Queen
Sheer Heart Attack

THE REVIEW

After all, it was physiological. Songs that hadn't found space in other albums and the same album composed in the same year as “Queen II” (1974) say it all. That said, S.H.A. remains nevertheless a beautiful album that, compared to its predecessor which found its strength in the "teamwork," meaning all the songs as a whole, relies on its "team player," that is “Killer Queen” and its assist-man “Now I’m Here”.

1) “Brighton Rock”. The album's beginning is once again entrusted to Brian. Well begun is half done... and what a work! But what is that little carousel song at the beginning? Could it be the famous confetti party held in Brighton? No, Brian will unleash his most guitaristic piece ever with solos and counter-solos that at that time left many stunned. Queen with literature again. “Brighton Rock” is a harsh novel by Graham Greene but of harsh there is only rock. Thematically it tells the somewhat funny and "glam" story of two lovers. This song is Brian made guitar!

2) “Killer Queen”. Ivor Novello Award for best singer, shocking satire towards the Queen (or someone else?), a song of unique irony and a musical theme that seems, at first listen, already a legacy for the listener, a spark of glam! Guys, here are the Queen and all of Europe, thanks to this piece, will start to know them. Third Queen “move” by Queen after the second album. Main piece. Absolute pioneer.

3) “Tenement Funster”. Roger Taylor certainly does not stand by! He writes a very original piece about the very eccentric neighborhood type, the bully who embodies everyone’s transgressions and the guitarist arrangement by the all-round Queen drummer is very polished although simple. Very beautiful, Roger!

4) “Flick of the wrist”. It's really a shame it didn’t get the right fame because it’s a nice piece too. We see a Freddie torn by the continuous abuses of employers and after a rather rhythmic start, the chorus will speed up a lot with excellent and tasty Roger Taylor breaks. Needless to say, the choirs are always perfect. Wasted.

5) “Lily of the valley”. Piano, voice, purity of an innocent flower, indeed the lily that will strangle a poet (Freddie) wandering the paths in misunderstanding and raving like a Shakespeare’s Richard III who would exchange his "kingdom for a horse". Sweet in its sadness, sad in its sweetness...

6) “Now I’m Here”. It is no coincidence it will enter the Greatest Hits along with K.Q. A guitar incipit will introduce a Freddie Mercury who will flutter more than ever live. Triumph rock and glam. And what a live version by Brian!!! Endless. More '70s Queen than this, the real Queen, you die!

7) “In the lap of the Gods”. The level of the disc begins to fall a bit. Mercury decides that the voice should be slowed down to give indeed a "divine" effect but it certainly wasn’t a novelty. Of mythological there is only the title this time... and the track perhaps drags a bit too much and slow. Huge falsettos by Roger placed without sense, we would say on display. In "Queen II" everything was calculated to the millimeter instead. He barely stumbles with style.

8) “Stone cold crazy”. Retrieved from the old bag of years before, it is a furious progressive rock with a great Mercury rapid singing. The title means "totally out of his mind" but in English there is no such expression. It derives from "stone cold deaf" that is tone-deaf. Live, it does more justice than on vinyl. A track in full rock harmony of those years that leaves no way out. One wonders if it's really the Queen of S.H.A. playing this piece. In fact, as chronology, it should be placed on the first album.

9) “Dear friends”. Whine, whine, whine by Brian May. I'll also spare you the very predictable text. But how is it possible? How can he? Why does May often fall into these unimportant sentimentalities (see “All dead all dead” in “News of the World”)? This song isn’t even Mino Reitano’s level. When an album needs to be filled with 12 songs and some of them are made in such a lewd and banal way, I prefer 8 but done well. Definitely no!

10) “Misfire”. Here is the cherry on the toilet! First track written by the “bouncy”... Deacon. Why did he do it? It is a terribly elementary piece musically (a matter of first-steps guitar), Fantozzi-like as lyrics and luckily at least Freddie sings well. The Queen declared that S.H.A. included those tracks not finding space on previous albums. Well, better now than before... or after! Poor, insufficient.

11) “Bring back that Leroy Brown”. Ah, a bit of relief. Freddie Mercury raises the standard with this fun '30s Americanism well articulated at the piano and dense with well-placed alliterations enhancing the rhythm. The text is amusing. Your parents will like it, less you, I guess. Overall, decent song.

12) “She makes me... stormtrooper in stilettoes”. Another Brian from Tavor! He plays being Paul McCartney in his worst times and doesn’t even manage with that his little expressive and absolutely unimpressive voice. There are really few such laxative tracks in the Queen repertoire. Can I say it? A disgrace!

13) “In the Lap of the Gods... revisited”. Different from the first, a real anthem, the closing concert anthem par excellence before the birth of “We Are The Champions”. Great ballad, the theme is as usual love, somewhat deceived. We have stadium choirs obtained with great effectiveness. There were only three voices but they seemed 100. Freddie will make an almost unplugged version (only the first part) of this track where he will bring out all his vocal power. One of those pieces where the great singer held an entire audience in his grip. Legendary closure.

“Sheer Heart Attack” is a somewhat controversial album as we have had the opportunity to notice. It is made of high peaks but hallucinating style slides. In fact, it will be less articulated both than the previous album and the next one which by coincidence are very similar in terms of complexity. Released in 1974, on the wave of “Queen II”'s success, it was judged good and taken individually it undoubtedly is (thanks to “Queen II” and “Killer Queen”?). We also need to put ourselves in the perspective that an album was released at some distance from another and it was an event while we are used to getting the entire discography but if we consider it today, diachronically, we find behind it and in front of it two Riace bronzes that are hard to match...