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Rating: 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...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Killer Queen (03:01)
So sad her eyes
Smiling dark eyes
So sad her eyes
As it began
On such a breathless night as this
Upon my brow the lightest kiss
I walked alone
And all around the air did say
My lady soon will stir this way
In sorrow known
The White Queen walks and the night grows pale
Stars of lovingness in her hair
Needing - unheard
Pleading - one word
So sad my eyes
She cannot see
How did thee fare, what have thee seen
The mother of the willow green
I call her name
And 'neath her window have I stayed
I loved the footsteps that she made
And when…
My Goddess, hear my darkest fear
I speak too late
It's for evermore that I wait
Dear friend goodbye
No tears in my eyes
So sad it ends
As it began
03 Tenement Funster (02:47)
My new purple shoes
Bein' amazin' the people next door
And my rock'n'roll forty fives
Bein' enragin' the folks on the lower floor
I got a way with the girls on my block
Try my best to be a real individual
And when we go down to smokies and rock
They line up like it's some kind of ritual
Oh give me a good guitar
And you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or just find me an open car
I'll make the speed of light outa this place
I like the good things in life
But most of the best things ain't free
It's the same situation just cuts like a knife
When you're young and you're poor and you're crazy
Young and you're crazy...
Oh give me a good guitar
And you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or just find me an open car
I'll make the speed of light outa this place
04 Flick of the Wrist (03:18)
Dislocate your spine if you don't sign
He says I'll have you seeing double
Mesmerize you when he's tongue tied
Simply with those eyes ooh
Synchronize your minds and see
The beast within him rise
Don't look back don't look back
It's a rip off
Flick of the wrist and you're dead baby
Blow him a kiss and you're mad
Flick of the wrist he'll eat your heart out
A dig in the ribs and then a kick in the head
He's taken an arm and taken a leg
All this time honey baby you've been had
Intoxicate your brain with what I'm sayin'
If not you'll lie in knee deep trouble
Prostitute yourself he says
Castrate your human pride ooh
Sacrifice your leisure days
Let me squeeze you 'till you've dried
Don't look back don't look back
It's a rip off
Work my fingers to my bones
I scream with pain I still make no impression
Seduce you with his money make machine
Cross collateralise big time money money
Reduce you to a muzak fake machine
Then the last goodbye
Flick of the wrist and you're dead baby
Blow him a kiss and you're mad
Flick of the wrist he'll eat your heart out
A dig in the ribs and then a kick in the head
He's taken an arm and taken a leg
All this time honey baby you've been had
05 Lily of the Valley (01:45)
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
I am forever searching high and low
But why does everybody tell me no
Neptune of the seas an answer for me please
The lily of the valley doesn't know
I lie in wait with open eyes
I carry on thru' stormy skies
I follow ev'ry course my kingdom for a horse
But each time I grow old
Serpent of the Nile relieve me for a while
And cast me from your spell and let me go
Messenger from seven seas has flown
To tell the king of Rhye he's lost his throne
Wars will never cease
Is there time enough for peace?
The lily of the valley doesn't know
10 Misfire (01:50)
Words and music by John Deacon
Don't you misfire fill me up
With the desire to carry on
Don't you know honey that love's a game
It's always a hit or miss
So take your aim
Got to hold on tight
Shoot me out of sight
Don't you misfire fill me up
With the desire to carry on
Don't you misfire fill me up
With the desire to carry on
Your gun is loaded
And pointing my way
There's only one bullet
So don't delay
Got to time it right
Fire me through the night
Come on take a shot
Fire me higher
Don't you miss this time
Please don't misfire
Misfire
11 Bring Back That Leroy Brown (02:16)
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bring back bring back gotta ring that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bet your bottom dollar bill you're a playboy Yeah Yeah!
Daddy cool with a ninety dollar smile (ooh Yeah)
Took my money out of gratitude
And he git right out of town
Well I gotta getty up steady up shoot him down
Gotta hit that latitude babe
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bring back bring back gotta ring that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Big bad Leroy Brown he got no common sense
No no he got no brains but he sure gotta lotta style
Can't stand no more in this here jail
I gotta rid myself of this sentence
Gotta get out of the heat step into the shade
Gotta get me there dead or alive babe
Wooh wooh big bad Leroy
Wooh wooh wooh wooh
Big bad Leroy Brown
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Bring back bring back gotta bring back Leroy Brown Yeah!
Big mama Lulu Belle she had a nervous breakdown
She had a nervous breakdown
Leroy's taken her honey chile away
But she met him down at the station Oohoo
Put a shotgun to his head and unless I be mistaken
This is what she said
Big bad big boy big bad Leroy Brown
I'm gonna get that cutie pie
Bring back bring back bring back that Leroy Brown Yeah!
Big bad caused a mighty fine sensation Yeah Yeah!
Gone and got himself elected President
We want Leroy for President
Next time you gotta hit a bitty baddy weather
This time like a shimmy shammy leather
He's a big boy bad boy Leroy
I don't care where you get him from
Bring that big bad Leroy back
Want him back
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Other reviews
By francis
"Sheer Heart Attack takes me back to my 14 years, entering high school, my first awkward attempts with girls, the first youthful identity crises."
"If there's an example to best describe what rock'n'roll was in 1974 and what was happening in London in those years, nothing works better than Sheer Heart Attack."
By Tony Montana
Queen decisively change direction with 'Sheer Heart Attack', laying the foundations of rock and the Queen style that would make the group famous worldwide!
Brian May’s solo prowess— in this case superb—offering a thrilling performance, where the Red Special seems to converse with itself.
By frank1979
This remains, in my opinion, the album marking the first real turning point for Queen towards the rock that would truly make them famous.
Sheer Heart Attack is characterized by very powerful and melodic Hard Rock tracks at the same time, allowing them to be classified as precursors of future Heavy Metal.
By Workhorse
Live at the Rainbow ’74 is a powerful double album that collects two concerts by the early Queen at London’s Rainbow Theatre.
Fans of early Queen or seventies hard rock in general will find a treat for their ears.
