Carátula del álbum A day at the races de Queen

Álbum: A day at the races

Artista: Queen

1976
★★★★★
Basado en 51 votos

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Lanzado en 1976, A Day at the Races fue concebido como un álbum hermano de su aclamado predecesor, A Night at the Opera. No solo comparte la inspiración de su título de una película de los Hermanos Marx, sino que también presenta un diseño de portada especular y una estructura musical que expande el eclecticismo y la opulencia del álbum de 1975.

Fue el primer álbum producido íntegramente por la propia banda, sin la colaboración de Roy Thomas Baker, lo que demuestra la creciente confianza del grupo en su propia visión de estudio. El resultado es un trabajo que, aunque a menudo comparado con su "gemelo", posee una identidad propia y algunos de los himnos más perdurables de Queen.

Contexto y Producción

Tras el monumental éxito de "A Night at the Opera" y "Bohemian Rhapsody", la presión sobre Queen era inmensa. En lugar de cambiar de rumbo, decidieron profundizar en la fórmula que les había dado el éxito: una producción meticulosa, arreglos complejos y una audaz mezcla de géneros.

La decisión de autoproducirse fue un paso significativo. Contrataron al ingeniero Mike Stone, quien había trabajado en sus álbumes anteriores, para que les asistiera técnicamente, pero todas las decisiones creativas recayeron sobre los cuatro miembros. Las sesiones de grabación se llevaron a cabo en The Manor, Wessex y Sarm East Studios, y fueron, una vez más, un proceso largo y costoso.

Análisis Musical y Estilo

Musicalmente, "A Day at the Races" sigue la pauta de su predecesor, ofreciendo una amplia gama de estilos. El hard rock potente convive con baladas de piano intrincadas, temas de music hall y arreglos corales de inspiración góspel. La producción es impecable, con las características sobregrabaciones de guitarras y voces llevadas a nuevas cotas de complejidad.

En "Somebody to Love", por ejemplo, la banda creó la ilusión de un coro de góspel de cien voces superponiendo las voces de Mercury, May y Taylor decenas de veces, una proeza de producción para la época.

Análisis de las canciones

El álbum arranca con "Tie Your Mother Down", un himno de hard rock construido sobre uno de los riffs más icónicos de Brian May. La introducción, una breve pieza de guitarra armonizada, es en realidad una repetición del cierre del álbum, creando una estructura circular. La canción se convirtió en un pilar fundamental de sus conciertos.

"Somebody to Love" es la pieza central del álbum. Influenciada por el estilo de Aretha Franklin, esta composición de Freddie Mercury es una súplica apasionada construida sobre un complejo arreglo de piano y su masivo coro góspel. El sencillo fue un éxito mundial inmediato.

"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" es otra incursión de Mercury en el music hall, una canción alegre y teatral. Brian May aporta la balada de rock "Long Away", en la que canta como voz principal. El álbum se cierra con la épica "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)", un tributo a sus fans japoneses que incluye dos estribillos cantados íntegramente en japonés.

Lanzamiento y Rendimiento en Listas

El álbum fue otro éxito masivo para la banda, alcanzando el número 1 en las listas del Reino Unido, Japón y los Países Bajos. En Estados Unidos, llegó al número 5 y se convirtió rápidamente en disco de platino.

Recepción Crítica

La recepción crítica fue mayoritariamente positiva, aunque algunos críticos lo consideraron una continuación demasiado segura de la fórmula de "A Night at the Opera". Con el tiempo, ha sido reconocido como un álbum de altísima calidad que, aunque no revolucionario, consolida a Queen en la cima de su poder creativo y comercial.

Listado de Canciones

  1. Tie Your Mother Down
    vídeo del tema Tie Your Mother Down
    Get your party gown Get your pigtail down Get your heart beatin baby Got your timin right Got your act all tight Its gotta be tonight my little Schoolbabe Your momma says you don't And your daddy says you wont And I'm boilin up inside Aint no way I'm gonna lose out this time Tie your mother down Tie your mother down Lock your daddy out of doors I don't need him nosing around Tie your mother down Tie your mother down Give me all your love tonight Youre such a dirty louse Go get outta my house That's all I ever get from your Family ties, in fact I don't think I ever heard A single little civil word from those guys But you know I don't give a light I'm gonna make out all right I've got a sweetheart hand To put a stop to all that Grousin an snipin Tie your mother down Tie your mother down Take your little brother swimmin With a brick (that's all right) Tie your mother down, Tie your mother down Or you aint no friend of mine Your momma and your daddy gonna Plague me til I die Why can't they understand I'm just a Peace lovin guy Tie your mother down Tie your mother down. .. Etc etc. ..
  2. You Take My Breath Away

    Letra

    Words and music by freddie mercury Oooh oooh take it take it all away Oooh ooh take my breath away Oooh ooh yoooo take my breath away Look into my eyes and you'll see Im the only one You've captured my love stolen my heart Changed my life Every time you make a move you destroy my mind And the way you touch I lose control and shiver deep inside You take my breath away You can reduce me to tears with a single sigh Ev'ry breath that you take Any sound that you make is a whisper in my ear I could give up all my life for just one kiss I would surely die if you dismiss me from your love You take my breath away So please don't go Don't leave me here all by myself I get ever so lonely from time to time I will find you anywhere you go I'll be right behind you Right until the ends of the earth Ill get no sleep until I find you To tell you that you just take my breath away I will find you anywhere you go Right until the ends of the earth I'll get no sleep until I find you To tell you when Ive found you I love you Take my breath take my breath ... away
  3. Long Away

    Letra

    You might believe in heaven I would not care to say For every star in heaven There's a sad soul here today Wake up in the morning with a good face Stare at the moon all day Lonely as a whisper on a star chase Does anyone care anyway For all the prayers in heaven So much of life's this way Did we leave our way behind us Such a long long way behind us Who knows when, now who knows where Where the light of day will find us? Look for the day Take heart, my friend, we love you Though it seems like you're alone A million lights above you Smile down upon your home Hurry put your troubles in a suitcase Come let the new child play Lonely as a whisper on a star chase I'm leaving here, I'm long away For all the stars in heaven I would not live I could not live this way Did we leave our way behind us Such a long way behind us Leave it for some hopeless lane Such a long long way Such a long long way Such a long long away I'm looking for Still looking for that day
  4. The Millionaire Waltz
  5. You And I

    Letra

    Music is playing in the darkness And a lantern goes swinging by Shadows flickering My heart's jittering Just you and I Not tonight, come tomorrow When everything's sunny and bright (Sunny and bright) No, no, no, come tomorrow Cos then we'll be waiting for the moonlight We'll go walking in the moonlight Walking in the moonlight Ooh laughter ringing in the darkness People drinking for days gone by Time don't mean a thing When you're by my side Please stay a while Ooh you know I never could forsee the future years You know I never could see where life was leading me But will we be together forever What will be my love Can't you see that I just don't know, don't know No, no, not tonight, come tomorrow When everythings gonna be alright (Sunny and bright) Wait and see if tomorrow Will be as happy as we're feeling tonight We'll go walking in the moonlight Walking in the moonlight I can hear the music in the darkness Floating softly to where we lie No more questions now Let's enjoy tonight, just you and I Oh, oh, oh, just you and I Can't you see that we've got to be together Be together, just you and I, just you and I
  6. Somebody To Love
    vídeo del tema Somebody To Love
    Can Anybody find me somebody to love? Each morning I get up, I die a little Can't barely stand on my feet (Take a look at yourself) I take a look in the mirror (In the mirror) and cry (And cry) (yeha, yhea) Lord what you're doing to me? (Yeah, yeah) I have spent all my years in believing you (Ooh, believing you) But I just can't get no relief, lord Somebody, (Somebody), oh somebody (Somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love? I work (He works hard) every day of my life I work 'till I ache my bones At the end (At the end of the day) I take home (he takes home) my hard earned pay all on my own (Goes home on his own) I get down (Down) on my knees (Knees) and I start to pray (Praise the lord) 'Till the tears run down from my eyes, lord (Ooh, lord) Somebody (Somebody), ooh somebody (Please) Can anybody find me somebody to love? (He works hard) Everyday (Everyday) And I try and I try and I try But everybody wants to put me down And they say I'm goin' crazy They say I got a lot of water in my brain I got no common sense I got nobody left to believe (He's got nobody left to believe) (Ooh lord) Oh Somebody, ooh (Somebody) Anybody find me somebody to love? (Anybody find me someone to love?) Got no feel, I got no rhythm I just keep losing my beat (You just keep losing and losing) I'm ok, I'm alright (He's alright, he's alright) I ain't gonna face no defeat (Yeah, yeah) I just gotta get out of this prison cell Someday I'm gonna be free, lord (One day I'm gonna be free, lord) Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love (Find me, find me, find me) Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love (Somebody, somebody, somebody) Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody find me, somebody find me somebody to love Can anybody find me somebody to love? Somebody to love? (Find me somebody to love) Ooh (Find me somebody to love) Find me somebody, somebody (find me somebody to love) somebody, somebody to love (Find me somebody to love) Find me, find me, find me, find me, find me Ooh- somebody to love (Find me somebody to love) Ooh (Find me somebody to love) Find me, find me, find me somebody to love (Find me somebody to love) Anybody, anywhere, anybody find me somebody to love love love! Find me, find me, find me love.
  7. White Man

    Letra

    Words and music by brian may I'm a simple man with a simple name From this soil my people came In this soil remain oh yeah oh yeah He made us our shoes And we trod soft on the land But the immigrant built roads On our blood and sand oh yeah White man white man Don't you see the light behind your blackened skies White man white man You took away the sight to blind my simple eyes White man white man Where you gonna hide from the hell youve made Oh the red man knows wars With his hands and his knives On the Bible you swore Fought your battle with lies oh yeah Leave my body in shame Leave my soul in disgrace But by evry gods name Say a prayer for your race oh yeah White man white man Our country was green and all our rivers wide White man white man You came with a gun and soon our children died White man white man Don't you give a light for the blood youve shed? White man white man White man White man white man For you battled with lies White man white man Still lies White man white man Say you look around every skin and bone again What is left of your dream? Just the words on your stone A man who learned how to teach Then forgot how to learn Oh yeah
  8. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
    vídeo del tema Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
    I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things We can do the tango just for two I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings Be a Valentino just for you Ooh love, ooh loverboy Whatcha doin' tonight, ooh, hey boy? Set my alarm, turn on my charm That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy Ooh let me feel your heartbeat (Grow faster, faster) (Ooh, ooh) Can you feel my love heat? Come on and sit on my hot-seat of love And tell me how do you feel right after-all I'd like for you and I to go romancing Say the word, your wish is my command Ooh love, ooh loverboy Whatcha you doin' tonight, ooh, hey boy? Write my letter Feel much better and use my fancy patter on the telephone When I'm not with you, I think of you always I miss you (I miss those long, hot summer nights) When I'm not with you, think of me always Love you, love you Hey boy, where did you get it from? Hey boy, where did you go? I learned my passion in the good old fashioned school of loverboys Dining at the Ritz we'll meet at nine (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine o'clock) Precisely I'll pay the bill, you taste the wine Driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely Just take me back to yours that will be fine (Come on and get it) Ooh love, (there he goes again) Ooh loverboy (he's my good old-fashioned lover boy ooh) What're you doin' tonight, hey boy? Everything's alright, just hold on tight That's because I'm a good old-fashioned, fashioned lover boy
  9. Drowse

    Letra

    It's the sad eyed goodbye Yesterday's moments I remember It's the bleak street, weak-kneed partings, I recall It's the mistier mists the hazier days The brighter sun and the easier lays There's all the more reason for laughing and crying When you're younger and life isn't to hard at all It's the fantastic drowse Of the afternoon sundays That bored you to rages of tears The unending pleadings To waste all your good times In thoughts of your middle-aged years It's the vertical hold all the things that you're told For the everyday hero it all turns to zero And there's all the more reason For living or dying when you're young And your troubles are all very small Out here on the street we'd gather and meet And scuff up the sidewalk With endlessly restless feet Half on the time we'd broaden our minds More in the pool hall Than we did in the school hall With the down town chewing gum bums Watching the night life the lights and the fun Never wanted to be the boy next door Always thought I'd be something more But it ain't easy for a small town boy It ain't easy at all Thinkin' it right and doin' it wrong It's easier from an arm chair Waves of alternatives wash over my sleepiness Have my eggs poached for breakfast I guess I think I'll be Clint Eastwood Jimi Hendrix, he was good Let's try William, the conqueror Now who else do I like?
  10. Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)

    Letra

    When I'm gone Don't need to wonder if I ever think of you The same moon shines The same wind blows For both of us and time is but a paper moon be not gone Though I'm gone It's just as though I hold the flower that touches you A new life grows The blossom knows There's no one else could warm my heart as much as you Be not gone Let us cling together as the years go by Oh, my love, my love In the quiet of the night Let our candle always burn Let us never lose the lessons we have learned Teo torriate konomama iko Aisuruhito yo Shizukana yoi ni Hikario tomoshi Itoshiki oshieo idaki Hear my song Still think of me the way you've come to think of me The nights grow long But dreams live on Just close your pretty eyes and you can be with me Dream on Teo torriate konomama iko Aisuruhito yo Shizukana yoi ni Hikario tomoshi Itoshiki oshieo idaki When I'm gone They'd say we're all fools and we don't understand Oh, be strong Don't turn your heart We're all You're all For all For always Let us cling together as the years go by Oh, my love, my love In the quiet of the night Let our candle always burn Let us never lose the lessons we have learned