Editing Queen (band) (section)

===1976–1979: ''A Day at the Races'' to ''Live Killers''===
By 1976, Queen were back in the studio recording ''[[A Day at the Races (album)|A Day at the Races]]'', which is often regarded as a sequel album to ''A Night at the Opera''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-day-at-the-races-japan-version-r1472773|title=A Day at the Races|website=AllMusic|access-date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903083449/http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-day-at-the-races-japan-version-r1472773|archive-date=3 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Blake|2010|p=192}} It again borrowed the name of a Marx Brothers movie, and its cover was similar to that of ''A Night at the Opera'', a variation on the same Queen logo.<ref name=night/> The most recognisable of the Marx Brothers, [[Groucho Marx]], invited Queen to visit him in his Los Angeles home in March 1977; there the band thanked him in person, and performed "[['39]]" ''[[a cappella]]''.{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2009|p=96}} Baker did not return to produce the album; instead the band self-produced with assistance from Mike Stone, who performed several of the backing vocals.{{sfn|Blake|2010|pp=193,206}} The major hit on the album was "[[Somebody to Love (Queen song)|Somebody to Love]]", a gospel-inspired song in which Mercury, May, and Taylor multi-tracked their voices to create a gospel choir.{{sfn|Blake|2010|pp=193–194}} The song went to number two in the UK,<ref name="bhsa"/> and number thirteen in the US.<ref name="bbtfh"/> The album also featured one of the band's heaviest songs, May's "[[Tie Your Mother Down]]", which became a staple of their live shows.<ref>{{cite web|quote="Tie Your Mother Down" has been included in all of the band's tours from the summer of 1976 to the most recent ''Return of the Champions'' tour|url=http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen.html|title=Queen Concertography|publisher=Queenconcerts.com|access-date=2 April 2008|archive-date=24 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424131632/http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen.html|url-status=live}}{{Verify quote|date=November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Ed |last=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/tie-your-mother-down-t2509372 |title=Song Review: Tie Your Mother Down |website=AllMusic |access-date=31 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110908205657/http://www.allmusic.com/song/tie-your-mother-down-t2509372 |archive-date=8 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Musically, ''A Day at the Races'' was by both fans' and critics' standards a strong effort, reaching number one in the UK and Japan, and number five in the US.<ref name="bhsa"/><ref name=night>{{cite web|url= http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races/|title=A Day at the Races|publisher=Queenonline.com|access-date=28 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110715135018/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races/|archive-date=15 July 2011}}</ref>

Queen played a [[Queen Hyde Park 1976|landmark gig]] on 18 September 1976, a free concert in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], London, organised by the entrepreneur [[Richard Branson]].<ref name="Hyde Park"/> It set an attendance record at the park, with 150,000 people confirmed in the audience.<ref name="Hyde Park">{{cite web |publisher=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/events/stadium-rock/queen-play-hyde-park/ |title=Queen play Hyde Park |access-date=9 April 2009 |archive-date=18 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918005419/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/events/stadium-rock/queen-play-hyde-park/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Blake|2010|p=191}} Queen were late arriving onstage and ran out of time to play an encore; the police informed Mercury that he would be arrested if he attempted to go on stage again.{{sfn|Blake|2010|p=192}} May enjoyed the gig particularly, as he had been to see previous concerts at the park, such as the first one organised by [[Blackhill Enterprises]] in 1968, featuring [[Pink Floyd]].{{sfn|Dean|1986|p=30}}

[[File:Queen News Of The World (1977 Press Kit Photo 01).jpg|thumb|right|Queen press photo in early 1977 in promotion of ''News of the World'']]
On 1 December 1976, Queen were the intended guests on London's early evening ''Today'' programme, but they pulled out at the last-minute, which saw their late replacement on the show, EMI labelmate the [[Sex Pistols]], give their infamous expletive-strewn interview with [[Bill Grundy]].{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2009|p=119}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/sex-pistols/38482 |title=Sex Pistols on Bill Grundy's 'Today' show most requested clip |work=NME |date=28 July 2008 |access-date=19 February 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918005417/http://www.nme.com/news/sex-pistols/38482 |url-status=live }}</ref> During the [[A Day at the Races Tour]] in 1977, Queen performed sold-out shows at [[Madison Square Garden]], New York, in February, supported by [[Thin Lizzy]], and Mercury and Taylor socialised with that group's leader [[Phil Lynott]].{{sfn|Blake|2010|pp=198–199}} They ended the tour with two concerts at [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre|Earls Court]], London, in June, which commemorated the [[Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II]], and at the cost of £50,000 the band used a lighting rig in the shape of a crown for the first time.{{sfn|Blake|2010|p=201}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whitfield |first1=David |title=Freddie Mercury's sister Kashmira on the success of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' – and what happened when the Queen legend used to visit her in Nottingham |url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/freddie-mercurys-sister-kashmira-success-2710630 |access-date=4 April 2019 |newspaper=Nottingham Post |date=3 April 2019 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404130104/https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/music-nightlife/freddie-mercurys-sister-kashmira-success-2710630 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=20 December 1978 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/649614822.html?dids=649614822:649614822&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Dec+20%2C+1978&author=ROBERT+HILBURN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=POP+MUSIC+REVIEW |title=Pop Music Review: Putting Queen in Audio Seat Queen for a Night |access-date=4 April 2019 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020023750/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/649614822.html?dids=649614822:649614822&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Dec+20,+1978&author=ROBERT+HILBURN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=POP+MUSIC+REVIEW |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The band's sixth studio album ''[[News of the World (album)|News of the World]]'' was released in 1977, which has gone [[platinum album|four times platinum]] in the US, and twice in the UK.<ref name=RIAAC>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=queen&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50 |title=RIAA – Gold and Platinum |work=riaa |access-date=28 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904041257/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=queen&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50 |archive-date=4 September 2015 }}</ref> The album contained many songs tailor-made for live performance, including two of rock's most recognisable anthems, "[[We Will Rock You]]" and the rock ballad "[[We Are the Champions]]", both of which became enduring international [[stadium anthem|sports anthems]], and the latter reached number four in the US.<ref name="bbtfh"/><ref name=alm>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/we-are-the-champions-t2415717|title=We Are the Champions: Song Review|website=AllMusic|access-date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212061425/http://allmusic.com/song/we-are-the-champions-t2415717|archive-date=12 December 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Queen commenced the [[News of the World Tour]] in November 1977, and [[Robert Hilburn]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called this concert tour the band's "most spectacularly staged and finely honed show".<ref>{{cite news |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |work=Los Angeles Times |date=20 December 1977 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/650333162.html?dids=650333162:650333162&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Dec+20%2C+1977&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=POP+MUSIC+REVIEW |title=Pop Music Review: Queen's Royal Achievement |access-date=7 July 2017 |archive-date=10 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210214115/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/650333162.html?dids=650333162:650333162&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Dec+20%2C+1977&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=POP+MUSIC+REVIEW |url-status=dead }}</ref> During the tour they sold out another two shows at MSG, and in 1978 they received the [[Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award]] for passing more than 100,000 unit ticket sales at the venue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valdron |first=Ryan |date=16 November 2018 |url=http://k106fm.com/daily-fix/rock-lounge/2018/11/today-in-rock-history-november-16th/|title=Today in Rock History: November 16th |website=K106.3 FM|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116115522/http://k106fm.com/daily-fix/rock-lounge/2018/11/today-in-rock-history-november-16th/ |archive-date=16 November 2018 |url-status=live|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>

[[File:QueenPerforming1977.jpg|thumb|left|Queen in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], Connecticut in November 1977|alt=l-r: John Deacon, Brian May, and Freddie Mercury seen live in 1978]] In 1978, Queen released ''[[Jazz (Queen album)|Jazz]]'', which reached number two in the UK and number six on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-r15974/charts-awards|title=Jazz – Queen: Billboard Albums|website=AllMusic|access-date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721024514/http://allmusic.com/album/jazz-r15974/charts-awards|archive-date=21 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album included the hit singles "[[Fat Bottomed Girls]]" and "[[Bicycle Race]]" on a double-sided record. Critical reviews of the album in the years since its release have been more favourable than initial reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-r15974/review|title=Jazz – Queen: Review|website=AllMusic|access-date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229222355/http://allmusic.com/album/jazz-r15974/review|archive-date=29 December 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/10-classic-albums-rolling-stone-originally-panned-101316/|title=10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Originally Panned|first1=Andy|last1=Greene|date=25 July 2016|access-date=2 November 2019|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=9 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109173815/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/10-classic-albums-rolling-stone-originally-panned-101316/|url-status=live}}</ref> Another notable track from ''Jazz'', "[[Don't Stop Me Now]]", provides another example of the band's exuberant vocal harmonies.<ref>Donald A. Guarisco, "Don't Stop Me Now". [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved 12 July 2011</ref>

In 1978, Queen [[Jazz Tour|toured]] the US and Canada, and spent much of 1979 touring in Europe and Japan.<ref name="tour">{{cite web|url=http://www.queenonline.com/the-band/about/|title=About The Band|publisher=Queenonline.com|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120402201522/http://www.queenonline.com/the-band/about/|archive-date=2 April 2012 }}</ref> They released their first live album, ''[[Live Killers]]'', in 1979; it went platinum twice in the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php |title=RIAA |publisher=RIAA |access-date=2 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626174049/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php |archive-date=26 June 2007 }}</ref> Queen also released the very successful single "[[Crazy Little Thing Called Love]]", a [[rockabilly]] inspired song done in the style of [[Elvis Presley]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT32|title=Queen|magazine=Billboard|date=19 July 1980|volume=92|number=29|page=33|via=Books.google.com|access-date=12 January 2016|archive-date=5 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305150957/https://books.google.com/books?id=TyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT32#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Crazy"/> The song made the top 10 in many countries, topped the Australian [[ARIA Charts]] for seven consecutive weeks, and was the band's first number one single in the US where it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks.<ref name="bbtfh"/><ref>[[David Kent (historian)|Kent, David]] (1993) (doc). [[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]]. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W</ref> Having written the song on guitar and played rhythm on the record, Mercury played rhythm guitar when performing the song live, the first time he ever played guitar in concert.<ref name="Crazy">{{cite web|url=http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/interviews/queen/circus-1980/|title=Lights! Action! Sound! It's That Crazy Little Thing Called Queen! by Lou O'Neill Jr. (Circus Sept 1980)|publisher=Queenonline.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628080136/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/interviews/queen/circus-1980/|archive-date=28 June 2011}}</ref> On 26 December 1979, Queen played the opening night at the [[Concert for the People of Kampuchea]] in London, having accepted a request by the event's organiser, [[Paul McCartney]].<ref name="Crazy"/> The concert was the last date of their [[Crazy Tour]] of London.{{sfn|Freestone|Evans|2001|p=18}}