Queen - A Night At The Opera

The Marx Brothers spent more time and effort on their movie "A Night at the Opera" than any other in order to produce a lasting masterwork. Queen determined to do the same on this album, and the result is an all time classic album. The album features two number one hits ("You're my best friend" and a Rhapsody you may have heard before) as well as recording techniques that pushed the technology of the day to its limits.
Opening with "Death on Two Legs", a bitter song about their ex-manager driven by Brian May's distorted guitar, we jump to the aesthetic foppery of "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and then into Roger Taylor's straight rock with bent lyrics in "I'm in Love With My Car". This album is nothing if not eclectic.
The stand out track from Side One for me is "'39". This is a country style piece about faster than light interstellar travel; however, this is a misleading descriptoin. While the strumming style is very country, Brian May's voice is soft and English so the effect is almost folky. The lyrics too are written in a style that implies that the song is about ships traveling to the colonies in America, not outer space.
Side Two is where the album is most impressive, and also most progressive. All the songs are of the highest calibre, with the exception of "Good Company" which is merely a good song. From the start of the powerful and atmospheric "Prophet's Song" (which appears to be about Noah) to Brian May playing "God Save the Queen", this would have to be one of the great album sides of all time.
I have only two minor complaints about this album. "Seaside Rendezvous" is not that strong a song, and we have already had our light-hearted Edwardian fix in "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon". Also, "The Prophet's Song", while for the most part brilliant, probably plays around too much with the echoing vocal effects for my taste.
Queen fans may argue about the status of this album as their Magnum Opus, but it is undoubtably one the highlights of their stellar recording career.