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31st October 2020

Fan Feature: Thunderbolts and Lightening by John Wing

"1975 was the year in which UK inflation spiralled out of control and petrol increased by nearly 70%. A woman - Margaret Thatcher - became the leader of the opposition for the Conservative Party. The first true blockbuster ever opened this year in cinemas, called Jaws; and on TV, programmes such as Kojak and the Six Million Dollar Man were the big hitters. Meanwhile, across the water, a new company called Microsoft was created by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It was also the start of the video recorder standards between VHS and Betamax. It was also the year when the Vietnam War finally came to an end. 

As a sixteen year old I didn't take much notice of the above with the exception of movies and TV shows. For me it wasn't the things I mention in the first paragraph that made 1975 so memorable, but a certain song entitled: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. This six minute epic written by Freddie Mercury exploded upon the scene turning the music world upside down, capturing the imagination of millions of people, striking at them like … well … thunderbolt and lightning!

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was the song that launched them into the stratosphere, and they became a super group. But what of the album that it was taken from?"

Click here to read the full feature.