While contemplating the centre field tickets at Cooperstown, I had the unhappy occasion to come across American Idol sings Queen this evening. How sad. How unlike what I recalled when I did rock last month but how it did remind me of Mr. Taylor's doubt as to the relationship between Queen and heavy metal. How happy to cure both with one posting of "Ogre Battle", a track from their 1975 pre-hit lp Queen II which I had meant to post and comment upon. Here it be:[3.9 MB .wma file].

Metal meets cathedral choir meets dance hall meets LOTR with a touch of Slade, maybe even a foreshadowing of Foreigner while still perhaps a heavy trowel's worth of Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Be ye patient as there be a bit of quiet at the outset. And then there isn't. And then there's Fred.

Tangent: while I have a small bent multi-instrumentalissimomistic I am also admittedly a very lazy man. Yet there is something about that song that makes me want to get another small accordion or even that mandocello. Or to figure out how to play "Debaser" on a banjo. Gotta visit this place and this one.