22. Queen / A Day At The Races. 1976. 3.5/5

Following on from the monster that was A Night at the Opera, the follow up was always going to be a difficult process, not only in the success of the album itself but in the success of the album’s single “Bohemian Rhapsody”. A Day at the Races brings us a multitude of genres within the album’s framework, which only the individual can decide whether it works or is too much to deal with. One thing it is not, is predictable.

It starts off on exactly the right foot. “Tie Your Mother Down” is one their greatest, a hard punching track that showcases everything that is great about the heavier side of the band, not surprisingly written by Brian. His guitar is the star of the song, perfectly foiled by the drums and bass to act as the superb rhythm throughout, while Freddie has a ball, crooning to the beat. It is a dramatic and upbeat opening to the album to draw in the listener.
From this point until we reach the second side of the album, there can be differing opinions on what is presented. I can appreciate the songs that appear in this section, and the way they are written and performed by the band. But for the most part I’m not especially interested in the songs. When I put this album on I listen to it all the way through and enjoy it, but I am waiting for other songs to come on when thee are being played. All of this is in a similar way to the previous album, because it has a similar set up with some brilliant songs, and then others that are wonderfully done, but just don’t attract me. Thus is the conundrum I have here with “You Take My Breath Away” which sounds great, but just has not got the drive for me, and in a similar way this is also true of “Long Away”. “The Millionaire Waltz” has different genres thrown in all along for its five minute length, though it is when Brian’s guitar takes hold that it most attracts me. Then John Deacon’s ”You and I” completes the first half of the album with a middle-of-the-road easy listening song which Freddie makes sound so impressive with his vocals.
The second side of the album starts with the eternally brilliant “Somebody to Love”, one that combines all the greatest parts of the Queen conglomerate, the multi-layered vocals and harmonies that mix within the beautiful rhythm of bass and drums and the piano, and then Brian’s solo guitar through the middle. After all these years it I still a show stopper whenever it comes on the stereo. Oh, to be able to sing like that.
The underrated “White Man” follows, starting off in a slow melancholic way before the heavier band clicks in and drives the lyrical aspect of the song in a serious and passionate way. From here we are treated to “Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy”, which harks back to the style of the previous album, sounding as it does as though it should be being played on a beach in Brighton, England in the 1930’s. Again it is the layered back vocals that help this become as ‘fashionable’ as it is. Roger Taylor’s “Drowse” honestly makes me feel that way almost every time I listen to it, before the album finishes with "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)", which has two choruses in Japanese as a tribute to those fans. Neither of these songs has much fascination for me as a lover of Queen the band and their music.
As it turns out, perhaps it’s just a matter of taste. There were a couple of songs on A Night at the Opera that I tolerate, and have learned to tolerate, because of how much I love the rest of the album. Here on A Day at the Races though, there are a couple of songs that I don’t enjoy, and I am unable to treat with the same recognition which would allow me to hold this album in higher esteem. Despite two songs that I consider are some of the best of Queen’s catalogue, the album itself doesn’t quite get that high a rating.

Rating:   “Why can't they understand I'm just a peace lovin' guy”.  3.5/5