Revisiting 'A Day at the Races' by Queen (Album Review)

[@Phaidon1]

Always loved this album. If NATO was the sound of a band with everything to prove, DATR was Queen supremely confident, swaggering even and totally delighting in their success. The ambition is extraordinary, the musicianship exemplary and for me it remains an album I can listen all the way through and still find something new to admire. As I bought it the day it came out in 1976 as a callow 15 year old Queen fanatic, I'd say that was pretty good going...

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Great to hear from someone who really loves it!

[@Paneeks1960]

Really appreciated the way that pointed out the way that Freddie was still tiptoeing around his homesexuality during the Races sessions. I thought that he was trying to come out a little to his listeners in songs like "You Take My Breath Away" and "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy". Two classic Queen songs. Can I ask you why you choose to revisit DATR instead of Night at the Opera or News of the World for example? Well done James. Poetic and enlightening as always~ Rob/Boston

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Hi Rob, thanks for looking in, it is always great to hear from you. I have already reviewed 'News of the World' (second video in the playlist for 'Revisiting', and 'Night at the Opera' is coming up this festive season!

[@DavidHeafield]

I think what’s often overlooked , especially relevant in the U.K. , was the distracting onset of “punk” around this time. I bought this album as it came out and was bitterly disappointed with it , albeit I loved Tie Your Mother Down . I can see now with the hindsight of passed years I was enthralled with the franticness that punk was giving me. Queen weren’t the only band I shrugged around this time , Sparks , Steve Harley , The Sweet all suffered from my disinterest but thankfully I reconnected with most of them years later , but Queen were lost to me forever….

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks David. As I said in the video, it's ironic that the year ended with Queen pulling out of the Billy Grundy show and making way for the Pistols. I think a lot of fans jumped ship in '76, though Queen were one of the few old-guard bands to actually embrace elements of new wave from '77 onwards.

[@marksmadebyrobots]

Gary Langan went on to be part of The Art of Noise, along with working a lot with Trevor Horn, including Yes. Funny to see the links between 70s prog and 80s pop.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Ah yes, think I knew that about Langham but had forgotten. 80s pop in many ways was the child of 70s prog.

[@robison5396]

Nice review James. If I'm honest, this album was where my interest in Queen in terms of listening to entire albums ended. I always enjoyed the gospel feel of Somebody to Love which for me was fabulous with its' sweeping harmony vocals, always the standout song in my opinion. Long Away is decent, it has a folksy feel which is probably why I quite like it and Taylors' Drowse is hypnotic with it's slide guitar motif. I suppose ultimately you just have to admire the band for ignoring the bad press they always got and just doing their own thing.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Rob, I know you're not a fan of post' 75 Queen. Funnily enough I think they probably did start to take notice of criticism after 'Races', and it showed with the new approach on News of the World.

[@keddw]

Thanks James. The review made made me want to look into and revisit their albums up to, and including, 'News of the World'

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Excellent! I have reviewed News of the World on the channel too, about two years ago.

[@keddw]

@@jamesgriffithsmusic Nice one James. I'll take a look at that, but I have mixed feelings about Queen. I love their boldness and proggy experimentation, I remember listening to 7 seas of Rhye as an 11 year old and being astonished, but they sadly became this awful MOR band summed up, ironically, with Radio Gaga. in the '80s. But they weren't the only culprits, of course.😄

[@matthewmedley8532]

Great review James. Brilliant album. Especially tie your mother down,somebody to love, good old fashioned lover boy and one of favourite Roger Taylor tracks and vocals drowse. A definite gem.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Matthew, glad you like the album.

[@EmbryonicRobot]

This is a really thoughtful overview, James. I just might have to put this record on the turntable. I have this record, but it has never really been in heavy rotation, so it deserves a new listen. I'm tempted to agree with you that side one has the edge over side two. I didn't realize at the time how accomplished Freddie was as a pianist.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Brian...I'd be interested to hear you talk about Day at the Races if you do decide to give it a spin.

[@stevecarlsonvinylcommunity9147]

Your knowledge is wonderful James. Tie Your Mother down written while working on a PHD, wow talk about the mind wandering lol. Interesting about the conflict in making this album but there definitely were different personalities

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Steve. Useless knowledge sticks in my head for some reason, but all the useful, practical stuff just flies out.

[@matthewmedley8532]

I’ll definitely dig it out for another listen.

[@grahampratchett8207]

Hi James Good review, I enjoy this album too. But when you said you was 6 or 7 seeing Queen on Top Of Pops. You do make me feel 'old'. Having buy them the day of release. Don't forget I saw the Beatles live on Stage. Good Review

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

It's all relative Graham! I'm at the point now where I feel (and am) older than a lot of people I meet.

[@6758pasi]

A Day At The Races was my first Queen album and has remained my fave ever since. I must admit that i mostly agree with you on the last three songs on the album. Usually that many not great songs would def. drop the album in my mind. I think because the great songs are superb (and i'm not against the weaker ones) it keeps the album in such high esteem that i can't fault it. I'm not sure do i remember this correctly, but i think my first fave Queen song was Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy and later on (and still holding that place) my fave was Somebody To Love. Getting two of my all time fave songs on one album is such a feat that it's no wonder i love it. Pasi

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Great to hear it is your favourite, I think I knew that but had forgotten. Thanks Pasi.

[@scottspinner1]

Nice one James think queen had hit the top of the bell with a night at the opera. The gatefold is Freddie singing 39 on the a night at the opera tour.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks George...think you saw them on that tour?

[@scottspinner1]

@@jamesgriffithsmusic aye a night at the opera tour. Still one of the best gigs I ever saw. Was in row b right In front of Freddie. Braw.

[@matthewmedley8532]

Love all the facts and history too.

[@moose6509]

Good stuff James. One of their best in my opinion. Some of the tracks are sublime, the rest just varying degrees of excellent. Have to disagree with you about White Man ( easily their nastiest and heaviest song and I love it) and Teo Toriatte ( Heart wrenchingly beautiful which will definitely be played at my funeral) and STL, TYMD snd TMW are top-tier brilliance.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I'm still waiting for 'White Man' to grow on me after four decades!

[@moose6509]

@jamesgriffithsmusic I remember playing it to death when it first came out. I was seriously into rock at the time and loved Queen at their heaviest....

[@matthewmedley8532]

Teo torriate is a stunning track.

[@tatumjepsoncomposer]

Millionaires Waltz will always be fascinating to me… any moment without drums basically could be an Aria for voice and piano (guitars, et al), but those moments with drums and more “rocking,” are still orchestrated, and I guess arranged would be a better word, very very well. It’s a fun one to listen to unfold.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Millionaires Waltz is an extraordinary piece of work by any standards, and great fun too. I sometimes think it's the ultimate Queen track, apart from Bo-Rhap of course.

[@matthewmedley8532]

@@jamesgriffithsmusicyeas outstanding track.

[@dixielandfarm]

Beards on people is often a sign of a crisis or depression if they normally never had one.

[@marksmadebyrobots]

You can usually track the state of The Beatles by the length of McCartney’s beard.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

I wonder what that says about me, I've had facial hair of one kind or another for years.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Good point. It's less well known that he had one during the Wings years too.

[@MosherBear]

I don't hate Day at the Races but to my ears it wants to be A Night at the Opera part two. News of the World is proof that they were able to get out of that rut and have more variety to offer - and a great cover to.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Very true. I have reviewed News of the World too, probably a couple of years ago.

[@FatCityVinyl]

Pulling teeth...one doesn't often think about making an album as actual work where you have 5 or 6 people in close day to day proximity tearing their hair out on how to get on with it, usually over a period of several months...never thought of Somebody To Love as such a personal statement, how incredibly lonely and relatable it seems now...cheers James!

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Queen regularly had nightmares making records together...makes it all the more remarkable they carried on doing it for so long. Cheers!

[@matthewmedley8532]

Been listening to millionaires waltz a lot. Brilliant track. Love John deacons bass. Sublime.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

It is Matthew, I love the interplay between Freddie and John on that track

[@srirahulpremkumar1600]

in the uk back in the 70s and 80s was queen as big as led zeppelin, pink flyod, the rolling stones?

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

By the mid-eighties they were.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

They headlined the annual Hyde Park concert in '75, which the Stones had done a few years earlier so they were already huge by then tbh.

[@srirahulpremkumar1600]

@@jamesgriffithsmusic so they reached the “legendary status” by the mid 80s?? When did pink flyod reach that status?? Was it after “the wall” was released in 1979??

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Floyd were playing stadiums in north America by about 1974. Queen never really gravitated to the stadium circuit in the US and were still mostly an indoor arena band everywhere else until about 1981. Their 1980 'The Game' scored big in the States but they tailed off after that (in America). In the mid eighties they did a lot of vast stadium shows in South America and Europe. When they did Live Aid in '86 that caused their career to peak and they did the huge 'Magic Tour' of Europe, which is the biggest they ever got worldwide (didn't tour the US though). Floyd managed to maintain their stadium status through the seventies, then when they reformed in the late eighties they were able to go straight back onto the stadium circuit and they never came down off it. Hope that helps!

[@srirahulpremkumar1600]

@@jamesgriffithsmusic I was talking about the UK not North America bro. What was queen’s popularity like compared to pink Floyd’s throughout the 1970s and 1980s in the UK?? Also pink flyod’s touring was very limited in the 70s. They only played in Europe and North America. And the only stadium they did in uk was knebworth in 1975 and I don’t think pink flyod did any stadiums in Europe in the 70s. It was only in USA and Canada.