siLLy puPPy QUEEN entered the scene in 1973 and fell into a grey area not covered by other bands of the era. While clearly based on Led Zeppelin based hard rock riffing, the band was all about a more progressive take on the harder edged sound of music in the wake of King Crimson and other progressive acts in effect creating some of the first blueprints of what progressive metal would become. With folklore inspired subjects and progressive time signatures, song structures and bizarre added segments, QUEEN created a sound unlike any other of the day. Freddie Mercury added a hint of glam rock with his flamboyant personality contrasted by the metallic prowess of Brian May’s rhythmic and energetic guitar leads topped off with Roger Taylor’s unique drumming contributions and John Deacon’s well diversified style of bass playing. This perfect chemistry may not have resulted in an instant success on this debut album but their sound was unique and caught the world’s attention. After a string of catchy albums with all their qualities fine-tuned with more pop sensibilities, they would go on to become one of the biggest bands of all time.

The QUEEN debut unfairly gets shunned in my opinion. It is true that it isn’t quite as memorable as pretty much the rest of their 70s discography at first but beginning with the strong opener “Keep Yourself Alive” the album really doesn’t disappoint with even one track. This is admittedly an album that has grown on me after years of listening as opposed to being the one that blew me away upon first listen, but it was certainly one that has nestled deep into my musical psyche for like many a debut album by multi-musical dimensional bands, it has its own distinct personality that captures a unique phase in an ever-changing career. With a diverse palette of tracks ranging from “Great King Rat,” “Liar,” “Modern Times Rock n Roll” and “Jesus” i found myself really starting to get into this album after the later albums had run their course and the burnout factor set in. This album, while having pop characteristics is a little more rough around the edges which gives it a more unique position in their discography and one that has a distinct charm that the other’s don’t have.

UMUR "Queen" is the self-titled debut full-length studio album by UK rock/hard rock act Queen. The album was released through EMI (UK) and Elektra Records (US) in July 1973.

One of the things I noticed upon first listen was the contagious energy and great musicianship on the album. The energy level is very well examplified by the opening track "Keep Yourself Alive" but most tracks have a great energy level (just take a listen to the Roger Taylor led "Modern Times Rock & Roll"). Queen are very skilled musicians and it´s apparent already this early in their career. The vocals by Freddie Mercury are strong and distinct. The music is pretty hard rocking but there are more sensitive sections in the songs too. While the basic instrumentation is bass, guitar and drums there are also piano on the album which at times gives the music a grander and more epic sound. A song like "My Fairy King" is an example of that. The music borders progressive rock on several occasions but isn´t really that. It´s more an epic form of hard rock. The production is powerful and relatively raw.

Queen is a good debut album and if the songs had stood out a bit more I would probably have given a 4 star rating but there are not enough highlight here to warrant that IMO. a 3.5 star (70%) rating is well deserved though and all in all this is a very impressive debut album by a now legendary band.

Warthur Queen's debut album is a rip-roaring glam-tinged prototype for progressive metal. Naturally, the show-stealing stars of the album are Brian May, who justifies his reputation as a guitar legend with this album alone, and ridiculously charismatic frontman Freddy Mercury. With material ranging from the energetic rocker Keep Yourself Alive - which adds a certain music hall theatricality to what is otherwise a fairly straightforward song - to the progressive metal outbursts that turn Jesus from a simple hymn into something much more complex. All the material on this album would end up overshadowed in the popular imagination by catchier numbers from later in the Queen catalogue, but as a whole the album is strong and consistent enough to be worth a listen to anyone who likes a bit of pomp in their proto-metal.

1967/ 1976 Queen was a great band that had the courage to blend Deep Purple and Gentle Giant (just to give two examples), creating a new genre of music: Prog Metal. At least until the synthesizers are not entered into their music. However listening to this album the band between the unions mentioned earlier are limited to one thing: do not mix but form parts of compositions, the compositions seem that almost all mini-suites. This being the debut album it is not annoying. We note the courage and technical expressed. Also the music has aged very well (even if the drums have a sound dated today). I have to say, then, that production is affected by the years, unfortunately.

Sharp guitars and excellent technique, with a pompous and long choruses use of baroque elements are the ingredients that the Queen of Rock'n'Roll administers to us in this debut album. Take Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis and add this mixture to Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Atomic Rooster will not be the first step towards the Haevy Metal (compare the first two albums, Judas Priest, a great example). In this case we have an album in the analysis that anticipates the MWoBHM of bands as Iron Maiden. Hence we should not forget that the Scorpions in Germany were playing in the 70's. But Queen was a band that can not compare in easy manner with the other mentioned bands: unlike them Queen was a prog band, because the many overdubs, the choruses, the many changes of rhythms and moods and many other things. We could spend hours arguing over scores of piano derived from Atomic Rooster, a psychedelic intros a la Led Zeppelin, vocals parts a la Yes or of the use of baroque elements a la Gentle Giant. However we could not describe the music of Queen! Always forget something (in fact I'm listening to "Liar" and there appear Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks!). "The Night Comes Down" is the mother of all power ballads, without being (in my opinion is just a perfect mix of Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Kinks), Freddy Mercury with the powerful to dominate a song that I also know how to make successful (indicating that the other musicians were the genes) but that only Freddy was able to make this exciting. And another winning element is having attacked the Proto Punk "Modern Times Rock'n'Roll" that is the opposite in musical terms and the slow Metal "Son and Daughter", very rough, bluesy and scratchy. "Jesus" is the first example of full QueenSound and QueenSound!

Queen is the product of the 70's but they are also ahead of 20 years (they say that Dream Theater have encoded the true Prog Metal!). Certailnly "Queen" is an unripe album. But with all the magic of Queen music. Also if too balanced in Metal.