Growing Up Royal (3.5 Stars)
3.5 Out Of 5 Stars
The debut album from Queen contains a few of the elements that would eventually define the band, but is very much a generic early 70's Prog-rock/metal album. The pomp and grandiosity that would become Queen hallmarks are largely absent, however Freddy Mercury's distinct voice and Brian May's original guitar tones are in evidence throughout. The legendary excess and theatrical flair is a mere tease at this stage, with Queen's vocabulary still in a formative period.
The key tracks are the ones usually plucked for the many Queen anthologies, "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Liar." The Kings and medieval themes prevalent in the era are available on "Great King Rat" and a tease of Queen II is offered when the album closes with "Seven Seas of Rhye." For the most part, the show is May and Mercury's, with a quick peek at Roger Taylor's vocals on the otherwise forgettable "Modern Times Rock and Roll." The band has not quite gelled and the Queen everyone knows and loves emerged in full on the second album then really detonated on "Sheer Heart Attack" and "A Night at the Opera" (both superior albums).
The bonus tracks are not much to write home about (subsequent album re-issues get more interesting bonus tracks as the band progresses). Only "Mad The Swine" is new, the rest are demo songs.
No comments:
Post a Comment