Best five of the many magnificent Queen studio albums

4 - The Works 

When The Works came out in 1984 it was a bit like a hard reset for Queen. It followed the disco-themed Hot Space and marked the return of rock for the band. Although, as with most great Queen albums, it had plenty of variety and mixed pop and fun tunes in with the Brian May rocking solos. 

John Deacon was in a fine run of writing form and added “I Want To Break Free” to his list of top hits provided. May wrote the heavier “Hammer to Fall” which blasted the band as being back on top. Mercury, May, and Roger Taylor combined on “It’s A Hard Life” with Mercury at his much-favoured piano again. 

But the top marks for the standout track surely go to Taylor. His song “Radio Gaga” became a crowd favorite, the band’s video for the song, with clips from Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi classic Metropolis, set the tone for another crowd interaction on the chorus. It was almost like an instruction video in places. It is though, an iconic scene and moment when the audience picks up the stretched arm clapping as we saw at Live Aid a few years later.

The album has plenty more to offer beyond those bigger hits. It was well received by Queen fans at the time and still sounds great as a whole. The band absolutely delivers with no question marks on this album.

3 - News Of The World 

In third place, it’s the band's sixth album News Of The World from 1977. Another diverse range of songs and some absolute classics. Queen was on top of their game for this one and their tour for the album was magnificent too. My ticket at Wembley Arena for that may also influence my decision slightly.

The stomp and simplicity of “We Will Rock You” are more than balanced by the pomp and grandeur of the celebratory “We Are The Champions”. There’s also a slight nod to the punk movement with the song ”Sheer Heart Attack, despite what the rebels might have thought of the likes of Queen. 

Then the bluesy “Sleeping On The Sidewalk” and “My Melancholy Blues” added in with others like “Spread Your Wings” which continues to highlight Mercury's voice. And that's before the early funk of “Get Down, Make Love” gets a mention. Given what came before, this album maintains the stunning high standard set. 

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