This week marks the 40th anniversary of Sheer Heart Attack, the album which — by most accounts — launched Queen to international, tight-leather-clad stardom. But rather than watching a fur-covered Freddie Mercury doing his thing (as excellent as that would be), here’s Panic at the Disco’s cover of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which provides a pretty fitting homage.
Sheer Heart Attack was Queen‘s first properly rock anthem — it disgresed from the earlier and more progressive debut album, and gave the world its first taste of that distinctive Queen sound. It shot straight to number two in the US, thanks to some classic tracks that have survived to this day, including ‘Killer Queen’.
Although ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ didn’t come until a year later, I think this recent Panic at the Disco cover is still worthy of a mention — and a shirtless Brandon Urie does a pretty good job as a Mercury stand-in.