Forty-seven years have passed since November 21, 1975: that day A Night at the Opera, uno dei migliori album dei Queenwas published.
The album was recorded in several recording studios over a period of about four months: upon its release, A Night at the Opera reached the top of the UK charts, and number 4 on the US Billboard 200, becoming the band's first platinum record in the United States.
Look at the photo gallery to discover five curiosities about this unforgettable album, which includes the legendary song Bohemian Rhapsody!
It's been 47 years since November 21, 1975: that day A Night at the Opera, one of Queen's best albums, was released. The album was recorded in several studios over a period of about four months: upon its release, A Night at the Opera reached the top of the UK charts, and number 4 on the US Billboard 200, becoming the band's first platinum record in the United States. Look at the photo gallery to discover five curiosities about this unforgettable album, which includes the legendary song Bohemian Rhapsody!
Mercury was inspired by the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for the album. The cover has in the center the logo of the group, composed of a letter Q around which there are two virgins (zodiac sign of Freddie Mercury), two lions (zodiac sign of Roger Taylor and John Deacon), finally a crab (Brian May is of the sign of cancer). To surmount everything, a Phoenix that represents rebirth and eternity.
The band recorded the album in six studios across the UK and it took the equivalent of $500,000 to create A Night at the Opera!
The masterpiece of this album (and of the repertoire by Queen), was not easy to achieve. Recording of the song began on August 24, 1975 at Rockfield Studio 1, Galles. In some parts, Queen's vocals were overrecorded several times: in some parts there are about 180 vocal parts. The studios did not have tapes capable of containing all the traces necessary for the recording of the song, so a new type of medium was experimented, in which multiple sections of tape had to be cut and pasted manually.
The song that opens the album, Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...) is a hate letter to the first manager of the Queen Norman Shieffield. The manager allegedly abused his role, tricking the band from 1972 to 1975. The same Norman Shieffield sued the Queen and the record company for defamation.
A Night at the Opera concludes with the song God Save the Queen, a reinterpretation of the British national anthem. The song was used from the mid-seventies onwards to close every concert of the band. In 2002, the song was performed by Brian May on the roof of Buckingham Palace on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.