| "Stone Cold Crazy" | |
|---|---|
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| Song byQueen | |
| from the albumSheer Heart Attack | |
| Released | 8 November 1974 |
| Recorded | July–September 1974 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:16 |
| Label | |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers |
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| Music video | |
| "Stone Cold Crazy" (live at the Rainbow) onYouTube | |
"Stone Cold Crazy" is a song written and performed by Britishrock bandQueen for their 1974 albumSheer Heart Attack.[9] It is a rare, early example of all four members sharing a writing credit. (The band did not formally credit themselves entirely until 1986.) Although the song was not released as a single at the time, it was performed live at almost every Queen concert from 1974 to 1978.[10][11][12][13] "Stone Cold Crazy" is included on the band's 1992 compilation album,Classic Queen and was released as apromo single in that year byHollywood Records.[14][15]
"Stone Cold Crazy" is known for its fast tempo and heavy distortion, thus being a precursor tospeed metal.[16] Music magazineQ described "Stone Cold Crazy" as "thrash metal before the term was invented",[5] although this was not the first song in the style of "proto-thrash", withDeep Purple's "Hard Lovin' Man" predating it by four years.[17] In 2009, it was named the 38th besthard rock song of all time byVH1.[18]
DRUM! called it an "early blisteringly fast song", describing Taylor's performance as "straight-uppunk-rock drumming. [...] In essence, Taylor's groove is a double-stroke roll split between his bass drum and snare drum with some cool accents played on his crash cymbals. Taylor later re-enters with a dramatic and decidedly non-punk fill to restart the groove."[19]
Three different remixes were created in 1991. The first two, byMichael Wagener, were issued on different pressings of the 1991Hollywood RecordsSheer Heart Attack remaster, and on theEncino Man soundtrack.[20][21] The third one, byTrent Reznor, was released on several promo CDs in 1991/1992 and 1999.[22] The Wagener remixes are not very different from the original and feature slight remixing of the backing track. Reznor's version mixes the Queen sound with theindustrial metal sound ofNine Inch Nails.[22] Reznor's remix includes studio sound bites from Queen at the beginning and end of the track. It was intended for inclusion as the ninth track on the cancelled 1992 Hollywood Records compilationBASIC Queen Bootlegs.[22]
| "Stone Cold Crazy" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song byMetallica | |
| from the albumRubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary | |
| Released | 1990 |
| Studio | Fantasy, Berkeley, California |
| Length | 2:17 |
| Label | Elektra |
| Producer | Metallica |
Metallica covered the song as their contribution to the 1990 compilation albumRubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary. This cover version was later used as a B-side of their "Enter Sandman" single and subsequently won aGrammy Award; it also appeared on their covers/B-sides albumGarage Inc. The Metallica version of the song is more aggressive than the original; they also slightly altered the lyrics, adding two uses of the word "fuck" and changing the more humorous lines for more violent lyrics.
James Hetfield performed the song with Queen &Tony Iommi ofBlack Sabbath (singing Metallica's altered lyrics) at theFreddie Mercury Tribute Concert.[23][24] Metallica also played the song as an encore during their 1991–93Nowhere Else to Roam tour; it appears on the live CDLive Shit: Binge & Purge and the 2009 live DVDFrançais Pour une Nuit.
The song is featured in the music video gamesGuitar Hero: Metallica andRock Revolution, as well as downloadable content forRock Band 3 andRocksmith.[25][26] It also appeared on the soundtrack of the 2021 Disney movieCruella, where the opening verse underscores a young Cruella de Vil hijacking a car.
Glamorous and deadly, the band were hitting their stride with classics like "Killer Queen" and the truly fantastic hard-rock blitz of "Stone Cold Crazy".
their greatest contribution to the pantheon of hard rock, "Stone Cold Crazy"
...to the thundering speed metal of 'Stone Cold Crazy.
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