Queen without John Deacon

Maybe May could also get Chris Daughtry to perform a Queen song again - this was one of the only episodes I ever watched of American Idol, and I was floored by this performance - as were May and Taylor it seemed:


Anyway, as other folks have mentioned, the magic of Queen, for me, has to have the 4: Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor. Anything else...meh.

 

Yes - I have many conflicting/contradictory feelings about the whole thing. I agree with what you say here, in essence. The rest of the band was still young(ish) when Freddie died, with, as it turned out, decades of life ahead of them. May and Taylor, it's their lives and artistic lives, too, and I'm glad they're still getting out there and sharing their stuff with the world. I am. The conflict with this for me comes with the choice of Lambert, and before AL fans jump all over that and insta-dismiss me as a "hater" - a common response in the wild forests of YouTube comments - I don't "hate" Adam Lambert. He does, though, carry within a pop sensibility rather than one of bone marrow rock. He's a capable singer, perfectly exact in performance. This is, for me, the anti-Queen. My son recently made the observation that things are coming across, in performance, as May and Taylor touring as backing band, for Adam Lambert. Which impression is distressing, and for some, accurate in its assessment. That deep onstage connect of the four is of course forever gone - now everyone seems in their own little world, bassist in shadow, May and Taylor within their little spheres, Lambert yes cozying up to May and his guitar here and there but one never feels a depth of connection between them as when Freddie did it. Few bands ever faced the layers of complexity which exist here. Many a band suffered awful loss and tragedies, many, many. But Queen's situation, by virtue of Mercury's being such a singular one-off and Deacon's retirement, left them in a uniquely difficult position, with years of performance and artistic questions lying in wait for them. I think the widening divide - chasm, really - between dedicated Lambert fans and, well, everybody else, is unfortunate. In an era when polarization is all the fashion in all things, here grows more of it, over a band whose music was always unifying, not polarizing. But, the horse is out of the barn, and there's no going back now. The split between original Queen and all that's come after is now a part of the legacy fabric, for better or for worse.

 

For the record never heard Lambert sing nor do I think I would be a fan of his. Just none of my business in what they choose to do, that’s all.

 

When George Michael was still alive, I think Queen+ George Michael would have been great.



RIP Freddie + George

 

FWIW, thanks in large part to BoRhap - The Movie; Q+AL are selling out U.S. Arenas for the first time since 1980.

 

I may be misunderstanding you, but are you saying that John Deacon wrote CLTCL? Deacon wrote and contributed enormously, however CLTCL was a Mercury composition.

 

Deacon today.... looks like an 80 years old guy

 

Original Queen was selling out venues straight through 1986, their last year of live performance which concluded with Knebworth, outdoor venue, over 120,000 in attendance. The public at the time had no way of knowing this would in fact be the last tour.
The film was not the film I personally would like to have seen made - not least because it's among the most heavily fictionalized biopics ever, to its detriment - however the discovery and re-discovery of the music, craftsmanship, and Mercury which the film has led to is certainly a positive thing.

(The Lambert thing, for many, is problematic for many reasons, not least of which is what previous posters have pointed out - Queen was a band which rightly was contemptuous of the machinery of popular music, American Idol much later coming to represent that - and now they've hired a product of the same.)

*edit - sorry, missed your reference to US arenas. The US started to go off of Queen as it slowly dawned on the narrow-minded that Freddie might be walking a different path, sadly. It was a long slow divorce which culminated with the MTV/Break Free narrow-minded jackassery, since we couldn't seem to just be grownups about any of it.

 

I just wish he would do an interview.

 

No..I was saying FM wrote their first US number one, which was CLTCL.

 

Chances of that are probably slim to none; he couldn't stand speaking to camera or live audience. I do suspect though, that he's the one from those days who ought to write a book. He's got a lot of personal integrity and might be the only one who would get it right. Chances of that happening, though, are likely about the same.

 

Got it, thanks, sorry

 

John is perfectly content hiding in plain sight. I do wish he'd use some of his royalty monies to buy better outfits. Deacy, Stay away from the big box store.

 

Their last shot was their 40th Anniversary documentary to get John on record. Maybe he'll soften up for the 50th but doubt it.

 

I'm thinking that he can look any way he pleases. Love to John Deacon. We miss and appreciate you.

 

Yeah, that was such a missed chance - so many stories around why that didn't happen - he was asked and declined, he asked them they declined, he was too caught up in caring for his partner at the time, (but why not later on, in that case); he didn't want to try to follow Freddie . . . it was the only fit that made any sense at the time and, arguably, still. (Yes I do know that Michael is dead. I mean that many still consider this to be what would have been an excellent and/or the best fit.)

 

I'd love Brian or Roger to write an honest, warts & all book about life in Queen. Mind you as much as i like both of them i don't think they'd write a warts & all book though.

 

Totally.

I respect John so much for knocking it on the head. My 2nd favourite member of Queen who, unlike Brian and Roger, understood that Queen without Freddie was effectively an eunuch...although I'll make an exception for Queen fronted by George.

 

Queen died one second after the passing of Freddie. My respect to John, for non participation in these money grab activities.

 

I agree... Queen with Rogers and Lambert are just a money cash grab.

 

I think queen officially ended at the made in heaven album-the last one all four contributed. forward to today and they are doing sell out tours with adam lambert, movie was huge and they seem to be everywhere. good for them. Now I wouldn't call this queen and many diehard fans don't like they are calling themselves Queen and many don't like Adam.

My thoughts are its their band, their music, their life. Don't like it, don't go. Can't deny Its been a great resurgence with Adam and the movie. Regardless of what you think of each one. It has brought their music to many new fans. I've seen them several times with adam, they sound great but I know its not the same. but its a good night out to enjoy some great music. As for Adam he is a good vocalist but can be a bit "screechy" to my ears sometimes and lacks the voice tone for the more heavy rock songs.

As for john, seems he was always the reluctant rock star. whatever his reasons are- he's out of the business for good. don't see him coming back. But we will always have his songs and bass lines to enjoy for many years.

 

I think Brian May and Roger Taylor have every right to go on as Queen if that's what they want to do. I also respect John Deacon's decision to step away, if that's what he wants. Both parties can be right.

 

I agree with Judge Judy. I’ll add that post-Freddie Queen holds zero interest for me.

Freddie, Roger, Brian, and John were almost incomparably great together. Very few bands could match them either in the studio or live, much less both.

 

Exactly!

 

I thought and still think that Made in Heaven was as well-crafted, poignant, beautiful and classy a closure to something that could never be again, as has been done.