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| Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
...Just amp'd up, camp'd up, theatrical rock. Pretty much how I thought of it back in the 70s.
British music hall tradition updated to a rock band; fun stuff, well done and nothing wrong with it but nothing of particular consequence to my mind at any rate and I heard all of it at one time or another.
The one time they did catch my attention was Brian May being interviewed and plying some George Formby sort of rig on the ukulele that his father carried in his pack throughout WWII - not that I like like George Formby or ukulele music (except Brudda Iz) but the continuity with Queen, George Formby and May playing his deceased father's ukulele briefly struck a chord as it were and caught my interest for a moment. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I would say they invented "glam rock". |
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Location: enid, ok | I always thought that was David Bowie, but good point. I'm with Miles; I don't like everything they did, but they were truly special and not prone to catagorization, they were just who and what they were. Very influential and very good. Not my faves, but hats off in a big way. And it took those 4 guys to do that in that space and time; no substitutions are going to be able to re-create that. I don't like every song, but they were truly unique and special, which I believe truly creative musicians always strive for. |
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| Another great group that had a style all their own. You liked them or you didn't.
Man Freddy could SING. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I liked them until Freddie cut his hair. |
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Location: Whitecourt, Ab | Their "Killer Queen" album was my first favorite of theirs. One of those "I bought in every media" available albums (8 track, vinyl, cassette)and played the livin crap out of it cruising around in my first car with an 8 track tie wired and binder twined to under the dash. I loved the humbucker smooth riffs of Brian May, combined with (IMHO) the greatest ranged voice in RnR. I was always amazed that when he spoke I had no idea that he would be able to belt out that huge register of vocals that he had |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
Before MJK takes a stab at it... I'm curious if my impression of most of their music all these years has been correct or not.
I think "Queen" was more than a cool name. While some of the songs have a "meaning" deeper than what's on the surface... mostly they just wrote "Queen'd" up music. As in drama queen, as in over the top stories. Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Fat Bottom girls, Bicycle, Flash, We will Rock You, etc etc etc..
Just amp'd up, camp'd up, theatrical rock. Again except for a few... no hidden meaning, no hidden agenda, just pick a topic, no matter how silly or important, and ride that line between cartoon and brilliant.
A Queen song is to any other song, what Arnold Rimmer's salute is to any other salute. It is what it is, and while you and I couldn't do it with any amount of dignity and a straight face... they get away with it.. they pull it off.. 4 guys... took a song one of them was working on... started working on it together... saw what came of it... if nothing... on to the next!
That's what I always gathered from it, personally, based on everything I watched and heard related to them in any ways.
Although they always went for "campy" from my understanding.
MJK |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Joe Rotax:
Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
...Just amp'd up, camp'd up, theatrical rock. The one time they did catch my attention was Brian May being interviewed and plying some George Formby sort of rig on the ukulele that his father carried in his pack throughout WWII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQGZ6YxI-kk |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by stephent28:
I would say they invented "glam rock". Glam pre 73' ??? Anyone?
I believe it existed just not on a worldwide scale yet... though I may be mistaken.
Bowie started when? Gary Glitter?
After right?
MJK |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by maxdaddy7271:
I always thought that was David Bowie, but good point. I'm with Miles; I don't like everything they did, but they were truly special and not prone to catagorization, they were just who and what they were. Very influential and very good. Not my faves, but hats off in a big way. And it took those 4 guys to do that in that space and time; no substitutions are going to be able to re-create that. I don't like every song, but they were truly unique and special, which I believe truly creative musicians always strive for. I'm in full agreement here!
Even the part about not liking every song, believe it or not! hahahahaa!
I do look at them as true musicians... and they cared very much about writing songs that can appeal to everybody.. of course, whilst growing musically themselves and being true to the musicians that they all were.
They've said many times how badly then would argue and it was always "behind closed doors" and only between the band... about the songs... the integrity and the "vison" that they wanted it to reflect.
Of course there are true musicians who don't give a damn about reaching everybody... they barely try and end up with some sort of faithful fans!
That's some pretty cool talent as well, right?
MJK |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Northcountry:
Another great group that had a style all their own. You liked them or you didn't.
Man Freddy could SING. That's always the mark of a legendary band...
Kiss, Queen, Zeppelin, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Van Halen (not van hagar or van cheronie), RUSH, etc etc etc.
Its been said that Freddie had a full 5 octave range.. some say a full 8 octaves! hahahaha!
I love it! I've never heard that sort of thing said about anybody else out there... not even the truest of opera singers.
MJK |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
I liked them until Freddie cut his hair. Wow! hahahahaha!
Well it's certainly not about the music at all then for you then, is it? LOL Don't be shallow or anything okay? ;^)
Just joking around... don't take that wrong.. thanks!
MJK |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by rededdie:
I loved the humbucker smooth riffs of Brian May, combined with (IMHO) the greatest ranged voice in RnR. I was always amazed that when he spoke I had no idea that he would be able to belt out that huge register of vocals that he had Humbucker smooth! COOL! He never used humbuckers.. that's so classic to say that! LOL
Yea... Farouk Bulsara was very soft spoken... then FREDDIE came out for the music! Very cool
MJK |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by Michael Joseph Kramer:
Originally posted by Gallerinski:
I liked them until Freddie cut his hair. Wow! hahahahaha!
Well it's certainly not about the music at all then for you then, is it? LOL Don't be shallow or anything okay? ;^) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | After Freddie cut his hair and announced his illness, it just became a long funeral party for him.
If I go to see a show, I wanna see a Show.
Here is my gripe, and Freddie wasn't the only one guilty of this...
Once these folks reach a certain level of fame they decide to start holding the mic out for the audience to 'sing along' and become 'part of the show'...
I can sit at home or in a bar with a bunch of stoned people and sing-along.
Or in the car ala Wayne's World.
Why do these people think that I would pay to Not hear the band.
If Pete Seeger wants people to sing along with him that is one thing, cuz he wrote folk songs to be sung by normal people.
But I don't need to be surrounded by idiots with bad voices trying sing Bohemian Rhapsody.
And yeah... That was over amp'd Theatrical Rock. But that was what it was supposed to be. At the time you had David Bowie, Alice Cooper, ELO's spaceship, Parliament Funkadelic's spaceship, laser-light shows and all that stuff.
They hadn't quite ruined everything by having Every show in a stadium.
Some were still in auditoriums and concert halls.
So like I said... It was a Show! |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Originally posted by Michael Joseph Kramer:
Originally posted by Gallerinski:
I liked them until Freddie cut his hair. Wow! hahahahaha!
Well it's certainly not about the music at all then for you then, is it? LOL Don't be shallow or anything okay? ;^)
Believe me...
I know the 1st 4 were definitely THE BEST of Queen... but most people barely know any of that material. As you would guess....
THanks!
MJK |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
After Freddie cut his hair and announced his illness, it just became a long funeral party for him.
If I go to see a show, I wanna see a Show.
Here is my gripe, and Freddie wasn't the only one guilty of this...
Once these folks reach a certain level of fame they decide to start holding the mic out for the audience to 'sing along' and become 'part of the show'... 1st off Freddie cut his hair around 78-79... he contracted the disease that killed him somewhere in the mid to late 80s.... I don't understand the "Funeral Party" comment at all. Are you saying that he partied so much it was just a matter of time before he got sick and passed away? Because if so keep in mind that when Freddie got ill no one knew what this disease was. I believe that is very important to keep in mind. Don't you? But I'm getting ahead of myself.....
Please elaborate on "Funeral Party" from how you meant it... that's quite a phrase to me!
And as far as "Audience Participation" goes...
The fans, on the whole, LOVED that about Freddie and definitely didn't see that as Freddie not wanting to put on a show, but to help make the show a better experience for the audience.
I dare you to show me one Queen concert on DVD where Freddie didn't sing and play his ass off for his fans... they always ALL did... that's a fact.
But yes... there are lazy, ego maniacal singers out there that don't do their job. Some less guilty than others.... They do exist, so I know what you mean by that, but Freddie wasn't one of those... he would sing his last breathe for his audience and practically did.
Just the facts.... no venom, just confusion about what you said in conjunction with Queen.
Thanks for your comment!
MJK |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Don't know when he cut his hair, I was in prison. When I went in they all had long hair, when I got out Freddie had the 'Clone' haircut and mustache.
Freddie never announced his illness (until Just before he died), Freddie himself mentioned in an interview that he put-off getting tested cuz he 'didn't want to know'.
But among the gay community it was well speculated. (I ain't gay, but I have lived in Boston, NYC, and SF, mostly in the gay community. I currently live across the street from a Tranny show-bar. Hippies and gay folks often rent in the same areas.)
Even if Freddie did not admit to the public (press) that he had AIDS, people knew.
It is similar that amongst the 'street community'...
We can LOOK at someone and know if the have Hepatitis or Sclerosis or AIDS.
So HE knew he was dying. And a large number of his fans knew he was dying.
It was like one long funeral party. People would go to his concerts to say Good Bye.
People who did not know that Freddie was dying just weren't paying attention.
He knew what he was doing when he would get his strength together for one more tour, or one more show. Just one Last time.
As to the mic thing, maybe the show that I saw recently on the tube left a bad impression on me.
And I still don't like concerts in stadiums, at least not if I want to hear or see the band.
When I went to mega-concerts I went for the party, not so much to see the band. |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
Don't know when he cut his hair, I was in prison. When I went in they all had long hair, when I got out Freddie had the 'Clone' haircut and mustache.
Freddie never announced his illness (until Just before he died), Freddie himself mentioned in an interview that he put-off getting tested cuz he 'didn't want to know'.
But among the gay community it was well speculated. (I ain't gay, but I have lived in Boston, NYC, and SF, mostly in the gay community. I currently live across the street from a Tranny show-bar. Hippies and gay folks often rent in the same areas.)
Even if Freddie did not admit to the public (press) that he had AIDS, people knew.
It is similar that amongst the 'street community'...
We can LOOK at someone and know if the have Hepatitis or Sclerosis or AIDS.
So HE knew he was dying. And a large number of his fans knew he was dying.
It was like one long funeral party. People would go to his concerts to say Good Bye.
People who did not know that Freddie was dying just weren't paying attention.
He knew what he was doing when he would get his strength together for one more tour, or one more show. Just one Last time.
As to the mic thing, maybe the show that I saw recently on the tube left a bad impression on me.
And I still don't like concerts in stadiums, at least not if I want to hear or see the band.
When I went to mega-concerts I went for the party, not so much to see the band. Wow....ummm.... I don't know what to say to that at all except that you definitely weren't following any of that, obviously.
I'll leave it in a nice way...
I'll agree to pretty much completely disagree with you on almost all of your points, how's that? ;^)
If that's your take on it, you're definitely entitled to your beliefs and opinions....
Just be rest assured I am going to completely bite my tongue at what I consider your ignorance to the topic of Freddie, AIDS in general, and how it relates to Queen and the fans which we were discussing. Fair enough my friend?
Thanks for your comment nonetheless...
All the best to you.. many blessings to you and yours.....
MJK |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Okey-dokey.... You ain't mad at me now are ya'? |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | Definitely not brother... I was hoping you weren't going to be! hahahahaha!
It's all good... you've just seen this whole scenario very differently than I have... that's all.
No worries at all. But thanks for asking!
MJK |
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Location: Utica, NY | Best ever. |
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Location: Texas | Originally posted by Michael Joseph Kramer:
Originally posted by stephent28:
I would say they invented "glam rock". Glam pre 73' ??? Anyone?
I believe it existed just not on a worldwide scale yet... though I may be mistaken.
Bowie started when? Gary Glitter?
After right?
MJK
Pretties For You
and their second in 1970:
Easy Action
In fact, some people referred to their style of dress as "drag queen" even back then… As everyone knows, they soon morphed into a Halloween act…
David Bowie's first album was released in 1967, but I don't think he was doing the "Glam Rock" thing until Ziggy Stardust, (1972.) |
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Location: Texas | Originally posted by Michael Joseph Kramer:
Its been said that Freddie had a full 5 octave range.. some say a full 8 octaves! hahahaha!
I love it! I've never heard that sort of thing said about anybody else out there... not even the truest of opera singers.
MJK World record for greatest male vocal range: Six octaves, Tim Storms, USA…
Greatest female range and highest vocal note: Eight octaves, G2-G10, Georgia Brown, Brazil, August 18, 2004…
Vocal Range
Sorry, I just had to look it up, I have heard similar claims about Pat Benatar, Minnie Ripperton, and others. I personally can barely manage one octave on a good day… ;) |
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Location: Stratford, Connecticut | I agree!
They didn't coin the term "glam rock" I guess until Bowie and Queen, etc... but I would definitely classify Alice Cooper as what later become glam rock.. no doubt! Cool, thanks!
Nothing wrong with that Standing! I love fun facts! hahahahahaha! Thanks!
MJK |
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QUEEN - Brian, Freddie, John & Roger - Your thoughts?
