Sheer Heart Attack
|
|
| Sheer Heart Attack | ||
|---|---|---|
| Missing image Queen_Sheer_Heart_Attack.jpg Sheer Heart Attack | ||
| LP by Queen | ||
| Released | November 12, 1974 | |
| Recorded | July to September 1974 at Trident, Wessex, Rockfield and Air Studios | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 39 min 9 sec | |
| Record label | EMI (UK), Hollywood Records (US) | |
| Producer | Queen, Roy Thomas Baker | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 4.5 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:nq6ibkk9sak0) |
| Queen Chronology | ||
| Queen II (1974) | Sheer Heart Attack (1974) | A Night at the Opera (album) (1975) |
Sheer Heart Attack is a Queen album from 1974. This was their first commercial success, after the relatively lukewarm response to the first two albums, Queen, and Queen II. It was produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker for EMI in the UK, and Elektra in the US.
The single, "Killer Queen" reached #2 in the British charts. Several songs from this album harken back to the earliest days of Queen and their predecessors Smile and Wreckage. "Brighton Rock" houses a superb guitar solo by Brian May, which begin life in the Smile song "Blag", then floated around in the live and BBC versions of the song "Son And Daughter", before finding its home in on the opening track here. The track begins with someone whistling the short melody "I do like to be beside the seaside", featured on "Seven Seas of Rhye", the last track from their previous album. "Stone Cold Crazy" was the first song credited to all four members of Queen but it had been played by Mercury's early band Wreckage.
"Now I'm Here" was written by Brian May while recovering from an infection. May was infected by a tainted vaccination needle, prior to his Australian Tour that year. "Now I'm Here" reflects on the band's support of Mott The Hoople, for whom they opened on their North American Tour. The North American Tour was cut short when May fell ill.
Drummer Roger Taylor was not satisfied with his hair on the original photograph, so the photographer used fake extensions, much to the band's amusement.
Track listing
- "Brighton Rock" (May/Queen) - 5:08
- "Killer Queen" (Mercury) - 2:57 *
- "Tenement Funster" (Taylor) - 2:48
- "Flick of the Wrist" (Mercury) - 3:46
- "Lily of the Valley" (Mercury) - 1:43
- "Now I'm Here" (May) - 4:10 *
- "In the Lap of the Gods" (Mercury/Queen) - 3:20
- "Stone Cold Crazy" (Deacon/May/Mercury/Taylor) - 2:12
- "Dear Friends" (May) - 1:07
- "Misfire" (Deacon) - 1:50
- "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" (Mercury) - 2:13
- "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)" (May) - 4:08
- "In the Lap of the Gods Revisited" (Mercury/Queen) - 3:42
- "Stone Cold Crazy (1991 Remix)" (Deacon/May/Mercury/Taylor) (1991 Hollywood Records reissue bonus track)
(*Singles)
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury - Piano, Vocals, Jangle Piano
- Queen - Producer
- Brian May - Electric Guitar, Piano (Dear Friends, Now I'm Here), Ukulele-Banjo, Vocals
- Roger Taylor - Percussion, Drums, Vocals, Screams
- Roy Thomas Baker - Producer
- John Deacon - Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Electric Guitar, Double Bass
- Mike "Clay" Stone - Engineer
"Sheer Heart Attack" is also the name of a song written by Roger Taylor featuring on the Queen album News of the World.