6. Night at the Opera .... Queen

The opening of this record is paralyzing. It screams “PAY ATTENTION!!!”

Only Queen can go from “Death on 2 Legs” to “Love of My Life” in the same record, and make it seem perfectly natural. Oh… that little Bohemian Rhapsody track wasn’t bad either.

This is a true kitchen sink album. Wouldn’t be surprised if they actually recorded one! I was listening to Queen when the rest of my high school friends had Duran Duran and Bon Jovi on the brain. They didn’t understand… until Live Aid, of course.

I miss you Freddie. But don’t put the band second to Freddie… They all are out of this world. Of all the guitar players in the world, Brian May is my all time favorite. ’39 is an astounding song to me, and vocal performance. May’s work on this record is every bit as extraordinary as Freddie’s performance. “Car” and “Best Friend” penned by Deacon and Taylor respectively are masterful too.

One final thought… the production/engineering work from Roy Thomas Baker was a HUGE influence on my studio life too. You may not have heard of him, but other albums on this list have him at the console too… I hope to record with him one day.