A Day at the Races
is the fifth
studio album
by the
British Rock band
released on
December,10th 1976
by EMI Records
in the
United Kingdom
and by
Elektra Records
in the
United States.
Recorded at
The Manor, Sarm East,
and Wessex
Sound Studios
in England,
it was the band's
first completely
self-produced album,
and the first
completed without
the involvement of
producer
Roy Thomas Baker;
engineering duties
were handled by
Mike Stone.
It serves as a
companion to
Queen's previous album,
A Night at the Opera,
with both taking
their names from
Marx Brothers films
and having similar
packaging
and eclectic
musical themes.
The album reached
the top of the charts
in the UK,
Japan,
and the
Netherlands.
It reached number five
on the
US Billboard
Top LPs & Tape chart
and was
Queen's third album
to ship gold in the US,
subsequently reaching
platinum status
in the country.
In 2006,
a listener poll
conducted by
BBC Radio 2
saw
A Day at the Races
voted the
67th greatest album
of all time.
Background
On April,25th 1976,
the band settled
back in London
after a
four-leg,
six-month,
and exhaustive tour
of their highly
successful album
A Night At The Opera,
recorded during the
oppressive
summer of 1975.
The band had decided
to take a
two-month hiatus.
They only occasionally
did
business-related activities
like filming
the promotional video for
You're My Best Friend
in late April.
During June,
the band was beginning
to plan out the
recording sessions
for the album,
visiting recording studios
around Greater London
to determine where
they would produce
the album.
On June,15th
Roger Taylor
and
John Deacon
visited
Sweet Silence Studios
in Denmark.
The studio was
completed only
two months prior.
After Taylor
and Deacon
returned from Denmark,
rehearsals began
on June,17th
at Ridge Farm Studio,
where the band had
rehearsed for their
previous album
in July 1975.
Due to equipment issues
during the first week,
the band hired
Pete Cornish
on June,25th
to assist in
equipment maintenance.
Cornish and the band
had previous involvement,
as his company had
helped repair and construct
new equipment
for the band
in January 1972.
Recording and Production
Queen entered
The Manor in
Oxfordshire
on July 12th
to commence work on
A Day At The Races
On July,21st
Crystal Taylor,
one of the band's roadies,
who later became
Roger's personal assistant,
arrived at
The Manor to
provide assistance
with equipment
and observe the session.
He originally planned
to stay a week,
but on July,28th
the band asked him
to stay another week.
Around this date,
work began to relax
as the band
had finished 6 songs.
Those songs were
"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy",
"The Millionaire Waltz",
"You Take My Breath Away",
"White Man"
(then titled "Simple Man"),
"Drowse",
and a
shorter version of
"Somebody to Love".
As August entered,
the band worked on
the remaining songs
of the album,
and finished a
longer version of
"Somebody to Love".
Work was still
relaxed though,
and the band
sometimes played
billiards or card games
during productive days.
During a game of billiards
on August,8th
between Roger
and
Crystal Taylor,
Roger asked Crystal
to be his
personal roadie,
to which Crystal assented.
The band had booked
to play two concerts
on August 20th
and 21st
at the
Playhouse Theatre
in Edinburgh,
and the band said to
Melody Maker
they would be debuting
new material
during those concerts.
The band eventually
cancelled those concerts
since the songs
they wanted to debut
weren't finished,
and instead did a
mini-tour
of the country
during September.
The band had at
least the
backing tracks
of
"Tie Your Mother Down"
(likely the overdubbed product),
"Long Away",
"You and I",
and
"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)"
recorded by
August,24th
including the
previously recorded material,
before the band began
to rehearse for
their summer
mini-tour
the following day.
The summer tour
started in Edinburgh,
where
"Tie Your Mother Down",
and
"You Take My Breath Away"
were debuted to
the audience.
During the summer tour,
the band moved
production into
Sarm East Studios
and worked there
sporadically in between
concerts
(in approximately nine sessions)
between
September 5th to the 16th
to do overdubs.
During this period
predominantly
guitar overdubs
were added to
"The Millionaire Waltz".
Most of the songs
that were initially
recorded in July
were finished off
during this time,
and the rest
of the songs recorded
in August
that weren't performed live
were put off
until work on
the album properly resumed.
Recording sessions resumed on
September,20th
with more overdubs
and rough mixing
of some of
the finished tracks.
On September,23rd
the band published a
thank you message
in the music press
to their fans
regarding their warm response
to their concert at
Hyde Park
on September,18th
(the final date of the summer tour).
"Tie Your Mother Down"
was mostly mixed on
September,26th
and a mix of
"Long Away"
was worked on
during the same day.
The band completed a
preliminary mix of
"Somebody to Love"
on
September,29th
TRACK LIST
CD 1
Tie Your Mother Down
You Take My Breath Away
Long Away
The Millionaire Waltz
Somebody to Love
White Man
Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
Drowse
Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
CD 2
(BONUS DISC)
Tie Your Mother Down
(Hollywood Records 1991 - Matt Wallace Remix)
Somebody To Love
(Hollywood Records 1991 - Randy Badazz Remix)
Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
(Just Vocals)
Tie Your Mother Down
(Backing Track Mix 2011)
Somebody To Love
(Live At Milton Keynes Bowl, June 1982)
You Take My Breath Away
(Live In Hyde Park, September 1976)
Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
(Top Of The Pops, July 1977)
Tie Your Mother Down
(Live, European Tour / 1979)
Somebody To Love
(Live)
Teo Toriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
(Live)
https://mega.nz/folder/jqpRTI7Y#mUHJGSwPTQ412_tt_FLhUw
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