Mojo - "...An imperial extravaganza, a cornucopia; a band of hungrily competitive individualists on a big roll of friendship and delight..." Q - Ranked #41 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" Q - 3 Stars - Good - "...Even 'Bohemian Rhapsody' pales into significance next to the epic eight-minute toss of 'The Prophet Song'..." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[L]istening again to A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is a reminder of the extent of the band's barmy diversity." Q - Ranked #2 in Q Magazine's "10 Essential Reissues Of 2006." Q - "It's a record to which all four contributed fine songs, and one of extremes -- among the crashing rock and proggy wigouts were love songs, acoustic whimsy, a trad-jazz pastiche and a brace of vaudeville show tunes." Q - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A NIGHT AT THE OPERA gave Queen their first Number 1, houses 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' and includes everything from spaced-out prog-rock to '30s-era vaudeville..." Uncut - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Containing not one but two monumental epics, and gorging on grandiose gestures galore, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA secured itself instant classic status." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Sweet Lady' bites with the ferocity of the most grizzled heavy metal..." Q (02/06, p.108) - 5 (out of 5) - "...A NIGHT AT THE OPERA remains glorious, monumental. It is British rock's greatest extravagance." Classic Rock (04/06, p.60) - "...this album found the group's four talents at their most complementary..."

Rovi

Though they began their career practicing an artier, more theatrical variant on the Led Zeppelin heavy rock sound, Queen was always capable of much more. Ultimately, Freddie and the boys were popsters at heart, and capable ones to boot. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is where they begin to show their eclecticism and compositional facility. The album title is probably a reference to the FM rock anthem "Bohemian Rhapsody", which begins as an existential ballad before moving into a mock-operatic section featuring scores of overdubbed Freddie Mercurys.
"Rhapsody" is just the tip of the iceberg here. "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" is a music hall ditty that owes a debt to the Kinks. "'39" is a surprisingly poignant folk-rocker written and sung by Brian May. "You're My Best Friend" is pure '70s AM melodic pop. Queen even ventures into vaudeville territory (given Mercury's show biz leanings, not as much of a stretch as one might think) on the fatalistic, old-timey "Good Company". There are several souped-up rockers here as well, but it's A NIGHT AT THE OPERA's winning stylistic experimentation that makes it a milestone in Queen history.|

Rovi

Queen were straining at the boundaries of hard rock and heavy metal on Sheer Heart Attack, but they broke down all the barricades on A Night at the Opera, a self-consciously ridiculous and overblown hard rock masterpiece. Using the multi-layered guitars of its predecessor as a foundation, A Night at the Opera encompasses metal ("Death on Two Legs," "Sweet Lady"), pop (the lovely, shimmering "You're My Best Friend"), campy British music hall ("Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," "Seaside Rendezvous"), and mystical prog rock ("'39," "The Prophet's Song"), eventually bringing it all together on the pseudo-operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody." In short, it's a lot like Queen's own version of Led Zeppelin IV, but where Zep find dark menace in bombast, Queen celebrate their own pomposity. No one in the band takes anything too seriously, otherwise the arrangements wouldn't be as ludicrously exaggerated as they are. But the appeal -- and the influence -- of A Night at the Opera is in its detailed, meticulous productions. It's prog rock with a sense of humor as well as dynamics, and Queen never bettered their approach anywhere else. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rovi