Sheer Heart Attack
Sheer Heart Attack, 1974
Released	1 November 1974 (UK), 12 November 1974 (US)
Recorded	July - September 1974 at Trident, AIR, Wessex, and Rockfield Studios
Length	mm:ss
Label	EMI
Producer(s)	Queen and Roy Thomas Baker
Queen chronology
Queen II 1974 Sheer Heart Attack 1974 A Night At The Opera 1975

History of this album.

Tracklists

Credits

• Musicians:

Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals, screams, lead vocals on Tenement Funster

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano, organ on Now I'm Here, jangle piano on Killer Queen and Bring Back That Leroy Brown, vocal extravaganzas

John Deacon - bass guitar, double bass on Bring Back That Leroy Brown, acoustic guitar on Tenement Funster, In The Lap Of The Gods, Misfire, and She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettoes), almost all guitars on Misfire

Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano on Now I'm Here and Dear Friends, genuine George Formy ukulele-banjo on Bring Back That Leroy Brown, lead vocals on She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettoes), guitar orchestrations

• Produced by: Queen and Roy Thomas Baker.

• Recorded: July - September 1974 at Trident Studios and AIR Studios, London; Wessex Studios, Highbury; Rockfield Studios, Monmouth.

Charts

Information supplied by Fedepeti, 24 August 2004

• Japan: #24, in chart for 34 weeks.
• Holland: #6.
• Italy: did not chart.

Liner notes

• Notes

Queen Talks

Freddie Mercury - 1974, Melody Maker

"The album is very varied, we took it to extreme I suppose, but we are very interested in studio techniques and wanted to use what was available. We learnt a lot about technique while we were making the first two albums. Of course there has been some criticism, and the constructive criticism has been very good for us. But to be frank I'm not that keen on the British music press, and they've been pretty unfair to us. I feel that up and coming journalists, by the large, put themselves above the artists. They've certainly been under a misconception about us. We've been called a supermarket hype. But if you see us up on a stage, that's what we're all about. We are basically a rock band. All the lights and paraphernalia are only there to enhance what we do. I think we're good writers - and we want to play good music, no matter how much of a slagging we get. The music is the most important factor. This is our first headline tour, and the buzz has got around, without any support from the media. I suppose they like to find their own bands, and we've been too quick for them. You see, when we started out, we wanted to try for the best. The best management, the best record deal, we didn't want any compromise, and we didn't want to get ripped-off. So far, it has paid off. In America, we've broken the ice already. As you know, we started a tour there last year, supporting Mott The Hoople, but Brian was taken ill and we had to come back. But we had a top thirty album hit there. We've undertaken a huge project, but it's all good fun."

Additional info

• Info

Reviews

Winnipeg Free Press

The more I listen to Sheer Heart Attack, the third album from Queen, the more I realize bow much I under-rated it a few months back when it was first released. Side one in particular is a delight, with Brian May's multi-tracked guitar, Freddie Mercury's stunning vocalizing and Roy Thomas Baker's dynamic production work teaming up in a no-holds barred, full-scale attack on the senses.

Additional Reviews

• Circus
• Phonograph Record
• Rolling Stone

Sleeves

USA Promo LP, 1974	USA White Label Promo LP, 1974	Japan LP, 1974	Portugal LP, 1974
Japan Reissue LP, 1977	Taiwan CD, 1988	Japan Remaster CD, 2004