Queen

JP Liz

If you thought Adam Lambert looked like a natural fit with iconic rockers Queen during American Idol's finale, you weren't the only one.

Hours after it was announced that Lambert was Season 8's runner-up last week, widespread speculation began circulating that the 26-year-old singer had been offered a job as Queen's new front man. While that's not true yet, guitarist Brian May isn't ruling out the possibility.

"Amongst all that furor, there wasn't really a quiet moment to talk. But [drummer Roger Taylor] and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with him at some point," May told Rolling Stone. "It's not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn't that easy. But I'd certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there."

Queen recently ended a four-year relationship with Paul Rodgers, who was handling the vocal duties for the band.

Lambert auditioned for Idol with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and instantly became a buzzed-about contender for the show's Top 36. His revved-up, glam-rock numbers and hauntingly restrained ballads made him the front-runner all season before ultimately coming up short. While the show has produced more pop artists than rockers, May recognizes that springboard it provides young artists.

For now, Lambert must first complete the 50-city tour with his fellow Top 10 members, and the Idol producers, 19 Entertainment, will likely have first dibs on anything Lambert does next.

"Both those boys are well worthy of big success," May said. "So it's pointless for someone like me to stand on the sidelines jeering. I'm confident Adam will make great use of this wonderful opportunity. I hope I'm there to see it."

I am a huge fan of Adam but no one can replace Freddie

iHeartRyanAdams

it depends what you see queen as though, a guitar or vocally driven band.
i was having this discussion with a friend yesterday and although i think its freddie's vocals that carried queen, he wasn't really that impressed and though brian may was the only reason they were as popular as they were.
he's no jimmy paige like! :eek:

Auvers

iHeartRyanAdams wrote: »

brian may was the only reason they were as popular as they were.
he's no jimmy paige like! :eek:

well I think your friend is an eejit

mike65

Dunno who this fella is but if he is a Freddie clone vocally then a gig with Queen may end up his best hope - but he better not have any long term expectations given the age of May and Taylor!

grumpytrousers

Jesus H - i wish to god May and Taylor would just let it lie. I loved Queen. I bought the albums. My copy of Innuendo gets as much play as A Night at the Opera, but lads...Enough. Please.

They simply cannot go trading on the name of the band without Fred at the helm. It was acceptable at the Freddie Aid gig in Wembley, but after that, it's just grave robbing. I know plenty of other bands go on when they lose pivotal members, but very few of them have lost a member so pivotal that he was normally the only band member Joe Public could remember.

The Who have carried on 'cos they still have Townshend and Daltry. Page and Jones didn't go out on the road as Led Zepp when Plant put the kibosh on it after the O2 gig. The new incarnation of The Doors seems ridiculous, and what's with the new INXS post Hutchence.

All of these bands had the calling card of a marvellously charismatic frontman backed by cracking musos ; Queen, without the frigger who practically *wrote* the text on 'how to be a marvellously charismatic frontman backed by cracking musos', are just not able to cut it.

I've no problem with Brian and Roger going out and playing, or even going out and playing Queen songs, but they *really* need to stop sullying the bands reputation; John Deacon is the only one to have come out of this with his dignity completely intact. Mind you, he was *always* the smart one.

Ah that feels better.

unreggd

mike65

Anyone remember Kingdom Come?

nyarlothothep

lets not forget freddie was also a pianist and wrote bo-rap. They're missing a major creative element there. All the albums almost 1/2 May and Mercury. Also its not Queen because they're missing the one person you should all know about! The quintessential anonymous bassist John Deacon (quite a good bassist too).

mike65

The bassist is doomed to be forgotten unless a singer, check out those mash-up vids for old Zep tracks JPJ is bearly glimpsed. Ritchie Blackmore did not write the Smoke on the Water riff Roger Glover did, Deacon wrote Queens most popular global hit and so on.

delbertgrady

I'm with grumpytrousers one hundred percent on this one. I'm a huge Queen fan, but they've got to let it go.
I was cynical about the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour, but I saw them in the Point the first time round and it was great (though a lot of that was to do with the enthusiasm of the crowd). However, doing a studio album and hitting the road again was a mistake, and now that Rodgers has run back to Bad Company, I can't believe Brian and Roger want to (possibly) launch some other madcap scheme.
There was a time when EMI were the villains in all this, the stock joke being "another Christmas, another Queen compilation" (not strictly accurate, but not far off), whereas now it seems to be Brian and Roger milking the cash cow.
If they do recruit this guy, it'd be as predictable as it would be embarrassing. Somehow I can't imagine him turning around at rehearsals and saying, "Hey, want to run through Great King Rat?"...

grumpytrousers

delbertgrady wrote: »

There was a time when EMI were the villains in all this, the stock joke being "another Christmas, another Queen compilation"

hah - you evidently remember the quote from the reviews of the Greatest Hits 3...'What next - Bohemian Rhapsody, with the opera bits done by the EMI Accounts department...'



I'd say the emotions at the point gig were something else, but i'll wager that when pictures of Freddie were put on the big screens, the cheers were loudest!

delbertgrady

Ha! I actually don't remember that. I do remember Brian being asked about Queen Rocks (which was really just an excuse for them to include No One But You on a full disc), and commenting that while he liked the idea of there being a compilation exclusively of their "heavier" songs, that personally, he'd rather people just listened to Queen II.

As for the Point show, the crowd were up for it long before they came on stage. There was an impromptu mexican wave for several minutes while the house lights were still on. For me, just to see Roger do I'm In Love with My Car was worth the admission price alone.

Taz86

delbertgrady wrote: »

Ha! I actually don't remember that. I do remember Brian being asked about Queen Rocks (which was really just an excuse for them to include No One But You on a full disc), and commenting that while he liked the idea of there being a compilation exclusively of their "heavier" songs, that personally, he'd rather people just listened to Queen II.

As for the Point show, the crowd were up for it long before they came on stage. There was an impromptu mexican wave for several minutes while the house lights were still on. For me, to see Roger do I'm In Love with My Car it was worth the admission price alone.

Pretty much agree with yerself and Grumpytrousers. That Point gig was fanatstic even if slightly cheesy at times (Paul's leather trousers did nothing fo rme ) It was great to see Rog and Brian. I'm such a silly sod that I actually felt quite emotional when on the big screen they showed images of Freddie and my John! Really wished both of them were there. All the members of Queen were fantastic musicians so I was just happy to see Brian and Roger to watch them play. John Deacon really wa sthe unsung hero of the band in my eyes. Have always loved him. So quiet and unassuming. He wrote one of my favourite Queen songs - Spread Your Wings. What a song and great video out in the snow.
I love Queen. I've got all the albums, bootlegs. Heck, I even have the pre-Queen stuff - Smile, Larry Lurex etc. and I hate to see what Brian and Roger have been doing since Made in Heaven. Remember they did WWRY with 5ive? Oh cringe. I just detach myself from all that and remember Queen my way.

delbertgrady

Ah, the Spread Your Wings/We Will Rock You video shoot, with the director who didn't seem to know who anyone was: "The guitarist... B... Br... is it Brian?"... Comedy gold.