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Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Local Date: 11-18-2008
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Queen "A Night at the Opera" 30th Anniversary CD/DVD release
Quote:
Three decades ago Queen released their classic album “A Night at the Opera”, which went to No. 1 in many countries around the world, and on Monday, November 21, 1975, the first single from the album went to No.1 in the UK charts, a position it was to hold for 9 weeks.
Queen commemorate the 30th anniversary of this historic occasion – on Monday, November 21 2005 - with a new combined CD/DVD Special Collectors Edition release of the album.
‘A Night At The Opera’ is now regarded by many to be the definitive ’70s-era Queen release. Originally recorded in no less than six different studios between August and November 1975, it was reckoned at the time to be the most expensive album ever recorded, although, at around £45,000, it now looks remarkably cheap at the price.
Their fourth album, ‘A Night At The Opera’ encapsulated everything about Queen’s music that made it so unique. Combining outstanding showmanship with remarkable versatility, more than any rock band before or since, Queen could literally do it all – and here, on one album, was the ultimate proof. There would be many more masterful albums to come from Queen over the next 20 years, but here, perhaps, was the band at its 1970s musical apotheosis.
Recalling when Freddie sat at the piano and first played ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to him and the band, producer Roy Thomas Baker says, “Freddie set out three impressive verses then stopped and said, ‘Now dear, this is where the opera section comes in’.” That was when Baker started smiling and, by his own recent recollections, he hardly stopped smiling for the rest of the session – arduous though it was in pre-digital days to stack up the 180-voice ‘chorus’ (all Mercury/May/Taylor vocals) over seven 12-hour days. “Bohemian Rhapsody was totally insane,” he said. “We never stopped laughing. It was basically a joke, but a successful joke.”
But it was worth it. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ spent nine consecutive weeks at No.1 and became the only single to sell more a million copies on two separate occasions, and was named recently in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles as the top song of the last 50 years.
‘A Night At The Opera’ was also the first Queen album to go to No.1 in the UK, where it sold over a million copies, giving them their first platinum record. It was their breakthrough album in the USA, where it reached No.4 and remained on the charts for 52 weeks, giving them their first gold record in the States.
A landmark release, this special edition features both the new CD and DVD formats of the album completely restored from original analogue tapes and digitally re-mastered by Bob Ludwig, in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound. As well as the original 1975 videos for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘You’re My Best Friend’, the DVD also contains brand new video footage for the other 10 tracks, along with archive audio commentary from all four members of Queen, including the late Freddie Mercury.
Says Brian May : “This DVD also features for the first time visuals for every track on the album – some, like the original ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ video, carefully digitally restored and re-graded, and some, like the stunning new video for ‘Good Company’, created especially for this release. There are also some special commentaries, ancient and modern, from all four Queen members on facets of the tracks, and … yes, this is quite simply the best ‘Night At The Opera’ ever produced. I doubt if it can ever be bettered!”
“Talent will out, my dears” – Freddie Mercury.
Queen - A Night At The Opera
30th Anniversary Edition
Collectors Edition
Combined CD/DVD package.
Release date: 21st November 2005
DISC ONE – CD
A Night At The Opera – studio album. Re-mastered in 5.1 surround sound and stereo for this set.
DISC TWO – DVD
A Night At The Opera – studio album presented in both DTS 5.1 Surround Sound and the re-mastered stereo mix.
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