The record is oft maligned as an exercise in water-treading, or at least a pale re-hash of the ground covered by A Night At The Opera. However, my view is that it has many and varied virtues. So, I thought that I would indulge in a little revisionism!
The first observation I would make is that A Day At The Races is the most quintessentially "Queenesque" of all their albums, containing in distilled and condensed form all of the elements which informed their 1970s output in particular. Compact, lithe, comprising ten songs of roughly equal length, discarding the vignettes, oddities and curiosities seen on earlier records. Straight-ahead, well-crafted melodic rock music.
Another trait of A Night At The Opera absent from its "sequel" is the excessive perfectionism and "patchwork production". This was the first album which the group in essence produced themselves. In places the mix is somewhat "muddy", with Freddie Mercury's voice almost buried, and not captured with too much clarity.
The genre excursions on this album are more fully rounded and realised than on previous works, and not just perfunctory nods.
Belying its reputation with some people, there are some genuinely memorable songs on A Day At The Races, which have withstood the test of time. The sequencing of the tracks was well executed, instilling a sense of balance and contrast. A clever touch was to book-end the album with an affecting "staircase" motif, adding to the feeling of cohesion and continuity.
After the meteoric success enjoyed by A Night At The Opera, many might have felt that Queen were under pressure to improve on it, or subject to the temptation to change direction radically. However, what they seem to have done is just gone ahead and recorded an album to the best of their ability. So this can be regarded as a pause for breath, or consolidation, but entertaining and skillful consolidation all the same. Some of the self-consciousness and excess of the previous LP disappeared as part of this process.
In the songwriting stakes, Mercury and Brian May were still dominant, with the breakthrough of Roger Taylor and John Deacon still just around the corner. It is arguable that a greater "democratization" of the songwriting duties diluted some of Queen's later records.
The album opens with "Tie Your Mother Down", one of the band's most enduring rockers. When performed live, the song could be frantic and breathless, but the studio rendition has a certain grandeur about it. When Brian May addresses such subject matter, there is an endearing coyness about his approach. This, however, is a good, energetic beginning, if not truly representative of the record as a whole.
"You Take My Breath Away" is one of the most chillingly ethereal and beautiful of all Freddie Mercury's creations. It is tempting to view this as a "sequel" to "Love of My Life". To my ears, many of these piano ballads have aged better than most of Queen's output.
A typically introspective, enigmatic and reflective May song, "Long Away" is sonically at variance, because of the different guitar sounds employed. The melody is, in truth, quite bland, but there are other things which hold the interest. Possibly the weakest track on the album, though.
It is the likes of "Millionaire Waltz" which tend to give fuel to Queen's detractors, who accuse them of being too pompous and overblown. This intricate and ambitious song has a distinct Gilbert and Sullivan flavour, and it is more convincing and likeable than some other similar excursions. In saying that, it will hardly have endeared Queen to 1976's nascent punk scene!
"You and I" is a typically straightforward melodic John Deacon love song, although here imbued with the traditional Queen trademarks of multitracked vocals and guitars. There is something intangibly attractive about this song, which may be traceable to its deceptive melody and warm production.
The big single from the album was "Somebody To Love". This original studio recording does lack a certain guile and suppleness in comparison to the later spectacular live versions, which afforded much scope for improvisation and ad-libbing. The production is a touch leaden, perhaps weighed down by the "gospel choir", and Freddie's voice is a little submerged. There are many highlights and hooks to be relished, however.
A protest song of sorts, "White Man" follows. I have never been able to fully reconcile in my mind whether this track is clumsy or subtle. It was rare in those days for Queen to engage in socio-political commentary; this not becoming a more regular feature of their music until the 1980s. Brian May always seemed to have it in him, as has been displayed in recent times, but back then he was more reticent. Light and shade are used to good effect here, and the lyrics are quite strident at times.
Another pleasing if ultimately lightweight effort, "Good Old Fashioned Loverboy" works well in the context of leavening things. An inventive and punchy arrangement lifts it above the mediocre.
An intriguing song, Roger Taylor's "Drowse" seems to allude to the composer's upbringing, and his attempts to rebel and transcend his sleepy and conservative environs. The arrangement, dominated by Brian May's slide guitar, perfectly befits the soporific backdrop to the story. Taylor's vocal is delivered in a more deadpan style than most of his other performances.
The closer, "Teo Torriatte", seems to have been conceived as some form of tribute to Japan and its people, after Queen developed a real affinity with the country on their early tours there. Quite a mood piece, featuring some pleasing vocals from Freddie in the verses and haunting keyboard work by May.
So to conclude A Day At The Races is a solid effort, with some strong songs, and common strands holding things together, so that there is a real sense of having listened to an album. Listen, and enjoy!
I don't think there's anything wrong with Millionaire Waltz, it's a great song (and it has a delicious wine named after it!).
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