Sheer Heart Attack
Sheer Heart Attack | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 November 1974 | |||
Recorded | 7 July – 22 October 1974 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 38:41 | |||
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Producer |
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Queen chronology | ||||
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Singles from Sheer Heart Attack | ||||
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Sheer Heart Attack is the third studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 November 1974 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on their first two albums, the album featured more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the "classic" Queen sound.[2] It was produced by the band and Roy Thomas Baker, and launched Queen to mainstream popularity in the UK and throughout the world.
The album's first single "Killer Queen" reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and provided the band with their first top 20 hit in the US, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sheer Heart Attack was the first Queen album to hit the US top 20, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes Chart in 1975. It has been acknowledged for containing "a wealth of outstanding hard rock guitar tracks".[3] Retrospectively, it has been listed by multiple publications as one of the band's best works and has been deemed an essential glam rock album.[4]
Background and recording
"Nobody knew we were going to be told we had two weeks to write Sheer Heart Attack. And we had to – it was only thing we could do. Brian was in hospital."
After completing their
In June, the band gathered together at
Mixing commenced in the middle of September. The band were still overdubbing at this point, so they hired someone to deliver tapes from recording studio to mixing studio via motorcycle. The heart of the mixing sessions took place at Trident Studios, and one or two days was spent mixing each of the majority of the songs. "Brighton Rock", on the other hand, took four days to mix, with six hours' worth of different mixes created during that time. Each song was mixed in little edited sections that were about fifteen to twenty seconds in length.[16] At this point, Trident had just installed a 24-track machine in their studio that had been around since 1972, but was not functioning until 1974.[17] In fact, the album was Trident's first 24-track project. Even though Trident had expanded their recording flexibility by eight tracks, it still wasn't enough to mix each track individually. "Bring Back That Leroy Brown", for example, had 70 vocal tracks and had to be mixed down to work with the 24-track mixer.[16]
On 20 September, it was announced the band were attempting to secure a release date for the album of 1 November, though it seemed unlikely they would be done in time to meet that deadline.[18] They mixed "Now I'm Here", which was the last thing to be mixed, on 22 October. May did an interview the next day (which was published on 26 October) that explained what finishing the album was like.[19] In total, the band used four different studios in the making of Sheer Heart Attack: most of the backing tracks were recorded at Rockfield, two backing tracks and some guitar overdubs were recorded at AIR Studios, most of the overdubs and one backing track were recorded at Wessex, and the mixing was done at Trident.
Songs
The album noticeably shifts away from the
"Killer Queen" was written in a single night, which contrasts with the, as Mercury put it, "ages" it took to write "The March of the Black Queen".[5] "Brighton Rock" was written during the making of Queen II, "Stone Cold Crazy" had its genesis in Mercury's pre-Queen band Wreckage, and Mercury wrote "Flick of the Wrist" during May's illness-induced absence. As it included the first song written by John Deacon that Queen recorded ("Misfire") alongside tracks written by the other members of the band, Sheer Heart Attack was the first of the group's albums to contain at least one song written by each member; "Stone Cold Crazy" was the band's first song for which all four members shared the writing credit.
"Brighton Rock"
"Brighton Rock" was written by Brian May during the Queen II sessions, but was not recorded at that time, as the group felt it would not fit with the rest of the album.[23] Lyrically, it tells the story of two young lovers named Jenny and Jimmy, who meet in Brighton on a public holiday.[24] Mods travelling to Brighton on bank holidays was a popular narrative at the time, as in The Who's Quadrophenia.[25]
The song includes a three-minute unaccompanied guitar solo interlude,
The studio version of the solo only contains one "main" guitar and one "echoed" guitar for a short section, but, live, May would usually split his guitar signal into one "main" and two "echoed" guitars, with each going to a separate bank of amplifiers. In concert, the solo has been performed as part of "Brighton Rock", in a medley with another song, or as a standalone piece. For example, May performed some of it at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[27] Considered one of May's finest solos,[24] Guitar World ranked it No. 41 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.[26]
"Killer Queen"
"
"Tenement Funster"/"Flick of the Wrist"/"Lily of the Valley" medley
Roger Taylor wrote "Tenement Funster" about youth and rebellion and sang lead vocals, while John Deacon played the song's prominent acoustic guitar parts in May's absence. It segues into Mercury's "Flick of the Wrist" (which was released, along with "Killer Queen", as a double A-sided single), and then into a softer, piano-based Mercury song, "Lily of the Valley", making the three songs a medley.[30]
"Now I'm Here"
"Now I'm Here" was written by May while hospitalised, and recalls the group's early tour supporting Mott the Hoople. It was recorded during the last week of the sessions for the album, with May playing piano.[31]
"In the Lap of the Gods"
"In the Lap of the Gods" was written by Mercury and featured multiple vocal overdubs from himself and Roger Taylor. It features one of the highest notes on the album, sung by Taylor. [citation needed]
"Stone Cold Crazy"
"Stone Cold Crazy" was one of the earliest tracks that Queen performed live, and had several different arrangements before being recorded for Sheer Heart Attack. No band member was able to remember who had written the lyrics when the album was released, so they shared the writing credit, the first of their songs to do so. The lyrics deal with gangsters and include a reference to Al Capone. The track has a fast tempo and heavy distortion, presaging speed metal.[32] Music magazine Q described "Stone Cold Crazy" as "thrash metal before the term was invented".[33] The song was played live at almost every Queen concert between 1974 and 1978.[34][35][36][37]
"Dear Friends"
"Dear Friends" is a ballad written by May and sung by Mercury.
"Misfire"
"Misfire" was John Deacon's first individual composition for the band, and featured him playing the guitar solo and all guitar parts on the track except for some parts at the end of the song, in which Brian's Red Special becomes more prominent.
"Bring Back That Leroy Brown"
The title of "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" alludes to the then-recent hit "
"She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)"
"She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)" was written and sung by May with him and Deacon playing acoustic guitars.
"In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited"
"In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited" was one of Queen's set-closers from 1974 to 1977. During the 1986 Magic tour, it was performed again in a medley, where it segued into "Seven Seas of Rhye".
Reception and legacy
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork Media | 9/10[42] |
PopMatters | 8/10[43] |
Q | [44] |
Record Collector | [44] |
Uncut | [44] |
At the time of its release,
In a review for the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot awards the album a generally positive rating of 2 and a half stars, while noting that this album was where "...the songs became more concise"[51]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Chicago Tribune | [52] |
Rolling Stone | "Sheer Heart Attack". Rolling Stone. 8 May 1975. |
In a retrospective review,
Benjamin Ray of the Daily Vault felt that "Queen somehow manages to sound like every rock band of the 70s on here, including Rush, Zeppelin and even Uriah Heep." However, he noted the difference was that "Queen actually tries to be pretentious and bombastic, and often they are so over the top one can't help but be entertained", finally concluding that it was "their most fun and showcases everything they did right."[21] The BBC wrote: "they stretched contemporary production methods to their very limit with multi-layered vocals and guitars and Freddie's vaudevillian streak finally emerged ... this was the album that finally saw Queen find their true voice."[53] Rock historian Paul Fowles wrote that Sheer Heart Attack "saw the band become increasingly focused on the emerging cult figure of Mercury" and his "unique brand of rock theater", especially on the single "Killer Queen".[54]
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | United Kingdom | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[55] | 2005 | * |
Classic Rock | United Kingdom | The 100 Greatest British Rock Albums Ever[56] | 2006 | 28 |
The 200 Greatest Albums of the 70's (20 greatest of 1974)[57] | 2006 | * | ||
Kerrang! | United Kingdom | Poll: The 100 Best British Rock Albums Ever[58] | 2005 | 8 |
The 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever[59] | 2007 | 45 | ||
Mojo | United Kingdom | 100 Greatest Guitar Albums[60] | 2002 | 72 |
70 of the Greatest Albums of the 70's[61] | 2006 | * | ||
The 100 Records That Changed the World[62] | 2007 | 88 | ||
NME | United Kingdom | Poll: Greatest 100 Albums of All Time[63] | 2006 | 63 |
Radio Caroline | United Kingdom | Poll: Top 100 Albums[64] | 1977 | 50 |
Trouser Press | United States | Best Albums of the 1970s[65] | 1980 | * |
Virgin | United Kingdom | Poll: All Time Album Top 1000 Albums[66] | 2000 | 492 |
Rock Hard | Germany | The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time[67] | 2005 | 308 |
* denotes an unranked list |
Mercury's appraisal
The album is very varied, we took it to extreme I suppose, but we are very interested in studio techniques and wanted to use what was available. We learnt a lot about technique while we were making the first two albums. Of course there has been some criticism, and the constructive criticism has been very good for us. But to be frank I'm not that keen on the British music press, and they've been pretty unfair to us. I feel that up and coming journalists, by the large, put themselves above the artists. They've certainly been under a misconception about us. We've been called a supermarket hype. But if you see us up on a stage, that's what we're all about. We are basically a rock band.
— Freddie Mercury[47]
2011 reissue
On 8 November 2010, record company
Track listing
Original release
All lead vocals by Freddie Mercury unless noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Brighton Rock" | Brian May | Mercury with Brian May | 5:08 |
2. | "Killer Queen" | Freddie Mercury | 3:01 | |
3. | "Tenement Funster" | Roger Taylor | Roger Taylor | 2:48 |
4. | "Flick of the Wrist" | Mercury | 3:19 | |
5. | "Lily of the Valley" | Mercury | 1:43 | |
6. | "Now I'm Here" | May | 4:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "In the Lap of the Gods" | Mercury | 3:20 | |
8. | "Stone Cold Crazy" |
| 2:12 | |
9. | "Dear Friends" | May | 1:07 | |
10. | "Misfire" | Deacon | 1:50 | |
11. | "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" | Mercury | 2:13 | |
12. | "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)" | May | May | 4:08 |
13. | "In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited" | Mercury | 3:42 | |
Total length: | 38:41 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Stone Cold Crazy" (1991 bonus remix by Michael Wagener) | 2:12 |
Total length: | 40:53 |
Universal Music reissue (2011)
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Now I'm Here" (live at Hammersmith Odeon, December 1975) | 4:27 |
2. | "Flick of the Wrist" (BBC session, October 1974) | 3:26 |
3. | "Tenement Funster" (BBC session, October 1974) | 2:59 |
4. | "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" (a cappella mix 2011) | 2:18 |
5. | "In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited" (live at Wembley Stadium, July 1986) | 2:35 |
Total length: | 15:45 |
iTunes deluxe edition
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Killer Queen" (Top of the Pops, Version 2) | |
2. | "Stone Cold Crazy" (live at the Rainbow 1974) | |
3. | "Now I'm Here" (live at the Forum, Montreal 1981) |
Personnel
Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases.
- Queen
- Freddie Mercury – lead vocals (1, 2, 4-11, 13), backing vocals (1, 2, 4-11, 13), piano (2-5, 7, 11, 13), Hammond organ (6), jangle piano (2, 11)
- banjolele(11)
- Roger Taylor – drums (all but 9), backing vocals (1-4, 6-8, 13), percussion (2, 4), triangle (2), wind chimes (2), lead vocals (3), tambourine (4), timpani (7)
- John Deacon – bass guitar (all but 9), acoustic guitar (3, 7, 10, 12), electric guitar (10), double bass (11)
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[83] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ)[84] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Poland ( Agora SA album reissue
|
Platinum | 20,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI)[86] | Gold | 30,000[86] |
Sweden (GLF)[87] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[88] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[89] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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- ^ a b c d AllMusic review
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7935-4042-6.
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Sheer Heart Attack showcases what the band would soon become while giving a nod to their hard-rock past...
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{{cite web}}
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External links
- Queen official website: Discography: Sheer Heart Attack: includes lyrics of all non-bonus tracks
- Lyrics of "In Lap of the Gods…Revisited" from Live at Wembley '86 on Queen's official website