#Queen #QueenReaction #TheProphetsSong In this episode of #TheDailyDoug, I'm reacting to The Prophet's Song by Queen. I was blown away by the use of canon in this work. Wonderful! Reference Video: • Queen - The Prophet's ...
My two favorite Queen albums are Queen II and News of the World. I like them because they are polar opposites and display pretty well the versatility of this band.
Same Early QUEEN is where all the surreal mental vacations are.. So ethereal... Takes you away to a different time.. and place! A sort of Renaissance Faire! Only you don't have to leave home!
Most overlooked song in history. Even those who consider themselves Queen fans often seem not to know it somehow. How? No idea... It is as big a masterpiece as Bohemian Rhapsody.
Better. Should’ve been a more recognized number. BR was a great thing, but tPS is the finest example of the kind of musical talent that is QUEEN. The hits serve their purpose in bringing to light the many far better songs they have made.
Brian May uses that delay live to create layered guitars. Freddie performed that "round" live in the studio listening to the delay - no auto-tune back then - amazing pitch control!
@@OldMusicOnVinyl1 Using the same method anyhow. Brian also would use the delay live to make layers on songs like "Keep Yourself Alive, White Man, Millionaire's Waltz, and Sheer Heat Attack. (that I know of)
@@buckmurdock2025 Being slightly out of tune gives music humanity. To autotune Freddy Mercury would make him a robot. If anybody would be considered the definition of the opposite of a robot it would Freddy Mercury
70s Queen epics worth a listen - My fairy king (from their first album - by the way, The ShowMust Go On somehow mirrors the former by referring to its lyrics) - Great King Rat - Procession / Father to Son / White Queen (their first albums include a lot of segues fragmented to different "tracks") - Ogre battle - The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke / Nevermore / The March of the Black Queen / Funny how love is - Tenemunt Funster / Flick of the Wrist / Lily of the Valley - Bring Back That Leroy Brown (an addictive ragtime song) - The Prophet's Song / Love of my Life so many pthers indeed
One day my first wife and I listened to A Night at the Opera from beginning to end. We sat in silence when the album was finished, then she said "I wonder if they were aware they'd created such a masterpiece?"
Get a good pair of headphones, put on the CD of _A Night at the Opera_ (not the record or you'll have to flip sides), lay down on your back so that you're not touching anything, close your eyes and enjoy. It's almost an out of body experience.
Almost the entire album is "played attacca" (well, it would have to be if it were performed live). It always hurts when you see this sort of studio brilliance broken in YT reaction videos, but it's just nice to see someone tackle "The Prophet's Song".
I think Doug needs to BUY and to listen to *the whole album*, anyway !! That one and A Day At the Races too. and I hope he did so with "Queen II", as he reviewed March of The Black Queen.
They created a loop machine ( with I think 2 to 3 tape machines and a length of tape. where the tape would record then play back and record while he sang a along …it’s unfreakin real they came up with that back then
@@joecristino161 - YES! I just heard about that in this following clip! Not just a delay effect unit (There wouldn't have been any stereo ones yet at that time anyway) but three different tape machines! Mind-blowing! 🤯 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JOTf8GbD-oE.html
But I think that Roger sing in some fragments at the last part of that section too....cos you can clearly hear Rog's high falsetto at the fragments at the ending of that section....but yeah, clearly that section was like almost compleatly just Freddie singing...
Now, imagine being a 13 year old burgeoning rock fan who thought he'd heard everything and then hearing THIS in his headphones! Better than Bohemian Rhapsody any day! Brian May is the Man!
8:50 "This is so cool..." Yeah, that's my highschool band mates and I all thought in '75, LOL! Opera and Races, the Marx Brothers albums, were the complete highlights of the over-the-top Queen arrangements! If you've never listened to A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races in their entireties, get those two CD's and put on your headphones ready! Stellar performances from every member on their best writing and arranging! Get them and be amazed!
I think you’d really get a kick out of “Seaside Rendezvous” - hear an entire brass band, created on multi-track by Brian May and his guitar. It’s a fun, short song on “A Night At The Opera.” “‘39” is another gem. That whole album is so much more than “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Everybody has their favorite Queen song, a most fall into the big hits, but this is not only my personal favorite, but also one I consider one of the greatest compositions of all time. It gets buried because it's on one of the greatest albums of all time, loaded with popular hits ... especially the monster classic of Freddie's. This, to me, is Brian's magnum opus and, in my mind, outshines BoRhap. We so frequently fail to hear the prophet's voice in our own time, and most certainly fail to heed the warning. Most of it is due to our ignoring Copernicus and believing we are the center of the universe. Brian at his brilliant best. Shouldn't surprise us ... an anagram of his name is Brain. I was fortunate to live in his time.
Ooh. there aren't enough reactions to this song. An absolutely underrated song by Queen that more people should know! Thanks for the reaction, Doug. Millionaire Waltz is also a phenomenal track!
Again how they merge songs was great,, death on two legs into lazing on a Sunday afternoon into I'm in love with my car what a way to open an album,,, genius
@@bobchurunkle9921 Doug got the message from the ending of this one as well, merging into Love Of My Life....i was actually expecting it coming at the end ;D
Heading into a Foo Fighters concert the preshow music played Death on Two Legs ! I knew then that would be a good show. Saw Queen on the Jazz tour and opened with Death on Two Legs, the whole Spectrum just vibrated.
This song ends weird because the last chords you hear belong to "Love of my Life", which is the song it fades into. It's such an interesting piece and it's overlooked because there's Bohemian Rhapsody in the same album 🤣 It's amazing, unique and so particular, especially because of that canon part. BTW, yes, you're right they did use a Koto, only it was a toy Koto. That's why it sounds "small" ✌🏻
This was a JOY to watch! And you clicked into their use of the echoplex! I’m a physics tutor, and I actually use this song to teach students too! I have a frequency analysis of the canon section that I use to show them the physics of harmony and how the overtones line up.
"A small koto". Yep, in the liner notes Brian May is credited as playing the "Toy Koto". Also, this song to this day gives me chills when played loudly enough. And I still vividly remember listening to this with headphones in '76, stoned out of my gourd tripping on the "canon" part. Good times!
The Highlander soundtrack is basically the "A kind of magic" album. I would recommend "Princes of the universe" where they reach back into their 70s roots a bit. Personally, I like their early stuff better. If you want to keep including Queen I would also recommend the "Tenement Funster/Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley" trio from the "Sheer Heart Attack" album
That harmony via delay is a staple of Brian May's guitar improvisation, he uses three amplifiers each with a different timed delay. Cool they had vocal sections with that too
Someone may already have said this but it was a common Queen practice to not repeat themselves. Doug points out that they ended the main theme on a different chord each time through. They did this a lot, or used different lyrics on each pass. This depth of variety and the layers that they created is one of the reason that I love Queen so much.
Check out Black Sabbath’s “progressive” album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, particularly the song “Spiral Architect.” The album features Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman.
It seems strange that Sabbath and Yes were such friends given their different directions. But I saw them together in 1974 in Berkeley and later found out they were good friends as well. Might explain Rick Wakeman sitting in with them. Not sure.
I’ve always felt “Sabotage” was a tad more progressive. BUT, I’ve always viewed those two albums as a set, so it’s six of one/half a dozen of the other…. But yeah, “Spiral Architect”!! First heard it when I was 15. Actually HEARD it when I was about 26, 27. I wept. Was at slow point and it was such a profound and, dare I say, joyous experience to hear: “Of all the things I value most of all I look upon my Earth And feel the warmth And know that it is good” Was not prepared to truly hear that. Broke me down. Hard. What an amazing song!! Sabbath is the best! (Followed closely by Maiden)!
Rick's only playing piano on "Sabbra Cadabra", and even then he's only in the jam section. The rest of the time it's Tony playing synths, piano, and mellotron, with Ozzy playing the synths on Who Are You.
I love how everyone who hears a Queen song for the first time, assumes they think where the chords are going and then...Oh! didn't expect that! True master song writers that cannot be replicated in this day and age.
Sting has said he strives for the same effect - whenever he has a theme that repeats itself, he consciously tries to end it on a different chord each time. To him, anything predictable would also be bland - and I agree. And Queen were the early masters of this.
There are so many interesting things: Brian tuned his acoustic guitar in Drop D in order to play the 'high d minor' with 'low D' from the open E-String (tuned down to D) . This was many years before the Metal guys tuned theit guitars in Drop D. Then the canon thing that Freddie did was the on the same echo tape machine Brian uses on the Brighton Rock guitar solo (studio version one delay/live version 2 delays - e.g. on the Live Killers album). Brian created the harmonic thing with the delay one year before The Prophet Song (A night at the opera/1975) song on Brighton Rock (Sheer heart attack / 1974).
I agree. I always preferred this song over Bohemian Rhapsody , it's such an epic song . I was mesmerised from the very first time I heard it when I bought Night at the Opera in the 70s .
Would recommend going straight on to 'Love of My Life' - it's such a great seamless transition from this song. Almost everyone on RU-vid reacts to the live version, which is frustrating - the studio version is amazing.
Wow, this song came earlier than expected. Love it so much! For a totally different Queen, you should now try something from News of the World. Maybe "All Dead, All Dead" or "Spread your wings".
You are correct that is a delay...except they didn't have delays that could repeat at 100% feadback twice and switching between left, right, and center channels in 1975. What they did was they took three tape machines, and fed one reel of tape through all three of them and split the signal through a Mult, sending it to one channel on each tape machine and panning one left, one right, and one center.
My headcanon says that this is basically Brian May's guitar rig (used on Brighton Rock, amongst others) and Freddie one day said "Hey - what would happen if I *sang* into that thing?". And that's how that middle segment happened. Probably completely wrong - but I don't want to Google it to be told it is. I'm happy with my headcanon. ;)
Thanks for this one Doug - The entire album is chock full of interesting composition. No song is like the next one, but it's all still got the QUEEN stamp. Do yourself a favor sometime, and just put this album on in a darkened room with headphones (a must), and lay back. Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - makes anything this diverse anymore.
Oh, yeah - headphones! when I bought this album as a teenager, and played it on my very cheap, scratchy turntable, it was AMAZING.. but I was so focused on every note, I think I got a lot out of it... years later, listening with headphones, I found it quite... relaxing(?) - Queen's music is so much more full and gorgeous that way.. and I really appreciate it.. but a part of me is, like: I think I heard that even without the "tech" -- well, I was kinda obsessed ... lol
The daring and invention on their first 6 albums was, is and will always be breathtaking. Those boys could produce anything from their fecund imaginations.
Brian May made extensive use of the two delays for his live guitar solos like the middle of A Prophet’s Song. While still a Canon, he tended to really focus on the harmonic structures. From Highlander, I think Who Wants to Live Forever is one of Brian’s best songs. In general, the songs he wrote are all pretty epic.
Brian May said in The Prophets Song mini docu that they hate to repeat whole chunks (like most modern songs do) so that's why all the chords and lyrics are different from verse to verse. Also they made the delay happen by having multiple tape recorders looped up to each other and having Fred sing along with himself and make it up on the spot.
Doug - as impressed as you were, imagine being a 15 year old (with very little musical knowledge/experience) transitioning from The Partridge Family to this (and throw in Zeppelin, Yes, ELP and others of the day)! They also get my vote (easily) as best live band ever, and I've seen almost everybody.
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you doing a Queen song today of all days. 5 years ago my dad died on Father's day, so it's always a bittersweet time of year for me. But one thing I always find myself doing is listening to his favourite music around fathers day. I would go as far as to say Queen were his favourite band, and this year more then ever I've delved more and more into their work. So thank you for this video. I know it's just coincidence, but means a lot. I've actually found myself listening to the Innuendo album more than any other lately, and I think if you were considering more queen, that the title track is definitely worth your time.
Wow I'm in the same boat. My dad didn't listen to Queen but he was born in '39 which is yet another great track on this album. My dad liked skiffle music which was popular in the UK during the 40s. Its what the Beatles listened to growing up as well. Doug you NEED to hear the whole album.
He does it again on Now I'm Here from the Sheer Heart Attack LP. Also the opening track on that album, Brian May does it for his entire guitar solo. The good old Maestro Echoplex EP3 tape delay.
And that it's 3 voices is convenient too. Live they could do it with Brian and Roger doing the "echoes". Although I have no idea if they actually ever did it like that.
Brian uses delay (canon delay) till now, so Freddie used a delay machine that brian used at that time! And please Sir react to Queen - The Fairy Fellers Master-Stroke
You had mentioned the "Highlander" sound track, which is basically the Queen album "It's a kind of Magic". Some of the tracks would be "Who wants to live forever" and "Princes of the Universe"
Takes me back to when I was 10, sharing a room with my older brother. He played the hell out of those Queen albums. Of course they were new back then. 😉 Since you enjoy musical challenges, and idiosyncratic writing, let me recommend Gentle Giant to you. “Proclamation” or “Knots” or “Raconteur Troubadour” (for starters!) come to mind as songs you’d likely enjoy analyzing.
This song is absolutely incredible! I wonder how they even played it live (if they did) Also the end of this song links directly with Love of my Life, which is the next song in the album
Hurrah! Somebody who knows about music talking about music. This entire album is worth going into in minute detail and I'm here for that. Thanks for this...and for not blabbing tripe all over it. 💚
One of my favorite queen pieces of all time, simply amazing. I highly recommend haken, a wonderful modern prog rock band with a ton of influence from yes, queen, Kansas, zappa, and dream theater among others. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GyFQAHc8oao.html Link to a live performance of theirs that is quite good.
professor...NO DELAY...no synth...no digital...completely analog..Freddy was a machine! He sang to himself on tape for each take if you read the back of the LP jacket they mention that zero synths or digital was used (!1974)
You have the Earl's Court and Houston live versions, where Freddie does a different impro using the same technique, followed by Brian improvising on the guitar, based on the Brighton Rock solo. And yes, the song continues to Love of my Life, where you can still hear the instrument and chord on the beggining. When i found out about this, it blow my mind. "Love of my Life is part of a medley?". Another thing: it anoys me how the film totally avoids all this experimental and prog era; and also how they avoid this song in the part when they make A Night At The Opera. They make it look like Freddie is the only one who made risky and original things, and mocking the song Sweet Lady, by Brian, when as a matter of fact, he made another song that was practically another Bohemian Rhapsody in the same album. The Prophet's Song opens the side of the album, and Bo-Rhap spiritually closes it (God Save the Queen is kind of an epilogue). You still have to listen The Millionaire Waltz; Liar; and probably another ones from the first two albums. And that is, if you haven't heard Innuendo, which is probably a comeback and goodbye to their prog songs.
Dear Doug, you reviewed Yes, VDGG, King Crimson, so now it's time for the greatest of prog bands (no joke here) - Gentle Giant (you may start with this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oK4cuXJa7QE.html)
Speaking about prophecies, you should listen to '39. Brian May told us of interstellar travels and space-time paradoxes 40 years before Christopher Nolan
Yes... the last note is conected with Love of my live... You have yo react Queen II, !!!.. side two is almost an epic 20 minutes song... a collection of 6 tracks in secuence...
Hi Doug, love your channel! By way of suggestion, how about even deeper Queen cut: Was It All Worth It from the Miracle? It's not only one of the best Queen riffs, guitar-wise, but a suggestive, thoughtful lyrics and some really inventive arrangements and editing.
If you haven't heard it already, listen to Ashes are Burning by Renaissance. Try the live version from their Carnegie Hall live album. It's a perfect rendition of the original album track.
You were correct about it being a koto. According to Brian, it was a toy koto that he received when Queen visited Japan a year or two earlier. Also, like you noticed with The March Of The Black Queen, this song flows right into Love Of My Life, which is why it ends weird. Brian mentions in an interview, I believe it was the Making Of Night At The Opera documentary, that Queen always chose not to do verse chorus verse chorus like everyone else, because they always felt like the story they were telling deserved better and if they kept repeating it over and over again, it wasn't a very good story to tell. Im paraphrasing, but thats the point.
I was jamming out on my guitar on a Sunday afternoon. And then Doug came with this awesome Queen track at me. Needless to say time stands still right now.
In one documentary, Roy Thomas Baker explains how Brian put this together. Considering the technology of the time, they wonder how they did some of what they did. Roy said this was his favourite song over everything. Brian was always fascinated with canon and made delay boxes they used when playing live.
Thank you for your work. Here a couple of suggestions - Genesis - The cinema Show - Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick, part 1 - Marillion - This Strange Engine - Pink Floyd - Dogs - Shadow Gallery - First Light - Transatlantic - All of the Above - Iron Maiden - Sign of the Cross (studio version with Blaze Bayley on vocals) - Spocks Beard - The Light
I've recommended Marillion, Transatlantic and Spock's Beard several times. Everything else on your list are great picks as well. Shadow Gallery would be very interesting. Maybe one day. 😎👍
