The Queen Thread

[KevShmev]

So true.  Under Pressure is great, but the rest of Hot Space is definitely pretty forgettable. 

I'll have to check out the Montreal stuff.  I've been debating about getting that DVD for a while now.

[rumborak]

It's interesting to see in that documentary how Hot Space came about. Freddie kinda descended into the gay scene and was exposed to a lot of dance club music, so he pushed for that sound in Hot Space.

What's also really interesting about Queen is, despite their incredible success as a group, none of them managed to get any decent solo career off the ground, not even Freddie.

rumborak

[ZBomber]

Hot Space has a few awesome tracks... Under Pressure, Staying Power, and Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love) are all awesome. Definitely lower tier for Queen though... that and A Kind of Magic are probably my bottom two. The Works and The Miracle are very underrated.

[KevShmev]

I actually like Brian May's Another World solo album quite a bit.  I rarely think to listen to it anymore, but whenever I do, I enjoy most of it quite a bit. 

[Jaq]

Man, Hot Space is one terrible album. If it weren't for Under Pressure you could throw away the whole album.

rumborak

Yeah, in that thread I made about moments when bands blew it, someone mentioned Hot Space as being when Queen did and I wholly support that notion. Worse for it, Under Pressure was actually released as a single the year before, and appeared on the US version of the Greatest Hits album, so its presence on Hot Space was redundant in most markets.

[rumborak]

I actually like Brian May's Another World solo album quite a bit.  I rarely think to listen to it anymore, but whenever I do, I enjoy most of it quite a bit.

A couple of tunes from Into the Light weren't bad either, especially "Resurrection":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9kajEHAwo&feature=related

Problem is, IMHO, Brian is a great backup singer, but as a lead singer, not so much.

rumborak

[skydivingninja]

I was looking for this thread but I just found a bunch of Queensryche crap.  Glad it was on the front page.

Anyways, for xmas money I bought A Night at the Opera (I know, I'm way way behind) and I really like it.  First full-length, non-Greatest Hits Queen album.  I just bought Sheer Heart Attack and Queen II as well.  I'm excited to hear them. 

[MasterShakezula]

You're unlikely to find yourself disappointed.

Also, if you find these albums real enjoyable, I'd heavily recommend A Day At The Races. 

It isn't ANatO, but it comes close. 

[ZBomber]

Problem is, IMHO, Brian is a great backup singer, but as a lead singer, not so much.

I STRONGLY disagree.

[Kosmo]

Problem is, IMHO, Brian is a great backup singer, but as a lead singer, not so much.

I STRONGLY disagree.

Yuppers, I really like Brian's vocals. Mother Love is a pretty good example.

[King Postwhore]

Well I think Rumbo is saying compaired to Freddie he pails in comparision.  Honestly he has a good voice for lead but not great.  But he does have a great voice for backing vocals.

Some of my favorite bands just have good singers and that's ok by me.

[rumborak]

Problem is, IMHO, Brian is a great backup singer, but as a lead singer, not so much.

I STRONGLY disagree.

Yuppers, I really like Brian's vocals. Mother Love is a pretty good example.

When he sings low he can be alright. But when he tries to go for higher notes his voice thins out massively.
To each their own I guess. Just never was my thing.

rumborak

[ZBomber]

Well I think Rumbo is saying compaired to Freddie he pails in comparision.

Compared to Freddie, almost EVERYONE pales in comparison.  Brian is an awesome singer, and almost all of the songs he sings lead on would be included in my favorite Queen tracks.

[King Postwhore]

Oh I know!   But over the long haul Brian is an average singer.  That's ok because his guitar playing is unreal.

[KevShmev]

Brian May's voice obviously couldn't touch the power of Freddie Mercury's, or even Roger Taylor's, but it is still had a nice, warm quality that makes it enjoyable to listen to.  I never hear him sing something and think, "He is trying to do too much or something he is incapable of doing."

[King Postwhore]

Brian May's voice obviously couldn't touch the power of Freddie Mercury's, or even Roger Taylor's, but it is still had a nice, warm quality that makes it enjoyable to listen to.  I never hear him sing something and think, "He is trying to do too much or something he is incapable of doing."

Oh and I agree.  But guy's voices like that tend to be great harmony singers and with Queen, it sure did work well.

[ZBomber]

I never liked Taylor's singing, he did a great job with the harmonies but his lead singing never did anything for me. May, on the other hand, while having a pretty limited range had an incredibly warm beautiful tone to his voice.

I'm also really disappointed that May never sang live in Queen's heyday... him performing Love of My Life on the Q+PR tour was one of the most beautiful concert experiences I have had.

[KevShmev]

I think the problem when Taylor was singing lead vocals for a whole song was that he was easily the least best songwriter of the four, so he was often singing fairly average tunes.  Songs like The Loser in the End and Sheer Heart Attack definitely stand out, to me, as the least best songs from otherwise very good or great albums.  Of course, Tenement Funster and I'm in Love with My Car are both great, so that wasn't always the case, but overall I agree that his voice as a lead didn't have the engaging warmth that May's did (when talking about lead vocals not done by Freddie).  His high notes during harmonies were outrageously awesome, though.  He does that crazy high note at the end of the Bohemian Rhapsody middle section, and those high notes he hit in In the Lap of the Gods are bananas.

[skydivingninja]

Holy crap Prophey's Song is so cool.

[The King in Crimson]

It is. One of their best IMO.

AND NOW I KNOW... NOW I KNOW.... NOW I KNOW

[Orbert]

Yeah, it's my favorite song from A Night at the Opera, maybe my favorite of all.

[Zydar]

Yeah, it's one of my favourites too.

[Nekov]

Yeah, it's one of my favourites too.

[obscure]

Yeah, it's one of my favourites too.

[skydivingninja]

For the past two or three weeks I have had a boner for nothing but Queen.  Listening to A Day at the Races for the first time now.  Tie Your Mother down is so damn good.

[KevShmev]

I love going through that annual Queen phase.

Aside from Tie Your Mother Down, whose greatness goes without saying, I've always been partial to Long Away, White Man and Teo Torriatte from that record. 

[ZBomber]

Teo Torriatte is one of my favorites from that album too. Parts of it are so ethereal sounding. Hauntingly beautiful. 

[Zydar]

Long Away is my favourite from that album. Such a wonderful song.

[skydivingninja]

Teo Torriatte was super cool.  News of the World is almost finished.  Why didn't I get more into these guys during my "all modern music sucks classic rock is the only good music" phase?

[ZBomber]

Teo Torriatte was super cool.  News of the World is almost finished.  Why didn't I get more into these guys during my "all modern music sucks classic rock is the only good music" phase?

I dunno, they were like the first band I got into during that phase. 

[ytserush]

I'm glad I missed that phase...


I'm in my good music is good and bad music is bad phase....

[Cruithne]

Problem is, IMHO, Brian is a great backup singer, but as a lead singer, not so much.

I kinda agree. I don't think his voice is particularly suited to heavy rock singing and it always sounds a bit wobbly when he's trying to put some oomph into it.

However, I think he was the perfect fit for songs such as '39 and Good Company where it's light, folksy singing and I'm glad he sang lead for those rather than have Freddie do them.

[Accelerando]

Looks like Adam Lambert is fronting Queen for a summer tour. Thoughts? I don't think he has a bad voice at all. It could work.

[theseoafs]

I don't care for him. He's always seemed to me to be outrageous just for the sake of being outrageous, which isn't something I respect in a performer.

[ReaperKK]

Looks like Adam Lambert is fronting Queen for a summer tour. Thoughts? I don't think he has a bad voice at all. It could work.

Honestly I haven't heard him sing (I probably have but I just don't know it's him)

I'll check it out.