Amazon.co.uk Review: Sheer Heart Attack is probably the band's first mature album, in which they married the Led Zeppelin-influenced crunch of their eponymous debut, and the sonic gimmickry and thematic ambition of its follow-up, Queen II. They then hitched the result to their strongest songwriting to date: the single, "Killer Queen," actually won an Ivor Novello award, and pointed the way forward to subsequent glories. Occasionally their desire to cover every conceivable stylistic base becomes wearying (did ragtime pastiche "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" ever seem like a good idea?), but the ambitious structures and elegant arrangements of tracks like "In the Lap of the Gods" and "Lily of the Valley" attest to a formidable and distinctive musical vision. And when they cut loose and actually rocked out ("Now I'm Here", "Brighton Rock"), few of their peers could match their power--something that many critics, alienated by Mercury's fondness for the grand gesture, nowadays mostly choose to forget. --Andrew McGuire
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - wow what a rock album amazeing!!
this is a classic i cant believe it wasant no 1 in the charts like a night at the opera obviously bohemian rhapsody got them recognised and killer queen was the breakthrough well buy this its fab!!
Rating: - The Queen Quadrilogy - Episode 1
The 1970's was undoubtedly Queen's most prolific creative period and the Quadrilogy I refer to is of course virtual - from Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, A Day At the Races and News Of The World - although the second and third albums were destined to be closely linked.
Sheer Heart Attack represented a major change in step for Queen - from the highly progressive and experimental Queen and Queen II with their very limited commercially viability in terms of self-promotion (singles). ... Read More
Rating: - Queen at the height of their powers
The early 1970's were a really great time for British rock music with Queen, Bowie and many others at their height of their powers. I was only eight at the time but I still remember "Killer Queen" on Top of the Pops - Freddie Mercury in fur coat, make-up and black nail varnish. Mindblowing ! 1974 saw the two best Queen albums - this one and Queen II. Personally I prefer the full glam rock experience of Queen II, while Sheer Heart Attack is more commercial. There are some great songs here including probably ... Read More
Rating: - Queen's most accomplished album
This is the Queen album. A Night At The Opera is great but this album beats it for me. There's a great variety of tracks on here and every track has a certain quality (which you couldn't say on future Queen albums). Highlights include the stonking Brighton Rock, In The Lap Of The Gods (Revisited), Stone Cold Crazy and Tenement Funster (in my opinion, the best Roger Taylor composition on any Queen album). Plus, two quality singles in Killer Queen and Now I'm Here. If you were to buy one Queen studio album, but ... Read More
Rating: - KILLER QUEEN.
Released in 1974, with two hit singles, this was not exactly the calm before the storm that was Bohemian Rhapsody/A Night At The Opera. More the hurricane before the earthquake. A superb album, and one which in my opinion features the best songs ever credited to Deacon or Taylor, as well as some of the greatest penned by Mercury and May. From tender (Dear Friends, Lily of the Valley) to rocking (Stone Cold Crazy, Now I`m Here)Sheer Heart Attack is a marvellous seventies classic, made in the days when Freddie had ... Read More
