Queen - Innuendo
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Free Music Notes for Innuendo
Free Music Review: 70's purists be danged, this is Queen's best. Bar none.
Hit: 5 Stars
The history behind Queen's last album (as a 4-peice) is well-known now... Freddie Mercury striken with AIDS, using up every bit of life energy he had creating his final works, right up until the day he passed. The band putting aside their creative and personal differences and working together to make the magic happen once more. Innuendo was the result, and as a whole, it is far and away Queen's best album, only rivaled by their second, Queen II.Innuendo doesn't start typically... usually Queen selects a short light-hearted intro, or a quick burst of rock, this time around though, it's Bohemian Rhapsody II, the title track, a 6 and a half minute #1 single behemoth that tackles a variety of musical styles that make Bohemian Rhapsody, and just about every other song the band's ever done, cower in it's wake. The song 'Innuendo' is right up there with the very best they've ever done... but the best on this album is yet to come.
Some of these songs are totally autobiographical from Mercury's standpoint, such as the aforementioned Innuendo, the humorous 'I'm Going Slightly Mad', and even the off-the-wall tribute to his cats 'Delilah' has an underlying note of sadness beneath the playful exterior. These songs are sung by a man who is certain that he is going to die very soon... and those emotions can't be replicated or faked, this entire album carries a weight of emotion with it that only makes every song stronger.
Headlong and the Hitman show that Queen still knows how to rock, the latter in particular is the heaviest song they cut in years. These are the Days of our Lives is almost tear-inducing, a beautiful 'closure' song for Mercury, recalling his past with satisfaction and looking confidently towards his new life. All God's People sounds much like George Michael's hit 'Freedom', Ride the Wild Wind isn't quite as immediate as the rest but it's a deeply textured song, almost like Phil Collins on steriods. Don't Try so Hard and I Can't Live With You are simply amazing displays of Mercury's voice. In fact, the entire album seems to be Mercury's reaffirmation of who the greatest rock vocalist of all time has always been. He hasn't sounded this good since A Day at the Races (and this is not an exaggeration), and this is simply amazing considering he could barely even hold himself up to sing during the grueling sessions.
Nothing prepares for the finale of the last Queen album, though. Bijou is a haunting, beautiful guitar peice by Brian May that almost seems to convey Mercury's spirit going to the other life, and the Show must Go On is self-explanatory, Mercury refuses to give in, despite the fact that he's near death. The last line of the album is ... 'I have to find the will to carry on with the show.. the show must go on'.. and afterwards the words 'go on' echo into oblivion, a perfect ending to Queen's perfect album.
Innuendo hasn't been done justice by it's sales or it's overall popularity, there's not a bad song on this album and the performances by each band member are among their best. If you're any kind of Queen fan, it's a crime to not own this.
Free Music Review: Fanciest collection of sound EVER
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an amazing entity. I must say, however, that it is often misunderstood. The way this fits in with the rest of Queen's albums is hard to describe. The album is completely different from anything else queen has recorded. Yet, it has that queen element in it. There is still something about this album that tells you it is all queen. Perhap's if you try to imagine queen's evolution through the 70s and 80s and then imagine what a millenium of evolution would do to their music you might understand. The first track, the great title track Innuendo written by all four band members(Mercury,May,taylor,Deacon lyrics are mostly roger's) is amazing. It starts off in an erie slow rithm some damn fine drums guitar synth and vocals. The lyrics seem to convey the feel of interpreting humankinds position in eternity. The song, however, kind of like bohemian rhapsody, changes its rithm and tone and feel throughout. I'm going slightly mad(Mostly Mercury) is a tongue in cheek humerous but echoey composition. Headlong(Mostly May)is queen at their loudest. I can't live with you(Mostly May) has a nice guitar rithm to it. It Rocks yet pours out emotion. All God's People(Evolved from Freddie's Africa By Dark) sounds much like tracks from his Operatic/Experimental Rock album Barcelona. Don't try so hard(all 4, I believe) is a slow song about not trying so hard. Ride the Wild Wind(Taylor mostly) is a unique track. It kind of has a very slight electronic feel although it features their hard rocking instruments with a synth only coming up occasionally. I sure do like its chorus. Delilah(Mostly Mercury) is about frieddies favorite cat. It is probably the siliest on the album with a playfull silly rithm. The hitman(May mostly, I think but maybe all 4) probably ties or maybe even exceeds Headlong in loudness. It is kind of a tough guy song with a touch of humor. These are the days of our Lives(Taylor mostly) is a slow song with a loving sounding drum beat. It seems to reflect Queen's odessy through the years and how life has changed yet stayed the same. Bijou(May mostly) is guitar with backing synth and a small segment of vocals. An erily content track. The show must go on(May mostly) seems like it finally puts the theme of queen's enduring evolution through the years into a song. This is something very unique. A kind of sound never heard elsewhere. Most of these songs seem to have been written for Freddie(Though many people think they are written by him), reflecting on his emotions and entire life. They are seem to say something about queen and everything their music has done. An excellent delibrately final album(I don't think Made in Heaven was planned at this point but buy that one too). You should also see the excellent videos from this album. Amazing.Free Music Review: It amazes me still ...
Hit: 5 Stars
PREAMBLE RAMBLE
You will know I love many eclectic styles of music when I say that my current CD changer is occupied by Astrud Gilberto, Hank Williams, Louis Prima, Brothers Johnson, Johnny Cash, and Queen. And while these may seem to be hopelessly disconnected, I realized with a start today that the Cash and Queen CDs actually did share one bittersweet connection: both are sad but stirring farewells from artists of unparalelled excellence.
Of course, the particular Queen CD occupying my CD changer at this time is INNUENDO, and it has ranked as my favorite Queen CD during the past 15 years. Though it may not be as consistent as, say, NIGHT AT THE OPERA, it does hit several high points that continue to be deeply moving and revelatory in their brilliance.
THE SONGS
This CD does really hold together strongly thematically, as Freddie Mercury ponders the most profound issues of life and death, and does so with a determined--even hopeful--gleam in his eye. The Zepplin-esque leadoff title track is as epic and powerful as anything the band has ever done, Mercury's vocals soaring on waves of sonic blasts courtesy of Brian May's guitar symphonics and guest guitarist Steve Howe's Spanish-style picking.
"I'm Going Slightly Mad" is somewhat chilling in light of reality, but Mercury infuses it with his usual tongue-in-cheek defiant humor, and "Headlong" is a pleasingly crunchy rocker highlighted by Queen's groovy rhythm section of Taylor and Deacon. Other highlights include the exhilirating "Ride the Wild Wind" and the beautifully lilting "These Are the Days of Our Lives" (one of the band's finest ballads, and one that is not maudlin in any way).
As brilliant as all of the above are, the coup de grace is "The Show Must Go On," where Mercury faces his fate "with a grin," and sings "on with the show" with such conviction, passion, and pathos that it both breaks your heart and causes the hair on your arm to rise. The lush instrumentation here is incredibly powerful--only a voice like Mercury's could keep up with, and even transcend it.
RECOMMENDATION
Absolutely, I give this my highest recommendation for a symphonic rock album--it's a classic of the genre and still holds up brilliantly today. Great music, regardless of style, is both timely and timeless. INNUENDO is a moving document of the passing of one of music's finest vocalists, the incomparable Freddie Mercury, and for that reason alone, makes this album indespensible. But beyond that, it is a stellar collection of songs, masterfully performed, by a powerful band at the top of their game.
Free Music Review: "Destroy your fears, release your mask!"
Hit: 5 Stars
I remember when this album was released, a friend of mine told me he saw a TV special about Queen. He said that Freddie, in particular, looked very unhealthy in the videos for "I'm Going Slightly Mad" and "These Are the Days of Our Lives." Well, I think we all know what happened to Freddie Mercury just months after this release. Although he was a fairly private person, the performance and the lyrics are Freddie's most personal. "Innuendo" features Steve Howe of Yes on the acoustic middle 8th. Freddie sings "Don't take offence at my innuendo (probably more in reference to his playful side than anything else). Some people have compared this to the middle 8th in "Bohemian Rhapsody." "I'm Going Slightly Mad" is a more humourous song, with hilarious lines "I think I'm a banana tree" and "I'm riding only 3 wheels these days, my dear, how about you?" John Deacon closes with a fast bassline. "Headlong" is more like the oldschool Queen as is "I Can't Live without You," both featuring some great guitar work from Brian May. "Don't Try So Hard" is a more personal song, warning people to do their best but not kill themselves in the process. "Ride the Wild Wind" is reminiscent of "Don't Lose Your Head," with Roger Taylor's fast and furious drums and opening narration "Push the envelope, don't sit on the fence!" "All God's People" sounds a little like "Somebody to Love," with its waltzy tempo and Gospel flavour. "Rule with your heart and lead with your conscience," Freddie preaches in the song. This song also features the operatic harmonies that graced earlier albums like A Night at the Opera. "These Are the Days of Our Lives" is a sensitive ballad about growing old with the one you love. "No use wondering what you did when you can sit back and enjoy it through your kids." "Delilah" is a humourous song about Freddie's cat and Brian makes cat sounds with his Red Special guitar. "Hitman" is almost a heavy metal rewrite of "Another One Bites the Dust." This song is probably meant to be tongue in cheek, as it seems uncharacteristic with the rest of the album. Brian plays a lovely romantic solo at the beginning of "Bjou" (which means "sacred jewel"). Finally, we come to the closing track, the ultimate farewell song "The Show Must Go On." Freddie probably knew his days were numbered but stayed strong, as you can hear with lyrics "Empty places, what are we living for?... I'll face it with a grin, I'm never giving in, on with the show!" Though Queen parted ways after Freddie's untimely death (except for the Concert for Life, the song "No One But You" and work on the Made In Heaven project), Queen's legacy will go on.Free Music Review: At The Top Again! ...(But This Time Forever!)
Hit: 5 Stars
With this fine recording in 90's, Queen reached again their peakest moment almost like in 1975. Listening to this record one can listen and find the structure and essence of the outstanding "A Night At The Opera" album. It's evident that the structure and rules of "A Night.." are here, but with a different and more modern application, plus with all the operatic mock Opera stuff for what Queen was always identificated: We can find all this similarities over and over as the music goes...and we can interpret it as follows (please listen the time signatures, chord changes, tones and tempos; and the creative, and not so obvious, use of the spanish mixolydian mode on chord changes and solos(*), or the chromatic ascending/decending chord changes (+), etc.):
1. "Innuendo"* (Bohemian Rhapsody*+), 3. "Ride The Wild Wind" (I'm In Love With My Car*), 4. "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" (You're My Best Friend), 5. "Headlong" or "Hitman" (Sweet Lady), 6. "I Can't Live With You" (Death On Two Legs*+), 7. "Don't Try So Hard" (Love Of My Life), 8. "Show Must Go On"*+ (Death In Two Legs*+), 9. "All God's People" (The Prophet'Song+), 10. "Bijou" (God Save The Queen).
Brilliant songs like "I'm Going Slightly Mad"(*) or "Delilah" were out of the "A Night..." format and context, as same as songs like '39 (Folk), Good Company (Dixieland Jazz Band format) or Seaside Rendesvouz (Old english salad days)were out of INNUENDO for obvious reasons.
As anything that we could think, Freddie's voice was as stronger and high than in the 70's, but with a fantastic rought tone inflexion that gives a powerfull dramatic flavor in every song of INNUENDO. Something interesting about this recording is that the song "Show Must Go On" presents three vocal lines with the same pasion and quality that the song "How Can I Go On" from the Mercury solo CD: BARCELONA...(listen both, please)
"How Can I Go On" (1988):
Is anybody there to believe in me
to hear my plea and take care of me?
"Show Must Go On" (1991):
1. On and On, does anybody know what we're looking for...
2. Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore.
3. On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?
It obvious that in 1988, Freddie was worried about his health situation, and in 1991 he was overwhelmed with life questions. But in the end he was very humble and accepted the end of his life... Listen this extraordinary crown jewel recording, that open the nineties for Queen and rules forever!... Good Luck!