"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world,
then it can only happen through music." – Jimi Hendrix
then it can only happen through music." – Jimi Hendrix
Background: "Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works, incorporating further diverse styles into their music" (Wikipedia). Queen have released 16 studio and 9 live albums and were one of the biggest stadium bands in the 1980s and "their performance at 1985's Live Aid is regarded as one of the greatest in rock history" (Wikipedia). (I just re-watched the performance and...OH GOD, YES!!!!! MAGICAL!) They have 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles, and 10 number one DVDs and are one of the best-selling musical artists.
I cannot remember when I first started listening to Queen. It would have been sometime in the mid-1970s, but I have been in love ever since. Although, confidentially, I have not really followed them since the tragic demise of frontman and incredible vocalist, Freddie Mercury. This posting may end up being less of a Queen retrospective and more of a Freddie Mercury love fest! (And no, I'm not a fan of Queen + Adam Lambert. Adam is fine, but he's not Freddie!)
Let's start with the great one's voice: Freddie’s speaking voice was in the baritone range but he preferred singing in the tenor range and his voice could span over 4-octaves. Incredible! There are many songs in which he would span the entirety of his voice, all without any formal vocal training. "Biographer David Bret described his voice as 'escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches'" (Wikipedia). Several different polls have ranked Freddie as the best male singer of all time; others have ranked him second. Regardless, Freddie is certainly among the best and quite possibly the best frontman of all time!
Interestingly enough, even though he had a flamboyant stage presence, Freddie was a very different person off stage - quiet, shy, and extremely private. Even though he was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, he kept his medical status private, despite the constant hounding from journalists. While some people think he should have let his HIV/AIDS status known long before he released a statement (the day before he passed away), I think that no one should be forced to discuss their medical woes unless they make that decision without pressure from others. Of course, times have changed since Freddie' passed away in 1991 and it would be much more difficult to deny reality today.
To give equal credit to the rest of the band: Brian May is a gifted guitarist, Roger Taylor doesn't only rock on the drums, but has a voice almost equal to Freddie's impressive vocal range (about 3 octaves), and, finally, John Deacon is an incredible bassist.
Onto the songs: Queen have released so many memorable songs. Just a really short list of some of my favorites: "Another One Bites the Dust" (lyrics), "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" (lyrics), "Under Pressure" (lyrics), "Don't Stop Me Now" (lyrics), "My Melancholy Blues" (lyrics), "One Year of Love" (lyrics), "Fat Bottomed Girls" (lyrics), "Play the Game" (lyrics), "Killer Queen" (lyrics), and no one can ever forget, their anthem song, "Bohemian Rhapsody" (lyrics). (Yeah, okay, I had issues limiting my list of favorites.)
I wanted to find a song that really showcases (equally) Freddie's incredibly voice and Brian May's genius guitar playing, therefore I ultimately decided on "Love of My Life" (lyrics) from the 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. The song was written by Freddie about Mary Austin, with whom he had a long term relationship in the early 1970s. Mary was his long-time companion with whom he had a loving albeit platonic relationship for his entire adult life. This song is stunningly beautiful and has been added to my catharsis playlist - how I left this beautiful song off of the list before today, I do not know. It has long been one of my favorites! Truth be known, I could probably also add "One Year of Love" and "My Melancholy Blues".
Here's a live version of "Love of My Life" - performed in 1981 in Montreal (you can listen to the studio recording here):
Hearing Freddie sing and Brian play this song is the closest thing to heaven on earth. It does make me wish that I kept up my guitar lessons, although I would never have been in Brian's league. And no one is in Freddie's league, vocally!
Happy birthday, Freddie! You were taken away from us much, much too early!
I cannot remember when I first started listening to Queen. It would have been sometime in the mid-1970s, but I have been in love ever since. Although, confidentially, I have not really followed them since the tragic demise of frontman and incredible vocalist, Freddie Mercury. This posting may end up being less of a Queen retrospective and more of a Freddie Mercury love fest! (And no, I'm not a fan of Queen + Adam Lambert. Adam is fine, but he's not Freddie!)
Let's start with the great one's voice: Freddie’s speaking voice was in the baritone range but he preferred singing in the tenor range and his voice could span over 4-octaves. Incredible! There are many songs in which he would span the entirety of his voice, all without any formal vocal training. "Biographer David Bret described his voice as 'escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches'" (Wikipedia). Several different polls have ranked Freddie as the best male singer of all time; others have ranked him second. Regardless, Freddie is certainly among the best and quite possibly the best frontman of all time!
Interestingly enough, even though he had a flamboyant stage presence, Freddie was a very different person off stage - quiet, shy, and extremely private. Even though he was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, he kept his medical status private, despite the constant hounding from journalists. While some people think he should have let his HIV/AIDS status known long before he released a statement (the day before he passed away), I think that no one should be forced to discuss their medical woes unless they make that decision without pressure from others. Of course, times have changed since Freddie' passed away in 1991 and it would be much more difficult to deny reality today.
To give equal credit to the rest of the band: Brian May is a gifted guitarist, Roger Taylor doesn't only rock on the drums, but has a voice almost equal to Freddie's impressive vocal range (about 3 octaves), and, finally, John Deacon is an incredible bassist.
Onto the songs: Queen have released so many memorable songs. Just a really short list of some of my favorites: "Another One Bites the Dust" (lyrics), "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" (lyrics), "Under Pressure" (lyrics), "Don't Stop Me Now" (lyrics), "My Melancholy Blues" (lyrics), "One Year of Love" (lyrics), "Fat Bottomed Girls" (lyrics), "Play the Game" (lyrics), "Killer Queen" (lyrics), and no one can ever forget, their anthem song, "Bohemian Rhapsody" (lyrics). (Yeah, okay, I had issues limiting my list of favorites.)
I wanted to find a song that really showcases (equally) Freddie's incredibly voice and Brian May's genius guitar playing, therefore I ultimately decided on "Love of My Life" (lyrics) from the 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. The song was written by Freddie about Mary Austin, with whom he had a long term relationship in the early 1970s. Mary was his long-time companion with whom he had a loving albeit platonic relationship for his entire adult life. This song is stunningly beautiful and has been added to my catharsis playlist - how I left this beautiful song off of the list before today, I do not know. It has long been one of my favorites! Truth be known, I could probably also add "One Year of Love" and "My Melancholy Blues".
Here's a live version of "Love of My Life" - performed in 1981 in Montreal (you can listen to the studio recording here):
Hearing Freddie sing and Brian play this song is the closest thing to heaven on earth. It does make me wish that I kept up my guitar lessons, although I would never have been in Brian's league. And no one is in Freddie's league, vocally!
Happy birthday, Freddie! You were taken away from us much, much too early!
8 comments:
Really?!?!? All those number 1 hits, etc.? And yet I've never heard of them. Where have I been? Well, I'll go back to my Big Bopper records now.
And here I thought you were a Glen Miller fan. You learn something new every day!
I used to be into him, but gave him up when I started wearing Bobby Sox.
With your poodle skirt?
I never got those. However, you did have easy access to the girls' goodies.
But seriously, Queen is/was a wonderful band. They were out on tour with a new lead singer. Can't remember his name. He's well known.
I mentioned the "new lead singer" - Adam Lambert. As I said, he's fine, but he's not Freddie. Here's a review that I agree with: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/queen-review-adam-lambert-outcamps-freddie-mercury-at-allphones-arena-20140827-108tiv.html
Good set list. No one is going to be able to replace Mercury, but it's still better than some tribute band.
I suppose...
Post a Comment