A Day At The Races Review

07/13/2005 5:34 AM, AMG


There was no way that Queen could top their 1975 masterpiece A Night at the Opera and its epic single "Bohemian Rhapsody," so they did the next best thing -- they recorded a companion album, 1976's A Day at the Races. Although not as meticulously detailed or all-encompassing as its brilliant predecessor, A Day at the Races showed that the band was shedding its five-minute-plus epics in favor of more succinct songs, and becoming one of the world's top rock bands in the process. The album's centerpiece is undoubtedly the hit single "Somebody to Love" -- whereas "Bohemian Rhapsody" had its roots in opera, "Somebody" was centered in gospel sounds (and features a surprisingly authentic-sounding gospel choir, using only the bandmembers' voices!). Queen also tackled their first serious political statement with "White Man" (which details the plight of the American Indian), but also showed their fun side with such tracks as "The Millionaire Waltz," "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy," and the rocking concert standard "Tie Your Mother Down." Also included is the album-closing "Teo Torriatte," a hauntingly beautiful ballad that includes both English and Japanese lyrics. A Day at the Races proved to Queen's detractors that the band hadn't run out of steam with the colossal A Night at the Opera. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide