The Beatles were the first band to show me how fun and enjoyable music can be. Queen were the band that showed me what music could be, and that’s demonstrated in full force on A Night at the Opera.

Queen were powerful. Not only because of the self-evidence of their own name, but because they allowed themselves that power. Every member of the band had their own ambitions and songwriting talents, and each was determined to clash their ego up against one-another to create one of the biggest explosions in rock, one of which the effects of are still being felt all these years later. John Deacon possibly being the exception, a talented bassist who just seemed to be enjoying the ride. And what a ride it must have been.

Queen shattered every complacent tradition of rock. It was not enough that every band member possessed raw talent at musicianship, two of the members were as distinctive as musicians can come. Freddie Mercury with his iconic, powerful voice and stage presence could use his voice to both soothe you with a gentle ballad and at the same time destroy you with the band’s roaring hard rock songs.

Of which he was assisted by Brian May, the lead guitarist who played almost exclusively with his homemade guitar, known as the Red Special. The Red Special has a distinctive guitar tone that even replicas of the guitar have not been able to perfectly recreate, further lending Queen their characteristic sound. With the bizarre tone and myriad of special effects on the Red Special, Brian May could take you to space with his guitar wizardry and bring you back down to Earth with his crunching, heavy solos.

A Night at the Opera is considered Queen’s magnum opus, and for appropriate reason. It is the peak of their songwriting talents and creativity. The furious rocker “Death on Two Legs,” the nostalgic “You’re My Best Friend,” the sci-fi folk song “’39,” the bar rock schmaltz of “Sweet Lady,” the progressive rock epic “The Prophet’s Song,” and of course, the mock-rock opera “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which never gets any less impressive with each passing year. Every song is decidedly rock, but each take influence from a different phase of music, melding the old with the current.

A great example would be “Seaside Rendezvous,” a vaudevillian influenced track (also, fun fact: the bridge of the song has no actual instruments other than the band members imitating several woodwind instruments). Every song on A Night at the Opera sounds unique, yet at the same time, they all belong together. What links them together other than the vocalist or musicianship, is the confidence. It is that confidence that gives Queen their strength. Every member of the band is a talented songwriter and penned more than one hit song. And how can I finish this without mentioning Roger Taylor’s powerful drumming and John Deacon’s smooth basslines? There’s not a piece out of place on this rock collage of influences and ideas, this group is more than the sum of their parts (which would be a large sum to begin with).

Queen are not just powerful. They’re empowering. They do what they want with their music, with unconventional song structures and influences. And you can tell how much fun they’re having doing it. Queen sounded so original and unique to me that I spent forever looking for bands that were identical to them. I never found any, and I’m pretty sure they don’t exist. Queen are immortal, eternal, irreplicable, and unmistakable. I have no desire to mutiny against their position on the rock throne. They deserve it.