Queen - Innuendo
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Free Music Notes for Innuendo
Free Music Review: One of Queen's best
Hit: 5 Stars
Yep, the title says it all, this is one of Queen's best right next to Queen II and ANATO. There is a very dark and emotional presence here, (most likely because Freddie was dying at the time) but that does not stop the music from being great.
The title track is the most progressive Queen has been since they're Queen II days, and sounds like a hybrid of Queen and Led Zeppelin. The next song, "I'm Going Slightly Mad" was Freddie's way of poking fun at himself, even in his time of dying. It's a very eccentric tune, and this makes it recognizable when talking about songs by the band. "Headlong" continues the album's streak of great songs, it's a fun and fast rocker that is, again, not like anything Queen had done before. "I Can't Live With You" is more of a pop-rocker, but it is still very enjoyable. "Don't Try So Hard" is, IMO, one of Queen's best ballads, and shows the darkness and emotion is this album. However, I believe that "Ride the Wild Wind" isn't as strong as the first five songs, it is great lyrically, but musically, it doesn't have the same luck. "All God's People" is a step up, but it probably would've been better if it was reworked a little more.
Side Two opens with "These Are the Days Of Our Lives", another ballad, but this time it's even more heartfelt and sad. It definitely ranks as one of Queen's best. The next two songs, "Delilah" and "The Hitman", I believe are the two weakest songs of the album, but "Bijou" and "The Show Must Go On" make up for them.
"Bijou" is another very heartfelt and emotional song, you can see from the atmosphere. I believe in would've been better if it was longer, and in some sense, it's reminiscent of the opening of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".
"The Show Must Go On" is, along with the title track and TaTDoOL, one of Queen's most brilliant songs. It's not so much the guitar work or lyrics in this song, it's mostly because of the pure and raw emotion in Freddie's voice. That being said, the lyrics and the guitar work ARE amazing, in their own right.
This is one of those albums that has a certain...aura that most albums today just can't achieve. Like The Beatles "Abbey Road", Joy Division's "Closer" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", this album is very emotional and heartfelt (as if I had to say that again). If your a fan of any of those albums, I highly recommend this to you. If your a fan of Queen, I tell you that this is a must-have.
Free Music Review: "Destroy our 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!" On this no one can argue- Queen's legacy will go on.Free Music Review: Queen - The Show Must Go On........
Hit: 5 Stars
Much like Warren Zevon's "The Wind" album, "Innuendo" is the final portrait of a dying man. At the time of it's recording, Freddie Mercury was in the last months of dying from AIDs. Incredibly he threw himself into the recording process on days when he was physically able, and he and the band came up with what in my opinion is one of their best albums. One would really have to go all the way back to "A Day At The Races" in 1976 to find an album that is even close to this one. The majority of this disc deals with death, but incredibly it is not really a downbeat album and in fact finds Freddie and the boys in a reflective yet hopeful mood. The album did not make too much of a splash in the U.S. although the single "Headlong" did get some AOR airplay. It is a great rocker and one of the best singles the band ever release in my opinion. Just about every song on this disc is great. The one exception being "Delilah", a song about Freddie's cat. Yea, it is pretty horrible, but I am guessing that the band let Fred indulge a bit on this one due to his condition. Other than that the tracks are all strong. The title track "Innuendo" is as loud and bombastic Queen at it's best with a nice Spanish guitar interlude provided by special guest Steve Howe (Yes, Asia). Other highlights include "I'm Going Slightly Mad", "I Can't Live With You", "Don't Try So Hard", "Ride The Wild Wind", "The Hitman" and "Bijou". Probably two of the most effective songs on the album are "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" which finds Freddie looking back on his life and forward to his demise. The final track, "The Show Must Go On" is the high point of the album and really sums up Freddie and his love of the stage. Even to this day when I listen to him belting out this tour de force it brings a bit of a lump to my throat. When the Beatles ended their career the final statement on "Abby Road" of "and in the end, the love you make, is equal to the love you make", was the perfect coda for the end of the band. To me "The Show Must Go On" has the same impact in its message. With Freddie's final words "on with the show" he summed up the entire career of one of the most innovative bands in the history of rock n roll. If you are a Queen fan and don't own this one you need to pick it up.Free Music Review: My favorite Queen album
Hit: 5 Stars
Innuendo has been my favorite Queen album since it was released. By that time I was a kid yet and actually not a good English-speaker so the lyrics didn't mean much to me - until I dig myself into my dictionary and tried to translate everything. The music was thrilling before the translation and became even more thrilling after it.The best track on this album is Innuendo, I think. It creates a kind of athmosphere you can't escape. The closing lines are simply fantastic ("We'll keep on smiling and whatever will be, will be... we'll keep on trying, till the end of time"). This is the real message of this album. Since Freddy was about to die and he knew that exactly... well, this is amazing. Just like the man himself.
Other outstanding songs are I'm Going Slightly Mad, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and of course The Show Must Go On, the other defining track of the album. It is interesting though natural that the two defining tracks give a frame to this album (starts off with Innunendo and ends with The Show Must Go On).
These Are The Days Of Our Lives is about childhood and childhood loves, a song which isn't a complex one nevertheless is haunting from the very first listening. It has also some perfect lines ("Sometimes it seems like lately - I just don't know, the rest of my life's been just a show"). That's the one that I'm listening to nowadays the most. I'm Going Slightly Mad is actually a funny song though it makes you shiver. My favorite lines from the song ("Are they trying to tell you something, you're missing that one final screw, you're simply not in the pink my dear, to be honest you haven't got a clue"). And last but not at all least The Show Must Go On. It is exactly about what you expect it to be. He knew he would die but the show must go on. A reviewer already wrote the best lines of this song, I won't repeat him. Anytime I listen to it it brings tears to my eyes.
The rest of the album is also of the best material Queen has ever made. I won't write about the other songs though all of them are great. This is Queen's best album and if you want to have only one album from them, try this one. It should be in the collection of every music fan.
Free Music Review: Their Most Emotional Work(4.5 stars)
Hit: 5 Stars
Music comes in many forms: loud, soft, angry, potent, relaxed, moving, and passionate to name a few. Queen's "Innuendo", their last album to be recorded before Mercury passed, features some of the most emotional, passionate, and heart-felt music in history, and remains the deepest work I've ever encountered in all my years of music listening. The melodies are at times overwhelming, with Mercury lyrically persuasive, and at the same time heartrending.
To review some of the music, we open with the self-titled track, lyrically remarkable and fervent, while also musically expressing powerful passion and emotion, setting the manner of this album suitably. "I'm Going Slightly Mad" is possibly the most eccentric track the band ever recorded, with mind-boggling lyrics. "Headlong" is a strong rocker, a bit over-the-top, nevertheless rightous. "I Can't Live With You" is an exciting pop tune, with joyous lyrics. Don't Try So Hard has a gorgeous vocal from Mercury, in superb pitch for this passionate ballad. "Ride The Wild Wind" lacks in melody, however features impressive lyrical qualities to it. "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" is an emotional cry to the listeners' soul, embracing us with tender lyrics and a gorgeous chorus. "The Hitman" is generally an awesome rocker, which I appreciate more than Headlong. "Bijou" features incredible guitar work, complimenting the track significantly. However, the last song "The Show Must Go On" may be the real keeper on here, and worth the price of the album alone, one of their best songs recorded, which literally clings to your soul when you hear it.
Now, to the reason why this album received 4.5 stars. I found that tracks like "All God's People" were a little bit overdone, and lacked passion. "Delilah" has strong guitar riffs throughout, however simply isn't a memorable melody.
Nevertheless, this album is one of Queen's classics, and should belong in any Queen fans' collection. Mercury said goodbye with one of the most emotional, passionate releases of all time. Highly recommended in the Queen catalog along with any of their albums from the 70s, Greatest Hits compilations, "The Game", and "The Miracle".