Outer Limits Queen have been many things to many people. A balls-out hard rock band. Purveyors of fine pop music and big hit singles.
And once, in what some fans decry as a misstep, funkateers (1981's in case you were wondering). But they could also, as this list shows, prog out with the very best of them. Happy listening.
.. 1975's is a career highlight in a career packed with many.
Overshadowed, to a certain extent by the epic hit single , it's the opening track on side two that represents Queen's progressive peak. Written by guitarist after he had a dream about a flood The Prophet's Song was originally worked on but abandoned during sessions for . The wind effect was created by recording the sound of an air-conditioning unit through a phaser.
It’s Queen's longest song too. "That song took me ages to complete," once said of . "I wanted to give it everything – to be self-indulgent or whatever.
" If that doesn't sum up progressive rock, what does? is often cited as the band's most overtly prog album, and is six and a half minutes of wonderfully prog pomp. If was their most overtly prog rock statement, then from 1973's was the signpost. Lengthy, rocking out and packed with time changes, it typifies the early Queen sound and remains a huge favourite with fans to this day.
With lyrics inspired by Robert Browning's and packed with Mercury’s beloved vocal overdubs, this song – also from the debut album – almost serves as a forerunner to . It was also the first chance Queen.