A Day at the Races (album)

A Day at the Races is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 10 December 1976 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. It was the band's first completely self-produced album, and the first not to feature producer Roy Thomas Baker. Recorded at Sarm East, The Manor and Wessex Studios in England, A Day at the Races was engineered by Mike Stone. The title of the album followed suit with its predecessor A Night at the Opera, taking its name from the subsequent film by the Marx Brothers.^[3]

The album peaked at #1 in the UK, Japan and the Netherlands. It reached #5 on the US Billboard 200 and was Queen's fifth album to ship gold in the US, and subsequently reached platinum status in the same country. A Day at the Races was voted the 67th greatest album of all time in a national 2006 BBC poll.

Composition and lyrics

"Tie Your Mother Down"

"Tie Your Mother Down" was written in Tenerife, when May was working on his PhD in Astronomy in early 1968.^[4] 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.^[4]

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. The ascending scale was created by recording a descending scale on a harmonium and playing it backwards for the record.

The main bulk of the song can be described as heavy blues rock, featuring aggressive vocals by lead singer Mercury as well as a slide guitar solo by May, who also provided most of the backing vocals.

A music video was made for the song, directed by Bruce Gowers, based on a performance clip shot at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York in February 1977 during the band's US arena headlining tour.^[5] After its release in 1976, the song was played by Queen on every subsequent tour.^[6]

"You Take My Breath Away"

"You Take My Breath Away" was written by Mercury and based on the harmonic minor scale. All of the vocals and piano were done by him, and he performed it by himself at Hyde Park before recording it. There is a vocal interlude between this song and the next one that begins with a wash of vocals (repeating the words "take my breath") created by echoes (of a multitracked Mercury) regenerating in reverse, which gradually evolves into the repeated phrase "you take my (breath away)" and reintegrates into the next track, "Long Away".

"Long Away"

"Long Away" was composed and sung by May. He used a Burns Double Six 12-string electric guitar for the rhythm parts instead of his Red Special. May had wanted to use a Rickenbacker because he admired John Lennon, but did not get along well with the thin neck of the instrument. The single was released in the US, Canada and New Zealand but did not chart anywhere.

"The Millionaire Waltz"

"The Millionaire Waltz" was written by Mercury about John Reid (Queen and Elton John's manager at the time).^[4] It is another multi-key and multi-metre song like "Bohemian Rhapsody", using abrupt arrangement changes and including May doing multi-tracked guitar choirs. It's a noteworthy example of John Deacon's 'lead bass' playing, which can be heard quite prominently during the first two minutes of the song in which only Deacon and Mercury play (bass guitar and piano respectively).

About two minutes into the song it changes character from the 3/4 waltz to a 12/8 hard rock segment, which lasts for about thirty seconds. The song then goes back to 3/4 metre and features a multi-layered guitar solo by May.

"You and I"

"You and I" is John Deacon's song on the album. The song is in the key of D major, is primarily piano-driven and features Deacon on acoustic guitar. The song was never played live. It was featured as the b-side for "Tie Your Mother Down".

"Somebody to Love"

"Somebody to Love" is the hit single of the album. Written by Mercury, the song was inspired by gospel music, especially that of Aretha Franklin, and Mercury, May and Taylor multi-tracked their voices to create a 100-voice gospel choir.^[4]

Like "Bohemian Rhapsody", the major hit from Queen's previous album, this song has a complex layering of vocal tracks, this time based on a gospel choir arrangement. The lyrics, especially combined with the gospel influence, create a song about faith, desperation and soul-searching; the singer questions both the lack of love experienced in his life and the role and existence of God.

Staying true to Queen's guitar-driven style, it was also filled with intricate harmony parts and a solo by May.^[7] Mercury recorded a wide range of notes, going from a G#2 (in the last choral verse) to a falsetto G#5 (at the peak of his melisma on "ooh" over the choir break). It went to #2 on the UK charts (after "Under the Moon of Love" - Showaddywaddy was at #1) and #13 on the US singles chart.^[8]^[9]

"White Man"

"White Man" was written by May about the suffering of Native Americans at the hands of European immigrants, taking the viewpoint of native peoples. This song would be the focal point for a Freddie Mercury vocal solo on the A Day at the Races Tour and serve as both a Mercury vocal solo spot and a Brian May guitar solo spot on the 1977–78 News of the World tour. The song is one of Queen's heaviest works, thematically and musically. On the later 2005 Return of the Champions Tour and the later 2008 Tour the riff to "White Man" was used as an introduction to "Fat Bottomed Girls".

"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"

"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.

Multi-tracked vocals enhanced the song as well as May's guitar choirs. The song was once performed live on Top of the Pops in June 1977, with Roger Taylor singing Stone's part. Most of the track was a concert staple on the band's A Day at the Races Tour and News of the World Tour.^[10]^[11]

"Drowse"

"Drowse" was Roger Taylor's song in 6/8 having him playing rhythm guitar and timpani and doing all of the vocals. May played slide guitar during this and "Tie Your Mother Down" (the second guitar solo in the middle of the song). Taylor's song on the previous album, "I'm In Love With My Car", was also in 6/8.

"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)"

"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" was May's tribute to the Japanese fans. It was performed live in Tokyo during the Jazz tour in 1979 and again when the band visited Japan during The Game and Hot Space tours in 1981 and 1982 respectively.

The song is notable for having two choruses sung in Japanese; it is one of only three Queen songs (the others being "Las Palabras de Amor" from Hot Space and "Mustapha", from Jazz) in which an entire verse or chorus is sung in a language other than English. The song features a piano, a plastic piano and a harmonium, which are all played by May.

The album’s closing harmonium melody is also its opening melody; the sequence was attached to the beginning of "Tie Your Mother Down", the first track on the album. May described it as "a never-ending staircase", otherwise commonly known, musically, as a Shepard tone.

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[12]
Chicago Tribune	^[13]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[14]
Pitchfork Media	6.6/10^[15]
PopMatters	7/10^[16]
Q	^[17]
Rolling Stone Magazine	^[18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[19]
Uncut	^[20]

The Washington Post described A Day at the Races as "a judicious blend of heavy metal rockers and classically influenced, almost operatic, torch songs."^[21] The Winnipeg Free Press was also appreciative, writing, "Races is a reconfirmation of Queen's position as the best of the third wave of English rock groups."^[22] Circus gave the album a mixed review, writing, "With A Day at the Races, they've deserted art-rock entirely. They're silly now. And wondrously shameless."^[23] Dave Marsh, writing in Rolling Stone, was more critical and described Freddie Mercury as possessing a merely "passable pop voice". He found Queen to be the least experimental of eclectic contemporary rock groups and accused them of having "brazen" "commercial aspirations".^[18]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited "Tie Your Mother Down" and "Somebody to Love", along with ballad "You Take My Breath Away", as the best tracks on the record, and said that the album marked a point where Queen "entered a new phase, where they're globe-conquering titans instead of underdogs on the make".^[12] Q magazine wrote that "the breadth of its ambition remains ever impressive, as do tracks such as May's stomping 'Tie Your Mother Down' and Mercury's baroque one-two, 'Somebody To Love' and 'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy'."^[17] Ben Sisario, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), found the album "a little too predictable" and called it "a quickie sequel to Opera."^[19] Similarly, Aj Ramirez, writing for PopMatters, described the album as "a comparative comedown" and "a good but not stupendous record", while acknowledging the band were "now firmly in command of the mechanics of pop songcraft", which had yielded them more singles than any previous album.^[24]

In 2006, a national BBC poll saw A Day at the Races voted the 67th greatest album of all time.^[25] The same year, in a worldwide Guinness and NME poll to find the "Greatest 100 Albums of All Time", A Day at the Races was voted #87.^[26] It was also featured in Classic Rock and Metal Hammer's "The 200 Greatest Albums of the 70s," being listed as one of the 20 greatest albums of 1976.^[27] Out ranked it No. 20 of 100 in a poll of "more than 100 actors, comedians, musicians, writers, critics, performance artists, label reps, and DJs, asking each to list the 10 albums that left the most indelible impressions on their lives."^[28] In the 1987 edition of The World Critics List, the BBC's Peter Powell ranked A Day at the Races the 6th greatest album of all time,^[29] and Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times included the record in his "The Great albums" in 2006.^[30]

Singles

In the UK the first track to be released as a single was "Somebody to Love" on 12 November 1976 (EMI 2565), reaching #2. "Tie Your Mother Down" followed on 4 March 1977 (EMI 2593), reaching #31, and "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" on 20 May 1977, reaching #17. In the US, "Somebody to Love" was released on 10 December 1976 (Elektra E45362) and reached #13. It was followed by "Tie Your Mother Down" (Elektra E45385) in March 1977, which reached #49. Both of these were released in Japan: in addition, "Teo Torriatte" was also released exclusively in Japan.

Reissues

The album was reissued as part of the Hollywood Records remasters in 1991. It was also reissued by Paraphone in various European countries, remastered, in 1993, some with a different track listing and timings. A new track 1 titled "Intro" appears. In 1996 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab issued a remaster in the United States on CD numbered UDCD 668 and vinyl numbered MFSL-1-256.^[31]

On 8 November 2010, record company Universal Music announced a remastered and expanded reissue of the album set for release in May 2011. This as part of a new record deal between Queen and Universal Music, which meant Queen's association with EMI would come to an end after almost 40 years. All of Queen's albums were remastered and reissued by Universal Music in 2011.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tie Your Mother Down"	Brian May	4:48
2.	"You Take My Breath Away"	Freddie Mercury	5:09
3.	"Long Away"	May	3:34
4.	"The Millionaire Waltz"	Mercury	4:54
5.	"You and I"	John Deacon	3:25

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Somebody to Love"	Mercury	4:56
7.	"White Man"	May	4:59
8.	"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"	Mercury	2:54
9.	"Drowse"	Roger Taylor	3:45
10.	"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)"	May	5:50

Bonus tracks (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue)
No.	Title	Length
11.	"Tie Your Mother Down" (1991 Bonus remix by Matt Wallace)	3:44
12.	"Somebody to Love" (1991 Bonus remix by Randy Badazz)	5:00

2011 Universal Records reissue bonus disc
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tie Your Mother Down" (backing track mix 2011)	3:48
2.	"Somebody to Love" (live at Milton Keynes, June 1982)	7:55
3.	"You Take My Breath Away" (live in Hyde Park, September 1976)	3:06
4.	"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" (Top of the Pops, July 1977)	2:51
5.	"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" (HD mix)	4:47

2011 iTunes deluxe edition bonus videos
No.	Title	Length
6.	"You Take My Breath Away" (live at Earls Court '77)
7.	"Tie Your Mother Down" (live at Milton Keynes '82)
8.	"Somebody to Love"

Personnel

Queen

Freddie Mercury – lead vocals (1, 2, 4-8, 10), backing vocals (1, 2, 4-8, 10), piano (2, 4-6, 8)

Brian May – electric guitar (all tracks), backing vocals (1, 3-8, 10), lead vocals (3), keyboards (10)

Roger Taylor – drums (all but 2), backing vocals (all but 2), percussion (1, 2, 8, 10), lead vocals (9), acoustic guitar (9)

John Deacon – bass (all tracks), acoustic guitar (5)

Additional personnel

Mike Stone – additional vocals (8)

Tour

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1976–77)	Position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart^[32]	8
Austrian Albums Chart^[33]	8
Canadian RPM Albums Chart^[34]	4
Dutch Mega Albums Chart^[35]	1
Japanese Oricon LP Chart^[36]	1
New Zealand Albums Chart^[37]	11
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart^[38]	3
Swedish Albums Chart^[39]	8
UK Albums Chart^[40]	1
U.S. Billboard 200 ^[41]	5
West German Media Control Albums Chart^[42]	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1977)	Position
Australian Albums Chart^[32]	45
Canadian Albums Chart^[43]	38
Japanese Albums Chart^[44]	24
UK Albums Chart^[45]	45

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[46]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
Germany (BVMI)^[47]	Gold	250,000^{^}
Japan (Oricon Charts)		135,000^[48]
Poland (ZPAV)^[49]	Platinum	20,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)^[50]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[51]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

References

↑ http://www.queensongs.info/album-analysis/a-day-at-the-races
↑ "Queen - A Day At The Races". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 August 2013. ...this is exquisitely detailed hard rock...
↑ David R. Fuller (7 January 2010). "Roger Taylor Interview 1976" – via YouTube.
1 2 3 4 A Day At The Races Queen Online. Retrieved 1 September 2011
↑ 1977 A Day At The Races North American Tour Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 31 August 2011
↑ Queen on tour Queen Concerts. Retrieved 10 July 2011
↑ Queen: Somebody to Love Allmusic. Retrieved 6 July 2011
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books
↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
↑ Queen live on tour: A Day At The Races: Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 31 August 2011
↑ Queen live on tour: News Of The World: Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 31 August 2011
1 2 Allmusic review
↑ Kot, Greg (19 April 1992). "An 18-record, 80 Million-copy Odyssey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2248. ISBN 0857125958.
↑ "Queen: Reissues Album Review - Pitchfork".
↑ Ramirez, AJ (8 June 2011). "In the Lap of the Gods: The First Five Queen Albums". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2016. CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
1 2 Q, September 1993, p.118: "The breadth of its ambition remains ever impressive, as do tracks such as May's stomping 'Tie Your Mother Down' and Mercury's baroque one-two, 'Somebody To Love' and 'Gold Old-Fashioned Lover Boy'."
1 2 Marsh, Dave (1977-02-24). "A Day At The Races". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
1 2 Sisario, Ben; et al. (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 668. ISBN 0743201698. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
↑ "Queen – The First Five Albums – Uncut".
↑ "Queen Interviews - Queen - 02-07-1977 - A Day at the Races - Washington Post - Queen Archives: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Interviews, Articles, Reviews".
↑ "Queen Interviews - Queen - 01-20-1977 - A Day at the Races - Winnipeg Free Press - Queen Archives: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Interviews, Articles, Reviews".
↑ "Queen Interviews - Queen - XX-XX-1977 - A Day at the Races - Circus - Queen Archives: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Interviews, Articles, Reviews".
↑ Ramirez, Aj (8 June 2011). "In the Lap of the Gods: The First Five Queen Albums". PopMatters. Retrieved 16 October 2015. With the group now firmly in command of the mechanics of pop songcraft (fittingly, the album spun off the most singles from any Queen LP up until then)
↑ Top 100 Albums. BBC Radio 2. Broadcast 28 August 2006. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk
↑ Guinness poll
↑ Classic Rock/Metal Hammer, "The 200 Greatest Albums of the 70s", March 2006
↑ "Gay News & Opinion - marriage equality, openly gay athletes".
↑ The World Critics List. 1987
↑ "The Great Albums".
↑ "Discogs entry Day At The Races".
1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0646119176.
↑ "austriancharts.at Queen – A Day at the Races" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 2012-03-04.
↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-04-01
↑ "dutchcharts.nl Queen – A Day at the Races" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
↑ クイーン+ポール・ロジャース『伝説のロック・バンド、遂に復活！』 [Interview: Queen + Paul Rogers]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. 2005-09-14. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
↑ "charts.org.nz Queen – A Day at the Races" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
↑ "norwegiancharts.com Queen – A Day at the Races" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
↑ "swedishcharts.com Queen – A Day at the Races" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 2012-03-03.
↑ "Chart Stats - Queen – A Day at the Races" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
↑ "allmusic ((( A Day at the Races > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
↑ "Album Search: Queen – A Day at the Races" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1977". RPM. 1977-12-31. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
↑ 1977年アルバム年間ヒットチャート [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1977] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
↑ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
↑ "Canadian album certifications – Queen – A Day at the Races". Music Canada.
↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Queen; 'A Day at the Races')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4871310779.
↑ "Polish album certifications – Queen – A Day at the Races" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
↑ "British album certifications – Queen – A Day at the Races". British Phonographic Industry. Enter A Day at the Races in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
↑ "American album certifications – Queen – A Day at the Races". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queen.

External links

Queen official website: Discography: A Day at the Races: includes lyrics of all non-bonus tracks.

Preceded by 20 Golden Greats by Glen Campbell	UK Albums Chart number-one album 8 January 1977	Succeeded by Arrival by ABBA
Preceded by Hotel California by Eagles	Dutch Mega Chart number-one album 15 January – 12 February 1977	Succeeded by Animals by Pink Floyd
Preceded by Tōzakaru Fūkei by Kei Ogura	Japanese Oricon LP Chart number-one album 24 January 1977	Succeeded by New Best by Bay City Rollers

Queen
Brian May Roger Taylor Freddie Mercury John Deacon
Studio albums	Queen Queen II Sheer Heart Attack A Night at the Opera A Day at the Races News of the World Jazz The Game Flash Gordon Hot Space The Works A Kind of Magic The Miracle Innuendo Made in Heaven
Live albums	Live Killers Live Magic At the Beeb Live at Wembley '86 Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl Queen Rock Montreal Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest Live at the Rainbow '74 A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975 On Air
Compilations	Greatest Hits Greatest Hits II Classic Queen The 12" Collection Queen Rocks Greatest Hits III Stone Cold Classics The A–Z of Queen, Volume 1 Absolute Greatest Deep Cuts (Volume 1, 2, 3) Icon Queen Forever On Air
Additional albums	The Cosmos Rocks (with Paul Rodgers) Five Live (George Michael and Queen EP) (with George Michael)
Box sets	The Complete Works CD Single Box Box of Tricks Ultimate Queen The Crown Jewels The Platinum Collection The Singles Collection (Volume 1, 2, 3, 4) On Air
Videography	We Will Rock You Live In Rio Live In Budapest The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Greatest Video Hits 1 Queen at Wembley Queen Rocks Greatest Video Hits 2 We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl Queen Rock Montreal Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest Live at the Rainbow '74 A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975
Tours	Queen I Tour Queen II Tour Sheer Heart Attack Tour A Night at the Opera Tour Summer Gigs 1976 A Day at the Races Tour News of the World Tour Jazz Tour Crazy Tour The Game Tour Hot Space Tour The Works Tour The Magic Tour Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour (with Paul Rodgers) Rock the Cosmos Tour (with Paul Rodgers) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2012 (with Adam Lambert) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014–2015 (with Adam Lambert) Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour (with Adam Lambert) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017–2018 (with Adam Lambert)
Related	Discography Awards Live performances Songs The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody Queen + Paul Rodgers Queen + Adam Lambert Queen & Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live Highlander Flash Gordon Larry Lurex Mike Grose Smile The Cross The Brian May Band One Night of Queen Queen: The eYe We Will Rock You We Will Rock You: 10th Anniversary Tour Queen at the Ballet Deacy Amp The Official International Queen Fan Club Mercury Phoenix Trust Queen Extravaganza Tour Mountain Studios Red Special Spike Edney Jim Beach John Reid List of "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover versions SingStar Queen Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen A Night at the Hip Hopera Bohemian Rhapsody (film)
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