Não fosse apenas por isso já haveria um excelente motivo para o Queen estar num blog sobre escrita. Em conjunto e individualmente, os extremamente talentosos Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon e Roger Taylor escreveram músicas brilhantes.
Suas canções são belas, inteligentes, tocantes, antenadas, um exemplo perfeito de maestria e excelência para qualquer compositor e um presente para os apreciadores de música.
As Queen, my favorite band of all times, was ever present in my life, as a fan for more than 30 years, I had to dedicate them a page of my blog as a humble homage.
And if it wasn't only for that, there would have been an excellent reason for Queen being in a blog about writing. Together and individually, extremelly talented Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon e Roger Taylor wrote brilliant songs.
Their songs are beautiful, intelligent, touching, insightful, a perfect example of mastery and excellence for any song writer and a gift for music lovers. tj*¬
imagens: domínio público da internet
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Visitem o site oficial do Queen: www.queenonline.com
Visitem o site oficial de Brian May: http://www.brianmay.com/ e também a página oficial no Facebook.
No Facebook, também há a página oficial do Queen e várias páginas relacionadas à banda e aos integrantes, além dos clubes de fãs.
Biografia:
O Queen começou em 1968, quando Brian May e Tim Staffel resolveram montar a banda Smile. Através de um anúncio no mural da faculdade, conheceram o baterista Roger Taylor. O grupo chegou a gravar uma demo que não foi muito bem sucedida, mas chamou a atenção de Faroukh Bulsara, que mais tarde adotaria o nome Freddie Mercury. Em 1970, já com o nome Queen e Freddie no lugar de Tim, encontraram o baixita John Deacon, que também passou a fazer parte do grupo. O primeiro álbum da banda, "Queen", saiu em 1973, seguido de "Queen II" e de "Sheer Heart Attack". Porém foi o quarto disco, "A Night At The Opera", que lançou a banda ao estrelato. Hits como "I'm Love with My Car", "Love of My Life", "The Prophet's Song" e principalmente "Bohemian Rhapsody", levaram o Queen ao primeiro lugar das paradas. A mistura de rock n'roll com corais e os shows espetaculares não demoraram para impressionar os críticos e conquistar milhões de fãs. Em 1976, "A Day at the Races" trouxe músicas mais pesadas, como "Tie Your Mother Down" e "White Man". No ano seguinte "News of The World" emplacou os sucessos "We Will Rock You" e "We Are the Champions". Na década de 80 a banda começou a inserir algumas mudanças na sua música. "The Game", de 1980, mostrava o interesse do Queen pela música eletrônica. Apesar disso, o álbum fez sucesso com "Another One Bites in The Dust" e "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". O lançamento de "Hot Space", em 1982, não empolgou muito os fãs, que não gostaram da pegada pop do disco. Em 1986 veio "A Kind of Magic", com a trilha sonora do filme "Highlander". As canções "Who Wants To Live Forever", "Friends Will be Friends" e "A Kind of Magic" levaram o Queen de volta ao topo das paradas. No início dos anos 90 surgem rumores de que Freddie Mercury estaria com AIDS. O cantor negou e ainda fez parte da gravação do álbum "Innuendo", lançado em 1991. Em novembro de 1991, Freddie Mercury faleceu poucas horas antes de admitir que tinha AIDS. No ano seguinte, artistas como David Bowie, Def Leppard, Elton John, Extreme, Guns N' Roses, George Michael, Liza Minnelli e Metallica se juntaram aos outros integrantes do Queen no concerto "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert", realizado no estádio Wembley de Londres. O último álbum com músicas inéditas do Queen, "Made in Heaven", foi lançado em 1995. Apesar de nunca ter oficialmente acabado, a banda se reúne apenas para shows especiais. Nessas apresentações, o vocal ficou por conta de Paul Rodgers (ex-Free e Bad Company). A turnê mais recente do grupo foi em 2005. A banda veio duas vezes ao Brasil. Na primeira tocou no estádio do Morumbi e na segunda levou 250 mil pessoas ao primeiro Rock In Rio. DISCOGRAFIA Álbuns 1973 - Queen 1974 - Queen II 1974 - Sheer Heart Attack 1975 - A Night at the Opera 1976 - A Day at the Races 1978 - Jazz EMI, Parlophone 1979 - Live Killers 1980 - The Game 1980 - Flash Gordon 1982 - Hot Space EMI 1984 - The Works 1986 - A Kind of Magic 1989 - The Miracle 1991- Innuendo 1992 - Live At Wembley '86 1994 - Made In Heaven 2004 - Live At The Bowl '82 2005 - A Night At The Opera 30Th Aniversary Compilações 1981 - Greatest Hits 1985 - The Complete Works 1989 - Queen at the Beeb 1991 - Greatest Hits II 1992 - Classic Queen 1992 - Greatest Hits Hollywood 1994 - Greatest Hits 1995 - At the BBC 1995 - Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-2 1997 - Queen Rocks 1998 - The Crown Jewels 1999 - Greatest Hits III 2001 - Platinum Collection, Vols. 1-3 2004 - Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition 2005 - Return Of The Champions.
Biografia extraída do site:
vh1brasil.uol.com.br/musica/artistas/queen/#bio
From: www.queenonline.com
About The Band
Queen formed in 1971 and in 1973 signed their first recording contract for EMI. That year they released their first album, QUEEN. The same year saw their first major UK tour, and in 1974 they released QUEEN II as well as making their first UK headlining tour. They made their first US tour, and in November released SHEER HEART ATTACK which was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
1975 saw their new release, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, and – significantly – the single Bohemian Rhapsody. At 5’ 55” it should have been too long for successful radio play but it became one of the greatest singles of all time, staying at No. 1 in the UK chart for nine weeks. The video, directed by Bruce Gowers, is credited with being the first genuine promotional video. The song has regularly featured in all major pop polls and was recently named again as the best single of all time. The success of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA was equally stunning, giving the band their first platinum album.
In 1976 they toured the US and Japan and by spring all four albums resided in the UK Top Twenty. Later that year they released A DAY AT THE RACES, and gave a free concert in Hyde Park to an estimated crowd of 200,000 fans. The album was a huge success, advance orders alone amounting to over 500,000. The following year saw two major US tours, the band’s sixth album, NEWS OF THE WORLD and the legendary double A side single, WE WILL ROCK YOU and WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.
1978’s JAZZ, included another huge hit single in Bicycle Race and Queen toured the US and Canada. They spent much of 1979 touring in Europe and Japan, as well as releasing their first live album, LIVE KILLERS. They were also approached to write the score for a forthcoming feature film, FLASH GORDON. Before that they released THE GAME in 1980 which went five times platinum in Canada alone! Another One Bites The Dust became the band’s biggest selling American single. Later that year the soundtrack for FLASH GORDON was released and by the end of the year Queen had sold over 45,000,000 albums worldwide.
In 1981 they toured the Far East and were the first band to make a stadium tour of South America. They played to 131,000 people in Sao Paolo, the largest paying audience for any band anywhere in the world. GREATEST HITS, GREATEST FLIX and GREATEST PIX were released simultaneously later in the year and Greatest Hits has rarely been out of the UK album charts since. Greatest Flix was the first collection of promo-videos released commercially by any band. Next year saw the release of the band’s twelfth album, HOT SPACE whilst they were in the middle of a European tour.
1984 saw THE WORKS and the single Radio Ga Ga became a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in 19 countries. Another huge hit was I Want To Break Free, featuring one of their most famous videos, all dressed in drag. In 1985 they were the headlining act at Rock in Rio, the biggest festival to be held anywhere in the world. They again made history that year with the show-stealing performance at Live Aid from Wembley Stadium, which proved to be a turning point for the band, One Vision being the first post Live Aid release.
1986 saw their 14th album, A KIND OF MAGIC, which was the soundtrack to the Russel Mulcahy film, Highlander. The title track became another worldwide smash and the album entered the UK charts at No. 1; later in the year the 2nd live album, LIVE MAGIC, went into the charts at No. 3. Between 1988 and 1991 Queen released three more albums, THE MIRACLE in 1989 and in 1991 INNUENDO and GREATEST HITS TWO. All three entered the UK charts at No. 1, as did the single Innuendo.
On 23rd November 1991 Freddie Mercury announced to the world that he had AIDS and the next day he died peacefully at his home, surrounded by family and friends. He remains the most high profile loss from the disease in the entertainment world and the news shocked fans throughout the world. As a tribute Bohemian Rhapsody /These Are The Days Of Our Lives was released as a double A-sided single to raise funds for the Terence Higgins Trust. It entered the UK chart at No. 1, where it stayed for five weeks, raising over £1,000,000 for the charity and Queen became the first band to have the same single top the uK charts twice. In December of that year Queen had 10 albums in the UK Top 100. In 1992 Freddie was awarded posthumously the BRIT’s “Outstanding Contribution to British Music” and Days Of Our Lives won Best Single. On 20th April many of the world’s top stars joined Brian, Roger and John on stage at Wembley for an emotional tribute to Freddie.
In 1995 the tracks that Queen had begun in 1991 were completed by Brian, Roger and John and the long-awaited MADE IN HEAVEN was released worldwide. It was the end of an era. Since then the phenomenon of Queen has remained, however, with continuing sales for their recorded output on CD and video. A ballet of their music by famous French choreographer Maurice Bejart was premiered at the National Theatre in Paris in 1997 and in May 2002 the hit musical We Will Rock You opened to sell-out audiences in London’s West End and continues to play to packed houses and standing ovations every night. Queen’s first DVD Greatest Video Hits Vol.1 was released at the end of October 2002, and yet another piece of Queen product entered the UK charts at number 1. October 2002 also saw Queen receive their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, joining The Beatles as only one of a handful of non-US bands to receive the much coveted honour. Last year, 2004 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Walk of Fame, and in the UK were voted by the public into the first UK Music Hall of Fame.
Queen’s musical has since opened in Australia, Spain, Las Vegas,USA, Russia, Germany and is scheduled to open in Japan this May.
Brian and Roger continue to be ambassadors for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 HIV/AIDS awareness campaign and this month, March, played a second benefit concert for 46664 in Fancourt, South Africa.
Brian and Roger took Queen back onto the touring circuit for the first time since 1986 in 2005 and 2008, joined by former Free/Bad Company singer, songwriter and musicial Paul Rodgers playing concerts across the UK and throughout Europe.
P.S.: Another Biography in English at the end of the page.
Obs: Há vários sites com a biografia do Queen, mas acredito que quem deseja saber de todos os detalhes sobre a espetacular banda só os encontrará através de um dos inúmeros livros publicados a respeito, mencionados na internet.
P.S.: There are several sites with Queen's biography, but I believe those who wish to know all the details about this spectacular band will only find them in one of the countless books published about them, mentioned in internet.
O que o Queen significa para mim? Eles são literalmente a trilha sonora da minha vida. tj*¬
What #Queen means to me? They’re literally the sound-track of my life. tj*¬
Ainda não sei qual é a minha música favorita do Queen; há tantas. Mas, com certeza, posso dedicar “Love of My Life” à banda.
I still don’t know which is my favorite Queen song; there are so many. But I can certainly dedicate “Love of My Life” to the band.
Love of My Life
Love of my life, you've hurt me
You've broken my heart and now you leave me
Love of my life, can't you see?
Bring it back, bring it back, don't take it away from me
Because you don't know what it means to me...
Love of my life don't leave me
You've stolen my love* and now desert me
Love of my life, can't you see?
Bring it back, bring it back, don't take it away from me
Because you don't know what it means to me...
You'll remember when this is blown over,
And everything's all by the way
When I grow older, I will be there at your side to remind you
How I still love you, I still love you...
Hurry back, hurry back, don't take it away from me, because
You don't know what it means to me
Love of my life,
Love of my life...
Uhhh... Yeah....
 |
| Fonte: fotos de domínio público - Internet |
When I hear Queen I feel overwhelmed. It’s an emotion hard to explain. The magical voice, the music, the beat. It’s all incomparable, unique. tj*¬
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Um excelente site para se encontrar músicas do Queen:
http://www.vagalume.com.br/queen/
You Take My Breath Away
Oooh oooh take it take it all awayOooh ooh take my breath away
Oooh ooh yoooo take my breath away
Look into my eyes and you'll see I'm the only one
You've captured my love stolen my heart
Changed my life
Every time you make a move you destroy my mind
Anyway you touch
I lose control and shiver deep inside
You take my breath away
You can reduce me to tears with a single sigh
(Please don't cry anymore)
Every breath that you take
Any sound that you make is a whisper in my ear
I could give up all my life for just one kiss
I would surely die if you dismiss me from your love
You take my breath away
So please don't go
Don't leave me here all by myself
I get ever so lonely from time to time
I will find you anywhere you go
I'll be right behind you
Right until the ends of the earth
I'll get no sleep until I find you
To tell you that you just take my breath away
I will find you anywhere you go
Right until the ends of the earth
I'll get no sleep until I find you
To tell you when I've found you
I love you
Take my breath take my breath... away
I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend.
_ Freddie Mercury
From: www.queenonline.com
Band MembersFreddie Mercury
- Real NameFarookh Bulsara
- Date Of BirthSeptember 5, 1946 - November 24, 1991
- BirthplaceZanzibar, Tanzania
- InstrumentsVocals, piano, guitar, keyboards
The life of Frederick Bulsara began on the East African island of Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. 25 years later in London under the name of Freddie Mercury he was fronting the now legendary rock group named Queen.
The son of Bomi and Jer Bulsara, Freddie spent the bulk of his childhood in India where he attended St. Peter’s boarding school. He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. No one could foresee where a love of music would take him.
The Bulsara family moved to Middlesex in 1964 and from there Freddie joined up with a blues band called Wreckage while studying graphic design courses at Ealing College of Art. While singing for Wreckage, a fellow student introduced Freddie to Roger Taylor and Brian May, founder members of a band called Smile. Smile metamorphosed into Queen when Freddie joined Roger and Brian as the lead vocalist. The final member of the band, which was to stay together for the next 20 years, was bassist John Deacon, who joined the band on 1st of March 1971.
The rest is rock history. EMI Records and Elektra Records signed the band and in 1973 their debut album ‘Queen’ was released and hailed as one of the most exciting developments ever in rock music.
The immortal operatically styled single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was released in 1975 and proceeded to the top of the UK charts for 9 weeks. A song that was nearly never released due to its length and unusual style but which Freddie insisted would be played became the instantly recognisable hit. By this time Freddie’s unique talents were becoming clear, a voice with a remarkable range and a stage presence that gave Queen its colourful, unpredictable and flamboyant personality.
Very soon Queen’s popularity extended beyond the shores of the UK as they charted and triumphed around Europe, Japan and the USA where in 1979 they topped the charts with Freddie’s song ‘Crazy Little thing Called Love’.
Queen was always indisputably run as a democratic organisation. All four members are each responsible for having penned number one singles for the band. This massive writing strength combined with spectacular lights, the faultless sound, a sprinkling of theatricality and Freddie’s balletic movements made up Queen on stage and on film.
Through Freddie’s ability to project himself and the band’s music and image to the four corners of 70,000 seater venues they became known as the prime developers of stadium rock, a reputation perpetuated by their pioneering tactics in South America where in 1981 they performed to 231,000 fans in Sao Paulo, a world record at the time. They also became known as the key innovators of pop videos as their catalogue of 3-minute clips became more and more adventurous in style, size and content.
Their phenomenal success continued around the globe throughout the 80’s highlighted in 1985 by their show-stealing and unforgettable performance on stage at Live Aid.
In the mid 80’s, Freddie started concentrating on his solo career, which was to run in tandem with Queen (“the mothership”) for several albums commencing with the 1985 release of ‘Mr. Bad Guy’. Freddie’s much loved sense of self-parody reached a zenith with his cover version of The Platter’s song ‘The Great Pretender’ in 1987, the video of which recorded him descending a sweeping staircase among acres of identical cardboard cutouts of himself.
His first major collaboration outside Queen was with Dave Clark for the recording of London’s West End musical Time, in 1986. This was followed in 1987 with the realisation of one of Freddie’s long-term dreams; to record with the world revered opera diva Montserrat Caballé. The LP’s title song, ‘Barcelona’ went on to become an anthem for Senora Caballé’s home city and the theme for the Olympics in 1992.
While most publicly recognised as the front man to one of the most progressive rock bands of the 70’s, Freddie defied the stereotype. A taste for venturing into new territories – a trait that was to have a marked influence on the direction Queen would take – took Freddie to explore his interests in a wide spectrum of the arts, particularly in the areas of ballet, opera and theatre, even taking a participating role: in October1977 the sell-out audience of a charity gala at the London Coliseum organised by Royal Ballet Principal dance Wayne Eagling received the surprise of an unannounced appearance by a silver-sequinned leotard-clad Freddie performing an intricate routine choreographed for him by Eagling. In 1987 he made a one-night appearance in Dave Clarke’s Time at the Dominion Theatre, although legend has it Freddie occasionally turned up at the theatre to support friend Clarke’s musical, one night selling ice-creams in the stalls! Freddie would have loved the fact that The Dominion now plays host to the band’s phenomenally successful musical We Will Rock You which has now held the Dominion stage nearly seven years longer than Time’s two year run.
Freddie returned to the studios to record ‘Innuendo’ with Queen in 1990.
On November 24th, 1991, Freddie’s struggle against AIDS ended when he passed away just over 24 hours after he had publicly announced he had the disease. Musicians and fans from all over the world paid their highest respects as the passing of rock’s most innovative, flamboyant ambassador signified the end of an era at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992 which gave birth to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up in Freddie’s memory by the remaining members of Queen and Freddie’s Executor, Jim Beach.
Freddie Mercury, who majored in stardom while giving new meaning to the word showmanship, left a legacy of songs, which will never lose their stature as classics to live on forever. Some of the most poignant of these were immortalised on the Queen album ‘Made In Heaven’ released in November 1995. The sleeve of the album shows a view from Freddie’s Montreux home.
Despite twenty years having passed since Freddie lost his life to HIV complications, he remains in the minds of millions throughout the world
as one of the greatest artists we will ever see. In September 2010 (coincidentally, around Freddie’s 64th birthday) a poll carried out among rock fans saw him named the Greatest Rock Legend Of All Time, beating Elvis Presley to claim the title, and ahead of David Bowie, Jon Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix and Ozzy Osbourne.
A spokesman for OnePoll.com which conducted the poll said: "Freddie Mercury had it all, the voice, the image, the stage presence, everything.
"He combined his ear for music with an ability to deliver to stadium audiences and as such millions were devastated when HIV killed him in 1991. His legend will live on forever.” (OnePoll.Com. September 6, 2010)
September 5, 2010 saw The Mercury Phoenix Trust launch ‘Freddie For A Day’, a major annual initiative designed to celebrate Freddie’s life each year on his birthday and to support the on-going work of the Trust. The project encourages fans to dress as Freddie for a day and in doing so raise funds for MPT through sponsorship. No one could have imagined the extraordinary response which resulted, with fans from 24 countries around the world, from Argentina to Ukraine, seizing on the idea to pay their own special tribute to Freddie.
Some sent pictures strutting their stuff at home, singing into a microphone in their bedroom. Others took the plunge and spent the whole day as Freddie, including one US enthusiast who dressed herself as ‘Slightly Mad’ Freddie and then spent her day at the local mall and then at Columbus Zoo in Ohio with a penguin and a gorilla. Another took a TGV trip from France to Switzerland dressed in a harlequin leotard. The stories of extraordinary and fun days spent come in their hundreds, and as a result, Freddie For A Day will now be an annual event.
Taking it one stage further, Freddie’s 65th birthday, September 5, 2011 was celebrated with a major party in London in aid of The Mercury Phoenix Trust, hosted by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Also later this year, shooting is expected to begin on a major Hollywood movie about Queen, staring Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie and being produced by GK Films, Robert de Niro’s Tribeca Productions and Queen Films. The film is expected for release in 2013.
The son of Bomi and Jer Bulsara, Freddie spent the bulk of his childhood in India where he attended St. Peter’s boarding school. He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. No one could foresee where a love of music would take him.
The Bulsara family moved to Middlesex in 1964 and from there Freddie joined up with a blues band called Wreckage while studying graphic design courses at Ealing College of Art. While singing for Wreckage, a fellow student introduced Freddie to Roger Taylor and Brian May, founder members of a band called Smile. Smile metamorphosed into Queen when Freddie joined Roger and Brian as the lead vocalist. The final member of the band, which was to stay together for the next 20 years, was bassist John Deacon, who joined the band on 1st of March 1971.
The rest is rock history. EMI Records and Elektra Records signed the band and in 1973 their debut album ‘Queen’ was released and hailed as one of the most exciting developments ever in rock music.
The immortal operatically styled single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was released in 1975 and proceeded to the top of the UK charts for 9 weeks. A song that was nearly never released due to its length and unusual style but which Freddie insisted would be played became the instantly recognisable hit. By this time Freddie’s unique talents were becoming clear, a voice with a remarkable range and a stage presence that gave Queen its colourful, unpredictable and flamboyant personality.
Very soon Queen’s popularity extended beyond the shores of the UK as they charted and triumphed around Europe, Japan and the USA where in 1979 they topped the charts with Freddie’s song ‘Crazy Little thing Called Love’.
Queen was always indisputably run as a democratic organisation. All four members are each responsible for having penned number one singles for the band. This massive writing strength combined with spectacular lights, the faultless sound, a sprinkling of theatricality and Freddie’s balletic movements made up Queen on stage and on film.
Through Freddie’s ability to project himself and the band’s music and image to the four corners of 70,000 seater venues they became known as the prime developers of stadium rock, a reputation perpetuated by their pioneering tactics in South America where in 1981 they performed to 231,000 fans in Sao Paulo, a world record at the time. They also became known as the key innovators of pop videos as their catalogue of 3-minute clips became more and more adventurous in style, size and content.
Their phenomenal success continued around the globe throughout the 80’s highlighted in 1985 by their show-stealing and unforgettable performance on stage at Live Aid.
In the mid 80’s, Freddie started concentrating on his solo career, which was to run in tandem with Queen (“the mothership”) for several albums commencing with the 1985 release of ‘Mr. Bad Guy’. Freddie’s much loved sense of self-parody reached a zenith with his cover version of The Platter’s song ‘The Great Pretender’ in 1987, the video of which recorded him descending a sweeping staircase among acres of identical cardboard cutouts of himself.
His first major collaboration outside Queen was with Dave Clark for the recording of London’s West End musical Time, in 1986. This was followed in 1987 with the realisation of one of Freddie’s long-term dreams; to record with the world revered opera diva Montserrat Caballé. The LP’s title song, ‘Barcelona’ went on to become an anthem for Senora Caballé’s home city and the theme for the Olympics in 1992.
While most publicly recognised as the front man to one of the most progressive rock bands of the 70’s, Freddie defied the stereotype. A taste for venturing into new territories – a trait that was to have a marked influence on the direction Queen would take – took Freddie to explore his interests in a wide spectrum of the arts, particularly in the areas of ballet, opera and theatre, even taking a participating role: in October1977 the sell-out audience of a charity gala at the London Coliseum organised by Royal Ballet Principal dance Wayne Eagling received the surprise of an unannounced appearance by a silver-sequinned leotard-clad Freddie performing an intricate routine choreographed for him by Eagling. In 1987 he made a one-night appearance in Dave Clarke’s Time at the Dominion Theatre, although legend has it Freddie occasionally turned up at the theatre to support friend Clarke’s musical, one night selling ice-creams in the stalls! Freddie would have loved the fact that The Dominion now plays host to the band’s phenomenally successful musical We Will Rock You which has now held the Dominion stage nearly seven years longer than Time’s two year run.
Freddie returned to the studios to record ‘Innuendo’ with Queen in 1990.
On November 24th, 1991, Freddie’s struggle against AIDS ended when he passed away just over 24 hours after he had publicly announced he had the disease. Musicians and fans from all over the world paid their highest respects as the passing of rock’s most innovative, flamboyant ambassador signified the end of an era at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992 which gave birth to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up in Freddie’s memory by the remaining members of Queen and Freddie’s Executor, Jim Beach.
Freddie Mercury, who majored in stardom while giving new meaning to the word showmanship, left a legacy of songs, which will never lose their stature as classics to live on forever. Some of the most poignant of these were immortalised on the Queen album ‘Made In Heaven’ released in November 1995. The sleeve of the album shows a view from Freddie’s Montreux home.
Despite twenty years having passed since Freddie lost his life to HIV complications, he remains in the minds of millions throughout the world
as one of the greatest artists we will ever see. In September 2010 (coincidentally, around Freddie’s 64th birthday) a poll carried out among rock fans saw him named the Greatest Rock Legend Of All Time, beating Elvis Presley to claim the title, and ahead of David Bowie, Jon Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix and Ozzy Osbourne.
A spokesman for OnePoll.com which conducted the poll said: "Freddie Mercury had it all, the voice, the image, the stage presence, everything.
"He combined his ear for music with an ability to deliver to stadium audiences and as such millions were devastated when HIV killed him in 1991. His legend will live on forever.” (OnePoll.Com. September 6, 2010)
September 5, 2010 saw The Mercury Phoenix Trust launch ‘Freddie For A Day’, a major annual initiative designed to celebrate Freddie’s life each year on his birthday and to support the on-going work of the Trust. The project encourages fans to dress as Freddie for a day and in doing so raise funds for MPT through sponsorship. No one could have imagined the extraordinary response which resulted, with fans from 24 countries around the world, from Argentina to Ukraine, seizing on the idea to pay their own special tribute to Freddie.
Some sent pictures strutting their stuff at home, singing into a microphone in their bedroom. Others took the plunge and spent the whole day as Freddie, including one US enthusiast who dressed herself as ‘Slightly Mad’ Freddie and then spent her day at the local mall and then at Columbus Zoo in Ohio with a penguin and a gorilla. Another took a TGV trip from France to Switzerland dressed in a harlequin leotard. The stories of extraordinary and fun days spent come in their hundreds, and as a result, Freddie For A Day will now be an annual event.
Taking it one stage further, Freddie’s 65th birthday, September 5, 2011 was celebrated with a major party in London in aid of The Mercury Phoenix Trust, hosted by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Also later this year, shooting is expected to begin on a major Hollywood movie about Queen, staring Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie and being produced by GK Films, Robert de Niro’s Tribeca Productions and Queen Films. The film is expected for release in 2013.
Wikipedia Entry: Freddie Mercury
Also visit: http://www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com/.jpg.jpg)
I always knew I was a star And now, the rest
of the world seems to agree with me.
_ Freddie Mercury
t's a kind of magic,
It's a kind of magic,
A kind of magic,
One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal.
One golden glance of what should be.(It's a kind of
magic)
One flash of light that shows the way,
No mortal man can win this day. (It's a kind of magic)
The bell that rings inside your mind,
It's challenging the doors of time. (It's a kind of
magic)
The waiting seems eternity, yeah,
The day will dawn of sanity.
Is this a kind of magic?
There can be only one.
This race that lasts a thousand years, will soon be
done.
This flame that burns inside of me,
I'm hearing secret harmonies. (It's a kind of magic)
The bell that rings inside your mind,
Is challenging the doors of time.
It's a kind of magic.
It's a kind of magic.
This race that lasts a thousand years, will soon be,
will soon be, will soon be done.
This is a kind of magic.
There can be only be one.
This race that lasts a thousand years,
Will soon be done.
Magic - it's a kind of magic,
It's a kind of magic,
Magic, magic, magic, magic,
It's magic,
It's a kind of magic.
It's a kind of magic.
 |
| Fonte: www.queenonline.com _ A Winter's Tale by Wilki Amieva I'm very emotional; I think I may go mad in several years' time.
_ Freddie Mercury
|
Winter's Tale
It's Winter-fall
Red skies are gleaming - oh -
Sea-gulls are flyin' over
Swans are floatin' by
Smoking chimney-tops
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
The nights draw in
There's a silky moon up in the sky - yeah -
Children are fantasising
Grown-ups are standin' by
What a super feeling
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
woh-woh-woh-woh
(dreaming)
So quiet and peaceful
Tranquil and blissful
There's a kind of magic in the air
What a truly magnificent view
A breathtaking scene
With the dreams of the world
In the palm of your hand
(dreaming)
A cosy fireside chat
A little this, a little that
Sound of merry laughter skippin' by
Gentle rain beatin' on my face
What an extraordinary place!
And the dreams of the child
Is the hope of the man
It's all so beautiful
Like a landscape painting in the sky - yeah -
Mountains are zoomin' higher - mm -
Little girls scream an' cry
My world is spinnin' and spinnin' and spinnin'
It's unbelievable
Sends me reeling
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
Oooh - it's bliss.
 |
| Fonte: Fan Club QUEEN - Facebook |
Oh my love we've had our share of tears
Oh my friend we've had our hopes and fears
Oh my friends it's been a long hard year
But now it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
The moon and stars seem awful cold and bright
Let's hope the snow will make this Christmas right
My friend the world will share this special night
Because it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one night
Thank God it's Christmas yeah
Thank God it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
Can it be Christmas?
Let it be Christmas
Ev'ry day
Oh my love we've lived in troubled days
Oh my friend we have the strangest ways
All my friends on this one day of days
Thank God it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one day
Oh my friend we've had our hopes and fears
Oh my friends it's been a long hard year
But now it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
The moon and stars seem awful cold and bright
Let's hope the snow will make this Christmas right
My friend the world will share this special night
Because it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one night
Thank God it's Christmas yeah
Thank God it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
Can it be Christmas?
Let it be Christmas
Ev'ry day
Oh my love we've lived in troubled days
Oh my friend we have the strangest ways
All my friends on this one day of days
Thank God it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one day
Thank God it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
Oooh yeah
Thank God it's Christmas
Yes yes yes yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one day
Money may not buy happiness, but it can damn well give it!
_ Freddie Mercury
_ Freddie Mercury
From: www.queenonline.com
Band MembersBrian May
- Date Of BirthJuly 19, 1947
- BirthplaceTwickenham, England
- InstrumentsGuitars, keyboards, vocals
With a musical career spanning four decades, Queen founding member Brian May is a world-renowned guitarist and songwriter, with production and performance credits on recordings which have sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide.
Brian has penned 22 worldwide hits for Queen; among them the anthems ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘The Show Must Go On’ and ‘I Want It All’, and powerful ballads including ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’, ‘No-One But You (Only the Good Die Young)‘ and ‘Save Me’. As a successful and respected solo artist, Brian’s recordings include the albums Back to the Light (1992), featuring ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ and ‘Driven By You’, both Ivor Novello Award-winners, and 1998’s Another World. His songs continue to influence new generations of performers and have inspired recordings by artists as diverse as Elton John, Def Leppard, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Shirley Bassey and Eminem. Brian has enjoyed collaborations with numerous artists including Robbie Williams, the Foo Fighters, Cliff Richard, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Diana Ross and Luciano Pavarotti. He was also proud to play feature guitar on the Winter Olympics 2002 opening music, ‘The Fire Within’ for his friend and composer, the late Michael Kamen.
Perhaps the most memorable display of Brian’s unique style and musicianship was his performance of his own arrangement of ‘God Save the Queen’, live from the roof of Buckingham Palace, to open HM The Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations in front of an audience of more than 200 million people around the world.
An interest in film scoring developed when Queen became the first rock group to score a major film, Flash Gordon, featuring the hit ‘Flash!’ penned by Brian. This was followed by definitive music for Highlander. Brian later contributed a mini-opera for Steve Baron’s 1996 Pinocchio, and composed a complete film soundtrack for the 1999 French art film Furia.
May is, of course, no stranger to the theatrical world, frequently contributing to the live performance work of his wife Anita Dobson, but in 1987, entering this world in his own right, he wrote and performed the music for the London Riverside Studios production of Macbeth. He returned at full strength to the Theatre in 2002, as one of the principal creative forces behind the groundbreaking ‘rock theatrical’, We Will Rock You, which became phenomenally successful, still one of London’s top-selling shows after nine years of nightly standing ovations at the Dominion Theatre, London, and easily the longest-running show ever to play at the theatre. Although We Will Rock You is now a global enterprise, Brian remains personally involved in developing new productions and updating those currently playing.
On Freddie’s death, the surviving members of Queen set up a charity to support AIDS relief, the Mercury Phoenix Trust. The MPT has to date channelled more than eight million pounds to over 1,000 AIDS projects around the world. An ongoing commitment to AIDS awareness led Queen to become a driving force in the 46664 campaign for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The first of a series of 46664 concerts, held in Cape Town in November 2003, was broadcast worldwide via TV, Internet and radio, becoming the most widely distributed media event in history, with an audience of over 2 billion in 166 countries. Brian continues in his role as an ambassador and participant in the 46664 international concert series aimed at promoting AIDS awareness worldwide.
Queen’s musical catalogue consistently tops popularity polls, and their achievements have been recognised with numerous prestigious awards, including being honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (October 2002), being inducted into both the USA Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (March 2001) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (June 2003), and being among the first inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame (November 2004), which was the first event at which Paul Rodgers joined Brian and Roger as vocalist. A successful world tour together followed in 2005/06, and Paul, Brian and Roger (Taylor) then went into the studio to create new material for the well-received Queen/Paul Rodgers album “The Cosmos Rocks”, followed by a second giant world tour.
In July 2005, Guinness World Records announced that Queen had overtaken the Beatles to become the most successful albums act in UK chart history.
Brian’s further credits are too numerous to list, but they include designing a Planetarium show currently showing in Germany and Belgium; re-mixing classic Queen recordings in 5.1 Surround Sound; writing themes for several TV shows; producing a number 1 hit, ‘The Stonk’, for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day; as well as lending his inspirational skills to the three top-selling volumes of The Best Air Guitar Album in the World...Ever! His most recent musical work is the spectacular debut album from singer Kerry Ellis, an original leading actress of WWRY, and recently star of Wicked in the West End and on Broadway. This epic album, titled “Anthems”, features Brian’s arrangement, production, and guitar work, and some new products of Brian’s songwriting.
Retaining his keen interest in astronomy, Brian is a regular contributor to The Sky at Night for his long-time friend, Sir Patrick Moore, with whom he co-authored, along with Dr Chris Lintott, an illustrated astrophysics book entitled BANG! The Complete History of the Universe. First published in 2006, it has since been published in 20 languages, and is currently in its third updated edition. Brian followed up with a unique book on another of his long-term passions, seminal 1850s photographer T. R. Williams whose work Brian has been researching for over 30 years. The book, “A Village Lost and Found”, written with photohistorian Elena Vidal, is illustrated in 3-D, and includes a patent stereoscope of Brian’s own design.
In December 2005, Brian was honoured with a CBE, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, by HM The Queen, in recognition of his services to music.
In 2007, after a 30-year break pursuing his musical career, Brian returned to Imperial College, London, to sign up to complete his Doctoral Thesis in Astrophysics, and after one year, successfully submitted the new version of his thesis on Interplanetary Dust.
Already the holder of honorary degrees from the Universities of Hertfordshire, Exeter and John Moore’s, Liverpool, Brian in 2007 finally achieved the award of a full PhD degree. Brian subsequently accepted a post of Visiting Researcher at Imperial College and will be continuing his work in astronomy. He is also currently the Chancellor or Liverpool John Moore’s University.
In 2010 Brian founded Save-Me, a campaign devoted to preventing cruelty to wild animals. His work fighting the abuse of foxes and badgers led to him recently being awarded the honour of “Campaigner of the Year” by IFAW, the International fund for Animal Welfare. This work continues through the Save-Me website … www.Save-Me.org.uk.
Brian enjoys interacting with his friends and fans, who can contact him and enjoy updates on his work and thoughts via his own channel, Brian’s Soapbox, on his website at www.brianmay.com.
Wikipedia Entry: Brian May
Brian has penned 22 worldwide hits for Queen; among them the anthems ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘The Show Must Go On’ and ‘I Want It All’, and powerful ballads including ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’, ‘No-One But You (Only the Good Die Young)‘ and ‘Save Me’. As a successful and respected solo artist, Brian’s recordings include the albums Back to the Light (1992), featuring ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ and ‘Driven By You’, both Ivor Novello Award-winners, and 1998’s Another World. His songs continue to influence new generations of performers and have inspired recordings by artists as diverse as Elton John, Def Leppard, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Shirley Bassey and Eminem. Brian has enjoyed collaborations with numerous artists including Robbie Williams, the Foo Fighters, Cliff Richard, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Diana Ross and Luciano Pavarotti. He was also proud to play feature guitar on the Winter Olympics 2002 opening music, ‘The Fire Within’ for his friend and composer, the late Michael Kamen.
Perhaps the most memorable display of Brian’s unique style and musicianship was his performance of his own arrangement of ‘God Save the Queen’, live from the roof of Buckingham Palace, to open HM The Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations in front of an audience of more than 200 million people around the world.
An interest in film scoring developed when Queen became the first rock group to score a major film, Flash Gordon, featuring the hit ‘Flash!’ penned by Brian. This was followed by definitive music for Highlander. Brian later contributed a mini-opera for Steve Baron’s 1996 Pinocchio, and composed a complete film soundtrack for the 1999 French art film Furia.
May is, of course, no stranger to the theatrical world, frequently contributing to the live performance work of his wife Anita Dobson, but in 1987, entering this world in his own right, he wrote and performed the music for the London Riverside Studios production of Macbeth. He returned at full strength to the Theatre in 2002, as one of the principal creative forces behind the groundbreaking ‘rock theatrical’, We Will Rock You, which became phenomenally successful, still one of London’s top-selling shows after nine years of nightly standing ovations at the Dominion Theatre, London, and easily the longest-running show ever to play at the theatre. Although We Will Rock You is now a global enterprise, Brian remains personally involved in developing new productions and updating those currently playing.
On Freddie’s death, the surviving members of Queen set up a charity to support AIDS relief, the Mercury Phoenix Trust. The MPT has to date channelled more than eight million pounds to over 1,000 AIDS projects around the world. An ongoing commitment to AIDS awareness led Queen to become a driving force in the 46664 campaign for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The first of a series of 46664 concerts, held in Cape Town in November 2003, was broadcast worldwide via TV, Internet and radio, becoming the most widely distributed media event in history, with an audience of over 2 billion in 166 countries. Brian continues in his role as an ambassador and participant in the 46664 international concert series aimed at promoting AIDS awareness worldwide.
Queen’s musical catalogue consistently tops popularity polls, and their achievements have been recognised with numerous prestigious awards, including being honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (October 2002), being inducted into both the USA Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (March 2001) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (June 2003), and being among the first inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame (November 2004), which was the first event at which Paul Rodgers joined Brian and Roger as vocalist. A successful world tour together followed in 2005/06, and Paul, Brian and Roger (Taylor) then went into the studio to create new material for the well-received Queen/Paul Rodgers album “The Cosmos Rocks”, followed by a second giant world tour.
In July 2005, Guinness World Records announced that Queen had overtaken the Beatles to become the most successful albums act in UK chart history.
Brian’s further credits are too numerous to list, but they include designing a Planetarium show currently showing in Germany and Belgium; re-mixing classic Queen recordings in 5.1 Surround Sound; writing themes for several TV shows; producing a number 1 hit, ‘The Stonk’, for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day; as well as lending his inspirational skills to the three top-selling volumes of The Best Air Guitar Album in the World...Ever! His most recent musical work is the spectacular debut album from singer Kerry Ellis, an original leading actress of WWRY, and recently star of Wicked in the West End and on Broadway. This epic album, titled “Anthems”, features Brian’s arrangement, production, and guitar work, and some new products of Brian’s songwriting.
Retaining his keen interest in astronomy, Brian is a regular contributor to The Sky at Night for his long-time friend, Sir Patrick Moore, with whom he co-authored, along with Dr Chris Lintott, an illustrated astrophysics book entitled BANG! The Complete History of the Universe. First published in 2006, it has since been published in 20 languages, and is currently in its third updated edition. Brian followed up with a unique book on another of his long-term passions, seminal 1850s photographer T. R. Williams whose work Brian has been researching for over 30 years. The book, “A Village Lost and Found”, written with photohistorian Elena Vidal, is illustrated in 3-D, and includes a patent stereoscope of Brian’s own design.
In December 2005, Brian was honoured with a CBE, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, by HM The Queen, in recognition of his services to music.
In 2007, after a 30-year break pursuing his musical career, Brian returned to Imperial College, London, to sign up to complete his Doctoral Thesis in Astrophysics, and after one year, successfully submitted the new version of his thesis on Interplanetary Dust.
Already the holder of honorary degrees from the Universities of Hertfordshire, Exeter and John Moore’s, Liverpool, Brian in 2007 finally achieved the award of a full PhD degree. Brian subsequently accepted a post of Visiting Researcher at Imperial College and will be continuing his work in astronomy. He is also currently the Chancellor or Liverpool John Moore’s University.
In 2010 Brian founded Save-Me, a campaign devoted to preventing cruelty to wild animals. His work fighting the abuse of foxes and badgers led to him recently being awarded the honour of “Campaigner of the Year” by IFAW, the International fund for Animal Welfare. This work continues through the Save-Me website … www.Save-Me.org.uk.
Brian enjoys interacting with his friends and fans, who can contact him and enjoy updates on his work and thoughts via his own channel, Brian’s Soapbox, on his website at www.brianmay.com.
Wikipedia Entry: Brian May
When I'm dead, I want to be remembered as a
musician of some worth and substance.
_ Freddie Mercury
My Baby Does Me
My baby
My baby does
My baby does me right
my baby does
my baby does me
my baby does me right..
My lady
understands
understands me right
she understands
shes understands me
understands me right
My baby cares
She really cares
and she knows whats really right for me
does me good, then she hurts me so,
she winds me up
then lets me go
then tells me no
she's just a pussycat
My baby loves me
My baby loves me
My baby cuffs me
one day she tells me that she cares
another day she don't love me
she really really does me...
i mean do you believe this,
do you??
oooh aaah
She really really really really really really
ooooh does me....
My baby
My baby does
My baby does me right
my baby does
my baby does me
my baby does me right..
My lady
understands
understands me right
she understands
shes understands me
understands me right
My baby cares
She really cares
and she knows whats really right for me
does me good, then she hurts me so,
she winds me up
then lets me go
then tells me no
she's just a pussycat
My baby loves me
My baby loves me
My baby cuffs me
one day she tells me that she cares
another day she don't love me
she really really does me...
i mean do you believe this,
do you??
oooh aaah
She really really really really really really
ooooh does me....
Queen: Eles eram mais do que amigos.
Eram como irmãos (e continuam sendo). tj*¬
Queen: They were more than friends.
They were like brothers (and still they are).tj*¬
 |
| Fonte: The Legend of Freddie Mercury - Facebook |
Oh I used to be your baby
Used to be your pride and joy
You used to take me dancing
Just like any other boy
But now you've found another partner
You left me like a broken toy
Oh it's someone else you're taking
Someone else you're playing to
Honey tho' I'm aching
Know just what I have to do
If I can't have you when I'm waking
I'll go to sleep and dream I'm with you
Oh take me take me
Take me to the dreamers ball
I'll be right on time
And I'll dress so fine
You're gonna love me when you see me
I won't have to worry
Take me take me
Promise not to wake me till it's morning
What d'you say about that hey honey
You gonna take me to that dreamers ball
I'd like that
Right on that 42nd Street
Way down downtown dreamers ball
Oh take me take me
Take me I'm your play thing now
Make my life worthwhile
With the slightest smile
Or destroy me with the barely
Perceptible whisper
Gently take me
Remember I'll be dreaming of my baby
At the dreamers ball
Oh take me hold me
Remember what you told me
You'd meet me at the dreamers ball
Meet you at the dreamers ball
From: www.queenonline.com
Band MembersRoger Taylor
- Date Of BirthJuly 26, 1949
- BirthplaceKing's Lynn, Norfolk, England
- InstrumentsDrums, percussion, keyboards, vocals
Although best known for his powerhouse role in Queen, Roger Taylor is anything but a drummer confined to his kit.. With rock n’roll in his veins all through his schooldays, he has always been a highly active, vocal member of Queen. He famously wrote Queen’s landmark hits "Radio Ga Ga" and "A Kind Of Magic", and was also the first to make a solo album, 1981’s Fun In Space. To date he has released four solo albums, which, aside from his work with Queen, further highlighted Taylor as an musician and writer with a strong sense of identity, a wide musical perspective, and - not least of all - a man not without a sense of irony. Just consider, for instance, the lyrics to “I’m In Love With My Car”, his B side to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and a firm audience favourite in the Queen live set.
Taylor’s active approach has not been confined to his music: when media mogul Rupert Murdoch made attempts to buy Manchester United football club, Taylor funded the club supporters in their attempts to block the sale, and historically helped them succeed.
His history in one of rock’s most famous bands begins in the late 60’s, the time when he first teamed up with Brian May, and later John Deacon and Freddie Mercury, to form Queen. But before that…
Roger Taylor was born in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, on July 26th 1949, Roger became fascinated with music in the early 50s, when his family moved to Cornwall. He learned his first instrument, the ukulele, at a tender age, and enjoyed a brief taste of things to come in a pre-teen skiffle band whose collective talent survived just two public performances, both apparently excruciating!
His music took on a different direction in 1960, when he became a rather reluctant member of the Truro Cathedral Choir -- a prerequisite of his scholarship. He taught himself the guitar around this time, but by the following year had moved over to drums.
By 1966 Roger had not only progressed to drumming in Cornwall's most popular band, the Reaction, but had also become their lead singer, with his drumkit placed -- where else? -- in the principal position, at the front of the stage. That year, the Reaction won a hotly-contested local talent contest and, according to newspaper reports, were duly "mobbed by young girls".
While maintaining his keen interest in music, Roger decided to study dentistry, and in 1967 moved to London to enrol at the London Hospital Medical College. He later studied biology, obtaining a BSc in the subject.
In 1968 Roger formed another group, Smile, with Middlesex guitar ace Brian May. Smile played sporadically over the next few years and even issued a single in the United States. By 1971, Roger had long abandoned any desire to become a dentist or a biologist, and with new additions to the line-up John Deacon and Freddie Mercury, Smile became known as Queen.
The Queen legend often refers to how Taylor and Mercury were particularly close, and spent many hours on the town together seeing bands who at that time were their heroes: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Who, all of whom influenced them and helped shape the musical destiny of Queen.
Roger began writing songs for Queen from day one, and each of the band's fifteen studio albums included at least one of his compositions. History notes that all four members of Queen wrote No.1 singles: Taylor dutifully provided his with "Radio Ga Ga" , "A Kind Of Magic" and “Days of our Lives”, amongst hits.
1977 was the landmark year in which Queen released "We Are The Champions" and "We Will Rock You". Roger bought a Ferrari, and became the first member of Queen to launch a solo career with the release of the single "I Wanna Testify".
His solo album "Fun In Space" followed in 1981, and was succeeded by 1984's rock-based "Strange Frontier". Both LPs reached the Top 30. In 1987 Roger formed his own band The Cross, in which after more than 20 years he finally resumed the role of lead singer. The Cross released three distinctive albums and toured extensively in the UK and Europe.
After the tragic death of Freddie Mercury, Roger returned to his solo career with 1994's "Happiness?", an album on which he explored the theme of "dealing with life and looking for happiness". The success of the album prompted further tours of the UK and Italy. Then came perhaps his most potent album, “Electric Fire”, which clearly showed Taylor as an acute observational songwriter. Rich in contemporary reflections on life, the album was full of attention-grabbing songs tackling thought-provoking and sometimes challenging issues — national obsolescence, domestic violence, and poverty, among them. One track, “People On Streets”, was inspired by visits Roger made to India and the inequalities he witnessed in the fortunes of that country's vast population. Never shy to express himself, several super-rich and powerful world figures get name checked in the song.
That the Queen musical We Will Rock You came into being could be seen as something of a surprise taking into account Roger’s openly expressed view that “musicals are completely foreign to me. It’s a genre I don’t particularly like.” But after working closely with Brian and writer Ben Elton on shaping the musical, Taylor found himself deeply entrenched in developing the show , breaking the rules of musical theatre and taking on the role – along with Brian - as musical supervisor, not only for the first production in London, but for each of the subsequent productions throughout the world. To date, local productions of the show have reached 8 further countries.
At the same time as setting up We Will Rock You, Roger and Brian played a central part in the formation of the Nelson Mandela 46664 charity, performing at the first two South Africa concerts, and providing several new songs to the 46664 album which saw them collaborate with the likes of Bono, Anastacia, Dave Stewart and Beyonce. Roger penned two new songs for the project, “Say It’s Not True”, a song about finding out you’re HIV positive, and “Invincible Hope”, based on the writings of Nelson Mandela and actually featuring the voice of Mandela reading phases from his autobiography.
In 2005, after an accidental encounter with former Free singer Paul Rodgers, Roger and Brian felt the time was right to put Queen back on the road. Billed as Queen + Paul Rodgers, Roger and Brian tested the water with a handpicked set of European dates. Such was the momentum built up over the six week European tour, a US tour was booked to follow, which saw Roger and Brian return to the USA to play for the first time in more than 20 years. The impact of the return to the road was summed up in a review of is closing night in Vancouver: “the night that arena rock officially made its comeback”.
Of being back at the kit – although the new live set sees him on vocals for a fair part of their set – Roger comments: “it’s given us a sense of rejuvenation. I’m even growing my hair long again. But I do have to remind myself of my age – and I think ‘Oh come on, behave yourself!’”
Given past evidence, did someone say, ‘unlikely’?
Having returned to his solo career in late 2009 with the release of the single 'The Unblinking Eye', for the future, Roger is planning new solo material, maybe a retrospective box set and possibly a solo tour.
PS. Hair now short! – bad decision!
Taylor’s active approach has not been confined to his music: when media mogul Rupert Murdoch made attempts to buy Manchester United football club, Taylor funded the club supporters in their attempts to block the sale, and historically helped them succeed.
His history in one of rock’s most famous bands begins in the late 60’s, the time when he first teamed up with Brian May, and later John Deacon and Freddie Mercury, to form Queen. But before that…
Roger Taylor was born in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, on July 26th 1949, Roger became fascinated with music in the early 50s, when his family moved to Cornwall. He learned his first instrument, the ukulele, at a tender age, and enjoyed a brief taste of things to come in a pre-teen skiffle band whose collective talent survived just two public performances, both apparently excruciating!
His music took on a different direction in 1960, when he became a rather reluctant member of the Truro Cathedral Choir -- a prerequisite of his scholarship. He taught himself the guitar around this time, but by the following year had moved over to drums.
By 1966 Roger had not only progressed to drumming in Cornwall's most popular band, the Reaction, but had also become their lead singer, with his drumkit placed -- where else? -- in the principal position, at the front of the stage. That year, the Reaction won a hotly-contested local talent contest and, according to newspaper reports, were duly "mobbed by young girls".
While maintaining his keen interest in music, Roger decided to study dentistry, and in 1967 moved to London to enrol at the London Hospital Medical College. He later studied biology, obtaining a BSc in the subject.
In 1968 Roger formed another group, Smile, with Middlesex guitar ace Brian May. Smile played sporadically over the next few years and even issued a single in the United States. By 1971, Roger had long abandoned any desire to become a dentist or a biologist, and with new additions to the line-up John Deacon and Freddie Mercury, Smile became known as Queen.
The Queen legend often refers to how Taylor and Mercury were particularly close, and spent many hours on the town together seeing bands who at that time were their heroes: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Who, all of whom influenced them and helped shape the musical destiny of Queen.
Roger began writing songs for Queen from day one, and each of the band's fifteen studio albums included at least one of his compositions. History notes that all four members of Queen wrote No.1 singles: Taylor dutifully provided his with "Radio Ga Ga" , "A Kind Of Magic" and “Days of our Lives”, amongst hits.
1977 was the landmark year in which Queen released "We Are The Champions" and "We Will Rock You". Roger bought a Ferrari, and became the first member of Queen to launch a solo career with the release of the single "I Wanna Testify".
His solo album "Fun In Space" followed in 1981, and was succeeded by 1984's rock-based "Strange Frontier". Both LPs reached the Top 30. In 1987 Roger formed his own band The Cross, in which after more than 20 years he finally resumed the role of lead singer. The Cross released three distinctive albums and toured extensively in the UK and Europe.
After the tragic death of Freddie Mercury, Roger returned to his solo career with 1994's "Happiness?", an album on which he explored the theme of "dealing with life and looking for happiness". The success of the album prompted further tours of the UK and Italy. Then came perhaps his most potent album, “Electric Fire”, which clearly showed Taylor as an acute observational songwriter. Rich in contemporary reflections on life, the album was full of attention-grabbing songs tackling thought-provoking and sometimes challenging issues — national obsolescence, domestic violence, and poverty, among them. One track, “People On Streets”, was inspired by visits Roger made to India and the inequalities he witnessed in the fortunes of that country's vast population. Never shy to express himself, several super-rich and powerful world figures get name checked in the song.
That the Queen musical We Will Rock You came into being could be seen as something of a surprise taking into account Roger’s openly expressed view that “musicals are completely foreign to me. It’s a genre I don’t particularly like.” But after working closely with Brian and writer Ben Elton on shaping the musical, Taylor found himself deeply entrenched in developing the show , breaking the rules of musical theatre and taking on the role – along with Brian - as musical supervisor, not only for the first production in London, but for each of the subsequent productions throughout the world. To date, local productions of the show have reached 8 further countries.
At the same time as setting up We Will Rock You, Roger and Brian played a central part in the formation of the Nelson Mandela 46664 charity, performing at the first two South Africa concerts, and providing several new songs to the 46664 album which saw them collaborate with the likes of Bono, Anastacia, Dave Stewart and Beyonce. Roger penned two new songs for the project, “Say It’s Not True”, a song about finding out you’re HIV positive, and “Invincible Hope”, based on the writings of Nelson Mandela and actually featuring the voice of Mandela reading phases from his autobiography.
In 2005, after an accidental encounter with former Free singer Paul Rodgers, Roger and Brian felt the time was right to put Queen back on the road. Billed as Queen + Paul Rodgers, Roger and Brian tested the water with a handpicked set of European dates. Such was the momentum built up over the six week European tour, a US tour was booked to follow, which saw Roger and Brian return to the USA to play for the first time in more than 20 years. The impact of the return to the road was summed up in a review of is closing night in Vancouver: “the night that arena rock officially made its comeback”.
Of being back at the kit – although the new live set sees him on vocals for a fair part of their set – Roger comments: “it’s given us a sense of rejuvenation. I’m even growing my hair long again. But I do have to remind myself of my age – and I think ‘Oh come on, behave yourself!’”
Given past evidence, did someone say, ‘unlikely’?
Having returned to his solo career in late 2009 with the release of the single 'The Unblinking Eye', for the future, Roger is planning new solo material, maybe a retrospective box set and possibly a solo tour.
PS. Hair now short! – bad decision!
Wikipedia Entry: Roger Taylor
Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll
(Album: Queen, 1973)
"Had to make do with a worn out rock and roll scene
The old bop is getting tired need a rest
Well you know what I mean
Fifty eight that was great
But it's over now and that's all
Something harder's coming up
Gonna really knock a hole in the wall
Gonna hit ya grab ya hard
Make you feel ten feet tall
Well I hope that this baby's gonna come along soon
You don't know it could happen any old rainy afternoon
With the temperature down
And the jukebox blowing no fuse
And my musical life's feeling
Like a long sunday school cruise
And you know there's one thing
Every single body could use
Yeah listen to me baby
Let me tell you what it's all about
Modern times rock and roll
Modern times rock and roll
Get your high heeled guitar style boots and some groovy clothes
Get a hair piece on your chest
And a ring through your nose
Find a nice little man who says
He's gonna make you a real big star
Stars in your eyes ants in your pants
Think you should go far
Everybody in this bum sucking world's
Gonna know who you are
Look out
.jpg)
(Album: Queen, 1973)
"Had to make do with a worn out rock and roll scene
The old bop is getting tired need a rest
Well you know what I mean
Fifty eight that was great
But it's over now and that's all
Something harder's coming up
Gonna really knock a hole in the wall
Gonna hit ya grab ya hard
Make you feel ten feet tall
Well I hope that this baby's gonna come along soon
You don't know it could happen any old rainy afternoon
With the temperature down
And the jukebox blowing no fuse
And my musical life's feeling
Like a long sunday school cruise
And you know there's one thing
Every single body could use
Yeah listen to me baby
Let me tell you what it's all about
Modern times rock and roll
Modern times rock and roll
Get your high heeled guitar style boots and some groovy clothes
Get a hair piece on your chest
And a ring through your nose
Find a nice little man who says
He's gonna make you a real big star
Stars in your eyes ants in your pants
Think you should go far
Everybody in this bum sucking world's
Gonna know who you are
Look out
I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.
_ Freddie Mercury
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Seven Seas Of Rhye
fear me you lords and lady preachers
i descend upon your earth from the skies
i command your very souls you unbelievers
bring before me what is mine
the seven seas of rhye
can you hear me you peers and privvy counselors
i stand before you naked to the eyes
i will destroy any man who dares abuse my trust
i swear that you'll be mine
the seven seas of rhye
sister - i live and lie for you
mister - do and i'll die
you are mine i possess you
i belong to you forever
storm the master-marathon i'll fly through
by flash and thunder-fire i'll survive
then i'll defy the laws of nature and come out alive
then i'll get you
be gone with you - you shod and shady senators
give out the good, leave out the bad evil cries
i challenge the mighty titan and his troubadours
and with a smile
i'll take you to the seven seas of rhye
 |
| Fonte: Facebook |
Princes Of The Universe lyrics
Here we are, Born to be kings,
We're the princes of the universe,
Here we belong, Fighting to survive,
In a world with the darkest powers,
And here we are, We're the princes of the universe,
Here we belong, Fighting for survival,
We've come to be the rulers of your world,
I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings, (Yeah!)
I have no rival, No man can be my equal,
Take me to the future of your world,
Born to be kings, Princes of the universe,
Fighting and free, Got your world in my hand,
I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand,
We were born to be princes of the universe,
No man could understand. My power is in my own hand,
Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, People talk about you,
People say you've had your day,
I'm a man that will go far,
Fly the moon and reach for the stars,
With my sword and head held high,
Got to pass the test first time - yeah,
I know that people talk about me I hear it every day,
But I can prove you worng cos I'm right first time,
Yeah. Yeah. Alright, Watch this man fly,
Bring on the girls,
Here We are. Born to be kings. We're the princes of
the universe. Here we belong. Born to be kings,
Princes of the universe. Fighting and free,
Got the world in my hands. I'm here for your love,
And I'll make my stand,
We were born to be princes of the universe.
.jpg) |
| Fonte: The Official Brian May Website |
She Makes Me
I love
She makes me
She is my heart
She is my love
I know
I'm jealous of her
She makes me need
She is my love
Who knows who she'll make me
As I lie in her cocoon
And the world will surely heal my ills
I'm warm and terrified
She makes me so
I know the day I leave her
I'll love her still
She is my love
She is my love
She knows where my dreams will end
I'll follow as they grow
But the world will know how long I'll take
And if I'm very slow she makes me so
She is my love
From: www.queenonline.com
Band MembersJohn Deacon
- Date Of BirthAugust 19, 1951
- BirthplaceLeicester, England
- InstrumentsBass guitar, double bass, keyboards
John Deacon’s first guitar was a red plastic "Tommy Steele" special, which his parents bought for him when he was seven.
John’s father, Arthur, however, led him in a different direction, encouraging John to tinker with electronics, a hobby that Arthur himself loved. One of John's early projects included adapting an old reel-to-reel tape deck to record music from the radio - usually The Beatles and Alan Freeman's Hit Parade. John’s interest in electronics developed into a passion, and in his younger years at least, he thought of turning his hobby into a career.
But side by side with his interest in electronics, John's interest in music was also growing, particularly triggered when he bought The Beatles first two albums. Becoming a huge fan of the band, John took the decision to learn how to play the guitar. Diligently saving the money from his early morning paper round, John was able to buy a ‘proper’ guitar. He then threw himself into practising, and was soon jamming in a friend's garage. By the age of fourteen John was well practised enough to form his first band, The Opposition.
Over the next few years, The Opposition went through numerous line-up changes and played many gigs. By the end of 1966, the band had a strong following throughout John’s home turf of Leicester. But when, later that year, the Opposition's bassist left the band, it fell to John to fill the gap. So, he bought his first bass guitar, an Eko, for £22, and with the change of line-up, the band changed their name to The New Opposition, with John now playing the bass.
Several band name changes later (they were now called Art), 1969 saw John leaving the band for London, taking up studies in electronics at Chelsea College, University of London. For the moment, music took second place to electronics, but John had of course brought along his old acoustic guitar just in case an opportunity came up. John went on to achieve a First Class Honours Degree in Electronics that same year.
In October of 1970, John went to see a performance by a new band called Queen. He recalls, "They were all dressed in black, and the lights were very dim too, so all I could see were four shadowy figures. They didn't make a lasting impression on me at the time.”
But several months later, in early 1971, John again encountered Queen, when he was introduced to Brian May and Roger Taylor. For their part, they had not been impressed by the bass players they’d encountered and had just lost their seventh. They asked John if he was interested in auditioning and days later John found himself at a lecture hall at Imperial College where the band was rehearsing. He brought along his trusty bass guitar and his own custom- adapted amp, now known as the legendary ‘Deacy Amp’. He began to learn ‘Son And Daughter’ and a few other songs the group had been playing. Not long after, on 1 March 1971, John Richard Deacon became the fourth and final member of Queen, largely, as history recounts it, not only because he was a brilliant bass player, but he was also quiet and didn’t try to upstage the others, particularly the band’s lead singer, the very larger than life Freddie Mercury. At just 19, John was the youngest member to join the band.
That home-made amp, the ‘Deacy’, which helped John take his place in Queen and is also now used by Brian May, is shortly to become commercially available. John’s image as ‘the quiet one’ in Queen extended to their early recording sessions, in London, which focused on songs written by Freddie, Brian and Roger. John’s standing as the ‘invisible man’ of the group was humorously marked by the band on their first album, Queen, where they changed his name in the sleeve credits to Deacon John, rather than the other way around, to “make him sound more interesting”. This returned to normal for Queen II.
It wasn’t until the band’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack, that John’s first composition for Queen appeared, with the rather catchy ‘Misfire’. More of a Pop/Motown kind of guy - strangely at odds with Brian and Roger’s rock roots and Freddie’s grand musical landscapes - John’s writing skills flourished in the recording sessions which followed. He would go on to compose some of Queen’s biggest and most popular hits including ‘You’re My Best Friend’, ‘I Want To Break Free’ and ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, propelling Queen’s career to new heights in the US, topping the charts for three weeks and being voted the Favourite Single in the Pop/Rock category at the American Music Awards in 1981. The Another One Bites the Dust single was such a hit right across the board that it even found an audience on the black audience radio stations, reaching No. 2 in the national R & B charts. Along with ‘We Are The Champions’ and ‘We Will Rock You’, the song has passed into legend by becoming Queen’s third major sports anthem.
John took a brief foray into solo work when in 1986 he formed The Immortals, and released one single, ‘No Turning Back’, and contributing to the original soundtrack of the film Biggles, based on the Royal Flying Corps pilot character in the series of novels written by Captain W.E. Johns.
Today John lives a life retired from Queen but still takes an interest in the continuance of the legacy of the band, and remains in contact with former bandmates, Roger Taylor and Brian May.
John’s last appearance on stage with Queen was at the Paris National Théâtre de Chailioton 17 January 1997 at the Gala premiere of Maurice Béjart’s AIDS-inspired Ballet for Life, dedicated to Freddie Mercury and dancer, Jorge Donn, performing ‘The Show Must Go On’ with Elton John joining the band on vocals.
John joined his former bandmates for one final time in October 1997 for the recording of the Brian May song, ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’, released by Queen as apersonal tribute to the late Freddie Mercury.
Wikipedia Entry: John Deacon
John’s father, Arthur, however, led him in a different direction, encouraging John to tinker with electronics, a hobby that Arthur himself loved. One of John's early projects included adapting an old reel-to-reel tape deck to record music from the radio - usually The Beatles and Alan Freeman's Hit Parade. John’s interest in electronics developed into a passion, and in his younger years at least, he thought of turning his hobby into a career.
But side by side with his interest in electronics, John's interest in music was also growing, particularly triggered when he bought The Beatles first two albums. Becoming a huge fan of the band, John took the decision to learn how to play the guitar. Diligently saving the money from his early morning paper round, John was able to buy a ‘proper’ guitar. He then threw himself into practising, and was soon jamming in a friend's garage. By the age of fourteen John was well practised enough to form his first band, The Opposition.
Over the next few years, The Opposition went through numerous line-up changes and played many gigs. By the end of 1966, the band had a strong following throughout John’s home turf of Leicester. But when, later that year, the Opposition's bassist left the band, it fell to John to fill the gap. So, he bought his first bass guitar, an Eko, for £22, and with the change of line-up, the band changed their name to The New Opposition, with John now playing the bass.
Several band name changes later (they were now called Art), 1969 saw John leaving the band for London, taking up studies in electronics at Chelsea College, University of London. For the moment, music took second place to electronics, but John had of course brought along his old acoustic guitar just in case an opportunity came up. John went on to achieve a First Class Honours Degree in Electronics that same year.
In October of 1970, John went to see a performance by a new band called Queen. He recalls, "They were all dressed in black, and the lights were very dim too, so all I could see were four shadowy figures. They didn't make a lasting impression on me at the time.”
But several months later, in early 1971, John again encountered Queen, when he was introduced to Brian May and Roger Taylor. For their part, they had not been impressed by the bass players they’d encountered and had just lost their seventh. They asked John if he was interested in auditioning and days later John found himself at a lecture hall at Imperial College where the band was rehearsing. He brought along his trusty bass guitar and his own custom- adapted amp, now known as the legendary ‘Deacy Amp’. He began to learn ‘Son And Daughter’ and a few other songs the group had been playing. Not long after, on 1 March 1971, John Richard Deacon became the fourth and final member of Queen, largely, as history recounts it, not only because he was a brilliant bass player, but he was also quiet and didn’t try to upstage the others, particularly the band’s lead singer, the very larger than life Freddie Mercury. At just 19, John was the youngest member to join the band.
That home-made amp, the ‘Deacy’, which helped John take his place in Queen and is also now used by Brian May, is shortly to become commercially available. John’s image as ‘the quiet one’ in Queen extended to their early recording sessions, in London, which focused on songs written by Freddie, Brian and Roger. John’s standing as the ‘invisible man’ of the group was humorously marked by the band on their first album, Queen, where they changed his name in the sleeve credits to Deacon John, rather than the other way around, to “make him sound more interesting”. This returned to normal for Queen II.
It wasn’t until the band’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack, that John’s first composition for Queen appeared, with the rather catchy ‘Misfire’. More of a Pop/Motown kind of guy - strangely at odds with Brian and Roger’s rock roots and Freddie’s grand musical landscapes - John’s writing skills flourished in the recording sessions which followed. He would go on to compose some of Queen’s biggest and most popular hits including ‘You’re My Best Friend’, ‘I Want To Break Free’ and ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, propelling Queen’s career to new heights in the US, topping the charts for three weeks and being voted the Favourite Single in the Pop/Rock category at the American Music Awards in 1981. The Another One Bites the Dust single was such a hit right across the board that it even found an audience on the black audience radio stations, reaching No. 2 in the national R & B charts. Along with ‘We Are The Champions’ and ‘We Will Rock You’, the song has passed into legend by becoming Queen’s third major sports anthem.
John took a brief foray into solo work when in 1986 he formed The Immortals, and released one single, ‘No Turning Back’, and contributing to the original soundtrack of the film Biggles, based on the Royal Flying Corps pilot character in the series of novels written by Captain W.E. Johns.
Today John lives a life retired from Queen but still takes an interest in the continuance of the legacy of the band, and remains in contact with former bandmates, Roger Taylor and Brian May.
John’s last appearance on stage with Queen was at the Paris National Théâtre de Chailioton 17 January 1997 at the Gala premiere of Maurice Béjart’s AIDS-inspired Ballet for Life, dedicated to Freddie Mercury and dancer, Jorge Donn, performing ‘The Show Must Go On’ with Elton John joining the band on vocals.
John joined his former bandmates for one final time in October 1997 for the recording of the Brian May song, ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’, released by Queen as apersonal tribute to the late Freddie Mercury.
Wikipedia Entry: John Deacon
More Of That Jazz
If you're feeling tired and only
Uninspired and lonely
If you're thinking
How the days seem long
All you're given
Is what you've been given
A thousand times before
Just more more
More of that jazz
More
No more of that jazz
Gimme no more
No more of that jazz
Only football
Gives us thrills
Rock and roll just
Pays the bills
Only our team
Is the real team
Bring out the dogs
Get on your feet
Lie on the floor
Just more
More of that jazz
More
No more of that jazz
Gimme no more
No more of that jazz
Oh no matter
Fool got no business hanging round and tellin' lies
Bicycle races are coming your way
If you can't beat 'em join 'em
Fun it
Oh you gonna let it all hang out
Fat bottomed girls you make the rocking world go round
No more, no more, no more of that jazz
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| Fonte: The Official Brian May Website |
Tenement Funster
My new purple shoes, bin' amazing the people next door
And my rock 'n' roll 45's, bin' enraging the folks on the lower floor
I got a way with the girls on my block
Try my best be a real individual
And when we go down to smokies and rock
They line up like it's some kinda ritual
Ooh give me a good guitar, and you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or, just find me an open car, I'll make the speed of light outta this place
Mmm, I like the good things in life
But most of the best things ain't free
Some same situation, justs cuts like a knife
When you're young, and you're poor, and you're crazy, crazy
Young and you're crazy
Young and you're crazy
Young and you're crazy
But ooh give me a good guitar and you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or, just find me an open car, I'll make the speed of light outta this place
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My new purple shoes, bin' amazing the people next door
And my rock 'n' roll 45's, bin' enraging the folks on the lower floor
I got a way with the girls on my block
Try my best be a real individual
And when we go down to smokies and rock
They line up like it's some kinda ritual
Ooh give me a good guitar, and you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or, just find me an open car, I'll make the speed of light outta this place
Mmm, I like the good things in life
But most of the best things ain't free
Some same situation, justs cuts like a knife
When you're young, and you're poor, and you're crazy, crazy
Young and you're crazy
Young and you're crazy
Young and you're crazy
But ooh give me a good guitar and you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or, just find me an open car, I'll make the speed of light outta this place
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What will I be doing in twenty years' time? I'll be dead, darling! Are you crazy?
_ Freddie Mercury
_ Freddie Mercury
Nevermore lyrics
There's no living in my life anymore
The seas have gone dry and the rain stopped falling
Please don't you cry anymore
Can't you see
Listen to the breeze, whisper to me please
Don't send me to the path of nevermore
Even the valleys below
Where the rays of the sun were so warm and tender
Now haven't anything to grow
Can't you see
Why did you have to leave me
Why did you deceive me
You send me to the path of nevermore
When you say you didn't love me anymore
Nevermore
Nevermore
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| Fonte: Página Queen Oficial - Facebook |
White Queen
so sad her eyes
smiling dark eyes
so sad her eyes
as it began
on such a breathless night as this
upon my brow the lightest kiss
i walked alone
and all around the air did say
my lady soon will stir this way
in sorrow known
the white queen walks and
the night grows pale
stars of lovingmess in her hair
needing - unheard
pleading - one word
so sad my eyes
she cannot see
how did thee fare, what have thee seen
the mother of the willow green
i call her name
and 'neath her window have i stayed
i loved the footsteps that she made
and when she came
white queen how my heart did ache
and dry my lips no word would make
so still i wait
my goddess hear my darkest fear
i speak too late
it's for evermore that i wait
dear friend goodbye
no tears in my eyes
so sad it ends
as it began
Keep Yourself Alive
I was told a million times
Of all the troubles in my way
Might he grow a little wiser
Little better ev'ry day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Bread and butter for a smile
Well I sold a million mirrors
In a shop in Alley Way
But I never saw my face
In any window any day
Now they say your folks are telling you
Be a super star
But I tell you just be satisfied
To stay right where you are
Keep yourself alive keep yourself alive
It'll take you all your time and a money
To keep you satisfied
Well I've loved a million women
In a belladonic haze
And I ate a million dinners
Brought to me on silver trays
Give me ev'rything I need
To feed my body and my soul
And I'll grow a little bigger
Maybe that can be my goal
I was told a million times
Of all the people in my way
How I had to keep on trying
And get better ev'ry day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Same as when I started
Keep yourself alive keep yourself alive
It'll take you all your time and money
To keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
It'll take you all your time and money
Honey you'll survive
Do you think you're better ev'ry day
No I just think I'm two steps nearer to my grave
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive mmm
All you people keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
All you people
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
Take you all your time and money
Honey you'll survive
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
All you people keep yourself alive
Take you all your time and money honey
Oh keep yourself alive
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Sail Away Sweet Sister
Hey little babe you're changing
Babe are you feeling sore?
There ain't no use in pretending
You don't wanna play no more
It's plain that you ain't no baby
What would your mother say?
You're all dressed up like a lady
How come you behave this way?
Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
May be you'll find somebody
To love you half as much as me
My heart is always with you
No matter what you do
Sail away sweet sister
I'll always be in love with you
Forgive me for what I told you
My heart makes a fool of me
You know I'll never hold you
I know that you gotta be free
Yeah
Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
Maybe you'll find somebody
To love you half as much as me
Take it the way you want it
When they let you down my friend
Sail away sweet sister
Back to my arms again
Hot child don't you know you're young
You got your whole life ahead of you?
Ahhh, you can throw it away too soon
Way too soon
Yeah
Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
Maybe you'll find somebody
Gonna love you half as much as me, yeah
My heart is always with you
No matter what you do
Sail away sweet sister
I'll always be in love with you
Hey little babe you're changing
Babe are you feeling sore?
There ain't no use in pretending
You don't wanna play no more
It's plain that you ain't no baby
What would your mother say?
You're all dressed up like a lady
How come you behave this way?
Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
May be you'll find somebody
To love you half as much as me
My heart is always with you
No matter what you do
Sail away sweet sister
I'll always be in love with you
Forgive me for what I told you
My heart makes a fool of me
You know I'll never hold you
I know that you gotta be free
Yeah
Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
Maybe you'll find somebody
To love you half as much as me
Take it the way you want it
When they let you down my friend
Sail away sweet sister
Back to my arms again
Hot child don't you know you're young
You got your whole life ahead of you?
Ahhh, you can throw it away too soon
Way too soon
Yeah
Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
Maybe you'll find somebody
Gonna love you half as much as me, yeah
My heart is always with you
No matter what you do
Sail away sweet sister
I'll always be in love with you
Killer Queen lyrics
She keeps Moet et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
'Let them eat cake' she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Kruschev and Kennedy
At anytime an invitation
You can't decline
Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, guillotine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Recommended at the price
Insatiable in appetite
Wanna try?
To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah
Then again incidentally
If you're that way inclined
Perfume came naturally from Paris
For cars she couldn't care less
Fastidious and precise
Drop of a hat she's as willing as
Playful as a pussy cat
Then momentarily out of action
Temporarily out of gas
To absolutely drive you wild, wild
She's all out to get you
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try
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I want to break free
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You're so self satisfied, I don't need you
I've got to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free
I've fallen in love
I've fallen in love for the first time
And this time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love yea
God knows, God knows I've fallen in love
It's strange but it's true, hey yea
I can't get over the way you like me like you do
But I have to be sure
When I walk out that door
Oh how I want to be free baby
Oh how I want to be free
Oh how I want to break free
But life still goes on
I can't get used to livin' without livin' without
Livin' without you by my side
I don't want to live alone, hey
God knows, got to make it on my own
So baby can't you see
I've got to break free
I've got to break free
I want to break free, yea
I want, I want, I want
I want to break free
.jpg)
Dragon's Attack
(Album: The Game, 1980)
"Ooh yeah, ha, yeah
Take me to the room where the red's all red
Take me out of my head -'s what I said
Yeah, ow
Hey, take me to the room where the green's all green
And from what I've seen it's hot, it's mean
Eh
- Gonna use my stack
- It's gotta be Mack
- Gonna get me on the track
- Got a dragon on my back
Take me to the room where the beat's all round
Gonna eat that sound yeah yeah yeah yeah
Take me to the room where the black's all white
And the white's all black, take me back to the shack shack
- She don't take no prisoners
- She gonna give me the business
- Got a dragon on my back
- Hey it's a dragon attack
Get down, I said so, wooh
Hey hey, alright, yeah, oh yeah eah eah eah
Low down - she don't take no prisoners
Go down - she gonna give me the business
No time - yeah chained to the rack
Show time - got a dragon on my back
Show down - go find another customer
Slow down - I gotta make my way
From me yeah oh
Oh wrong way yeah
Oh wrong way
Hey
Alright
Oh, look out!"
(Album: The Game, 1980)
"Ooh yeah, ha, yeah
Take me to the room where the red's all red
Take me out of my head -'s what I said
Yeah, ow
Hey, take me to the room where the green's all green
And from what I've seen it's hot, it's mean
Eh
- Gonna use my stack
- It's gotta be Mack
- Gonna get me on the track
- Got a dragon on my back
Take me to the room where the beat's all round
Gonna eat that sound yeah yeah yeah yeah
Take me to the room where the black's all white
And the white's all black, take me back to the shack shack
- She don't take no prisoners
- She gonna give me the business
- Got a dragon on my back
- Hey it's a dragon attack
Get down, I said so, wooh
Hey hey, alright, yeah, oh yeah eah eah eah
Low down - she don't take no prisoners
Go down - she gonna give me the business
No time - yeah chained to the rack
Show time - got a dragon on my back
Show down - go find another customer
Slow down - I gotta make my way
From me yeah oh
Oh wrong way yeah
Oh wrong way
Hey
Alright
Oh, look out!"
Rock It (prime Jive) lyrics
(Album: The Game, 1980)
"When I hear that rock and roll
It gets down to my soul
When it's real rock and roll, oh rock and roll
When I hear that rock and roll
It gets down to my soul
When it's real rock and roll, oh rock and roll
Ah oh, oh oh
You really think they like to rock in space ?
Well I don't know
What do you know ?
What do you hear ?
On the radio
Coming through the air
I said mama
I ain't crazy
I'm alright - alright
Hey, c'mon baby said it's alright
To rock 'n' roll on a Saturday night
I said shoot and get your suit and come along with me
I said c'mon baby down come and rock with me, I said yeah
What do you do ?
To get to feel alive ?
You go downtown
And get some of that prime jive
I said mama
I ain't crazy
I'm alright - alright
Hey, c'mon baby said it's alright
To rock 'n' roll on a Saturday night
I said shoot and get your suit and come along with me
I said c'mon baby down come and rock with me, I said yeah
We're gonna rock it
Hey, c'mon baby said it's alright
To rock 'n' roll on a Saturday night
I said shoot and get your suit and come along with me
I said c'mon baby down come and rock with me, I said yeah
We're gonna rock it . . ow . . tonight
(we want some prime jive) aaah
(we want some prime jive) aaaaah
(we want some prime jive) we're gonna rock it tonight
(we want some prime jive) aaah
(we want some prime jive) c'mon honey
(we want some prime jive) aaah
(we want some prime jive) we're gonna rock it tonight
(we want some prime jive) aaah
C'mon c'mon aaah we're gonna rock it tonight aaah
C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon aah
C'mon honey we're gonna rock it tonight
Get get get get get get some of that prime jive
Get some of that prime jive
C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon honey
Get some of that prime jive
Get some of that, get, get down
C'mon honey - oh
C'mon honey - we're gonna rock it tonight."
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(Album: The Game, 1980)
"When I hear that rock and roll
It gets down to my soul
When it's real rock and roll, oh rock and roll
When I hear that rock and roll
It gets down to my soul
When it's real rock and roll, oh rock and roll
Ah oh, oh oh
You really think they like to rock in space ?
Well I don't know
What do you know ?
What do you hear ?
On the radio
Coming through the air
I said mama
I ain't crazy
I'm alright - alright
Hey, c'mon baby said it's alright
To rock 'n' roll on a Saturday night
I said shoot and get your suit and come along with me
I said c'mon baby down come and rock with me, I said yeah
What do you do ?
To get to feel alive ?
You go downtown
And get some of that prime jive
I said mama
I ain't crazy
I'm alright - alright
Hey, c'mon baby said it's alright
To rock 'n' roll on a Saturday night
I said shoot and get your suit and come along with me
I said c'mon baby down come and rock with me, I said yeah
We're gonna rock it
Hey, c'mon baby said it's alright
To rock 'n' roll on a Saturday night
I said shoot and get your suit and come along with me
I said c'mon baby down come and rock with me, I said yeah
We're gonna rock it . . ow . . tonight
(we want some prime jive) aaah
(we want some prime jive) aaaaah
(we want some prime jive) we're gonna rock it tonight
(we want some prime jive) aaah
(we want some prime jive) c'mon honey
(we want some prime jive) aaah
(we want some prime jive) we're gonna rock it tonight
(we want some prime jive) aaah
C'mon c'mon aaah we're gonna rock it tonight aaah
C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon aah
C'mon honey we're gonna rock it tonight
Get get get get get get some of that prime jive
Get some of that prime jive
C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon honey
Get some of that prime jive
Get some of that, get, get down
C'mon honey - oh
C'mon honey - we're gonna rock it tonight."
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Ooh you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It's you you're all I see
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live
It's you you're all I see
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live
Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
Oh you're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
Ooh I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you
But I still come back to you
In rain or shine
You've stood by me girl
I'm happy at home
You're my best friend
You've stood by me girl
I'm happy at home
You're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live
I got you to help me forgive
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live
You're the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do
You're my best friend
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do
You're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
I'm happy at home
You're my best friend
Oh you're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
You you're my best friend
You're my best friend
Oh you're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
You you're my best friend
So dear friends your love is gone
Only tears to dwell upon
I dare not say as the wind must blow
So a love is lost, a love is won
Go to sleep and dream again
Soon your hopes will rise and then
From all this gloom life can start anew
And there'll be no crying soon
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| Fonte: The Legend of Freddie Mercury - Facebook |
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You know, I designed the Queen crest. I simply combined all the creatures that represent our star signs-and I don't even believe in astrology.
_ Freddie Mercury
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It's the sad-eyed, goodbye, yesterday moments I remember
It's the bleak street, week-kneed partings i recall
It's the mistier mist
The hazier days
The brighter sun
And the easier lays
There's all the more reason for laughing and crying
When you're younger and life isn't too hard at all
It's the fantastic drowse of the afternoon Sundays
That bored you to rages of tears
The unending pleadings, to waste all your good times
In thoughts of your middle-aged years
It's a vertical hold, all the things that you're told
For the everyday hero it all turns to zero
And there's all the more reason for living or dying
When you're young and your troubles are all very small
Out here on the street
We'd gather and meet
And scuff up the sidewalk with endlessly restless feet
Half of the time
We'd broaden our minds
More in the pool hall than we did in the school hall
With the downtown chewing-gum bums
Watching the nightlife, the lights and the fun
Never wanted to be the boy next door
Always thought I'd be something more
But it ain't easy for a downtown boy
It ain't easy at all
Thinkin' it right, doin' it wrong
It's easier from an armchair
Waves of alternatives wash at my sleepiness
Have my eggs poached for breakfast I guess
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We Are The Champions
I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
(And we mean to go on and on and on and on)
We are the champions my friends
And we'll keep on fightin' till the end
We are the champions, We are the champions
No time for losers 'cause we are the champions
Of the world
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that
goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
We are the champions my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'cause we are the champions
Of the world
We are the champions my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'cause we are the champions my friends
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Onstage, I am a devil. But I'm hardly a social reject.
_ Freddie Mercury
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I dress to kill, but tastefully.
We Will Rock You
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you
Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo' face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place
Singin'
We will
we will rock you
We will
we will rock you
Buddy you're a young man,hard man
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on yo' face
Y' big disgrace
Wavin' your banner all over the place
We will
we will rock you
We will
we will rock you
Buddy you're an old man,poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace,some
day
You got mud on your face
big disgrace
Somebody better put you back into yo' place
We will
we will rock you
Singin'
We will
we will rock you
everybody
We will
we will rock you
We will
we will rock you
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Este foi o site onde encontrei a biografia mais completa do Queen, a não ser em livros, e há também a equivante em português na internet.
This is the site where I found the most complete Queen's biography besides books.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works, incorporating further diverse styles into their music.
Before joining Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had been playing together in a band named Smile with bassist Tim Staffell. Freddie Mercury (then known as Farrokh/Freddie Bulsara) was a fan of Smile, and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques after Staffell's departure in 1970. Mercury himself joined the band shortly thereafter, changed the name of the band to "Queen", and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was recruited prior to recording theireponymous debut album (1973). Queen enjoyed success in the UK with their debut and its follow-up,Queen II (1974), but it was the release of Sheer Heart Attack (1974) and A Night at the Opera (1975) that gained the band international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at number one in the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks; it charted at number one in several other territories, and gave the band their first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their 1977 album, News of the World, contained two of rock's most recognisable anthems, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world, and their performance at 1985's Live Aid is widely regarded as one of the greatest in rock history. In 1991, Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since then, May and Taylor have infrequently performed together, including a collaboration with Paul Rodgers under the nameQueen + Paul Rodgers which ended in May 2009.
The band have released a total of 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles, and 10 number one DVDs. Estimates of their album sales generally range from 150 million to 300 million albums, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. They received the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1990, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Contents
[show]History
Early days (1968–1974)
In 1968, guitarist Brian May, a student at London's Imperial College, and bassist Tim Staffell decided to form a band. May placed an advertisement on the college notice board for a "Mitch Mitchell/Ginger Baker type" drummer; Roger Taylor, a young dental student, auditioned and got the job. The group called themselves Smile.[3]
While attending Ealing Art College, Tim Staffell became friends with Farrokh Bulsara, a fellow student who had assumed the English name of Freddie. Bulsara felt that he and the band had the same tastes and soon became a keen fan of Smile. In late 1970, after Staffell left to join the band Humpy Bong, the remaining Smile members, encouraged by Bulsara, changed their name to "Queen" and continued working together.[4] When asked about the name, Bulsara explained, "I thought up the name Queen. It's just a name, but it's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid. It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it."[4]
The band had a number of bass players during this period who did not fit with the band's chemistry. It was not until February 1971 that they settled on John Deacon and began to rehearse for their first album. They recorded four of their own songs, "Liar", "Keep Yourself Alive", "The Night Comes Down" and "Jesus", for a demo tape; no record companies were interested.[5] It was also around this time Freddie changed his surname to "Mercury", inspired by the line "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me," in the song My Fairy King.[6] On 2 July 1971, Queen played their first show in the classic line-up of Mercury, May, Deacon and Taylor at a Surrey college outside London.[7]
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"The March of the Black Queen"
A sample of "The March of the Black Queen" from Queen II (1974). The band's earlier songs (such as this) leaned more towards progressive rock and heavy metal compared to their later work.
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Having attended art college, Mercury also designed Queen's logo, called the Queen crest, shortly before the release of the band's first album.[8] The logo combines the zodiac signs of all four members: two lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor), a crab for Cancer (May), and two fairies forVirgo (Mercury).[8] The lions embrace a stylised letter Q, the crab rests atop the letter with flames rising directly above it, and the fairies are each sheltering below a lion.[8] There is also a crown inside the Q and the whole logo is over-shadowed by an enormous phoenix. The whole symbol bears a passing resemblance to the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, particularly with the lion supporters.[8] The original logo, as found on the reverse-side of the first album cover, was a simple line drawing but more intricate colour versions were used on later sleeves.[8][9]
In 1972 Queen entered discussions with Trident Studios after being spotted at De La Lane Studios by John Antony and after discussions were offered a management deal by Norman Sheffield under Neptune Productions, a subsidiary of Trident to manage the band and enable them to use the facilities at Trident to record new material whilst the management search for a record label to sign Queen. This suited both parties at the time as Trident were expanding into management and Queen under the deal were able to make use of the hi-tech recording facilities shared by bands at the time such as The Beatles and Elton John to produce new material. However Trident found it difficult to find a label for a band bearing a name with such connotation during the early 1970s.[10]
In July 1973, Queen finally under under a Trident/EMI deal released their eponymous debut album, an effort influenced by the heavy metal and progressive rock of the day.[11] The album was received well by critics; Gordon Fletcher ofRolling Stone said "their debut album is superb",[12] and Chicago's Daily Herald called it an "above average debut".[13] It drew little mainstream attention, and the lead single "Keep Yourself Alive", a Brian May composition, sold poorly. Retrospectively, "Keep Yourself Alive" is cited as the highlight of the album, and in 2008 Rolling Stone ranked it 31st in the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time", describing it as "an entire album's worth of riffs crammed into a single song".[14] The album was certified gold in the UK and the US.[15][16]
The group's second LP, Queen II, was released in 1974, and features rock photographer Mick Rock's iconic image of the band on the cover. This image would be used as the basis for the 1975 "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video production.[17][18] The album reached number five on the British album chartand became the first Queen album to chart in the UK.[15] The Freddie Mercury-written lead single "Seven Seas of Rhye" reached number ten in the UK, giving the band their first hit.[15] The album is the first real testament to the band's distinctive layered sound, and features long complex instrumental passages, fantasy-themed lyrics, and musical virtuosity.[19][20] Aside from its only single, the album also included the song "The March of the Black Queen", a six-minute epic which lacks a chorus or song structure, bearing similarity to Queen's later work, "Bohemian Rhapsody". The Daily Vault described the number as "menacing".[21] Critical reaction was mixed; the Winnipeg Free Press describing the record as a "monstrosity".[22] Allmusic has described the album as a favourite among the band's hardcore fans,[23] and it is the first of three Queen albums to feature in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[24]
Sheer Heart Attack to A Night at the Opera (1974–1976)
After the band's six-night stand at New York's Uris Theatre in May 1974, Brian May collapsed and was diagnosed as having hepatitis.[19] While recuperating, May was initially absent when the band started work on their third album, but he returned midway through the recording process.[25] Released in 1974, Sheer Heart Attack reached number two in the United Kingdom,[26] sold well throughout Europe, and went gold in the United States.[16] It gave the band their first real experience of international success, and was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.[27] The album experimented with a variety of musical genres, including British music hall, heavy metal, ballads, ragtime, and Caribbean. At this point, Queen started to move away from the progressive tendencies of their first two releases into a more radio-friendly, song-oriented style.[28][29] Sheer Heart Attack introduced new sound and melody patterns that would be refined on their next album, A Night at the Opera.
The single "Killer Queen" from Sheer Heart Attack reached number two on the British charts,[15] and became their first US hit, reaching number 12 on theBillboard Hot 100.[30] It combines camp, vaudeville, and British music hall with May's guitar virtuosity. The album's second single, "Now I'm Here", a more traditional hard rock composition, was a number eleven hit in Britain, while the high speed rocker "Stone Cold Crazy" featuring May's uptempo riffs is a precursor to speed metal.[25][31] In recent years, the album has received acclaim from music publications: In 2006, Classic Rock ranked it number 28 in "The 100 Greatest British Rock Albums Ever",[32] and in 2007, Mojo ranked it No.88 in "The 100 Records That Changed the World".[33] It is also the second of three Queen albums to feature in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[24]
In 1975, the band left for a world tour with each member in Zandra Rhodes-created costumes and accompanied with banks of lights and effects. They toured the US as headliners, and played in Canada for the first time.[34][35] In September later that year, after an acromonious split with Trident the band negotiated themselves out of their Trident Studios contract and searched for new management. One of the options they considered was an offer from Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant. Grant wanted them to sign with Led Zeppelin's own production company, Swan Song Records. The band found the contract unacceptable and instead contacted Elton John's manager, John Reid, who accepted the position.[36]
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"Bohemian Rhapsody"
A sample of "Bohemian Rhapsody" from A Night at the Opera (1975). When released it spent nine weeks at number one in the UK and became the third best selling British single of all time.
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In late 1975, Queen recorded and released A Night at the Opera, taking its name from the popular Marx Brothers movie. At the time, it was the most expensive album ever produced.[37]Like its predecessor, the album features diverse musical styles and experimentation with stereo sound. In "The Prophet's Song", an eight-minute epic, the middle section is a canon, with simple phrases layered to create a full-choral sound. The Mercury penned ballad, "Love of My Life", featured a harp and overdubbed vocal harmonies.[38] The album was very successful in Britain,[15] and went triple platinum in the United States.[16] The British public voted it the 13th greatest album of all time in a 2004 Channel 4 poll.[39] It has also ranked highly in international polls; in a worldwide Guinness poll, it was voted the 19th greatest of all time,[40] while an ABC poll saw the Australian public vote it the 28th greatest of all time.[41] A Night at the Opera has frequently appeared in "greatest albums" lists reflecting the opinions of critics. Among other accolades, it was ranked number 16 in Q Magazine's "The 50 Best British Albums Ever" in 2004, and number 11 in Rolling Stone's "The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time" as featured in their Mexican edition in 2004.[42] It was also placed at No. 230 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003.[43] A Night at the Opera is the third and final Queen album to be featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[24]
The album also featured the hit single "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was number one in the UK for nine weeks[15] and is the third-best-selling single of all time in the UK, surpassed only by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997"—making it the best selling commercial single in the UK. It also reached number nine in the United States (a 1992 re-release reached number two on Billboard for five weeks).[30] It is the only single ever to sell a million copies on two separate occasions,[44] and became the Christmas number one twice in the UK, the only single ever to do so. Bohemian Rhapsody has been voted numerous times the greatest song of all time.[45][46] The band decided to make a video to help go with the single and hired Trilion,[47] a subsidiary of the former management company Trident Studios, using new technology to create the video; the result is generally considered to have been the first "true" music video ever produced.[48][49] The album's first track "Death on Two Legs" is said to be written by Mercury about Norman Sheffield and the former management at Trident who helped make the video so popular.[50] Although other bands, including The Beatles, had made short promotional films or videos of songs prior to this, generally, those were specifically made to be aired on specific television shows. The second single from the album, "You're My Best Friend", the second song composed by John Deacon, and his first single, peaked at number sixteen in the United States[30] and went on to become a worldwide Top Ten hit.[44] The band's A Night at the Opera Tour began in November 1975, and covered Europe, the United States, Japan, and Australia.[51]
A Day at the Races to Live Killers (1976–1979)
By 1976, Queen were back in the studio recording A Day at the Races, which is often regarded as a sequel album to A Night at the Opera.[52][53] It again borrowed the name of a Marx Brothers movie, and its cover was similar to that of A Night at the Opera, a variation on the same Queen Crest.[54] The most recognisable of the Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, invited Queen to visit him in his Los Angeles home in March 1977; there the band thanked him in person, and performed "'39" a cappella.[55] Musically, A Day at the Races was by both fans' and critics' standards a strong effort, reaching number one in the UK and Japan, and number five in the US.[15][54] The major hit on the album was "Somebody to Love", a gospel-inspired song in which Mercury, May, and Taylor multi-tracked their voices to create a 100-voice gospel choir. The song went to number two in the United Kingdom,[15] and number thirteen on the US singles chart.[30] The album also featured one of the band's heaviest songs, Brian May's "Tie Your Mother Down", which became a staple of their live shows.[56][57]
During 1976, Queen played one of their most famous gigs, a free concert in Hyde Park, London. It set an attendance record, with 150,000 people confirmed in the audience.[58] On 1 December 1976, Queen were the intended guests on London's early evening Today programme, but they pulled out at the last-minute, which saw their late replacement on the show, EMI labelmate the Sex Pistols, give their seminal interview.[59][60] During the A Day at the Races Tourin 1977, Queen performed sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, New York, in February, and Earls Court, London, in June.[18][61]
The band's sixth studio album News of the World was released in 1977, which has gone four times platinum in the United States, and twice in the UK.[16]The album contained many songs tailor-made for live performance, including two of rock's most recognisable anthems, "We Will Rock You" and the rock ballad "We Are the Champions", both of which became enduring international sports anthems, and the latter reached number four in the United States.[30][62] Queen commenced the News of the World Tour in October 1977, and Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times called this concert tour the band's "most spectacularly staged and finely honed show".[63]
In 1978, the band released Jazz, which included the hit singles "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race" on a double-sided record. The album reached number two in the UK and number six on the Billboard 200 in the US.[64] This album was "the target of a bizarre marketing campaign, in which sixty-five naked women were perched atop bicycles rented from Halford's Cycles and sent racing around Wimbledon Stadium."[65] Reviews of the album in recent years have been more favourable.[66] Another notable track from Jazz, "Don't Stop Me Now", provides another example of the band's exuberant vocal harmonies.[67]
In 1978, Queen toured the US and Canada, and spent much of 1979 touring in Europe and Japan.[68] They released their first live album, Live Killers, in 1979; it went platinum twice in the United States.[69] Queen also released the very successful single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a rockabilly inspired song done in the style of Elvis Presley.[70][71] The song made the top 10 in many countries, topped the Australian ARIA Chartsfor seven consecutive weeks, and was the band's first number one single in the United States where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.[30][72] Having written the song on guitar and played rhythm on the record, Mercury played rhythm guitar while performing the song live, which was the first time he ever played guitar in concert.[71] In December 1979, Queen played the opening night at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea in London, having accepted a request by the event's organiser Paul McCartney.[71]
The Game to The Works (1980–1984)
Queen began their 1980s career with The Game. It featured the singles "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust", both of which reached number one in the United States.[30] After attending a Queen concert in Los Angeles, Michael Jackson suggested to Mercury backstage that "Another One Bites the Dust" be released as a single, and in October 1980 it spent three weeks at number one.[73] The album topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks,[74] and sold over four million copies in the US.[16] It was also the first appearance of a synthesiser on a Queen album. Heretofore, their albums featured a distinctive "No Synthesisers!" sleeve note. The note is widely assumed to reflect an anti-synth, pro-"hard"-rock stance by the band,[75] but was later revealed by producer Roy Thomas Baker to be an attempt to clarify that those albums' multi-layered solos were created with guitars, not synths, as record company executives kept assuming at the time.[76] In September 1980, Queen performed three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden.[18] In 1980, Queen also released the soundtrack they had recorded for Flash Gordon.[77] At the 1981 American Music Awards on 30 January, "Another One Bites the Dust" won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, and Queen were nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group.[78]
In February 1981, Queen travelled to South America as part of The Game Tour, and became the first major rock band to play in Latin American stadiums.[68] The tour included five shows in Argentina, one of which drew the largest single concert crowd in Argentine history with an audience of 300,000 in Buenos Aires[79] and two concerts at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, where they played to an audience of more than 131,000 people in the first night (then the largest paying audience for a single band anywhere in the world)[80] and more than 120,000 people the following night.[81] In October of the same year, Queen performed for more than 150,000 fans on 9 October at Monterrey (Estadio Universitario) and 17 and 18 at Puebla (Estadio Zaragoza), Mexico.[82] On 24 and 25 November, Queen played two sell out nights at the Montreal Forum, Quebec, Canada.[83] One of Mercury's most notable performances of The Game's final track, "Save Me", took place in Montreal, and the concert is recorded in the live album, Queen Rock Montreal.[84]
Queen worked with David Bowie on the single "Under Pressure". The first-time collaboration with another artist was spontaneous, as Bowie happened to drop by the studio while Queen were recording.[85] Upon its release, the song was extremely successful, reaching number one in the UK and featuring at number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.[86]
Later in 1981, Queen released their first compilation album, titled Greatest Hits, which showcased the group's highlights from 1974–1981.[87] It is the best-selling album in UK Chart history, and has spent 450 weeks in the UK Album Chart.[88][89] The album is certified eight times platinum in the United States, and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.[16][90] Taylor became the first member of the band to release his own solo album in 1981, titled Fun in Space.
In 1982, the band released the album Hot Space, a departure from their trademark seventies sound, this time being a mixture of rock, pop rock, dance, funk, and R&B.[91] Most of the album was recorded in Munich during the most turbulent period in the band's history, and Taylor and May lamented the new sound, with both being very critical of the influence Mercury's personal manager Paul Prenter had on the singer.[92] May was also scathing of Prenter, who was Mercury's manager from the early 1980s to 1984, for being dismissive of the importance of radio stations, such as the US networks, and their vital connection between the artist and the community, and for denying them access to Mercury.[93] The band stopped touring North America after theirHot Space Tour, as their success there had waned, although they would perform on American television for the only time during the eighth season premiere of Saturday Night Live. Queen left Elektra Records, their label in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, and signed onto EMI/Capitol Records.
After working steadily for over ten years, Queen decided that they would not perform any live shows in 1983.[94] During this time, they recorded a new album at the Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles andMusicland Studios, Munich, and several members of the band explored side projects and solo work. May released a mini-album titled Star Fleet Project, on which he collaborated with Eddie Van Halen.[95]
In February 1984, Queen released their eleventh studio album, The Works, which included the successful singles "Radio Ga Ga", "Hammer to Fall" and "I Want to Break Free".[96][97] Despite these hit singles, the album failed to do well in the United States, while in the UK it went triple platinum and remained in the album chart for two years.[98]
That year, Queen began The Works Tour, the first tour to feature keyboardist Spike Edney as an extra live musician. The tour featured nine sold-out dates inBophuthatswana, South Africa, at the arena in Sun City.[99][100] Upon returning to England, they were the subject of outrage, having played there during the height of apartheid and in violation of worldwide divestment efforts. The band responded to the critics by stating that they were playing music for fans in that country, and they also stressed that the concerts were played before integrated audiences.[101]
Live Aid and later years (1985–1990)
In January 1985, the band headlined two nights of the first Rock in Rio festival at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and played in front of over 300,000 people each night.[102] The Boston Globe described it as a "mesmerising performance".[103] A selection of highlights of both nights was released on VHS with the titleQueen: Live in Rio, and was later broadcast on MTV in the US.[103][104] In April and May 1985, Queen completed the Works Tour with sold-out shows in Australia and Japan.[105]
"Queen were absolutely the best band of the day... they just went and smashed one hit after another... it was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world"
—Bob Geldof, on Queen's performance at Live Aid.[106]
At Live Aid, held at Wembley on 13 July 1985, in front of the biggest-ever TV audience of 1.9 billion, Queen performed some of their greatest hits, during which the sold-out stadium audience of 72,000 people clapped, sang, and swayed in unison.[107][108] The show's organisers, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, other musicians such as Elton John, Cliff Richard and Dave Grohl, and various music journalists commented that Queen stole the show.[107][109][110][111][112][113][114] An industry poll in 2005 named it the greatest rock performance of all time.[109]
When interviewed for Mojo magazine the band said the most amazing sight at Live Aid was to see the audience clapping to "Radio Ga Ga". Brian May stated: "I'd never seen anything like that in my life and it wasn't calculated either. We understood our audience and played to them but that was one of those weird accidents because of the (music) video. I remember thinking 'oh great, they've picked it up' and then I thought 'this is not a Queen audience'. This is a general audience who've bought tickets before they even knew we were on the bill. And they all did it. How did they know? Nobody told them to do it."[115]
The band, now revitalised by the response to Live Aid — a "shot in the arm" Roger Taylor called it,[115] — and the ensuing increase in record sales, ended 1985 by releasing the single "One Vision", which was the first time since "Stone Cold Crazy" that all four bandmembers received a writing credit for the one song.[116][117] Also, a limited-edition boxed set containing all Queen albums to date was released under the title of The Complete Works. The package included previously unreleased material, most notably Queen's non-album single of Christmas 1984, titled "Thank God It's Christmas".[118]
In early 1986, Queen recorded the album A Kind of Magic, containing several reworkings of songs written for the fantasy action film Highlander.[119] The album was very successful, producing a string of hits, including the title track, "A Kind of Magic". Also charting from the album were "Friends Will Be Friends", "Who Wants to Live Forever" (featuring an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen), and the de facto theme from Highlander, "Princes of the Universe".[120]
In summer of 1986, Queen went on their final tour with Freddie Mercury.[121][122] A sold-out tour in support of A Kind of Magic, once again they hired Spike Edney, leading to him being dubbed the unofficial fifth member.[123][124] The Magic Tour's highlight was at Wembley Stadium in London and resulted in the live double album, Queen at Wembley, released on CD and as a live concert DVD, which has gone five times platinum in the US and four times platinum in the UK.[16][125] Queen could not book Wembley for a third night, but they did play at Knebworth Park. The show sold out within two hours and over 120,000 fans packed the park for what was Queen's final live performance with Mercury.[126] Queen began the tour at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, and during the tour the band performed a concert at Slane Castle, Ireland, in front of an audience of 95,000, which broke the venue's attendance record.[127]The band also played behind the Iron Curtain when they performed to a crowd of 80,000 at the Népstadion in Budapest, in what was one of the biggest rock concerts ever held in Eastern Europe.[128] More than one million people saw Queen on the tour—400,000 in the United Kingdom alone, a record at the time.[100]
After working on various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury's collaboration with Montserrat Caballé, Barcelona), the band released The Miraclein 1989. The album continued the direction of A Kind of Magic, using a pop-rock sound mixed with a few heavy numbers. It spawned the European hits "I Want It All", "Breakthru", "The Invisible Man", "Scandal", and "The Miracle".[129] The Miracle also began a change in direction of Queen's songwriting philosophy. Since the band's beginning, nearly all songs had been written by and credited to a single member, with other members adding minimally. WithThe Miracle, the band's songwriting became more collaborative, and they vowed to credit the final product only to Queen as a group.[130]
Mercury: illness, death, and tribute (1988–1992)
"There was all that time when we knew Freddie was on the way out, we kept our heads down"
—Brian May[131]
After fans noticed Mercury's increasingly gaunt appearance in 1988, rumours began to spread that Mercury was suffering from AIDS. Mercury flatly denied this, insisting he was merely "exhausted" and too busy to provide interviews.[132] The band decided to continue making albums, starting with The Miracle in 1989 and continuing with Innuendo in 1991. Despite his deteriorating health, the lead singer continued to contribute. For the last two albums made while Mercury was still alive, the band credited all songs to Queen, rather than specific members of the group, freeing them of internal conflict and differences. In 1990, Mercury made his final public appearance when he joined the rest of Queen to collect the BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.[133][134] Innuendo was released in early 1991 with an eponymous number 1 UK hit[135] and other charting singles including, "The Show Must Go On".[136] Mercury was increasingly ill and could barely walk when the band recorded "The Show Must Go On" in 1990. Because of this, May had concerns about whether he was physically capable of singing it.[137] Recalling Mercury's successful performance May states; "he went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal".[137] The band's second greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits II, followed in October 1991, which is the eighth best-selling album of all time in the UK and has sold 16 million copies worldwide.[138][139][140]
On 23 November 1991, in a prepared statement made on his deathbed, Mercury confirmed that he had AIDS.[141] Within 24 hours of the statement, he died of bronchial pneumonia, which was brought on as a complication of AIDS.[142] His funeral service on 27 November in Kensal Green, West London was private, and held in accordance with the Zoroastrian religious faith of his family.[143][144] "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a single shortly after Mercury's death, with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" as the double A-side. The music video for "These Are the Days of Our Lives" contain Mercury's final scenes in front of the camera.[145] The single went to number one in the UK, remaining there for five weeks – the only recording to top the Christmas chart twice and the only one to be number one in four different years (1975, 1976, 1991, and 1992).[146] Initial proceeds from the single – approximately £1,000,000 – were donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust.[147]
Queen's popularity was stimulated in the United States when "Bohemian Rhapsody" was featured in the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World.[148] Its inclusion helped the song reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992 (it remained in the Hot 100 for over 40 weeks),[148] and won the band anMTV Award at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.[149] The compilation album Classic Queen also reached number four on the Billboard 200, and is certified three times platinum in the US.[16][148] Wayne's World footage was used to make a new music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody", with which the band and management were delighted.[150]
On 20 April 1992, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was held at London's Wembley Stadium to a 72,000-strong crowd.[151] Performers, including Def Leppard, Robert Plant, Guns N' Roses, Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Seal, Extreme, and Metallica performed various Queen songs along with the three remaining Queen members. The concert is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "The largest rock star benefit concert",[152] as it was televised to over 1.2 billion viewers worldwide,[100] and raised over £20,000,000 for AIDS charities.[147]
Made in Heaven to 46664 Concert (1995–2003)
Queen's last album featuring Mercury, titled Made in Heaven, was finally released in 1995, four years after his death.[153] Featuring tracks such as "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Heaven for Everyone", it was constructed from Mercury's final recordings in 1991, material left over from their previous studio albums and re-worked material from May, Taylor, and Mercury's solo albums. Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were completed at the band's studio in Montreux, Switzerland.[154] The album reached No. 1 on the UK charts immediately following its release, and has sold 20 million copies worldwide.[155][156] On 25 November 1996, a statue of Mercury was unveiled in Montreux overlooking Lake Geneva, almost five years to the day since his death.[154][157]
"You guys should go out and play again. It must be like having a Ferrari in the garage waiting for a driver"
—Elton John, on Queen being without a lead singer since the death of Freddie Mercury.[158]
In 1997, Queen returned to the studio to record "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)". It was released as a bonus track on the Queen Rocks compilation album later that year. The song was later released as a single, reaching number 13 in the UK chart.[159] In January 1997, Queen performed "The Show Must Go On" live with Elton John and the Béjart Ballet in Paris on a night in which Freddie Mercury was remembered, and it marked the last performance and public appearance of John Deacon, who chose to retire.[160] The Paris concert was only the second time Queen had played live since Mercury's death, and prompted Elton John to urge them to perform again.[158]
Brian May and Roger Taylor performed together at several award ceremonies and charity concerts, sharing vocals with various guest singers. During this time, they were billed as Queen + followed by the guest singer's name. In 1998, the duo appeared at Luciano Pavarotti's benefit concert with May performing "Too Much Love Will Kill You" with Pavarotti, later playing "Radio Ga Ga", "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions" with Zucchero. They again attended and performed at Pavarotti's benefit concert in Modena, Italy in May 2003.[161] Several of the guest singers recorded new versions of Queen's hits under the Queen + name, such as Robbie Williams providing vocals for "We Are the Champions" for the soundtrack of A Knight's Tale(2001).[162]
In 1999, a Greatest Hits III album was released. This featured, among others, "Queen + Wyclef Jean" on a rapversion of "Another One Bites the Dust". A live version of "Somebody to Love" by George Michael and a live version of "The Show Must Go On" with Elton John were also featured in the album.[163] By this point, Queen's vast amount of record sales made them the second best selling artist in the UK of all time, behind The Beatles.[156] In 2002, Queen were awarded the 2,207th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is located at 6358 Hollywood Blvd.[164][165] On 29 November 2003, May and Taylor performed at the 46664 Concerthosted by Nelson Mandela at Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, in order to raise awareness of the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.[166] May and Taylor spent time at Mandela's home, discussing how Africa's problems might be approached, and two years later the band was made ambassadors for the 46664 cause.[166]
Queen + Paul Rodgers (2004–2009)
Main article: Queen + Paul Rodgers
At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005 with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company). Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be "featured with" Queen as "Queen + Paul Rodgers", not replacing Mercury. The retired John Deacon would not be participating.[167] In November 2004, Queen were among the inaugural inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and the award ceremony was the first event at which Rodgers joined May and Taylor as vocalist.[166][168]
Between 2005 and 2006, Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a world tour, which was the first time Queen toured since their last tour with Freddie Mercury in 1986.[169] The band's drummer Roger Taylor commented; "We never thought we would tour again, Paul [Rodgers] came along by chance and we seemed to have a chemistry. Paul is just such a great singer. He's not trying to be Freddie."[169] The first leg was in Europe, the second in Japan, and the third in the US in 2006.[170] Queen received the inaugural VH1 Rock Honors at theMandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 25 May 2006.[170] The Foo Fighters paid homage to the band in performing "Tie Your Mother Down" to open the ceremony before being joined on stage by May, Taylor, and Paul Rodgers, who played a selection of Queen hits.[171]
On 15 August 2006, Brian May confirmed through his website and fan club that Queen + Paul Rodgers would begin producing their first studio album beginning in October, to be recorded at a "secret location".[172] Queen + Paul Rodgers performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute held in Hyde Park, London on 27 June 2008, to commemorate Mandela's ninetieth birthday, and again promote awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.[173] The first Queen + Paul Rodgers album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on 12 September 2008 and in the United States on 28 October 2008.[155] Following the release of the album, the band again went on a tour through Europe, opening on Kharkiv's Freedom Square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans.[174] The 12 September concert in Ukraine was later released on DVD.[174] The tour then moved to Russia, and the band performed two sold-out shows at the Moscow Arena.[175] Having completed the first leg of its extensive European tour, which saw the band play 15 sold-out dates across nine countries, the UK leg of the tour sold out within 90 minutes of going on sale and included three London dates, the first of which was The O2 Arena on 13 October.[176] The last leg of the tour took place in South America, and included a sold-out concert at the Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires.[175]
Queen and Paul Rodgers officially split up without animosity on 12 May 2009.[177] Rodgers stated: "My arrangement with [Queen] was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy [Page] in The Firm in that it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement".[177] Rodgers did not rule out the possibility of working with Queen again.[178][179]
Departure from EMI, 40th Anniversary (2009–present)
On 20 May 2009, May and Taylor performed "We Are the Champions" live on the season finale of American Idol with winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert providing a vocal duet.[180] In mid-2009, after the split of Queen + Paul Rodgers, the Queen online website announced a new greatest hits compilation named Absolute Greatest. The album was released on 16 November and peaked at number 3 in the official UK Chart.[181] The album contains 20 of Queen's biggest hits spanning their entire career and was released in four different formats: single disc, double disc (with commentary), double disc with feature book, and a vinyl record. Prior to its release, a competition was run by Queen online to guess the track listing as a promotion for the album.[182]
On 30 October 2009, May wrote a fanclub letter on his website stating that Queen had no intentions to tour in 2010 but that there was a possibility of a performance.[183] He was quoted as saying, "The greatest debate, though, is always about when we will next play together as Queen. At the moment, in spite of the many rumours that are out there, we do not have plans to tour in 2010. The good news, though, is that Roger and I have a much closer mutual understanding these days—privately and professionally ... and all ideas are carefully considered. Music is never far away from us. As I write, there is an important one-off performance on offer, in the USA, and it remains to be decided whether we will take up this particular challenge. Every day, doors seem to open, and every day, we interact, perhaps more than ever before, with the world outside. It is a time of exciting transition in Rock music and in 'The Business'. It's good that the pulse still beats".[183] On 15 November 2009, May and Taylor performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" live on the British TV show The X Factor alongside the finalists.[184]
"Many of you will have read bits and pieces on the internet about Queen changing record companies and so I wanted to confirm to you that the band have signed a new contract with Universal Music...we would like to thank the EMI team for all their hard work over the years, the many successes and the fond memories, and of course we look forward to continuing to work with EMI Music Publishing who take care of our songwriting affairs. Next year we start working with our new record company to celebrate Queen's 40th anniversary and we will be announcing full details of the plans over the next 3 months. As Brian has already said Queen's next moves will involve 'studio work, computers and live work"
—Jim Beach, Queen's Manager, on the change of record label.[185]
On 7 May 2010, May and Taylor announced that they were quitting their record label, EMI, after almost 40 years.[186] On 20 August 2010, Queen's manager Jim Beach put out a Newsletter stating that the band had signed a new contract with Universal Music.[185] During an interview forHardtalk on the BBC on 22 September, May confirmed that the band's new deal was with Island Records, a subsidiary of Universal.[187][188] For the first time since the late 1980s, Queen's catalogue will have the same distributor worldwide, as their US home, Hollywood Records, is currently distributed by Universal (for a time in the late 1980s, Queen was on EMI-owned Capitol Records in the US).
On 14 March 2011, which marked the band's 40th anniversary, Queen's first five albums were re-released in the UK and some other territories as remastered deluxe editions (the US versions were released on 17 May).[189] The second five albums of Queen's back catalogue were released worldwide on 27 June, with the exception of the US and Canada (27 September).[190][191] The final five were released in the UK on 5 September.[192]
In May 2011, Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell noted that Queen are currently scouting their once former and current live bassist Chris Chaney to join the band. Farrell stated: "I have to keep Chris away from Queen, who want him and they're not gonna get him unless we're not doing anything. Then they can have him."[193] In the same month, Paul Rodgers stated he may tour with Queen again in the near future.[194] At the 2011 Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI) Awards held in London on 4 October, Queen received the BMI Icon Award in recognition for their airplay success in the US.[195][196] At the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards on 6 November, Queen received the Global Icon Award, which Katy Perry presented to Brian May.[197]Queen closed the awards ceremony, with Adam Lambert on vocals, performing "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".[197] The collaboration garnered a positive response from both fans and critics, resulting in speculation about future projects together.[198]
In October 2011, it was announced that Queen will be recording a new album featuring lost demos of Mercury on vocals.[199] Brian May confirmed that he and Taylor are working their way through the band's old material to compile a selection of unreleased songs for the forthcoming album.[199] May also revealed that a series of duets that Mercury recorded with Michael Jackson are to be released in 2012.[200] On 25 and 26 April, May and Taylor appeared on the eleventh series of American Idol at the Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, performing a Queen medley with the six finalists on the first show, and the following day performed "Somebody to Love" with the 'Queen Extravaganza' band.[201] Queen were scheduled to headline Sonisphere at Knebworth on 7 July 2012 with Adam Lambert[202] before the festival was cancelled.[203] Queen's final concert with Freddie Mercury was in Knebworth in 1986. Brian May commented, "It's a worthy challenge for us, and I'm sure Adam would meet with Freddie's approval."[198] Queen expressed disappointment at the cancellation and released a statement to the effect that they were looking to find another venue.[204] It was later announced that Queen + Adam Lambert would play two shows at the Hammersmith Apollo, London on 11 and 12 July 2012.[205][206] Both shows sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on open sale.[207] A third London date was scheduled for 14 July.[208] On 30 June, Queen + Lambert performed in Kiev, Ukraine at a joint concert with Elton John for the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation.[209] Queen also performed with Lambert on 3 July 2012 at Moscow's Olympic Stadium,[210][211] and on 7 July 2012 at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland.[212]
On 12 August 2012, Queen performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[213] The performance at London's Olympic Stadium opened with a special remastered video clip of Freddie Mercury on stage performing his call and response routine during their 1986 concert at Wembley Stadium.[214] Following this, May performed part of the "Brighton Rock" solo before being joined by Taylor and solo artist Jessie J for a performance of "We Will Rock You".[214][215]
Artistry
Musical style
The band drew artistic influence from many other British rock acts at the time, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple and David Bowie.[216] Queen composed music that drew inspiration from many different genres of music, often with a tongue-in-cheek attitude.[217] The genres they have been associated with include progressive rock,[216] glam rock,[216] hard rock,[216] heavy metal,[216] pop rock,[216] psychedelic rock,[218] blues rock and dance/disco.[219] Queen also wrote songs that were inspired by genres that are not typically associated with rock, such as ragtime, opera, gospel, vaudeville, and folk.
In 1963, the teenage Brian May and his father custom-built his signature guitar Red Special, which was purposely designed to feedback.[220][221] Sonic experimentation figured heavily in Queen's songs. A distinctive characteristic of Queen's music are the vocal harmonies which are usually composed of the voices of May, Mercury, and Taylor best heard on the studio albums A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races. Some of the ground work for the development of this sound can be attributed to their former producer Roy Thomas Baker, and their engineer Mike Stone.[222][223]Besides vocal harmonies, Queen were also known for multi-tracking voices to imitate the sound of a large choir throughoverdubs. For instance, according to Brian May, there are over 180 vocal overdubs in "Bohemian Rhapsody".[224] Many Queen songs were also written with audience participation in mind, such as "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".[225][226]
Influence
Queen have been recognised as having made significant contributions to such genres as hard rock,[227] and heavy metal,[228] amongst others. Hence, the band have been cited as an influence by many other musicians. Moreover, like their music, the bands and artists that have claimed to be influenced by Queen are diverse and span different generations, countries, and genres.
Some of the musicians that have cited the band as an influence include Anthrax,[229] Nirvana,[230] Def Leppard,[231] Dream Theater,[232] Extreme,[233]Trivium,[234] Foo Fighters,[235] Franz Ferdinand,[236] George Michael,[237] Green Day,[238] Guns N' Roses,[239] Iron Maiden,[240][241] Journey,[242]Kansas,[243] Katy Perry,[244] Keane,[245] Lady Gaga,[246] Manic Street Preachers,[247] Meat Loaf,[248] Metallica,[249] Mika,[250] Muse,[251] Mötley Crüe,[252]My Chemical Romance,[253] Panic at the Disco,[254] Queensrÿche,[255] Van Halen,[256] Radiohead,[257] Robbie Williams,[258] Trent Reznor,[259] Steve Vai,[260] Sum 41,[261] Styx,[262] Midge Ure,[113] The Flaming Lips,[263] The Killers, and The Smashing Pumpkins.[264][265]
Queen have been cited as a major influence on the "neo-classical metal" genre by Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen.[266] Metallica recorded a cover version of "Stone Cold Crazy", which first appeared on the Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary album in 1990, and won their first Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1991. In the early 70s, Queen helped spur the heavy metal genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence;[228][240] theNew Wave of British Heavy Metal in addition, they fused the music genre with a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed.
Legacy
In 2002, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted "the UK's favourite hit of all time"[267] in a poll conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book, and in 2004 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[268] Acclaimed for their stadium rock, in 2005 an industry poll ranked Queen's performance at Live Aid in 1985 as the best live act in history.[28][225][269] In 2007, they were also voted the greatest British band in history by BBC Radio 2 listeners.[270]
As of 2005, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Queen albums have spent a total of 1,322 weeks (twenty-six years) on the UK Album Charts, more time than any other musical act.[87][89] Also in 2005, with the release of their live album with Paul Rodgers, Queen moved into third place on the list of acts with the most aggregate time spent on the British record charts.[271]
In 2006, the Greatest Hits album was the all-time best-selling album in UK Chart history, with sales of 5,407,587 copies, over 604,295 more copies than its nearest competitor, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[88] Their Greatest Hits II album is the eighth best seller, with sales of 3,746,404 copies.[138][272]
The band have released a total of eighteen number one albums, eighteen number one singles, and ten number one DVDs worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. Queen have sold over 150 million albums, with some estimates in excess of 300 million albums worldwide,[225][273][274][275][276] including 34.5 million in the United States alone as of 2004.[277] Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the band is also the only group in which every member has composed more than one chart-topping single, and all four members of Queen were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.[278][279] In 2009, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame,[280][281] and the latter was voted the world's favourite song in a global music poll.[282]
Queen are one of the most bootlegged bands ever, according to Nick Weymouth, who manages the band's official website.[283] A 2001 survey discovered the existence of 12,225 websites dedicated to Queen bootlegs, the highest number for any band.[284] Bootleg recordings have contributed to the band's popularity in certain countries where Western music is censored, such as Iran.[285] In a project called Queen: The Top 100 Bootlegs, many of these have been made officially available to download for a nominal fee from Queen's website, with profits going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.[283] Rolling Stoneranked Queen at number 52 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time",[286] while ranking Mercury the 18th greatest singer,[137] and May the twenty-sixth greatest guitarist.[287] Queen were named 13th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock list,[288] and in 2010 were ranked 17th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.[289] Visitors to Play.com voted them as the best music artist of the last 60 years in their list of "Top 100 Music Artists" in 2013.[290]Gigwise readers chose Queen as the best band of past 60 years.[291]
In other media
Musical theatre
In May 2002, a musical or "rock theatrical" based on the songs of Queen, titled We Will Rock You, opened at theDominion Theatre on London's West End.[225] The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and produced by Robert De Niro. It has since been staged in many cities around the world.[225] Following the Las Vegas premiere on 8 September 2004, Queen were inducted into theHollywood RockWalk in Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.[292]
The original London production was scheduled to close on Saturday, 7 October 2006, at the Dominion Theatre, but due to public demand, the show has now been extended indefinitely. We Will Rock You has become the longest running musical ever to run at this prime London theatre, overtaking the previous record holder, the Grease musical.[293] Brian May has confirmed that they are considering writing a sequel to the musical.[294] The musical toured around the UK in 2009, playing at Manchester Palace Theatre, Sunderland Empire, Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Hippodrome, andEdinburgh Playhouse.[295]
The launch of the musical coincided with Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. As part of the Jubilee celebrations, Brian May performed a guitar solo of "God Save the Queen",[296] as featured on Queen's A Night at the Opera, from the roof of Buckingham Palace. The recording of this performance was used as video for the same song on the 30th Anniversary DVD edition of A Night at the Opera.[297][298]
Sean Bovim created "Queen at the Ballet", a tribute to Freddie Mercury, which uses Queen's music as a soundtrack for the show's dancers, who interpret the stories behind tracks such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", and "Killer Queen".[299]
Queen's music also appears in the Off-Broadway production Power Balladz, most notably the song "We Are the Champions", with the show's two performers believing the song was "the apex of artistic achievement in its day".[300]
Digital realm
In conjunction with Electronic Arts, Queen released the computer game Queen: The eYe in 1998.[301] The music itself—tracks from Queen's vast catalogue, in many cases remixed into new instrumental versions—was by and large well received, but the game experience was hampered by poor gameplay. Adding to the problem was an extremely long development time, resulting in graphic elements that already seemed outdated by the time of release.[302]
Under the supervision of May and Taylor, numerous restoration projects have been under way involving Queen's lengthy audio and video catalogue. DVD releases of their 1986 Wembley concert (titled Live At Wembley Stadium), 1982 Milton Keynes concert (Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl), and two Greatest Video Hits (Volumes 1 and 2, spanning the 1970s and 1980s) have seen the band's music remixed into 5.1 and DTS surround sound. So far, only two of the band's albums, A Night at the Opera and The Game, have been fully remixed into high-resolution multichannel surround on DVD-Audio. A Night at the Opera was re-released with some revised 5.1 mixes and accompanying videos in 2005 for the 30th anniversary of the album's original release (CD+DVD-Video set). In 2007, a Blu-ray edition of Queen's previously released concerts, Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid, was released, marking their first project in 1080p HD.[303]
Queen have been featured multiple times in the Guitar Hero franchise: a cover of "Killer Queen" in the original Guitar Hero, "We Are The Champions", "Fat Bottomed Girls", and the Paul Rodgers collaboration "C-lebrity" in a track pack for Guitar Hero World Tour, "Under Pressure" with David Bowie in Guitar Hero 5,[304] "I Want It All" in Guitar Hero: Van Halen,[305] "Stone Cold Crazy" in Guitar Hero: Metallica,[306] and "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.[307] On 13 October 2009, Brian May revealed there was "talk" going on "behind the scenes" about a dedicated Queen Rock Bandgame.[308]
Queen have also been featured multiple times in the Rock Band franchise: a track pack of 10 songs which are compatible with Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and Rock Band 3 (three of those are also compatible with Lego Rock Band). Their hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" was featured in Rock Band 3 with full harmony and keys support. The band also appeared in the video game Lego Rock Band as playable Lego avatars.[309]
In March 2009, Sony Computer Entertainment released a Queen branded version of the company's karaoke franchise, SingStar. The game, which is available on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, is titled SingStar Queen and has 25 songs on the PS3 and 20 on the PS2.[310] "We Will Rock You" and other songs by Queen also appear in DJ Hero.[311]
"One Vision" was featured on the successful video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8,[312] while "Radio Ga Ga" features on Grand Theft Auto V character trailer for Michael.[313]
Film and television
Queen contributed music directly to the movies Flash Gordon (1980), with "Flash" as the theme song, and Highlander (the original 1986 film),[119][314] with "A Kind of Magic", "One Year of Love", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Hammer to Fall", and the theme "Princes of the Universe", which was also used as the theme of the Highlander TV series (1992–1998).[315] In the United States, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a single in 1992 after appearing in the comedy film Wayne's World.[148] The single subsequently reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (with "The Show Must Go On" as the first track on the single) and helped rekindle the band's popularity in North America.[148][316]
Several films have featured their songs performed by other artists. A version of "Somebody to Love" was done by Anne Hathaway in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted.[317] In 2006, Brittany Murphy also recorded a cover of the same song for the 2006 movie Happy Feet.[318] In 2001, a version of "The Show Must Go On" was performed by Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman in the movie musical Moulin Rouge!.[319] The closing credits of A Knight's Tale, released in 2001, has a version of "We Are the Champions" performed by Robbie Williams and Queen; the introduction to the same movie features We Will Rock You played by the medieval audience. "We Are the Champions" also features in The Mighty Ducks trilogy, Chicken Little (2005), and the 2008 filmWhat Happens in Vegas. In 1992, the film Gladiator featured snippets of "We Will Rock You" performed by Warrant whereas their full version was released as a single. In 2004, "Don't Stop Me Now" was featured in the bar fight scene in the cult movie Shaun of the Dead, and "You're My Best Friend" played during the end credits, as well as during the 2006 Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy The Break-Up.[320]
In May 2004, the Japanese live-action version of Sailor Moon, called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, during Act 29, "Minako's Rival, Mio Kuroki, is a Transfer Student?", used "I Was Born To Love You" in a volleyball game scene featuring the show's hero Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon. "I Was Born to Love You" was used as the theme song of the Japanese television drama Pride on Fuji Television in 2004, starring Takuya Kimura and Yūko Takeuchi. The show's soundtrack also contained other songs by Queen, including "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", and "Bohemian Rhapsody".[321]
Since featuring in Grosse Pointe Blank in 1997, "Under Pressure" has appeared in a number of comedies, such as 40 Days and 40 Nights in 2002 andBen Stiller's 2007 film The Heartbreak Kid.[322]
"Don't Stop Me Now" has featured in the BBC television show Top Gear, and in 2005 the song was voted as "The Greatest Driving Song Ever" by the shows viewers.[323] The song was also featured in Fox's cartoon series American Dad! during the first season episode "Roger 'n' Me" on Fox on 23 April 2006. This was the first of three appearances of Queen songs, the second being "Another One Bites the Dust" in 42-Year-Old Virgin and "Bicycle Race" inJack's Back.[324]
Keeping in the tradition (since Season Five) of naming each season's episodes after songs from a famous 1970s era rock band (Led Zeppelin for the fifth season, The Who for the sixth, and The Rolling Stones for the seventh), the eighth and final season of That '70s Show consisted of episodes named after Queen songs. "Bohemian Rhapsody" served as the season premiere.[325]
Fox television show The Simpsons has made storylines which have featured Queen songs such as "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" (both sung by Homer), and "You're My Best Friend".[326] "We Are the Champions" has also featured in South Park episode "Stanley's Cup", season 5 of The Sopranos (Tony's ringtone), and the first season of Malcolm in the Middle.[327] The British teen drama Skins had two Queen songs on its show, "Escape from the Swamp" features on series 2, episode 7, and "Don't Stop Me Now" on series 3, episode 2.[328][329]
On 11 April 2006, Brian May and Roger Taylor appeared on the American singing contest television show American Idol. Each contestant was required to sing a Queen song during that week of the competition. Songs which appeared on the show included "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "The Show Must Go On", "Who Wants to Live Forever", and "Innuendo". Brian May later criticised the show for editing specific scenes,[330] one of which made the group's time with contestant Ace Young look negative, despite it being the opposite. Taylor and May again appeared on the American Idol Season 8 finale in May 2009, performing "We Are the Champions" with finalists Adam Lambert and Kris Allen.[180] On 15 November 2009, Brian May and Roger Taylor appeared on the singing contest television show X Factor in the UK.[331]
In the autumn of 2009, the Fox television show Glee featured the fictional high school's show choir singing "Somebody to Love" as their second act performance in the episode The Rhodes Not Taken. The performance was included on the show's Volume 1 soundtrack CD, and is available as a single via digital download.[332] In June 2010, the choir performed "Another One Bites the Dust" in the episode Funk.[333] In May 2012, the choir performed "We Are the Champions" in the episode Nationals, and the song features in The Graduation Album.[334]
In September 2010, Brian May announced in a BBC interview that Sacha Baron Cohen is to play Mercury in a film of the same name.[335] TIME commented with approval on his singing ability and visual similarity to Mercury.[336] The motion picture is being written by Peter Morgan, who had been nominated for Oscars for his screenplays The Queen and Frost/Nixon. The film, which is being co-produced by Robert De Niro's TriBeCa Productions, will focus on Queen's formative years and the period leading up to the celebrated performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert.[337]
Band members
- Current members
- Brian May – lead guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals (1970–present)
- Roger Taylor – drums, rhythm guitar, percussion, vocals, tambourine (1970–present)
- Former members
- Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar, tambourine (1970–1991; his death)
- John Deacon – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboard, backing vocals, triangle (1971–1997)
- Touring members
- Morgan Fisher - keyboards, piano (1982)
- Fred Mandel - keyboards, piano (1982)
- Spike Edney – keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1984–present)
- Early members[338][339][340]
- Mike Grose – bass (1970)
- Barry Mitchell – bass (1970–1971)
- Doug Ewood Bogie – bass (1971)
- Timeline
Discography
 |
|
Main articles: Queen discography and Queen videography
- Queen (1973)
- Queen II (1974)
- Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
- A Night at the Opera (1975)
- A Day at the Races (1976)
- News of the World (1977)
- Jazz (1978)
- The Game (1980)
- Flash Gordon (1980)
- Hot Space (1982)
- The Works (1984)
- A Kind of Magic (1986)
- The Miracle (1989)
- Innuendo (1991)
- Made in Heaven (1995)
- Extracted from the site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)
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