Queeeeennnnn

Feelgood

I managed to find an awesome documentary, well worth a watch for Queens fans.

I still think Brian May never got enough credit, the man can play an axe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMc1uOV8d0U

FearDark

Greatest band ever.

dr.bollocko

Even his guitar is unique
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Special

The Red Special is an electric guitar owned by Queen guitarist Brian May and custom-built by May and his father. The Red Special is also sometimes named in reviews as the Fireplace or the Old Lady, both nicknames used by May when referring to the guitar.[2] A guitar that would define May's signature style, the Red Special was purposely designed to feed back. May has used it on Queen albums and in live performances since the late 1960s. The name Red Special came from the reddish-brown colour the guitar attained after being stained and painted with numerous layers of Rustins' plastic coating. The name Fireplace is a reference to the fact that the wood used to make the neck came from a fireplace mantel.

That's not good enough?

Even his goddamn guitarpick is unique.

Brian's rather unusual choice of guitar pick is a coin - an english sixpence, which is a small circular coin with a serrated edge. He chose to use the sixpence as a pick because he finds plastic plectrums too flexible. He holds the coin very lightly and occasionally uses its serrated edge against the strings to produce a rasp.

http://www.brianmaycentral.net/sounds.html

Beruthiel

Every one of my copies in school had Queen written all over them.
Freddie was a god.

Beasty

From my personal collection, taken 13 July 1985 at Wembley Stadium:

nyarlothothep

FearDark wrote: »

Greatest band ever.

110%. They were the ultimate band, they explored every genre, created innovative beautiful music on a par with greatest of composers, Mozart or Beethoven, they are gods of my musical universe.

The one band I will always be sorry I didn't see live.

Amazing. I want 'Don't Stop Me Now' played at my funeral!

9959

Deleted User wrote: »

The one band I will always be sorry I didn't see live.

Amazing. I want 'Don't Stop Me Now' played at my funeral!

It's ironic that you should say that. Apparently Freddie wrote that song around the time he was vigorously cruising the flamboyant clubs of Manhattan. So much so that Brian May became concerned about Freddie's health, or more presciently, his future health. I agree that Queen were one of the greatest bands of all time and that Freddie was probably the greatest frontman ever. But.....I do have a problem with them breaking the cultural boycott of South Africa in the early eighties, playing Sun City for a wheelbarrow full of cash, it's not as if they were strapped. Sorry to be a fly in the ointment folks.

Doctor DooM

The Flash Gordon soundtrack is amazing, and it's not even their best work.

singlesnights

Feelgood wrote: »

I still think Brian May never got enough credit, the man can play an axe.

It's mainly down to his own personality. He is so shy and unbelievably modest that the media tend to overlook him and instead focus on the mouthy no-talents who are full of the outrageous quotes which help lazy journalists write articles and sell issues of their magazines.

Also, he was obviously overshadowed by Freddie's larger than life personality. If you watch Queen with Paul Rodgers, Brian really comes out of his shell and is much more of a showman than ever before.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Totofan99

Fantastic band. No question! Not a fan of the May/Taylor/Lambert thing though...

Stained Class

Great band alright.

They really came into their own as a live act in the '80s

I think they filled a void in a time when acts like The Who, Led Zep & The Stones weren't touring.

Saw them myself at Slane in '86 when they were touring the 'Kinda Magic' album.

Little did any of us know at the time that this would be their last World tour...

ziggy23

Beasty wrote: »

From my personal collection, taken 13 July 1985 at Wembley Stadium:

Absoloutley adore Freddie and Queen and thankfully have passed my good taste in music down to my 3 year old son. He goes to bed every night listening to their greatest hits cd:pac:
I'm also dressing him up as Freddie for Halloween and this is the look were goin for I have the wifebeater vest and skinny jeans for him just hope he wears the tache!!

9959

Certainly agree about the vest. Everytime I wore one, my wife would beat me black and blue, and she was right so to do!

SubBusted

They invented thrash metal!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmt2mgmrSUw

Stained Class

SubBusted wrote: »

They invented thrash metal!

No they didn't!

Thrash metal is pointless noise invented by mindless Yanks.

Queen made Heavy Metal acceptable to the masses.

They were educated & knew how to get their message across.

Also, they were one of the few bands to have 4 (good) active songwriters inhouse.

Probably unique

9959

Stained Class wrote: »

No they didn't!

Thrash metal is pointless noise invented by mindless Yanks.

Queen made Heavy Metal acceptable to the masses.

They were educated & knew how to get their message across.

Also, they were one of the few bands to have 4 (good) active songwriters inhouse.

Probably unique

Oh, I didn't know you had to be university educated in order to know how to get your message across.
So much for U2 et al.
Thick as 'pigsh*t' obviously!

bonham23

For me their best period for live performances was from '77 to '82 .NOTW to Hot Space. The tours of South America were epic. I think when Mack started producing their albums he brought a new dimension to their sound and helped them strip it back a lot. The Drum sound on The Game and the Flash Gordon Soundtrack is huge. The Earlier albums produced by Roy Thomas Baker can sound a little wooly I think, but that was very common for a lot of acts during the seventies. The forst band I got into at the age of 9 and my musical benchmark ever since.

triggermortis

I'm a massive Queen fan and have been since I first heard them on the radio in the 70's.
Saw them 3 times - and was at their last 2 concerts in Wembley and Knebworth. I still haven't listened to any of the Paul Rogers stuff as there can never be a replacement for Freddie

9959

bonham23 wrote: »

For me their best period for live performances was from '77 to '82 .NOTW to Hot Space. The tours of South America were epic. I think when Mack started producing their albums he brought a new dimension to their sound and helped them strip it back a lot. The Drum sound on The Game and the Flash Gordon Soundtrack is huge. The Earlier albums produced by Roy Thomas Baker can sound a little wooly I think, but that was very common for a lot of acts during the seventies. The forst band I got into at the age of 9 and my musical benchmark ever since.

Great post.
However, I disagree on your point about Roy Thomas Baker.
Only recently I heard 'Your My Best Freind' come leaping out of the radio, with crystal clear vocals, a fantastic 'organic' drum sound and Brian's guitar chiming majestically.

bonham23

9959 wrote: »

Great post.
However, I disagree on your point about Roy Thomas Baker.
Only recently I heard 'Your My Best Freind' come leaping out of the radio, with crystal clear vocals, a fantastic 'organic' drum sound and Brian's guitar chiming majestically.

I think a lot of it was more to do with how they set up the mics than the actual mix. RTB was always keen on micing the room to achieve a big sound. On some of the last Queen albums he had actually lost the run of himself a little...the band have actually stated this in a round about way. In fact Brian more or less produced many of the albums. My point was that mack brought a new dimension and stopped Brian especially from agonising of guitar parts. Don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan and love all their work (apart from some questionable tracks on innuendo and the miracle )

ShamrockLady

Best band ever!

Acciaccatura

A story I like telling when the opportunity arises When Queen played in '86, my dad's cousin's wife was a flight attendant on their plane over. My dad tells me that Brian May became ill, and his cousin's wife attended to him, along with a few other attendants. Apparently Brian gave them all free VIP tickets to the concert in Slane! He's such a gentleman I really wish I had been in her shoes, though!

galwayrush

Queen with Paul Rogers on sky 129 the other night, i was surprised how much i enjoyed it. Didn't expect much without Freddie, but it was a great show, some classic Bad Cmpany thrown in as well.

allanb49

I remember back when I was in 3rd/4th class, I was listening to Greatest Hits 1 in school, I vividly remember all the girls in my class crying about Take That breaking up and some song where they where tied up being there last.

I was ostracised when I asked who take that were. I was the weird kid for liking this old music, but fúck it I was odd and had my own principles from an early age.

Had a Kind of Magic on record my dad had it and the works on cassette and I used to listen to that to the detriment of my mother. Few years ago I found a LP of A Kind of Magic for €8 I was thrilled.

So much talent in that group it was unreal. Each one could compose, sing (Deacon maybe not) and play. Don't think we'll ever see a group like that again.

losthorizon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OraAjMKPH_8

Alternative demo of Cool Cat recorded during the Under Pressure sessions in Montreux in 1981. This has recently been leaked.


Only put up on Youtube yesterday

Lightbulb Sun

Brian May made the G3 tour once so he is clearly held in high regard by the elite guitarists.

Mike Litoris

My Favourite band since I was 6 when I first heard Flash Gordon on TOTP. One of my biggest regrets in life chosing to buy a video game over going to see them in Slane with my brother when I was 12. What a fcuking idiot.:mad:

Agree about them being epic live between 77-82. Imagine Live Aid performances every night! I'll never forget hearing for the first time the opening chords of WWRY(fast) on Live Killers. Unbelievable energy!

Mike Litoris

ziggy23 wrote: »

Absoloutley adore Freddie and Queen and thankfully have passed my good taste in music down to my 3 year old son. He goes to bed every night listening to their greatest hits cd:pac:
I'm also dressing him up as Freddie for Halloween and this is the look were goin for I have the wifebeater vest and skinny jeans for him just hope he wears the tache!!

That is deadly!!:D

--Kaiser--

Mike Litoris wrote: »

My Favourite band since I was 6 when I first heard Flash Gordon on TOTP. One of my biggest regrets in life chosing to buy a video game over going to see them in Slane with my brother when I was 12. What a fcuking idiot.:mad:

Gonna have to agree with you there!