Retro Spins: Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe - Barcelona

Like Queen? Like Freddie Mercury? Like opera? That last question is where a lot of people probably drop off with a resounding, "No."

Barcelona. Conceived by Freddie Mercury in his latter years, when all he wanted to do was focus on music. Mercury had long since been a fan of combing opera into his rock and roll music, but this was to be his first official full opera album. He had also for  along time wanted to work with the Spanish operatic singer, Montserrat Caballe. Both of those came to fruition in 1988.

Unlike your traditional opera, I can't honestly say if the album is a story from start to finish. Mainly because I don't know what most of the lyrics are about. Still, this doesn't stop me from listening to, or enjoying, the album.

I suppose if I were to be truthful, I probably wouldn't give this album a minute of my time if it weren't Freddie Mercury. The man has an amazing voice, and this album is the perfect opportunity for him to present it. The melodies, the notes, the pitches, all are perfect. They hit every spot of emotion in your mind.

No, you're not going to find rocking guitar riffs here. Nor very multi-layered tracks. However, this in turn leads to some of its charm. It's a refreshing pace from your typical 80's album, and certainly strays far off the beaten track for most established artists. But it works. Perfectly.

Barcelona is a great album, and if you can allow yourself to listen to it, not just hear it, but listen to it, you may very well find yourself enjoying it too. I suppose it helps immensely if you're already a fan of Freddie Mercury or opera. Either way, I recommend giving it a try.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.