New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Continuing the celebration of some of Queen's greatest achievements so far, this latest episode revisits the band's fourth album, A Night At The Opera, released December 1975. Widely regarded as Queen's seminal album, Queen's perilous financial situation at the time made this an incredibly risky leap of faith, creating a genuine make or break moment for the band.
The album is, without doubt,
Queen at their absolute finest as musicians, composers and producers - harnessing an incredible array of musical styles. The fact it was created when the band were on the brink of financial ruin, and was, at the time, the UK's most expensive album ever produced - brings into sharp focus what a huge risk they were taking.
Roger recalls this as a "make or break moment" for the band. The band were so in debt they feared that it might have been unable to continue if the album did not perform well.
Brian explains: "It was an expensive album, enormous complexity on there. Even looking at it now I wonder how we did some of that stuff."
The leap of faith paid off and it completely changed the landscape for
Queen thanks to hit singles including "You're My Best Friend" by bassist John Deacon, and of course the legendary "
Bohemian Rhapsody" - as well as producing such lasting
Queen classics as Freddie Mercury's "
Love Of My Life" and
Roger Taylor's "I'm In Love With My Car."
A Night At The Opera topped the charts across the globe, going on to sell over 6 million copies giving it platinum status in many countries, including multi-platinum in the US.
It received universal acclaim and would continue to collect accolades year after year. In 2018 it was deservedly inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Without doubt a milestone in the
Queen story the album of course also provided them with what would become the biggest song in their history - which will be explored in next week's episode.
Beginning March 19, 2021 and continuing weekly through to March 2022,
Queen YouTube will take
Queen fans on a unique and remarkable journey - a chance to revisit some of the band's most iconic moments and discover some aspects of the story we didn't know.
Celebrating key moments in Queen's history the weekly clips series will remind us why
Queen and their music continue to be loved across the world.
Presented in chronological order, the series will take us from Queen's earliest shows at London's
Rainbow and Odeon through vast arenas across the entire world on a journey culminating with the band's latest record setting achievements with Adam Lambert.
Along with spectacular concert footage, sound checks, backstage and rare after-show access we get to explore the stories behind the songs, hits and album tracks, drawn from the extensive footage that exists in the official archive while also uncovering and sharing rare and previously unseen gems.
Some of these moments will be familiar, others rare or forgotten, some record-breaking milestones, others quirky and unusual but all of which remind us of the impact
Queen has maintained for five decades and continues through to today.
First months of the regular weekly output will see it celebrate classic hits such as "Killer Queen," "
Somebody To Love" and, of course "Bohemian Rhapsody," along with iconic performances at London's The Rainbow, Hammersmith Odeon and the band's massive outdoor Hyde Park concert. In addition, revealing some gems from the band's first tours abroad to Europe, Scandinavia, and North America.
Series producer and creator
Simon Lupton says: "The
Queen story is unlike any other, and I hope fans from all around the world will enjoy celebrating the many extraordinary achievements, timeless songs, and iconic performances that Freddie, Brian,
Roger and John have given us. While we will be revisiting some of their most famous and legendary milestones, I'm hoping there will also be some surprises along the way to excite people whether they be die-hard fans, or curious newcomers. This story has so many chapters to explore, and who knows...there could well be some new ones over the course of the next 50 weeks!"
#QueenTheGreatest
