Queen was a British rock band that gave us hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, I want to Break Free, Show must go on, the two stadium anthems, We Will Rock You and We are the Champions and much more.
But what about their debut self titled Studio album back in 1973? Was it an instant hit? Unfortunately success is only measured by number of album copies sold, or by air time on radio stations. Therefore, technically speaking this album surely was not a commercial success. Though as many say today, this album was and is still underrated. Gordon Fletches of Rolling Stons said “their debut album is superb”, and Chicago’s Daily Herald called it “above average debut”. Allmusic’s Greg Prato, later said “one of the most underrated hard rock debuts of all time.”
Unfortunately, the generic public is not into good music. People like commercial music because radio stations and clubs play. If the DJ plays a track a 100 times, over and over again, then that is classified as a good song / album. Though from the non commercial point view, a good album is when it sounds original and different from the expected, and when it still sounds good after 10, 20 or more years. Technique and lyrics also play a vital role in good music.
Queens first album can almost be classified as hard rock, heavy metal of the day with lyrics about folklore and religion.
The first track, ‘Keep yourself alive’, is a positive song, with good rhytm and excellent bass riffs. Surely, the guitar solos can never be left out.
Another favourite is ‘Doing All Right’. This song changes many times, from light pop music to acoustic guitars, with some parts which can be classified as heavy metal.
There is also a lengthy heavy song, ‘Great King Rat’. It includes long guitar solos and sudden tempo changes.
Seven Seas of Rhye; a short song with catchy piano loop, is a half-written song. When the first album was recorded, this song was born but not completed, therefore Queen optet to add this part of the song to the first album, while the completed track was released in their second album.
Trivia: The band included a comment ‘No synthesizers’ on the album sleeve, as some listeners had mistaken their multi-tracking and effects processed by guitar and vocal sounds as synthesizers.
As a conclusion, although this album was not a commercial success, with its release Queen showed that they will be a band who will lead the pack. A must listen to!
