Queen - Innuendo
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Free Music Notes for Innuendo
Free Music Review: Queen's equivalent to Abbey Road still a classic
Hit: 5 Stars
Queen's sixteenth US release Innuendo was first released in February of 1991.
The album would be the last Queen album released during Freddie Mercury's lifetime.
In between The Miracle and Innuendo, the band cancelled its contract with Capitol Records for the US and Canada and went with a new label created by Disney called Hollywood Records which initially had a distribution deal with Queen's first US label from 1973-83 Elektra (Hollywood's US and Canadian distribution would change to PolyGram then Universal now Universal/Vivendi). Also, the band wanted to bring back the classic Queen sounds with a modern touch.
At the time, the Innuendo album was being recorded, lead singer Freddie Mercury was very ill and could only record as much as he could and guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, bass player John Deacon and co-producer David Richards to create what was to become one of the greatest farewell albums EVER (as I found out in April of 1992 when I recorded the album onto tape then got on CD that Christmas).
The opening UK #1 and US rock radio Top 20 smash title cut to Innuendo is a great, innovative, multi-sectioned rocker to kick off Queen's farewell. The song brings back the feel of earlier epics without sounding like any of them. Yes guitarist Steve Howe appears on the track playing classical guitar in the middle. Roger said the track Innuendo was and I quote "Oscar Wilde meets Led Zeppelin", end quote. Great song. Also, its video was groundbreaking despite the band do not appear in it save for computer generated images designed like different artists (John (Picasso), Freddie (Da Vinci) and so forth). "I'm Going Slightly Mad" follows and is a great number. This song's video was a classic black and white clip of the band being silly complete with penguins and gorillas. The next track was the third British single but first single released from Innuendo here in the States called "Headlong". This rocker is an awesome song. When I first heard this track in January of 1991, I said Queen can still rock. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and was Queen's biggest American radio hit since "I Want it All" two years earlier. Next is the pop-rocker "I Can't Live With You" which is an excellent song with alot of Brian guitar works. Next is "Don't Try So Hard" which is one of the band's best ballads, period, containing a stunning haunting falsetto-sounding vocal delivery from Freddie despite his delicate condition. "Ride the Wild Wind" follows and we rock out again in full speed with good lyrics and makes you want to drive 110 on the highway.
The second half of the album starts with "All God's People" which is the 90s Somebody to Love but not sounding like or re-recording Somebody to Love. The ballad "These Are the Days of Our Lives" follows and is a excellent ballad which sadly had the last video Queen made with Freddie before he died and his miming of the words "I still love you" was a fitting way to end his filmed performance career as his AIDS ailment was getting to him. We then go silly with "Delilah", a song about Freddie's cat and a nice up-number. Next is the Brian-laced rocker "The Hitman" which sounds like it would not have been out of place on any metal album. Great song! Next is "Bijou" which is a great showcase for an epic guitar solo by Brian with synthesizers and beautiful vocals from Freddie that appear in the middle singing about his cat. "The Show Must Go On" closes the album in the same way that The Golden Slumber Medley ended Abbey Road, majestically. The song expressed Freddie's need to continue making music and living life, even in the face of imminent death (he would die of AIDS a few months after the release of this album) and the music was stunning.
Innuendo when released gave Queen their first US Gold selling album (meaning it sold 500,000 copies in the US) since 1984's The Works and hit #31 at a time when hair metal schlock like Poison, larger-than-life crooners like Michael Bolton and divas like Mariah Carey infested the US music landscape.
Sadly, Innuendo also marked Queen's final album to be released when Freddie Mercury was alive as he would pass away in November of 1991 at the age of 45 of AIDS becoming rock and roll's first major AIDS casualty.
Innuendo is RECOMMENDED!
Free Music Review: I Think I'm a Banana Tree--Also a Superb Album
Hit: 5 Stars
Freddie Mercury is at the gates of Heaven and he is requesting entrance. "Why should I let you in?", God asks. Freddie doesn't say a word. He twirls, jumps around the stage creating a well earned frenzy, and then hands God a copy of Innuendo. God examines it quizzicaly. "Maybe I should play this on my 52 speaker surround sound system", He muses. Freddie, not concerned, waits like a controlled panther as God hears the first track. After it's through, God smiles and says, "Now THIS is really something to leave the people down there! Access granted!". Freddie smiles. Finally!, he muses, He's removed his mask! Well, if anyone could do it, Freddie could.
By any stretch of the imagination- this is a VERY HIGH POINT in Queen's catalogue of profferings. Why is this so? Perhaps they wanted to make such a superb album as the lasting legacy to their talent. Perhaps, they just wanted to make it the best Queen album of all. To my mind, they succeeded. Yes, you all know the hits by now. And they are many. Why, I can still remember the breakthrough of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and how that song still remains a classic to this day. But, you know, when you're rushing "Headlong" towards the end, there is nothing you can do about it except make it excellent. The fact that Freddie wanted to leave with so much integrity is a testimony to his talent, his love, and his soul. He wanted to leave on an elevator upwards- and so he did.
What makes this album stand out so much is the enigma that it conveys throughout many songs. Also, lets not forget the heart and the conveyance of things that matter on this earth. It is emotion and joy. It is the wisdom inherent in all. And no matter how many times I hear it- I discover something new. After all- why not? Are we forever the same? Is music ever the same? Everything moves and changes. We are in relation to whatever the moment offers. This is the genius of this album.
First off- let me state that the production is flawless. If you can't hear the seperation in your speakers and the sound emanating in clever and concise ways- then you have the wrong system. This music can be lush, elegant, heart pounding and ethereal.
The title track "Innuendo" is worth the price of admission alone. It slinks along relating the majesty of our universe with caveats. Yet, there is the human spirit which will "keep on trying" to unravel the mysteries of reality and within one's self. Such great passages to fine acoustic spanish guitar (thank-you Steve Howe). It becomes harder edged - and this is what is most remarkable about the song. Like "Bohemian Rhapsody" we have the soft embellishments along with the raw guitar licks and the lush vocal ensemble. Quite considerable.
The rest of the album is a pure treat. "I'm Going Slightly Mad" is a tour de force with witty play on words to convey the condition. "Headlong" and "I Can't Live With You", justifiably, both rock ravers about relationships. Imagine yourself hovering over the highway at high speed. This is just one feeling in your imagination.
But the heart and soul of this album are coveyed in certain compositions. "All God's People" is an ode to the human race for some sort of stability and logic. "Don't Try So Hard" is miraculous and a tender urging to let the disappointments pass. "These Are the Days of Our Lives" is one of my favorites. Lovely. And the message that, although we can't go back in time and things change forever, the things that remain within the heart are constant. Beautiful lilting melody.
"The Show Must Go On" is the swan song. Ominous music asking ominous questions. Through the failure, the disappointments, the trials, whatever happens- the show must go on. The song is so heart-wrenching - especially knowing that Freddie's days were numbered at this point. In a way- to me- it indeed conveys that Freddie's show will indeed go on. Maybe not here. But somewhere.
In closing - if you like rock music soft, gritty, grandiose, or riff driven- this one is for you. This is a fine gift you left us Freddie. Now tell God to take it out of His c.d. player! He's too busy listening to that and not paying attention to us - selfish and greedy as we might be. :)
Don't take offence- at your Metamorpho
Free Music Review: What Queen left to us
Hit: 5 Stars
We can ask ourselves a question: if Freddie Mercury were still alive now, would Queen have continued? Or would they have broken up like the Beatles? Which one is more heartaching - watching your idol and legend step down from the pedestal and break up, or watching your idol die? Some people say that Innuendo was great because it was Queen's swan song - perhaps so, and perhaps not. The album is very poignant, and to fans, very sad. Yet, I feel that Freddie's approaching death, or desperation, may have been a factor that really tightened the unity that was Queen.
I was checking out some reviews of Queen albums today, and saw an interesting review that said that Innuendo was rather rough, relaxed and not well arranged enough. It's up to the individual judgment to decide that. I'm no musical expert, and I admit that I rely on other people's insights in order to study the musical structure of the songs. Yet, to me at least (and to many other people), Queen really did bring it and reached up there with this album. To say that it is not so is too careless a remark.
Innuendo greets the listener with a furious intensity. Mercury's vocal is clearer than ever in this album, with an incredibly high head voice. This song traces back to the non-repetitive epic numbers featured often in the 70s albums and once in the Miracle (Was It Worth It - the most wondrous 80s song). The purcussion and the Spanish guitar are striking.
I'm Going Slightly Mad is certainly very bizarre - both in melody and little sounds that accompany. Yet, this song is one of my personal Queen favorites and certainly its music video is the best of Queen except Save Me and These Are the Days of Our Lives. The vocal is haunting and low, and the bass, simply gorgeous - I go mad listening to it.
Headlong - currently the track I listen to most often. I'm so glad Brian decided to use this song for Queen instead of his solo album. This song works way better with Freddie's vocal. An interesting arrangement with interesting lyric.
I Can't Live With You - First I thought it was the worst song of the album, and now it's one of the tops. Unfortunately Roger did not play the drum - it was programmed. The structure is quite simplistic, but the melody really grows on you.
Don't Try So Hard - simply the best ballad, I like this song even better than the earlier ballads such as Nevermore. Synth works really really well with the vocal. And the guitar - simply beautiful. It's not even complicated, yet it's so stately and emotional. The drum culminates the climax.
Ride the Wild Wind - A very fascinating drumming. Roger's side remarks are quite amusing, and Freddie vocal again is flawlessly low.
All God's People - I really didn't like this song from the start (maybe because it had so little Freddie solo vocal). Yet, it inherits the gospel tradition all the way from Somebody to Love (which is a great song itself.) A simpler arrangement would be more interesting...
These Are the Days of Our Lives - Roger's absolute masterpiece, and honestly, although I do like George Michael, his tribute vocal doesn't do justice.
Delilah - many fans hate this song. I understand why, but I still like this song - very very Freddie and cute. Even Brian's guitar sounds like a cat.
The Hitman - A wonderful, heavy metal number. Brian's play is really... enjoyable (I can't put it any other way: the solos are not exceptionally complicated yet very catchy), especially in the middle solo.
Bijou: truly a bijou. A very very short but crystal clear Freddie vocal with Brian's classical and solemn guitar solo.
And as to the last song, The Show Must Go On, I'll just quote Brian on this.
"My tribute really was The Show Must Go On. There's a lot in there. I remember writing this line -- 'my soul is painted like the wings of butterflies' -- and I brought it to him one morning, a little worried about what he would think of it. I said, 'Do you think that's okay? Can you sing that?' And he went, 'Darling, I can sing that and I will give it my all.' Because he knew what it was all about and it didn't need to be said."
Long Live my Queen.
Free Music Review: Enchanting beauty
Hit: 5 Stars
Queen had quite an unusual career. They never really 'evolved'; their changes in style were hardly gradual. They did something, then they did something else. It shows in New Of The World; it shows in The Game; it shows in Hot Space. Of course Hot Space was a disaster, but that's just the point: they were never afraid to take chances. I, for instance, am a big fan of Queen's early opera-rock; but they stopped doing it exactly when they should have. Another opera-rock album after A Day At The Races would have been really too much, so they went off and did a heavy rock album instead (News Of The World).In the same way, Innuendo came totally out of nowhere. Over the 80s Queen made various attempts at contemporary music styles, doing music much lighter and easier than their heavy 70s prog-rock. Most of their big hits were catchy pop-rock tunes like 'A Kind Of Magic' and 'Breakthru'; their more thoughtful, more powerful songs were only released on albums ('Was It All Worth It', 'Is This The World We Created'). 1989's The Miracle is the peak of that style, not only musically but lyrically as well - Almost every song on that album is happy, optimistic and cheerful, with lovely, cheerful titles like 'The Miracle', 'Breakthru' or 'The Invisible Man'. Now listen to Innuendo.
From the very first notes of the epic title track, Innuendo has a different mood altogether. Very heavy, very sad, very, very cynical, with minoric harmonies and heavy bass lines. Freddie Mercury's vocals, already very ill, are at their very best, and are absolutely heart-tearing. He sings with genuine pain, despair and rage - at whom? The world, perhaps. Brian May gives his guitar his whole, and drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon also do a marvelous job. "Peter Pan" Taylor shows unusual maturity in his songwriting ('These Are The Days Of Our Lives' is his work, and he also wrote quite a lot of 'Innuendo'. His other song on the album, 'Ride The Wild Wind', is closer to his usual style, but also a good song.) Deacon offers the beautiful 'Don't Try So Hard', on which Freddy gives one of his finest vocal performances ever. And Mercury, whose writing deteriorated greatly during the 80s, supplies one of his most ingenious, superb pieces - 'I'm Going Slightly Mad' - doing a wonderful vocal job. He also contributes the less notable but excellent 'All God's People' (with Mike Moran, who also co-wrote many of the songs on Barcelona) and 'Delilah' (It's about his favorite cat, in case you haven't figured it out yet.)
Brian is the backbone of the album, supplying heavy rockers which stop the album short of becoming a bit too soppy - 'I Can't Leave With You', 'The Hitman' and the superb 'Headlong' - traditional heavy metal tracks with great guitars, drums and bass. His real contribution, however, is the last two tracks. Bijou is a beautiful number, being, basically, a three minute guitar solo, showcasing his amazing skills and giving him a chance to expand beyond the short, precise, excellent solos he supplies on nearly every Queen track - a truly moving piece. The vocal bit is short, but precisely placed and flawlessly performed by Freddie. The final track, though, is easily the best on the album. It's also, possibly, Brian's all time best, matched only by 'The Prophet's Song'. Brilliant lyrics, beautiful music. All band members gave this one their whole, especially Freddie. 'The Show Must Go On' is a farewell as wonderful as the Beatles' 'The End', and its finale is simply brilliant (go on... go on... go on...). A perfect ending to the album - and to Queen's career. A beatiful album, not only for Queen fans but for all music lovers.
'...Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up my be flaking but my smile still stays on...'
Free Music Review: A Memorable Exit at the End of the Show
Hit: 5 Stars
Queen ceased to tour in 1986; rumors that Mercury was ill began to surface in 1987, and music videos and photographs associated with the 1991 INNUENDO showed him disturbingly thin. Mercury was a shy, very private person who disliked personality publicity; nonetheless, on 23 November 1991 he released a press statement, admitting that he had AIDS. Astonishingly, he died the following day, even while INNUENDO remained on the charts in many nations around the world.
INNUENDO was created by Queen in full knowledge that it would likely be Mercury's last project and many of the selections are emotionally charged, some very openly so on the subject of personal mortality. This is particularly true of the opening and closing tracks, the title "Innuendo" and the closing "The Show Must Go On," both astonishing cuts that show the band surpassing itself. Insiders indicate that "I'm Going Slightly Mad" was Mercury's own very ironic take on the issue of AIDS-related dementia; "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" has a nostalgic meloncholia. All four are extraordinary, emotionally and musically wrenching, showing Queen at its best. But Queen was like most other bands in at least one sense: their albums always included one or two pieces that could be described as commercial filler and now and then even a clunker or two. INNUENDO is no exception.
"Headlong" was chosen as the opening single for the American market, and it is easy to see why: it is a straight forward rocker well-written, expertly performed, and without the emotional or intellectual depth that Americans shy away from in terms of radio airplay. Even so, it is the sort of song that Queen could do without five minutes of thought--and the "boomp-diddy-diddy, boomp-diddy-diddy-do" refrain is hardly inspired. "I Can't Live With You," "Don't Try So Hard," "Ride The Wild Wind," "All God's People," and "The Hitman" are much the same: commercial rock performed as only Queen could, which is to say beautifully done, but not really approaching the full scope of the band's abilities. INNUENDO also has a clunker or two. The first of these is "Delilah," Mercury's ode to his pet housecat. In truth, the piece starts out well. But while the music remains strong throughout, the lyrics faulter and ultimately seem trivial and self-indulgent. And then there is "Bijou," which is merely maudlin in a calculated sort of way.
When all is said and done, INNUENDO is very much "old school" Queen, anthem-like, exotic, an odd mixture of flash-bang and cool introspection, and including several extraordinary songs that transcend the rest of the album, which is on balance very good. Whatever his health issues at the time, Mercury's voice was never better, flowing across four octaves and then some; Deacon, May, and Taylor spot on their performances as well. It is not a perfect album. Few albums are. It may not even be the "best" Queen album--many would give that title elsewhere. Even so, the presence of "Innuendo," "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "These Are The Days of Our Lives," and the incredibly soaring "The Show Must Go On" make INNUENDO an absolute must-have.
In the months before his death Mercury recorded as many tracks as possible, and these were worked with by his surviving band mates to create the 1995 MADE IN HEAVEN, which is technically the last recording Queen released with Mercury as vocalist. All the same, and in spite of its flaws, INNUENDO "feels" more akin to Mercury's exit: his voice has grace and power, and while a fair number of songs on the recording are somewhat beneath his talents--and the talents of his bandmates--it is overall quite haunting. Strongly recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer