Is A Day at the Races by Queen a neglected classic?

Every time I hear this I kind of feel like it's pretty perfect, full of often gorgeous music... catchy, inventive and eclectic.

Am I alone in thinking it's superb?!

 

I think Drowse is one of Queen's best deep cuts, certainly top 5 of Roger Taylor's songs.

 

I do not consider it a classic album.
- The Devil's Advocate

 

Agree -- definitely prefer it to Night At The Opera.

Hearing "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" is what made me want to dig deeper into their catalog, after hearing their same 10 greatest hits ad nauseam.

 

YES!

I think it sits in the shadow of A Night at the Opera because there is a sort of mirroring between the two albums and there's no chance they were going to repeat "Bohemian Rhapsody." All the same, if you view them as a themed double album - like Queen II on steroids, they're very much a cohesive whole.

Also, it's interesting to note that ANATO is very centered on studio trickery and sound design while ADATR is much more built around vocal layering and these insanely complex vocal harmonies. In some ways, the latter is "earthier" just based on the fact that there's much less sound manipulation in play and much more "band and voices" in the works.

 

No it's a bit of an uneven follow up to the pivotal album in their career. It's got some great moments. You could argue a flawed classic at best.

 

on this forum it often seems that once you get passed sheer heart attack it's not cool to like queen albums. ligaf
night at the opera, day at the races, news of the world and jazz (minus mustafa) are all brilliant classic albums ... which isn't to say the earlier albums are not

 

I find Races much more "even" than Opera.

 

I think it's their best album. I like it much much more than "Opera".

 

A Day At The Races is a step down from A Night At The Opera, and all the other proceeding albums IMO. It goes further towards straight on arena rock, and drops the prog, glam, metal, of previous outings. It also rehashes what’s already been done, as most sequels ultimately end up doing. There are some good songs on it, but it's the start of Queen’s downward trajectory for me.

 

You are not, sir. It’s my favorite Queen lp. IMO Night at the Opera is dragged down by Prophets Song, Sweet Lady and a certain other Bohemian behemoth I never really need to hear again Races may be an attempt to capture lightning in a bottle a second time but it’s much more consistent and downright fun than its predecessor.

 

I consider A Day At The Races and A Night At The Opera similar with A Night At The Opera a bit better. Love both. Just a quick impression.

 

Brian May has been quoted as saying that both albums are the same and should have been a double, ie ADATR is Night Of The Opera part 2

 

Let's face it: You and I is superb, their greatest hit that wasn't, and Somebody to Love is total genius.

 

I saw 'em at Winterland in SF for that tour. '77 ??
Freddie still had long hair & wore a kimono. They killed. It's down the food chain in relation to the rest of their oeuvre, but it's still in the rotation.

 

An absolute classic. On the very same level as A Night at the Opera.

 

My favorite Queen album, no filler.

 

Somewhat - Mercury's operetta songs are bit too much.

 

I wish the band would've made a double album in the 80's (specifically The Works or A Kind of Magic eras.) Those were the days when all four members were writing hits and firing on all cylinders. But that's a story for another sub.

 

I love ADATR as much as ANATO, they always seemed like a massive double album to me, and one that works quite well IMHO. You have the epic Brian thud-rocker in White Man that mirrors The Prophet song, you have the twee Millionaires Waltz and Good Old fashioned Lover Boy to take up where Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon and Seaside Rendezvous left off, and the big hits which go in different directions entirely from things like You're My Best Friend and the thing just works to me as a whole. A third similar album would have been too much, but we got something entirely different after ADATR, so to me the 70's Queen catalog is one long, well-paced masterpiece with the middle period a real highlight.
I love ADATR.

 

I don't whether or not it's neglected but it's certainly a classic. I can understand why A Day At The Races is not as celebrated as it's companion, A Night At The Opera, because Opera was first.

A Day At The Races is perhaps my favorite Queen album and that means I like it a whole lot.

 

It definitely sits in the shadow of ANATO. Personally, I had ANATO first, played it to death, knew every note inside and out before I ever got to ADATR.

While I don't feel like I really need to hear ANATO again, I find that I enjoy revisiting ADATR. I almost feel like ANATO (as its title implies) is grand theatre, the musical equivalent of an ornate auditorium, decked out in gold leaf and huge chandeliers. But there is something "cozier" about ADATR that I appreciate.

And it closes a key chapter for the band. I look at Queen and Queen II as the foundation. Then, SHA, ANATO and ADATR are where Queen establish their "regal" status. And then, from News up to Hot Space, they got *really* exploratory and into taking some unexpected musical risks.

 

This!

 

Except for a big pot hole at "White Man".

 

RACES was the first self produced album by Queen. All other albums, including OPERA, were produced by Roy Thomas Baker.