Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
 What do you mean, you've got all their singles? October 25, 2008
F. Lacey (England)
Doesn't matter how many 'best ofs' you buy, you still need to hear Queen and Queen II to understand what they were like when some of us were lucky enough to see them perform in university music venues before they became a supergroup. I loved this album then and I love it now. You don't need a video of their amazing stage performances to enjoy it just as music. Why haven't you bought it yet??
 Not bad for a debut...... April 25, 2008
Mr. Jonathan Robin Oxley (Northampton, England)
This debut album by Queen has never been a critic's favourite, but its not bad. The production sounds a bit cloudy and dated, but there are some classic tracks on here, namely Keep Yourself Alive, Great King Rat, My Fairy King (best track on here by a country mile) and Liar. The rest of the tracks are OK - no particular stinkers - but Queen truly found their niche on the 3rd album, Sheer Heart Attack.
The debut album to end all debut albums January 22, 2008
mangaman (UK)
There is nothing patchy about this album whatsoever. All tracks are solid gold especially keep yourself alive. Queen and Queen II were queens best ever albums and this makes for fantastic listening. You cant help but get in to it. For the price you cant go wrong.
 A solid beginning, often overlooked March 4, 2007
Magic Rat (uk)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Back in 1973, the main big hitters on the non-prog rock (Yes, ELP etc); non heavy (Deep Purple, Led Zep etc); non teenybop (Slade, Sweet, T.Rex)scene were David Bowie, Roxy Music, Elton John and Mott The Hoople. Debut albums by Cockney Rebel and Queen were extremely well received critically, and the bands in question built up a strong live following. However, both these albums were overlooked by most of the record buying public. I myself only really took notice of Queen in April 1974, with the release of "Seven Seas Of Rhye" (the full version, not the strange short sample we get on this album). That hit single prompted me to get this album and as soon as "Queen II" was released this one automatically became the poor relation.
Queen were given publicity because all four members were graduates - proof to our parents that clever lads did rock out after all, especially Queen, who had the good sense to finish their studies ! Good boys. The album that heralded their venture into the world of music was a bit of a strange one, but at the time it had to be considered quite inventive. It was a mix of prog rock melody and obsession with dungeons and dragons- style mythology, a few Hendrix licks thrown in there for good measure, some glammy posturing and a vocalist that made you sit up and take notice just a little bit more than you might have done. He had a glammy name too - Freddie Mercury, not unlike Alvin Stardust. The debut single, "Keep Yourself Alive" opens the album in a sort of Mott The Hoople meets Nazareth meets Atomic Rooster sort of way and the subsequent "Doing All Right" has airs of Yes and even a bit of folky whimsy in there. "The Great King Rat" is one of those early Queen "fairy tale" epics, while "My Fairy King" travels down the same road. Quite how Queen became one of the ultimate "lads bands" still baffles me to this day !
"Liar" is this album's real tour de force - a semi "heavy" rocker complete with catholic guilt woven into the lyrics (quite where they got that from I don't know) and solid drumming from Roger Taylor (or Meddows-Taylor as he is credited on the back cover - must be posh). "Jesus" is quasi-religious nonsense desinged to appeal to those fans who wanted a certain amount of portent from a band and from thereon it sort of drifts away somewhat.
The contemporary feeling at the time was "Queen - good band, reasonable first album" but no real sign of the growth of the monster that was to become a national institution by the time of their demise some eighteen years later.
I'm not a Queen fan but I love this one February 24, 2007
Peter Jones (england)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Before Queen found their feet and decided to be a flambouyant, slightly glam and later a tongue-in-cheek rock band, Queen were churning out well-crafted no-nonsense heavy rock classics.
This album is a mixture of ballads (Doin' Alright) and classy heavy metal (Liar and Great King Rat).
The whole effect is far less pretentious than their later offerings, and a bit unsure of itself but great fun, nasty and loud.
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