Queen in Review: Sheer Heart Attack

Picking up where Queen II's final track "Seven Seas of Rhye" left off, Sheer Heart Attack begins with sounds of the sea before launching into "Brighton Rock," a tour de force for Brian May. During the recording of the album, May was sidelined first by hepatitis and then by a stomach ulcer so by the time he returned to the studio to record his solos, not only did he have a fire in his belly but also hepatomegaly and you know how well that comes in handy in the life of an artist. There's nothing like an enlarged liver to bring out the best in your work.

Side A is pretty solid except for the bizarrely titled "Tenement Funster" and tepid closer "Now I'm Here" but on Side B Queen let their freak flag fly high. Their growing confidence leads them to cannibalize anything that crosses their path and follow any whimsical notion they may conjure up. Not content to simply dabble in variations of the rock genre, they spread themselves all over the musical map beginning with the operatic silliness of "In the Lap of the Gods." which sounds like the illegitimate father of Ween's entire discography. This wonderfully trange track features slowed down vocals, overly dramatic histrionics and blissful guitar noodling which must have inspired the Scotchguard 'n Mononucleosis experiments of Gene and Dean nearly 20 years later.

Queen continue bouncing from idea to idea with "Stone Cold Crazy" which apparently birthed thrash metal, tender-hearted piano piece "Dear Friends" and "Misfire" a jaunty little choogler with an intensely insipid guitar hook . Where to next? Why not a banjo heavy show tune any barbershop quartet would give their eyeteeth to have written? "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" is certain to get granddad out of the rocking chair and onto the dance floor. After the madness of Sheer Heart Attack's B side, where could they really go next but full blown rock and roll pomposity?

Weirdest song: "In the Lap of the Gods"