QUEEN

Queen's first album ranks among their best, mainly because after "A Night At The Opera" the quality of their records took a nosedive. But for a debut album, this is damned good. The album is highly creative, and extremely energetic, fueled mostly by by Brian May's unique guitar playing.

Sure, there is a hefty helping of Led Zeppelin influence, but that can be forgiven, as there is also enough prog in here, and their own sound (the massive overdubs is here already, just not as heavily used as it will be on later albums) is original enough to make this a joy to listen to. Hard hitting heavy rock tunes like Keep Yourself Alive and Liar should please the hard rock fans, while Great King Rat and My Fairy King give the band solid prog creds from the start.

A great album, but they get better - for a short time.

3.5 stars - rounded up.