Sheer Heart Attack

Freddie Mercury’s curiously-pop-hit-song “Killer Queen“ catalyzed the break-through international success of Queen’s third LP. It spawned Queen-mania in the U.K., much of Europe, and Japan. In the U.S. “Sheer Heart Attack” went gold (and eventually platinum) and its single cracked the Top 20 (peaking at #12). In their native U.K., it made it to #2, their second Top 10 hit. Brian May’s “Now I’m Here” almost made it there, bowing out at #11.

The recording sessions for Queen’s third record began on a sour note. Their tour-spot as the opening act for Mott The Hoople has ended prematurely as severe health issues struck lead guitarist Brian May. With Brian in the hospital, the other three of Queen’s men recorded much of what landed on Sheer Heart Attack, leaving space for Brian’s guitar wizardry. Upon regaining his health, May hit the studio with a vengeance (or at least with sheer enthusiasm, quickly completing his contributions). His rock-god guitar virtuosity and songwriting chops open the album with “Brighton Rock”, dominated by his sheer “Red Special” guitar harmonics, which wail, shred, and crunch his unique hard rock mastery.

Following the 5-minute hard rock frenzy, the hit single (track 2) clicks in, rocking-not, and yer May’s guitar harmonics are crucial to “Killer Queen”’s unique sound, guitar-solo included. 44-years after the single’s release, in late 2018, The Guardian’s list of 50 Queen singles places it at #3 with a brief, concise writ,

Mercury wonderfully described this glam-era classic about a high-class sex worker as “one of those bowler-hat, black-suspender-belt numbers”. It is certainly a riot of phased vocals, rock cabaret and lyrics referencing Marie Antoinette and laser beams. An unlikely influence on Katy Perry.

The album’s 13 tracks comprise 6 written by Freddie Mercury, 4 by Brian May, one rocker by Roger Taylor, and, for the first time, one popper by bassist John Deacon, “Misfire”, a song with intense melodic appeal, almost foreshadowing the mild-tempered bassist’s massive impact on their future’s greatest hits. And for the first time, all four members co-wrote an album track with heavy mettle, “Stone Cold Crazy”. The fast tempo and searing guitar inspired Metallica to record their own cover-version.

The album led Queen into their first world tour (in support of their lauded 3rd album, which drove a surge in sales of their first two). They first hit the UK and Europe, then headlined in North America, culminating their trek in Japan, where they were greeted, to their sheer and utter surprise, like pop idols of the Beatlemaniacal variety.

Although Queen had proven themselves as rock stars with whom to be reckoned, they remained financial wrecks. Their deal with Trident (essentially the Sheffield Brothers, owners of London’s lucrative Trident Studios) became an ordeal gone sour. Queen wanted out (of the “contract”). And so they got out, but with the burden of crushing debt. Rather than succumbing to the pressure of focusing on the commercial viability of their fourth LP, Queen moved on with a sense of newly-acquired creative freedom, having severed ties with what Freddie would describe as “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…)”, a scathing song which opened their next opus.

Cutting out the middleman, Queen were directly signed by EMI (in the UK) and Elektra (in the U.S.), and Freddie managed the masterstroke of gaining a manager (Elton John’s, John Reid) who simply told them not to worry about financing, and to focus on crafting the best music of their career, an edict the band not only embraced, they went overboard, oblivious to the costs of what became album 4, the most expensive record ever released.

But back to album 3 herein addressed, the final point being rather simple in its complexity: without a “Sheer Heart Attack" and the ensuing soap-opera of a tough legal fight, Queen’s next album, A Night at the Opera may not have ever seen the light (at least not in quite the manner in which it did) …