Queen Innuendo CD

Queen: Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); Brian May (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Roger Taylor (vocals, keyboards, drums, percussion); John Deacon (bass, keyboards).
Recorded at Metropolis Studios, London, England and Mountain Studios, Montreaux, Switzerland.
Personnel: Brian May (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); Steve Howe (guitar); Mike Moran (Spanish guitar, keyboards); David Richards (programming).
Recording information: metropolis Studios, London, England.
Photographers: Simon Fowler; Steve Howe.
Unbeknownst to the public, Freddie Mercury had been diagnosed with the AIDS virus in the late '80s. Although his health weakened by the '90s, Mercury insisted that the band work on music until the very end; their final album turned out to be 1991's Innuendo. Although it didn't receive the same critical praise as its predecessor, 1989's The Miracle, it was another strong album and global hit (again going gold in the U.S.). With hindsight, the song's lyrics are blatantly autobiographical from Mercury's standpoint, such as the reflective "These Are the Days of Our Lives" and the bold "The Show Must Go On." Also included are a pair of tracks that deal with mankind's inability to live harmoniously (the superb epic title track and "All God's People") and a humorous tribute to Mercury's beloved pet felines ("Delilah"). Queen's heavier side is represented by both the rock radio hit "Headlong" and "The Hitman," while "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "I Can't Live With You," and "Don't Try So Hard" show the band's pop sensibilities in full force, and on "Bijou," Brian May gets to show off his guitar chops. Innuendo was a fitting way to end one of rock's most successful careers. ~ Greg Prato
INNUENDO would turn out to be Queen's swan song, as it was the last album released during vocalist Freddie Mercury's lifetime--he passed away several months after the album's release. Expanding on the successful back-to-basics sound of 1989's THE MIRACLE, INNUENDO was another solid outing. And like it's predecessor, it contains several tracks with lyrics that are clearly autobiographical for the band and especially Mercury, particularly "These Are the Days of Our Lives" and "The Show Must Go On," which deal with the topic of mortality.
Not all of INNUENDO deals with serious topics, however--"I'm Going Slightly Mad" and "Delilah" both contain humorous lyrics and were designed to be taken lightheartedly. The epic title track, which opens the album, is an instant Queen classic on first listen, built similarly in structure to past Queen classics "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Somebody to Love." A pair of wonderful hard rockers, "The Hitman" and "Headlong" can be found on INNUENDO, as can a couple of lush ballads--"Don't Try So Hard" and "Bijou." Looking back, Queen went out on a definite high note with INNUENDO.Q (8/02, p.148) - Excellent - "...It is one of Queen's oddest, most poignant albums..."