the shtick that became his selfhood. On the ballad-heavy second half of the album, the "real" Mick Jagger seems tantalizingly close to showing his face. That's why the cover shows someone covered in tattoos, because Jagger was obviously nervous about what he reveals here and had to pretend the mask was still on.
   
   I don't say this because the songs are slow and therefore signifiers of emotion. I mean, this observation is coming from a guy who is immune to many classic Stones weepers like "Wild Horses" or "Moonlight Mile," that I consider hollow pastiche.
   But on the second half of Tattoo You it doesn't just sound like Jagger is tired of the Stones, like on Dirty Work, it sounds like he's tired of being Mick Jagger. "No Use in Crying," his six millionth kiss-off song to a former girlfriend ( roughly ) even seems deliberately attenuated, half-baked, Jagger barely able to muster up the enthusiasm for the usual ignorant, heartless bile aimed at some poor bimbo that he'd been delivering at least since "Stupid Girl" from Aftermath. The song comes off, because of this, as somewhat beautiful, sounding like Jagger is trying to sing himself through all the useless hatred and aggression.
   Between 1981-1983 there might even have been temporary hope of escape from the eternal burden placed on this beast -- but as soon as the sleazy ( and great ) Undercover hit the shelves, that "Waiting on a Friend" Jagger was dead forever. You don't even have to listen to the album. The peerlessly trashy cover, where the girl's eyes are cut off, making her all torso, all crotch, and nothing human, in itself seems like a riposte to Tattoo You, to the vulnerability shown here, as if to say, "Tricked you, didn't I?"
   
   I don't know if it's sad or encouraging that my final thought upon the Stones catalogue and Jagger himself is "Thanks for the great music -- now see ya, wouldn't want to be ya." I think I'll hang fire.

5 comments about A Day At The Races.

1. Looking back at the 1970s, sometimes many forget how big the band Queen was. Even as Queen moved into the 1980s, while their popularity did slightly decline in the United States, it continued to be very high in Europe. Their performance at Live Aid is widely considered one of the greatest of all-time and their subsequent "Magic" tour is considered one of the all-time greatest concert tours. If it weren't for Freddie Mercury's death in 1992, we might still be talking about Queen being as big a band as the Beatles. When Queen released their 1973 self-titled debut album, it showed all of the signs of greatness to come. This album would show how the band embraced a "theatrical" feel to their music as well as embrace a sound that would evolve into what would become Heavy Metal. The next three albums, "Queen II", "Sheer Heart Attack" , and "A Night at the Opera" continued down the road of the theatrical sound. It was that third album, "Sheer Heart Attack" that would not just become a commercial breakthrough album for Queen, but also become an album that would showcase Mercury's abilities as a Hall of Fame vocalist. "A Night at the Opera" would begin to expand the band's musical horizons (most notably, the legendary track "Bohemian Rhapsody" as well as some ragtime tunes. The fifth album "A Day at the Races", while not as strong as the third and fourth albums will continue to show the band expanding its musical horizon.
   
   Queen is an example of the sum of the parts actually being greater than the whole. However, if you take each of the four members of Queen, they easily stand on their own as a top musician in their profession. Freddie Mercury is easily known to be the emotional and flamboyant lead vocalist of Queen who indeed has a legendary voice. Brian May is the legendary lead guitarist and probably the second most popular member of the band. Roger Taylor and John Deacon go extremely underrated. Listen to Taylor's thundering drumming in the studio or live and one can easily understand why he was asked to participate in an All Star Drum Jam (The S.O.S. All-Stars) at the Live Earth concert. As for John Deacon, he might be one of music's all-time underrated bass players. Many of his bass lines have proven to be the foundation for Queen's musical sound. In addition to being top musicians, all four members play integral roles in the songwriting.
   
   Like its predecessor, Queen takes a title from a Marx Brothers movie. Here is a track by track synopsis of the original ten tracks:
   
   "Tie Your Mother Down": This is a legendary Queen track. The highlight of this is some incredible guitar work by Brian May. While this song sounds better live, the studio recording is still outstanding. Roger Taylor's crashing drums blend in perfectly. I like the theatrical-like beginning as it sets the tone for the album.
   
   "You Take My Breath Away": The song opens with a cappella-like vocals all done by Mercury. This is a slower song done on the piano. Not my favorite song, but it does show some thinking out of the box by the band.
   
   "Long Away": May never disappoints when he is on vocals and once again this track highlights he could have easily been a full-time lead vocalist. This song doesn't have a theatrical feel, but more of a classic Rock feel to it.
   
   "The Millionaire Waltz": This song opens with a "Vaudeville/Ragtime" feel similar to some of the tracks heard on "A Night at the Opera". Nice job by Queen combining the theatrical-like harmonies with the Ragtime feel. The song has a segue into a Hard Rock part and then back to the ragtime part. Eventually both parts (ragtime and Rock) will nearly blend by the end. Overall this is an innovative track.
   
   "You and I": This was John Deacon's contribution. The piano playing almost has an Elton John feel to it. Theatrical-like harmonies are also prevalent throughout this track. Terrific guitar bridge by May takes place midway through the track.
   
   "Somebody to Love": This is the other well-known track on this album. This is classical Rock-Opera sounding Queen. The song is highlighted by outstanding Mercury vocals, terrific background harmonies by May and Taylor, and a hall of fame guitar bridge by May 2+ minutes into the track.
   
   "White Man": Sometimes I don't give Queen enough credit for their lyrics - and this track shows Queen at their best. On this track Queen talks about the suffering of the Native Americans at the hands of the Europeans. Queen integrates their theatrical sound on this track that adds more realism to the track.
   
   "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy": This is another "Vaudeville/Ragtime" track. Deacon's bass work is underrated on this track as it helps contribute to the tempo.
   
   "Drowse": Like May, Roger Taylor could also be a full-time lead vocalist. Taylor has a knack for hitting the higher octaves than Mercury. He also brings a heavy metal-like voice to his vocals. This song is another winner by Taylor.
   
   "Teo Torriate (Let's Us Cling Together)": Possibly one of the most underrated Queen tracks out there. This starts out with as a slow, somber piano ballad. It then has a segue into a sound that easily could be a theatrical finale. Perhaps the most innovative part of the song are two verses sung in Japanese. This is a perfect way to end the album.
   This album did require a few listens by me in order to get into it. While I did put this a notch below "A Night at the Opera", I still thought this was a very good and innovative album. This is an album that core Queen fans will easily like, but after a few listens, the casual fan will appreciate this. Highly recommended.



2. Although it stands in the shadow of "A night at the opera" this offering by Queen is every bit as good and better in some ways. There is not a weak song on this entire CD. Everything is meticulously recorded, thought out & performed. You almost get the feeling that this could have been a concept album. The eight tracks by Freddie & Brian are flawless and dripping with inspiration. They were certainly firing on all cylinders here.
   1. "Tie you mother down" rocks with sheer brilliance
   2. "You take my breath away" is absolutely beautiful and haunting
   3. "Long away" easily could have been a single
   4. "Millionaire waltz" is campy and powerful
   5. "You and I" proved John Deacon was no fluke as a songwriter
   6. "Somebody to love" is the true jewel here. The best song about longing ever written
   7. "White man" rocks with dark overtones and profound lyrics
   8. "Good old fashion lover boy" is catchy, bouncy & delightful
   9. "Drowse" is hypnotic and subtle
   10. "Teo toriate" is alluring and mysterious
   
   The bonus tracks are pretty much worthless remixes.
   Queen reached its creative and artistic peak with this album. The album shines like a crown jewel.



3. Not much worse - or different - from the last one.
   
   At this point in their career, after releasing a mega-smash-super-hit album, quite a few artists become afraid of being typecast, for lack of a better word, so they veer off into a different direction with their music (sometimes it's only a slight adjustment, sometimes it's a radical overhaul). Well, Freddie Mercury isn't about to change for anyone, and rather than shying away from making a copy of 1975's "A Night at the Opera," Freddie and the boys embrace their new-found success. For heaven's sake, even the cover art is almost identical between this and ANATO, 'cept the font's a little different and it's black instead of white. Look for yourself.
   
   Despite the striking similarities on the oustide, this is both a similar...and sometimes completely different beast than its predecessor. You can see parallels between the two albums, but that's not how I'm going to go about reviewing this, except in a few minor spots. So here we go. This baby kicks off with Brian May's slightly perverted rocker "Tie Your Mother Down." It's a very cool song, and the only other thing I'm ging to say about it is, I can only wonder exactly what inspired Bri to write those lyrics (I find myself wondering the same thing when listening to Fat Bottomed Girls too). Hmm. Next, Freddie makes his first songwriting appearance here, the gorgeous "You Take My Breath Away," with the beautiful harmonies (sung entirely by the overdubbed Freddie Mercury Choir!). Lyrically, it's a bit stalker-ish ("I will find you anywhere you go, I'll be right behind you right until the ends of the Earth")...only in one verse, and it predates Sting's "Every Breath You Take" by a full seven years! Good job, Freddie. Brian checks in again with the slightly poppier "Long Away" - nice, but pedestrian. Then we get the closest thing this album has to a Bohemian Rhapsody (and it's not that close, actually)..."The Millionaire Waltz," with one of Brian's most famous guitar lines, Freddie's German accent, and one of the best examples of John Deacon's bass prowess in the entire Queen catalog. Speaking of Johnny, his contribution's up next, the typical Deacon power-pop "You and I." "You're My Best Friend" it is not - heck, it's even a bit dark in one spot - but it's still John Deacon, and he'll always write some nice little pop tune to make you smile.
   
   "Somebody to Love" is next, the one song on here almost everyone knows (and if you're expecting the Jefferson Airplane rocker in any way, you'll be sorely disappointed). It's my favorite Queen song, so I won't really go into that. "White Man" is Brian's, a song about the repression of the American Indians (Brian is drawing from some strange inspirations on this album), my least favorite song on here, it's nothing special. "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" is the other hit on here, albeit in the UK, and it's a typical Freddie show tune type thing. "Drowse" is Roger Taylor's entry, a mix of strange distorted guitars and Roger's gravelly vocals. No idea what it's about. Some people hate it, I like it. "Teo Torriatte" is the grandiose closer, complete with children's choir and Queen singing in - yes - Japanese! (for their massive fan base over there, of course.) Elegant and sweeping, it's probably the most epic thing on this album, one of the better Brian songs around.
   
   That turned out a lot longer than I expected. Well, couple pedestrian songs on here, a couple good ones. I can't give this anymore than four stars, but if you like Queen, there's a lot of typical Queen here, so you'll probably enjoy it. I do....recommended.



4. After the VERY successful Night at the Opera album, Queen certainly had their work cut out for them if they wanted to repeat, or come close to repeating, the brilliance of the previous album. In comes Day at the Races. It's not as good as Night at the Opera, but it has more than its fair share of excellent songs. In fact, most of it is nearly classic material. It's about what you'd expect from a rock band attempting to release another quality album. It works, and they succeeded.
   
   While I enjoy most of it, I do NOT like "Tie Your Mother Down". It sounds like a badly written glam rock song. However, the guitar parts are nice. "You Take My Breath Away" is another unique Freddie Mercury ballad. Only Freddie could write a song like that. Give it a chance and it will grow on you. It's written in a complex way and takes time to adjust.
   
   "Long Away" is just BEAUTIFUL, "The Millionaire Waltz" is a multi-part structured progressive rock piece, "You & I" is pretty good, "Somebody To Love" is the gospel ballad classic, "White Man" is a somewhat average rocker (very similar to the Styx song "Renegade"), "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" is incredibly good, "Drowse" features a very unusually depressing and unique guitar riff with a solid vocal melody, "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" is a beautiful (though somewhat predictably-written) ballad. Overall, an album that truly deserves 4 stars. The songwriting is still excellent. Queen did NOT turn into an average band.



5. Queen's fifth album A Day at the Races was released in December of 1976.
   This album is the perfect sequel to its predecessor, 1975's Top 5 charting A Night at the Opera!
   The album marked one change and that was the band self-produced for the first time after working with Roy Thomas Baker on their first four efforts and this time pressure was on to deliver an album that was either as good or better than its predecessor. Would the album be good or a bad repeat of Opera, read on and find out (as I did when I bought the cassette in May of 1992 (and would then acquire on CD)).
   Guitarist Brian May's hard rocker "Tie Your Mother Down" kicks off the album. The track features a killer intro (which is repeated at album's end) and is a great rocker which peaked at #51 in the US. Frontman Freddie Mercury's vocal masterpiece "You Take My Breath Away" follows and is a great vocal and piano track. Brian steps out in front on the next track "Long Away" which was a great rocker and was the third single from Races released here in the US (the only Queen song which did not have Freddie on vocal to be released as a single in Freddie's lifetime). Next comes Freddie's "The Millionare Waltz" which featured one of the greatest guitar solos in rock and is part-waltz and part-rocker. The first half ends with the pop-rocker "You and I", written by bass player John Deacon and is a great song.
   The second half of the album kicks off with the first single "Somebody to Love". The track is the Bohemian Rhapsody of this album. Freddie wrote this ballad and has a great gospel-tinged backing vocal and the song peaked at #11 in early 1977 here in the States. Brian's hard rocker "White Man" follows and is a great rocker. Freddie's odd and campy "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" follows and is a great song which was a British Top 30 hit. Drummer Roger Taylor's rocker "Drowse" follows and features great slide guitar work from Brian and Roger ripping some great rhythm guitar work and a great vocal from Rog doing both harmonies. This album closes with "Teo Torriate (Let Us Cling Together)" which has the chorus partially sung in Japanese and Brian wrote this after Queen's first successful tour of Japan.
   When released, A Day at the Races peaked at #5 and was the band's second Platinum album in a row and second masterpiece.
   This album is highly recommended!