About Queen

When looking back at my first encounters with things I’m currently obsessed about, I can see how hard it has always been for me to fully appreciate something at first sight. However, the works of Queen, along with a few other cases, was an exception.

I started listening to Queen in 2016, beginning with their self-titled debut album. It was nothing less than spectacular. For a split second, I thought that my music life was all going to be downhill from there. It wasn’t, for I didn’t really have a music life before Queen to be honest. They were my introduction to the extraordinary world of rock, a place I would never want to leave. For the rest of the post, I will write about Queen between 1970 and 1991. Currently, Brian May and Roger Taylor are still touring together as Queen; nevertheless, if we are going to talk about Queen’s quintessence, we’ll need the original iconic line-up.

Why is Queen special?

Their musical skills

All four members of Queen are known for their mastery of their crafts. The Roger-Deacon duo was a powerhouse that burned through stadiums all over the world in the 70s and 80s. John, usually considered the mild-tempered member, was electric on bass while Roger, the more outspoken one, was always full of energy and vitality. Brian May was among a very distinguished group of guitar players who took the musical world by storm and inspired legions of fans to pick up a guitar. Freddie, along with his steady contributions in term of instrumental parts, was considered to be one of rock’s most iconic voices, famous for his incredible range, voice color and unmatched versatility.

Their songwriting

Every Queen member played a significant part in building their song catalog. No one had the monopoly on the process of constructing songs. They all wrote multiple hits and relied on each other for advice as well as extra musical parts. Some of their most notable works include Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie, I Want To Break Free by John Deacon, I’m In Love With My Car by Roger and Hammer to Fall by Brian. While working on their last two albums, they decided to credit a

Their showmanship

Queen’s live performances were as legendary as they could be. It wasn’t just because of their amazing songs and musicality, it’s also due to the way they capture audience visually. Since the infancy of the group, despite their early financial problems, Queen has always been using lavish props with colorful lighting, smoke effects and elaborate costumes. Queen was always entertaining to watch. Standing in the crowd, you can see Brian May and John Deacon moving along with the sound their instruments made, as if they can feel the music running in their veins and controlling their bodies. Behind the kit, Roger was swinging his drumsticks frantically, not forgetting his backup singing. In the foremost was Freddie, interacting with the fans and dancing like no one ever did. He danced with his mic stand, his clothes and occasonally, random cameramen. Queen on stage was like dynamite, always explosive and full of energy.

Recommendation

I generally prefer glam, progressive and classical-fused rock, so Queen’s works in the 70s are my favorites. There were diss tracks aiming at their managers like Death on Two Legs, gospel songs like Somebody to Love, dazzling tunes like Killer Queen and intricate compositions like Bohemian Rhapsody. There were many iconic Queen’s song that were made in the 80s as well, like Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Radio Ga Ga or Another One Bite the Dust. Queen were unabashed about how many different sources of influence affected their sounds. That wide range of influence made them extremely versatile. I, a devoted fan, have to admit that Hot Space and most of its songs were a total mess, with the exception of Under Pressure or maybe Las Palabras De Amour, if I may loosen up my criteria a bit.

If you’re ready to have a full-on Queen immersion experience, you should listen to every album, beginning with Queen and ending with Innuendo. If you aren’t sure about this yet, try Queen II, A Night at the Opera, The Game and Innuendo in this exact order.

(Side note: If you’re considering watching the “Queen biopic” Bohemian Rhapsody, I can’t say that I recommend it. The film is more like a two-hour-long music video than a high quality movie/documentary about Queen and more specifically, Freddie. If you want to know more about Queen behind all the stage productions and records, please take some time to go through some documentaries like Queen: Days of Our Lives, Queen: One Vision or The Story of Queen: Mercury Rising. There is also a vast pool of extra information about Queen on nearly every platform you can think of, from interviews video on Youtube to posts in Facebook groups and on Instagram.)