In the middle of a decade filled with renowned rock legends such as Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd, among these musical pantheons is an emerging disco scene that would cement its own place in music, as a driving force for the rest of the decade. Before disco could take the reigns, the already well-established band, Queen, released its fourth studio entry, “A Night at the Opera,” on Nov. 21, 1975. 

Named after the iconic Marx Brothers film of the same name, Queen seemed to set the bar for musicians to come by furthering the limits of how one can use their creativity in an optimal fashion.

Last year, Rolling Stone magazine listed  the 1975 release as the 128th greatest album ever.  To get this out of the way now, this is the album that features “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a masterclass in songwriting that has been immortalized for its sheer brilliance that sounds fresh to this day. 

Queen is a band that still resonates with many people today due to its unforgettable melodies, glaring personalities and anthemic virtues. The band featured the likes of Freddie Mercury as lead vocals and on piano, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon on bass and piano, and Roger Taylor on drums. 

Mercury is now regarded as one of the greatest lead singers and frontmen ever for his dynamic wide range and oozing flamboyance that captured the audience from the first moment they heard him. This is evident throughout the album, but the first song, “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To…),” shows Freddie in a different light. The song starts with lengthy dissonance that evolves into May’s signature guitar sound leading the way. Mercury then verbally assaults the unnamed victim in a way that sounds unlike him. Honestly, it might be the most negatively themed Queen song, and that is a reason to love it. Seeing artists in a new light is an awesome thing, revealing the humanity of the larger than life figures.

To go to the whole other end of the spectrum, later in the album is “Love of My Life,” a track that reveals new beauty to the listener’s ears. It is one of Queen’s most covered songs and remained a live staple with an acoustic arrangement. During live performances, crowd members would sing for Mercury and echo the emotionally vulnerable feelings that he put into the lyrics. 

Perhaps one of the more humorous editions to this momumental album is about the love of Taylor’s life, with the hard rocker, “I’m in Love with My Car.” This song is the only time that Taylor wrote a piece by himself and was the subject of some lore as well. The story goes that Taylor was so proud of his song that he requested Mercury to use it as the B-Side for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” There was some disagreement, which led to Taylor locking Mercury in a closet until they came to an agreement. Talk about a new way of getting a deal done. This song is arguably the most standard sounding tune on “A Night at the Opera,” but it still has an unbelievable story behind it. 

Out of the 12-track album, arguably the second most recoginiazble song, “You’re My Best Friend,“ was written by Deacon for his wife. It is a beautiful testament to those special people in our lives that mean the world to us. Mercury’s vocal performance is wonderful, although he was not a huge fan of the electric piano that dominates the background of the song. 

Other songs on the album that have innovative qualities include “Seaside Rendezvous” that has the band replicate the sound of brass instruments with their voice and “39,” a sci-fi treat sung by May. 

It is hard not to associate Queen with their magnum opus “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Sure, they have other songs that are instantly recognizable like “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” What the band accomplishes with “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a testament to their brilliance and originality. Telling a captivating story with cultural references ranging from the Italian Astronomer Galileo to mythical figures like Beelzebub is not an easy thing to do. Somehow, this six-minute epic contains numerous passages that many can recite flawlessly. When Taylor’s falsetto section starts, it is a sound that makes you wonder how it’s even humanly possible to go that high. May’s guitar solos seamlessly weave the story together until we get to the finale that the film “Wayne’s World” brought to the forefront in the 1990s. You must headbang during the coda or else the song is not being given its full respect. This closing track is frequently put on the list of the greatest songs ever, and for good reason or company. 

“A Night at the Opera” is an older work, but it is still a  must-listen for any lover of music or aspiring musician  that would like to experience art in a way that stimulates their ears and mind. Due to the production value’s clean sound, and iconic compositions, it has and will continue to be a timeless representation of four brilliant musicians at the height of their illustrious careers.

Image from Queen via YouTube