Hidden Treasures - Back to Back to Back

[Scott]

This is a By Request playlist... A couple months back I was approached to look into bands that have been able to successfully release back to back to Platinum releases. A feat not easily accomplished even for some of the more widely known bands. So if you take out the Beatles, Zeppelin, Stones, etc it gets slightly a bit tougher!

Here in the US this band has done it 5 times in a row, but in Poland their entire catalog is Platinum and that’s why I’ve chosen Queen. I found it astounding that their entire catalog is Platinum in Poland, that’s got to be some kind of something! But the other reason I chose them is because I’ve not posted enough in the Hidden Treasures column about them, so here’s 3 of their platinum albums that are back-to-back-to-back.

Just so you know, Poland aside, I've limited my view of Platinum status to UK/US, so with that in mind what other bands have accomplished such a feat? Listen first, then return and report...

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a13som83

	Sheer Heart Attack 1974 UK Platinum 1 - Brighton Rock 2 - Now I'm Here Brian May wrote "Brighton Rock" in 1973 before the completion of Queen II (variations of the solo were often played live as part of Son And Daughter), but time restrictions meant that the song was not ready for inclusion on an album until Sheer Heart Attack. The title is something of a pun: Brighton rock is a long, cylindrical sugar candy traditional to that seaside resort. The term was also iconic in UK pop culture as the title of a dark Graham Greene thriller/noir novel later adapted into a successful film starring Richard Attenborough as a teenage sociopath. "Now I'm Here" is the band's second single from the album. Written by May while at the hospital, recalling touring with Mott the Hoople, it was recorded during the last week of the sessions, with him playing piano. The song relies a lot on delay machines, foreshadowing "The Prophet's Song". The song opens with a lone guitar riff, and is followed by choir-like vocal harmonies and overdubbed guitar parts and ends with the whole band screaming "Go Little Queenie" in a fade out. A reference to Chuck Berry's song "Little Queenie".
	A Night At The Opera 1975 UK/US Platinum 3 - The Prophet's Song 4 - '39 If you read the description of the song Now I'm Here from Sheer Heart Attack then you understand why I posted these in the order I did. The Prophet's Song was composed by May (working title "People of the Earth"). On the show In the Studio with Redbeard, which spotlighted A Night at the Opera, May explained that he wrote the song after a dream he'd had about a great flood while he was recovering from being ill while recording the Sheer Heart Attack album, and is the source of some of the lyrics. He spent several days putting it together, and it includes a vocal canon sung by Mercury. The vocal, and later instrumental canon was produced by early tape delay devices. It is a heavy and dark number with a strong progressive rock influence. "'39" was May's attempt to do "sci-fi skiffle". "'39" relates the tale of a group of space explorers who embark on what is, from their perspective, a year-long voyage. Upon their return, however, they realize that a hundred years have passed, because of the time dilation effect in Einstein's special theory of relativity, and the loved ones they left behind are now all dead. Because the "year of '39" resembles 1939, some have speculated that this is actually a song about the beginning of the Second World War but this is not the case.
	A Day At The Races 1976 UK/US Platinum 5 - Tie Your Mother Down 6 - Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy "Tie Your Mother Down" was written in Tenerife, when May was working on his PhD in Astronomy in early 1968. He wrote it on Spanish guitar and thought he'd change the title and chorus later on, but Mercury liked it and they kept it that way. The song is preceded, first, by a multi-tracked guitar part reminiscent of the song "White Man," then by a one-minute instrumental intro using a Shepard tone harmonium figure, which is actually a reprise of the ending of "Teo Torriatte": this was intended to create a "circle" in the album, typical, for example, of Pink Floyd's albums. The ascending scale was created by recording a descending scale on a harmonium and playing it backwards for the record. "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" was written by Mercury. It starts with a piano and vocal introduction by Mercury, then continues, with the bass and drums adding on, at the start of the chorus. The second verse is sung, followed by another chorus. At this point, the drums, bass and guitar drop out, which then leads into the bridge, sung by Mercury and Mike Stone. Following the Brian May guitar solo, another verse is sung, and then the chorus ends the track.

[RJhog (Admin)]

And if you throw Alive II in there it's back to back to back to back to back.

[RJhog (Admin)]

 Def Leppard did it five straight times.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Whitesnake went deep 3 straight times.

[Jon]

ELO

[Scott]

Pat Benatar went 6 for 6

[Jon]

Van Halen

[Jon]

Rush

[Jon]

Elton John

[Jon]

AC/DC

[Jon]

I overplayed the first two songs posted here when I was a youngster. Thought they were wicked cool then, think they're wicked cool now. The first time I ever heard those songs was off the "Live Killers" album. Both versions are awesome.

"The Prophet's Song" is kinda funny to me, even though I had the album the only songs I was concerned about were "Death On Two Legs" (because the word "ass" was used) and, of course "Bohemian Rhapsody". The rest of the songs were just background at first, but the more I listened to more I discovered. Hell, the whole album is great, but it took a few listens before I really noticed "The Prophet's Song". I like it more than BH because it's NOT OVERPLAYED. I also was very familiar with "I'm In Love With My Car" becauee that was the b-side to BR. "Sweet Lady" is an awesome song too....ok, the whole album is.

Too bad you lied about "'39". It's not on the player.

"A Day At The Races" was the same. The more I listened to it, the more I "discovered". Now I listen to these albums and I know what the next song should be, know all the words, etc., etc., etc. yet I don't get tired of them. 

Fine list even though you advertised incorrectly.

   

[Jon]

Now the song works! Whoo hoo!

[Scott]

Maybe it's time to get rid of dial up