A Night At The Opera is a thoroughly mixed bag of Hard Rock, Progressive Rock (with a whimsical edge, usually forbidden in the prog rock world), and a host of other styles. 

There are ballads, Music Hall “sing-alongs”, imaginatively created Dixie Land, and more than just a hint of “Operatic Drama.” Perhaps “Rock and Roll Cabaret” might be the most applicable term when attempting to categorize this uniquely outside-the-box classic. Maybe it's simply better to call it “genre-defying.” Although quite varied, the songs flow together like parts of a whole, rather than individual tracks. It’s melodic, emotionally mixed, complex (yet fun), satisfying, and certainly as diverse as any Rock and Roll album ever dares. 

Now over 50 years since Queen’s release of “A Night at the Opera,” it’s safe to say it's an impossible success. The lead “Bohemian Rhapsody” seems to have its own fountain of youth built into its framework. Every 10 or 15 years, the song finds a new audience, notably Wayne’s World (1992), the biographical drama Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), and the 2019 comedy Good Omens, which used 4 of the album's tracks. Though not a strictly “Rock and Roll album, A Night at the Opera is one of Rock music’s greatest successes, elevating Queen to Superstar status. Accolades include two Grammy nominations, Queen's first certified Platinum album (UK and USA). The epic 6-minute Freddy Mercury-penned single “Bohemian Rhapsody” hit #1 in over 20 countries, and scored top 10 spots in the UK and the USA. As of 2018 (43 years after its release), Bohemian Rhapsody was ranked the most downloaded song in history. 

Brian May’s father and son-built masterpiece, Electric Guitar (known as the Red Special), is an essential part of “A Night at the Opera”. It’s also a big part of Brian May’s instantly recognizable tone and Queen’s entire catalog. The stellar craftsmanship and design elements used to build the “Red Special” all contribute to its unique sound — but its raw versatility comes from an ingenious, far-ahead-of-the-times pickup wiring/switching system. 

In 1975, Brian May’s now-iconic homemade guitar was probably the most electronically versatile in the world. The Red Special features three Burns Trisonic (single coil) pickups, wired in series or parallel. A feature that makes any combination of “true” humbucking and single coil tones available. Each pickup also features an individually controllable polarity (phase) selector. Any pickup combination can be set in or out of phase with each other- making that thin “between positions” quack just the flick of a switch away. All told, the Red Special can produce 14 non-redundant tonal combinations before the player touches the onboard volume & tone controls, outboard effects, or amp. 

Altomusic’s note to players:

There have been several “official” authorized Red Special replicas available over the years, as well as many unauthorized re-creations. However, you don’t need to buy a “Red Special” replica (or Burns of London pickups) to enjoy the broad range of tonal options heard on “A Night at the Opera”. In fact, the guitar you already have (or maybe the one you have your eye on) can probably do the trick. Just a few examples are listed below.