In punk's year zero, the titans of rock proved they could still deliver: ADRIAN THRILLS hears new deluxe editions of Queen's News of the World and the Eagles' Hotel California
QUEEN: News of the World (Virgin EMI boxset)
Verdict: they still rock you
There can be few albums that have kicked off quite like Queen’s News Of The World. It starts with the stomp-stomp-clap of We Will Rock You and follows that with We Are The Champions.
The album, Queen’s sixth, was one of the last hurrahs of the classic rock era — and it needed to be good. By the time of its release in 1977, bands such as Queen, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were being dismissed as irrelevant by a punk generation looking for new idols.
I was one of the teenagers who scoffed at the dinosaurs of rock then. But, in the case of Queen, I was wrong. Now reissued as a box set to mark its 40th anniversary, News Of The World sounds as fresh as ever, reiterating the skill with which Queen toned down their fanciful, prog-rock leanings while staying dazzlingly unconventional.
Adrian Thrills thinks Queen 'still rock you' forty years on with the boxset of News of the World (Freddie Mercury pictured with Brian May of Queen)
Beyond its spectacular opening brace, the album features other notable moments, underlining the artistry of Freddie Mercury, the flair of guitarist Brian May and the songwriting contributions of drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon. Queen recorded in a studio next door to the Sex Pistols and the latter’s impact is evident on Taylor’s Sheer Heart Attack.
It’s unclear whether the drummer wanted to praise or parody 1977’s punks, but there’s no doubting the song’s crunching power. As so often with Queen, the range is remarkable, with Who Needs You a delightful, calypso- pop shuffle and It’s Late an episodic, six-minute blues littered with solos and choral sections. There’s also, in My Melancholy Blues, a quintessential Mercury moment.
Although this reissue, which contains three CDs, a vinyl LP, a DVD plus replica memorabilia, is pricey at £84, older re-masters are still available on CD (£13) and vinyl (£20).
The new box is most worthwhile for Raw Sessions, a CD containing alternative versions of all 11 tracks, including a longer We Are The Champions and a mix of All Dead, All Dead sung by Mercury rather than May.
Given such enduring quality, it’s easy to understand why May and Taylor (if not the reclusive Deacon) are still filling arenas with these songs 40 years on.
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