Sheer Lizard Attack
Overall Album Score: 8.5 out of 10 With every album at this point of their career, Queen seems to be scaling the Mountain of Awesome! Sheer Heart Attack is the most entertaining Queen album to this point (with probably their best hard-rock/heavy-metal material of their entire careers ... which means if you principally like the poppy or theatric side of Queen, then Sheer Heart Attack won't be your favorite). Again, Queen does a great job of songwriting and performing. "In the Lap of the Gods" is the only song on here I don't think has a good, catchy melody (and for some reason, that song appears on here twice). "Killer Queen" is probably the best song even though it's theatric. "Brighton Rock" has some really wicked, show-offey guitar work from Brian May (and it's really fun to listen to). "Stone Cold Crazy" is a really convincing heavy metal song that was likely to have made Led Zeppelin envious. "Tenement Funster" pretty much embodies the entire 70s decade ... ballsy, pretentious, and totally, 100 percent awesome! Sheer Heart Attack is far from being a perfect album. (But ... dude ... if you're looking for perfection, stay far away from Queen as possible.) If you're looking for some really, really fun music, Sheer Heart Attack would not be a bad idea whatsoever. Overall Album Score: 8.5 out of 10 (This is a wonnnnderfulllllly entertaining album! ... We're still a bit removed from the band's peak, but Sheer Heart Attack is nothing less than a Queen essential.) Average Song Score: 8.6 (Don't jump out of your chair thinking that this is the greatest set of rock songs since Abbey Road, but do expect to be marvelously entertained!) Album Tilt: 8.5 (This was a fun album for me to review! ... Embodies a good combination between theatric-rock and butt-whomping hard rock.) Artist Rating: 8.5 (Queen is innovative and entertaining as always. They do treat their songs with care.) Track Reviews Brighton Rock 9.5/10 An awesome hard-rock song! Really, very awesome electric guitar stuff from our favorite guitarist, Brian Fifth Month. (Alright ... the electric guitar stuff in here is very show-offey, but who cares about that when it kicks major buttocks?) And when there's a melody being sung, it's also really fun to listen to. A Queen Qulassic. Killer Queen 10/10 The hit ... and deservedly so! The melody is catchier than practically anything. The instrumentation is nice and theatric ... It's lighthearted and pretty dang entertaining. Among Queen's signature tunes, it's sure to delight. Tenement Funster 9.5/10 This is a Roger Taylor song! (The drummer!) And, holy crap, the song is really good! The song is totally ballsy and it has a really good melody. Really, a very entertaining one! I lurves it. Flick of the Wrist 9/10 Eek! All of these songs are really good! ... Don't know how they do it ... The melodies are innovative, the performances are creative, and the song is more entertaining than anything! ... Another very good Queen track ... Lily of the Valley 8/10 Not as good this time, unfortunately (...but Queen sure had a great run until now...) And, actually, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this song. It's a slower tune (which usually means that it won't be as fun), and it doesn't gain ground by being resonant or moving or anything. It's still listenable, though, and it's not even two minutes long, so ... if it bothers you, this is easily ignored. Now I'm Here 9/10 Cool! We're back to the hard-rock stuff! It has a really good melody and some nice crunches by Brian May in here. More entertainment! In the Lap of the Gods 7/10 Interesting, but it's totally overblown! This track is quite reminiscent of the bizarre operatics that the band would soon discourse into A Night At the Opera. There's an entertainment value with "In the Lap of the Gods," but there's scant few hooks in it. Stone Cold Crazy 9.5/10 This song is hard rock to its core ... and it's so successful at it, that I bet it made Led Zeppelin quite jealous! ... The riff is good, and the song has a pretty incredible driving force. Dear Friends 4/5 Barely more than a minute long, this is a goofy, sentimental piano ballad. Hmmhmmhmm... Misfire 9/10 John Deacon wrote this! ... And it's pretty good! This is a very happy, upbeat song (perhaps a bit tropical at its core). More throwaway than usual for a Queen tune, but it was nicely done, the melody is catchy, and it's entertaining. Bring Back That Leroy Brown 8.5/10 This is a discourse into early 20th Century pop ... This is the first type of these old-style songs Queen would do during their career (ala "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon"). This is pretty entertaining. She Makes Me (Stormtroopers in Stilettos ) 8/10 This is pretty good, though it isn't especially memorable. It's a slow-trudging song with a thick, echoey drum. A wee bit on the dull side, but it's alright. It's not boring or anything! In the Lap of the Gods ... Revisited 7/10 It's that song again ... that wasn't really that good. Hmmhmmhmmm! It's a freaking conspiracy! BONUS TRACK A remixed version of "Stone Cold Crazy." ... Yadda yadda yadda ... you're better off just listening to the original version again. Hmph! The heart will attack you if you fail to send me a comment about this album here! slb23@shaw.ca (Simon B.) received August 26, 2004 This is the (arguably) the first of the string of classic
Queen records. They rock harder here than on the two albums before, and
the songwriting is a lot better too. Contains the hit "Killer Queen".
jpcheezman@yahoo.com (john cola) received Sept. 9, 2004 My 12-year-old son has started listening to old queen after I purchased the "day at the races" cd. My wife actually still has a working turntable, so I found my dusty old copy of sheer heart attack (in the jacket I found some old tear-stained a.p. copy I had saved regarding the death of freddy mercury) and put it on. I tell you, aside from having no "pause" button and having to flip sides, the quality of the sound off the acetate was still great. And I forgot how EVERY song on that album kicks ass, and I still remember every lyric. (my son watched in horror as his 42-year-old dad sang in falsetto and air guitared mr. may.). I will have to find a cd of this great but often overlooked album. |
All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. He's undergoing a sheer fart attack.
