British rock royalty Queen are marking 50 years of their landmark 1975 album ‘A Night at the Opera’ — and its legendary Diamond-certified single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ — with a lavish new run of vinyl reissues.
First released in November 1975 by the band — featuring the beloved lineup of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon — ‘A Night at the Opera’ cemented itself as Queen’s most ambitious work and biggest success to date, topping charts in five countries including the UK.
Now, 50 years on, the landmark LP returns on October 18th in the UK (to coincide with National Album Day) and October 17th worldwide, reissued on stunning crystal-clear vinyl with gold labels.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ — which topped the UK singles chart for a record-breaking nine weeks on its original release — is set for a special reissue on October 31st. Fans can get their hands on transparent blue heavyweight 7” and 12” vinyl editions, along with a direct-to-consumer exclusive 12” picture disc and a blue cassette single.
“‘A Night At The Opera’ was a hugely important album for us,” says band guitarist Sir Brian May. “It opened up the world for us. We were at the peak of our confidence,” adds drummer Roger Taylor. “It felt like there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do, and it shows on that album.”
1975 marked a turning point for Queen. With the help of both ‘A Night at the Opera’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the band soared to unprecedented commercial and artistic heights, cementing their reputation as one of Britain’s most visionary acts. Their brilliance has drawn praise from artists as varied as the Foo Fighters and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who once called ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’: “a fulfilment and an answer to a teenage prayer of artistic music.”
Decades on, the single continues to reign supreme, frequently voted the greatest of all time — most recently topping Gold Radio’s Top 300 Hall of Fame listeners’ poll.
Recorded with producer Roy Thomas Baker across multiple studios, including the legendary Rockfield in South Wales, ‘A Night at the Opera’ was made during a period of reinvention. Freed from a crippling management deal and newly signed to Elton John’s manager John Reid, Queen embraced a fresh sense of independence. The result was an album that expanded on the ambitious groundwork of ‘Queen’, ‘Queen II’, and ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ — a fearless statement from a band unbound by expectation or limitation.
Reflecting on the era, May says: “We truly felt like we could try anything at that point. As songwriters, we were challenging each other and competing with each other in the best possible way.”
Both ‘A Night at the Opera’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ will be released on Universal worldwide excluding US, where they will be released via Hollywood Records.
Pre-Order ‘A Night at the Opera’: https://Queen.lnk.to/ANightAtTheOpera
Pre-Order ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’: https://Queen.lnk.to/BoRhap50th
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