So here’s something new I’m going to try out. In about November/December, I decided to listen to Queen’s discography. The Bohemian Rhapsody film was all anyone was talking about still. I like songs by Queen, you know? All the obvious classics. I’ve heard A Night at the Opera. I was just never compelled to listen to their other albums all the way through. It took about fifteen days but I did it. I formed my own opinions on them. So I’m going to rank them. If anyone reads this, please don’t be mad. I’m a nobody so just take this with a pinch of salt. This is solely based on my own personal preference. Let’s go.

(#14)  Jazz

Man, this album is….. not great. It does have its classics. ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ – awesome. ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ doesn’t have to be explained. ‘Bicycle Race’ – of course. And probably ‘Jealousy’ to a lesser extent. But the remaining songs on here are really forgettable. I’m not a fan of ‘Mustapha’. It reminds me of something that Trey Parker and Matt Stone would write for South Park. Just a bit. I know that it ties in with Freddie’s Parsi background. I just don’t think it’s performed very well. Roger Taylor has written better songs than ‘Fun It’ and ‘More of That Jazz’. And is it me or is the whole album not even that well mixed? It’s such a chore to get through overall. It was the last album the band worked on with Roy Thomas Baker. Probably for a good reason. Sorry to slay this.

(#13) Queen

Queen’s debut album released in 1973. It’s okay. The band were really into their folklore and religion at this point. Some songs here are really mystical, bordering on spooky at some points. They turned it up to eleven on their following album. ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ and ‘Liar’ are the obvious highlights on it. I’m a fan of ‘Jesus’ myself. As a whole it’s a bit forgettable too, but it’s a lot more fun to listen to than Jazz which is why I rank it higher.

(#12) A Kind of Magic

Freddie is really giving it his all on this album. His powerhouse vocals started on The Works but on A Kind of Magic, Freddie belts out those notes on almost every cut. It makes me quite anxious, actually. I wish he could take some time to breathe and relax. His vocals are really pushed out to the front of the mix so it’s very noticeable. Many signature Queen songs are on this album. A lot of them could benefit by being at least a minute shorter. Especially ‘Gimme the Prize’ and ‘Don’t Lose Your Head’. Still, at this point, the band had done their iconic Live Aid performance and were about to go on their final Magic tour. They were untouchable.

(#11) A Day at the Races

Released as something of a sister album to A Night at the Opera in 1976, A Day at the Races just fails to grip me like its predecessor does. Starts off with that ascending backwards harmonium that launches into ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and gets things going to a rocking start. But all the momentum is sucked out with the five-minute piano ballad ‘You Take My Breath Away’. There’s a lot of mid-tempo piano driven tracks on this album. Save ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Teo Torriate’ and ‘Tie Your Mother’…… this album’s middling.

(#10) Sheer Heart Attack

After their first two albums Queen decided to change things up for their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, toning down on their progressive rock elements and leaning towards more conventional pop tracks. This marked the beginning of the Queen sound that people recognise them for. Now I don’t know what it is, but this one just doesn’t stick with me as much as the albums ranked above. It is enjoyable. Single ‘Killer Queen’ knocks it out of the park; ‘Now I’m Here’ reminds me of The Who. ‘Bring Back That Leroy Brown’ is a showtime cabaret showdown.  There’s a lot of variety among the tracks and that’s something they would nail to a tee on A Night at the Opera.  I can see what they were going for, but it’s not quite there yet.

(#9) The Works

Two years on from 1982’s Hot Space, which no critic nor fan liked at all, the band returned with ‘Radio Ga Ga’. The single was the first from the band’s upcoming album The Works and it was a worldwide smash. Reaching the top spot in 19 countries and second position in the UK – the track was seen as a return to form. The Works was Queen’s comeback. Brian May’s guitar was loud and present again; he makes that clear on ‘Tear It Up’ and ‘Hammer to Fall’. Freddie Mercury almost takes a backseat in terms of songwriting (only contributing to three of the nine tracks on the album) but his vocals are in great form. Can’t go on to the next album without mentioning John Deacon’s hit ‘I Want to Break Free’. It’s a fine album though I think those remaining are better.

(#8) Made in Heaven

Very soon after finishing their sessions for Innuendo, Queen started work on another project in early 1991. The group knew that Freddie was gravely ill at this point so they worked whenever he was physically able to provide vocals to get some tracks down and finish whatever was incomplete at a later time. Those tracks alongside updated versions of solo tracks and leftovers from the 80s became Made in Heaven, released in 1995. Taken into context, it’s amazing what the result was given the circumstances. It’s an enthralling listen. It’s like flying through the sky hearing this thing. A fitting swansong for any discography.

(#7) The Miracle

I do have a soft spot for The Miracle. It contains a great balance in the mix between Mercury’s voice and the other instruments, in comparison to A Kind of Magic where the vocals practically drown out everything else. Freddie’s voice is noticeably lighter too as his illness from HIV began to affect his health. However, it still remains as beautiful as ever. The album’s run from the title track to ‘Breakthru’ is one of the best in their whole career. The closer ‘Was It All Worth It’ is an emphatic reflection on the band’s time together up to that point. It does sound 80s as anything but that’s part of its charm. The album cover may cause nightmares for some too.

(#6) Hot Space

As a reaction to the success of ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ two years prior, Queen proceeded to amp up the funk on Hot Space. People shunned it for being too much of a change in direction. Brian May and Roger Taylor are known to not be great fans of it. I, on the other hand, see it as one of their most entertaining efforts. It’s really only the first half of the album – and ‘Cool Cat’ on the second – that play up the synthetic elements but the rest all sound like ‘normal’ Queen to me. John Deacon’s ‘Back Chat’ is a jam and a half. ‘Body Language’ is questionable but also very funny. It’s better than ‘Mustapha’. ‘Under Pressure’ with legend David Bowie is on here too. This album isn’t bad.

(#5) Innuendo

The last Queen album released in Freddie Mercury’s lifetime. It’s the sound of a band who knew their lead singer didn’t have much time left but threw everything they had into its making. It also marks a return to the band’s more playful side too. Beginning with the epic title track, Innuendo goes on to contain times of contemplation, dark humour and cat worship – all of which were arguably major parts in Mercury’s life. ‘Bijou’ sees Freddie sing for a matter of moments to briefly interrupt what is essentially a three minute guitar solo. There’s a real sense of urgency throughout the 54 minutes Innuendo lasts for, and it all culminates in ‘The Show Must Go On’ which is their best album closer bar none.

(#4) The Game

The Game is a great album. I’ll tell you why. It’s Queen’s shortest effort. Filled with a majority of two to three minute pop/hard rock tracks that possess great melodies, harmonies, the lot. They don’t waste any time. It’s just over half an hour and the thing’s done. Queen were known for their excess up to that point, so it’s cool to see that they were able to scale things back and still make great music. It’s also the first album they produced with Reinhold Mack, who probably helped make every track sound as great as they do. After Jazz, this album is like honey to the ears.

(#3) News of the World

The year is 1977 and punk rock is the big thing. Progressive rock was out. Pink Floyd were not cool. Queen were not cool. Queen didn’t really care for punk. But they changed their sound by diminishing their symphonic influences and going for straight hard rock. The result of that was News of the World. The first five songs on the album are instant classics. You will find ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions’ on here. ‘All Dead, All Dead’ is a sad song about Brian May’s dead cat. ‘It’s Late’ is a mammoth of a track that probably should have closed the album out, though ‘My Melancholy Blues’ does the job perfectly. News of the World is another example of Queen changing up their sound without compromising their high standards.

(#2) Queen II

So I didn’t know this until I listened to the album for the first time last year but Queen actually used to be quite dark. They wrote songs about ogres and black queens. They were really into their fantasy not unlike Led Zeppelin, though Queen were a lot more theatrical in their execution. There are layers and layers of vocals that pan from left to right, Brian May’s guitar cuts through like a knife, both Freddie and Roger sound fierce with their vocals. The band were never like this again as the years went on so it’s quite strange to come across when you hear it for the first time. Though after listening to it a few more times you wonder why they ever left this sound. The whole album is fantastic but the second half (the ‘black side’) from ‘Ogre Battle’ to ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ is like a darker version of the medley from Abbey Road – it requires all of your attention.

(#1) A Night at the Opera

I mean this is their best album isn’t it? Not just because it has ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on it, no. In 1975, the band were very much broke. Their management company was taking all the money. The group found a way out of that deal, found a new manager and with his assurance and their new found confidence went on to produce their best LP. As an album it flows brilliantly, even if the sound of each song never stays the same. Opera starts with ‘Death on Two Legs’ – a scathing attack on their former manager who was taking all their money – before abruptly turning into the dainty ‘Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon’ which then suddenly jolts into Roger Taylor’s thrilling ‘I’m in Love with My Car’. And then that goes into ‘You’re My Best Friend’? It just never ends. One by one it’s hit after hit. The audacity to put ‘The Prophet’s Song’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on the same album speaks for itself too. Every track has something different to offer but placed together it’s their definitive statement. In the end, it always came down to these four talented songwriters that when in a room could always produce some very special music.

And so, that’s it. Thanks for reading. Hope I didn’t make too many eyes roll.