Queen I: Review.
- Jack
- Oct 13, 2018
- 5 min read
Synopsis:
Queen I is Queen’s first ever debut album. It was released on Friday, July 13, 1973. The album features 10 songs (2 which would become not well received singles), 6 bonus tracks, & 1 unreleased track Here are a review on the songs. I will be rating them with a percentage mark instead of 1-10 scale.
Keep Yourself Alive:
Writer: Brian May
Written: 1970
Recorded: September 1971 & June 1972
Released: July 6, 1973 as a single & July 13, 1973
Side: A
Key: A Mixolydian major, F Mixolydian major, (C#-major), D-major, F-major, (E Mixolydian major), & B-major
First Performed: June 1971
Keep Yourself Alive is a song written by Brian May simply about staying alive.. The song begins with instrumentally long intro with Brian using some crazy effects while strumming his red special. The song has a lively tempo of 135 bpm. The song is very catchy and it features more than just Freddie Mercury on lead vocals. Brian and Roger sing together during the bridge. Roger's drumming is pretty impressive.
Rating: 72% - Heavily Underrated and really catchy. Really good for a first song.
Doing All Right:
Writer: Brian May & Tim Staffell
Written: 1968
Recorded: June 1972
Released: July 13, 1973 & February 4, 1974 as a single
Side: B
Key: E Major & D Major
Tempo: 74 & 180
First Performed: January 1971
Doing All Right was originally a Smile song. This song describes a person who is having a bad day but knows god is on his side. The song starts with a peaceful piano intro by Brian May, All of sudden about two minutes later the tempo speeds up and the key abruptly changes to D major and we get a huge head banger, Brian begins playing an extremely difficult solo. Next thing you know, it slows back down to 74 bpm and we get the peaceful piano again. The cycle repeats again and the song then dies out.
Rating: 78% - Really catchy! Intense as hell and worth listening to.
Great King Rat:
Writer: Freddie Mercury
Written: 1970
Recorded: September 1971 & July 1972
Released: July 13, 1973
Side: Not A Single
Key: E-?, a-minor, D-Major, (e-minor), c-minor
Tempo: 131 bpm
First Performed: January 1971
Great King Rat was written by Freddie Mercury. It seems to be a very derogatory response to the king of all dirty rats or shall we say perverts. Freddie sings about a man that is a major nymphomaniac, He is referred as Great King Rat because he is such a sex fiend. I have to say this song is very eccentric and deviant; not even close to prosaic in the song language. It is pretty catchy though. Freddie does show some crazy and unnatural sounding whistle notes during the bridge,
59% - Catchy but very unorthodox to the song culture. Worth listening to though.
My Fairy King:
Writer: Freddie Mercury
Written: 1970
Recorded: August 1972
Released: July 13, 1973
Side: Not A Single
Key: f minor, G major, e minor, a minor, D major, C Major, d minor, F major, (a phrygian)
Tempo: 99, 110, 120/240
First Performed: February 1973
This song is based off of a fantasy world named Rhye. Mercury had written some of the lyrics from The Pied Piper into the song. Mercury had been composing the song for a full year. He began writing the song in October 1969 and finished it in December 1970. The song begins with Brian May climbing up the F minor scale. Then Mercury's piano & Taylor's drums kicks in with a really catchy beat. Roger begins screaming some incredible falsetto notes as Freddie's hands slowly get more damaged as he bangs on the piano. Mercury begins singing about the fantasy world. Describing it ever so passionately and elegantly. Freddie sings a line that would later inspire him to change his surname from Bulsara to Mercury. The tempo really speeds up and Freddie begins to crescendo along with the rest of the music. All of a sudden the speed increases to an absolutely fast and intense ending, Freddie begins arpeggiating quickly with rogers swinging arms, slamming onto the drum kit. The song comes to an end 30 seconds later. Its truly a masterpiece
Rating: 83% - A Masterpiece that's not well received at all. It is one of the most underrated Queen songs ever!
Liar:
Writer: Freddie Mercury
Written: 1970
Recorded: September 1971 & August 1972
Released: July 13 1979 & February 14, 1974 as a single
Side: A
Key: D-Major, A-Myxolydian, E-Mixolydian, e-minor
Tempo: 74 bpm
First Performed: July 1970
This song starts off with a long percussion intro of about 50 seconds and then the guitar kicks in. just before the lyrics begin being sung, Mercury plays a few chords on a Hammond C-3 organ. Mercury beautifully presents the lyrics to the song. A lot of flanging is involved in Taylor's drum kit. John Deacon (otherwise known as Deacon John from 1971-1974) nails the solo at the end of the song. Once you hear this song, you may not like it but then the song will tempt you to go back and hear it again and again.
Rating: 87% - Truly a masterpiece.
The Night Comes Down:
Writer: Brian May
Written: 1971
Recorded: September 1971 & September 1972
Released: July 13, 1973
Side: Not A Single
Key: E Minor & D Major
Tempo: 143 bpm
First performed: March 1972
This is really a very haunting song. Absolutely death-worthy guitar strumming and eerie ambiance. This song is one of the most mystical Queen songs I've ever heard and Brian May truly brings an ethereal performance in this song.
Rating: 92% - Just way too exquisite. Would work better as a single instead of Liar.
Son and Daughter:
Writer: Brian May
Written: 1970
Recorded: September 1971 & September 1972
Released: July 6, 1973 as a single & July 13, 1979
Side: B
Key: E Minor
Tempo: 145 bpm
First Performed: June 1970
This song is pretty interesting. It's about a man working his ass off for a woman; trying to be a son and daughter rolled into one. Mercury rambles about the world expecting to buckle down shovel shit. This song may not seem good but just like Liar, it pulls you back to the headphones.
Rating: 68% - Worth listening to!
Jesus:
Writer: Freddie Mercury
Written: 1971
Recorded: September 1971 & November 1972
Released: July 13, 1973
Side: Not A Single
Key: b-minor/D-Major, c-minor, e-minor pentatonic, E-mixolydian
Tempo: 114
First Performed: March 1972
You may expect this song to be about someone ranting about some shit and saying "Jesus Christ!" But nope. Its a Christian Rock song. It teaches some things about Jesus Christ. I'm not that big of a fan of Christian Rock. The only part I can somewhat enjoy is the catchy pre-outro 12/8 rock part
Rating: 45% - Not a fan of the song, Its somewhat worth listening to though.
Modern Times Rock N Roll:
Writer: Roger Taylor
Written: 1969
Recorded: December 1972
Released: July 13, 1973
Side: Not A Single
Key: very bluesy E-major, and G major
Tempo: 232 bpm
First performed: January 1971
This is the first non-Freddie vocals song in Queen history. This song is a really catchy rock'n'roll song. The song is about what kind of music might rule the world eventually. The answer to that is shitty rap music and twerking. The song also talks about if you write one song everyone in the world could know who the hell you are. This song is way too short to be considered really good, I really enjoy this song but if only it could be a minute or two longer.
Rating: 75% - Really good but too short.
Hangman:
This was intended to be added to the Queen I album but never released Writer: Brian May
Written: 1969
Recorded: Never recorded in a studio
Released: Never released
Key: ?
Tempo: 80 bpm / 260 bpm
First performed: June 1970
This seems like a really nice song. Really catchy. But some live versions can make the vocals barely audible. The song starts off in a slow pace and then just goes full out intense.
Rating: 70% - Worth Listening To!
Mad The Swine:
Writer: Freddie Mercury
Written: 1972
Recorded: June 1972
Released: July 13, 1973
Side: Not A Single
Key: Db Major & Eb Minor
Tempo: 139 bpm
First Performed: Never performed live
I truly don't get why this song was never performed live. This is such a great song! Its a very peaceful song about saving animals and people from danger. It's really to beautiful to explain.
Rating: 90% - Beautiful
Conclusion:
Best Song: The Night Comes Down
Worst Song: Jesus
First Recorded Song: Keep Yourself Alive
Last Song Recorded: Modern Times Rock'n'roll
Length: 37:54
Whole Album Rating: 74% - Really good album! Extremely underrated though. I recommend you to listen to this album.
(C) 2018 Jack Kelly
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