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Innuendo

Queen - Innuendo Audio CD

A fair review of the Queen "Innuendo" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Queen reviews here, or go back to the Queen tabs.

Band: Queen
Title: Innuendo
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-02-05
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Innuendo 2: I'm Going Slightly Mad 3: Headlong 4: I Can't Live with You 5: Don't Try So Hard 6: Ride the Wild Wind 7: All God's People 8: These Are the Days of Our Lives 9: Delilah 10: Hitman 11: Bijou 12: Show Must Go On

A Memorable Exit at the End of the Show
Mercury was a shy, very private person who disliked personality publicity; nonetheless, on 23 November 1991 he released a press statement, admitting that he had AIDS. Queen ceased to tour in 1986; rumors that Mercury was ill began to surface in 1987, and music videos and photographs associated with the 1991 INNUENDO showed him disturbingly thin. Astonishingly, he died the following day, even while INNUENDO remained on the charts in many nations around the world.

INNUENDO was created by Queen in full knowledge that it would likely be Mercury's last project and many of the selections are emotionally charged, some very openly so on the subject of personal mortality. This is particularly true of the opening and closing tracks, the title "Innuendo" and the closing "The Show Must Go On," both astonishing cuts that show the band surpassing itself. Insiders indicate that "I'm Going Slightly Mad" was Mercury's own very ironic take on the issue of AIDS-related dementia; "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" has a nostalgic meloncholia. All four are extraordinary, emotionally and musically wrenching, showing Queen at its best. But Queen was like most other bands in at least one sense: their albums always included one or two pieces that could be described as commercial filler and now and then even a clunker or two. INNUENDO is no exception.

"Headlong" was chosen as the opening single for the American market, and it is easy to see why: it is a straight forward rocker well-written, expertly performed, and without the emotional or intellectual depth that Americans shy away from in terms of radio airplay. Even so, it is the sort of song that Queen could do without five minutes of thought--and the "boomp-diddy-diddy, boomp-diddy-diddy-do" refrain is hardly inspired. "I Can't Live With You," "Don't Try So Hard," "Ride The Wild Wind," "All God's People," and "The Hitman" are much the same: commercial rock performed as only Queen could, which is to say beautifully done, but not really approaching the full scope of the band's abilities. INNUENDO also has a clunker or two. The first of these is "Delilah," Mercury's ode to his pet housecat. In truth, the piece starts out well. But while the music remains strong throughout, the lyrics faulter and ultimately seem trivial and self-indulgent. And then there is "Bijou," which is merely maudlin in a calculated sort of way.

When all is said and done, INNUENDO is very much "old school" Queen, anthem-like, exotic, an odd mixture of flash-bang and cool introspection, and including several extraordinary songs that transcend the rest of the album, which is on balance very good. Whatever his health issues at the time, Mercury's voice was never better, flowing across four octaves and then some; Deacon, May, and Taylor spot on their performances as well. It is not a perfect album. Few albums are. It may not even be the "best" Queen album--many would give that title elsewhere. Even so, the presence of "Innuendo," "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "These Are The Days of Our Lives," and the incredibly soaring "The Show Must Go On" make INNUENDO an absolute must-have.

In the months before his death Mercury recorded as many tracks as possible, and these were worked with by his surviving band mates to create the 1995 MADE IN HEAVEN, which is technically the last recording Queen released with Mercury as vocalist. All the same, and in spite of its flaws, INNUENDO "feels" more akin to Mercury's exit: his voice has grace and power, and while a fair number of songs on the recording are somewhat beneath his talents--and the talents of his bandmates--it is overall quite haunting. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer.

Another Classic
Truthfully I put off buying Innuendo because I really didn't think I'd like the product. That just depends on what constitues Classic. Afterall you can see it all on YouTube. . . So why buy.

Well why buy? Simply having Innuendo CD playing on your own MP3, IPod, Cell or what ever, you will get better quality of sound and not have to be bothered by all the buffering that goes on with YouTube.

Truthfully I can not tell you which is Classic Queen I just know that their music is and always will be the very best on this planet. Nobody has ever or will ever be able to come close to Freddie Mercury's vocal stylings. So there you got my opinion. These are awesome and unique melodies put forth my the very best musicians in the history of this galaxy.
Yes I admit that I am totally addicted to music of Freddie Mercury and Queen. Surely I'm not alone. Join us.

I know I'm in the minority here, but....
I found INNUENDO an interesting Queen recording, but not a classic. The raves for this CD surprised me a bit. Starting off with the ridiculously grandiose (in a good way!) title cut, this CD starts well and there are other cuts that support the idea that this is a good Queen project. "Headlong" rides Taylor's drums right into a nice rocker, "I Can't Live with You" spins a very basic concept into one of those nice Queen harmonies that move right along with Freddie leading the pack, "These are the Days of Our Lives" should have been a maudlin piece but is saved by Freddy's great interpretation of the nostalgic lyrics, and "The Show Must Go On" ranks as one of the great closing numbers of all time. But their best work? "Bijou" would have been a better fit for Joe Satriani, "Hitman" and "Ride The Wild Wind" are just silly flights of fancy with no hook to ground them and I could have went my whole life without having to listen to Queen's homage to "Delilah" with it's ridiculous "Meeow" chorus. One of my favorite band's and while this is worth having and I'm glad some love it so much, but for me, it's just OK.

The Best of the Best
Very talented, never sounding like anyone else, excellent live band, it's too bad this CD is their swan song with Freddie. Growing up Queen was always one of my favourite bands, and I still love them as much today. I loved Freddie Mercury, amazing voice, so talented. Some of these songs just make me want to cry cause you know what was happening at this time. There are a couple of songs that are just ok, but in all outstanding work, even Delilah(Freddie's song for one of his cats) is bittersweet.

Freddie's swan song.
Rock was about to lose one of its icons. It was 1991. Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, was dying of AIDS and eventually succumbed to the disease. But before they did, they released one last album, sort of as a farewell. It became one of the best of Queen's new albums, and for a good reason.

The songs in this album range from hard to just plain haunting. The track opens up with the album title track, a progressive track involving many instruments, including a Spanish guitar. It then goes on to "I'm Going Slightly Mad," with its haunting keyboards and allusions to madness with its lyrics. Then it goes into "Headlong," a more enthusiastic song that's fast paced. The songs then range from rockers to songs about Freddie's pet cat. Songs such as "The Hitman" are straight up guitar, while tracks such as "Deliah" are more synthesized. Then, the album ends with another eerie track, "The Show Must Go On," which is Freddie's last song and one with probably the most meaning.

This is an album that's high reccomended, especially for Queen fans. .

You can see a complete list of all Queen discography, or go back to the Queen tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.