I enjoy the first two Queen albums a lot, but personally (and I know it isn't a popular forum opinion) to me they went from strength to strength. For me as an album band they increased in stature all through the seventies with somewhat of a plateau towards the end of the seventies. I think that is part of the reason they changed direction somewhat. Even with that change of direction though, I don't buy into the popular theory that post seventies they weren't great, they were just different, and my taste is broad enough to accommodate that. The debut sounds like a warning siren that this is a band to watch, and history shows that to be very true.
You really do! It's far better than both of those. Queen On Fire at Milton Keynes Bowl is fantastic too.
yes, i used to have the dvd, but I guess whoever I lent it to thought they deserved it more than me .... My Pastor has all my Queen cd's at the moment, we were having a beer on the weekend and I played him the Montreal bluray and one thing lead to another and I lent him the entire Queen catalog lol .... but i know he'll bring those back .... sadly it was just before this thread appeared, so memory will be my only ally here lol
I'm not sure about the Blu-ray, but the audio side of the two Rainbow shows was almost definitely altered on at least two occasions I know of. First, it seems there was some degree of overdubbing done in the mid '70s ahead of the original 30-minute edited video release and its expanded version, as included with the Box Of Tricks set release in '92, while Freddie's leads were more recently treated to some minor pitch correction - the "soldier, sailor..." line of The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke is perhaps the most obvious example I can recall, as the software used briefly seems to have been programmed to follow the studio recording's melody (as opposed to the conservative phrasing that was likely sung, although it's hard to be certain without access to the undoctored source). There's something going on at this point to my ears, and it's typical of the stairstepping effect you often get with Auto-Tune or Melodyne if they're set too sensitively...
A guy up the street bought the first lp when it came out. I have no idea to this day how he heard about them. Whew. Instant buy. I was a morning "dj" over our PA system in High school. My 'sign off'? 'Keep Yourself Alive' When I get looks form the wife for having dirty hands, I say "Unclean cried the leper! Rang His Bell" I think it's a fabulous debut, except for My Fairy King.
Got into Queen in '84, aged 12. Had ANATO for Xmas. The first one I bought after that was the first LP, on the Fame label. Loved it. Saw them at my first gig at Knebworth in '86 and not stopped listening to them since. Picked up a Japanese 80's LP re-issue at some point and an original copy last year. There's not one song on it that I don't like. I moved house recently and the girlfriend was putting the LP's on the shelving and asked, why have you got the three LP's the same?
As someone whose introduction to Queen was 1985's Complete Works boxed set from a very young age, I don't actually recall my first exposure to this group, though my mum reliably informs me that I was kicking and punching along to the chorus Radio Ga Ga while still in the womb, pointing to a not-so-surprising future as a professional drummer! For years, I didn't actually rate Queen or the two other albums before A Night At The Opera all that highly, but I've thankfully grown to appreciate these - maybe it's because I wanted more of what I did like and realised there was plenty to be appreciated in those early efforts? Of all the songs from Queen's first LP, it's Keep Yourself Alive and Liar that still resonate with me the most, thanks in part to both of these going on to become concert staples. While I never actually got to see the classic line-up in a live setting, I've done my best to wear out their many official recordings, and I've even since recently started going through bootlegs. If you want a demonstration of the potential in Liar that needed to wait until Freddie grew into his voice, just check out the version from the second night at Newcastle on the Crazy Tour. Returning to the studio side of things, I find it absolutely inconceivable that the two aforementioned songs weren't considered good enough for inclusion on three otherwise decent Greatest Hits compilations (well, the first two were of a mostly solid quality). Doing All Right is a breathtaking journey through several different segments, as is Great King Rat, which is more breakneck, ending with a rare example of the proof this album was put together in what I'd later learn was studio downtime. Being a drummer myself, it's annoying to hear Roger Taylor's kit reduced to what I've often described as damp cardboard boxes, and I'd like to think he was knocking ten bells out of them at the end of this song in frustration. Without going into too much detail, My Fairy King and The Night Comes Down are tracks I think of as early showcases for Roger's stupidly high voice. By contrast, his Modern Times Rock 'N' Roll sticks out as having more of an edgy sound, much like some of his later efforts, with Sheer Heart Attack in particular being very forward thinking. For some reason, I've always lumped Son And Daughter with Jesus for more than just their being sequenced one after the other. Perhaps it's because they've got similar yet distinctive grooves, for want of a more suitable word? At the very least, Jesus has a few relatively simple production tricks that caught my ear, and that leaves the "prototype" instrumental Seven Seas Of Rhye, which is merely a preview of things to come. Actually, I'll also briefly discuss my take on perhaps the most well-known outtake from these sessions. Like most people, I didn't get to hear Mad The Swine until its appearance as the b-side to Headlong in 1991. If anything, it's a harmless enough album track as opposed to a song that could have become a real highlight, with its drum sound being so problematic that the band decided to shelve it, which I feel was the right choice. Even now, you can probably tell that I'm still not exactly the biggest fan of Queen's eponymous debut, although they quickly became one of my absolute favourite bands. I very much look forward to contributing further to this thread...
I think that this a very important point to make. The Beatles by 1968 were a complete world away from the "I Want To Hold Your Hand" sound of 1964, but most fans went with them and even more joined as they progressed. I think Queen are another example of this really unusual phenomenon. Their very modern 1980s sound was a world away from the hard rock of 1973/4, but it still had that high production value and was still unlike anything else around at the time. The only mis-step as far as Queen were concerned was "Hot Space" in 1982, but even as a hardcore Queen fan, I still love this album. As the 1980s progressed, they seemed to gain more fans, fill bigger stadiums and sell more records. So the facts don't reflect the opinions of some of the snobby Queen fans, who subscribe to the theory that "The Game" was their last great album! I also think, as they progressed, Freddie pushed his vocals further and further. There's some moments on the "Innuendo" LP where he absolutely gives it everything he's got, more so than ever before, perhaps poignantly as he knew his bleak prognosis... By the mid-1980s, they'd settled their songwriting disputes and seemed a more cohesive band than ever. I'd absolutely love to have heard where they'd have gone had Freddie lived, but regrettably, we'll never know. I do, however, subscribe to the theory that "Made In Heaven" was the last Queen album, that "Cosmos Rocks" with Paul Rogers was terrible!
The first use of flown-in material was when original studio overdubs were pasted on to the multis for the film's release as opening feature for Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same. This is where the first bootlegs originated from and then the VHS soundtrack that featured in t e Box Of Tricks box. This is a cracking piece of work: http://queenlive.ca/queen/misc/Rainbow_comparison_Tom_Christie.pdf
In fairness, The Cosmos Rocks was a Queen+ album, so it doesn't really count (I don't really rate any Queen+ activity).
I honestly have refused to even listen to that stuff ... nothing against those involved, but they stayed together until Freddie's death and they died with him, for me
Agreed. Queen essentially ended when Freddie passed away. The tribute concert was nice. Made In Heaven, while not the greatest Queen album, was alright. The last decent thing they did was No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young). After John left, that's it for me.
I have a lot of respect for John Deacon for stepping away from Queen once Freddie died. But at the same time, I respect that Brian and Roger honour Freddie's legacy as much as possible. I didn't rate them at all with Paul Rogers, but Adam Lambert is VERY good. Obviously not Freddie, but I think had Freddie lived and retired, he'd have been thrilled to have Adam replace him. His vocal range, theatrics and general stage presence is spot on for Queen, albeit without trying to be Freddie or copy his stage antics.
Thanks for that - I had no idea someone had put together a comprehensive study of the Rainbow concerts using all available sources. Along with the line I mentioned before, they're absolutely right to suggest the earlier "crack a nut" part in The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke is another where the pitch correction sounds excessive and likely counter to what Freddie actually sang. My guess is that he went for a less demanding lower alternate melody (as he'd often do in live shows), but someone decided to correct this based on the original studio reading.
Queen's Spotify listener numbers were great previously. From the 10th of September, the legacy artists with the most monthly listeners... Michael Jackson (27,906,324) Queen (19,650,378) Red Hot Chili Peppers (17,156,758) The Beatles (14,179,538) Guns N' Roses (13,102,457) AC/DC (13,079,584) The Rolling Stones (11,777,401) Fleetwood Mac (11,397,154) Elton John (10,981,963) Bon Jovi (10,779,687) Nirvana (10,738,364) But now, after the release of the movie, their monthly listeners have shot through the roof (and they're going up by the day)... Queen (35,269,212) Michael Jackson (25,046,411) Red Hot Chili Peppers (16,139,764) The Beatles (16,230,804) Guns N'Roses (13,854,482) AC/DC (14, 782, 720) The Rolling Stones (12,490,943) Fleetwood Mac (11,858, 304) Elton John (13,865,064) Bon Jovi (11,339,228) Nirvana (11,336,136)
As a millennial/early Gen Z-er, I can confirm that the Queen popularity among my age group was present before the movie, and has continued to grow extensively since the release which is always awesome to see. Also, I believe Bohemian Rhapsody is hanging at #6 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums list.
I don't look that closely at spotify stats. When I go there, it's just to listen to the music. Why are citing Drake as a standard? Selena Gomez is on top. Seems to me that her numbers are the ones to beat.
