Queen - thoughts?

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Queen - thoughts?

Postby robertff » 12 May 2022, 14:50

I'm sure this has been done before but I can't be bothered going through 900 odd references to see if it has, so any Queen fans out there?

Not a huge fan myself but think some of their singles are fantastic. Over the years I've probably collected most of their albums, if not all, but don't think I've ever bought one from new.

Not a band that ever really gets discussed much on this board, not that I remember anyway, so what do you think, got any albums by them, what do you think are their best albums, do you prefer their more operatic stuff to their more rocking out there stuff?


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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby Brickyard Jack » 12 May 2022, 14:55

:D

My thoughts are that you started a thread about Queen on 26 August 2021 using more or less the same words - not really a fan, had most of their albums etc.

Upshot - first four albums are great, fantastic singles band after that.
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby GoogaMooga » 12 May 2022, 14:58

I like all of two songs by them, and I am trying to find them isolated, so I can avoid a comp: "You're My Best Friend" and "Under Pressure".
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby robertff » 12 May 2022, 15:13

Positive Passion wrote::D

My thoughts are that you started a thread about Queen on 26 August 2021 using more or less the same words - not really a fan, had most of their albums etc.

Upshot - first four albums are great, fantastic singles band after that.



:oops: :D

Never mind everyone else might have forgotten as well.


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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby ChrisB » 12 May 2022, 15:21

Cabaret rock. Freddie fabulous front man, and May is a proficient guitarist but uses the same bleeding tone on 98% of the songs, but did they EVER produce one single moment of excitement, of rawness, of blood, sweat and tears? Never, darling, in a million years.

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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby robertff » 12 May 2022, 15:27

slightbreeze wrote:Cabaret rock. Freddie fabulous front man, and May is a proficient guitarist but uses the same bleeding tone on 98% of the songs, but did they EVER produce one single moment of excitement, of rawness, of blood, sweat and tears? Never, darling, in a million years.




There was a whole crowd at Live Aid that seemed to find them pretty exciting. Mind you excitement, rawness, blood, sweat and tears - that’s a pretty tall order to achieve.


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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby Darkness_Fish » 12 May 2022, 15:52

It's kinda disgusting the way they were embraced back into public acceptance via Live Aid, after supporting apartheid via the Sun City gigs in 84. To have a career revival by playing a charity gig for poverty, after cashing in on the suffering of others; absolute cunts. If it was up to me, they'd be banned from all mainstream TV and radio forever.
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby Matt Wilson » 12 May 2022, 15:55

I like everything up through The Game, after that you're cherry-picking. The thing I find most interesting about Queen though, is their exalted reputation since Mercury's death. In the '70s, I didn't know a single person who would have claimed Queen as their fave band. I'm sure there were plenty, I was just unaware of them. When Freddie died, the group was seen (at least by folks I knew) as past it, a popular '70s act whose time was long ago. After Wayne's World and the resurrection of "Bohemian Rhapsody," that song was now considered one of the all-time classics. Up there with "Stairway to Heaven" or something. Slowly but surely, the group's status grew. That film a few years ago was icing on the cake. Freddie Mercury is now one of the great front men to have ever graced a stage, and Queen is one of the best-ever bands. This is accepted among younger people, and for all I know, even a few of us feel that way.

But it's only in the last few decades that their rise to the top tier occurred.

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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby robertff » 12 May 2022, 16:32

Matt Wilson wrote:I like everything up through The Game, after that you're cherry-picking. The thing I find most interesting about Queen though, is their exalted reputation since Mercury's death. In the '70s, I didn't know a single person who would have claimed Queen as their fave band. I'm sure there were plenty, I was just unaware of them. When Freddie died, the group was seen (at least by folks I knew) as past it, a popular '70s act whose time was long ago. After Wayne's World and the resurrection of "Bohemian Rhapsody," that song was now considered one of the all-time classics. Up there with "Stairway to Heaven" or something. Slowly but surely, the group's status grew. That film a few years ago was icing on the cake. Freddie Mercury is now one of the great front men to have ever graced a stage, and Queen is one of the best-ever bands. This is accepted among younger people, and for all I know, even a few of us feel that way.

But it's only in the last few decades that their rise to the top tier occurred.



Interesting Matt, agree with you that they were probably no one’s favourite band in the ‘70s although I did have a couple of friends who liked them but they weren’t really regarded as in the top tier of rock bands. However by Live Aid they had already achieved 12 top ten albums and 13 top ten singles in the UK alone let alone the top 20, so someone must have liked them, don’t really know how they fared in the US by this time, could look it up I suppose.

Think their popularity/status grew massively following Live Aid where they were regarded by many as the most successful act on the day. To be honest I think it was the first time that I had really taken any notice of them. Never seen Wayne’s World but have seen the BR clip, so understand why you mention that regarding their popular ascent to the top tier.

Would you not agree that Freddie Mercury was not a great frontman, I get the feeling that you don’t really think so? They wouldn’t really feature in my top ten of rock bands but with so many successful albums, singles and record sales I can understand why some would put them in the top tier.

As an aside I think I’m correct in saying that everyone who performed at the UK Live Aid had increased record sales after but I might have just have made that up.


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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby The Slider » 12 May 2022, 16:36

slightbreeze wrote:Cabaret rock. Freddie fabulous front man, and May is a proficient guitarist but uses the same bleeding tone on 98% of the songs, but did they EVER produce one single moment of excitement, of rawness, of blood, sweat and tears? Never, darling, in a million years.


You've not heard the first three albums then?
They are full of them
From A Night At The Opera on though, I'll grant you you are right. Though it is somewhat like asking if you've ever seen a giraffe ice skate.
It's not what they did, by the time most people had heard of them
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby ChrisB » 12 May 2022, 17:19

robertff wrote:excitement, rawness, blood, sweat and tears - that’s a pretty tall order to achieve.


.

I experience all of those just posting to threads!

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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby robertff » 12 May 2022, 17:52

slightbreeze wrote:
robertff wrote:excitement, rawness, blood, sweat and tears - that’s a pretty tall order to achieve.


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I experience all of those just posting to threads!



:D

You’re a very lucky man if you can be so easily pleased.


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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby ChrisB » 12 May 2022, 17:56

robertff wrote:
slightbreeze wrote:
robertff wrote:excitement, rawness, blood, sweat and tears - that’s a pretty tall order to achieve.


.

I experience all of those just posting to threads!



:D

You’re a very lucky man if you can be so easily pleased.


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Or just lonely and sad :(

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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby GoogaMooga » 12 May 2022, 18:01

I knew a couple of guys who had them as their faves in the 70s and early 80s. That was in Denmark and in Japan, though. I don't know about their following in the States, but in Britain BH is one of the most played and beloved singles of all. I remember them as being big all through the 70s and past Live Aid all the way up to Freddie Mercury's passing. And after that, they only got bigger.
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby GoogaMooga » 12 May 2022, 18:02

slightbreeze wrote:
robertff wrote:excitement, rawness, blood, sweat and tears - that’s a pretty tall order to achieve.


.

I experience all of those just posting to threads!


:lol:
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby Matt Wilson » 12 May 2022, 18:08

robertff wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:I like everything up through The Game, after that you're cherry-picking. The thing I find most interesting about Queen though, is their exalted reputation since Mercury's death. In the '70s, I didn't know a single person who would have claimed Queen as their fave band. I'm sure there were plenty, I was just unaware of them. When Freddie died, the group was seen (at least by folks I knew) as past it, a popular '70s act whose time was long ago. After Wayne's World and the resurrection of "Bohemian Rhapsody," that song was now considered one of the all-time classics. Up there with "Stairway to Heaven" or something. Slowly but surely, the group's status grew. That film a few years ago was icing on the cake. Freddie Mercury is now one of the great front men to have ever graced a stage, and Queen is one of the best-ever bands. This is accepted among younger people, and for all I know, even a few of us feel that way.

But it's only in the last few decades that their rise to the top tier occurred.



Interesting Matt, agree with you that they were probably no one’s favourite band in the ‘70s although I did have a couple of friends who liked them but they weren’t really regarded as in the top tier of rock bands. However by Live Aid they had already achieved 12 top ten albums and 13 top ten singles in the UK alone let alone the top 20, so someone must have liked them, don’t really know how they fared in the US by this time, could look it up I suppose.

Think their popularity/status grew massively following Live Aid where they were regarded by many as the most successful act on the day. To be honest I think it was the first time that I had really taken any notice of them. Never seen Wayne’s World but have seen the BR clip, so understand why you mention that regarding their popular ascent to the top tier.

Would you not agree that Freddie Mercury was not a great frontman, I get the feeling that you don’t really think so? They wouldn’t really feature in my top ten of rock bands but with so many successful albums, singles and record sales I can understand why some would put them in the top tier.

As an aside I think I’m correct in saying that everyone who performed at the UK Live Aid had increased record sales after but I might have just have made that up.


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Oh, for sure he was a fabulous front man and singer. I think that's undeniable. I guess what I'm getting at is that at the time (meaning the '70s - when most people would agree the band were at their peak) nobody that I knew rated them among the best bands of the era. It's only now that this is received wisdom. I feel they were a bigger deal in Europe than here, so for all I know Queen were always rated well over there. I have little interest in them after The Game though, so even though everyone talks about the Live Aid performance, I've never gone back to listen to those records.

Any recommendations?

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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby Charlie O. » 12 May 2022, 18:39

Sheer Heart Attack was the first Queen I heard, in 1975 (checked out from the local library). I loved "Stone Cold Crazy" and maybe thought one or two others were alright, but overall it left me cold. My opinion on that hasn't changed much (although "Killer Queen" did eventually grow on me).

Then I heard "BoRhap", bought the 45, played it to death (b-side "I'm In Love With My Car" too). An older friend down the street bought A Night At The Opera, and I fell in love with that. He then bought the first album, which he didn't like at all but which I liked a lot; I think we worked out a trade (or maybe he just gave it to me).

Those two albums are still the only ones I love. I hear Queen II more often than you might expect, and I don't dislike it, but it's never really clicked with me. And after Opera they went downhill awfully fast, notwithstanding some ace cuts here and there.
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby Hightea » 12 May 2022, 18:54

first few albums are good after that never cared for them although Mercury and May have their talents.
Always hated BoRap.


In regards to popular in the 70's there were a few in my school who loved them otherwise we never really heard about them. I always thought they were more popular in the UK but that might be because of the audience at LiveAid.
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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby robertff » 12 May 2022, 19:06

Matt Wilson wrote:
robertff wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:I like everything up through The Game, after that you're cherry-picking. The thing I find most interesting about Queen though, is their exalted reputation since Mercury's death. In the '70s, I didn't know a single person who would have claimed Queen as their fave band. I'm sure there were plenty, I was just unaware of them. When Freddie died, the group was seen (at least by folks I knew) as past it, a popular '70s act whose time was long ago. After Wayne's World and the resurrection of "Bohemian Rhapsody," that song was now considered one of the all-time classics. Up there with "Stairway to Heaven" or something. Slowly but surely, the group's status grew. That film a few years ago was icing on the cake. Freddie Mercury is now one of the great front men to have ever graced a stage, and Queen is one of the best-ever bands. This is accepted among younger people, and for all I know, even a few of us feel that way.

But it's only in the last few decades that their rise to the top tier occurred.



Interesting Matt, agree with you that they were probably no one’s favourite band in the ‘70s although I did have a couple of friends who liked them but they weren’t really regarded as in the top tier of rock bands. However by Live Aid they had already achieved 12 top ten albums and 13 top ten singles in the UK alone let alone the top 20, so someone must have liked them, don’t really know how they fared in the US by this time, could look it up I suppose.

Think their popularity/status grew massively following Live Aid where they were regarded by many as the most successful act on the day. To be honest I think it was the first time that I had really taken any notice of them. Never seen Wayne’s World but have seen the BR clip, so understand why you mention that regarding their popular ascent to the top tier.

Would you not agree that Freddie Mercury was not a great frontman, I get the feeling that you don’t really think so? They wouldn’t really feature in my top ten of rock bands but with so many successful albums, singles and record sales I can understand why some would put them in the top tier.

As an aside I think I’m correct in saying that everyone who performed at the UK Live Aid had increased record sales after but I might have just have made that up.


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Oh, for sure he was a fabulous front man and singer. I think that's undeniable. I guess what I'm getting at is that at the time (meaning the '70s - when most people would agree the band were at their peak) nobody that I knew rated them among the best bands of the era. It's only now that this is received wisdom. I feel they were a bigger deal in Europe than here, so for all I know Queen were always rated well over there. I have little interest in them after The Game though, so even though everyone talks about the Live Aid performance, I've never gone back to listen to those records.

Any recommendations?



Checked out their discography and it’s very clear that they have been far more popular for a much longer period in Europe than in the U.S. although they did have some hit albums and singles there. After ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ their fortunes seemed to decline quite significantly in the US but rose exponentially worldwide.

As for recommendations I’m not your man I’m afraid, I listen to their singles comps. and only very occasionally their albums proper, so I don’t know them well enough in order to give recommendations. Perhaps someone else might come up with something.


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Re: Queen - thoughts?

Postby cheifwhat » 12 May 2022, 22:55

Love them. Works and Kind of Magic and Innuendo are also cracking albums
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