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Queen is a British rock band formed in 1970 in London, made up of singer and pianist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and drummer bassist John Deacon (who would join the group a year later to complete the classical lineup). Their early work was influenced by progressive rock and hard rock, but the band gradually ventured into more mainstream and radio-friendly work incorporating more styles, such as arena rock and pop rock.
Before forming Queen, May and Taylor had played together in the band Smile. Mercury became attached to the band, encouraging them to experiment with more elaborate recording and performing techniques. He joined in 1970 and suggested the name "Queen". Deacon was recruited in February 1971, before the band released their self-titled debut album in 1973. Queen first appeared on the UK charts with their second album, Queen II, on 1974. Sheer Heart Attack later that year and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought them international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at number one in the UK for nine weeks and helped popularize the music video format.
The band's 1977 album, News of the World, contained "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions," which have become anthems at sporting events. In the early 1980s, Queen were one of the world's leading arena rock bands. "Another One Bites the Dust" from The Game (1980) became their best-selling single, while their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is one of the biggest selling albums. sold worldwide with over 50 million copies and in the UK it is the best selling album with over 7 million copies and is certified nine times platinum in the US. His performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert is classified among the best in the history of rock by various publications. In August 1986, Mercury gave his last performance with Queen in Knebworth, England. In 1991 he died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS. Deacon retired in 1997. Since 2004, May and Taylor have toured as "Queen +", with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.
Queen has had a global presence in popular culture for more than five decades. Record sales estimates for her range from 250 to 300 million, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. In 1990, Queen received the Brit Award for her outstanding contribution to British music. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and because each member had written hit singles, all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005 they received the Ivor Novello Collection Award. of Outstanding Songs from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and in 2018 received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
History
Foundations (1968-1971)
The founding members of Queen met in west London in the late 1960s. Guitarist Brian May had built his own guitar with his father in 1963 and formed the group 1984 — named after Orwell's novel — the following year with singer Tim Staffell. May left the group in early 1968 to concentrate on her undergraduate degree in Physics and Infrared Astronomy at Imperial College and find a group that could write original material. She formed the group Smile with Staffell —he now plays bass—and keyboardist Chris Smith. To complete the lineup, May placed an ad on a college bulletin board for a "Mitch Mitchell/Ginger Baker type" drummer; Roger Taylor, a young dental student, auditioned for the position. Smith left the group in early 1969, immediately before a concert at the Royal Albert Hall with the Free and Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
While attending Ealing Art College in west London, Staffell became friends with fellow student Freddie Bulsara, who was from Zanzibar and of Indian Parsi descent. Bulsara had studied fashion design for a year before leaving. switching to graphic arts and design and soon became an enthusiastic fan of Smile. She asked if she could join the group as lead singer, but May felt that Staffell would not give up that role, he also ran a stall in Kensington Market with Taylor.
In 1970, Staffell left Smile, feeling that his interests in soul and R&B clashed with the group's hard rock sound and he was fed up with the lack of success He formed the group Humpy Bong with former Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen, the remaining members accepted Bulsara as lead singer and recruited Taylor's friend Mike Grose as bassist. The four gave their first concert at a fundraising event in Truro on June 27, 1970. Bulsara suggested that the group should change their name to "Queen". The others weren't sure at first, but he said, "It's wonderful, dear, people will love it." At the same time, he decided to change his last name to Mercury, inspired by the line "Mother Mercury, look what they've given me." done" on the song "My Fairy King". The group played their first concert in London on 18 July. The initial set consisted of material that would later appear on the first two albums, along with various covers of rock and roll, like "Please Don't Tease" by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. They attracted the attention of producer John Anthony, who was interested in the group's sound but thought they had the wrong bassist. After three live shows, Mike Grose decided not to continue with the band and was replaced by Barry Mitchell (ex-Crushed Butler).) in the bass. Mitchell played thirteen concerts with Queen between August 1970 and January 1971. In turn, Barry Mitchell left in January 1971 and was replaced by Doug Bogie for two live concerts.
Queen, Queen II and Shear Heart Attack (1971-1974)
In February 1971, John Deacon joined Queen. As well as being an experienced bassist, his easy-going demeanor complemented the band and he was an expert in electronics. On 2 July, Queen played their first show with the classic lineup of Mercury, May, Taylor and Deacon at a Surrey college in outside London. May called Terry Yeadon, an engineer at Pye Studios where Smile had been recorded, to see if he knew where Queen might go. Yeadon had since moved into the new premises of De Lane Lea Studios at Wembley, and they needed a group to test the equipment and recording rooms. He tried asking The Kinks but couldn't get through to them. Therefore, he told Queen that they could record some demos in exchange for studio acoustic tests. They recorded five of their own songs, "Liar", "Keep Yourself Alive", "Great King Rat", "The Night Comes Down" and "Jesus." During recording, John Anthony visited the band with Roy Thomas Baker. The two fell in love with "Keep Yourself Alive" and began promoting the band on various record companies.
Promoter Ken Testi managed to attract the interest of Charisma Records, who offered Queen an advance of around £25,000, but the group turned it down, realizing that the label would be promoting Genesis as a priority. Testi then entered into talks with Norman Sheffield of Trident Studios, who offered the band a management contract under Neptune Productions, a Trident subsidiary, to manage the band and allow them to use their facilities, while management pursued a deal. This suited both parties as Trident was expanding into management, and under the deal Queen was able to make use of the high-tech recording facilities used by contract musicians. Taylor later described these early hours of studio off-peak as "gold dust".
Queen began 1972 with a concert at Bedford College, London, where only six people turned up. After a few more shows, they stopped live performances for eight months to work on the album with Anthony and Baker. During the sessions at Trident, they saw David Bowie with Spiders From Mars live and realized they needed to have a impact with the album, otherwise they would be left behind. Co-producers Anthony and Baker initially clashed with the band—May in particular—over the direction of the album, which took advantage of the band's inexperience in the studio. the band focused on their efforts to integrate technical perfection with the reality of live performance, leading to what Baker called "kitchen sink overproduction". The resulting album was a mix of heavy metal. and progressive rock. The group was not happy with the re-recording of "The Night Comes Down", so the finished album uses De Lane Lea's demo. Another track, "Mad the Swine", was dropped from the running order after the band and Baker could not agree on a mix. Mike Stone created the final mix for "Keep Yourself Alive", and would go on to work on various other tracks. other Queen albums. In January 1972, the band finished recording their debut album, but had not yet secured a record deal. To attract interest from record companies, Trident booked a "showcase" concert on 6 February. November at The Pheasantry, followed by a show at the Marquee Club on December 20.
Queen promoted the unreleased album in February 1973 on BBC Radio 1, still unsigned. The following month, Trident managed to reach a deal with EMI Records. "Keep Yourself Alive" was released as a single on July 6, and the album Queen appeared a week later. The cover featured a shot of Mercury live on stage taken by Taylor's friend Douglass Puddifoot. Deacon was credited as "Deacon John", while Taylor used his full name, Roger Meddows-Taylor.The album was well received by critics; Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone called it "excellent", and Chicago's Daily Herald called it an "above average debut". However, it garnered little mainstream attention and "Keep Yourself Alive" sold poorly. In retrospect, it is cited as the highlight of the album, and in 2008 Rolling Stone ranked it 31st on the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time", describing it as "an album full of riffs stuffed into one song". The album was certified gold in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Contract with Trident (1972)
Even without a record label to back them up, the outfit grew frustrated with the lack of progress. However, in early 1972, the Chrysalis Records label offered them a contract. The company was very interested in signing with Queen, but the group decided to reject the offer considering that the terms did not benefit them. At that time, a lot of production staff would go through the De Lane Lea studio checking the connections, doing sound quality tests, etc. Two engineers from Trident Wardour Street Studio, Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony, saw the group by chance and Anthony was impressed with the sound, immediately recognizing Taylor and May as he had produced their single "Earth" around the time of Smile.. They persuaded their employees, Barry and Norman Sheffield, to investigate the group. After Barry Sheffield witnessed Freddie Mercury's eccentricity and outstanding live performance at the Forest Hill Hospital Dance, it was decided that Queen had to sign with Trident as soon as possible. However, the group considered that the contract offered by Trident had terms that did not convince them. However, after a concert at the Pheasanty on Kings Road, at the end of 1972, Queen signed. The contract that Trident made was divided into three different agreements: publishing rights, recording contract and representation contract.
After signing, Trident offered the group a new recording system and new instruments. Brian May opted to keep his homemade guitar. Jack Nelson was called in as manager, who had given advice to Norman Sheffield in the past. Nelson went so far as to show the Queen demo tapes to EMI, but the negotiation didn't work out. Despite the fact that no company had appeared to distribute Queen's future album, the group entered the Sheffield brothers' Trident Studios to record their first album throughout the second half of 1972, also counting as producers with Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony. However, they were only granted those time slots in which no one was recording, especially in the early or early morning hours, resulting in haphazardly produced recordings. In another study At the Trident complex, Robin Cable was performing "I Can Hear Music," a song by The Beach Boys. Cable offered Mercury to record that song, which he did.When they finished recording the song, Cable called Taylor and May to add drum and guitar tracks. Mercury also performed "Goin' Back", a Dusty Springfield classic. Both would be released as a single the following year with Mercury under the pseudonym Larry Lurex, but the cut received very little airplay. In September, Trident agreed to pay Queen, whether they had or not. released the album, which happened. By November 1972, the album had finished recording, but Trident had yet to place it on a record company.
The first work: Queen (1973)
In 1973, an executive from the EMI company, Roy Fetherstone, was at the MIDEM Festival, held in the south of France. Right there Jack Nelson appeared, who played him a Queen tape that immediately caught Fetherstone's attention. Nelson lied to her that several record labels were interested in the group. Fetherstone then sent a telegram via Trident to request that the group not sign with anyone else. Upon Fetherstone's return, everything was set in motion for Queen to sign the contract. A first agreement was rejected, because Trident demanded more money. The negotiations continued without materializing, until in March 1973, Queen went to the EMI offices to finally agree on a recording contract. Jack Nelson then hosted a concert at the Marquee to introduce them to the CEO of Elektra Records, Jack Holsten. There the group signed with Elektra for the label to distribute their work in the United States.
In May 1973, the record was issued by EMI, although the release did not occur until July 13. Taylor wanted the album to be called Top Fax, Pix and Info, and they had also thought Deary Me, but it was finally named Queen. It was an album heavily influenced by the heavy metal and progressive rock of the time. The production on the back cover is a collage of photos. The members of Queen had called their friends to select the best images around Mercury. Mercury and May spent a few weeks pasting up photographs. Regarding the album cover, it was photographer Doug Puddifoot who took the shot, who had also taken many of the images used in the collage. The cover features Freddie Mercury on stage with his signature microphone. The purple effect was achieved simply by placing purple celluloid on the camera lens. The record also carried the quote "No synthesizers have been used on this album". This notice was put out mainly because many people mistook some of Brian May's layered guitar special effects for a synth.
It was generally well received by critics. Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone said: "Their debut album is excellent", the Chicago Daily Herald called it: "An above average debut" and Greg Prato of Allmusic named it as: "One of the most underrated hard rock debuts of all time." However, it did not attract much attention and the lead single "Keep Yourself Alive", a Brian May composition, sold poorly. The cut had been rejected by several stations and only Radio Luxembourg gave it a reception. Shortly after the album was issued, Queen began to tour small. get the attention of new fans. This motivated them to enter the recording studio again in August 1973. In addition, they received the news that the fashionable group at the time, Mott the Hoople, wanted them to open for their shows in the United Kingdom. The tour ran from October to December 1973. The album peaked at #83 in the United States.
Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack: the transition (1974)
"We were finding a way to do things. I remember being doing Queen II and think, "this is getting interesting." - Roger Taylor, Mojo Magazine |
In February 1974, the Queen Fan Club was officially formed, recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as one of the most associated fan centers in the world. At that time, Ronnie Fowler, head of the department from EMI's promotion, he invested £20,000 in costs to promote Queen. Robin Nash, producer of the music show Top of the Pops , asked him if he knew of any bands to play on the show, and Fowler advised him to bring Queen. On February 21, 1974, Queen performed at the Top of the Pops performing "Seven Seas of Rhye", marking the first time the group had appeared on television. The next day, Jack Nelson rushed in promoting a single on the radio. EMI hastily and timely released the single on February 23, this being "Seven Seas of Rhye" with "See What A Fool I've Been". The B-side was not included on the album. The single produced the set entering the UK charts, staying for ten weeks and peaking at #10.
Just when everything was ready to issue the album, the band discovered a typo on the cover and insisted that it should be corrected. But in addition, the UK had been a victim of the oil crisis, which meant there was a three-day working week in place, further delaying the album's release. On March 8, 1974, Queen II was finally released. The album reached No. 5 on the UK charts and stayed on the charts for thirty weeks. gold record. In the United States, Queen II climbed more positions than its predecessor, peaking at No. 49. Queen II, like other albums, was edited with one side in black and the other in white. The cover photo was taken by Mick Rock, which would serve as inspiration a year later for the video clip for "Bohemian Rhapsody". It is considered a transitional album for the band, due to its notable difference from the previous one in terms of sound. and maturity, and for another important reason: operatic voices (which were still absent on the first album) had begun. Those vocal overdubs that caused the effect of an opera chorus and that would characterize Queen throughout their career had begun to take on more weight in Queen II.
With the success of the single and the success of the album, Queen went on their first headlining tour of the UK throughout March 1974. At this stage Freddie Mercury often wore clothes designed by Zandra Rhodes. The tour was going well, until at the University of Stirling, the Scottish crowd got out of hand and started throwing bottles and cans of beer. In the following riots, two people were injured by a knife, and two other Queen staff were injured (low severity) and hospitalized. Between April and May 1974 they made their first tour of the United States, opening for Mott the Hoople. In May, after giving six performances at the Gershwin Theater in New York, Brian May was diagnosed with hepatitis, forcing the group to cancel the remaining performances.
On October 11, 1974, the first preview of the following album was released, the single "Killer Queen"/"Flick of the Wrist", both songs under the authorship of Mercury. The single went silver, and peaked at number 2 in the UK charts, staying there for twelve weeks. It was the band's first single to enter the US charts, peaking at number 12. Almost three weeks later, on November 1, the album Sheer Heart Attack was released, Queen's second album that year. Sheer Heart Attack reached #2 on the UK charts, staying there for 42 weeks. After the album was released, the single "Now I'm Here"/"Lily of the Valley" appeared on January 17, 1975, which stayed on the British charts for seven weeks, peaking at #11. In the United States, the album reached number 12, making it their first successful album on both sides of the Atlantic. Queen's third installment was considered by critics to be better than its predecessors. From October to December 1974 they left tour of Europe, within the framework of the Sheer Heart Attack Tour.
A Night at the Opera: the arrival of success (1975-1976)
Back in 1975, they undertook their first headline tour in the United States, with massive support from Elektra. The tour was complicated, since Mercury was diagnosed with nodules in his throat, which led to the cancellation of some concerts in order to reduce their frequency. But the singer recovered, and Queen quickly returned to tour. After the heated US tour, the four members headed to Hawaii for a vacation, before hosting their first Japan tour in April. Precisely on April 18, Queen arrived at the Tokyo airport, which was besieged by fans. The English quartet toured the entire country with great public success. Freddie Mercury had liked the culture of that country, to the point of becoming an amateur collector of Japanese art and antiques. By the time Queen returned home, many music magazine reader polls placed the group at the top. Mercury also won the Ivor Novello Award for "Killer Queen".
A lot of time was spent experimenting on the next album, trying out the different sounds that could be created. At that time Freddie Mercury produced, played piano and sang backing vocals for an Eddie Howell single, sounding similar to Queen. There was a breaking point between Trident and Queen, which caused them to cancel a planned US tour, precisely to resolve the issues. Queen signed an independent agreement, but directly with EMI and Elektra. The group was momentarily without a manager. In the search, several candidates emerged: Peter Grant from Led Zeppelin -the idea was that his discography, Swan Song Records would produce the group-, Peter Rudge -whom they could not contact- and Elton John's manager, John Reid. At first, Reid wasn't sure if he could go with another musical artist, but he quickly changed his mind when he found out it was Queen. Reid put up £100,000 to settle the deal, as well as appointing Jim Beach as lawyer to negotiate the existing contract with Trident, the deal with that record label was dissolved in 1975.
On October 31, 1975, the first single from the album, "Bohemian Rhapsody," was released. Recorded in three weeks, the song has no chorus and consists of six sections: an a cappella introduction, a ballad, a guitar solo, an operatic segment, a rock section, and a coda that picks up the tempo and key of the introductory ballad. It was their first number one in the United Kingdom and it spent eighteen months on the chart, breaking the record that Paul Anka had held since 1957 with "Diana". In addition, it was number nine in the United States. United, signifying an important advance. For this song Mercury again won the Ivor Novello Award. "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been chosen on several occasions as one of the best songs of all time. The band decided to make a video like support for the single, considered the first video clip to use special effects. Although many musicians, including themselves, had previously made some videos to accompany their songs, it was not until after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that producing video clips to promote singles became a regular and profitable practice for record labels.
A Night at the Opera was released on November 21, 1975, making it the most expensive album ever produced. Like its predecessor, it experiments with stereophonic sound. they used multiple layers of guitar from their predecessor as a base and the album experiments with diverse genres such as the metal of "Death on Two Legs" and "Sweet Lady", the pop of "You're My Best Friend," country music on "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and "Seaside Rendezvous," and progressive rock on "'39" and "The Prophet's Song.". All these elements come together for the pseudo-opera track "Bohemian Rhapsody", which is found near the end of the album. A slight touch of humor on the album is also often mentioned as a feature. The album bears some similarity to Led Zeppelin IV. The first song, "Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...)", was composed by Mercury and references the band's former manager, Norman Sheffield, one of the owners of their previous record label, Trident. The song paints a harsh portrayal of the band's animosity with their former manager. Although no person was explicitly mentioned in the song, since the title simply appears "Dedicated to...", it was only found out that it was about Sheffield when he threatened to sue Queen. EMI finally reached a financial agreement with Norman to avoid a possible lawsuit that would prevent or delay the release of the album. "You're My Best Friend", a pop cut, is the second composition for the band by bassist Deacon. The next track on the album, "'39", is a country/folk written by Brian May. In it, he narrates a space trip that alludes to the theory that if someone traveled at speeds close to those of light, when he returned to earth, for the traveler alone, very little time would have passed, while for those who stayed generations would have passed on the planet (one should keep in mind at this point the astronomy studies by its author, Brian May). Side B of the album opens with May's lengthy (8 min 20 sec) "The Prophet's Song". For his recording he uses a toy koto, a Japanese stringed instrument. In the middle section of the song there is a cut where an intricate set of overdubbed voices emerges, a canon with simple phrases layered to create a wide spectrum of choruses. Mercury's "Love of My Life" is the ballad on the album. For it, a harp and different vocal harmonies were used. "Good Company", authored by the guitarist, is a Charleston where Brian May recreates a Dixieland band with all its instruments only from the sounds of his guitar, recorded on several tracks.
Like the first single, the album was a smash hit in the UK. In addition to reaching number one and staying for fifty weeks on the charts, it was awarded a platinum record. In the United States the album peaked at number 4, and also reached triple platinum certification. In 2003, it was ranked at number 230 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
- A Night at the Opera Summer Tour and Tour
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The A Night at the Opera Tour begins on November 14, with the first leg taking place in England until the end of the year. 1975 concludes for Queen with a BBC recorded show at the Hammersmith Odeon. The following year the tour continued through the United States, Japan and Australia. The first recital of the year was on January 31 in Philadelphia. Queen brought with them a new manager, named Gerry Stickells, who would organize other Queen tours.
The second single from the album, "You're My Best Friend", was released on May 18, 1976, with "'39" as the B-side. the UK and US charts respectively. In September the group did a short UK summer tour which concluded on 18 September (6th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death) with a free concert in London's Hyde Park to 150,000 people. The show, which collapsed public transport, was not completed because the police turned off the general electricity of the property, considering that it was too late (it was the first night recital in the park that had previously hosted The Rolling Stones in 1969).. The recital was broadcast on Capitol Radio and was also filmed, but the film deteriorated, making it impossible to publish. After this concert, the band decided to produce a new album, but this time without the hand of Roy Thomas Baker.
A Day at the Races (1976-1977)
Queen's next album, A Day at the Races, is often considered a sequel to A Night at the Opera. The group highlights this characteristic by having both works with a similar cover art and title. This last factor was taken from both Marx Brothers films. Although both albums look almost the same, A Day at the Races was much narrower than its predecessor. As a preview, the 12th November 1976, the single "Somebody to Love"/"White Man" which peaked at number 2 on the UK charts, staying there for nine weeks. While side one is a gospel song composed by Mercury, side two is a hard rock by Brian May recounting the conquest of the american west from an aborigine's point of view.
A Day at the Races finally launched on December 10th. After an intro with overdubbed guitars, the album opens with the hard rock "Tie Your Mother Down", written by May. "The Millionaire Waltz" Mercury's work, includes a guitar solo with waltz phrasing. The other side begins with the two songs that were released as a single, "Somebody to Love" and "White Man". The last song on the album is "Teo Torriatte (Let us Cling Together)", released as a single in Japan. The album spent twenty-four weeks on the British charts, with the highest position being at No. 2. It peaked at No. 5 in the United States, so that shortly after its release it reached a gold record in the United States. United States and in the United Kingdom.
- A Day at the Races Tour
In early 1977, Queen began the A Day At The Races Tour, first touring the United States with Thin Lizzy as the opening act. On said tour they performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" in its entirety, when before they used to only play a fragment of it as a medley. On February 5 they played for the first time at Madison Square Garden in New York. Taking advantage of their stay in Hollywood, the band visited Groucho Marx. Meanwhile, on March 4, they decided to release the second single from the album, "Tie Your Mother Down"/"You and I", which, with four weeks on the UK charts, peaked at #31 and #49 on the US charts.
After the North American leg of the tour ended, the European leg began. After two months of recitals, these culminated on June 6 and 7 at Earls Court in London, taking advantage of the Queen's Jubilee year. The show closed with a medley of old rockers like "Lucille", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Stupid Cupid". It was at Earls Court that his famous set resembling an illuminated crown first appeared. Said installation cost 5000 pounds sterling, but unlike other sets, this was mobile, ushering in a new era of more attractive sets at rock concerts. Days before, on May 20, released their first and only EP entitled Queen's First EP, which included well-known songs: "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy", "Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...)", "Tenement Funster" and "White Queen (As It Began)". The EP spent seventeen weeks on the charts, peaking at #10.
At that time, the group's relationship with the press began to deteriorate sharply. One example was an interview between Mercury and NME journalist Tony Stewart, which had a somewhat complicated communication and was titled Is this man a prat? (¿ Is this man an idiot?). Taylor released a surprise single in August 1977, "I Wanna Testify", which fueled speculation in the press about the possible dissolution of Queen. However, the specter of separation rumors had been present since 1973. According to some media, the band's drummer was trying his hand at launching himself, since he couldn't stand being a composer in the background.
News of the World, Jazz and Live Killers (1977-1979)
After two months of recording, the first result appeared on October 7, 1977: the double A-side single "We Will Rock You"/"We Are the Champions" (written by Brian May and Freddie Mercury respectively), which would go on to become hymns used in many sporting events, being considered two of the pioneers in arena rock. The crowd that appears in the video clip applauding the song they are members of the Queen fan club. Thus, on October 28, Queen put on sale the new studio album, News of the World, an album that is fought together with The Game as the studio album. Queen's best-selling album in the United States, where it reached four times platinum. News of the World reached number four in the United Kingdom, staying on the charts for twenty weeks, and number three. in the United States. The diversity of genres in the new record contrasts with A Day at the Races. The title of the LP is based on a comic from the 1950s and the cover and interior design was commissioned to cartoonist Frank Kelly Freas. Another News of the World single, "Spread Your Wings"/"Sheer Heart Attack", was issued in February 1978 and peaked at No. 34 and lasted only four weeks on the charts. In April the third and final single, 'It's Late', composed by Brian May, was released.
Somehow all that worked, but [...] we thought it was the maximum point we could get in that direction, so we had to pick another one. We had already decided that we were saturated with multiple layers of sound before the Sex Pistols arrived, so we deliberately did News of the World to get back to the basics and find some vitality again. Some people saw it as an answer to punk, but we came to that conclusion.Brian May at Mojo Magazine.
When Queen were recording the song "Sheer Heart Attack," the Sex Pistols were recording in an adjacent studio. Mercury invited Sid Vicious into the studio to listen to a Queen song, and tried to motivate him to sing a song for the group in a punk rock style and for Sid to do the same with a Queen composition. However, Mercury received a resounding refusal from the punk musician.
In November 1977, the News of the World Tour began, which would take them on tour in North America and, already in 1978, in Europe. In July 1978 the band regrouped to record a new album at Mountain Studios in Montreux (Switzerland) and at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes (France). During the recording, a strong storm hit Montreux. Brian May went out and recorded the storm, a sound that can be heard at the end of the song 'Dead On Time'. For this new album they again had the help of Roy Thomas Baker. The band was surprised by the Mountain Studios in Montreux, to the point of buying it in 1979.
On October 13, 1978, the first single from the future album was released, the double A-side "Fat Bottomed Girls/Bicycle Race". It peaked at number 11 in the UK and stayed on the charts for twelve weeks. To promote it, a video clip was made for "Bicycle Race" which showed a race of naked women on bicycles. The winner appeared on the cover of the single with her back turned, naked and riding the bicycle. The cover had to be censored, drawing her (with the consent of the band) a bikini. The release was described as sexist and pornographic by the press. NME published a photo of Freddie Mercury with the caption Fat Bottomed Queen.
On November 10, 1978, the album Jazz finally appeared. Like the video for "Bicycle Race", the album was embroiled in controversy, as it included a poster with the photo of the 65 naked female cyclists. The gift was removed from the album and replaced with a request form to claim the poster. Commercially, the album fared even better than its predecessor, charting at number two for twenty-seven weeks, and was also successful in the United States, where it peaked at No. 6. Additionally, it went gold in both the United Kingdom and the United States. However, the new album was heavily criticized. In Rolling Stone magazine he was described as a "fascist", in addition to saying: "Queen has no creativity to make jazz, Queen does not has creativity, for this reason, to make rock and roll". On January 5, 1979, the second single, "Don't Stop Me Now", was released. 34;, which was #9 and stayed on the charts for thirty-five weeks. Other later singles that were less successful were "Jealousy" and "Mustapha". However, Queen was at the time at the height of its popularity. At that time the press also covered the large parties frequently organized by the band, such as the one produced in New Orleans on October 31, 1978, night Halloween, on the occasion of the release of the album. Brian May spoke thus to Mojo Magazine in 1999 about how success and the emptiness he felt at that stage affected the band:
It was very excessive [the lifestyle]. I think the excess leaked from music to life and became a necessity. We always tried to get to a place that hadn't gotten to before and the excess is part of it.
Queen was a wonderful vehicle and a magical combination, but I think it almost destroyed us all [...] We were the greatest thing in the world at a certain time and everything that implies gives you a mental disorder at some level. They worship you and love you on a universal level. But you're surrounded by people who love you and yet you're completely alone. You come to a place where it's very difficult to get out, and I'm aware that I've never recovered. It's like you never grew up. We've all suffered. I definitely know. Freddie, obviously, was completely disappeared and that is why he contracted that terrible disease [...] he was totally out of control at a certain time. Somehow we were all out of control... and that fucked us up.Brian May at Mojo Magazine.
The Jazz Tour began with a sleeve through the United States and Canada from October 1978 until the end of the year, and was extended with another two across Europe and Japan in the first half of 1979. On June 22, 1979 they released their first live album, Live Killers. The album was a product of the recordings of the European sleeve of the Jazz Tour. The album went gold in the UK, peaking at #3 and charting for twenty-eight weeks. Despite peaking at #16, it went double-platinum in the US. Facts like passing part of the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" -the operatic section- playing pre-recorded tapes, attracted criticism from the press, and the band themselves were also not satisfied with the final result. This album was self-produced by Queen and mixed at Mountain Studios in Montreux. In June 1979, Queen traveled to Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, where they met and established a working relationship with engineer Reinhold Mack (simply called Mack). The group was attracted to Mack's ideas, to the point of crediting him as a co-producer on the next album.
Radical turn: The Game and Hot Space (1979-1982)
In June 1979, already established in Munich, Germany, they began working with Mack at Musicland Studios for their next album, The Game, and by the end of the year they released the first single from the album. same "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a rockabilly tribute to Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard that was #2 in the UK, and stayed on the charts for fourteen weeks. The song was also his first number one in the United States. The release of the song was accompanied by a small tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland under the name of Crazy Tour in late 1979, which saw a difference in the band's staging compared to previous tours, that would be maintained during the following tours. They played venues including Tiffany's in Purley, The Lewisham Odeon, Alexandra Palace and The Hammersmith Odeon. In December 1979 Queen played as the opening band at the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea in London, having accepted a request by the event's organizer, Paul McCartney. In that event groups like The Clash, The Pretenders, The Who and Elvis Costello attended. When "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" it was performed live, Freddie Mercury played rhythm guitar (usually a Fender Telecaster), just like on the studio recording. It was on the Crazy Tour that tour manager Gerry Stickells had a collapse and was rushed to a hospital.
The recordings of the album lasted until the mid-1980s. At this time the group recognized that it had a certain stagnation at a creative level and that it suffered several important internal tensions, caused mainly by the different vision of each member on the artistic direction that should follow the band:
We spent a bad season in Munich. We fought bitterly between us. We were all frustrated with each other. I remember John told me he didn't play guitar like he wanted in his songs. We all try to leave the group on more than one occasion. But then we came back to the idea that the group was bigger than any of us. It was more durable than most of our marriages.Brian May at Mojo Magazineon the recordings The Game and Hot Space.
On June 30, 1980, The Game finally saw the light of day. It was Queen's first album to feature synthesizers, although Mercury commented that she would never use them. The work was enormously successful worldwide, reaching the top of the charts in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was, in fact, his first gold record in the United States and the only album to reach number one in that country. It was also number one in much of Europe and South America and in Canada, and entered Australia's ARIA charts for seven weeks. The fourth single 'Another One Bites the Dust', written by John Deacon, was their second number one in the United States. Although the band did not rate the song as good enough, it was chosen as a single after Michael Jackson encouraged the group to do so backstage at a concert in Los Angeles. According to May, part of the success is due to the fact that the single was played repeatedly on black music radio stations thinking that the song had been composed by a group of African-American origin, which caused some people unfamiliar with the band to attend their meetings. recitals, surprising seeing that the group was not made up of black people. The song was also nominated at the 1981 Grammy Awards in the category of best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals. This great success produced that in their later work, the group turned radically from their hard rock and glam rock tendencies, to more disco tendencies. The other featured singles were "Save Me" and "Play the Game". In the video for this last song, Mercury appears for the first time with his famous mustache.
The Game Tour began in June 1980, touring the United States, Canada, and Europe that year. Despite the success of the album and the tour, the group was losing some ground, especially in the United States, when in December 1980 they released the soundtrack Flash Gordon (from the film of the same name)., which met with a cool reception and regular sales. The idea to record a soundtrack came while the group was at the recording sessions for The Game, in which Italian film producer Dino appeared. De Laurentiis to offer to record the soundtrack for his new film.
In 1981, after passing through Tokyo in February, the group embarked on their first South American tour, which was a complete success, performing in front of 479,000 people. They gave five recitals in Argentina (Buenos Aires, Rosario and Mar del Plata), reaching 300,000 people in one of them, being one of the largest crowds in Argentine concerts. This reception is striking due to the political-social context that that country was going through. It is where Freddie also debuts his short hair.After these recitals, album sales increased considerably in that country.They also attracted 251,000 people at the Morumbi stadium in São Paulo. Subsequently, in April, Roger Taylor released his solo album Fun in Space, becoming the first member of Queen to release solo material. Between the months of July and September 1981, Queen addressed their Mountain Studios in Switzerland to record their next album, Hot Space. Coincidentally, David Bowie was in the area and accepted the invitation of engineer David Richards to meet the members of Queen. The group then began to shape a song with Bowie, improvising on the musical basis of "Feel Like", an unfinished song by the quartet. From these sessions eventually emerged "Under Pressure", which would appear on both Greatest Hits and Hot Space. The track was Queen's second number one single in the UK (the first being 'Bohemian Rhapsody'). This was the first time Queen had recorded with a guest artist. In September and October, the group returned to Latin America to play in Venezuela and Mexico. On November 3, 1981, Queen released their first compilation, Greatest Hits. This album has been the best-selling album in the history of the United Kingdom (in second place is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles), spending 450 weeks on the charts and being certified platinum disc eleven times. You (1984) and on DVD under the name Queen Rock Montreal (2007).
In 1982 the album Hot Space appeared. With a very different sound from previous works, closer to disco and dance pop, it was harshly criticized and received a generally cold reception among fans. The album failed to go platinum and was Queen's worst (commercially speaking) release since Queen II. Brian May's traditional guitar sound had been replaced by synthesizers on several songs. from the album. May argued in an interview that Queen needed to try different things. Three UK singles were released from the album (not counting "Under Pressure"). The songs were "Body Language", "Las Palabras de Amor" and "Back Chat". Queen reappeared on the Top of the Pops, after many years, performing an interpretation of "The Words of Love". This was happening at the same time that "Under Pressure" it reached the top of the Dutch and Argentine charts, just as the Falklands War broke out. Argentina's ruling dictatorship banned radio broadcasts of songs in English, while in England the song "Las Palabras de Amor" was seen as inappropriate.
In April 1982, the tour to promote the album began, the Hot Space Tour, which ended in Japan in September, after passing through Europe and North America. The concert held on June 5 at the National Bowl (United Kingdom) was filmed on this tour, and was later released on DVD under the name Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl (2004). This was the last tour the group undertook in the United States.
We always thought we were going back, but the circumstances overwhelmed us. I know Freddie wanted a lot for the last album (Innuendo) was accepted in the United States. But we never got to that and not even the impact of Freddie's death was as important as the impact of Wayne's World. It wasn't the same as in Europe.Brian May at Mojo Magazineabout Queen's fall in popularity in the United States.
The Works and the Live Aid concert (1983-1985)
After working steadily for more than ten years, Queen decided at the end of 1982 not to perform live shows and took a sabbatical. At the end of 1983 there were conflicts between Elektra and Queen: Mercury did not want to record any more albums for the stamp. He was upset by the way the record company was representing Queen in the United States. Capitol Records was very interested in Queen, which he got, when the group left Elektra for Capitol. Jim Beach and Gerry Stickells tried to organize a new tour of South America in the spring, but due to problems with equipment and promoters they decided to back down. At the beginning of 1984, Freddie Mercury was making his solo album, in which, according to his words, he could express things that he couldn't in the context of Queen, like more personal situations.
The band's new album appeared in February 1984 under the title The Works, with which they marked a partial return to their roots within rock music.. It reached the second position in the United Kingdom, with a permanence in the list of ninety-three weeks, reaching the platinum record shortly after. In the United States it was only number 23 in sales. The singles "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" they were very successful. For the video clip of the former, material from the film Metropolis by Fritz Lang was used. In the video for "I Want to Break Free" the members of Queen appear disguised as women wanting to ridicule the British television series Coronation Street. Mercury recreates parts of the ballet Debussy L'Apres-midi d'un faune. MTV in the United States refused to broadcast the video clip. Other singles from the album were the ballad "It's a Hard Life"; and "Hammer to Fall," which deals with the cold war. The album was generally well received by critics and sold well worldwide, although there were also those who longed for the sound of the previous decade.
In September 1984 Queen began their The Works Tour (the first tour with keyboardist Spike Edney). With diminishing success in the United States and waning popularity in the United Kingdom, Queen decided to explore new horizons, scheduling dates that, in addition to Europe, added countries in Africa, South America, Oceania and Asia, continents generally rarely visited by the Western rock bands. The tour included a series of nine (sold-out) dates at the Sun City resort in South Africa. The band was embroiled in controversy as a result of playing at the height of apartheid, during a UN-sponsored cultural boycott. Queen then received a sanction from the British Musicians Union and temporarily appeared on the UN cultural blacklist. The group remained on the list until they signed, along with other artists, a letter promising not to perform in South Africa again as long as the racist state continued. The band then responded to the criticism by arguing that they were playing for fans of that country's music and that the concerts were held before an integrated audience, but later both Roger Taylor and Brian May have described those concerts as a mistake.
On January 12 and 19, 1985, Queen played at the first edition of the Rock in Rio festival, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The second performance was released on VHS under the name Queen Live in Rio. At the beginning of 1985 the British Video Awards were held. Queen won two awards: one for The Works EP, a video compilation from the album, and for the video for "Radio Ga Ga". After performing a concert in New Zealand, they headed to Australia, doing a series of eight sold-out concerts, in Melbourne and Sydney. After Australia, they headed towards Japan.
After a short break, the band began rehearsing for Live Aid, a mega-concert whose proceeds would go to fight famine in Africa and in which some of the biggest musical stars of the time would participate. Finally the event was held on July 13. In that recital, which in England took place at Wembley Stadium with an audience of 72,000 people, Queen was seen by the largest television audience in history to date, a total of 1.9 billion viewers. The group was Hosted by comedians Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. The organizer of the show, Bob Geldof, as well as other eminent musicians such as Elton John and several music journalists, said that Queen's performance was the best. The performance has subsequently been voted the best live performance on several occasions. of the story. At that time Mercury had a throat infection, for which his doctor had recommended that he not perform the show. Existing tensions within the group, as well as rumors of the quartet's disbandment, spread through music newspapers and gossip columns. However, with the experience of attracting a massive audience, the group was motivated to pursue other studio work.
Live Aid was a shot in the arm. We were very tired at that point. We didn't think of going back on a tour for at least five years, but we did. But we thought it was better to rehearse something and set the 17 minutes of acting like a medley of success. Why bore them with things they hadn't heard before? We did not test but we sent our brilliant engineer to check the sound system, and arranged all the limiters for us. We sound stronger than anyone. I remember being among the audience and hearing the first groups and thinking that I could hardly hear them. You have to overwhelm people in a stadium.Roger Taylor in Mojo Magazine.
Freddie Mercury released his first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, in April 1985, although it did not have massive sales. In December The Complete Works had been published, a box set with all of Queen's albums to date.
A Kind of Magic (1986)
On June 2, 1986, the album A Kind of Magic was released, which reached No. 1 in the UK, staying on the charts for 63 weeks. The reception in the United States was very different, reaching only number 46 and reaching the gold record in 2002. While the British quartet was losing the attention of the American public, in Europe it continued to be a successful band. The album was made up mainly of songs that were written for the film Highlander (Los Inmortales), directed by Russell Mulcahy and performed by Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. However, Queen recorded and included on the album other songs that did not appear in the film and were not related to it, so it is considered a studio album and not a soundtrack. The first single from the album was "One Vision", published in November 1985. Later, "A Kind of Magic" and "Princes of the Universe" (this one only in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), whose videos were directed by Russell Mulcahy. While "A Kind of Magic" peaked at #3 in the UK, the "Princes of the Universe" went unnoticed in the US. Other subsequent singles were "One Year of Love" (Spain and France), "Friends Will Be Friends", "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" (USA and Europe) and "Who Wants to Live Forever".
- Magic Tour
«We are the Cecil B. DeMille rock and rollwe always want to do things bigger and better." - Freddie Mercury. |
In this context, Queen embarked on the Magic Tour to play the open-air arenas of Europe. The group rehearsed longer than usual for this tour. The tour used the largest stage and longest light rig of the group's career, as well as a giant screen at Mannheim, Wembley and Knebworth, which was the screen largest in the UK at that time. One of the most notable dates of the tour were the two dates, July 11 and 12, which they performed at Wembley Stadium (United Kingdom) in front of some 72,000 people every night, selling out tickets in just six hours. Filming for both concerts was done with fifteen cameras, plus a helicopter to capture aerial shots. The Second Night was released in various formats years later. The Budapest concert, held on July 27, was filmed by Mafilm, a government filming company, which also rehearsed the Cologne concert a week earlier, although this was deleted to reuse the same tapes in Budapest. They used all the 35mm cameras available in Hungary to record the recital. It would be released on VHS on February 16, 1987 under the name Live in Budapest.
Their last concert was on August 9, 1986 in Knebworth Park before 120,000 people. Tickets sold out in two hours. The Magic Tour was seen by more than 1 million people, being 400,000 in the United Kingdom, the audience record in the country at the time. This was also Queen's last tour with Freddie Mercury. In December of the same year, Queen released Live Magic, their second live album, in which they compile versions taken from concerts at Wembley, Budapest and Knebworth.
The Miracle and Innuendo (1987-1991)
Over the next few years, members of the group announced that they did not play concerts because they wanted some relaxation time. In early 1987, Taylor and Deacon went on vacation to Los Angeles. During this break, the divorce from guitarist Brian May took place (he later struggled with depression and suicide), and Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS after Easter 1987, according to his then-partner Jim Hutton. Mercury took advantage of the hiatus to work on solo material. On February 23, 1987 Mercury released the single "The Great Pretender". In the video for the new cut, directed by David Mallet, Mercury wore various costumes and clothing that he used in concerts and video clips of his career. The single peaked at #4 in the UK. Queen won the Ivor Novello Award again on April 15, 1987. On October 10, 1988, Mercury released his second solo album, Barcelona, this time with the Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé. Towards the beginning of 1988, the band had regrouped to prepare a new work.
The Miracle came out on May 22, 1989. The album reached No. 1, staying 32 weeks on the chart and shortly after reaching platinum status in the UK. UK. It also peaked at number 24 in the United States. The most successful single was "I Want It All", which reached number one in several countries and number 3. in the UK, spending seven weeks on the charts. "Breakthru", "The Miracle", "The Invisible Man", and to a lesser extent "Scandal", also managed to position themselves in the first places, all reinforced by video clips that supported its dissemination. Some of the lyrics on the tracks tend to reflect on the group's past achievements ('Khashoggi's Ship' and "Was It All Worth It'). The songs were credited to 'Queen' and not to specific members of the band. The cover consists of the union of the faces of the four members, using a Quantel Paintbox to achieve the desired effect.
Queen hadn't given any interviews as a group for a long time. They were contacted for an interview with Mike Reid, and finally on May 29, 1989 it took place. During the interview Freddie tells that his refusal to go on tour was because he wanted to change the cycle of album-tour. He had in mind to release a Greatest Hits II , but due to the good sales of The Miracle , this decision was aborted. It was thought that if they put out a compilation album, it would hurt sales of the new studio album. The year 1989 ended with the VHS release of The Miracle Video EP, which features all the videos from the album. Queen won the BPI Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music and held a party in commemoration of the 20 years of the group. The party was held at a Soho club called Groucho's. Many of the people who had ever worked with Queen were summoned for the celebration. The group decided to end their contract with Capitol in the United States, signing a new agreement with Hollywood Records for a sum of more than 10 million dollars. They relinquished EMI for worldwide distribution. One of the first things Hollywood Records did was reissue all of Queen's discography (with the exception of Live Killers) on the new, novel CD format.
Despite Mercury's failing health, he insisted on taking on a new job. Innuendo was released on February 4, 1991. While it only reached #30 in the United States, in the United Kingdom it went to number one, staying on the charts for thirty-two. seven weeks and going platinum. Although it did not have unanimous critical support, the new album also enjoyed great commercial success. Lyrics are generally autobiographical from Mercury's point of view, such as "These Are the Days of Our Lives" and "The Show Must Go On". The album's first single, the eponymous Innuendo, is one of the band's longest songs and features several sections from different genres, including a flamenco guitar solo by Steve Howe. The album also includes a composition that speaks of humanity's impossibility of living in harmony, "All God's People".
Death of Mercury, tribute concert and aftermath (1991-1994)
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According to statements given by his then partner, Jim Hutton, Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS after Easter 1987. At that time, Mercury said in an interview that he did not have AIDS, both he and the rest of the group they kept this fact in absolute silence. But despite the denials, the British press fueled rumors about this possible disease due to Mercury's emaciated appearance and the fact that Queen had not toured or concerted for several years. Towards the end of his life, many journalists took photographs of him, while that The Sun suggested that he was very ill. This was all at the time of the publication of Innuendo.
On November 23, 1991, Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach to discuss a public matter. The following day, the following announcement was made on behalf of the singer:
Following the enormous conjecture of the press for the last two weeks, it is my wish to confirm that I suffer from AIDS. I felt it was right to keep this information private until the day of the date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, it is time for my friends and followers to know the truth and I hope that they will all join me and my doctors to combat this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very important to me and I am famous for practically not giving interviews. This policy will continue.
Just a day after that statement, Mercury lost his battle against the disease, passing away at 7 PM in his London mansion. He was 45 years old. The foursome's last public appearance was at the 1990 Brit Awards, for Queen's contribution to British music. Queen's offices were flooded with flowers commemorating the artist. On November 27, her remains were cremated at the West London Crematorium.
The song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was reissued as a single shortly after Mercury's 1991 death, with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" as double A-side (from the album Innuendo). The single reached number one, where it stayed for five weeks, and remained sixteen on the sales charts. The success of the reissue came about thanks in part to a scene in the movie Wayne's World in which the characters Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) sing along with some classmates. "Bohemian Rhapsody", which plays on the car radio. "Bohemian Rhapsody" it became the first song to reach number one (in its original version) on two separate occasions, in addition to achieving the number of fourteen weeks at the top (nine in the original and another five in the second edition). Initial proceeds from the single – approximately £1,000,000 – were donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust.
Freddie Mercury was awarded posthumously at the Brit Awards in 1992 for his outstanding musical contribution, while Queen won best single with "These are the Days of our Lives", belonging to to the disk Innuendo.
All that time we knew Freddie was in the final line, we kept our heads down.Brian May.
- Greatest Hits II
A month before Freddie's death, on October 28, 1991, EMI had released the second greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits II, which included 17 of the group's biggest hits between 1981 and 1991. This album debuted at number one on the UK sales charts. In the second week it dropped to #2 (at the top was Enya), in the next to #3 (in that week We Can't Dance by Genesis was in #1). position), and in the fourth week the album dropped to sixth place (in that week Michael Jackson's Dangerous made a triumphant entry to number one). Already in its fifth week, with the death of Mercury, the album returned to the top (this time with higher sales) and remained in that position for another four weeks. In all, the album spent five weeks at number one, and with just eight weeks on the charts, it was the third best-selling album of 1991, after going quadruple platinum for 1,200,000 album sales. The success of the compilation was even greater in other European countries. In the Netherlands, the album reached number one in the last two weeks of 1991, and remained there until the beginning of March 1992 (a total of 11 consecutive weeks). In May of that year, the record returned to the top, this time two weeks, to complete the period of 13 at the top. The album was certified 5 platinum in 1997 (for 500,000 copies). In this country, both The Miracle and Innuendo had reached number one, remaining 3 and 4 weeks in that position respectively. The album reached number one in Switzerland (11 weeks), Austria (3 weeks), Finland, Italy (12 weeks), Spain (8 weeks), France (4 weeks) and Portugal. It also went to number two in Germany and Sweden. Queen was also the band that sold the most records between 1991 and 1992 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Spain, France, Finland, Italy and Portugal, among others.
- Concert homage
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was held on April 20, 1992, at Wembley Stadium, London. Guest artists included Annie Lennox, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Extreme, George Michael, Guns N' Roses, Ian Hunter, Lisa Stansfield, Liza Minnelli, Metallica, Mick Ronson, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Seal, Spinal Tap, Tony Iommi and Zucchero, along with the three remaining members of Queen, performing several of the band's biggest hits. The concert is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as "The Charity Concert with the Most Rock Stars". More than £20,000,000 was raised for charity for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an AIDS awareness and education fund established by the group's members and their manager, Jim Beach. The concert was attended by 72,000 people and was watched on television by one billion viewers around the world.
A week later, EMI released the 1986 Wembley concert on CD and, with the shock of the recent concert being broadcast, it became a huge success. The album went to number one in Italy, where it stayed for five weeks and sold 300,000 copies during that year, and also in Portugal. The album went to number two in Spain, France and the UK.
Made in Heaven and No-One But You (1995-1997)
In 1995, Queen managed to complete the album Made in Heaven. It reached #1 in the UK and #58 in the US, making it the best-selling studio album in Queen history. It features vocals recorded by Mercury in the last year of her life, as well as the latest material she recorded with the group. In 1995, a statue of the artist was unveiled in Montreux, Switzerland.
Two years later, in 1997, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon met again in a studio to record what to this day is Queen's final song, entitled "No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)", which was released as a single and on the compilation Queen Rocks, a collection of rock tracks that cover his entire career since Queen through Innuendo, omitting only the albums The Game and Made In Heaven.
Queen in the new millennium (1998 - present)
Queen + Robbie Williams
In March 2001, Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in his second year of induction. That same year, Brian and Roger participated with Robbie Williams in a new recording of "We Are the Champions" as part of the A Knight's Tale soundtrack..
In the spring of 2002, the musical We Will Rock You, written by Ben Elton, opened at the Dominion Theater in London. Performances were given all over the world, achieving considerable success. Following numerous letters from Queen fans to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (estimated 300 per year), the group was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in late 2002. Brian May and Roger Taylor attended the day the star was discovered, with the city's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant.
That same year, Queen began to officially release their music on a new format, the DVD. They had previously released We Will Rock You, which includes the concerts given by Queen on November 24 and 25, 1981 in Montreal, Canada, and The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, in a special edition to commemorate the 10th anniversary of that show. Known as The DVD Collection, the one in charge of opening this new series was Greatest Video Hits 1, which consists of the collection of videos from 1973 to 1980. To this would be added Live At Wembley Stadium and Greatest Video Hits 2, both from 2003, and in 2004 the Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl (also on CD), which corresponds to the concert given on June 5, 1982 at the Milton Keynes Bowl in the United Kingdom. Later also released on DVD were Queen Rock Montreal (2007), Hungarian Rhapsody: Live in Budapest '86 (2012), Live at the Rainbow & #39;74 (2014) and A Night at the Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 (2015).
Queen + Paul Rodgers
In late 2004, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor announced that the two would reunite and tour again in 2005 with Paul Rodgers (founding singer of the bands Free and Bad Company). The new formation received the name of Queen + Paul Rodgers. Bassist John Deacon (retired from the band) declined to participate, being replaced by bassist Danny Miranda (a member of Blue Öyster Cult). Other members of the tour included keyboardist Spike Edney, who has played keyboards and occasionally guitar at Queen's live concerts since 1984, and additional guitarist Jamie Moses, who began working with Brian May on his solo projects in the early 1980s. 90. From this tour, which was dubbed the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour, the DVDs Return of the Champions and Super Live in Japan were published.
- The Cosmos Rocks
On August 15, 2006, Brian May confirmed via his website and fan club that Queen + Paul Rodgers would begin production on their first studio album in October, to be recorded at a 'secret location'. #34;. The album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on September 12, 2008 and in the United States on October 28. Following this, the band went on their Rock the Cosmos Tour, beginning on September 12 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with a free benefit concert for the local AIDS relief institution, before an audience of over 350,000 people. The concert was released on CD and DVD under the name Live in Ukraine (2009). The tour toured Europe and ended in South America, ending on November 30, 2008 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), after passing through Chile on November 19, and Argentina on November 21, the latter being the second with the largest number of audiences. attracted after the Ukraine.
Queen and Paul Rodgers officially and amicably parted ways on May 12, 2009. Rodgers said: "I think we made a big hit, really. We did two world tours and a couple of live recordings, and... we made a landmark studio album [for Brian May and Roger Taylor] because they hadn't gone into the studio with anyone and recorded something like that for a long time. It was a great event, I think.' Rodgers does not rule out the possibility of working with the members of Queen again: 'It's kind of an open book. If they approach me to do something charitable, for example, or something like that... I would be very interested in doing it, for sure".
Closing of the London 2012 Olympic Games
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During the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Freddie Mercury could be seen on several screens in a fragment of the Wembley concert in 1986 where he urged the public to repeat the notes he sang. Here is a part of "Brighton Rock" was performed on stage by Brian May on his guitar who was later joined by Roger Taylor to play & # 34; We Will Rock You & # 34; with singer Jessie J.
Queen + Adam Lambert
Since 2011, Brian May and Roger Taylor have been performing concerts together with American singer Adam Lambert under the name Queen + Adam Lambert. On September 18, 2015, they performed at the 6th edition of the Rock in Rio festival in front of 82,000 people. During this tour they toured the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.
Musical style
The band has cited American artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix among their influences as well as British rock groups of the time, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Queen developed a style inspired by various musical genres. Among the genres with which they have been associated are: progressive rock, hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal, pop rock, >blues rock and psychedelic rock. Queen have also written songs that were inspired by genres not typically associated with rock, such as ragtime, opera, gospel, vaudeville, and folk.
Legacy
As of 2005, according to the Guinness Book of Records, Queen's albums have spent a total of 1,322 weeks (twenty-six years) on the UK album charts, longer than of any other artist. Also in 2005, with the release of their album Live with Paul Rodgers, Queen moved to third place on the list of longest-charting British artists. In 2006, their album Greatest Hits became the biggest seller in UK history, with sales of 5,407,587 copies, more than 604,295 copies more than the second, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and in 2014 became the first album to reach six million copies in the country. Their album Greatest Hits II is in eighth place, with 3,746,404 copies sold.
Queen is also one of the world's best-selling music artists, with 103.8 million certified sales, including 49.7 million in the United States, and an estimated 150 to 200 million albums worldwide. the world. The group has released a total of eighteen number-one albums, eighteen number-one singles, and ten number-one DVDs worldwide. Inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2001, all four members of Queen were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2002, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted the "Favorite UK Hit of All Time" in a poll conducted by the Guinness Book of Records for UK Singles Hits, and in 2004 the song inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2009, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" they were also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the second was voted the world's most popular song in a global music poll.
Widely recognized for their stadium rock, in 2005 an industry poll ranked Queen's 1985 Live Aid concert as the best live performance ever. In 2007, they were also voted the best band of British history by BBC Radio 2 listeners. Rolling Stone placed Queen at number 52 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", while Mercury was ranked 18th on the list of best singers, and May was ranked 26th on the list of best guitarists. Queen was named the 13th best hard rock artist of all time. times on a list compiled by VH1, and in 2010 they were placed 17th on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Queen is one of the most bootlegged bands, according to Nick Weymouth, who manages the band's official website. A 2001 study found 12,225 websites dedicated to queen i>bootlegs for the group, the most for any band. The bootlegs have contributed to the band's popularity in some countries where Western music is censored, such as Iran. a project called Queen: The 100 Greatest Bootlegs, many of which have been officially made available for download for a nominal fee on the Queen website, with proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
Influence
Queen have been recognized for having made significant contributions to genres such as hard rock and heavy metal, among others. Therefore, the band has been cited as an influence by many other musicians. Also, like their music, the groups and artists who have claimed to be influenced by Queen are diverse, spanning different generations, countries and genres. Some of the groups and artists that have cited the band as an influence are: Anthrax, Blind Guardian, Def Leppard, Dream Theater, Extreme, The Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, George Michael, Green Day, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Journey, Kansas, Katy Perry, Keane, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Manic Street Preachers, Meat Loaf, Metallica, Mika, Muse, Mötley Crüe, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Panic at the Disco, Queensrÿche, Radiohead, Robbie Williams, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Vai, Styx, Sum 41, Trent Reznor, Trivium or Van Halen.
Queen have been cited as a major influence on neoclassical metal, a genre created by Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. Metallica recorded a cover of "Stone Cold Crazy", which first appeared on Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary in 1990, and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1991. In the '70s, Queen helped spur the evolution of heavy metal, discarding much of their blues influence; along with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they fused the genre with a punk rock sensibility and increased emphasis on speed.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke received his first guitar at the age of 7, buoyed by seeing Brian May at a televised Queen concert. Later, at the age of 10, Yorke built his own homemade guitar, trying to imitate what May had done with his Red Special, although he was not satisfied with the result.The band was later an early influence on Radiohead's music..
Movie and TV Portrayals
Biographical Film
A biopic about Freddie Mercury and Queen with the title Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 2018. It is directed by Bryan Singer and stars Rami Malek as Mercury, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor and Joseph Mazzello playing John Deacon. The film was released on October 24, 2018 in the United Kingdom and on November 2 in the United States. It was awarded four Oscars, two Golden Globes and two BAFTAs, among other awards.
Other representations
Freddie Mercury was a supporting character in the television drama Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story, which premiered on the BBC in October 2012. In it he was played by actor James Floyd. In November 2016, the television docudrama The Freddie Mercury Story: Who Wants to Live Forever premiered on Channel 5. Mercury was portrayed by singer John Blunt, while Patrick Warner starred as Brian May, Martin Teall as Roger Taylor and Jack Beale as John Deacon. Although the film was criticized for focusing on Mercury's love and sexual life, Blunt's performance was praised. Also in November 2016, the Luxembourg short film Freddie, directed by Andy Bausch, was released in that Mercury is played by actor Nilton Martins.
Members
Timeline
Includes stints with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1973: Queen
- 1974: Queen II
- 1974: Sheer Heart Attack
- 1975: A Night at the Opera
- 1976: A Day at the Races
- 1977: News of the World
- 1978: Jazz
- 1980: The Game
- 1980: Flash Gordon (soundband)
- 1982: Hot Space
- 1984: The Works
- 1986: A Kind of Magic
- 1989: The Miracle
- 1991: Innuendo
- 1995: Made in Heaven