Queen‘s Iconic A Night At The Opera Album and Bohemian Rhapsody Single To Get lavish 50th Anniversary Vinyl Reissues
Pre-Order Bohemian Rhapsody: https://Queen.lnk.to/BoRhap50th
Pre-Order A Night at the Opera: https://Queen.lnk.to/ANightAtTheOpera
Teaser link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zonKiGI5fM
Regal rock icons Queen are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their monumental multi-platinum 1975 album A Night At The Opera and legendary Diamond-certified single Bohemian Rhapsody with opulent vinyl reissues.
Originally released in November 1975 and featuring the classic line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, A Night At The Opera was Queen’s grandest artistic statement and most successful album to that point, reaching Number 1 in five countries, including the UK.
Marking 50 years since its original release, A Night At The Opera will be reissued on lavish crystal clear vinyl with gold labels on October 18 in the UK (as part of National Album Day) and October 17 in the rest of the world.
Bohemian Rhapsody, which spent a record-breaking nine weeks at Number 1 in the UK singles chart on its original release, is also being reissued on October 31 as a transparent, blue heavyweight 7” vinyl and transparent, blue heavyweight 12” vinyl. It will also be available as a direct-to-consumer exclusive 12” picture disc and blue cassette single.
Both reissues will be released on Universal worldwide excluding US, where they will be released via Hollywood Records
“A Night At The Opera was a hugely important album for us,” says Queen guitarist Sir Brian May. “It opened up the world for us.”
“We were at the peak of our confidence,” adds drummer Roger Taylor, “It felt like there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do, and it shows on that album.”
1975 was a pivotal year for Queen. A Night At The Opera and Bohemian Rhapsody propelled them to new commercial and artistic heights, sealing their status as one of the most visionary bands Britain has ever produced. Artists as diverse as the Foo Fighters and The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson have saluted their multi-faceted brilliance, with the latter describing Bohemian Rhapsody as “a fulfilment and an answer to a teenage prayer of artistic music”.
The single continues to be voted the best single of all time, most recently topping the popular chart of UK’s leading radio outlet Gold Radio’s Top 300 Hall of Fame listeners vote.
Queen recorded A Night At The Opera with producer Roy Thomas Baker at multiple studios, including the legendary Rockfield Studios in South Wales. It was created against a backdrop of change, with the band having recently extricated themselves from a financially crippling management contract and signed up with Elton John’s manager, John Reid.
As a result, a newfound sense of freedom courses through A Night At The Opera. Building on the ambitious musical foundations laid down by their first three albums (1973’s Queen I, and 1974’s Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack), this is the sound of a band unconfined by expectation or boundaries.
“We truly felt like we could try anything at that point,” guitarist Brian May remembers. “As songwriters, we were challenging each other and competing with each other in the best possible way.”
A Night At The Opera contains an entire musical universe within its 12 songs, covering virtually every style imaginable, from the vicious, glam-tinged hard rock of opening track Death On Two Legs to Roger Taylor’s roaring boy-racer hymn I’m In Love With My Car, from Freddie Mercury’s soaring, heartfelt Love Of My Life to the yearning sci-fi-inspired folk of Brian May’s ’39.
Elsewhere, they conjure up the perfect pop-rock of John Deacon’s You’re My Best Friend, Mercury’s cheeky Noel Coward homage Seaside Rendezvous and May’s charming, one-man-jazz band song Good Company, plus the playful riffage of the guitarist’s Sweet Lady and his staggering, multi-tracked eight-minute epic The Prophet’s Song.
If any song defines the ambition that fuelled A Night At The Opera, it’s Bohemian Rhapsody. This dazzling fusion of existential balladry, hard rock power and operatic grandeur, conceived by Mercury and painstakingly pieced together by the band, is more than just Queen’s best-known song; it has become a touchstone song for every subsequent generation that has become wrapped up in its majesty.
“I always believed in Bohemian Rhapsody from the start,” says Taylor. “The first time Fred played us his idea for it, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is something special.’ And it was.”
On its original release, A Night At The Opera gave Queen their very first UK Number 1 album and topped the charts in five countries in total. It reached Number 4 in the US, where it has been certified triple platinum for sales in excess of three million copies.
Bohemian Rhapsody itself spent a record-breaking nine weeks at Number 1 in the UK, sealing Queen’s ascent to greatness, while its accompanying promo film is undeniably the most influential music video in history.
After being re-released in 1991 following Freddie Mercury’s death, Bohemian Rhapsody once again reached Number 1 in the UK. In 2004, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame and in 2022 the single was selected for preservation in the US Library Of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
“It really was a watershed album for us,” says Sir Brian May, today. “Thanks in a large part to Bohemian Rhapsody, people knew who we were – not just in the UK, but in America, Australia, everywhere.”
“It’s such an eclectic album,’ adds Roger Taylor. “It’s mad and it’s wonderful and it’s got a bit of everything in it.”
A Night At The Opera is reissued on crystal clear vinyl with gold labels on October 17 (excluding the UK) and October 18 (UK).
Bohemian Rhapsody is released on heavyweight blue 7” and 12” single, 12” picture disc and blue cassette single on October 31.
