Queen

tech77 · 25-07-2009 11:11pm #1

Any queen fans here.
A propos of nothing, just thought i'd post this bit of genius

nyarlothothep · 25-07-2009 11:16pm

Best band ever. They were very versatile which imo is a sign of a most excellent band, for example while the went adult pop in the 80s Queen 2 was a prog rock record with an interesting concept, that being whatever is they were singing about as inspired by Victorian paintings of fairies. They weren't afraid to try new avenues and constantly evolved.

GLaDOS · 26-07-2009 1:22am

Amazing band, Freddy Mercury is one of my favourite vocalists ever.

Mossy Monk · 26-07-2009 12:50pm

That show they did in Montreal is a classic.

delbertgrady · 26-07-2009 2:07pm

Absolutely killer band, though some ill-advised post-Freddie choices by Brian and Roger, and EMI's never-ending efforts to milk the Queen cash cow (those recent, overpriced singles box sets, anyone?) make it very easy for people to be cynical about them.
Nevertheless, their seventies output in particular is superb, and Queen II is definitely one of my Desert Island Discs.

kenon · 26-07-2009 3:16pm

Absolutely brilliant band. Loved them since I was a kid! Fantastic.

Their live shows were supreme too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWjiDNgJRgA

Thundercats Ho · 26-07-2009 6:10pm

Excellent Band. I think live killers was the 1st album (not single) i ever bought. Unreal album, until my sister stood on it with her stilletos. Gutted i was.

Karl Hungus · 26-07-2009 6:49pm

Queen were the first band I got into, pretty much kick shaped my entire musical taste from a young age.

davylee · 26-07-2009 7:12pm

Have to agree with all you guys. Unbelievable band, prob the best ever imo, certainly life. Got the live aid dvd when it came out a couple of years ago and when it comes to the best live act it's like boys against men.
Even compare him to modern vocalists - there's not many came even come close. The four members seemed to complement each other so well
Genius band

pinksoir · 26-07-2009 8:09pm

I love Queen. They wrote some of the best songs of all time and A Night At The Opera is an amazing album. When they were good, they were outstanding (Good Company, Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, '39, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (have you ever seen the live performance of that on SNL???)) But when they were lame they were extremely lame. (ugh, a lot of the later stuff and some of Mercury's songs could be too trite like Seaside Rendevouz etc.)

Can't find that SNL performance on youtube... but here's a nice documantayyy about A Night At The Opera...

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=CDC7CC2A4F7422FC&search_query=classic+albums+queen

nyarlothothep · 26-07-2009 9:31pm

Yeah I agree about the lame thing, even so their lameness was such that it went across to the other end of the spectrum of good, so it was inspired lameness. Song like Friends will be Friends, Invisible Man and The Miracle are good to listen to for a laugh. Agree that there are very few bands that come close to them but they were one of kind so it would be impossible for any band to ever rival them in their own field.

chughes · 26-07-2009 9:57pm

I can remember the first time I heard Seven Seas of Rhye on BBC Radio 2 back in 1973. I was blown away. Killer Queen and Now I'm Here had me hooked and when Bo Rap came along I just knew they were the best band ever. They did their first Dublin concert in November 1979 at the RDS and I felt I was at a magical experience. I saw them a few times in concert after that and each one was brilliant, even if Slane in 86 was very wet. At Live Aid they were head and shoulders about all the other artists. I was devastated when Freddie died as they were such a big part of my teens and 20's. I would also like to wish Roger Taylor a happy 60th birthday today.

BasuGasu · 27-07-2009 5:51pm

Queen are actually THE best band in the world!! In the middle of reading the Freddie Mercury book by Peter Freestone, it's brilliant! Am going to Montreux to visit the statue and then literally back on a plane home! Can't wait!

Taz86 · 28-07-2009 10:46am

Thumbs up here too. I got into them in my teens. What about the pre-Queen stuff? Step On Me by Smile (Roger, Brian and Tim Staffell on vocals and bass) is a great song and Freddie's rendition of I Can Hear Music is another pre-Queen gem.

As others have mentioned, Montreal was a great gig. Love the bass at the extended intro to Keep Yourself Alive on this live recording. John Deacon is a shamefully underrated bassist. He wrote some of Queen's best (hidden) tunes such as Spread Your Wings, You and I, Need Your Lovin' Tonight. He was the first person to draw my attention to the bass and ultimately led me to pick it up too.

In some ways, I think Innuendo and Made in Heaven is Queen at their best as they are both quite upsetting collections from a once chripy and upbeat group.

I often find their lyrics leave a lot to be desired. I do like good lyrics (Moz, Jarvis, Lou Reed) but Queen made up for all that by being excellent musicians, they are such good musicians. It's crazy that four so talented musicians found each other! So foten you'll get one or two talented ones carrying the others but that was never the case with Queen. Their live shows were fantastic. Not much chatter in between songs but they could produce everything excellently and always got the crowd going. The crowd participation with stuff like Radio Ga Ga is something to behold even if you dislike them.

Playing The Hero now. Love the drums in this and the multi-layered choral vocals at the end, like two choirs arguing just like Bohemian Rhapsody

delbertgrady · 28-07-2009 11:12am

Taz86 wrote: »

What about the pre-Queen stuff? Step On Me by Smile (Roger, Brian and Tim Staffell on vocals and bass) is a great song and Freddie's rendition of I Can Hear Music is another pre-Queen gem.

In some ways, I think Innuendo and Made in Heaven is Queen at their best as they are both quite upsetting collections from a once chirpy and upbeat group.

I completely agree that Step On Me is great. Also, Goin' Back by Larry Lurex is terrific.
I think Innuendo is a decent album, and not a bad swan song to have. There are enough quality tunes to outweigh some of the less-convincing material. I like the title track of Made In Heaven, but that's about it. The version of My Life Has Been Saved that was on the Scandal 12" is far superior to the one that ended up on the album.

Taz86 · 28-07-2009 11:47am

Yeah, Goin Back is great too. I have a liking for April Lady too. I wish I had these tracks in better quality though. Stuff like Blag is unlistenable cos of the poor quality on the Queen in Nuce CD.

I would marginally prefer Made in Heaven overall. I love Mother Love (and Brian singing the last verse. I think it was originally meant to be sung by Freddie but he died before it could be finished so Brian sang the final verse), I Was Born to Love You, Heaven for Everyone (my first Queen single and quite likely my favourite Queen song. Played this and the b-side It's A Beautiful Day over and over. Trademark multi-layered vocals and a great short guitar solo not to mention a beautiful sentiment), A Winter's Tale (beautiful lyrics. I think they messed up the prdouction on this though. I hate how the backing vocals get unberably loud at the 'Is the hope of the man' part), Too Much Love Will Kill You (heart breaking. I know it was written by Brian regarding the falling apart of his marriage but it could fit Freddie's situation at the time), You Don't Fool Me, Made in Heaven (as you've mentioned). I agree with you that My Life Has Been Saved lacks something. I have never heard the 12" version but when I listen to it I always feel it lacks a lift or something, like it never quite gets there or reaches the height it should. I always thought the 20-something minute hidden track was a bit pointless but i remember someone saying it was meant to signify the ascent to heaven so taking that into consideration it makes sense!

You know, after typing all that I'm thinking Made in Heaven probably sticks out in my mind so much because it was my introduction to Queen. I was 9 when it came out and had never really been aware of them before so it's as much tied into my childhood memories as it is Queen's story.

But yeah just to also pick up on what you were saying and stress that Innuendo and These are the Days of our Lives are fantastic, lyric wise and all round

delbertgrady · 28-07-2009 12:06pm

Taz86 wrote: »

I agree with you that My Life Has Been Saved lacks something. I have never heard the 12" version but when I listen to it I always feel it lacks a lift or something, like it never quite gets there or reaches the height it should.

Indeed. What it's lacking is guitar, which is very prominent on the original version, which you should try to track down. I was so disappointed with the "new" version, when I bought Made in Heaven, as the original was one of their better b-sides in their later years.

kenon · 28-07-2009 4:56pm

Taz86 wrote: »

Yeah, Goin Back is great too. I have a liking for April Lady too. I wish I had these tracks in better quality though. Stuff like Blag is unlistenable cos of the poor quality on the Queen in Nuce CD.

I would marginally prefer Made in Heaven overall. I love Mother Love (and Brian singing the last verse. I think it was originally meant to be sung by Freddie but he died before it could be finished so Brian sang the final verse), I Was Born to Love You, Heaven for Everyone (my first Queen single and quite likely my favourite Queen song. Played this and the b-side It's A Beautiful Day over and over. Trademark multi-layered vocals and a great short guitar solo not to mention a beautiful sentiment), A Winter's Tale (beautiful lyrics. I think they messed up the prdouction on this though. I hate how the backing vocals get unberably loud at the 'Is the hope of the man' part), Too Much Love Will Kill You (heart breaking. I know it was written by Brian regarding the falling apart of his marriage but it could fit Freddie's situation at the time), You Don't Fool Me, Made in Heaven (as you've mentioned). I agree with you that My Life Has Been Saved lacks something. I have never heard the 12" version but when I listen to it I always feel it lacks a lift or something, like it never quite gets there or reaches the height it should. I always thought the 20-something minute hidden track was a bit pointless but i remember someone saying it was meant to signify the ascent to heaven so taking that into consideration it makes sense!

You know, after typing all that I'm thinking Made in Heaven probably sticks out in my mind so much because it was my introduction to Queen. I was 9 when it came out and had never really been aware of them before so it's as much tied into my childhood memories as it is Queen's story.

But yeah just to also pick up on what you were saying and stress that Innuendo and These are the Days of our Lives are fantastic, lyric wise and all round

That was a really good post.

'Mother love' is a really poignant song. Supposedly Freddie Mercury's last vocal performance and there is a part were he really gives it the beans and blasts it out, which would of been incredibly difficult giving his condition at the time.

I really only listen to "A winters tale" around christmas but it such a classy christmas song when there is so much cheese on the radio and telly around that time. Really like the song.

I love "You Don't Fool Me", there is a fantastic tempo and urgency to the song, like its taking you somewhere and leads into one of Brian May's best guitar solos.

Innuendo and These are the Days of our Lives are fantastic

Bang. Two of Queen's best songs there. The latter being my favorite Queen song.

leincar · 28-07-2009 7:15pm

chughes wrote: »

I can remember the first time I heard Seven Seas of Rhye on BBC Radio 2 back in 1973. I was blown away. Killer Queen and Now I'm Here had me hooked and when Bo Rap came along I just knew they were the best band ever. They did their first Dublin concert in November 1979 at the RDS and I felt I was at a magical experience. I saw them a few times in concert after that and each one was brilliant, even if Slane in 86 was very wet. At Live Aid they were head and shoulders about all the other artists. I was devastated when Freddie died as they were such a big part of my teens and 20's. I would also like to wish Roger Taylor a happy 60th birthday today.

I'm beginning to wonder if I have found my doppleganger. Seven Seas of Rhye was the first single I ever bought in early 1974. The November 1979 concert was magnificent,the first time Save Me was performed live. We arrived in O'Connell Street after the gig and ended up talking to Freddie and Brian on the steps of the Gresham Hotel at one in the morning. Needless to see I was skinned within an inch of my life by my Father for being out so late. They were supposed to play two gigs on that tour, but one was cancelled. I saw them play their two gigs as part of the Works tour at the R.D.S. in 1984. I was priviliged to see them at Live Aid as well. Unfortunately for me their Slane gig in 1986 still remains the worst concert I was ever at. Nothing went right that day. The weather was awful, a mini riot started to the left of the stage and the good Dr May decided that the audience could benefit of a twenty minute guitar solo.

I know for a lot of people 'A Night At The Opera' is their favourite Queen album, but for me I have to go with 'A Day At The Races' followed by 'News of the World',and I still think that 'Live Killers' is one of the best live albums ever produced despite its detractors.

Sadly I have taken no interest in Queen since Paul Rodgers came on board. Its just not Queen and I think John Deacon deserves a lot of credit for refusing to take part in the tour.

tech77 · 28-07-2009 9:38pm

Since it was mentioned above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOJPvxgkvn8

Beautiful.

delbertgrady · 29-07-2009 10:29am

leincar wrote: »

We arrived in O'Connell Street after the gig and ended up talking to Freddie and Brian on the steps of the Gresham Hotel at one in the morning.

Okay, this is my most-envied post on Boards ever. I seek solace in the fact that I was only five years old at the time.

leincar · 29-07-2009 4:42pm

delbertgrady wrote: »

Okay, this is my most-envied post on Boards ever. I seek solace in the fact that I was only five years old at the time.

You can also seek solace in the fact I was grounded by my old man for about eight weeks and went nowhere over the Christmas and New Year because of It.

chughes · 29-07-2009 6:05pm

leincar wrote: »

I'm beginning to wonder if I have found my doppleganger. Seven Seas of Rhye was the first single I ever bought in early 1974. The November 1979 concert was magnificent,the first time Save Me was performed live. We arrived in O'Connell Street after the gig and ended up talking to Freddie and Brian on the steps of the Gresham Hotel at one in the morning. Needless to see I was skinned within an inch of my life by my Father for being out so late. They were supposed to play two gigs on that tour, but one was cancelled. I saw them play their two gigs as part of the Works tour at the R.D.S. in 1984. I was priviliged to see them at Live Aid as well. Unfortunately for me their Slane gig in 1986 still remains the worst concert I was ever at. Nothing went right that day. The weather was awful, a mini riot started to the left of the stage and the good Dr May decided that the audience could benefit of a twenty minute guitar solo.

I know for a lot of people 'A Night At The Opera' is their favourite Queen album, but for me I have to go with 'A Day At The Races' followed by 'News of the World',and I still think that 'Live Killers' is one of the best live albums ever produced despite its detractors.

Sadly I have taken no interest in Queen since Paul Rodgers came on board. Its just not Queen and I think John Deacon deserves a lot of credit for refusing to take part in the tour.

Leincar, I like to think that there are a lot of people like you and me out there who have been fans since the early 70's and are still fans to this day. Meeting Freddie and Brian afterwards must have been fantastic and well worth the grounding.

I'm fascinated reading all the posts so far on people's preferred Queen songs/albums. Personally I love the kick ass rock songs best of all and I found some of the songs on Made in Heaven and Innuendo a bit on the morbid side. I know Freddie was dieing and his thoughts and feelings were being expressed through his music and I have huge respect for this. Having said that, I'm a rocker at heart and I love a good Brian May riff. I'm also getting some quite good scores on Singstar Queen on the Playstation 2. Maybe I should give Brian and Roger a shout now that Paul Rodgers is gone

jazoo · 29-07-2009 7:55pm

If there was one gig i could magically go back and attend it would be live at wembley on the magic tour best live album ever.When polls about best bands and singles get compiled Queen always get overlooked, for many years i have been wondering why. In my mind they are in the top five british bands ever and will be for ever.

kenon · 29-07-2009 8:03pm

jazoo wrote: »

If there was one gig i could magically go back and attend it would be live at wembley on the magic tour best live album ever.

Any excuse to post this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Bo6cNWh2A

leincar · 29-07-2009 8:06pm

chughes wrote: »

Leincar, I like to think that there are a lot of people like you and me out there who have been fans since the early 70's and are still fans to this day. Meeting Freddie and Brian afterwards must have been fantastic and well worth the grounding.

I'm fascinated reading all the posts so far on people's preferred Queen songs/albums. Personally I love the kick ass rock songs best of all and I found some of the songs on Made in Heaven and Innuendo a bit on the morbid side. I know Freddie was dieing and his thoughts and feelings were being expressed through his music and I have huge respect for this. Having said that, I'm a rocker at heart and I love a good Brian May riff. I'm also getting some quite good scores on Singstar Queen on the Playstation 2. Maybe I should give Brian and Roger a shout now that Paul Rodgers is gone

There are a surprising amount of us Queen fans out there and like yourself we all love the rock songs best of all. I never mentioned 'Queen at the Beeb' which was released in 1989 and were live sessions recorded in 1973 for the BBC. All the songs subsequently appeared on 'Queen' or 'Queen II' and sound brilliant. Having said that one of the worst albums I have in my collection is a Queen album. 'Hot Space' I really think is awful despite 'Under Pressure' on it. Todays equivalent would probably be U2's 'No Line On The Horizon'. Still every band has a blip.

I have to agree with you this is a great thread and love coming back to it every now and again.

Kolo · 29-07-2009 9:50pm

I'm not a massive fan but Somebody To Love is a fantastic song

chughes · 29-07-2009 10:53pm

I wouldn't be a big fan of Hot Space either. I remember seeing an inteview with Freddie and he was discussing this album. I would say that he was heavily influenced by the club scene in Munich and New York at that time. In fairness, it was an experiment that didn't work.
Does anyone know if there are any events organised by Queen fans in this country ? I'm talking about an evening where fans could get together and discuss the band/the music and maybe watch one of the concerts on DVD ?

Taz86 · 29-07-2009 11:17pm

Oh Hot Space! Does anyone else adore Feel Like? It was a sort of earlyish version of Under Pressure which didn’t make the final cut. I love it. Here’s a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttfslaPrlDI

I’ve got to say also that I really love Life is Real. That would have to be in my favourites list. “Sleeping is my leisure” – good line. Action This Day is catchy too, as is Back Chat. Heck, I actually quite like this album! I do concede though that it was below par for Queen. Hot Space grew on me. I thought Staying Power sounds great on the Milton Keynes live stuff. I think a lot of the songs on it would probably have sounded great live.

I’ve expressed a love particularly for later Queen but obviously like the rest of you I do love the heavier early stuff. Queen II is a gem. March of the Black Queen – I mean that’s an amazing tune just like My Fairy King on Queen. I like all their stuff really but I guess the more mature Queen is what sticks out for me but like I said that could be as much to do with my age as anything else. We always knew they could make you smile, make you move, bring the house down but I think they really showed their lyrical depth on some of the later stuff in particular.

Very remiss of me not to have said it earlier but cheers Tech77 for starting this great thread.

Very envious of you lot who have seen Queen in concert

Edit: Kenon - I love the bit “Mama please let me back inside” and then BANG! Yeah it is amazing that he gave such wonderful vocal performances in his last days even.

A Winter’s Tale blows Thank God It’s Christmas right out of the water! I have to say I love my cheesy Christmas tunes but agree this is the more mature and all round best

christeb · 26-09-2010 8:51pm

I was going to start my own Queen thread, but this one is excellent. I listened to my vinyl version of ANATO on Friday night, the artwork and songs really got to me. '39 may be my favourite song ever, more so due to what Bri did to it live (on tour with Rog and Paul Rodgers) - below.

I read a snippet on brianmay.com recently that said he would be doing some live stuff with RT soon, so I look forward to that. I travelled to 2 of the UK gigs in 2008, they were superb. He's been busying with animal rights, stereoscopy and recording stuff with Kerry Ellis, but hopefully he'll get to it sooner rather than later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Vcav-LETw

Sharkey 10 · 26-09-2010 10:36pm

Firsty let me say that I dont speak with much authority on Queen but am indifferent to them maybe thats because of them being overplayed.
I find it amazing that people choose them as the best band ever. I dont find much diversity with their music . Could could direct me to some of there less known albums that may change my mind?

Queen

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