Sheer Heart Attack is the third album by English
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
group
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
, released November 1974. It was produced by Queen and
Roy Thomas BakerRoy Thomas Baker Internationally renowned multi gold, platinum and award winning English music producer, songwriter and arranger whose unique production technique created a number of extremely popular pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present...
for
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
in the UK, and
ElektraElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
in the US.
Track listing
Brighton Rock
Brian May wrote "Brighton Rock" in 1973 but they couldn't finish recording it for the second album so they did it in the third. The title is something of a pun:
Brighton rockRock is a type of hard stick-shaped boiled sugar confectionery most usually flavoured with peppermint. It is commonly sold at tourist resorts in the UK ; in Ireland in seaside towns such as Bray and Strandhill; in Denmark in towns such as Løkken and Ebeltoft; and in Sydney and Tasmania,...
is a long, cylindrical
sugar candyCandy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
traditional to that
seaside resortA seaside resort is a resort located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- History of the seaside resort :...
. The term was also iconic in UK pop culture as the title of a dark
Graham GreeneHenry Graham Greene OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
thriller/noir novel later adapted into a successful film starring
Richard AttenboroughRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. Attenborough has won two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes...
as a teenage sociopath.
The song tells the story of two young lovers meeting in
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
on a
public holidayThe words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents, but usually refer to one of the following activities or events:...
. Jenny cannot linger because she is afraid her mother will find out "how I spent my holiday", but afterwards "writes a letter every day"; Jimmy, eager on the day, is not so happy with her "nothing can my love erase": now he is the one afraid of discovery by "my lady". The song was originally intended to be a duet but Freddie Mercury ended up doing both female and male parts of the vocals.
A brief whistled snatch of
I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside"I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside" is a popular British music hall song. It was written in 1907 by John A. Glover-Kind. It speaks of the singer's love for the seaside, and their wish to return there for their summer holidays each year. It was composed at a time when the yearly visits of the...
appears over the noise that opens this track, the first on the album. This mirrors its previous appearance as the playout of
Seven Seas of Rhye"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by English rock group Queen. Written by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, it is the final track on both the group's debut album Queen and its follow-up Queen II . However, only a less-developed instrumental version was featured on the former...
, the final track on their previous album.
The song is probably best-known for its lengthy guitar solo interlude. This featured May's technique of using multiple echoes used to build up guitar harmony and
contrapuntalA round is a musical composition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody , but with each voice beginning at different times so that different parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together...
melodic lines. The studio version only contains one "main" guitar and one "echoed" guitar for a short section, but live, he would usually split his guitar signal into "main" and two "echoed", with each going to a separate bank of amplifiers.
Variations of this solo often featured during live Queen concerts, either as part of a rendition of
Brighton Rock, a medley of it with some other songs (as witnessed on the
News of the WorldNews of the World is the sixth studio album by Queen, released in 1977.Containing hit songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Spread Your Wings", the album went platinum in the United Kingdom, four times platinum in the United States and achieved high certifications elsewhere...
tour where it segued after
Freddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his vocal prowess and flamboyant performances...
's multiple echoed vocal solo at the end of White Man and Brian May's solo would segue into "The Prophet's Song" or "
Now I'm Here"Now I'm Here" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The sixth song on their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, it was written by lead guitarist Brian May while he was in hospital with hepatitis. The song is noted for its hard riff and vocal harmonies. In the UK, the song hit #11 on the charts...
"), or on its own as a guitar solo.
Originally the solo was part of the song "Blag", from May and
Roger TaylorRoger Taylor is an English musician best known as the percussionist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of the most influential rock drummers of the 1970s and 1980s...
's previous band Smile. May would then play it live in the Queen song "Son and Daughter", and this arrangement also appeared on a session for the BBC in late 1973. Later, the first half of "Brighton Rock" segued, via the guitar solo, to the closing section of "Son and Daughter", and as of the 1977
A Day at the RacesA Day at the Races is the fifth album by British rock group Queen, released in December 1976. A Day at the Races was the Queen's first completely self-produced album, and the first not to feature producer Roy Thomas Baker. Recorded at Sarm East, The Manor and Wessex Studios in England, A Day at the...
tour was eventually played as a track in its own right until 1979. However, during the News of the World tour of 1977 and 1978, a shortened version of the song was played without the lengthy guitar solo during the beginning of the concert. Proof of that can be heard on bootlegs from the tour.
In the late seventies, the guitar solo was adapted to include some bass and drums, including a
timpaniTimpani are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper, and more recently, constructed of more lightweight fiberglass. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick...
solo by Taylor (from October, 1978 to November, 1981). In 1980 and 1981, the solo was included as a medley with
Keep Yourself Alive"Keep Yourself Alive" is a song by English rock group Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, it was the opening track on the band's debut album Queen . It was released as Queen's first single along with "Son and Daughter" as the B-side...
, before becoming a performance in its own right. During the recent tour of
Queen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul Rodgers was a collaboration between Brian May & Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
, a modified version, incorporating bits of "Chinese Torture" (from the album
The Miracle) and the introduction from "Now I'm Here" was featured in the concerts. The live piece is often between nine to sixteen minutes long.
Killer Queen
"Killer Queen" was written by Freddie Mercury and it was the band's first international hit. It is one of the few songs by Mercury for which he wrote the lyrics first. The band initially did the song without Brian May while he was in the hospital, leaving spaces for whenever he felt better. Mercury played jangle piano as well as a grand one.
Tenement Funster
"Tenement Funster" is Roger Taylor's song on the album. He sang the lead vocals.
Backing trackA backing track is an audio or MIDI recording that musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live.-Uses:...
consisted of Taylor's drums, Mercury's piano, Deacon's bass and May's Red Special guitar. It's a typical Taylor track about youth and rebellion. It also includes echo effects with May's guitar, like in "Brighton Rock". The last couple of guitar notes overlap into "Flick Of The Wrist".
Flick of the Wrist
"Flick of the Wrist" was the Double A-side of "Killer Queen" but it was much less promoted and therefore not as popular outside the Queen fandom. The song includes Mercury singing octave vocals. When May returned to work having recovered from his hepatitis, he had not heard the song before he recorded his guitar and backing vocals. It is a heavy track with quite dark lyrics and an aggressive tone, something that may seem unusual for later Queen-songs, but in the early days (especially on
Queen IIQueen II is the second album by British rock group Queen, released in March 1974. It was recorded at Trident Studios, London in August 1973, and engineered by Mike Stone...
) Mercury and May would often write grim songs, such as "Great King Rat" and "Son and Daughter". At about 1:14 - 1:16, the line "Baby you've been had" can be heard. This line is also the opening to the next song on the album, "Lily of the Valley", making a 3-song overlap (Tenement Funster into Flick Of The Wrist, Flick Of The Wrist into Lily Of The Valley).
Lily of the Valley
"Lily of the Valley" is one of May's favorite songs by Mercury. Mercury played piano and did all of the vocals. The song has a reference to
Seven Seas of Rhye"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by English rock group Queen. Written by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, it is the final track on both the group's debut album Queen and its follow-up Queen II . However, only a less-developed instrumental version was featured on the former...
in the line "messenger from Seven Seas has flown to tell the King of Rhye he's lost his throne"
The song, together with Tenement Funster and Flick of the Wrist, was covered by
Dream TheaterDream Theater are an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Myung, John Petrucci, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, before they dropped out to support the band...
on the Bonus Disc of their album
Black Clouds & Silver LiningsBlack Clouds & Silver Linings is the tenth studio album of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. It was released on June 23, 2009 under Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci, and mixed by Paul Northfield...
.
Now I'm Here
"Now I'm Here" is the band's second single in the album. Written by May while at the hospital, it was recorded during the last week of the sessions, with May playing piano. The song relies a lot on delay machines, foreshadowing "The Prophet's Song".
In the Lap of the Gods
"In the Lap of the Gods" is, according to Mercury himself, the direct prelude to "
Bohemian Rhapsody"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare that has unusual song structure, more akin to a classical rhapsody than popular...
" and the
A Night at the OperaA Night at the Opera is the fourth album by English rock group Queen, released in November 1975. Co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Queen, A Night at the Opera was, at the time of its release, the most expensive album ever recorded...
album in general. There are fast piano arpeggios as in "Death on Two Legs" and some multi-tracked harmonies. Taylor provided the screams, which he proved weren't artificially created when he did them every night during their world tour.
Stone Cold Crazy
"
Stone Cold Crazy"Stone Cold Crazy" is a song by English rock band Queen from their successful 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack. The song is the eighth track on the album...
" was allegedly written by Mercury whilst in Wreckage, one of his pre-Queen bands. Queen played it live as early as 1972, apparently as the first song they performed on stage
http://queen.musichall.cz/index_en.php?s=fc&a=sha&d=facts and, in late 1974, they finally decided to record a studio version. Amusingly enough, nobody seemed to remember who wrote the lyrics when the album was released, hence the shared writing credit. The lyrics themselves deal with gangsters, making a reference to
Al CaponeAlphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s....
.
Dear Friends
"Dear Friends" was May's song featuring him on the piano and backing vocals, Mercury doing lead vocals.
Def LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums...
covered this song for a Wal Mart bonus EP for their cover album,
Yeah!Yeah! is an album of cover versions of 1970s rock hits, recorded by Def Leppard. Its the first cover album by the band. It was originally to be released on September 20, 2005, but it was announced on March 31, 2006 that the album would be released on May 23, 2006...
Misfire
"Misfire" was John Deacon's first composition, and has a light-hearted Caribbean/
ReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
theme. Deacon played most of the guitars including the solo, and Mercury sang all the vocals.
Neko CaseNeko Case is an American alternative country singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
performed a country version of the song on her 1997 solo debut album, "The Virginian."
Bring Back That Leroy Brown
"Bring Back That Leroy Brown" was written by Mercury and features him doing most of the vocals (with production techniques using tape speed to make it sound really low in the harmonies) as well as grand piano and jangle piano. May played ukulele-banjo and Deacon did a line with a
double bassThe double bass, also called the upright bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The name, "double bass," derives from the early use of the instrument to double—an octave lower where possible—the bass part written...
. The song's title alludes to the standard Bad Bad Leroy Brown by the American singer-songwriter
Jim CroceJames Joseph "Jim" Croce was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1960 and 1973, Croce released six studio albums and eleven singles. His singles "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle" were both number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts...
(little known in Queen's native UK) who had died in a plane crash the previous year.
She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)
"She Makes Me" was written and sung by May with Deacon playing
acoustic guitarsA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
. The song's finale features what May referred to as "New York nightmare sounds", which include NYC police vehicle sirens and deep-breathing sounds which accompany the closing bars.
In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited
With its powerful chorus and stadium rock-esque sound, "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited" is, in many ways, the forerunner to "
We Are the Champions"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it has since become an anthem for sporting victories and has been often used or referenced in popular culture...
". The explosion heard at the end of the song was achieved through tape-saturation. Live, it was achieved with actual pyrotechnics, the first use of such effects by the band.
Reception
The first single, "
Killer Queen"Killer Queen" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by pianist and lead singer Freddie Mercury, it featured on their 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack. When released as a single, "Killer Queen" was Queen's breakthrough hit, reaching number two in the UK and number 11 in the United States...
" reached #2 in the British charts and provided Queen with their first US Top 20 hit peaking at #12 on the Billboard singles chart. Several songs from this album harken back to the earliest days of Queen and their predecessors
SmileSmile were a London-based blues based rock band best known as the predecessor to renowned rock band Queen. The band was formed in 1968 by Brian May, who was to become Queen's guitarist. The group included Tim Staffell as singer and bassist, and, later, drummer Roger Taylor, who also went on to...
and
WreckageIbex was a short-lived Liverpool-based rock band in 1969. It is primarily known for having Freddie Mercury , later of Queen fame, as a member. The other members of the band were Mike Bersin on guitar, Mick Smith on drums and John 'Tupp' Taylor on bass...
. "Brighton Rock" houses a
guitar soloGuitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, rock, metal and jazz styles such as swing and jazz...
by Brian May, which began its life in the Smile song "Blag", then floated around in the live and
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
versions of the song "Son And Daughter", before finding its home in on the opening track here. The track begins with someone whistling the short melody "I do like to be beside the seaside", featured on "
Seven Seas of Rhye"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by English rock group Queen. Written by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, it is the final track on both the group's debut album Queen and its follow-up Queen II . However, only a less-developed instrumental version was featured on the former...
", the last track from their previous album. "Stone Cold Crazy" was the first song credited to all four members of Queen but it had been played by Mercury's early band Wreckage. The original
working titleA working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually a film, novel, video game, or music album...
for "Tenement Funster" song was "Tin Dreams". "Misfire" is John Deacon's first composition to appear on a Queen album.
During Queen's first North American Tour (as a support band for
Mott the HoopleMott the Hoople are a 1970s English rock band with strong R&B roots and dominant in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The...
) Brian felt ill with
hepatitisHepatitis implies injury to the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
(he had been infected with an unclean needle during a vaccination before the Australian tour), but he continued to work from hospital. When he was fit, the work continued in studio, but then he fell ill again, this time with a
stomach ulcerA peptic ulcer, also known as ulcus pepticum, PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is an ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful...
. When he was recovering after an operation, the next tour had been canceled. Brian felt guilty, and was a bit nervous that someone would replace him in the band. Much to his relief, no one in the group had even considered it. All three members were continuing on recording without Brian at the time. Production planning had left a lot of spaces in the songs for Brian's solos. When he felt well enough, he came back and completed the tracks with guitar solos and
backing vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. "She Makes Me" used night-life recordings from New York. "Now I'm Here", released also as a single, was an idea of Brian's in hospital, when he was thinking about touring with
Mott the HoopleMott the Hoople are a 1970s English rock band with strong R&B roots and dominant in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The...
.
The release of Sheer Heart Attack coincided with Queen's first tour of Japan, which caused country-wide hysteria with numerous Japanese fans watching the band's first tour in Asia.
Drummer Roger Taylor was not satisfied with his hair on the original photograph, so the photographer
Mick RockMick Rock is a photographer best known for his iconic shots of 1970s glam rock icons such as Queen, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Lou Reed, Kevin Ayers, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Blondie.-Biography:...
used fake extensions, much to the band's amusement.
Sheer Heart Attack was Queen's first album to hit the US Top 20 peaking at #12 in 1975 and was
certified GoldMusic recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped a certain number of copies.Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond...
in sales by the R.I.A.A. in 1975.
The album is included in the book
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, released in 2006.It consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2005, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd. The book is arranged chronologically, starting with Frank Sinatra's In the...
.
Press reviews
- New Musical Express: "A feast. No duffers, and four songs that will just run and run: Killer Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Now I'm Here and In The Lap Of The Gods...revisited. Even the track I don't like, Brighton Rock, includes May's Echoplex solo, still a vibrant, thrilling experience whether you hear it live or on record.“
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
: "The more I listen to Sheer Heart Attack, the third album from Queen, the more I realize how much I under-rated it a few months back when it was first released. Side one in particular is a delight, with Brian May's multi-tracked guitar, Freddie Mercury's stunning vocalizing and Roy Thomas Baker's dynamic production work teaming up in a no-holds barred, full-scale attack on the senses."
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury: Vocals, Piano, Jangle Piano
- Brian May: Guitars, Vocals, Piano, Ukulele, Banjo, Lead Vocal on "She Makes Me"
- Roger Taylor: Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Lead Vocal on "Tenement Funster", Screams on "In The Lap of The Gods"
- John Deacon: Bass Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Rhythm Guitar, Electric Guitar, All guitars on "Misfire", Double-bass on "Bring back that Leroy Brown"
Charts
| Country | |Sales |
|---|
| | Peak position | Weeks | Certification | Sales |
|---|
| Belgium |
1 |
|
|
|
| United Kingdom |
2 |
42 |
2x Platinum |
700.000 |
| Netherlands |
6 |
|
Platinum |
100.000 |
| Norway |
9 |
22 |
|
|
| United States |
12 |
32 |
Platinum |
1.300.000 |
| Japan |
23 |
|
Gold |
250.000 |
| Canada |
|
|
|
200.000 |
| France |
|
|
|
150.000 |
| Germany |
|
|
|
200.000 |
| Italy |
|
|
|
150.000 |
| Spain |
|
|
|
60.000 |
Tour
From 10 October 1974 through to 1 May 1975 the album was promoted on tour. The tour consisted of 3 legs and 77 individual shows, and was the band's first world tour.
The supporting bands consisted of
StyxStyx is an American rock band. Their hit songs have included "Come Sail Away", "Lady", "Mr. Roboto", "Renegade", "Babe", "Blue Collar Man" and "The Best of Times"...
,
KansasKansas is an American rock band which became popular in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". They have remained a classic rock radio staple and a popular touring act in North America and Europe....
, Hustler, and
Mahogany RushMahogany Rush is a Canadian rock band led by guitarist Frank Marino. The band had its peak of popularity in the 1970s, playing such venues as California Jam II together with bands such as Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and Heart....
.