Queen, the #51 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"This is truly music at its finest."

"Some of the best Rock vocals ever."

"Excellent band."

"These guys are so talented."

"The real legend."

"They are sensational."

"Queen is one of the best bands of all-time."

"This band is so awesome and inspiring."

"Legends".

"Geniuses is an understatement!"

"One of the best bands of the century."

"Their music is amazing."


Members of this British supergroup could have been scientists or doctors.  Instead, led by the dynamic charisma of their lead singer, they rode the crest of rock's excesses into the spotlight and produced some of the Rock Era's most elaborate music.  It is an unlikely tale of fate and fortune.

In 1968, aspiring British musicians Brian May (lead guitar) and drummer Roger Taylor played in Johnny Quale and the Reactions, Beat Unlimited and the college group Smile, joined in the latter group by bassist Tim Staffell.  

Staffell met Farrokh Bulsara, a fellow student at Ealing Art College  Bulsara assumed the first name of Freddie and after Staffell left, Bulsara joined the group and suggested they change their name to Queen.

Queen performed with this lineup for the first time on July 18.  But after trying several bass players, they didn't decide on John Deacon until 1971.  Queen recorded a demo tape but didn't attract any record companies at the time.

Bulsara changed his stage name to Freddie Mercury and the classic lineup played their first show together on July 2, 1971.  The following year, Queen signed a management deal with Norman Sheffield of Neptune Productions and they signed with EMI Records in 1972.  

Queen debuted at London's Marquee Club and released their self-titled debut album, which didn't do well at the time but has since been certified Gold.  However, "Keep Yourself Alive" with May's great guitar riffs, showed the band's potential.

 

In 1974, the group released Queen II, which received airplay in the U.K., but success was contained there.  "The March Of The Black Queen", with trademark Mercury bombastic style (several tempo changes and operatic harmonies), is the best song on the album.  It is an example of Freddie's love of elaborate storytelling of fairytales with a hidden meaning known only to him.  In an interview with Melody Maker, Mercury said, "That song took me ages to complete. I wanted to give it everything, to be self-indulgent or whatever.  Other members of the group confirmed that it was not an easy song to finish.

"Seven Seas Of Rhye" is another solid track.  Mercury wrote the song based on a fantasy world called Rhye he created with his sister, Kashmira.  Its success in Europe not only earned Queen an appearance on the famous television show Top of the Pops; it allowed Mercury to quit his job at Kensington Market.

Queen opened for Mott the Hoople on a tour of the United States, but when May collapsed in the opening month and was subsequently diagnosed with hepatitis, the rest of the tour was cancelled.

 

May recovered and joined the band in the studio to record their album Sheer Heart Attack, which they released in 1974.  Although their first two albums were bold and contain many gems heard above, this is the album when the band began to put it all together.  Queen scored their first hit with "Killer Queen", a #2 hit in the U.K. and Ireland, #3 in the Netherlands.  The #12 peak in the U.S. is in direct contrast to the fact that the single went Gold in the U.S., making "Killer Queen" one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

May's "Brighton Rock" is another great early Queen song.  May is unique among the elite guitarists in crafting a layered sound with multiple echoes.  Brighton Rock was a 1947 movie starring Richard Attenborough.

 

Tours extended into Canada and Japan in addition to several dates as headliners in the United States.  Queen split with Trident and eventually signed with Elton John's manager, John Reid.  The frenzied "Stone Cold Crazy", about a crazy guy thinking he's a gangster, features May displaying his talents.

In 1975, Queen released the album A Night at the Opera, which became the most expensive album ever produced.  Many websites rushed to claim it as "one of the best albums ever", but the album's sales stand at three million, an extremely low figure to be considered among the world's greatest albums of all-time.

 

The song from the album that did emerge as one of the greatest of all-time was Mercury's six-minute Rock opera "Bohemian Rhapsody".  The record company wanted to cut the song for single release but Queen held firm and manager John Reid backed them up.  While it reached #1 in the U.K. for nine weeks, it didn't attain elite status in the United States until it was re-released years later.  In 1976, the song peaked at #9.  It hit #1 in every other major country in the world except Switzerland, where it peaked at #4, and West Germany, where it reached #7.  "Bohemian Rhapsody" was Queen's first song to reach The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" earned Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Arrangement for Voices.  The song is #3 in all-time sales in the U.K. behind "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid and "Candle In The Wind 1997" by Elton John.

Queen released "You're My Best Friend" as the next single, which stalled at #16 in the United States but entered the Top 10 in most countries.  This song written by Deacon to the woman he later married is another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

"Prophet's Song" is as close as Queen got to Progressive Rock.  Brian May tells of dreaming about floods and waking up with bits and pieces of words and melodies in his mind.  Noah of Biblical fame is tied into the story as there is warning of impending doom to the human race if action is not taken.  Somehow, May weaved it all together into this great song.

 

The title song is a solid track.

 

The emotional "Love Of My Life" became a concert favorite.  This sensitive song about losing a love features the classical piano playing that Mercury was so proficient at and May playing harp.

Be sure to catch Parts II and III of Queen!