What I think sets apart Queen from most (all?) other artists who achieved the scale of success they did was the diversity of their work. You might prefer AC/DC but AC/DC pretty much make one type of song, Queen did everything from piano ballads to hard rock to funk to rockabilly and did a pretty convincing job of all of it (apart from their attempt at disco, that was a bit pants).

The only other artist I can think of that comes close in terms of changing sounds and genres is Bowie.

What’s a pity is that since Freddie died and John Deacon retired, the two remaining members who continue to operate under the “Queen” brand are the guitar-rock guys and, fair play to them, they are good at it, but Queen, in their day, were so much more than that.

This thread has kicked off a Queen Spotify session as I sit here modelling various things, great stuff.

“Flash, we only have 24 hours to save the Earth”

What’s a pity is that since Freddie died and John Deacon retired, the two remaining members who continue to operate under the “Queen” brand are the guitar-rock guys

To be fair to May, he is a pretty versatile musician as well, having written a number of the band’s more contemplative songs. His solo stuff has a wide variety of guitar styles as well, definitely not all “rocky”.

Not really bothered to listen to any post-Freddie Queen stuff, it doesn’t interest me. Perhaps they’re just going in the direction they think the fans/audience wants? I have a lot of respect for Deacon for calling it a day when he did.

“Flash, we only have 24 hours to save the Earth”

Top film, I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it regardless but the sublime soundtrack makes it one of my very faves!

I’m not knocking Brian May, and I agree he’s a very talented guy, but nevertheless, he and Taylor have very much narrowed the focus to a more guitar rock sound, particularly during the “+Paul Rodgers” period.

And having seen Brian May’s solo show during the “Back the the Light” tour, he was very much hard guitar rock back then, with a backing band with people like Cozy Powell, second guitarist ex-Whitesnake etc.

I get the impression from interviews etc. that May and Taylor really regret, even resent, the way Queen and the US pretty much ignored each other from the early 80s onwards and their more recent efforts (especially the Paul Rodgers stuff) seemed to be squarely targetting the American “rawk” audience.

Holding out hope that one day we’ll have a reveal all Deacon autobiog, a la John Densmore, but I don’t think it’ll happen. He could write it and donate all the profits to the Higgins trust as I’m sure he doesn’t need the money.

Live Magic is a brilliant album!

One of his greatest experiences looking back at wembley doing the clap.

Not the first young man whose abiding memory of Freddie Mercury is the clap, I’ll wager.

Live Magic is a bloody terrible album! Cheaply done, short as hell and badly edited. They did later issue a fuller album of the same Wembley concert, can’t remember what it was called, but even then, tbh it’s not Freddie at his best – he blows his voice out fairly early on and it’s not one of his greatest vocal performances on record.

If you want a decent Queen live album, go for Live Killers: late 70s heyday, includes the full Brighton Rock (the track from which May’s big solo came – in later years he’d still do the solo but without the song around it) and the “fast” version of We Will Rock You. And Death On Two Legs. And In Love With My Car. And Get Down Make Love. And the big hits (up to that point, obviously).

EDIT: Got confused, most of Live Magic is from Knebworth, not Wembley, which explains why the vocals on the Wembley album seemed stronger (I thought there might have been some sneaky overdubs). Turns out I’m not alone in my low opinion of Live Magic though, according to Wikipedia in 2004 Q Magazine listed it as “one of the top five disappointing live albums from usually great acts.”

I’ve met Brian May a number of times now. He is a knobber of quite epic proportions. I think a good judge of people is how they treat others they can get away with being rude to – he fails that test by some margin. It’s a good thing I’m a reasonably passive person who values his job above the short term pleasure of giving a bell-end a kicking.

convert, you’re not in the badger culling business are you?

No, but I’d happily be in the aging rock star culling business!

jekkyl – Member
I always thought Freddie was a bit of a coward as he didn’t reveal he had Aids until the day before he died, guess he was just ashamed. But he could done lots of good for the cause.

POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

What a stupid post.

I always thought Freddie was a bit of a coward as he didn’t reveal he had Aids until the day before he died, guess he was just ashamed. But he could done lots of good for the cause.

What a stupid pathetic post, plus 10,000.

When FM, acquired HIV, it was mostly classed as a gay disease, asd gay people where not as well treated as they are now,probably a lot of pressure was brought by his record comapny and PR people to keep it quiet, so to save upsetting the masses.

Even today people dont announce openly they are HIV positive,due to the stigma that it may be from sexual activity, as opposed to fluid transfer, blood transfusions of years ago or sharing needle.

Someone gets cancer, all love and cuddles, someone gets HIV, and a wall is suddenly put up round them, and its not openly talked about.

The only other artist I can think of that comes close in terms of changing sounds and genres is Bowie.

Er well I’m a big fan of both but Zappa’s in a league of his own in this respect.