BURBANK, CA (Hollywood Records) - Hard to believe it's been three decades since the release of QUEEN's breakthrough album A NIGHT AT THE OPERA.
The record, Queen's fourth since arriving on the scene in '73, went to No. 1 in several countries around the world, was the band's first to hit the top five on the Billboard album chart and earned them their first gold record in the States. The landmark album was recorded in six different studios between August and November of '75 and encapsulated everything about Queen's music that made it so unique. Combining outstanding showmanship with remarkable versatility,
Queen could literally do it all-and here, on one record, was the ultimate proof. The album's success was fueled by two massive hits, "You're My Best Friend," and the type of song which has never been seen before os since, rock radio staple "Bohemian Rhapsody." Since its release in '75, the album has sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone and remains one of the most influential rock records of all time.
In 2005, Hollywood Records salutes the critically acclaimed, ahead-of-their-time quartet with a special collector's edition of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. Scheduled for a November 22nd release, the new CD and DVD versions of the album have been completely restored from original analog tapes and re-mastered by Bob Ludwig in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound. The special bonus DVD is the ultimate audio and visual Queen experience.
The DVD sparkles with rich visuals for every track, including restored versions of the original "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "You're My Best Friend" videos. The other classic tracks are set to new videos and picture albums drawn from the band's extensive live performance and photo library.
The DVD also features bonus track-by-track commentary, culled from both new and historic interviews with the original 4 members (vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor).
"Months of craftsmanship by true perfectionists have gone into wringing every ounce out of the original master recordings and into this hitherto unequalled 'high definition' domain," says May. "Never has the recording been so carefully balanced, so carefully cleansed of clicks and pops from so many sources, some of which were even present on the original mix master tapes. This is quite simply the best Night At The Opera ever produced."
The full track listing for A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is as follows:
Disc One - CD
A Night At The Opera - studio album. Re-mastered in 5.1 surround sound and stereo
Disc Two - DVD
A Night At The Opera - studio album presented in both DTS 5.1 Surround Sound and the re-mastered stereo mix.
"Death On Two Legs" - new video featuring archive "live" footage
"Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon" - picture gallery featuring rare and previously unseen photos
"I'm In Love With My Car" - new video featuring archive "live" footage
"'39" - new video featuring Brian May 2005 performance at Sheffield, archive "live" footage for chorus, plus 1960's space footage
"Sweet Lady" - new video featuring archive "live" footage
"Seaside Rendezvous" - new video featuring archive seaside footage
"Prophet's Song" - new video featuring mixture of archive "live" footage and exclusive new footage of Brian playing the toy Koto
"Love of My Life" - new video featuring mixture of archive "live" footage and slo-mo images
"Good Company" - new video featuring archive footage
"Bohemian Rhapsody" - existing 4:3 "flames" promo
"God Save The Queen" - new video featuring mixture of archive "live" footage and "Party at the Palace" footage of Brian on the roof.
Extra Features:
Audio commentary - archive and new audio of the band discussing the songs and the recording of the album
On Screen Lyrics
The reissue is the latest in a flurry of Queen activity, following their first live dates in America in two decades, a star-studded tribute album and recent DVD and CD releases with legendary rock vocalist Paul Rodgers.
