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QUEEN
- 1970
COUNTRY:
UNITED KINGDOM
GENRE(S):
MELODIC HARD ROCK, OTHERS, ROCK
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SIMILAR BANDS:
SUPERTRAMP, EXTREME, CASUAL SILENCE, U2, JOURNEY, AIRTIME, LOSTALONE, HEAVENLY, SWEET, BAI BANG
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Queen is an iconic British rock band formed in 1970, known for his unique blend of rock, pop and opera, as well as for the energetic and charismatic performances of his frontman, Freddie Mercury.
PASCALJ
- 05.11.2023
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In 1968, Brian May formed Smile with Roger Taylor on drums, and Tim Staffel on bass and vocals. Smile recorded 6 songs, but only one was released as a single in the UK. Bored, Tim Stafel decides to leave the band. At the same time, Roger Taylor and another student, Farook Bulsara (better known as Freddie Mercury), ran a clothing stall in a London market. Freddie was himself the lead singer of the band Wreckage, so Roger naturally offered him the position of lead singer in Smile.
On Freddie's suggestion, the band changed its name to Queen. During 1970, Queen composed, rehearsed and tested their compositions in mini-concerts. This year also saw the arrival of John Deacon as bassist. We now had the definitive Queen line-up. During their various performances, the band was already taking care of its on-stage image: decorations, clothes and announcing what was to become glam fashion.
After producing a demo in 1972, they were noticed by Roy Thomas Baker, the producer who would go on to produce their first four albums. By early 1973, they were in the studio recording their first opus, simply called "Queen", which was released in July. The album, a mix of heavy metal and lyrical flights of fancy, was heavily criticized, and in particular accused of being a copy of Led Zeppelin. The band decided to return to the studio to prepare their 2nd album. At the same time, they toured England, supporting Mott The Hoople. Fans discovered Freddie's new idea: black nail varnish.
In February 1974, they took part in the Melbourne Festival (Australia), where the single 'Seven seas of Rhye' reached number 10 in the charts. The "Queen II" album is released in March 1974, followed by a UK tour, this time as headliner, soon followed by a tour of the USA, again as support act for Mott The Hoople, a tour which was soon cancelled (only 5 dates are played) as Brian falls ill.
Despite Brian's state of health, they went on to record their 3rd album, "Sheer heart attack", which was released in October 1974, with the single "Killer Queen" climbing to number 2 in the UK charts. In February 1975, Queen embarked on an American tour, which once again turned into a nightmare. This time it was Freddie's turn to suffer from a voice extinction, forcing them once again to cancel several dates. But their fame has crossed borders and seas, and they are now in Japan.
But it was the release of their 4th album, "A night at the opera", with the now-famous single "Bohemian Rhapsody", which remained No. 1 in the UK for several weeks, that took them to the pinnacle of fame. Touring began again in early 1976 in the USA, followed by Japan in early March, and Australia in April. They ended on a high note in front of 150,000 fans at a free concert in Hyde Park.
"A Day at the Races", the 5th album produced without Roy Baker, was recorded in December 1976; 1.5 million pre-ordered copies ensured the album's top spot in the charts. But the press gradually abandoned them, especially as the punk movement gained in importance.
October 1977 saw the release of the album "News of the world", with the single "We are the champions" reaching 4th place in the US charts, and 2nd in the UK, soon followed by another hit, "We will rock you". But it was above all on stage that Queen exploded with their art of staging and costuming, and their sense of theater. From January to March 1978, they scoured European stages, especially stadiums, from which "Live killers" was taken.
The "Jazz" album, in November 1978, saw the return of Roy Baker as producer; it reached number 2 and was awarded a gold disc. Back in the charts in June 1980, with "The Game", the first album to feature synthesizers. Two singles were taken from it, 'Crazy little thing called love' and 'Another one bites the dust', which went to No. 1 in the USA. This was followed by a 3-month tour of the USA. Then, for the festive season, came the music for the film "Flash Gordon".
February 1981 saw the start of a stadium tour in South America. Some 500,000 spectators attend the 8 shows in Argentina and Brazil. At the time, this was one of the biggest takings ever recorded, with 250,000 paid admissions in Sao Paulo. They continued on to Venezuela and Mexico.
This was followed by the recording of 'Under Pressure', with David Bowie as guest, a potential new hit which would be featured on the album "Hot space", recorded in early 1982 in a studio in Montreux (Switzerland). They then performed at the TV-recorded "Milton Keynes Bowl" in June, before hitting the road again in the U.S. and Japan.
A period of rest and solo experimentation followed, and in 1984 the album "The Works" was released, going straight to the top of the charts in 19 countries. The single taken from it, "Radio Ga-Ga", reached number 2 in the UK charts, followed by "I want to break free", which reached number 3.
In February 1984, Freddie announced he was as gay. Queen took part in the 'Rock In Rio' festival in January 1985, followed by a tour of Asia, then 'Live Aid' in July. The single 'One vision' was released in November, followed by a boxed set of the complete works plus an album of rarer tracks, 'Complete vision'.
May 1986 saw Queen return to No. 1 in the UK charts with the album "A Kind of Magic". It stayed there for 13 weeks. This was followed by a gigantic tour of Europe, including an appearance in Hungary (still behind the Iron Curtain at the time): 800,000 people in Budapest, a sold-out concert at Wembley, 120,000 people at the Knebworth concert, which would be Queen's last in England.
In 1987, Queen disappeared from the scene, and the musicians devoted themselves to their solo projects, including a duet with singer Montserrat Caballe for Freddie, Roger Taylor and his band Cross.
It wasn't until April 1989, with the single "I want it all", followed a month later by the album "The miracle", that Queen reappeared. The album went to No. 1 and the band received an award at the Brits Awards. But what began to worry everyone was Freddie's health, which seemed to be deteriorating. Total silence for almost a year, followed by the release of the album "Innuendo", which went straight to No. 1 in the charts, with the prophetic single "The show must go on".
Numerous rumours circulated about Freddie's health. The band's incessant denials calmed things down for a while, but suddenly, on November 23 1991, Freddie Mercury himself, ill and weakened, announced in a press release that he was HIV-positive. On November 24, 1991, the news came as a bolt from the blue: the singer died peacefully at his London home in Logan Square, surrounded by family and friends.
On April 20, 1992, a host of stars paid tribute to Freddie at London's Wembley Stadium: Elton John, Guns'n'Roses, Extreme, Def Leppard, Metallica... (Tickets for this concert sold out in just six hours, on February 13, when they went on sale!) This was followed by a double live album of their last tour, "Live at Wembley 1986".
In 1994, the remaining members reunited to record "Made in Heaven". Freddie's vocals were recorded in the last year of his life, while he was resting in Montreux, "A winter's tale" was the last song he wrote and "Mother love" the last official recording of his voice. The statue of Freddie on the cover is by sculptor Irena Sedlecka, paying him a final tribute.
In 2005, Brian and Roger return to touring with former Free/Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers. At the end of that year, the DVD "Return of the Champions" was released, closely followed in April 2006 by a second DVD, "Super Live in Japan".
Queen + Paul Rodgers' first studio album is released in September 2008. It is entitled "The Cosmos Rocks".
Since 2012, Queen has been collaborating with American singer/songwriter Adam Lambert, and has toured extensively in North and South America, Europe, the UK, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. A recording of the 2014 tour can be found on the "Live in Japan" DVD. A new "Live Around the World" Dvd is available, a compilation of tracks recorded live between 2014 and 2020.
Photo credits: QueenOnline & Johnny Dewe Mathews
More informations on http://www.queenonline.com/
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DID YOU KNOW?
With Queen, Freddie Mercury uses a broken microphone stand in memory of his 1969 concert near Liverpool, with the band Wreckage, where his microphone stand broke in two.
The band's logo was designed by Freddie Mercury, who has an art degree, and represents the astrological signs of the members: 2 lions for Roger Taylor and John Deacon, Cancer for Brian May and two little fairies, representing Virgo, for him.
Freddie Mercury was cremated at Kensal Green cemetery, near London. His ashes were kept in an urn in Austin's bedroom for two years before being placed quietly in his final resting place, which remains secret to this day.
In 1964, Brian May formed his first band, '1984', in homage to George Orwell's novel, and they made a name for themselves when they opened for Jimi Hendrix in 1967. The band split up that same year.
In 2002, Queen received its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, and in 2004, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Walk of Fame.
The Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody won four Oscars, including Best Actor for Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury.
Freddie Mercury was known for his exceptional voice and flamboyant stage presence. He could reach four octaves in his vocal range and was a true showman on stage.
Despite his unattractive looks, Freddie Mercury never wanted to have dental surgery for fear of having some of his vocal performance reduced.
Queen's music has been featured in numerous films, including "Wayne's World" (1992), which famously featured the characters headbanging to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in a car scene, leading to a resurgence in the song's popularity.
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