Queen – A Day At The Races (200g, Half Speed Mastering)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Freddie Mercury – lead vocals (A1-2, A4 to B3, B5), backing vocals (all but B4), gospel choir vocals (B1), piano (A2, A4 to B1, B3)
Brian May – electric guitar (all tracks), slide guitar (A1, B4), guitar orchestration (A1, A4, B5), harmonium (A1, B5), piano (B5), backing vocals (A1, A3 to B3, B5), gospel choir vocals (B1), lead vocals (A3)
Roger Taylor – drums (all but A2), percussion (A1-2, B3, B5), timpani (B4), rhythm electric guitar (B4), backing vocals (all but A2), gospel choir vocals (B1), lead vocals (B4)
John Deacon – bass guitar (all tracks), acoustic guitar (A5)
Mike Stone – additional background vocals (B3)
Written by Freddie Mercury (A2, A4, B1, B3), Brian May (A1, B2, B5), Roger Taylor (B4)
1 LP, standard sleeve
Limited numbered edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Half Speed Mastering
Heavy Press : 200g SuperVinyl
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : unspecified
Label : MOFI
Original Label : EMI
Recorded 2 July – 24 and August 1976 and 5 September – 19 November 1976 at The Manor Studio (Oxfordshire), Sarm Studio (East London), Wessex Sound Studi (Highbury New Park), Advision Studio (London)
Engineered by Mike Stone
Produced by Queen
Originally released in December 1976
Reissued in February May 1996
Tracks :
Side A:
- Tie Your Mother Down
- You Take My Breath Away
- Long Away
- The Millionaire Waltz
- You and I
Side B:
- Somebody To Love
- White Man
- Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
- Drowse
- Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
Reviews :
“In every sense, A Day at the Races is an unapologetic sequel to A Night at the Opera, the 1975 breakthrough that established Queen as rock & roll royalty. The band never attempts to hide that the record is a sequel -- the two albums boast the same variation on the same cover art, the titles are both taken from old Marx Brothers films and serve as counterpoints to each other. But even though the two albums look the same, they don't quite sound the same, A Day at the Races is a bit tighter than its predecessor, yet tighter doesn't necessarily mean better for a band as extravagant as Queen. One of the great things about A Night at the Opera is that the lingering elements of early Queen -- the pastoral folk of "39," the metallic menace of "Death on Two Legs" -- dovetailed with an indulgence of camp and a truly, well, operatic scale. Here, the eccentricities are trimmed back somewhat -- they still bubble up on "The Millionaire Waltz," an example of the music hall pop that dominated Night, the pro-Native American saga "White Man" is undercut somewhat by the cowboys 'n' indians rhythms -- in favor of a driving, purposeful hard rock that still could have some slyly hidden perversities (or in the case of the opening "Tie Your Mother Down," some not-so-hidden perversity) but this is exquisitely detailed hard rock, dense with minutiae but never lush or fussy. In a sense, it could even function as the bridge between Sheer Heart Attack and Night at the Opera -- it's every bit as hard as the former and nearly as florid as the latter -- but its sleek, streamlined finish is the biggest indication that Queen has entered a new phase, where they're globe-conquering titans instead of underdogs on the make.” AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Half-speed mastering. In half-speed mastering, the whole process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Ratings :
Allmusic : 3.5 / 5 , Discogs :