A Night At The Opera-musical analysis.

A Night At The Opera was Rock band Queens 4th album and at the time apparently the most expensive album ever made with recording taking place at 5 different studios (and even three at the same time). The recording techniques demonstrated as well as the inventiveness of the music which easily fit together and incorporated many different styles and genres into their one.

Despite recording other semi-successful albums and being the band that they were pre-ANATO queen had very little money due maybe to the nature of their success or as they saw it due to their manager who to get rid off they eventually hired a lawyer (who would later become their manager). Because of this they had to pay a type of severance package almost of £100,000 which they definitely couldn't afford. They decided to make a new album and they definitely needed the cash if the album was a flop then they would be ruined and the band (according to Brian May) would probably have disbanded, they had no choice their new album had to be a success.

They queen allegedly recorded at five separate studios and at the time were able to use 24 track technology in order to record; though apparently even this wasn't enough. Queen used a lot of over dubs on vocals and as well as on guitar (some vocal parts apparently had more than one hundred). It is said that they recorded on to some tape so often that they started to ware it out and could see through it having to transfer to other tape. Having to use so many vocals on overdubs if done manually would mean that the harmonies would probably become extremely messy however queen made use of double tracking technology where they could record the main harmonies and then re-record the same sounds back on to the tape but delayed by fractions of a second in order to create a thicker sound. This double tracking wasn't only used on the vocals but on the guitar as well in order to create lusher sounds. The double tracking on good company a Trad Jazz Like ditty played with ukulele and double bass. use is made of double tracking guitar in order to note by note create trumpet like sounds.
Queen really was a rock band but inside this and inside this album they fuse many different genres and styles in order to create theirs. Much of the album as stated by the is like an opera especially its single bohemian rhapsody however other elements and styles are also used such as folk, rock, heavy metal pop and ballad like songs. Death on two legs is a heavy metal songs written about former Queen manager. 39 is a song written in a folk style and songs like you're my best friend and love of my life are more pop orientated ballad like songs. The harmonies are really very intricate the opera/rock/ballad (basically just epic) type song bohemian rhapsody starts with an acaela introduction and then also has an acapla section in the middle also the prophets song has a long acapela section at the end. Sometimes harmonies such as the bohemian rhapsody introduction were done only by Freddy Mercury (the lead singer) however the other members of the band also contributed harmonies as well; Roger Taylor the bands drummer was a pretty good singer and had a higher range than Freddy. Rogers high falsetto can be heard on the middle section of bohemian rhapsody as well as on the prophets song etc. Brian Mays guitar solos are usually very melodic such as on lazing on a Sunday Afternoons guitar solo or any of the solos on Bohemian Rhapsody which were actually composed by Freddy Mercury on piano and then played to Brian May on piano for him to copy on his guitar.

Dark side of the moon musical analysis.

 

Dark side of the moon would be Pick Floyds eighth album and would finally see Pink Floyd realising mainstream success in what was their best album yet and indeed (arguably) the best album they would ever make. The album was largely influenced by their former band mate Syd Barret. Syd was the groups founder however when he started taking LSD it may have been that this is what turned him "mad" or that in exacerbated a condition(s) that he already had. Syd soon started behaving erratically not turning up to rehearsals or shows or if he did he played the wrong songs or didn't play at all. Soon he was replaced as lead guitarist by David Gilmour (a friend) but kept on as a non-performing band member to write songs for the group however despite being the creative powerhouse earlier on now he couldn't even write songs unless be it those that mysteriously changed structure, chords and lyrics every time it was performed (have you got it yet?). Eventually he was gotten rid of. The album dark side of the moon initial started as an album that talked about urban every day life and its difficulties however while being made it was soon turned into a meditation on madness by now lead man and songwriter Roger Waters.

 

At the time Pink Floyd were really on the cutting edge of technology using newer and better techniques to record their newest album. It was recorded at the legendary abbey road studios and made use of synthesisers as well as double track recording and was recorded on a 16 track machine (even though quite often Pink Floyd needed more than these sixteen tracks !). This double track recording was used extensively on Gilmour's guitar but also on Water's and Gilmour's vocals. Water's and Gilmour's vocals work very well all over the album but also in a way that it might not be noticed; this is because of the fact that Gilmour and water had (have) very similar vocal styles and voices which allowed them to double track in this way. The album also makes use or reversing parts as well as a large variety of samples specially on the song speak to me or the beginning of money. These samples were often of voices may of which were put over and between tracks. To get these voices pink Floyd interviewed a number of people using flashcards and then explored themes of death and violence with the interviewees whose responses were recorded 

 

The album is made using a symphonic like form where one song flows into the next and often are developments of each other. Pink Floyd were a progressive rock band and it was often the premise these bands to further music and to turn it in to more of an artformPink Floyd were well known for their long solo breaks this technique was used when the Pink Floyd were first a band still with Syd Barret and their repertoire wasn't particularly large however they discovered that by having huge solo breaks they could extend songs and therefore last the set maybe only with three. Dark side of the moon has some of these such as on money etc. Dark side of the moon starts with the fore mentioned speak to me which starts with a heartbeat slowly getting louder before other effects and samples start fading in before crescendoing into Breathe. Breathe makes use of slide guitar from Gilmour and is also sung by him this song is then reprised later on  in the album. Then we have On the run which has no lyrics but features cool synth sounds and footsteps running backwards and forwards and left and right across the listeners sonic field. Then there's time which start with the sounds of multiple clocks before changing to a repetitive synth sound over the top of which some pretty awesome chords are played before vocals come in showcasing one of the more rocky songs on the album. After this we have "the great gig in the sky" with a brilliant vocal solo from Clare Torry (who later sued Pink Floyd  for co-writing credits on the song) after this we have the show stopping gutsy "money" a song that talks about the dangers of having too much money and even seems against it (even though this song would make them plenty of money as the album sold over 35 million copies) and makes the unusual decision of changing between 4/4, 7/8 and 7/4 time signatures. We then have: Any colour you like it, Us and them (originally composed for a film but rejected by the director), Brain damage and then finale: eclipse.  


Dark sides of the moons death like and madness orientated music conjure up a powerful image in the mind of the beholder the album went on to sell over 35 million copies and became a hugely influential album that many believe was a pivotal moment in the evolution of rock music. Certainly it benefited the members of the band who came away from the album with a pretty large amount of money.   

 

 

 

Abbey Road - a musical analysis.

Abbey road would turn out to be the last album recorded by the Beatles (let it be despite being released after was recorded before abbey road during the get back sessions) and it would be recorded despite large rifts between members of the band and would result in what was arguably the best Beatles and by extension the best ever album.

Previous to this most albums and all Beatles albums were either mixed in mono or in both mono and stereo. Abbey road was mixed in only stereo which by the time the album was being recorded had become the most widely used format. Whereas other Beatles albums had been recorded using 2 track (even Sgt peppers only used four track) and 4 track machines when recording abbey road a move was made to 8 track and this enabled the Beatles to consider and to realise many more possibilities than they had previously done. Having eight tracks to play around with meant being able to have more complicated instrumentation or simply to improve the quality of the instrumentation already there. Having more tracks allowed Ringo's Drum kit to be miked with more mikes than it had previously been including ambient mikes and therefore to create a thicker fuller sound. This drum sound can be heard on the whole album however it is especially obvious during the drum solo on the end. Music was advancing at a fast rate and new ways of creating music and even new musical instruments were being invented. The moog was a keyboard based instrument and one of the very first synthesisers one of which was commissioned by George Harrison for his own use. The moog may have been a crude instrument however for the time is was revolutionary and would pave the way for other more sophisticated synthesisers to come. The moog is used quite widely in abbey road notably in: Here comes the sun, I want you, Maxwells silver hammer and Because. The album also made use of reverb for instance in come together where a clapping and a Shhh... sound are sent echoing by John Lennon.

The Beatles had a large amount of experience and musical influences to draw on in order to create their sound. Paul McCartney had a father who was a professional musician and from a young age was exposed to music through his father. John Lennon also came from a musical family with an aunt who was very fond of Bach and Tchaikovsky and a mother who taught him how to play guitar, banjo, piano and how to sing as well as to give him an appreciation of rock music. The Beatles grew up in Liverpool which was one of the main ports in England and because of this they had access to a large amount of American and foreign music.

Abbey road is a rock/pop album. Use is made of distorted guitar and the album has a great many rock songs such as: Come together, Oh darling, She's so heavy, you never give me your money etc. As well as being rock influenced the album has a large amount of others. Octopuses garden is a song that sounds very country, Maxwells silver hammer and here comes the sun are brilliant light hearted pop and something is perhaps the best love ballad ever written. As well as popular musical influences abbe road was also greatly influenced by classical music. Inspired by hearing Yoko Ono playing Beethoven's moonlight sonata on piano John Lennon composed because which makes use of spectacular chords heavenly harmonies and the slightly sinister eerie tones of the moog synthesiser. The main way in which the abbey road album however was influenced by classical movements however was the second half of the album: The abbey road medley. The abbey road melody is symphonic. Paul McCartney and George Martin came up with the concept and it included music from both Paul McCartney and John Lennon (who was opposed to the symphonic idea). The medley starts with "you never give me your money" which goes from a ballad on piano to a rocky mid-section and then a children's nursery rhyme. the songs on the medley aren't only connected to each other but in some ways are variations on each other in that they use similar chords. The never give me your money chords and the golden slumber chords are almost the same. 

The abbey road album and by extension the Beatles have been hugely influential on popular music. The Beatles rather than creating a disposable product decided to elevate music to an art form the psychedelic here comes the sun king and the symphonic nature of the medley were a great influence on progressive rock such as that of pink Floyd or on the rock operas of queen.

The way that different styles were combined and the experimental and brilliant nature of the album would have a large effect on all popular music.