Forums > Queen - General Discussion > Freddie's best studio vocal performances

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Which albums did Freddie sound the best on?

1. A Day at the Races
2. Barcelona
3. News of the World
4. Queen
5. Innuendo
6. Hot Space
7. The Game
8. The Miracle
9. Sheer Heart Attack
10. A Night at the Opera

I chose a day at the races first because that album had the perfect amount of power and clarity and I feel each song couldn't have been sung with any more passion than they already were. That album basically shows how great Freddie was and how unique of a tone he had in a nutshell.

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Here's my top 5 Freddie vocal albums:

1. Innuendo
2. Barcelona
3. A Kind Of Magic
4. A Night At The Opera
5. Mr. Bad Guy

Explanations:

1. Innuendo: Freddie's voice was a balance between the raw 80s Freddie, and the delicate 70s Freddie. The clarity and sweetness of his voice returned, and his head voice improved greatly. Some of Freddie's best vocal performances come from this album (Innuendo, Don't Try So Hard, I Can't Live With You, and The Show Must Go On). Also, Freddie's emotional level in his vocals were wonderful (These Are The Days Of Our Lives for example). Freddie also demonstrated a nice lower register performance on I'm Going Slightly Mad, and Ride The Wild Wind.

2. Barcelona: This grossly underrated gem has been cited as some of Freddie's best vocal work (and songwriting work). This is the last album where Freddie could still sing full-throttle in that powerful chest voice (before AIDS starting weakening that register--forcing him to sing more in "head voice"). Songs like Barcelona and How Can I Go On, feature some of Freddie's best ever phrasing. Ensueno showed everyone, that Freddie could sing "baritone," and The Fallen Priest has some wonderful lines as well.

3. A Kind Of Magic: If you want raw, masculine, and high-powered vocals from Freddie--then this is the vocal album for you! Every song on this album, features Freddie at his most powerful. Although the clarity and sweetness of the 70s (and somewhat of the early 80s), has been lost, Freddie makes up for it, with some of his BEST chest register singing ever! Almost every song features Freddie belting notes like C5-D5, and Freddie uses his powerful middle register as a foundation for this album. Songs like Gimme The Prize, and Princes Of The Universe have Freddie at his raw chesty best!

4. A Night At The Opera: This album is known more for the songs, and harmonies (rather than vocal performances alone), but Freddie has some wonderful moments on this album. Death On Two Legs has some awesome phrasing, and his tone is excellent throughout the album (especially on songs like Love Of My Life, The Prophet's Song, and Bohemian Rhapsody). Although it's fair to say that his voice didn't have quite the power it would later possess, Freddie's "sweetness" and "tone" is much better than his 80s version, and fans of his 70s voice, generally prefer this album over the 80s ones.

5. Mr. Bad Guy: Although it is divided in opinions (some like it, some hate it), the one thing most people agree on, is that Freddie sounded awesome throughout! This album (along with A Kind Of Magic), features Freddie at his most powerful! Freddie's tone is rather raw on this record, but for fans who like power over sweetness, this album will not disappoint! Songs like Lets Turn It On feature Freddie singing in a powerful chesty tone in the 4th and 5th octaves (topping at Eb5), and demonstrates some brilliant vocal harmonies. Other performances worth noting are: I Was Born To Love You, Man Made Paradise (awesome phrasing), and Love Me Like It's No Tomorrow (some of Freddie's best ever chest singing)!

There's my two cents!

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Maybe he sounded too much like a rock singer, because he IS a rock singer.

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Freddie never sounded like anyone else--even during that mid-80s era, it was still Freddie's voice--just raspier.

And Freddie IS a rock singer, he's just tried so many styles/genres/variations, that he's not a "normal" rock singer.

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Plus he was a much better singer in the 80s!

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Gregsynth wrote: Here's my top 5 Freddie vocal albums:

1. Innuendo
2. Barcelona
3. A Kind Of Magic
4. A Night At The Opera
5. Mr. Bad Guy
Think I would agree with this, although would probably also stick NOTW in. I think this is the album where Freddie truly 'found' his voice.

Although Innuendo features some of his very best performances, I do often wonder about the authenticity of the vocals. On most of the tracks he just sounds as if his vocal has been notched up a semi or two?

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Bad Seed wrote: Gregsynth wrote: Here's my top 5 Freddie vocal albums:

1. Innuendo
2. Barcelona
3. A Kind Of Magic
4. A Night At The Opera
5. Mr. Bad Guy
Think I would agree with this, although would probably also stick NOTW in. I think this is the album where Freddie truly 'found' his voice.

Although Innuendo features some of his very best performances, I do often wonder about the authenticity of the vocals. On most of the tracks he just sounds as if his vocal has been notched up a semi or two?
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The reason why Freddie sounds so different compared to other releases, was because of a combination of two things: He dropped his cigarette habit, and he lost chest power (due to AIDS), so he sang mostly in "head voice" for his highest notes (which sound higher and thinner than usual).

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I dunno; disliking one of his vocal styles is sort of like pointing at a rainbow and thinking it needs less yellow.  I find all of his phases pretty interesting.  Even in the 80's when he would tend to oversing things horribly ("How Can I Go On" in some of the really high bits) it's like this - it was his artistic decision to go with those vocal lines.  It's a part of his personality.  I prefer to just appreciate him for what he was, as opposed to thinking "that's great" or "that sucks".

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Ya well whatever it was. I still think on A Day at the Races he had his best tone. He could sing with falsetto perfectly along with sing high notes with power and still sound clear and not yelling. Also, he had settled in and got used to his nodules by that point when on A Night at the Opera he was just getting used to them.

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jamster1111 wrote: Ya well whatever it was. I still think on A Day at the Races he had his best tone. He could sing with falsetto perfectly along with sing high notes with power and still sound clear and not yelling. Also, he had settled in and got used to his nodules by that point when on A Night at the Opera he was just getting used to them.

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Well his tone was at its best during the 70s and his falsetto was at its best up until 1982, but he didn't have the power to his vocals (yet). Albums like The Game and Hot Space are extensions of that voice.