News of the World (album)
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News of the World is the sixth album by British rock group Queen, released on 28 October 1977. This was the band's second completely self-produced album.
Production
Having received some criticism that their first completely self-produced project, A Day at the Races, was a "boring" album,[1] Queen decided to shift their musical focus towards the mainstream but remain as the producers of the next album.
After completing the A Day at the Races Tour, the quartet re-entered the studio to begin work on their sixth studio offering in July 1977, enlisting Mike Stone as assistant producer at the Basing Street and Wessex Studios in London. They scaled down the complex arrangements and focused on a "rootsier" sound, (as Brian May put it). However the staple of the Queen sound, multitracked harmonies and guitar orchestrations, still exist on this album, albeit a bit more subtly. News of the World shows Queen's songwriting less dominated by Brian May and Freddie Mercury, with Roger Taylor and John Deacon composing two songs each. The group completed recording and production of the album two months later in September and released the album on 28 October 1977.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Will Rock You" | Brian May | 2:01 |
| 2. | "We Are the Champions" | Freddie Mercury | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Sheer Heart Attack" | Roger Taylor | 3:26 |
| 4. | "All Dead, All Dead" | May | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Spread Your Wings" | John Deacon | 4:34 |
| 6. | "Fight from the Inside" | Taylor | 3:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Down, Make Love" | Mercury | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" | May | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Who Needs You" | Deacon | 3:05 |
| 4. | "It's Late" | May | 6:26 |
| 5. | "My Melancholy Blues" | Mercury | 3:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Will Rock You (1991 Bonus Remix 'Ruined' By Rick Rubin)" | May | 5:00 |
Song information
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" () was released as the B-side to "We Are the Champions", and became one of Queen's biggest songs worldwide. A staple of arena and stadium sports everywhere, it was a conscious decision by Brian May to make the song simple and anthemic ("stomp, stomp, clap, pause" in a 4/4 metre), so that their live audience could be more directly involved in the show. In the video for "We Will Rock You" and "Spread Your Wings", May used a copy of his guitar. He supposedly did not want to commit his Red Special to outside conditions, as the videos for these songs featured the band performing in the snow in Taylor's garden.
We Are the Champions
According to Freddie Mercury, "We Are the Champions" had been already written in 1975 but it was not recorded until 1977.[2] Mercury was thinking about football when he wrote it and was surprised that nobody composed anything to overtake it as a sports anthem. Released as a single, "We Are the Champions" reached #2 in the UK and #4 in the US. "We Are the Champions" was the first promotional video for which fan club members were invited to participate in the filming. The video was filmed at the New London Theatre 6 October 1977. Everyone got a single and Queen did a free concert after the shoot.
Sheer Heart Attack
"Sheer Heart Attack" was half-finished at the time of the 1974 album of the same name. Roger Taylor sang lead on the demo but for the definitive version the band decided Mercury should sing lead vocals, with Roger singing the chorus. Guitars[citation needed] and bass were played by Taylor, apart from some guitar "screams" by May during the instrumental section.
During this time, the punk rock movement went into full effect, and this song was viewed as something of a jab at the musicians who felt bands like Queen were too self-indulgent. Of note is the lyric "I feel so inarticulate", and the fact that Taylor stated in interviews that he thought many of the 1970s punk bands had very little talent.
German heavy metal band Helloween covered the song. The cover can be heard as a B-side for their single "Just a Little Sign". Also, the heavy metal band Hallows Eve covered this song on their 1988 album Monument.
All Dead, All Dead
"All Dead, All Dead" was written and sung by May, and features Mercury on backing vocals. It is rumoured that the song is about the passing of Brian's cat. On an episode of "in the Studio with Redbeard" Brian May confirmed that claim. [citation needed]
Spread Your Wings
"Spread Your Wings" () was written by John Deacon. The piano is played by Mercury, although Deacon mimes it in the music video. The video was filmed at Roger Taylor's house at that time in his backyard, when the weather was freezing, and the band was performing in the snow. Mercury can be seen wearing star-shaped sunglasses in the video. Guitarist Brian May is seen playing a copy of his Red Special due to the cold weather conditions. Also, drummer Roger Taylor can be seen singing in the video despite the fact that there are no backing vocals in the song. It was the first Queen single without harmony vocals.
Fight from the Inside
"Fight from the Inside" was written and sung by Roger Taylor. In addition to the drums, Taylor also plays rhythm and bass guitar, the latter borrowed from Deacon himself.
The track is built around a jangly guitar riff and is amongst the first in the Queen catalogue to focus predominantly on the drums and bass, as opposed to the lead guitars. ([1]). It is also the only song in the band's discography recorded almost entirely by one member (Brian May contributed additional guitar).
Guitarist Slash has cited the guitar riff to this song as one of his favourite riffs of all time.[citation needed]
Get Down, Make Love
"Get Down, Make Love", written by Mercury, is among the most sexual-oriented songs in the Queen catalogue.
The song was introduced into the band's live show immediately after its release, and remained a staple of their "medley" until the end of the Hot Space tour of 1982. It was never played live in its entirety with only the first and last verses/choruses being played with the guitar feature in the middle. On the Hot Space tour, the song was reduced to the first verse/chorus only as a way to lead into Brian May's guitar solo. Live, this song featured Roger Taylor's use of Latin-influenced percussion with timbales on the News of the World tour, and tightly tuned Remo Roto-Toms on the Jazz tour, Crazy tour, The Game and Hot Space tours.
The distinctive 'psychedelic' sound effects heard in the song were not produced on a synthesizer, but on May's Red Special and an Electroharmonix Frequency Analyzer pedal, which he would often do live. These sound effects, together with Mercury's moans and groans, were expanded upon during live renditions of the song, presenting the band an opportunity to show off the full potential of their stage lights and effects.
The song was later covered by Nine Inch Nails, appearing on their "Sin" single and later on the 2010 re-issue of Pretty Hate Machine.
Sleeping on the Sidewalk
"Sleeping On The Sidewalk", written and sung by May, was inspired by ZZ Top.[citation needed] It was recorded in one take. Lyrically, it deals with an aspiring trumpet player's career, delivered in a "rags-to-riches" fashion. May sings with an American accent and measures the aforementioned trumpet player's success by "bucks" (as opposed to pounds). On a close inspection, John Deacon can be heard playing the wrong notes in some bass parts, and Brian May can also be heard laughing at the end of the song. It is also one of the few Queen songs that does not feature Mercury.
The band's web site states they were unaware that they were being recorded[3] but Brian May has cast doubt on the authenticity of this, though confirming the first take of the backing track was used.[4]
Who Needs You
"Who Needs You" was written by Deacon, who, along with May, plays Spanish guitar. May also plays maracas and Mercury plays a cowbell.
It's Late
"It's Late", written by May, was the author's idea of treating a song as a three-act theatrical play. It makes use of the tapping technique before Eddie Van Halen of rock group Van Halen made the technique widely-known.
My Melancholy Blues
"My Melancholy Blues" was composed by Mercury. There are no backing vocals or guitars. Despite the title, the track is more related to jazz. Deacon played fretless bass on stage during this song but used a regular fretted bass on the record.
Cover
The album's cover was a painting by American sci-fi artist Frank Kelly Freas. Taylor had an issue of Astounding Science Fiction (October 1953) whose cover-art depicted a giant intelligent robot holding the dead body of a man. The caption read: "Please... fix it, Daddy?" to illustrate the story "The Gulf Between" by Tom Godwin. The painting inspired the band to contact Freas, who agreed to alter the painting for their album cover, by replacing the single dead man with the four "dead" band members (Taylor and Deacon falling to the ground). The original painting (also called The Gulf Between) features on the cover of Freas's collection of art As He Sees It (Paper Tiger, 2000).
Brian May confirmed the cover was Roger Taylor's idea on an episode of the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard, which devoted an episode to the making of News of the World.
Singles
- "We Are the Champions" released 7 October 1977 in the UK as the first single where it reached #2. In the US, it was released as a Double A-side with "We Will Rock You" where it reached #4.
- "Spread Your Wings" followed as the second single from the album. Written by John Deacon and released in the UK on 10 February 1978, it reached #34.
- "It's Late" is the last single from the album and was only released as a single in the United States, Canada, Japan and New Zealand in 1978. Only reached #74 in the US, failing to chart everywhere else.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Valley News | (favourable)[5] |
| Washington Post | (favourable)[6] |
| Allmusic |    [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Robert Christgau | (C) [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| BBC | (favourable) [11] |
| George Starostin |   [12] |
Critical response
News of the World initially received mixed reviews, mostly reflecting on the differences to the previously predominantly progressive rock sound produced by Queen, and this album's vast shift towards a more pop-rock oriented sound.[13] Following the immense success of singles "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", the critical reception shifted towards a more positive stance, as it became evident that the band was displaying another field of their musical ability.[1] Creem readers voted News of the World the 19th best album of 1977.[14]
2011 Re-issue
On 8 November 2010, record company Universal Music announced a remastered and expanded reissue of the album set for release in March 2011. This as part of a new record deal between Queen and Universal Music, which meant Queen's association with EMI would come to an end after almost 40 years. According to Universal Music, all Queen albums are to be remastered and reissued in 2011. According to some reports, this reissue will include a deluxe edition which will contain 5 additional tracks along with commentaries from the band about each song. The second batch of albums (the band's middle five albums) will be released in June.
Charts
| Country | Charts | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | Certification | Units sold | |
| Belgium | 1 | 150,000 | ||
| Brazil | 1 | 100,000 | ||
| Canada | 1 | 3xPlatinum | 600,000 | |
| France | 1 | Gold | 560,000 | |
| Israel | 1 | 40,000 | ||
| Ireland | 1 | 100,000 | ||
| Mexico | 1 | 200,000 | ||
| Netherlands | 1 | 3xPlatinum | 250,000 | |
| Portugal | 1 | Silver | 10,000 | |
| Japan | 3 | 250,000 | ||
| United States | 3 | 36 | 4x Platinum[15] | 4,600,000 |
| Norway | 4 | 21 | 250,000 | |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 20 | 2x Platinum | 600,000 |
| Germany | 5 | Platinum | 700,000 | |
| Austria | 9 | 28 | 100,000 | |
| Sweden | 9 | 8 | 100,000 | |
| Switzerland | Platinum | 70.000 | ||
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury: lead and backing vocals, piano, percussion, cow bell on "Who Needs You"
- Brian May: electric guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, piano, lead vocals on "All Dead, All Dead" and "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" percussion
- Roger Taylor: drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Fight from the Inside," electric guitar, bass guitar
- John Deacon: bass guitar, acoustic guitar, Spanish guitar
References
- ^ a b "Queen: Less Flamboyance, More of the Beatles". Originally published by Washington Post. Currently mirrored by Queen Archives. 28 December 1978. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ A Night at the Opera DVD commentary.
- ^ "News of the World". Queen Online. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ "Brian May's Soapbox (January 28th, 2008)". Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ Valley News review (archived at queenarchives.com)
- ^ Washington Post review (archived at queenarchives.com)
- ^ Allmusic Review
- ^ Q, September 1993, p.119: "The album contained such anthemic fare as 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions'."
- ^ Robert Christgau Review
- ^ Rolling Stone Review
- ^ BBC Review
- ^ George Starostin Review
- ^ "News of the World". Originally published by The Valley News. Currently mirrored by Queen Archives. 11 November 1977. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/creem_lists.htm
- ^ RIAA - Gold and Platinum Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 22 January 2011
