Fifty years ago, Queen released a six-minute operatic rock epic that label executives were convinced would flop.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” proved them spectacularly wrong, and on 31 October 2025, both the single and its parent album A Night At The Opera get the anniversary treatment they deserve with a reissued vinyl release. Originally released in November 1975, A Night At The Opera marked Queen at their most ambitious. Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon had just escaped a financially crippling management contract and signed with Elton John’s manager, John Reid. That newfound freedom courses through every track.
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“We were at the peak of our confidence,” Taylor recalls. “It felt like there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do, and it shows on that album.”
Recorded with producer Roy Thomas Baker across multiple studios, including the legendary Rockfield in South Wales, the album hit number one in five countries and opened up the world for the band. But it was “Bohemian Rhapsody” that sealed their ascent to greatness.
The single spent nine weeks at number one in the UK and topped the Australian charts on its original release. Brian Wilson called it “a fulfilment and an answer to a teenage prayer of artistic music,” while the Foo Fighters are among countless artists who’ve saluted its influence. Recently, it topped Gold Radio’s Top 300 Hall of Fame listener vote as the best single of all time.
“The first time Fred played us his idea for it, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is something special,'” says Taylor. “And it was.””
“Bohemian Rhapsody” will be reissued on transparent blue heavyweight vinyl in both 7″ and 12″ formats on 31 October. Its accompanying promo film remains the most influential music video in history, while the track itself earned induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and preservation in the US Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2022.
Half a century on, it’s utterly untouchable. In Taylor’s words: “It’s mad and it’s wonderful and it’s got a bit of everything in it.”
Head here to listen.
