Queen burst onto the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene in 1973
with the release of this self-titled debut album in 1973. As soon as
they arrived it seemed like they had always been superstars. Limousines
everywhere, huge entourage, Freddie’s fingernail polish, and the vague
similarities to ‘The Beatles’. They had a dorky looking drummer in
Roger Taylor to compare to Ringo; a quiet one in John Deacon to replace
George Harrison; a flamboyant pretty boy out front in our Freddie to
fill the Paul McCartney spot; and a slightly menacing one, Brian May,
who even looked a bit like John Lennon.
But in fact Queen had paid their dues and had all
been in a few bands before this lineup was stabilized in 1971. (Freddie
used to be in a band called ‘Larry Lurex’. I wonder if that would
have caught on as well as ‘Queen’?) It wasn’t till 1973 that they
released their first album, which eventually crawled up the charts to
reach #18 in the U.K.
Mysteriously this album was not released in the USA
until 1975, by which time Queen were international superstars and had
already released three other albums. So it is not really surprising that
the songs from this album are not so well known on that side of the
Atlantic. A real shame as the first three Queen albums remain this
Dog’s favorites. The second album released in 1974 as Queen 2 (a
little more imagination please, boys, very Chicagoish) and the
wonderfully hard rockin’ ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ also released in
1974.
Also in 1974 Queen released ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
At almost six minutes it was considered way too long for a single.
Defying all the predictions it went straight in at #1 and stayed there
for nine weeks, all over Christmas and New Year. Queen had a number one
before in ‘Killer Queen’ the previous year, but this was the big
one. Its promotional video was groundbreaking in so many ways that there
would be no ground left to break for others for years to come.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was the inspiration for
M.T.V. and all the other music stations. This was followed early in 1975
by ‘A Night at the Opera’, Queen’s first platinum album.
I know it’s only an old Dog talking, but by now
longtime producer Roy Thomas Baker (who was to become almost a fifth
member of the band in the studio), had them so polished that it all
became a bit to slick for an old rocker. However, millions of folk
obviously disagree as each following album sold more than the last.
Queen also toured constantly. Their British Jubilee
tour of the States in 1977 with Thin Lizzy (‘Queen Lizzy’ - geddit?)
broke box office records everywhere it went. Then on July 13, 1985,
Queen played at the Live Aid Concert, the largest ever broadcast of a
Rock ‘n’ Roll show with all the most famous acts in the world on the
bill (some specially reforming for the gig), and simply stole the show.
Queen’s finest hour.
After this they could print their own ticket, and
could do no wrong. Until of course, on November 23, poor old Freddie
announced he was suffering from the dreaded AIDS virus and quietly
passed away the following day. Fittingly the finale of Freddie’s life
was the largest tribute concert in living history at Wembley Stadium the
following April, the scene of many of Freddie’s previous triumphs.
Queen’s debut album is glorious. As soon as Brian
May plays the opening licks of ‘The Who’ influenced (yes, everybody
has influences) ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, you know you have something
special in your ears. ‘Liar’ is the first ever Queen epic, and it
stands as proud now as it did then. At the end of the album you even get
a snatch of ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’, which was to be completed by the
time of the next album and become Queen’s first hit single.
The new re-mastered version of this album has three
bonus tracks tacked onto the end, two are alternate versions - in each
case the original is superior, and one unreleased song that perhaps
should have stayed on the cutting room floor.
Taylor and Deacon are a marvelous rhythm section and
sing glorious harmony vocals that were to become the trademark of the
‘Queen’ sound.
Roger Taylor also made his writing debut here with
‘Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll’. Unfortunately not the strongest
song on the album. So? He was to make up for it later.
Brian May contributes four songs and establishes his
sixpenny guitar sound. (Brian May used an old English sixpenny piece as
a plectrum giving him a sound all of his own.)
But where Queen is concerned you can never get away
from the man with the big teeth and enormous talent. The world needed
Freddie Mercury and no matter what other genes of music came along,
don’t forget punk was just round the corner and blew most of the old
school bands away, Freddie and his boys rode the crest of the wave.
Freddie contributed four songs. ‘Liar’ is probably still the best
known of the songs, but I have always had a soft spot for ‘Great King
Rat’. The first lyrics that ever came from the pen of Freddie for a
Queen song were.
“Great King Rat died today,
Born on the twenty first of May,
Died Forty Four on his birthday,
Every second word he swore,
Yes, he was the son of a whore,
Always wanted by the law.”
Ah, Freddie, we will always miss you. One of the
great talents. You came and conquered, and then was whisked away from
us. No, the irony of the lyrics are not wasted on this dog. Freddie
Mercury, a genuine star, we are not likely to see his likes again.
Vinee
Calvino is back! Christopher G. Moore’s Private Investigator goes to
Pattaya in his latest book! The book is having its Pattaya (24/7) release
next week, so this is a timely review. Published by Heaven Lake Press,
Moore’s usual publishers (ISBN 974-92066-6-5), it is certainly hot off
their proverbial presses, the ink hardly having had time to dry on my
review copy. Not only that, the book is set in ‘real time’ complete
with stolen M16’s, Southern insurgents, SARS, ‘farang’ bird flu and
even our own medical man, Dr. Iain, gets a mention. Topical, current and
situated here in Thailand.
Mott’s CD review: Queen - Queen
4
Stars ****