News of the World

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Famous for its anthemic opening salvo, "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions"--at once an acknowledgement of and delight in their new-found stadium status--it's possible to see News Of The World as the last album of Queen's "classic" period, when their fusion of gaudy operatics, tearful ballads and '70s guitar-rock came together most congruently and well. With "Spread Your Wings" the band crafted another of their typically artful paeans to hedonistic freedom, and "My Melancholy Blues" is one of Freddie Mercury's most engaging displays of self-indulgence--though they stepped up the pace appreciably on "Sheer Heart Attack," which proved that they could match anyone for sheer muscle, when the urge seized them. The album's most successful cut, however--Brian May's "It's Late"--successfully married the guitarist's power chord-fetish with Mercury's infatuated romantic melodrama: the result, overblown on both counts, stands as a near-definitive record of this band and their sound. --Andrew McGuire

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Customer reviews

review by: JJ date: 2007-10-21 rating:
Ponderous
Here's Queen, it's the late 70's and the UK rock world has just been turned on its head by punk. Linked with grandiose schemes of being the biggest and the best, Queen were bravely giving the middle index to these spotty oinks and declaring themselves the champions. Who was subversive?
It's not all good news however, there's a perceptable dip in quality control, while containing some of the big hits and hidden gems (All Dead, Spread your wings), the album is incohesive as a whole; best download the good bits!

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review by: Jon Oxley date: 2007-08-28 rating:
The last of the classic Queen albums of the 70s.....
Although this album is not as high-profile as A Night At The Opera or A Day At The Races, there is much to admire on News Of The World. But once again, a Queen studio album is let down by 2 or 3 very weak tracks.

The opening 5 tracks are superb. The opening salvo of We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions is followed by 3 "under-valued" Queen tracks - Sheer Heart Attack (pretty good for a Roger Taylor composition, especially after the dire Drowse from the previous album), All Dead All Dead (a lovely Brian May song) and Spread Your Wings (John Deacon penned single).

The second half of the album is less consistent. It's Late, Get Down Make Love and My Melancholy Blues are great, but Who Needs You and Sleeping On The Sidewalk are poor.

This was the last of the classic 70s Queen albums. After this came the even more inconsistent Jazz....

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review by: date: 2007-05-12 rating:
A different kind of different
When Queen released this album Punk and New Wave were about to change the music that a generation of teenagers bought. So from the beginning this album was unlikely to be received as well as previous Queen albums - and it wasn't.

Certainly there is nothing on this album that matches Bohemian Rhapsody from two years earlier. However, I prefer this album to "A Night At The Opera" over all. For me the anthemic qualities of "We are the Champions" and "Spread Your Wings", together with the stylistic variety of "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" (Rhythm and Blues) and "My Melancholy Blues" (Piano Ballad) is what made Queen such a great band. Sometimes its the little things on this album that I really like, such as Roger Taylors fabulous drum break at 2:48 near the end of "Sheer Heart Attack". If that isn't enough have a listen "Its Late". As the Amazon reviewer said this is the best track on the album. If I had to pick only one Queen track this would be it. Its over 6 minutes long but it has everything you'd expect from a great Queen track. The only quick way I can think of describing it is that they should have performed it at Live Aid - it would have fitted perfectly into the great set they did there.

There are a few weak tracks in my view, hence only 4 stars, but overall this a better album than its given credit for. Any Queen fan will know this already, but for anybodyelse, apart from a compilation this is as a good a place to start if you're buying Queen for the first time.

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review by: Magic Rat date: 2007-03-07 rating:
The cracks just started to appear
For me, late 1977 was a strange period. A period of huge transition. I had just seen The Jam, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury and The Ramones in concert. I had bought music from all these artists plus The Clash's stunning debut album. However, I still awaited the new single and subsequent album from Queen with all the fervour of a loyal subject. I was not disappointed with "We Are The Champions" b/w "We Will Rock You". Who could be ? My heroes were still doing it, despite my new-found punk sensibilities.

The album, although I didn't admit it at the time, was a bit of a let-down and a pointer of things to come. Gone was the arrogant, self-promoting grandeur of the previous two albums' cover art and contrived titles. Here we had a cheap, tacky looking cover and none of that quintessential Queen touch of class we all loved. There is still a great rock anthem, on here in Brian May's "It's Late", but to be brutally frank, apart from the seismic opening two tracks already mentioned, there was little else to make you think "they've still got it". Why, they were even trying to "go punk" with "Sheer Heart Attack" which was one huge mistake, resulting only in ridicule from the cognoscenti. Queen were not punks, so what was the point ? Sooner stick to their own brilliant creative muse. "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" is another Brian May retrospective type thing and quite simply just doesn't work. John Deacon's "Who Needs You" is pleasant enough, but embarrassingly weak for the times in which it was contrived. Mercury's "My Melancholy Blues" is nice, but again incongruous, as is his experimental "Get Down Make Love".

All in all, in one fell swoop, Queen had taken a few huge steps towards rendering themselves highly irrelevant. The magnificent, rabble-rousing and singalong double "A" sided single saved them. It was short-lived however, and this great, iconic 1970s band were soon to find themselves in the very situation they depict themselves on the album's cover - four helpless figures devoured by a monster they simply could not control. It would be seven long barren years before they were to come storming back again.


review by: date: 2006-06-11 rating:
Not what I expected
I'm a huge fan of 70s Queen, and despite the fact that this album was recorded in the late 70s, I was unsure of how it would be (as Queen's music tended to get more pop orientated into the 80s). Despite my initial suspicions about this album, I was given it as a present at Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it from track one.
A fantastic mixture of rock, and the more Freddie trademark sound; this album isn't one of their best but definitely ranks pretty highly in my collection. The album consists of punchy anthems (We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions), more gentle and emotional ballad type tracks (All Dead, All Dead/My Melancholy Blues), Mercury's personal favourite style that later morphed into Hot Space type music (Get Down, Make Love), and remaining tracks that are generally pleasing to listen to. I personally listen to tracks 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 the most; however there is nothing wrong with the other songs on the album - I just think you need to be in a certain mood to enjoy them properly. Then again, every Queen fans tastes are different.

News Of The World definitely has some of the most underrated Queen songs ever written featuring on it, so it's a definite listen for those wishing to hear some of the less publicised songs.

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