Queen (band)

Queen is a British rock band which came to popularity during the mid-1970s, and have amassed an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. They have sold an estimated 190 million records around the world and, in their home country of Britain, remain second only to The Beatles in terms of sales and collectability (though in 2005, they actually exceeded the number of weeks spent on the British chart by The Beatles).

History

1968-1970

Brian May and Roger Taylor were playing in a band called Smile with bass player/singer Tim Staffell. Freddie was Tim's roommate in Ealing Arts College and followed Smile's rehearsals and concerts closely. At that time Freddie was a singer in other bands, such as Wreckage and Ibex. Still, he was very eager to share his ideas in which musical direction Smile should develop.

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At some point Tim Staffell decided Smile was not going anywhere and he decided to join a band called Humpy Bong. Freddie quickly stepped in for Tim and they started to search for a bass player. The first one was Mike Grose, soon replaced by Barry Mitchell. It was not until 1971 that they found John Deacon and started to rehearse for the first album, Queen.

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1970s

In 1973 Queen released their first album, a self-titled effort. It drew little attention, but succeeded in giving the band an FM radio anthem "Keep Yourself Alive." In hindsight, it's considered to be a strong first album, but it wasn't until 1974 that the band gained any mainstream attention or commercial success. The album Queen II, was released, which also sold poorly, but is revered by many of Queen's more devoted fans as one of their best works. The album was highly experimental, so it garnered little mainstream attention and was, like Queen I, a commercial flop, but the band released the song "Seven Seas of Rhye" as a single, which reached number 10 in Britain, giving them their first hit. They toured as support to Mott the Hoople during this period, which is where they first began to gain notoriety for their energetic and crowd-involving stage shows.

Related Topics:
1973 - First album - Keep Yourself Alive - 1974 - Queen II - Britain - Mott the Hoople

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Later that same year, Sheer Heart Attack was released. The album was huge in the UK and throughout Europe; and went gold in the United States, giving the band their first taste of true commercial success. Considered one of their greatest efforts, Queen made a surprisingly cohesive album with a wide variety of different types of music; British music hall to heavy metal tunes like "Stone Cold Crazy" (which Metallica would later cover and earn a Grammy for) and "Now I'm Here" (a live concert favourite); ballads ("Lily of the Valley"), ragtime ("Bring Back That Leroy Brown"), even Caribbean ("Misfire").

Related Topics:
Sheer Heart Attack - UK - Europe - Stone Cold Crazy - Metallica - Grammy - Caribbean

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The single "Killer Queen" was a British number 2 hit which got as high as number 11 on the U.S. charts. It combined campy, vaudeville British music hall with Led Zeppelin-like sound and Brian May's virtuosity on the guitar.

Related Topics:
Killer Queen - British - U.S. - Led Zeppelin

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If Sheer Heart Attack's blend of eclectic styles and heavy-metal was considered to be gamut-running, their 1975 effort A Night at the Opera was all-encompassing. Considered by many fans and critics alike to be their greatest effort (some call it Queen's Led Zeppelin IV), this is the album that featured the huge worldwide hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody". "Bohemian Rhapsody" was number one in the UK for nine weeks, and another five weeks in 1991 when it was re-released after Mercury's death. It originally reached number 9 in the U.S, and number 2 when re-released in 1992. The song remains one of Britain's top 5 best-selling singles of all time. The album also featured "You're My Best Friend" (which peaked at 14 on the U.S. charts), a sweet, pure pop gem that was unlike anything Queen had ever done to that point. "I'm In Love With My Car" was a hard-rock tune, written and sung by drummer Roger Taylor, which was used in Jaguar car commercials. The entire album, however, featured incredible diversity in music styles (similar to Sheer Heart Attack).

Related Topics:
1975 - A Night at the Opera - Led Zeppelin IV - Bohemian Rhapsody - 1991 - 1992 - You're My Best Friend - I'm In Love With My Car - Jaguar - Commercials

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The album was a smash in Britain, and went three times platinum in the United States. It was official; Queen had hit the popular music scene.

Related Topics:
Britain - Platinum - United States

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Back in the studio and unable to top A Night At The Opera in sales or quality, in 1976 Queen recorded what essentially was a companion album, A Day At The Races, also in keeping with the Marx Brothers' movie theme for the title. The cover was similar to that of A Night at the Opera, a variation on the same Queen Crest. Plans were made to eventually release the two together as a package, but those plans never came to fruition.

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The album was done very much in the vein of A Night at the Opera musically as well. Although it was by both fans' and critics' standards a strong effort, it was unable to eclipse its predecessor, and thus as a result has been somewhat underrated.

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The standout tracks were "Somebody to Love" and "Tie Your Mother Down." "Somebody" was an incredible rock ballad, on which Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor multi-tracked their voices to make a 100-voice gospel choir. Staying true to their guitar-driven style, it was filled with Brian May's virtuoso harmony, and it went to number 11 on the U.S. singles chart and number 2 on the U.K. charts. "Tie Your Mother Down" was a typical Queen hard-rocker that produced a very recognizable riff and displayed Queen's trademark sense of humour.

Related Topics:
Somebody to Love - Tie Your Mother Down

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It was during this same year that Queen played one of their most famous gigs, a 1976 concert in Hyde Park. They set an attendance record, with 150,000 people confirmed to be in attendance. By comparison, the 2005 London Live 8 concert, which featured numerous of the world's highest drawing acts (including U2, Madonna, Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Robbie Williams and a reunited Pink Floyd) also drew about 150,000.

Related Topics:
Live 8 - U2 - Madonna - Coldplay - Sir Elton John - Robbie Williams - Pink Floyd

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1977 saw the release of News of the World, an album that was critically panned at the time but has gained recognition over time as being one of the stand-out hard rock albums of the late-70's as well as being one of the albums most influential in creating stadium rock. This album had more of a sonic punch to it, as well as songs that were tailor-made to be performed (and subsequently have their greatest effect) live. This album produced the anthemic "We Will Rock You" and the famous rock ballad "We Are The Champions" (both of which combined together reached number 4 in the U.S.), as well as the punchy, near-punk sound of "Sheer Heart Attack" (not to be confused with the album of the same name released three years earlier) - and possibly an influence on Queens Of The Stone Age's "Feelgood Hit of the Summer" which features an alarmingly similar guitar riff. "Get Down, Make Love" was a funky, almost electronic sounding tune which would prove to be hugely influential on the industrial movement nearly 15 years later--Nine Inch Nails even covered the songs. "It's Late" became a favorite amongst fans, an epic Zeppelin-esque rocker.

Related Topics:
1977 - News of the World - Stadium rock - We Will Rock You - We Are The Champions - Queens Of The Stone Age's - Nine Inch Nails

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In 1978 the band released the Jazz album, including the hit singles "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race", being a double-A-side single. The album cover was inspired by a painting on the Berlin wall. Important tracks of the album were "Dead on Time", "Let Me Entertain You" or "Mustapha", a song by Freddie, which had a very Arabian sound combined with heavy rock guitar.

Related Topics:
1978 - Jazz - Berlin wall - Arabia

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Fan response was lukewarm to Jazz and for the first time Queen's sales saw a bit of a dip. All band members, especially Mercury, noted frustration and disappointment with the album, and as a result, took a break from the breakneck schedule of one or more albums a year, and focused during the year of 1979 totally on a new album to come out in 1980.

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They did, however, release their first-ever live album, in response to the exorbitant amounts of money Queen bootlegs were fetching. The album, entitled Live Killers, went platinum (twice in the U.S.) in most developed countries. They also released the very successful single, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," a song done in the style of Elvis Presley; the single made the top 10 in most countries and was the band's first number one single in the U.S.

Related Topics:
Live Killers - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

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1980s

Queen kicked off the 1980s with the hugely successful album, The Game. The album turned out to be their highest selling (barring greatest hits collections). The album featured the "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" single, as well as the monster hit "Another One Bites The Dust" a track that was released in the summer of 1980 after Michael Jackson suggested it would make a great single. Inspired by both the Sugar Hill Gang song , "Rapper's Delight" and the guitar riffs from Chic's song "Good Times" (which itself inspired the work of the Sugar Hill Gang), it combined Queen's rock sensibilities with a funky minimalism that resulted in a discofied rock classic. It stayed at number one for four weeks in the United States, and the album went four times platinum States-side. It was also the only song to ever top the Billboard rock, dance, and R&B charts simultaneously. The album also featured two of Queen's greatest ballads; "Play the Game" and the fan-favourite "Save Me," both of which were hits in Britain and well-remembered by rock fans in the States. Significantly, the album marked the first appearance of a synthesizer on any Queen record. (Many of their previous efforts proudly called attention to the absence of synthesizers.)

Related Topics:
The Game - Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Another One Bites The Dust - Michael Jackson - Sugar Hill Gang - Rapper's Delight - Chic - Billboard - Rock - Dance - R&B - Synthesizer

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1980 also saw them do the innovative and critically-acclaimed soundtrack for the movie Flash Gordon. The album sold poorly, but served as a showcase for Queen in a different light.

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1981 saw Queen collaborate with David Bowie for the single "Under Pressure". The single netted a number one in Britain and a well-remembered rock anthem, a fan-favourite of both Queen and Bowie legionnaires. The memorable riff showed up for Vanilla Ice's 1990 hit, "Ice Ice Baby", prompting a successful lawsuit over the use of the sample. The group also released a widely successful greatest hits album, their first, which showcased their rock highlights during the first phase of their career.

Related Topics:
David Bowie - Under Pressure - Vanilla Ice - 1990 - Ice Ice Baby

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The response to "Another One Bites The Dust" was overwhelming, and many of Queen's new songs featured danceable funk riffs and hip-hop-influenced beats. The result was the 1982 album Hot Space, which, fairly or not, tends to be regarded by critics and die-hard, loyal fans alike as being one of their worst. The album was especially disappointing to the hard-rock faithful that had followed Queen from their early years. Nonetheless, the album included "Under Pressure," the only real highlight, and "Body Language," a single that gained attention only in the U.S., netting a surprise number 11 hit.

Related Topics:
1982 - Hot Space

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In 1984, Queen successfully bridged the gap between hard rock and pop with the album The Works, which included the incredibly successful glitzy rock anthem "Radio Ga-Ga," the gorgeous pop of "I Want to Break Free" (a song later to be used both as an anthem of the democracy movement in Brazil and later in commercials for the Coca-Cola C2 soda), and the heavy, hard-rock live favourites "Hammer to Fall" (a poetic commentary on the Cold War) and the US radio hit "Tear It Up." Despite these hit singles and live barn-burners, the album failed to fare well in the US, contributing to tensions within the band.

Related Topics:
1984 - The Works - Radio Ga-Ga - I Want to Break Free - Brazil - Commercials - Coca-Cola C2 - Soda

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The remarkable music video for "I Want to Break Free" parodied Coronation Street, a British soap opera, and was popular there, but as it showed the band in drag, was thought to work against them elsewhere, where viewers did not get the joke. Mercury was booed when he performed the song at the Rock in Rio concert wearing stockings and suspenders as in the video, because he was seen to be degrading the democratic anthem. Many claimed that the video hurt the band's sales in the United States in subsequent years.

Related Topics:
Music video - Coronation Street - Soap opera - Rock in Rio - United States

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The surprisingly poor sales of "The Works" in the US led to the members of Queen branching off onto solo projects during this period. Then came 1985, and the benefit concert Live Aid, at which Queen were invited to perform. In the eyes of critics and fans alike, the group stole the show at the worldwide extravaganza, performing some of their greatest hits and wowing audiences with their energy and superb musicianry and showmanship.

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Revitalised by the response to Live Aid and the resulting increase in record sales, Queen ended 1985 by releasing the single "One Vision", an uptempo guitar-based song credited, unusually for this period, to the four members of the band. It was used in the film "Iron Eagle".

Related Topics:
One Vision - Iron Eagle

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In early 1986 Queen recorded the album "A Kind of Magic", containing several songs written for the Russell Mulcahy film Highlander of the same year, as well as a few inspired by (but not used in) the film. This album was very successful, producing a string of hits including the title track "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants To Live Forever?" and "Friends Will Be Friends".

Related Topics:
1986 - A Kind of Magic - Russell Mulcahy - Highlander - Who Wants To Live Forever? - Friends Will Be Friends

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Later that year, Queen went on a sold-out final tour, known as The Magic Tour, in support of A Kind Of Magic, whose highlight was at Wembley Stadium in London and resulted in the triumphant live double album, Queen Live At Wembley Stadium, which has become for many fans and critics, Queen's ultimate live document, released both on CD and as a live concert film on VHS and later DVD. Freddie teased the capacity crowd of 89,000 that Queen might be breaking up, only to tell the crowd that it was just a silly rumour, and that Queen would be together until "we fucking well die, I'm sure!" much to the delight of the crowd.

Related Topics:
The Magic Tour - A Kind Of Magic - Wembley Stadium - London - Queen Live At Wembley Stadium

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On this tour, Queen performed for the last time together. They could not book Wembley for a third night because it was already booked, but they managed to get Knebworth Park. It sold out within 2 hours, and over 120,000 fans packed the park to get a glimpse of Queen one last time live.

Related Topics:
Wembley - Knebworth Park

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After working in various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury´s collaboration with Montserrat Caballé, "Barcelona") the band released The Miracle in 1989. This record continued the direction of A Kind of Magic with a polished pop-rock sound and hits like "Invisible Man", "The Miracle" and "Breakthru".

Related Topics:
Montserrat Caballé - The Miracle - A Kind of Magic

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1990s

In 1991, rumours started spreading in the tabloid press and elsewhere that Freddie Mercury was suffering from AIDS. Although they were true, Mercury flatly denied these rumours. However, the band decided to make an album free of conflict and differences. That album became Innuendo. Although his health began to deteriorate, Mercury was courageous in handling his contributions. Highlights of the album were the epic title track, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir"; the hard-rocking, rollicking powerhouse "Headlong"; and the anthems "The Show Must Go On" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives".

Related Topics:
1991 - Tabloid - Innuendo - Led Zeppelin

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On November 23 1991, in a prepared statement made on his deathbed, Freddie Mercury finally acknowledged he had AIDS. Within 24 hours of the announcement, Mercury was dead at the age of 45. His funeral services were private, held in accordance with the Zoroastrian religious faith of his family.

Related Topics:
November 23 - 1991 - AIDS - Zoroastrian

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On April 20 1992, the public shared in the mourning of Mercury's passing at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held at London's Wembley Stadium in Mercury's honour. Musicians such as Annie Lennox, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Elton John, George Michael, David Bowie, Metallica, and Liza Minnelli (along with the three surviving members of Queen) performed most of Queen's major hits.

Related Topics:
April 20 - 1992 - The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert - Annie Lennox - Guns n' Roses - Def Leppard - Elton John - George Michael - David Bowie - Metallica - Liza Minnelli

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Queen never actually disbanded, although their last album of original material (not including compilations) was released in 1995, titled Made In Heaven, put out four years after Freddie Mercury's death, and constructed from Freddie's final recording sessions in 1991 (which the last session was said to have been only 10 days before his death), plus material leftover from their previous studio albums. May and Taylor have been involved in projects-often related to raising money for AIDS research and promoting its support. John Deacon generally keeps a very low profile-only re-appearing to quash the notion of Queen re-forming. May and Taylor do participate in the making of "Queen & ..." projects with various guest musicians, something which Deacon is said to generally support, even if he displayed strong criticism towards the projects with Five ("We Will Rock You", 2000) and Robbie Williams ("We Are The Champions", 2001).

Related Topics:
1995 - Made In Heaven - 1991

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Dragon Attack was a 1997 tribute album titled after one of Queen's earlier recordings. Put together by Billy Sherwood, it featured musicians including Yngwie Malmsteen, Lemmy Kilmister, Glenn Hughes, Carmine Appice and John Petrucci.

Related Topics:
Billy Sherwood - Yngwie Malmsteen - Lemmy Kilmister - Glenn Hughes - Carmine Appice - John Petrucci

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2000s

At the end of 2004, it was announced that Queen would reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free, Bad Company, and The Firm) who would be singing in Freddie Mercury's place, as frontman, but would not be in the band as Brian May had announced to the Queen fan club, that Paul Rodgers would be "featured with" Queen, not replacing the late Freddie Mercury. Deacon would again not be taking part. The tour which led the band through Spain, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Sweden featured both classic Queen tracks as well as material from Paul Rodgers. The tour had a great deal of success in Europe, with many dates selling out. On the heels of this, in June 2005 guitarist Brian May announced that they would do two U.S. dates in the autumn, and may return in the Spring for a full-blown tour if these dates sold well. The European leg was documented on the double live album Return of the Champions which was released on September 13, 2005. A DVD release of tour footage was scheduled for October 2005.

Related Topics:
Paul Rodgers - Free - Bad Company - The Firm - Return of the Champions - September 13 - 2005

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In June 2005, on the Queen's list of birthday honourees, Brian May was awarded the title of Commander of the British Empire. Other honourees included Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

Related Topics:
The Queen - Commander of the British Empire - Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page

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On August 9, 2005, a tribute album of the band, entitled ' was released and included contributors like: Sum 41, Los Lobos, Joss Stone, Nickelback, Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, Eleven and Rooney.

Related Topics:
August 9 - 2005 - Sum 41 - Los Lobos - Joss Stone - Nickelback - Jason Mraz - Gavin DeGraw - Eleven - Rooney

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