Then the end rock section was recorded as a separate song, in the way that we would normally record a loud rock number of that period. We just left a 30‑second strip of tape on the reel for later use, not knowing that we would even overrun it. We never really started the opera section at that point. "The first half or ballad section was done with piano, drums and bass - the normal routine. But the opera section ended up nothing like the original concept, because we kept changing it and adding things to it."īaker and Queen recorded the basic backing track in three sections at Kingsley Ward's Rockfield Studios, later transferring to Scorpion Studios in North London and SARM for work on the guitar overdubs and extensive vocals. The beginning section was pretty spot on and the end section was fairly similar, although we obviously embellished it with guitars and lots of overdubs. But things often have a habit of evolving differently once you're inside the studio, and it did get longer and bigger. It was obviously very unusual and we originally planned to have just a couple of 'Galileos'. "It was the first time that an opera section had been incorporated into a pop record, let alone a Number One. I had worked with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at Decca where I learned a lot about vocals and the way vocals are stressed, so I was probably one of the few people in the whole world who knew exactly what he was talking about. He played a bit further through the song and then stopped suddenly, saying, 'This is where the opera section comes in.' We both just burst out laughing. He sat down at his piano and said, 'I'd like to play you a song that I'm working on at the moment.' So he played the first part and said, 'This is the chord sequence', followed by the interim part, and although he didn't have all the lyrics together yet, I could tell it was going to be a ballady number. 'This Is Where The Opera Section Comes In.'īaker recalls his first hearing of the song: "We were going out to dinner one night and I met Freddie at his apartment in Kensington. Little did the producer realise that every ounce of his acquired expertise would be called upon in moulding this epic. Baker had already produced Queen's first three albums ( Queen, Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack) by the time Mercury casually previewed a new song called 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Vital to Queen's palette of sound was producer Roy Thomas Baker who, while at Decca and Trident Studios, had gained vast experience in rock, opera, and classical music. At the time it was the most expensive single ever made and guitarist Brian May was to later refer to the track's parent album, A Night At The Opera, as "our Sgt Pepper". During the making of the track, however, a further four studios - SARM (East), Scorpion, Wessex and Roundhouse - were used. Recording began at Rockfield Studio 1 near Monmouth on August 24, 1975, after a 3‑week rehearsal period in Herefordshire. With one broad sweep, it sealed Queen's future in the Premier Division of rock performers and studio experimentalists. Although 'Killer Queen', a year earlier, showed the band was a cut above the rest of the rock pack in terms of inventiveness, nothing could possibly prepare the listener for 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Metamorphosing from wistful ballad to an operatic pastiche with a fiery rock climax, all within six short minutes, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was greeted like manna from heaven in the dull musical wasteland between glam‑rock and punk. Later, propelled by the tragic death of its composer, Freddie Mercury, the single returned to Number One for a second time in 1991. Released on October 31, 1975, it was a production beyond comparison, residing at the top of the UK chart for nine weeks and honoured in 1977 by the BPI as 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years'. Twenty years after its original release, Mark Cunningham learns how the mercurial muse was committed to tape from its producer, Roy Thomas Baker, and (then assistant) mix engineer, Gary Langan.įew singles can boast the technical and commercial achievements of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. A lavish production well ahead of its time, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' remains one of British rock's finest moments.
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