{"id":9757,"date":"2018-10-21T16:43:52","date_gmt":"2018-10-21T20:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/millheiser.com\/hokeyblog\/?p=9757"},"modified":"2022-11-01T10:14:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T14:14:37","slug":"buttkickin-halloween-songs-the-fairy-fellers-master-stroke-queen-1974","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/millheiser.com\/hokeyblog\/2018\/10\/21\/buttkickin-halloween-songs-the-fairy-fellers-master-stroke-queen-1974\/","title":{"rendered":"Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs: “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” — Queen (1974)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The fairy folk have gathered
\nRound the new moon’s shine
\nTo see the feller crack a nut
\nAt night’s noon time
\nTo swing his axe he swears
\nAs he climbs he dares
\nTo deliver the master stroke<\/em><\/p>\n

If you ask me on any given day what my favorite Queen album is, I’d quickly respond with Jazz<\/em>, as that was my first Queen album ever and I think it’s madcap, elaborate, over-the-top wonderfulness in pure Queen fashion. But maybe my favorite collection of Queen songs of all time is Side 2 of Queen II<\/em> from 1974. Everything from “Ogre Battle” to “Seven Seas of Rhye” is just perfection to my ears.<\/p>\n

And that’s where you’ll find today’s Halloween playlist selection, the Freddie Mercury-penned The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke<\/strong>. This tune is nothing but the pure distillation of what many consider to be that “classic” Queen look and feel. Or rather, listen and feel. Whatever the case may be.<\/p>\n

The song is brief, not even three minutes long, and it’s a heavily layered, lushly produced, and lyrically rich ode to English artist Richard Dadd’s painting of the same name, as seen here:<\/p>\n

\"\"Dadd received the commission to paint “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” while incarcerated in a lunatic asylum for murdering his father, which is just about as Halloween as you can get. But he also embedded the piece with an incredible amount of detail and skill, populating it with fantasy creatures and characters, all gathered round to watch the titular persona smash nuts with an axe.<\/p>\n

Plow man wagoner will’ and types<\/em>
\nPolitician with senatorial pipe<\/em>
\nHe’s a dilly dally oh<\/em>
\nPedagogue squinting wears a frown<\/em>
\nAnd a satyr peers under lady’s gown<\/em>
\nHe’s a dirty fellow<\/em>
\nWhat a dirty laddie-oh<\/em><\/p>\n

As a song, Queen’s The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke<\/strong> is wonderfully fantastical and silly fun, little more than a high-spirited description of a fantasy painting that emerged from the mind of a ridiculously talented lunatic. It certainly makes for a welcome frothy tonic in between some of our more disturbing Halloween tunes. So grab your axe and crack nuts with the rest of us dirty laddie-o’s!<\/p>\n

And if your knowledge of Queen is limited to the greatest hits, please do check out both Queen II <\/em>and Jazz<\/em> whenever you can. You’ll be entirely too glad you did.<\/p>\n

Fairy dandy tickling the fancy<\/em>
\nOf his lady friend<\/em>
\nThe nymph in yellow<\/em>
\nWhat a queer fellow<\/em>
\nThe ostler stares with hands on his knees<\/em>
\nCome on mister feller<\/em>
\nCrack it open of you please<\/em><\/p>\n