News of the World

1977’s News Of The World can read as Queen’s response to the UK punk explosion, but if anything it shows that the quartet’s seemingly uncanny ability in its best years to take the zeitgeist for itself wherever they wanted to go with it was their most crucial skill. The opening one two punch of “We Will Rock You”’s brutally invigorating stomp and “We Are The Champions”’s soaring triumphalism can’t be topped, but everything from the blazing “Sheer Heart Attack” to “Get Down, Make Love”’s raunch to “Spread Your Wings” still connects.