What is there to say about this album that has not already been said. Critics and customers alike took issue with Queen at this juncture of their careers; and I think that some of that criticism is definitely warranted. Let's take a look at "News Of The World" and examine why the album has been met with such mixed reactions.
The album is quite different from the almost "prog-rock" predecessors of the band's early period. The first thing that one will notice is that "News Of The World" contains much more "pop" than the previous opuses of the bands early days. The first two tracks are legendary in the Queen catalog; and anyone unfamiliar with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" has obviously never been a professional sports match in their lives. These sports "anthems" hold up quite well, despite being overplayed to death by sports media. I don't think that these songs need any further explanation; and I will skip describing these songs in detail and move on to the less obvious material on the album.
"Sheer Heart Attack" reflects the obvious influence of Punk as it invaded England during 1977. The song makes liberal use of effects; but I don't really enjoy the sound or direction of the song; it feels almost like Queen are trying to jump on the proverbial bandwagon with "Sheer Heart Attack". Next is the cryptic "All Dead, All Dead", purported to be about the passing of Brian May's cat. The May penned song is quite sad actually and sweet; I dare someone to listen to it and not be moved to tears. The harmonies are excellent as one would expect from Queen. The short number is actually my favorite song on the album; and a nice short treat of a song. "Spread Your Wings" is an inspirational song; one of many Queen songs to touch the heartstrings of the human spirit. The soaring song reflects the sheer energy and charisma that was Freddie Mercury . I loved the song; and it was a true high-point of the album. Closing out Side 1 (again, I usually review from vinyl) is "Fight from the Inside". I have never really been a huge fan of Roger Taylor written/sung tracks, and this track did not really change my opinion of his songwriting skills (drumming is a different story).
Side 2 opens with the swinging and sexy rocker "Get Down, Make Love". Mercury is almost in "Robert Plant" mode here; and makes uses of sexual innuendos liberally. The song reproduces sexual tension in musical form; and would provided an excellent soundtrack for more adult activities (wink! nudge!). The song is raunchy and the bar-band clinking piano is driven along by a sparse drum kit and some spacey effects that at the time were sure to be very expensive. "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" is one of the album's most controversial songs. As intended; sleeping on the sidewalk sounds like a budget version of ZZ Top. The song is quite simply horrible; and I believe the rumors that the song was recorded in one take. Queen did never really excel at blues tracks; and this reinforces that commonly held opinion. The album again switches gear with "Who Needs You", the Spanish guitar instrumental is a nice enough song; but is mostly filler and does not really add much musically to the album. The two closing tracks, " It's Late" and "My Melancholy Blues" are decent enough, but do not really save the album from mediocrity. This is the point where Queen begins a decline. "News Of The World" is a decent album, but get Queen, Queen II, and other early material before buying this album .
Rating-5.5/10
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