Various Artists - Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen

The definitive tribute to Queen, featuring Glen Hughes, Yngwie Malmsteen, Ted Nugent, Marty Friedman, Paul Shortino, Lemmy and many others. 1996 release. Album Description

Better than average tribute to a legendary band

Cover albums are always a risky bet. It seems like the same dozen or so out of work hair metallers keep getting called on to pay tribute to classic rock icons, and the results are never pretty. Every once in a while a real gem emerges, such as Magna Carta's Rush and ELP tributes and this album, which pays homage to the legendary progressive/art/glam rock band Queen.

This 1997 tribute album features some true heavy metal heavyweights offering up versions of songs that truly inspired them. It's definitely not your run of the mill Cleopatra Records tribute. Any album that boasts Dream Theater's James LaBrie and John Petrucci, Anthrax's Scott Ian and John Bush, as well as Jeff Scott Soto, Glenn Hughes, Yngwie Malmsteen, Lemmy and Ted Nugent (among others) has to be taken seriously. These first rate musicians and powerful vocalists may not match Queen's unique energy, but they give strong performances and renditions of Queen classics that should please all but the most jaded Queen fans. It helps that you get the impression that these musicians participated out of a true appreciation for Queen's music, not just because the rent was due.

Given its relatively low price tag, Dragon Attack is a good pick for classic rock fans as well as fans of the various artists featured on this album. I tend to obsessively collect any CD that features someone from Dream Theater, so this was a definite winner for me.

NOTE: This album should not be confused with the absolutely dreadful Tie Your Mix Down: Tribute to Queen album. That waste of plastic is just a bunch of techno remixes of the songs on Dragon Attack, and should be avoided at all costs.
January 8, 2008

Ted Nugent & Lemmy!

Buy it because the world's best rock stars are on it: Ted Nugent & Lemmy. Disagree? You're stupid. August 22, 2005

Rockin'

An interesting compilation here, and surprisingly one of the only tribute albums to date about the legendary 'Queen'
The record itself is a compilation of Queen tracks (mostly B-sides it has to be said - not that that makes them bad of course!) by various induviduals rather than a specific band. Many of the artists are playing evidently here for the first time together and some times it comes off and sometimes it does not. One thing to state before even thinking of this CD, is that it is NOT a Queen CD - not stating the obvious here, but dont expect to here songs in the style of Queen, this is more the songs in the style of the respective artist... and again, this sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't.
Firstly the good - by far the best track on the album is the final one - a version of 'Its Late' by what effectivley is the band Anthrax, this is a really, really superb track and is severley kick [...] in every way - dare i even say it, but it may even be better than the original....certainly much more heavier. Also very notable is Lemmy (from Motorhead) singing again a hard metal version of 'Tie your Mother Down' - really good here to here a classic metal singer in Lemmy belt out a Queen classic in his own unique style.
As far as the bad side goes, there are no particularly 'bad' performances from any artists but more just a feeling of anti climax on songs that could have been done much better - such as 'Another One Bites the Dust' which all in all was a bit of a let down. It also really frustrated me that in the actual track listing for the CD it does not detail the actuall origin of the artist, rather just there unrecognisable name, but upon research you find this compilation has tracks performed by members of The Doors, Kiss, Whitesnake, The Who, Megadeath and Black Sabbath.
But despite this name list I wont lie to you - the odd hairspray band sneaks into this album and some performances sound like they real 80's tracks and in honest a bit cringworthy..... but the big name list mentioned above more than makes up for this.

Over all this album is good, and I would recomend it to any Queen fan, but would suggest it is purchased by fans who like there music nosiey and loud and in general this album is for metal fans rather than the housewives and trainspotters who know the words to Bohemian Rhapsody (incedently NOT featured on this album).

For those who love Queen, and like there music kick [...], buy this album!! May 20, 2003

If you miss Queen...

...this isn't a bad tribute. I bought this because there are some recognisable musicians here who have done their best to sing and play Queen. Ain't nothing wrong with that. Great songs are great songs even if these guys don't sound like Freddy. I didn't buy it expecting they would. What captures the Queen spirit though is Lemmy's version of Tie Your Mother Down. Most people don't get it, but Lemmy personifies the song. And Ted Nugent blazes on the guitar. Here's to Queen anyways.... April 23, 2003

Awesome

Listen to Jeff Scott Soto's Save Me!! Freddie who? March 22, 2002

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