Queen

Queen (band)
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Queen, 1974. Clockwise from top: May, Taylor, Mercury, Deacon.

Background information Origin Genre(s) London, England Rock Arena rock Glam rock Hard rock Heavy metal Progressive rock Pop rock 1970 – present Parlophone and Hollywood Records queenonline.com Members

Years active Label(s) Website

John Deacon (retired) Brian May Freddie Mercury (deceased) Roger Taylor

Queen are an English rock band formed by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Roger Taylor in London, England in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. Britain's most successful band of the past three decades,[1] the band became popular during the mid-to-late 1970s and still retain an extremely large international fan base. Although initially dismissed by the majority of music critics, especially those in the United States, Queen have more recently been recognized as having made significant contributions to such genres as arena rock,[2] glam rock[2], hard rock[3], heavy metal[2], pop rock, and progressive rock[2], amongst others. In the Music Of The Millennium poll conducted by Channel 4 in 1999, Queen were voted the second greatest band in music history.[4] In 2001, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio and in 2003 Queen became the first and remain the only band to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2004, the band was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and in 2006 Queen was the first inductee into the VH1 Rock Honors. Queen have also been inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame (at Guitar Center on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard) and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And though Queen never won a Grammy Award, the band's influential 1975 single "Bohemian Rhapsody" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. Moreover, the band has been cited as a major influence by many other artists and performers. Queen have released a total of eighteen #1 albums, eighteen #1 singles, and eight #1 DVDs worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists.

Contents
[hide]
• • • • • • • • • • •

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1 Members 2 History 3 Live performances 4 In the digital realm 5 In film and television 6 In musical theatre 7 Historical success 8 Influence on other musicians 9 Logo 10 The Official International Queen Fan Club 11 Discography o 11.1 Studio albums o 11.2 Number one singles 12 Notes

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13 Further reading 14 External links

[edit] Members
•

John Deacon (born 1951) bass: Deacon was the bass player of the group. He auditioned for the role after the band went through three other unsuitable bass players and is the only member to never sing lead vocals on a studio album. In later years, he became more heavily involved in the financial and managerial side of Queen. In the late 1990s, Deacon retired as a musician and has chosen not to participate in the current Queen + Paul Rodgers tour. He composed a number of Queen's most famous songs e.g. "You're My Best Friend", "Another One Bites the Dust", and "I Want to Break Free". Brian May CBE (born 1947) guitar and vocals: May is the lead guitarist of the group. He is also an accomplished pianist. As a teenager, he and his father built the so-called Red Special which is the electric guitar he continues to use to this day. He occasionally sang lead vocals on some of the quieter tracks that he had written e.g. "'39", "Sleeping on the Sidewalk", "Who Wants to Live Forever?" and "Sail Away Sweet Sister". Also he wrote many of Queen's widely recognisable songs e.g. "Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls", and "Hammer to Fall". Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) vocals and piano: Mercury is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist and front-man of the group. However these roles effectively placed a shadow over his skills as an accomplished pianist. He had a very distinctive voice with a tenor vocal range and would sometimes play the rhythm guitar. He wrote the majority of Queen's well-known songs including "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", "We Are the Champions", "Bicycle Race", "Don't Stop Me Now", and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." Roger Taylor (born 1949) percussion and vocals: Taylor is the drummer of the group. In addition to drums and other percussion instruments, he would sometimes play lead guitar, rhythm guitar, or bass guitar on some of his own songs. He occasionally sang lead vocals on some of the heavier tracks that he had written e.g. "I'm in Love with My Car", "Fight from the Inside", and "Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll" although none were released as singles. His more successful compositions would come in the 1980s, with hits such as "Radio Ga Ga", "A Kind of Magic" and "Heaven for Everyone".

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Queen is now appearing with former Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers. The surviving members of Queen asked Rodgers to tour with them out of mutual admiration and the fact that he was one of Freddie Mercury's favorite vocalists.

[edit] History
Main article: History of Queen Brian May and Roger Taylor were playing in a semi-professional band called Smile with Tim Staffell. Freddie Mercury (then Freddie Bulsara) was Staffell's roommate at Ealing Arts College and followed Smile's music closely. As the singer in other bands, such as Ibex in 1969 and Sour Milk Sea in 1970, Mercury was eager to share his ideas so Smile could develop. Staffell left Smile to join another band, Humpy Bong, and Smile split up. Mercury persuaded May and Taylor to continue, however, changing the band's name from "Smile" to "Queen" in the process. John Deacon joined the lineup in February 1971. Their first chart entry was the 1974 single "Seven Seas of Rhye." More notable was "Killer Queen" from their third album Sheer Heart Attack, which climbed to #2 on the charts. Their greatest success came in 1975 with "Bohemian Rhapsody", a single from A Night at the Opera. In United Kingdom, it spent nine weeks at #1, and was also a worldwide hit. For the next sixteen years, Queen remained active, producing numerous other hits such as "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", "Another One Bites the Dust", and "Radio Ga Ga." In the 1980s, their popularity waned in North America, though they continued to be a successful act in other parts of the world. In November 1991, Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS. The band experienced a resurgence in popularity the next year in North America after "Bohemian Rhapsody" appeared prominently in the hit comedy Wayne's World. After the release of their 1995 album Made in Heaven - composed of Mercury's leftover recordings from before his death - Queen became relatively inactive. John Deacon retired from the music business in the late 1990s, and it wasn't until 2004 that Queen + Paul Rodgers - a collaboration between May, Taylor, and Free/Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers - began.

[edit] Live performances
Main article: Queen live performances Queen's live performances were consistently at the forefront of rock shows from bands of their generation. Over their career, the band amassed an impressively diverse catalogue of songs and made use of massive sound systems, huge lighting rigs, an arsenal of pyrotechnics, and many extravagant costumes to help enrich their shows into entertaining, theatrical events. As both lead vocalist and frontman, Freddie Mercury was able to immerse himself in the audience's adulation and thrived off their excitement - an ability for which many artists, such as Bob Geldof, David Bowie, George Michael, Kurt Cobain (in his alleged suicide note), and Robbie Williams to name just a few, have expressed great admiration. The call-and-response singalongs and synchronised handclapping between the band and the audience were to become legendary. Queen were also amongst a handful of bands that provided the initial impetus for stadiums and large arenas becoming regarded as serious rock concert venues. Their reputation for putting on

an impressive live performance led to a number of concerts being released on both album and video and, later, on CD and DVD while a significant number of bootleg copies of Queen concerts have appeared.

[edit] In the digital realm
In conjunction with Electronic Arts, Queen released the computer game Queen: The Eye in 1998, to commercial and critical failure. 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 game play. Adding to the problem was an extremely long development time, resulting in graphic elements that already seemed outdated by the time of release. Under the supervision of Brian May and Roger Taylor, numerous restoration projects have been underway involving Queen's lengthy audio and video catalogue. DVD releases of their famous 1986 Wembley concert (titled Live At Wembley Stadium) and 1982 Milton Keynes concert (Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl), and two Greatest Video Hits (Volumes 1 and 2, spanning the '70s and '80s) have seen the band's music remixed into 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. So far, two of Queen's most acclaimed albums, A Night At The Opera and The Game, have been fully remixed into high-resolution multichannel surround on DVD-Audio. Known for their densely layered arrangements and backing, this medium seems tailor-made for Queen's music. Brian May has said he would like to see the entire Queen catalogue reproduced in this format, as it is closer to what the band envisaged for their work years ago. A new 5.1 mix of A Night At The Opera, including the first surround versions of The Prophet's Song and God Save The Queen, was created in 2005 for the 30th anniversary of the album's original release (CD+DVD set).

[edit] In film and television
Queen contributed music directly to the movies Flash Gordon (1980, directed by Mike Hodges) and Highlander (the original 1986 film, directed by Russell Mulcahy). The theme song, "Princes of the Universe", was also used in the Highlander TV series (1992 1998). A cover of "Somebody to Love" by Anne Hathaway was recorded for the 2004 film Ella Enchanted. In 2006, Brittany Murphy also recorded a cover of the same song for the 2006 movie Happy Feet. In 2001, a version of "The Show Must Go On" was performed by Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman in the movie musical Moulin Rouge!. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released after appearing in Wayne's World, and subsequently made number 2 on the US billboard chart (with The Show Must Go On as the first track on the single). Keeping in the tradition (since Season 5) of naming each season's episodes after songs from a famous '70s 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. Several other films have prominently featured their songs, including Iron Eagle, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon, Super Mario Brothers, The Break-up, Wayne's World, Small Soldiers, Son in Law, Encino Man, Stepmom, High Fidelity, Super Size Me, A Knight's Tale, The Girl Next Door, Revenge of the Nerds,The Mighty Ducks, Happy Feet, How High, Chicken Little, and Shaun of the Dead.

[edit] In musical theatre
In 2002, a musical or "rock theatrical" based on the songs of Queen, entitled We Will Rock You, opened at the Dominion Theatre on London's West End. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and the help of Robert de Niro. It has since been staged in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane, Australia; Cologne, Germany; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;South Africa; and Las Vegas, Nevada. The original London production was scheduled to close on Saturday 7th October 2006 at the Dominion Theatre. Due to public demand, however, 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.[5] 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, 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. 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, interpret the stories behind tracks such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga" and "Killer Queen".

[edit] Historical success
As of 2005, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, Queen albums have spent a total of 1,422 weeks or 27 years on the UK album charts; more time than any other musical act including The Beatles and Elvis Presley.[6] Current Rankings: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Queen (1,422 weeks/27 years) The Beatles (1,293 weeks/24.8 years) Elvis Presley (1,280 weeks/24.6 years) U2 (1,150 weeks/22 years) Dire Straits (1,136 weeks/21.8 years)

6. Simon and Garfunkel (1,114 weeks/21.4 years) 7. Madonna (1,032 weeks/19.8 years) 8. David Bowie (1,005 weeks/19.3 years) 9. Elton John (989 weeks/19 years) 10. Michael Jackson (966 weeks/18.6 years) Also in 2005, with the release of its 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; this does not make allowances for the fact that the charts were a smaller list in the 1960s.[7] Current rankings: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Elvis Presley (2,074 weeks/39.9 years) Cliff Richard (1,982 weeks/38 years) Queen (1,755 weeks/33.7 years) The Beatles (1,749 weeks/33.6 years) Madonna (1,660 weeks/31.9 years) Elton John (1,626 weeks/31.2 years)

In 2006 Queen's Greatest Hits album was found to be Ireland and United Kingdom's alltime best selling album, with sales upwards of 5,407,587 copies, over 604,295 more copies than its nearest competitor The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also their Greatest Hits II album came in seventh with sales upwards of 3,631,321 copies.[8] Current rankings: 1. Queen, Greatest Hits (5,407,587) 2. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (4,803,292) 3. Oasis, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (4,304,504) 4. Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms (3,946,931) 5. ABBA, ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits (3,932,316) 6. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (3,759,958) 7. Queen, Greatest Hits II (3,631,321) 8. Michael Jackson, Thriller (3,570,250) 9. Michael Jackson, Bad (3,549,950) 10. Madonna, The Immaculate Collection (3,364,785) The band's total sales figures estimates vary greatly. In 2001 it was stated its sales topped 100 million records worldwide;[9][10][11] however, according to an official press release two years later, Queen have "accounted for record sales in excess of 150 million across the world".[12] The following year, the figure of "over 190 million albums" was claimed at its UK Music Hall of Fame induction.[13] Several sites also claim a worldwide figure of over 300 million records.[2][14] According to the RIAA Queen's total U.S. album sales are reported to be 35.5 million as 2004 [1]

[edit] Influence on other musicians
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Queen are remembered for their original blend of theatrics, showmanship, consummate musicianship, kitsch, and extravagance that were not usually found, or valued, by other recognised acts of their generation. However the band received little praise and acclaim in their actual lifetime. During the early phase of their career, it was typical for a critically-acknowledged rock band to have blues, psychedelic, working-class roots with heavy emphasis on a male audience base. These factors, which were instilled in rock music in the late 1960's and early 1970's, were largely absent from Queen so that critical recognition was truly scarce. From the outset, the band (bearing in mind that each member had a university qualification and had a middle-upper class up-bringing) had no aspirations to be a 'voice' of the oppressed or down-trodden sectors of society. Moreover the band originally elected not to openly express their political and/or humanitarian views in the same manner as other well-known artists such as Bob Geldof, Bono, Sting, Bob Dylan, etc. Also, much of the material on the first two Queen albums (released in 1973 and 1974) had been composed, and performed live, a number of years earlier (e.g. 1970 and 1971). Unfortunately the material, when it was released officially, was regarded as dated and contrived by many critics that had not already been exposed to Queen's music. Similarly the band's two main audiences at the time, namely the glam-rockers and hard-rockers, were not particularly receptive to the mish-mash of the two contrasting styles. Their expansive, multi-layered sound that was integrated with a somewhat camp and flamboyant delivery (both on-stage and in-studio) clashed with a number of 'established' rock conventions. To add even more fuel to the fire, it was generally perceived that Queen started out with excessive financial backing and managerial favouritism that had not been previously earned. Today numerous critics and fellow musicians have since acknowledged the band as making a significant contribution to the evolution of rock music. Moreover, bands and acts that were once considered 'superior' to Queen by yesterday's fraternity of critics are seen as their 'equals' by today's critics. Nowadays Queen are extremely well-respected for both the musical eclecticism of their studio output and their impressive, innovative live shows. The band's successful use of promotional videos (many of which the band gave substantial financial and artistic contributions and inspired Mercury to make the off-thecuff statement: "We're the Cecil B. DeMille of rock and roll, always aiming to be bigger and better") would help pave the way for the video to become an essential medium in popular music. Queen were also amongst a handful of bands that provided the initial impetus for stadiums and large arenas becoming regarded as serious rock concert venues. What is more, both Mercury and May (and Taylor and Deacon to a lesser degree) are regarded as influential members in their respective musical disciplines.

Queen composed music that drew inspiration from many different genres while still adopting a tongue-in-cheek attitude. For example, glam rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, pop, rhythm 'n blues, funk and disco, country, gospel and soul, and even music-hall and ragtime. Much like its music, the collection of bands and artists that have claimed to be influenced by Queen, or a member of Queen, is quite diverse. Artists that have cited them as an influence include: 10cc, AFI, Anthrax, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad News, Ben Folds Five, Billy Squier, Blind Guardian, Boy George, The Darkness, Def Leppard, Dr. Dre, Dream Theater, Electric Six, Extreme, The Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, Gary Numan, George Michael, Green Day, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Jane's Addiction, Jeff Buckley, Jellyfish, Joan Osborne, Katie Melua, Keane, Marilyn Manson, Meat Loaf, Megadeth, The Melvins, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Nickelback, OK Go, Panic! At The Disco, Pharrell Williams, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robbie Williams, Saga, Scissor Sisters, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Sonata Arctica, Sparks, Steve Vai, TNT, Tenacious D, Justin Timberlake, Tori Amos, Trent Reznor, Van Halen, Vendetta Red, Ween, The White Stripes, among others. Michael Jackson was a friend of Mercury in the early 1980s and cited the Hot Space album as a driving influence behind the making of his 1982 album Thriller on which Mercury was originally scheduled to appear.[15]Queen have also been cited as a major influence on the "neo-classical metal" genre by Swedish-American guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. Well-known opera diva Montserrat Caballè has stated on a number of occasions how Mercury, and Queen to a lesser extent, was instrumental in introducing many opera listeners to rock music and vice versa.

The Queen crest

[edit] Logo
Queen's logo, also (incorrectly) known as the Queen Crest, was designed by Mercury (who had a diploma in Illustration and Graphic Design from Ealing Art College in London) before the release of their first album. An instantly recognizeable symbol to many fans and non-fans alike, the logo features the zodiac signs of all four members: two lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor), a crab for Cancer (May), and two fairies for Virgo (Mercury). The lions are embracing a stylized letter Q, the crab is resting atop the Q with flames rising directly above it, and the fairies are sheltering below each lion respectively.

There is also a crown inside the Q and the whole logo is over-shadowed by an enormous phoenix. Mercury has stated that the logo is a sign of the times (i.e. the 70's) and it was usually displayed on the front of Taylor's bass drum at early Queen concerts.

[edit] The Official International Queen Fan Club
The Official International Queen Fan Club, based in or near London, was set up in 1973 by Pat and Sue Johnstone shortly after the release of the band's first album. At one stage, the world-wide membership of the club was an impressive 20,000 people. Magazines are put out quarterly, contain up-to-the-minute information on the band, offer exclusive band merchandise, and feature a personalised letter to the club members by one band member. In the late eighties, the club started to put on annual conventions at different venues in England and these get-togethers are still continuing to this day. According to Guinness World Records, the club is the "Longest-Running Rock Group Fan Club" in the world.[16]

[edit] Discography
Main article: Queen discography

[edit] Studio albums
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1973 - Queen 1974 - Queen II 1974 - Sheer Heart Attack 1975 - A Night at the Opera 1976 - A Day at the Races 1977 - News of the World 1978 - Jazz 1980 - The Game 1980 - Flash Gordon 1982 - Hot Space 1984 - The Works 1986 - A Kind of Magic 1989 - The Miracle 1991 - Innuendo 1995 - Made in Heaven

[edit] Number one singles
Year Single Countries

1975 Bohemian Rhapsody

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, UK (2x platinum)

1976 Somebody to Love

Netherlands

1977

We Are the Champions / We Will Rock You

France, New Zealand

1979 Love of My Life (live)

Argentina (52+ wks)[citation needed], Brazil

1979 Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Australia, Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, US (gold)

1980 Another One Bites the Dust

Argentina, Canada, Guatemala, Spain, US (3x platinum)

1980 Flash

Austria

1981

Under Pressure (with David Bowie)

Argentina, Netherlands, UK (silver)

1982 Las Palabras de Amor

Poland

1984 Radio Ga Ga

Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal (silver), Sweden, Poland[citation needed]

1984 I Want to Break Free

Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa

1991 Innuendo

Italy, Portugal, South Africa, UK (gold)

1991 I'm Going Slightly Mad

Hong Kong[citation needed]

1991

Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are Ireland, Portugal, UK (platinum), Poland[citation needed] the Days of Our Lives

1993

Five Live (EP with George Michael and Lisa Stansfield)

Ireland, Spain, UK

1995 Heaven for Everyone

Argentina, Poland, Italy, Germany, Brazil

1995 You Don't Fool Me

Italy, Poland

2000 We Will Rock You (with 5ive)

UK, Ireland

[edit] Notes
1. ^ Top of the Pops (english) (HTML). The British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 2. ^ a b c d e Queen Proves There's Life After Freddie (english) (HTML). OhmyNews. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 3. ^ 100 greatest artists of hard rock (english) (HTML). VH1. Retrieved on 2006-1126. 4. ^ Music Of The Millennium (english) (HTML). mr-mercury.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 5. ^ We Will Rock You (english) (HTML). London Theatre. Retrieved on 2006-1126. 6. ^ Queen top UK album charts league (english) (HTML). The British Broadcasting Corporation (2005-07-04). Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 7. ^ Queen closer to King as UK chart-toppers1 (english) (HTML). scotsman.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 8. ^ Queen head all-time sales chart (english) (HTML). The British Broadcasting Corporation (2006-11-16). Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 9. ^ Hall of Fame Inducts Queen (english) (HTML). PlanetOut News. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 10. ^ Richar Orchard. Queen made rock legends (english) (HTML). Queenzone. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.

11. ^ Queen roll into Hall of Fame (english) (HTML). The British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 12. ^ Press Conference (english) (HTML). BrianMay.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 13. ^ Hall of Fame (english) (HTML). Channel 4. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 14. ^ Queen News January 2006 (english) (HTML). BrianMay.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 15. ^ Freddie Mercury talks about Michael Jackson (english) (Video). Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 16. ^ Guinness World Records (english) (HTML). Retrieved on 2006-11-26.

[edit] Further reading
• • •

Greg Brooks. Queen Live: A Concert Documentary. London: Omnibus Press, 1995/2005. ISBN 1-84449-660-0 Jacky Gunn, Jim Jenkins. Queen: As It Began. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1992. ISBN 0-283-06052-2 Mark Hodkinson. Queen – The Early Years. London: Music Sales Limited, 2005. ISBN 1-84449

Queen
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Sari la: Navigare, căutare Queen

Origine

Marea Britanie

Ani de activitate 1970 – prezent Gen(uri) muzicale Rock and Roll Hard Rock Casă de discuri Membri Parlophone şi Hollywood Records Freddie Mercury († 1991) (voce) Brian May (chitară) Roger Taylor (baterie) John Deacon (până în 1999) (bas)

Queen a fost o formaţie muzicală britanică de muzică rock activă în anii 1970, 1980 şi începutul anilor 1990 formată din Freddie Mercury, Brian May şi Roger Taylor, în 1970, din ceea ce rămăsese din formaţia Smile, cărora li s-a alăturat John Deacon completând structura formaţiei în 1971. Queen a devenit extrem de cunoscută şi iubită în mijlocul anilor 1970, păstrând până astăzi o remarcabilă bază internaţională de suporteri. Deşi a fost iniţial puternic criticată, mai apoi ignorată, în special de criticii de specialitate, şi mai ales în Statele Unite ale Americii, formaţia Queen a fost ulterior larg apreciată şi elogiată, recunoscându-i-se forţa creatoare, inovativitatea şi pionieratul într-o serie de subcurente rock aşa cum ar fi arena rock, glam rock, hard rock [1], heavy metal şi rock progresiv[2]. Queen a fost adesea citată ca exercitând o influenţă puternică asupra multor artişti de mai târziu. A fost târziu, doar în 2001, când formaţiei i s-a acordat faima de a face parte din galeria dedicată celor mai buni artişti "rock'n'roll" din toate timpurile, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, care se găseşte în Cleveland, Ohio. În 2004, cu ocazia alegerii formaţiei şi în instituţia similară britanică, United Kingdom Music Hall of Fame s-a menţionat video-ul promoţional al celor patru membri ai Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody", una din piesele lor cele mai celebre, ca fiind factorul declanşator al erei video (conform originalului din engleză, "[the] jump-starting [of] the video era".[3] Queen a fost, de asemenea, aleasă în RockWalk of Fame de la Guitar Center de pe Bulevardul Sunset din Hollywod, California şi în Hollywood Walk of Fame. Queen a avut de-a lungul timpului un total de 18 locuri întâi la categoria album, 17 locuri întâi la categoria single şi 8 locuri întâi la categoria DVD.

Cuprins
[ascunde]

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1 Structura originală 2 Cronologie 3 Discografie o 3.1 Album de Studio o 3.2 Albume Live 4 Componenţă şi studii

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[modifică] Structura originală
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John Deacon (născut 1951), a fost basistul grupului cântând la chitară bas şi ritmică, respectiv la sintetizator. Deacon a fost singurul membru al formaţiei care nu şi-a adus nici o contribuţie vocală pe nici unul din albume şi ultimul care s-a alăturat grupului, în 1971. Deşi a compus cele mai puţine cântece ca membru individual, acestea au fost dintre cele mai iubite şi cântate, Another One Bites The Dust, You're My Best Friend şi I Want To Break Free. În recentul tur Queen plus Paul Rogers, Deacon a decis să nu participe.

Queen, 1974. În sens orar de sus în jos: May, Taylor, Mercury, Deacon • Brian May CBE (născut 1947), a fost liderul grupului cântând la chitară, pian, sintetizator şi fiind, de asemenea, vocalist. Ocazional, când asigura armonii vocale de acoperire, May cânta la pian şi sintetizator. Un număr de piese, aşa cum ar fi '39, Sleeping On The Sidewalk, Good Company şi She Makes Me îl au pe Brian May ca vocalist. Chitara pe care o foloseşte continuu din 1963, Red Special, a fost construită de May ajutat fiind de tatăl său. Ceea ce este remarcabil la această chitară semi-acustică este sunetul ei foarte asemănător cu cel al unei vioare

construită de oricare din lutierii italiani celebri. Aceste sunete înalte dar calde, se datoresc atât concepţiei de construcţie a chitării, cât şi rezonanţei deosebite a corpului acesteia sculptat manual dintr-o bucată masivă de mahon veche de cel puţin 200 de ani.
•

Freddie Mercury (1946 - 1991) a fost omul cel mai vizibil al grupului, vocalistul prin excelenţă, dar şi cel care a cântat foarte frecvent la pian şi sintetizator şi uneori chiar la chitară. Poziţia sa mereu vizibilă de "frontman", dar şi de "showman", a făcut ca remarcabilele sale calităţi de compozitor, textier şi pianist să fie adesea subestimate, neglijate sau chiar uitate. Mercury a scris majoritatea cântecelor de pe Greatest Hits. Mercury era de asemenea recunoscut pentru camaraderia şi colegialitatea cu care ajuta întotdeauna colegii la scrirea şi finisarea propriilor lor cântece. În calitate de cântăreţ, Freddie Mercury era posesorul unei voci extraordinare, cu un timbru distinct şi al unui excepţional registru vocal de 3 octave şi jumătate, deseori patru, având o tehnică impecabilă de căntăreţ de operă, putând uşor acoperi zona dintre un tenor şi un bariton. Pentru perioade limitate de timp, Mercury putea cânta chiar în regim de soprană sau mezzosoprană. Roger Taylor (născut 1949) a fost bateristul formaţiei Queen, cântând la baterie, percuţie, sintetizator şi fiind deseori vocalist. Aidoma lui Brian May, Roger Taylor a fost întotdeauna vocalist de acoperire. În anii 1970 a cântat frecvent ca lider vocalist, aşa cum ar fi în cântecele I'm In Love With My Car, Fight From The Inside şi Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll. De multe ori, suplinind bateria şi percuţia, Taylor cânta la chitară şi chitară bas, în special interpretând propriile sale compoziţii.

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[modifică] Cronologie
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1968 -- Prima tentativă de a intra în lumea rock-ului, în formula – Brian May, Roger Taylor, Tim Staffell - a fost cu formaţia Smile. Nu au înregistrat decât un singur single, la casa de discuri Mercury Records din Statele Unite ale Americii (nici o legătură cu Freddie Mercury), titlul acestui single fiind Earth. Alte piese compuse de Smile: Polar Bear, April Lady, Step On Me, Blag, Doing All Right. În aceeaşi perioadă, Freddie a cântat cu formaţiile Ibex, Sour Milk Sea şi Wreckage. 1970 -- Tim Staffel părăseşte formatia, pentru a se alătura unei trupe pe care o credea de succes, numită Humpy Bong. Mult mai importantă decât plecarea lui Staffel este evident cooptarea lui Freddie (care se numea, încă, Farrokh Bulsara), care redenumeşte formaţia Queen, motivând că i se pare un nume "regal şi splendid". Era desigur conştient de conotaţiile "gay" ale numelui (a se vedea drag queen), spunea tot el, dar considera ca această interpretare era doar una din faţetele cuvântului. În acelasi timp, Freddie şi-a schimbat legal numele din Bulsara în Mercury, celebrând astfel naşterea unui nou star rock, flamboiant şi imprevizibil, care avea sa facă istorie.

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1971 -- John Deacon este admis în formaţie, după cei trei din Queen schimbaseră deja trei basişti (Mike Grose, Doug Bogie şi Barry Mitchell). În aceasta formulă, care urma să devină cea de succes, Queen înregistrează cinci demo-uri (Keep Yourself Alive, Liar, Great King Rat, Jesus şi The Night Comes Down) în studiourile De Lane Lea din Londra. Atunci, nimeni nu a fost însă interesat de piesele lor. 1973 -- Queen semnează un contract, după doi ani de aşteptare, cu Trident Audio Productions şi lucrează la înregistrarea primului lor album, Queen. Albumul eponim este precedat de single-ul Keep Yourself Alive, care nu ajunge în topurile Radio One, pe motiv ca ar fi hippie. Queen sunt atacaţi violent de presa britanică, care nu înţelege nimic din amestecul scnteietor de hard şi glam rock creat de formaţie. Totuşi, cei patru înregistrează sub pseudonimul Larry Lurex and the Volers From Venus un single I Can Hear Music (coperta The Beach Boys) / Goin' Back (coperta Dusty Springfield), pentru a testa piaţa, şi apoi lansează, pe 13 iulie, primul album. Cu toată antipatia presei scrise, Queen beneficiază încă din acest an, pe 25 iulie, de o sesiune de inregistrari la BBC şi de un fan club numai al lor. 1975 - Queen ocupă primul loc al topurilor britanice cu single-ul Bohemian Rhapsody, timp de 9 săptamâni consecutive! 1991, 24 noiembrie -- Se stinge din viaţă Freddie Mercury, considerat a fi parte esenţială a legendei formaţiei Queen. 2005 -- Queen plănuiesc un nou turneu, avându-l ca invitat special pe Paul Rodgers, vocalistul de la Free şi Bad Company.

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[modifică] Discografie
[modifică] Album de Studio
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Queen I (1973) Queen II (1974) Sheer Heart Attak (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)

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Innuendo (1991) Made In Heaven (1995)

[modifică] Albume Live
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Live Killers (1979) Live Magic (1986) Live at Wembley '86 (1992) Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl (2004) Return of the Champions (Queen + Paul Rodgers) (2005)

[modifică] Componenţă şi studii
Freddie Mercury – Ealing Art School (Şcoala de Arte) Brian May – London Imperial College (Fizică) Roger Taylor – London Hospital School (Stomatologie) John Deacon – Chelsea College (Electronice)

Queen Freddie Mercury | Brian May | Roger Taylor | John Deacon Albume de studio
Queen | Queen II | Sheer Heart Attack | A Night at the Opera | A Day at the Races | News of the World | Jazz | The Game | Flash Gordon | Hot Space | The Works | A Kind of Magic | The Miracle | Innuendo | Made in Heaven

Albume live
Live Killers | Live Magic | Live at Wembley '86 | Queen- Live On Fire at the Bowl | Return of the Champions

Compilaţii
Greatest Hits (Elektra) | Greatest Hits, Vol. II | Queen at the Beeb | Classic Queen | Greatest Hits (Hollywood) | Greatest Hits (Parlophone) | Greatest Hits, Vols. I and II

Filme
Queen - We Will Rock You | Becoming Queen

Cântece
"Another One Bites the Dust" | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | "Radio Ga Ga" | "Somebody to Love" | "The Show Must Go On" | "These Are the Days of Our Lives" | "Tie Your Mother Down" | "We Are the Champions" | "We Will Rock You"

Throughout the years, no other rock band has conquered the world and the charts like Queen. Starting in the early seventies and throughout the eighties, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon have written hit after hit. From their first number one single, Bohemian Rhapsody, to their stadium anthems, We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions, their music has reigned across the radio airwaves from Great Britain and Europe to the United States and Australia. They have reached audiences in South America (where they were the first rock band to embark on a stadium tour) and in Hungary (where on their Magic Tour, they played to a sell out crowd, while still under the Iron Curtain). As the nineties approached, Queen focused their energies from touring to recording. The Miracle and Innuendo proved to be some of Queen's finest moments. They began to pick up new fans across the world, and according to many critics, were returning to the glory days of A Night at the Opera and News of the World. Unfortunately, on November 24, 1991, that new found steam came to a halt, as Freddie Mercury passed away, due to complications from AIDS. Queen as we knew it ended that day, but the three remaining members have continued to keep the legend alive, releasing recordings such as a completion of Freddie's final recordings, Made in Heaven and brand new songs like No One But You. In 1998, Queen was one of the first bands to release a video game, The Eye, based upon their music. 2002 brought Queen's music to the stage as the musical We Will Rock You began to shatter British theater records left and right. Although Freddie Mercury has left us, it will be a long time before his legacy and the music of Queen will be forgotten.

Few bands embodied the pure excess of the '70s like Queen. Embracing the exaggerated pomp of prog rock and heavy metal, as well as vaudevillian music hall, the British quartet delved deeply into camp and bombast, creating a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars and overdubbed vocals. Queen's music was a bizarre yet highly accessible fusion of the macho and the fey. For years, their albums boasted the motto "no synthesizers were used on this record," signaling their allegiance with the legions of post-Led Zeppelin hard rock bands. But vocalist Freddie Mercury brought an extravagant sense of camp to the band, pushing them toward kitschy humor and pseudo-classical arrangements, as epitomized on their bestknown song, "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury, it must be said, was a flamboyant bisexual who managed to keep his sexuality in the closet until his death from AIDS in 1991. Nevertheless, his sexuality was apparent throughout Queen's music, from their very name to their veiled lyrics -- it was truly bizarre to hear gay anthems like "We Are the Champions" turn into celebrations of sports victories. That would have been impossible without Mercury, one of the most dynamic and charismatic frontmen in rock history. Through his legendary theatrical performances, Queen became one of the most popular bands in the world in the mid-'70s; in England, they remained second only to the Beatles in popularity and collectibility in the '90s. Despite their enormous popularity, Queen were never taken seriously by rock critics -- an infamous Rolling Stone review labeled their 1979 album Jazz as "fascist." In spite of such harsh criticism, the band's popularity rarely waned; even in the late '80s, the group retained a fanatical following except in America. In the States, their popularity peaked in the early '80s, just as they finished nearly a decade's worth of extraordinarily popular records. And while those records were never praised, they sold in enormous numbers, and traces of Queen's music could be heard in several generations of hard rock and metal bands in the next two decades, from Metallica to Smashing Pumpkins. The origins of Queen lay in the hard rock psychedelic group Smile, which guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor joined in 1967. Following the departure of Smile's lead vocalist, Tim Staffell, in 1971, May and Taylor formed a group with Freddie Mercury, the former lead singer for Wreckage. Within a few months, bassist John Deacon joined them, and they began rehearsing. Over the next two years, as all four members completed college, they simply rehearsed, playing just a handful of gigs. By 1973, they had begun to concentrate on their career, releasing the Roy Thomas Baker-produced Queen that year and setting out on their first tour. Queen was more or less a straight metal album and failed to receive much acclaim, but Queen II became an unexpected British breakthrough early in 1974. Before its release, the band played Top of the Pops, performing "Seven Seas of Rhye." Both the song and the performance were a smash success, and the single rocketed into the Top Ten, setting the stage for Queen II to reach number five. Following its release, the group embarked on its first American tour, supporting Mott the Hoople. On the strength of their campily dramatic performances, the album climbed to number 43 in the States. Queen released their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, before the end of 1974. The music hall meets Zeppelin "Killer Queen" climbed to number two on the U.K. charts, taking the album to number two as well. Sheer Heart Attack made some inroads in America as well, setting the stage for the breakthrough of 1975's A Night at the Opera. Queen labored long and hard over the record; according to many reports, it was the most expensive rock record ever made at the time of its release. The first single from the record, "Bohemian Rhapsody," became Queen's signature song, and with its bombastic, mock-operatic structure punctuated by heavy metal riffing, it encapsulates their music. It also is the symbol for their musical excesses -- the song took three weeks to record, and there were so many vocal overdubs on the record that it was possible see through the tape at certain points. To support "Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen shot one of the first conceptual music videos, and the gamble paid off as the single spent nine weeks at number one in the England, breaking the record for the longest run at number one. The song and A Night at the Opera were equally successful in America, as the album climbed into the Top Ten and quickly went platinum. Following A Night at the Opera, Queen were established as superstars, and they quickly took advantage of all their status had to offer. Their parties and indulgence quickly became legend in the rock world, yet the band continued to work at a rapid rate. In the summer of 1976, they performed a free concert at London's

Hyde Park that broke attendance records, and they released the hit single "Somebody to Love" a few months later. It was followed by A Day at the Races, which was essentially a scaled-down version of A Night at the Opera that reached number one in the U.K. and number five in the U.S. They continued to pile up hit singles in both Britain and America over the next five years, as each of their albums went into the Top Ten, always going gold and usually platinum in the process. Because Queen embraced such mass success and adoration, they were scorned by the rock press, especially when they came to represent all of the worst tendencies of the old guard in the wake of punk. Nevertheless, the public continued to buy Queen records. Featuring the Top Five double-A-sided single "We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You," News of the World became a Top Ten hit in 1977. The following year, Jazz nearly replicated that success, with the single "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" becoming an international hit despite the massive bad publicity surrounding their media stunt of staging a nude female bicycle race. Queen were at the height of their popularity as they entered the '80s, releasing The Game, their most diverse album to date, in 1980. On the strength of two number one singles -- the campy rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the disco-fied "Another One Bites the Dust" -- The Game became the group's first American number one album. However, the bottom fell out of the group's popularity, particularly in the U.S., shortly afterward. Their largely instrumental soundtrack to Flash Gordon was coldly received later in 1980. With the help of David Bowie, Queen were able to successfully compete with new wave with 1981's hit single "Under Pressure" -- their first U.K. number one since "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- which was included both on their 1981 Greatest Hits and 1982's Hot Space. Instead of proving the group's vitality, "Under Pressure" was a last gasp. Hot Space was only a moderate hit, and the more rock-oriented The Works (1984) also was a minor hit, with only "Radio Ga Ga" receiving much attention. Shortly afterward, they left Elektra and signed with Capitol. Faced with their decreased popularity in the U.S. and waning popularity in Britain, Queen began touring foreign markets, cultivating a large, dedicated fan base in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, continents that most rock groups ignored. In 1985, they returned to popularity in Britain in the wake of their show-stopping performance at Live Aid. The following year, they released A Kind of Magic to strong European sales, but they failed to make headway in the States. The same fate befell 1989's The Miracle, yet 1991's Innuendo was greeted more favorably, going gold and peaking at number 30 in the U.S. Nevertheless, it still was a far bigger success in Europe, entering the U.K. charts at number one. By 1991, Queen had drastically scaled back their activity, causing many rumors to circulate about Freddie Mercury's health. On November 23, he issued a statement confirming that he was stricken with AIDS; he died the next day. The following spring, the remaining members of Queen held a memorial concert at Wembley Stadium, which was broadcast to an international audience of more than one billion. Featuring such guest artists as David Bowie, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses, the concert raised millions for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was established for AIDS awareness. The concert coincided with a revival of interest in "Bohemian Rhapsody," which climbed to number two in the U.S. and number one in the U.K. in the wake of its appearance in the Mike Myers comedy Wayne's World. Following Mercury's death, the remaining members of Queen were fairly quiet. Brian May released his second solo album, Back to the Light, in 1993, ten years after the release of his first record. Roger Taylor cut a few records with the Cross, which he had been playing with since 1987, while Deacon essentially retired. The three reunited in 1994 to record backing tapes for vocal tracks Mercury recorded on his death bed. The resulting album, Made in Heaven, was released in 1995 to mixed reviews and strong sales, particularly in Europe. Crown Jewels, a box set repackaging their first eight LPs, followed in 1998. Archival live recordings, DVDs and compilations kept appearing through the new millennium. In 2005 the Queen name was revived but this time with "+ Paul Rodgers" appended to it. Rodgers, the former lead singer of Free and Bad Company, joined Brian May and Roger Taylor -- John Deacon remained retired -- for some live shows, one of which was documented on 2005's Return of the Champions, a double disc on the Hollywood label. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

FORMED: 1971, London, England DISBANDED: 1995 1968: Smile In 1968, Brian May and Tim Staffell, both students at Imperial College, decided they wanted to form a group. Brian placed an advertisement on the college notice board for a "Ginger Baker type" drummer, and a young medical student called Roger Taylor auditioned and got the job. They called the group Smile. Smile were signed to Mercury Records in 1969, and had their first experience of a recording studio in Trident Studios that year. Tim Staffell was at Ealing College of Art with Freddie Bulsara, and introduced him to the band. Freddie soon became a keen fan. Sadly, in 1970 Smile decided to call it a day, as nothing seemed to be happening for them. Tim went off and joined a band called Humpy Bong, and Freddie left his band Wreckage and joined up with Brian and Roger - it had all begun. 1970: Queen's birth Freddie changed his name by deed poll to Mercury, changed the band's name to Queen, and John Deacon was asked to audition as their bass player (they had had three temporary ones so far in their short history). In February 1971, John Deacon was taken on as the fourth member of Queen. The band rehearsed tirelessly and played several small gigs at Imperial College, where they rehearsed for close friends. Then they were offered the chance to test a new recording studio called De Lane Lea. In return for trying out the new equipment, they could also make free demo tapes. They did. No one was interested! They had signed a recording contract and publishing and management agreements with Trident in 1972, and during that year were paid just ?0 per week. Queen were given the 'down time' - or out of hours studio time - at Trident Studios, where they began work on their first album. 1973: a recording deal In 1973, Trident and EMI signed a contract for a recording deal for Queen, and July of that year saw the release of Queen, their first album. The band were offered a big break - their first major tour as support band to Mott The Hoople. It began in Leeds in November 1973, and it was said by many people during that tour that 'Queen were more than a support act ....' Queen II was finally released in March 1974 - it should have been earlier, but there was a minor printing error on the sleeve that Queen insisted on having corrected! The band embarked on their first headlining tour of Britain, starting in Blackpool in March 1974. In April 1974, the band embarked on their first-ever USA tour as guests to Mott The Hoople. But in May of that year, whilst on tour, Brian collapsed with hepatitis, and the band had to cancel the rest of their dates. 1974: Sheer Heart Attack! Work on their third album began without Brian and with a lot of help from Roy Thomas Baker. Brian finally felt well enough to go into the studios to record his guitar parts, although he was still ill and spend much time between takes in the studio bathroom being very sick! But eventually, the album was finished, and Sheer Heart Attack was released in November 1974. It was a huge hit both sides of the Atlantic as the world came to realise that Queen were certainly a force to be reckoned with! 1975: the big tour In January 1975, Queen left for the USA on their very first headlining tour. Ticket sales were phenomenal, and demand was so high that they had to add more shows, doing two shows in one day at some venues, both shows being sold out. Quite a few shows on that tour had to be cancelled, as Freddie had developed a severe throat problem, but he soldiered on and performed as many as possible, although doctors had advised him against it. Also in January 1975, Queen engaged the services of a Music Business lawyer, Jim Beach, to negotiate them out of their Trident

agreements, as Trident were no longer being as supportive as they should have been, and the band were unhappy with the situation. Their first Canadian gig was in Edmonton on April 2nd, where they were joined on stage by support act Kansas. April of 1975 saw Queen set to pay their first-ever visit to Japan. 1975: Japan mania When they arrived at the airport, there were over three thousand fans there to greet them, as Sheer Heart Attack was Number One in Japan at the time. It was a scene reminiscent of Beatlemania in the Sixties, and the band were quite surprised at their 'pop star' welcome! In May 1975, Freddie was presented with an Ivor Novello Award by the Songwriters Guild for Killer Queen. 1975: Bohemian Rhapsody Queen began work on their new album in June. Links with Trident were finally severed - to the band's great relief - in August, and by September Queen had signed with new management: enter John Reid. When the band decided to release Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975, everyone told them it was far too long and just would not be a hit at 5 minutes and 55 seconds. But Freddie gave a copy of the single to friend and London DJ Kenny Everett, informing him that it was for him personally, and that he must not play it on air. But of course he did - fourteen times in two days!! From then on, every major radio station played the song in full, and not edited versions as was first thought. It was a colossal hit, and really established Queen as th?band of the era. The video for the single, directed by Bruce Gowers using ideas from the band themselves, was considered to be the one that began the whole video craze - they just didn't know what they were starting! The single stayed at Number One for an amazing nine weeks! 1975: A Night At The Opera The album was, at the time, one of the most expensive ever recorded, but when A Night At The Opera was released in November 1975, it was a massive hit, and gave them their first platinum album. Freddie had designed a Queen logo for the Queen I album, which was re-worked and used as the cover for A Night At The Opera. The now-famous 'crest' features the band's star signs - two fairies for Virgo, a crab for Cancer and two lions for the two Leos. The launch party for the album was held in the exclusive Opera Bar at the London Coliseum Theatre. 1976: touring In January 1976, Freddie was presented with another Ivor Novello Award, for Bohemian Rhapsody. Also in January, the band set off on their third American tour, which took them all over America and continued until the end of March. They then flew direct to Japan, arriving yet again to a riotous reception. By this time, all four Queen albums were in the UK Top Twenty, which was an unheard-of feat. They undertook an extensive tour of Japan, and then flew on to Austria. Their tour 'Down Under' began at the Perth Entertainment Centre. 1976: another new album They flew back to the UK to begin work on their next album, A Day At The Races, but recording was halted while the band took off on a short UK tour. On September 18th, 1976, Queen decided they wanted to say thanks to their dedicated fans, and so - in true extravagant style - they staged a huge free concert in London's Hyde Park. The crowds were estimated at between 150 and 200 thousand people - the largest audience Queen had played to up to that time, and to date still the highestever attendance record for a concert in Hyde Park. 1976: A Day At The Races It was September, and the band were hard at work on their new album. A Day At The Races was released in December 1976. The band all attended a special horse race at Kempton Park to promote the album, and in 'A Day At The Races Stakes', a special race sponsored by EMI, they all backed the same horse without telling each other - and it won! Five days before its release, the advance orders for A Day At The Races were in excess of half a million - the highest orders EMI had ever received for any album. 1977: Roger's solo single 1977 had only been around for four days before Queen jetted off to America to rehearse for their forthcoming tour. They were on the road constantly through

January, February and most of March in the USA and Canada. Roger decided, at the end of all that, to record a solo single, which he paid for out of his own pocket. I Wanna Testify was released in August. In May of 1977, Queen flew out of Stockholm to begin an extensive European tour. Their concert at Earls Court in London featured the famous 'Crown' lighting rig. It was 54 feet wide, 26 feet tall and weighed in at 5,000 pounds. It cost the band ?0,000. 1977: We Are The Champions, the video In October 1977, the fan club members were asked for the first time to take part in one of the band's videos. We Are The Champions was filmed at the New London Theatre. After initial filming was finished, the band remained on stage and played an impromptu gig to say thanks to the fans who had turned up and worked so hard. October '77 also saw the band presented with a Britannia Award for the Top British Single: Bohemian Rhapsody, of course! 1977: News Of The World Queen released News Of The World on October 28th, 1977. The cover was a drawing that Roger had discovered, by Science Fiction artist Kelly Freas. Roger asked him if he would mind adapting his illustration for the album cover, and Freas readily agreed. 1977: another tour In November they were off to the USA again for rehearsals for the forthcoming tour. For the first time, their finances enabled them to charter a private plane for the tour - it made life on the road that much more comfortable. The tour began on 11th November - their second USA tour that year. They all arrived back in the UK just in time to spend Christmas with their families. That Christmas, We Will Rock You was knocked off the French Number One slot after 12 weeks ...... by We Are The Champions! 1978: a new management In February 1978, Queen decided they should set up their own management structure. They parted company with John Reid more amicably than their split with Trident - this severance agreement was actually signed in the back of Freddie's Rolls Royce during a break in filming We Will Rock You in the back garden of Roger's house in Surrey! A short (by Queen standards!) tour of Europe began in April 1978 again in Stockholm. In July, the band started work on their new album. They recorded it in Montreux and France - the first time they had ever recorded outside Great Britain. 1978: Bicycle Race As publicity for the forthcoming single Bicycle Race, the band hired Wimbledon Stadium, and fifty naked girls had their own bicycle race. The original cover of the single featured the rear view of one of those naked girls, but due to public outcry in some countries, panties had to be drawn on! More touring in the USA and Canada began in October. November 10th saw the release of Jazz, the band's seventh album. The sleeve was packed to contain a fold-out poster of the naked bicycle race. The Americans banned it from the actual album sleeve, and inserted an application form instead so that fans could send away for their poster. The launch party for Jazz was held in New Orleans, and has since gone down in history! 1978: the party The band hosted the party themselves in order to invite both EMI, their American record company, and Elektra, their USA representatives. It was the first time that both companies' executives had met, and they both ensured that ALL of their directors attended, each to try to outnumber the other! The party was a completely over-the-top affair, featuring mud wrestlers, midgets, topless waitresses, and a host of other weird and wonderful characters. 1979: buying a studio The North American tour finished in late December, and the band flew back to the UK for Christmas, but they didn't get too much time to rest, as by January 1979 they were off to Europe yet again. The tour kicked off in Hamburg, and by March were ensconced in Mountain Studios in Montreux, working on their 'live' album. The band enjoyed the peace of Montreux and liked the studio there, so they decided to buy it (the studio, not the town!) When Freddie was asked by resident engineer David

Richards why they had bought it and what they intended to do with it, Freddie quipped '...dump it in the lake, dear'!! 1979: Live Killers The band flew out to Japan for yet more touring in April 1979. In June, they approached the All England Lawn Tennis Club and asked if they could use the Centre Court at Wimbledon (after the tournament, of course!) for a concert. Permission was refused. The band's first live album (and their only double album to date), Live Killers, was released in June 1979. It was an album released by very popular demand. Queen were approached to write the musical score for the science fiction film Flash Gordon. When the idea was first discussed with producer Dino de Laurentis, he simply asked '...but who are the queens?'!! The band agreed to work on the score, and started work during June in Munich. 1979: Crazy Tour The end of 1979 found Queen embarking on 'The Crazy Tour'. It included such illustrious venues as Tiffany's in Purley, the Lewisham Odeon, Alexandra Palace, and finally, the Hammersmith Odeon. They were one of many bands who performed at the venue to raise money for the starving people of Kampuchea. During that Crazy Tour, the bands' tour manager, Gerry Stickells, collapsed backstage and had to be rushed to hospital. Gerry had been with Queen on every tour since 1976 (and has done very one since!) 1980: synths At the start of 1980, the band were working hard on their new album, The Game - it was the first album to use the electronic wizardry of synthesisers. In June they were off to tour North America - again! Roger also started work on his first solo album in 1980. The Game was released in June of that year, and it went five times platinum in Canada alone! Another One Bites The Dust became the band's biggest-ever, worldwide-selling single to date. It became a huge 'crossover' hit in the USA, topping the charts in Rock, Soul and Disco. The band received a 'Dick Clarke' award as best band; a top Billboard award for 'Top Crossover Single'; and was nominated for various other awards including Grammys and Canadian 'Juno' awards. 1981: touring On December 8th 1980, the soundtrack album for Flash Gordon was released. At the end of 1980, Queen had sold over 45,000,000 albums worldwide. In February 1981, after another Far East tour, the band flew to Rio de Janeiro for the start of their first tour of South America. Queen were the first rock band to undertake a stadium tour of South America, paving the way for many more bands to follow. The band's equipment had to be flown in a privately hired 'Flying Tiger' 747 cargo plane from Tokyo - the flight between Tokyo and Buenos Aires is the longest air route between capital cities in the world. 1981: more touring Their first South American gig was Buenos Aires, on February 28th 1981. They then filled three more Argentinean World Cup soccer stadiums, playing five sold-out stadium gigs in just eight days. They then played two nights at the massive Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paolo. On the first night, 131,000 people attended, and Queen created rock & roll history as it was the largest paying audience for a single band anywhere in the world. During those two nights at the Morumbi Stadium, 251,000 people saw the Queen spectacle - that's a larger audience than most bands can expect in their whole career! Every single one of Queen's albums was in the Top Ten in Argentina during their tour - a first for any band. 1981: Roger's solo album Whilst they were in Sao Paulo, the band celebrated the fact that the single, Love Of My Life, had been in the Sao Paulo singles chart for over 12 consecutive months. In April 1981, Roger released his first solo album, titled Fun In Space. Queen were back in South America - it was a return trip, being hailed as 'The Gluttons For Punishment Tour'! Unfortunately, their last two Venezuelan gigs in Caracas had to be cancelled, as the ex-President of the country had died. So the band moved on to play in Mexico, in Monterrey and Puebla - just outside Mexico City. Whilst there, the band's promoter, Jose Rota, was arrested and jailed. Jim Beach had to pay over $25,000 bail money to release him so the tour could continue!

1981: Hits, Flix and Pix Greatest Hits, Greatest Flix and Greatest Pix were released simultaneously in October 1981. Greatest Hits - the album - entered the charts as soon as it was released, and has rarely been out of the British charts since! Greatest Flix - the video - was the first real collection of promo videos released commercially by any band. Greatest Pix - the book - was compiled by Jacques Lowe, who was President Kennedy's personal biographer during his term of office. It was Jacques' personal selection of the greatest Queen pictures of the previous decade. 1982: Hot Space The band's twelfth album, Hot Space, was released on May 21st, 1982 whilst the band was in the middle of an extensive European tour. On June 5th that year, they played the huge open-air Milton Keynes Bowl. The whole show was filmed by Tyne Tees Television, under the direction of Gavin Taylor, to be shown on Channel Four's The Tube programme at a later date. In September 1982, the Japanese company, Mercury Records (nothing to do with Freddie!) released an album called Gettin' Smile. It was at first thought to be a bootleg, but after listening to the album, Roger and Brian declared it to be the REAL Smile, although neither of them recalled having recorded so much with that band! In December 1982, Queen made it into the Guinness Book of Records as Britain's highest-paid executives. 1983: solo recordings In January 1983, Freddie began work on a solo album, and Roger began work on his second solo album. During the early part of the year, Brian had flown out to Los Angeles and gathered together a few close friends in the Record Plant studios there. Brian had some basic ideas to work on, but it was generally a lengthy jam session. However, Brian had no intention of wasting the talents of Edward Van Halen, Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen and Fred Mandel - and so kept the tapes rolling throughout the whole session. The result was the mini album Star Fleet Project, which was released in October 1983. 1983: USA recordings The band went back into the studios in August 1983 to start work on their next album. Work commenced at the Record Plant in LA - the first time the band had recorded in America. After a number of months, recording switched from LA to Munich - a city that the band spent so much time in during that recording session that they almost thought of it as home! 1984: The Works In February 1984, the band released their thirteenth album - The Works. Radio Ga Ga, taken from that album, became a worldwide hit, reaching Number One in nineteen different countries. The video for the single, directed by David Mallett, featured fan club members again. The handclapping chorus became a favourite with live audiences all over the world. Another single from The Works was I Want To Break Free, and that had an even more outrageous video also featuring members of the fan club. It featured the band dressed as the characters of a popular British television soap opera - Coronation Street. When asked why, Roger said he had become bored with serious epic videos, and thought it was about time they had some fun and proved they could still laugh at themselves. MTV in America refused to show the video. 1984: Strange Frontier In June 1984, Roger released his second solo album, Strange Frontier. Also in June, a company called Guild Guitars launched a special copy of Brian's home-made Red Special guitar. It was called the BHM1, and Brian had been closely involved in all the aspects of its production. Sadly, about a year later, Brian and Guild had some discussions about the design of the instrument which resulted in Guild ceasing production. 1984: tour problems In August, Queen flew out to Belgium to start The Works tour in that country. October saw them in Bophuthatswana, South Africa, and a series of gigs at the famous Sun City Superbowl. The gigs themselves were fraught with problems, as Freddie had serious voice complications resulting in cancellations. But the problems were mild compared to what the band returned to. Their visit caused much public outcry, although the band defended their actions, saying they were a non-political

band and that they had gone out to play music for the people, and for no other reason. 1984: first full-length video Queen's first-ever full-length video was released in September 1984. We Will Rock You was filmed during the band's 1981 Montreal concerts. During September, Queen had no fewer than nine albums in the UK Top 200. 1985: Rock In Rio 1985 was the year of 'Rock In Rio'. It was billed as the biggest rock festival to be held anywhere in the world, and Queen were headlining the event. (Remember that bit about 'not being a support act for long...'?) The whole festival was recorded for broadcast throughout South America, but Queen were the only band able to obtain the rights to release their performance on video. Live in Rio was released in May 1985. 1985: Spandau Ballet? The band performed their first-ever concert in New Zealand on April 13th, 1985 in Auckland. The band were met outside their hotel on arrival by a group of chanting anti-apartheid demonstrators. Tony Hadley, singer with British band Spandau Ballet, flew over from Australia where his band was on tour to see the Queen show, and was honoured to be asked to join Queen on stage for their encore. 1985: Mr. Bad Guy Freddie's first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, was released on April 19th whilst the band was on tour in Australia. The gig in Melbourne had to be played with no lighting rig at all, as the whole computer system that controlled the lights had broken down. After an Australian tour peppered with problems - not least being the incessant rain the band flew across to Japan. Their concert at the Tokyo Olympic swimming pool was filmed by NHK to be shown on network Japanese television. 1985: Live Aid July 13th 1985, was a day that went down in history as the Live Aid Global Jukebox took the world by storm from London's vast Wembley Stadium and from Philadelphia in the USA. Queen were just one of a multitude of top bands who all performed a short, 20-minute set. The world was watching, and Queen were unanimously voted by press and public alike - as the band that stole the show. That event was a turning point for Queen. 1985: One Vision They had decided some time previously to take a break from each other, but that day brought them together with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. One Vision was the first release to come from that new inspiration. 1986: Highlander Queen were approached by Russell Mulcahy to record the soundtrack to his first feature film - a fantasy tale about an immortal Scotsman - called Highlander. In an interview, Mulcahy stated that Queen had been the first band he had thought of for the score. 1986: A Kind Of Magic In March 1986, John formed a new band, called The Immortals, to write and record some of the music for a forthcoming film called Biggles. They recorded just one track - No Turning Back - and the band folded. On June 2nd, Queen released their fourteenth album, the soundtrack to Highlander, entitled A Kind Of Magic. The album entered the UK chart at Number One and remained in the top five for thirteen consecutive weeks. 1986: Magic Tour On June 7th, the Queen machine was in action again as the band embarked on their 'Magic Tour of Europe'. The first UK gig was Newcastle's St James Park football stadium. The band, and promoter Harvey Goldsmith, donated all the proceeds from that concert to the International Save The Children Fund. On July 11th, the 'Queen Tornado' - as Freddie had dubbed it - hit London and two sold-out shows at the vast Wembley Stadium. During the set, four enormous inflatables, modelled on the characters from the Kind of Magic album, were released from amongst the audience

into the night. The following night's show was filmed by Tyne Tees Television, again directed by Gavin Taylor, to be shown on TV at a later date. 1986: Queen on the tele When that concert was finally shown on television, it became the first-ever simulcast between Channel Four and the Independent Radio network in Britain. This feat has never since been repeated - possibly because, in order to achieve this, a satellite dish had to be delivered to every single independent radio station in the UK so that they could receive the sound by satellite whilst receiving the pictures by the normal land lines. 1986: the Budapest performance On 27th July, Queen made history again (something of a habit with this band!) when they played the beautiful Nepstadion in Budapest, Hungary. It was the first time a major rock band had played a stadium date in the Eastern Bloc, and it was completely sold out well in advance. The concert was filmed by the Hungarian State Film Agency, MAFILM, in connection with Queen Films - they had to commandeer every 35mm camera in Hungary to film it! 1986: Knebworth On August 9th, the band flew into Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire, in a specially repainted helicopter featuring the characters from the Kind of Magic album cover. It was the final date on the Magic Tour, and the biggest audience so far - estimated at well over 120,000 people. It caused one of the biggest traffic jams in history as everyone tried to arrive in plenty of time! Over one million people saw Queen on that European Magic Tour - in excess of 400,000 in the UK alone. 1986: CD releases In November 1986, EMI Records released the entire Queen catalogue of albums on the Compact Disc format - the first time any band's complete collection had been made available simultaneously. In December, Queen's fifteenth album - and their second live album - was released. Entitled Live Magic, it entered the British chart at Number Three. On 13th December, the band's film Live In Budapest opened in Budapest at 9 a.m., and proceeded to play to nine sold-out houses in that one day. Seven completely full screenings were shown each day for a week. 1987: The Great Pretender During 1986, in the UK alone, Queen sold a staggering 1,774,991 albums. On February 3rd, Freddie released a cover version of the great old Platters song, The Great Pretender. In the video to accompany the song, Freddie recreated many scenes from his own and Queen videos, and actor Peter Starker, Roger Taylor and Freddie all donned wigs, made up their faces, and became the female backing singers! It was an expensive video! 1987: the meeting One of Freddie's all-time heroines was opera diva Montserrat Caballe, and in March 1987, he met with her in her home city of Barcelona. An astonishing partnership was forged with Montserrat agreed to record an album with Freddie. He penned a song about Barcelona for her, and the two began to write and record that album. Freddie and Montserrat appeared on stage together for the first time in May 1987 at the Ibiza '92 festival, held at the famous Ku Club on the holiday island. They performed Barcelona. 1987: the forming of The Cross In August 1987, Roger advertised for, auditioned and chose musicians to form a new band, The Cross. He wanted a band he could write with and, more importantly, tour with during Queen's increasingly lengthy 'quiet' periods. 1987: Barcelona, the single The single Barcelona was released in Spain in September 1987, and 10,000 copies were sold in just three hours. The Spanish Olympic Committee adopted the song as the theme for the Olympic Games being held in the city in 1992 - then decided against it, which caused much anger amongst the fans. 1987: The Magic Years Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher are an Austrian director/producer team who

followed Queen all over Europe during the Magic Tour, filming them on stage, back stage, resting, playing and generally 'touring'. They then searched the archives for footage of live shows, interviews or out-takes from videos. After that, they interviewed the band, their friends, their fans and other 'stars'. Finally, in November 1987, a trilogy of documentary-style videos was released, called The Magic Years. The trilogy received numerous awards, including the famous Silver Screen award in the USA (the biggest film and TV festival in the world) and the IMMC award at the Montreux Golden Rose TV festival. Also during 1987, Queen were presented with the prestigious Ivor Novello award for their 'Outstanding Contribution to British Music'. 1988: Shove It! In January 1988, Queen went into the studios to start work on their next album. On January 25th, The Cross released their debut album called Shove It. The Cross also embarked on their first European tour, playing club and university dates throughout the UK, then clubs in Germany. 1988: solo releases Freddie and Montserrat appeared together again on October 8th at the huge La Nit event staged in Barcelona, which was held to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Flag from Seoul. Freddie and Montserrat closed the event, held in the presence of the King and Queen of Spain, with Barcelona, The Golden Boy and How Can I Go On - tracks taken from their forthcoming album. 1988: Barcelona, the album Barcelona, the duet album from Freddie and Montserrat, was released on October 10th, 1988. The launch party was a typically extravagant affair held in the Crush Bar of the beautiful Covent Garden Opera House - a fitting venue! 1988: The Cross - live On December 4th, The Cross played a one-off gig at London's Hammersmith Palais, at a party held exclusively for fan club members. Special guests on stage were Brian and John. 1989: The Miracle Queen released their sixteenth album on May 22nd 1989, entitled The Miracle. It entered the UK chart at Number One and went on to become a massive worldwide success, reaching Number One in most European countries. To promote the release, the four members of the band gathered in a Radio One studio and allowed themselves to be interviewed by DJ Mike Reid - a scoop for him, as the band had not given a joint interview in many years. 1989: best of the 80's As it was the end of a decade, there were numerous 'Best of the Eighties' style programmes on television, especially in the UK, and Queen were voted the 'Best Band of the Eighties' by the viewers of Independent Television and readers of its magazine TV Times. It was an accolade they were immensely pleased with, and they all appeared together on the show to collect it. 1989: Queen in the studios In late November 1989, Queen were already back in studios working on the next album - they had felt so inspired by the huge success of The Miracle. 1990: awards On February 18th, 1990, Queen were honoured yet again when they were recognised by the British Phonographic Industry (at last!), and presented with an award for their 'Outstanding Contribution to British Music'. They all collected the award, and went on to host a huge star-studded party at London's Groucho Club. 1990: The Cross' second album The Cross released their second album on March 26th, called Mad: Bad: And Dangerous To Know, a title taken from a quote used to describe the eccentric Lord Byron! The Cross also undertook a short German tour. 1990: Macbeth Brian, meanwhile, wrote and produced the haunting music for a version of Shakespeare's Macbeth, performed at London's Riverside Theatre.

1990: Hollywood Records In November 1990, Queen signed a major new recording deal in North America with the Disney-financed Hollywood Records. Hollywood immediately began the task of pushing Queen back up the popularity ladder, and plans were laid to re-master and re-release the entire back catalogue on CD - up till then, the collection had not been available on CD in North America. 1990: live performances On December 7th, The Cross played their only UK date for some time at London's Astoria Theatre, at yet another Queen fan club party. Brian joined them on stage for the encore. 1991: Innuendo as a single On January 14th 1991, the band released the six-and-a-half-minute long epic Innuendo as a single. It was a massive success, giving the band their third UK Number One single and ensuring them the Number One slot throughout Europe. The album of the same name was released on February 4th, and crashed straight into the UK chart at Number One, hitting the high spot again throughout Europe - and it even charted top thirty in America. 1991: Blue Rock In March 1991, The Cross went into studios to start work on their third album, and Brian flew out to Montreux in July to continue work on his long-awaited solo album. The Cross album was completed in July, and release was schedule for early September for a great third album, entitled Blue Rock. The album was only ever released in Germany, on Electrola records. Queen went into the studios in London to begin work on their next album in late April. 1991: the final video On May 30th, 1991, Freddie filmed what was to become his final video for Queen the haunting Days of Our Lives. A version featuring Disney animation was made for the USA. 1991: Seville Guitar Legends Brian organised the Rock section of the Seville Guitar Legends festival, and amongst those chosen by Brian to perform their music were Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Joe Walsh - to name but a few. The concerts were performed live in October on the site of the Seville Expo '92 exhibition. 1991: the second Hits album Greatest Hits Two was released in October 1991, a double album featuring 17 tracks. They also repeated their earlier success by releasing Greatest Flix II and Greatest Pix II - this time compiled by Richard Gray. A special box was also released called Box of Flix, featuring Flix One and Two plus four bonus tracks. Needless to say, both Hits II and Flix II were Number One! 1991: Freddie's farewell On November 23rd, Freddie announced to the world that he had AIDS. Just the next day, his fight was over, and he died peacefully at his home surrounded by friends and family. The world was in shock. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he really was. Fans from all over the world sent flowers and cards, and many even travelled to London to be at Freddie's house. A quiet family cremation service was held three days after his death, conducted in the Zoroastrian faith that Freddie's parents followed so strictly. 1991: Driven By You In April, Brian had been commissioned by a London advertising agency to write a piece of music for an advertising campaign for Ford cars. The resulting track, Driven by You, was so good (and proved so popular) that Brian released it as his first solo single on November 25th. It made the top ten in the UK charts. 1991: BoRhap, the sequel As a tribute to Freddie, and to raise funds for the Terence Higgins Trust to continue the fight against AIDS - as Freddie's last wishes requested - Bohemian

Rhapsody/These Are The Days of Our Lives was released as a double A-sided single. It entered the UK chart at Number One, where it remained for five weeks, raising over one million pounds for the AIDS charity. 1991: popular than ever In December 1991, Queen had no fewer than 10 albums in the UK top 100. 1992: award for Freddie In February 1992, the annual BritAwards recognised Freddie with a special posthumous award for 'Outstanding Contribution to British Music', and - out of three Queen nominations - Days Of Our Lives won the Best Single of 1991 award. At that awards ceremony, Roger and Brian announced plans for a massive open-air concert at London's Wembley Stadium to celebrate Freddie's life and give him a send-off to remember. 1992: ticket sales The tickets went on sale the next day, with no announcement of who was going to play apart from Brian, Roger and John, and all 72,000 tickets sold out in just six hours. 1992: Tribute Concert On Easter Monday, April 20th 1992, many of the world's top stars joined Roger, John and Brian on stage at Wembley Stadium to pay an emotional tribute to Freddie. The stadium was packed to capacity, and it was televised live to over one billion people. 1992: more awards In April 1992, Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello award for Best Single with 'Days Of Our Lives', and Brian also won an award for Driven By You for Best TV Commercial Music. 1992: Back To The Light September 1992 saw the release of the long-awaited Brian May solo album, called Back To The Light. The album went into the UK charts at number 6 and achieved double gold status. 1992: Brian's tour The Brian May Band was then formed. Having warmed up in Chile, Argentina and Brazil in November 1992. The Brian May Band embarked upon a World Tour, beginning in the USA and Europe as special guests to Guns N'Roses. They then went on to headline their own sell-out tour of North America, Japan and Europe, finishing in Portugal in December 1993. 1992: Mercury Phoenix Trust In the summer of 1992 The Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded to distribute the money raised by the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS awareness. It is a registered charity. 1992: the results Funds generated in the U.S.A. through Fox Television's prime time broadcast of the concert and the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody as a single (a sum in excess of $1 million) were distributed to AIDS charities all over the United States. In the UK over ? million was donated to The Terence Higgins Trust from the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody. In addition another ?.2 million has been distributed to date to over 100 different established charities and body Positive self-help groups in the UK, the rest of Europe and Africa. 1992: a Tribute on video Prior to Christmas 1992, a double video of the Freddie Tribute Concert was released, with all proceeds being donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. 1992: The Great Pretender The Freddie Mercury Album was released in November 1992 with the first single In My Defence on 30 November 1992. This single was followed by 'The Great Pretender' in January 1993 and Living On My Own in Spring 1993. This latter single won a posthumous Ivor Novello Award as the 1993 International Hit of the Year.

1993: Five Live 1993 saw the release of the George Michael / Lisa Stansfield / Queen mini album Five Alive. This mini album and the single Somebody To Love were released worldwide in aid of the Trust. They reached the top ten in 31 countries worldwide and the single reached number one in the UK on 22nd April. 1993: Live At The Brixton Academy In February 1994 EMI released 'The Brian May Band Live At Brixton Academy' on album and video, the first live recordings of the band. 1994: Happiness? In September 1994, Roger Taylor released his solo album Happiness?. This was preceded by the May 3rd release of a single, Nazis 1994, which addresses the issue of Europe's increasing rise of Neo-Nazism. The second single Foreign Sands was released throughout Europe at the end of September 1994. Roger Taylor's band toured the UK and Italy in November 1994 - January 1995. 1995: Made In Heaven! After four years in the making, November 6, 1995 saw the worldwide release of Made In Heaven, Queen's twentieth and final album. Begun in April 1991, the album was the last work to be recorded by the band with Freddie Mercury, recording continuing through to the last months of Freddie's life. 1995: the dedication The album, much of the finishing work undertaken by John, Brian and Roger after Freddie's death, carries a dedication to the 'immortal spirit of Freddie Mercury', in recognition of his request that the material be completed and be heard by the public. 1995: the songs The finality of the album is underlined in two particular tracks, A Winter's Tale, the last song written by Freddie, and Mother Love a Brian and Freddie song which features the last vocal track Freddie laid down. 1995: Montreux Much of the recording on Made In Heaven was carried out at Queen's studio in Montreux, Switzerland, the town where Freddie was also living at the time. This landmark point in the history of Queen is immortalised in the album sleeve - a landscape view across the lake which Freddie's home overlooked. 1995: personal album To many, Made In Heaven represents not only Queen's most personal album, but also the band's finest. 1995: BFI project Always recognised for their innovative music videos, Queen wanted to look at an entirely new way of presenting the tracks of the album in a visual form. This was achieved by joining forces with the British Film Institute in a unique venture to produce a series of short films based around each of the album tracks using the talent of new young directors working with the BFI. The first of these was Evolution, a film made by director Simon Pummell inspired by Heaven For Everyone. As well as being seen on television, the film is expected to be seen also on cinema screens. Under the BFI project, a further six-eight films are anticipated to be made. 1995: 20CD set The release of the album also provided a fitting occasion to reflect on the highlights and achievements of Queen's 25 years. A week after its release, November 13, comes the release of Ultimate Queen, a deluxe box set of 20 Queen albums presented in a wall mounted presentation case. Available as a limited edition, Ultimate Queen contains the complete studio work of the group with the classic live albums Live Killers, Live Magic and Live At Wembley. Individually numbered, each case presents the album collection on high quality litho printed picture CDs accompanied by an embossed 12-page colour booklet. 1995: Champions Of The World As a companion to the box set, Queen also released the definitive video documentary, Champions of the World. In two hours of film and music, the video

contains a wealth of material not previously available. More than simply re-telling the band's history, Champions of the World also provides a rare insight into the lives of John, Brian, Freddie and Roger. 1995: Queen Phenomenon The release of the album is also celebrated on television with two Channel 4 specials on Queen: a new one-hour documentary, The Queen Phenomenon, to air on December 4 at 10pm, and Queen At Wembley, a live recording of one of the highlights of the group's 1986 Magic Tour, to be screened on December 6 at 11:00pm. 1995: the website On November 6 Queen fans worldwide were able for the first time to communicate with each other and connect with the band with the launch of the Queen web site on the internet. Considered one of the most advanced sites available, it incorporates seven locations offering audio samples, video clips, stills artwork, communication and information centres, as well as a shopping mall. The site address is: http://www.queenonline.com/ 1995: the statue On November 8 sculptor Irena Sedlecka commenced work on the full size version of the statue of Freddie Mercury to be unveiled in 1996. 1995: more broadcastings December will see Queen back on the airwaves in a major way with a two hour documentary radio series being produced by Unique Broadcasting for broadcast on Radio One FM during the month. 1996: radio series This will be followed in January by an even more extensive radio series of five hours to be broadcast across the Independent Radio Network. 1996: Freddie in a museum November will also see Freddie's image on display at the Museum of the Moving Image on London's Southbank with the installation of a holographic movie created from his likeness; in essence, a 3-D image on film. 1997: Queen Rocks 1997 saw the release of Queen's third compilation album Queen Rocks. It became a big succes in many countries and featured a new song written by Brian and recorded by Roger, Brian and John. 1998: Another World Another World saw the release in 1998. Brian's long awaited solo album. This became the last album with Cozy Powell; he died after a car accident just after the recordings had been completed. While On My Way Up got released in Europe, the UK had Business as a single. Business featured a special Cozy mix and a small message by Brian for Cozy. In August Why Don't We Try Again got released as a single in the UK, Holland released Another World as a single in September. 1998: Electric Fire Right after this release Roger released his forth solo album Electric Fire. Two singles were taken from the album: Pressure On and Surrender. The latter got released in 1999 and featured a special Radio Mix. A short UK tour followed after this release. 1999: Hits three The end of 1999 saw the release of Greatest Hits III and Greatest Flix III of Queen. A new mix was included on the compilation: Under Pressure, the Rah Mix and a unique live performance with Elton John and the three remaining Queen members. 2000: Furia Brian released his own soundtrack album in August 2000 for the French movie Furia. It got later released in the UK, Japan and all over Europe. 2000: th?box set The Solo Collection, a 10 CD and 2 DVD box set got released in October 2000 of

Freddie. The box featured the three solo albums, two discs with single tracks, three CD's with rarities such as demos, unreleased takes and instrumental tracks. An interview and instrumental CD was also included plus 2 DVD's featuring all of Freddie's video clips plus a new documentary. A single was released in Holland and Italy to promote the box set. 2001: ..... 2001 will hopefully see the first Queen rarities box set and perhaps some other surprising things, such as a live performance of Brian and Roger (and maybe even John) somewhere on the globe...

'This way Sir. We have a selection of midgets who'll be serving your cocaine on silver platters tonight while in the room marked 'Orgy' you can choose from an exotic array of women, er, and men from all over the globe. Mind that swimming pool full of raw liver though Sir. That's for the naked dancers later on.' Anyone invited to one of Queen's parties in the 70s probably wouldn't have forgotten it in a hurry. They were legendary, full of the kind of Bacchanalian excess that would have made Emperor Nero blush. Like their music, the band embodied a flamboyant sense of excess and glamour that was unmatched. Their music too was a fantastically overblown blend of heavy rock, glam, arch-pop and droll, operatic campery. They pioneered the rock video with the groundbreaking No.1 single Bohemian Rhapsody which defined their eccentric brilliance. And in their marvellously egotistical frontman Freddie Mercury, they had one of the greatest stars in rock history. One man, one vest, one moustache. One vision. Queen were born out of the ashes of Smile - a group formed in 1967 by guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The Zanzibar born Freddie Mercury, who had been singing with a heavy metal band, Wreckage, joined in 1970 and Queen were formed in 1971. Electronics student John Deacon on bass, joined soon after and the band were soon signed to EMI. Queen unleashed their eponymous debut album in 1973 and their debut single, Keep Yourself Alive. From the start it was clear that the band were fashioning a unique sound drawing on elements of glam rock, stomping, rock bombast and Mercury's histrionic vocals. The album didn't set the charts alight and the band set off on a heavy touring schedule supporting Mott The Hoople. Success would eventually come in 1974 with the release of the single, Seven Seas Of Rhye and the ensuing album, Queen II. The album reached No.5 in the UK charts. 1974's Killer Queen single introduced their audience to Queen's unique brand of jaunty, high camp pop which would become their trademark. Multi-layered harmonies, heavy

rock guitar and Freddie Mercury's impassioned, theatrical vocals. The single reached No.2 in the UK charts and their 1974 album, Sheer Heart Attack was regarded as their strongest to date. It contained neo-metal riffs, high camp, and satin clad dynamics that would certainly make The Darkness' Justin Hawkins sit up and take notice.. But it was 1975 single Bohemian Rhapsody that would see Queen crowned as rock royalty. Armed with a pair of satin ballet tights and a roar of 'Bismillah!' Freddie Mercury's masteripiece helped to define Queen's eccentric brilliance and introduced the term %u2018rock opera' into the pop lexicon. Accompanied by the first ever rock video, Rhapsody's 6 minutes of barmy brilliance spent 9 weeks at No.1 spurring Sid Vicious to comment upon meeting Mercury: 'Ello Fred, So you've really brought ballet to the masses then?' The ensuing album, 1975's A Night At The Opera, was equally ambitious and is widely regarded as Queen's creative peak. Crunching guitar riffs, piano flourishes, Victorian, music hall camp and folkie solemnity was all rolled into one album. Mercury's multilayered vocals on The Prophet's Song and May's trad-jazz big band sound on Good Company and the pure pop of You're My Best Friend sizzled. The album went Top 5 in the US, confirming the band as a global phenomenon. 1976's follow up album, A Day At The Races, spawned another massive hit in Somebody To Love and featured Queen's, by now, obligatory camp with Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. The following year, the terrace-like anthem We Are The Champions, coupled with double A-side We Will Rock You, reached No.2 in the charts indicating a shift from droll, camp operatics to more straight-ahead stadium rock. 1977's News Of The World album and 1978's Jazz confirmed the band's new direction. Jazz proved a slightly barmy but successful departure with bizarre vocal harmonies on Bicycle Race, (reported to be about a Tour De France rider that Freddie had slept with), the over the top, unashamedly un-PC Fat Bottomed Girls and the slick multi layered harmonies of Don't Stop Me Now. But with the advent of punk, Queen were being seen as outmoded dinosaurs. To younger pop fans, they were the camp blokes in satin tights who screamed 'Gallileo' and 'Bismillah!' In an era of dole queues and picket lines, Queen's element of excess seemed out of kilter with the times. Freddie felt it was his duty to live the life of a star. 'People want art,' Freddie would tell one journalist: 'They want to see you rush off in your limousine. I like to spend, spend, spend. Sometimes I could go to Cartiers the jewellers and buy the whole shop!' Despite his elevated star status, Mercury sensed the band's reign was under threat so they looked to other musical forms to keep their sound fresh. Their 1979 single Crazy Little Thing Called Love drew on 50's rockabilly with Freddie dressed as a camp Hell's Angel in the video - donning biker gear, leather cap and his trademark handlebar moustache. Their next single, Another Bites The Dust, flirted with 70s disco with its Chic-imitation bassline. The song would give the band a US No.1. Both tracks featured on 1980 album The Game, their most consistent album in some years. After a step into film soundtracks with the partially successful Flash Gordon in 1980,

Queen's creative juices were regenerated with the Bowie collaboration, Under Pressure, which reached No.1 in 1981. 1982's Hot Space album, which featured the disco naff Body Language, was one of Queen's weakest albums but with 1984's The Works, they again enjoyed great chart success with the album's singles, Radio Ga-Ga and I Want To Break Free - the accompanying video gave Freddie the chance to dress in black PVC mini-skirt, tights, high heels and a fright wig - again! Queen had always been a massive live draw but 1985's Live Aid extravaganza gave Freddie Mercury a chance to literally, steal the show. At first reluctant, Mercury was persuaded to take part by a belligerent Bob Geldof who told Queen's manager: 'Tell the old faggot it's gonna be the biggest thing that's ever happened!' Queen's performance at Wembley came to be a defining moment for the band. Queen seemed unfazed by playing to a global TV audience of millions and Mercury conducted the massive crowd with swagger. The group's back catalogue subsequently clogged up the charts until they returned with new material, the stadium friendly but creatively light A Kind Of Magic album in 1986. Queen continued to tour the world playing to massive audiences. They returned to Wembley Stadium in '86 playing two nights to 150,000 people. They returned to the fray in 1989 with The Miracle - An album which featured a We Are The Champions retread with I Want It All. By the time of the band's next album, 1991's Innuendo, rumours were rife of Freddie's increasingly ailing health. Personal songs such as These Are The Days Of Our Lives and The Show Must Go On were pointers to Freddie's state and on 23rd November 1991, just a few months after the album's release, Freddie died of Aids. He was 45. With his death, Queen's air of invincibility was shattered. A tribute concert was held the following spring at Wembley with the cream of pop's top acts taking part, including Elton John, George Michael, and Guns %u2018N' Roses. Queen split although a posthumous album, Made In Heaven, featuring material Mercury had worked on before his death, was released in 1995 and while it didn't really contribute to Queen's great legacy, it did tie up the loose ends, bringing the saga of one of music's most flamboyantly colourful bands to a dignified close. In 2002, Deacon, May and Taylor collaborated with comedian and novelist Ben Elton on a stage musical, featuring Queen's songs. We Will Rock You opened at London's Dominion Theatre on 14 May and is still running today. Queen Biography 1946 - 1969
1946 On September the 5th in Zanzibar, Jer and Bomi Bulsara have their first child, a son they call Farrokh (Freddie or Fredderick) . His father Bomi is a civil servant working as a high court cashier for the British government. Of Persian extraction, Freddie is to have one sister, Kashmira, who is six years younger than he is. In the next year, the family move to India. Freddie:

I was a very insecure young boy, probably because I was a bit sheltered. 1947 July 19th 1947 and Brian is born at Glouster House Nursing Home to Harold and Ruth May. The family home is in Feltham, Middlesex. Harold May was an electronics engineer and worked at the Ministry of Aviation. He was a practical handyman as well as a competent musician Frederick gets his first taste of fame by winning a local baby contest. 1948 Roger Meddows-Taylor makes his first appearance at West Norfolk and Kings Lynn Hospital - to a standing ovation no doubt! His parents are Michael and Winifred. Michael was an inspector for the potato marketing board. Meddows was an old family name that had been passed down the generations of Taylor's. 1951 August 19, and John Richard Deacon is born at St. Francis Private Hospital, son of Arthur and Lilian. Arthur works in insurance at Norwich Union is Leicester. 1952 Due to his fathers work related travel, Frederick is sent to St Peter's English Boarding School near Bombay to give him some sort of stability. It is hear where he is given the name Freddie by friends - a name that he and his family were to adopt. It is hear where Freddie's teachers noticed his aptitude for music and persuaded his parents to pay extra school fee's so that Freddie could learn the piano. Brian starts school at Hanworth Road Primary, aged five. 1953 Roger's sister Clare is born. 1954 Harold May starts to teach Brian how to play the ukulele. Brian also begins to learn the piano. Brian shows great aptitude for the Ukulele and soon wants a guitar, and gets a Spanish Acoustic for his seventh birthday. He begins to teach himself how to play it. 1955 Brian is showing interest in other musical instruments such as the Jew's Harp and the tin whistle. He also shows interest in astronomy and photography. His father was a keen photographer and would often involve Brian in his hobby. 1956 John Deacon starts his education at Oadby Infants School. He later moves to Gartree High School.

By the age of nine, Brian had become a competent pianist having passed his Grade IV exams. After these exams though he stopped taking piano lessons. Instead he practised by himself on the upright piano he had at home. 1957 Roger and his family move to Truro in Cornwall. Now aged eight he attends Cathedral school and becomes a member of the choir. After seeing his cousin play the guitar Roger decides that he wants one as well. 1958 In September Brian wins a scholarship to Hampton Grammar School. This was keeping with family tradition as his father had also gone there - in years to come Brian's own son would also become a student. At this school Brian made lots of other friends who were also keen on music and they were always swapping ideas of how best to play the guitar. Freddie is awarded the school trophy as Junior All-rounder. John Deacon is given his first guitar on his eighth birthday - a red plastic Tommy special. 1959 1960 An eleven year old Roger enrols in Truro public school. Truro public school was academically the best in the area. Roger won a scholarship to go their, the only pupil from Cathedral to do so. 1961 Roger's interest in the guitar had begun to wain a little and he had become increasingly interested in percussion. For Christmas he gets a drum kit from his father - much to his mothers relief as he had been pretending her saucepans were drums in the mean time! 1962 John Deacon moves to Beuchamp Grammar School. Later in the year John's father dies. 1963 Inspired by Lonnie Donegan and Buddy Holly to name a few, a sixteen year old Brian May is keen to start his own band. His interest in guitar playing is serious, and he persuades his father to help him build one as he can’t afford the a decent commercial one. Brian is now a star physics student, and he and his father are both experienced in wood and metal work. They carve the body of the guitar from a mahogany fireplace, and the spring from the tremolo unit from an old motor bike. The arm of the tremolo is made from an old knitting needle. The fret board is marked by ‘mother-of-perl- buttons. The now legendary ‘Red Special’ cost just eight pounds and took eighteen months to make. The guitar possessed its own unique sound and was able to hold its head up high against Brian's friends commercially made guitar. Brian was keen in developing different sounds with his guitar,

and was constantly trying out different plectrums to get a different sound. Brian eventually settled on a six penny piece. Brian: When I was a boy, we used to paly a lot in the lunch hour in the cycle sheds. We weren’t allowed to play in the school ‘cos rock music was unacceptable, not cultural, so it was kind of underground. We’d go and see bands around Richmond and Twickenham, and I saw people like The Yardbirds, The Stones and Clapton at the local club - they were really hot news! After playing with various local bands, Brian meets vocalist Tim Staffell at Hampton Grammar School, and with fellow school friends Dave Dilloway and John Garnham, and local drummer Richard Thompson they start their own band “1984” - a name that at that time sounded futuristic. They play their first gig at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Twickenham on the 28 October 1964. In order to make an impression they all wore what looked like army uniforms... Meanwhile, in Truro, Roger Taylor has formed a band with some friends called the "Cousin Jacks". Roger was initially the rhythm guitarist but didn't particularly like it, and later took over the drums. They played quite a few gigs - but within a year the band broke up. Roger: I remember when I was a really young kid, I was inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, all the really early rockers. I didn’t even have a record player at the time! My cousin had one though. Later on my big all-time heroes became Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Bob Dylan. Archetypal influences I suppose, but why not? 1964 Due to civil unrest in Zanzibar, Freddie and his family move to the UK with only a few suitcases and little else. In September that year Freddie enrolled in Islesworth Polytechnic to study for an A level in Art. 1965 John Deacon aged fourteen plays his first gig with local outfit Opposition, at Enderby Youth Club. The band play a mixture of pop, soul and Tamla Motown songs - all cover songs except "Heat Full Of Soul" the one song they wrote themselves. Brian left Hampton Grammar School with ten O levels and four A levels, and applied for Astronomy at Imperial College in London. In the Autumn of 1965 he entered the college and embarked on a degree course. Brian: Astronomy’s much more fun when you’re not an astronomer. Most of the time while I was studying was spent either making equipment, setting it up of else typing away at computers trying to analyse the results. The amount of time actually looking at the stars is minimal. So now in my spare time, I love to peer through telescopes. Even though the members of 1984 had been separated due to leaving school they still managed to get together for gigs.

Roger joins another band called "Johnny Quale and the Reaction". On March the 15 they enter the "Rock and Rhythm Championship" in Truro, where bands from all over the region attended. They end up coming fourth. The band eventually become quite well established in the region, playing regularly. September sees Johnny leave, just before they are to play a gig. Roger was the only one that could sing and so steps in to take his place. Roger amazes everyone by singing and drumming at the same time. They subsequently drop the name "Johnny Quale" and become simply known at "Reaction". 1966 Roger and his band Reaction enter the "Rock and Rhythm Championship" again. This time though they win, receiving a special trophy. They also are invited back for next years contest as special guests. The year is spent playing - with three to four gigs a week. As part of the show Roger's old piano would be hauled onto the stage, micorphoned and then hit with a sledge hammer and get paint thrown on it. Freddie gets his A level in Art and begins a course in graphic art and design at Ealing College of Art. 1967 1984 play support to Jimi Hendrix at Imperial college. After being on stage, they wanted to go out into the crowd to watch Jimi Hendrix - but without paying. In order to do this they had to sneak past everyone. As they were going past Jimi Hendrix's dressing room he came out to them and asked "Which ways the stage, man?" September saw 1984 enter best amateur band competition at the "Top Rank Club". Brian left that night with a Barbara Streisand album - which was the first prize. A little while afterwards and ‘1984’ split up. They had been conflicting a lot over the way the music was going and the amount of time Brian was having to spend on his eduction was also a bone of contention. Tim Staffell joins the Ealing College Of Art, where such promising musicians as Pete Townsend and Ron Wood are studying. There he meets Freddie Mercury Studying in the same class. It turns out that Freddie has recently changed his name from ‘Bulsara’, choosing ‘Mercury’ after the gods mythological messenger. Roger has left Truro School with seven O-levels and three A-levels (in biology, chemistry and physics). Bowing to family pressure, he starts a dentistry course at the London Hospital Medical School, later moving to the Hospital College in Whitechapel. Roger: I was going to be a dentist once, but that was just a way of getting to London ad gaining the means of support from a student grant. Being a student was cool then. 1968 Brian receives honours degrees in Physics and Maths. Professor Bernard Lovell is so impressed by the twenty one year olds qualifications that he personally invites him to work on an astronomy research at Jodrell Bank Laboratory. However, Brian politely declines the offer. Instead, he decides to start a thesis to obtain a doctorate in philosophy (which he never finishes), enabling him to stay at Imperial.

Roger, meanwhile, has had enough of teeth to last him a lifetime, and switches to Biology at Imperial. During his summer holiday Roger returns to Truro and plays on a specially erected Marquee at the beach with "Reaction. Eager to continue with his drumming whilst at university, Roger answers a hand-written ad on the Imperial College noticeboard. The ad had been written by Brian and requests musicians, including a ‘Ginger Baker type drummer to join him in forming a band. Old Hampton Grammar buddie Tim Staffell answers the ad as well, joining Roger and Brian as bassist/vocalist. The bans is called Smile. Smile spends the Autumn rehearsing. They play quite a few cover number, but Brian and Tim also begin to write their own songs. Smiles first public appearance was in support of Pink Floyd at Imperial College on 26 October. At around this time Brian meets Cristine Mullen, whom eventually becomes his girlfriend, and much later, become his wife. Smile play so many dates at Imperial College that they eventually become known as the ‘Imperial College Band’ - an ambitious trio of hard rock musicians gigging around the student union bars and pub/club circuit of London. They play covers of “If I Were A Carpenter” and “Mony Mony”, but utilise every tempo change they can muster. Some songs last in excess of twenty minutes. Smile describe themselves as a progressive rock band. Roger also uses his contacts in Truro to get Smile gigs their - and many weekends were spent travelling down their to play either Pa's or the Fleming Ballroom. John Deacon at this time is still in the band The New Opposition - they changed the name due to line-up changes. The band had become quite popular and had bookings every week end. 1969 On the 27th of February Smile play at the concert in aid of the council for the unmarried mother and her child, which was organised by Imperial College. Other artists features were Free, Joe Cocker and the Bonzo Dog Band. In his haist, Tim ran to the front of a fifty foot stage - but with only a thirty foot guitar lead and pulled the plug out from the socket. After that gig Smile were given their first ever review - a journalist called them the "loudest group in the western world". The beginning of 1969 saw Tim bring a friend to many of the Smile gigs - Freddie Bulsara. He loved the Smile sound and got on well with Roger and Brian. He became a supporter of the band and was a regular fixture in their touring entourage. Smile meet American producer Lou Reizner at the Revolution Club, after one of their gigs their. He’s responsible for running the British branch of the US record company ‘Mercury’ and persuades the band to record a single. With no experience of the music business and its subtleties, Brian Roger and Tim jump at this seemingly incredible offer. Smile and Reizner exchange contracts, and soon the band are ensconced in Trident Studio’s, London, with producer John Anthony. The result is a single called ‘Earth’ written by Tim Staffell with the B-side ‘Step On Me’ which is written by Brian and Tim. It is released only in the US in August where it fails to sell, and Mercury’s UK division refuse to have anything to do with it. Mercury propose that Smile record some more material, with a view to releasing an album. The deal is short-lived - Smile are signed of, leaving them nothing but one pound in royalties each and a set of shattered illusions.

The band are understandably depressed. No further than one step up the ladder, and they’re back at the bottom again. In summer, while Jimi Hendrix is busy making history at Woodstock, Roger takes up a second-hand clothes stall in Kensington with Freddie Mercury. Brian takes a job teaching maths at a comprehensive school in London in the autumn, uncertain whether or not to pursue his academic studies. The mood is one of disillusionment, but nevertheless, Smile carry on gigging. Freddie has become a staunch supporter of the band. He joins local band wreckage as vocalist/keyboard player. The band often appear on the same show as Smile, and Freddie is always willing to give advice. Freddie himself is in a band called Ibex, that later evolved into a band called Wreckage. John Deacon is unaware of the fortunes and misfortunes of Smile. Leaving Beuachamp he enrols at Chelsea College for and electronics degree. Still harbouring aspirations of ‘being a rock star’ he keeps up his bass playing in various small London bands.

Queen Biography 1970
Smile eventually disintegrates with Tim Staffell leaving and joining another band called “Humpy Bong”, who appear on Top of the Pops - once. Things hadn't been moving fast enough for his liking. Freddie who always thought the band had the basis of what he wanted to do, leaves wreckage to go and join Brian and Roger - and it seemed obvious to all of them to get together. In 1970 Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and Mike Grose become QUEEN. The name was Freddie's idea and originally Roger, and particularly Brian didn't like it. They were slowly persuaded however... Freddie: Years ago I thought up the name Queen... It's just a name, but it's very regal, 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 the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it. Other names that the band had discussed was the "Grand Dance" - derived from a C.S. Lewis Trilogy of books "Out Of A Silent Planet" that Roger and Brian had both read. Roger also quite liked the name "The Rich Kids". Mike was an old friend of Roger's who had played in "Reaction" and PJ's club in Truro. Mike also owned a Volkswagon van as well as a huge Marshall amp. He seemed perfect. Queen spent a great deal of time rehearsing. Brian was highly respected at Imperial College and as such they were allowed to use empty lecture theatres for their rehearsals. They rehearsed some cover songs, but Freddie and Brian managed to salvage some of their songs from the Ibex, Smile and Wreckage - so there were quite a few original numbers as well. Back in Truro Roger's mother was organising a Red Cross charity event in Truro City hall. Roger had previously agreed that Smile would play at the event. Smile though was now defunct, but Roger, not wanting to let his mother down, took Queen.

Saturday 27th of June became the date of Queen's first public appearance. They opened with a reworked Wreckage numbers called "Stone Cold Crazy". The concert went quite well considering that it was their first one. They even got paid fifty pounds! Around this time Freddie changed his last name from Bulsara to Mercury. Freddie felt that the last name of Bulsara was not befitting that of a star - which is what he was going to be. He chose Mercury after the mythical messenger of the gods. I guess Freddie believed he had something to tell us... Queen then play to a number of gigs. Notably one of them is in a lecture theatre at Imperial College to an number of invited guests - mainly friends of the band. On the 25th of July they play PJ's in Truro. This was to be Mike's last gig, as he felt that the time had come for him to get a proper job. Queen hurriedly look around for another bass player. Roger recommends Barry Mitchell, a friend of a friends, and an audition is arranged. All goes well and he becomes Queen's next bass player. They rehearsed religiously and perform a few gigs. Even at this early stage their costumes are quite elaborate - and for a small band they had a lot of lights. They were certainly going against the what most musical acts of the time were doing, as most of the bands just trundled on stage in jeans and a t-shirt, played and left the stage. Queen was different though - they wanted to give the audience a real show. On the 18th of December Jimi Hendrix, a hero to all the band died. In showing their respect, they play Voodoo Chile at that nights rehearsal. Brian: Freddie in particular was a manic Hendrix fan. I remember him going on about him. Then I saw him at one of Brian Epstein’s shows where he supported The Who and I remember thinking this guy is so far in advance of everyone else. It was like he was on the same road that we were, but he was almost out of sight. It was frightening and a bit upsetting for us other guitarists. People are still trying to work out how he did all that stuff Around this time Freddie and Roger decide that they are sick of living in a flat with ten other people. They look around of a flat that they can share. Freddie eventually finds one in Shepherd's Bush - complete with a grand piano owned by the elderly land lady. Nearing the end of the year Queen's reputation as a solid live act pays of with the band playing every week. Queen play at the Cavern Club in Merseyside - made famous by the Beatles.

Queen Biography 1971
In January Barry decides that he no longer fitted in the band and leaves. Things were moving to slowly for his liking and he needed to earn some "real money". Queen audition for a new bass player and settle on a guy named Doug - mainly because he already has some equipment. Rehearsals begin in order to initiate Doug into the band. In February Queen play a show at Kingston Polytechnic - near Doug's home. Doug encourages all of his friends to turn up to the gig. Not far into the set Doug got carried away attempting to impress all of his friends ad did his own "special show" - stealing any attention the rest of the band might have been given. The next day Doug was 'politely' told to find another band...

The band was getting through bass players like no-bodies business - and this was having the effect of depressing the bands normally positive spirits - however the answer was just around the corner... John Harris, a friend who helped the band out with their lights and equipment took Roger and Brian to a disco at the Maria Assumpta Teaching College. There he introduced them to a friend of his - John Deacon. John was a bass player and the conversation eventually led to music. John who wasn't in a band at the time was offered an audition for bass player of Queen. John Deacon becomes Queen's bass player for the rest of their career. Throughout John's audition he hardly says a word - but the rest of the group realise his talent. He presents the ideal ingredients of intelligence and musical solidity that will blend into the Queen camp. He is quite a few years younger than the rest of the band, being only twenty, but his quiet willingness not to upset the already sparkling chemistry more than makes up for his tender years. After the debacle with Doug, the band are most probably relieved that John is unlikely to upstage them... Freddie designs a logo for Queen based upon their star signs - Leo, Leo, Cancer and Virgo - and armed with their regal back drop, the band head of for their first serious gig with their new bass player. John's first gig with the band is in Surrey in July. Not long afterwards they play another gig at Imperial College. Queen treat their audience to free popcorn. They play a show at St Helen's girls school, where the bottom of Freddie's microphone stand falls of half way through - Freddie, the consummate professional, carries on and a trademark is born. Using his contacts in Cornwall Roger organises a tour for Queen. The tour posters all read "Roger Taylor and Queen" or words to that effect - as Roger was very well known from the days of Reaction. A friend of Brian's, Terry Yeadon, was involved in setting up a new recording studio in Wembley call De Lane Lea. The studio needed musicians to try out the new equipment. They were particularly looking for a band that could play LOUD. Also the band would be on hand to show potential studio users how the equipment worked. In return for this, the bad would be able to record demo's for free. Queen were luckily enough to be chosen and set about making the best, high quality demo's they could. They record four of their own songs "Liar", "Keep Yourself Alive", "The Night Comes Down" and "Jesus". With demo tapes in hand Queen began to do the rounds of the record companies - but to no avail. No one was interested. Roger: We had quite a difficult genesis. It was very difficult for us to get a contract, to be accepted in any way. But many groups went through that, and it does engineer a kind of 'backs to the wall' feeling in a band. So we felt very strong together.

Queen Biography 1972
In January John organised a gig for Queen at Bedford College. Some friends of his at Bedford told him that it would be good. That night Queen played to just six people...

Queen were still an unsigned band - and were beginning to get a little frustrated with their lack of progress. A glimmer of hope materialised with Chrysalis Records. They showed a great deal of interest and even went as far as offering the band a deal. After much contemplation though the bad decided that the terms were not good enough, and turned the offer down. A constant stream of established production personnel pass through the studio's everyday, checking out the new facilities and listening to the recording quality. Amongst these are two staff engineers from Wardour Street's Trident Studio's, Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony. John is impressed with the Band and remembers Brian and Roger from Smile - he produced their single "Earth". Roy and John both return to Trident convinced they have discovered a hotbed of talent. They persuade their employers, Barry and Norman Sheffield to investigate the band further. After Barry Sheffield watches the antics of Freddie Mercury and his colourful friends at the Forest Hill Hospital Dance, he is convinced that John and Roy are not exaggerating. It is decided that Queen should be signed to Trident as soon as possible. As soon as possible turns out to be quite a loose term, and the band are finally signed later in the year after a showcase gig at the Pheasanty in the Kings Road. The Trident deal was made up of three separate agreement - the publishing rights, recording deal and management deal. Queen were really pushing their luck as Trident may have not thought it was worth the trouble. However, in the end Trident realised that Queen were worth keeping and complied with their wishes. Queen were so particular about the contract because of Brian and Roger's experience with Mercury when they were in Smile. They had been badly burnt and dismayed by the Record industry. The Trident contract was written to protect them from that happening again. Upon the signing, Trident furnish Queen with a new PA system and new instruments. Brian though still keeps his 'home made' guitar. The Sheffield brothers also realise that Queen will need a full time manager to look after there day to day affairs. They approached Jack Nelson, who had given Norman advice in the past. He agreed to come to England to help with Queen. Jack proceeded to take Queen's tapes to all of his personal contacts. They all thought he was mad. They just couldn't see what was so great about Queen. Jack also took it to EMI - who were interested. Trident though wanted to sell EMI Queen plus another two acts. EMI only wanted Queen and negotiations came to a sudden halt. Even though no company had been found to press and distribute a Queen album, the Sheffield's ushered Queen into their 24-track studio to record their first album. However were only given down time, that is time when no-one else were using it, which proved to be quite a haphazard way of recording. In the end the original demo of "A Night Comes Down" was used instead of the one recorded at trident because the quality was so bad. In another studio in the Trident complex Robin Cable was playing around with an old Beach Boys song "I Can Hear Music". Robin had heard Freddie sing and asked him if he would like to sing on this song. Freddie said yes as it was a lot more fun than waiting around for someone to finish using a studio. After the initial recording, Robin felt that the song needed something extra - and Roger was enlisted to add some percussion. Brian also ended up playing a solo - as the original solo break was played by a terrible sounding Moog synthesiser. Freddie also sang on another song "Goin' Back" - an old Dusty Springfield classic. In September Trident agreed that they should be paying Queen - even if no product was available. The band were given twenty pounds a week. By no means was this a vast some of money - however it was better that nothing.

The end of November saw the first album being completed - not that it was known when it was going to be released, as a record company had yet to be found. Roger also moved out of the flat he was sharing with Freddie and moved to Richmond. Mary later moved in with Freddie.

Queen Biography 1973
In February Trident arranged for Queen to do a special recording session for the BBC program "Sounds of the Seventies". It was a good opportunity for the band. As the end product would be broadcast on Radio One the national radio station. Potentially millions of people would have the chance to hear Queen. Jack Nelson attended the annual MIDEM Festival - the event for the music industry, held in the South of France. Roy Fetherstone, an EMI record company executive is there. He had spent all day listening to demo's, with nothing really catching his ear. Then jack passes him a tape of Queen. Which immediately gets his attention. Using a bit of bluff, Jack told Roy that a few other companies are interested in Queen. Roy sends a telegram to Queen via Trident to hold of signing anything with anyone else. When Roy got back, the wheels were in motion to sign Queen. An initial contract was sent to Trident - which they rejected because they wanted more money. Negotiations continued like this for a while. A major sticking point was the fact that Trident wanted to sign all three acts to EMI whereas EMI only want Queen. Finally in March, Queen went to the EMI offices to sign a contract. They now had a recording deal. Jack Nelson arranges for Queen to play a showcase gig at the Marquee for visiting Elektra managing director Jack Holsten. From this Queen get signed to Elektra in North America. The songs that Brian, Freddie and Roger had recorded with Robin Cable were now released. They were released by EMI. The name Queen couldn't be use due to the imminent release of their own album and instead the name "Larry Lurex" was used - a play on the then popular "Gary Glitter". The single though was a complete flop in the UK. Queen were involved in every aspect of the album. The back cover features a collage of photos. The band invited their friends around to Freddie's flat to pick out the best photo's from the one they had. After picking out the best ones, Freddie and Brian spent weeks gluing them all together. A photographer friend of theirs, Doug Puddifoot who had taken many on their early shots helped them with the collage as well as the album cover. The cover consisted of a picture of Freddie on stage, backed with two spotlights. The purple effect was given by covering the camera lens with some plastic. After a seemingly unnecessary wait, the first single, "Keep Yourself Alive", and the first album, "Queen" are released. The single is rejected by Radio one play-list five times. It doesn't get any airplay anywhere else - except Radio Luxembourg. A white label copy of the album (one which doesn't have a cover) was sent to the BBC program "The Old Grey Whistle Test". Mike Appleton, the producer loved the album, particularly the song "Keep Yourself Alive" and asked his friend to make up a film with some footage that would go well with the song. It was broadcast on 24th July 1973.

The album was released on 13th July. It was simply titled "Queen". Roger had wanted to call it "Top Fax, Pix and Info" but this wasn't accepted. Another title name that was discussed was "Deary Me". The album notes also contained the immortal phrase "No-one played Synthesisers" no doubt in anticipation of what people were likely to think. All of Queen special sounds though were coming from Brian's guitar something that took some people a while to understand. So called 'music critics' dismiss the album and Queen, "Britain’s answer to the New York Dolls". This 'hostile' relationship with the press was to remain throughout Queen's career - it has little effect though, Queen are to become one of the biggest bands on the planet, no matter what the inadequate people at NME or the like have to say. August sees the band spend some time on their next album. This time they are booked in as the main act and don't have to fit in between everyone else's schedule. They used this time to experiment with new sounds and techniques... Brian decided to take a part-time job teaching at Stockwell Manor Comprehensive School. On his days of he was analysing the destructive effect of fragmentation bombs at EMI electronics. He was certainly keeping very busy. In October the band first major tour as support to Mott The Hoople is arranged. Jack Nelson new Mott's manager Bob Hershiman, and with a bit of persuasion and money he got Queen the support slot on Mott's tour. November 12 sees Queen perform their first show as support to Mott the Hoople at the Leeds Town Hall. As the tour progressed the band grew in confidence. Some of the people in the audience were there to see Queen just as much as they were to see Mott - so Queen weren't playing to a terribly hostile crowd. The whole tour went well and managed to generate respectable sales for "Queen". Mott were very impressed with Queen and the two bands got on very well. So well in fact Mott invited Queen to support them on their US tour - an offer that Queen could not refuse. Roger: They (Mott) were great. A real 'sex, drugs and rock and roll band By the end of the year EMI were getting so many demands for information for the band that it was decided to set up a fan club. Pat and Sue Johnston - two friends of Roger's from Cornwall, were asked to run it. That year Queen featured well in many magazines "Best New Group" polls. This no doubt up set the magazine journalists as they hadn't been very supportive of Queen at all. This situation was never to really change throughout Queen's 25 year period.

Queen Biography 1974
Queen have their first concerts in Australia planned for early that year and therefore undergo the usual set of preparations, including injections. Brian's goes wrong though with his arm swelling up and developing a high fever, caused by a dirty needle. The Australian experience though was a complete disaster. The band had taken their own lights and road crew with them - so things would be just right, which didn't please the local roadies very much. A lot of their equipment was sabotaged. Also, many people couldn't understand how a group of British unknowns could headline over established Australian acts. The MC particularly was of this nature, introducing them as a bunch of "Stuck-up Pommy bastards".

The crowd didn't warm to them either. However as Queen got into their set they began to win them over. When Queen left they were being asked back for an encore - however the MC had other plans. He asked the crowd if they wanted more of the "stuck-up pommies" or a good old "Aussie band". His powers of persuasion one over and they called for an Australian band. The next day the papers didn't treat Queen very kindly. Brian's arm was still hurting quite a lot and Freddie had developed an ear infection. It was decided that they pack up and return home. When they got of the plane they were greeted by the paparazzi all waiting for Her Majesty The Queen, not the band Queen. Even though they had had a less than brilliant start to the, 1974 was going to be the year Queen really began to take off. The head of the promotional department at EMI, Ronnie Fowler, had taken a special liking for Queen. He had spent 20 000 pounds in expenses to promote Queen to everyone he could think of. All this attention meant that his friends were becoming a bit thin on the ground... However it paid of when Robin Nash the producer of Top Of The Pops (a very influential music show) approached him to ask him if he new anyone who could appear on the show. On 21 February 1974 Queen appeared for the first time on Top Of The Pops and performed "Seven Seas of Rhye". The day after the appearance Jack Nelson was in full promotion mode rushing out the single to all the radio stations. EMI rushed released the single on 23 February. It was backed with a non-album b-side called "See What A Fool I've Bee". The single made it to a solid number 10 in the UK chart. The album, "Queen II" was ready for release also - but the band spotted a spelling error on the sleave that they insisted was fixed. Britain was also hard hit by the oil crisis, which meant that there was in place a three day week - which held up the album release further. Unlike other albums having a side one and a side two, this album had a black and a white side. Roger: It's very difficult to choose one album I prefer out of all of them. But I do like a lot of the work on the second album, second side. It all runs into one, very epic. Musically it's quite daring because we did lots of counter seven part harmonies and things. With the success of the single and the growing popularity of the album, Queen embarked on their first headlining tour of the UK. Freddie was very much in his Sandra Rhodes period and really did love dressing up. Freddie: When I look back on all that black nail varnish and stuff, I think, 'God, what did I do?'. I used to feel a need for all that on stage. It made me feel more secure. The tour goes terrifically well, with the band facing hysteria at every venue. At Stirling University the Scottish audience refuses to let them go after three encores. In the ensuing riots, two people are stabbed and two of Queen's road crew are carted off to hospital. During the tour, Queen are notified that "Queen II" had reached number 5 in the UK chart. Late in the year they embark on their first North American tour as support to Mott The Hoople. This tour though is cut short due to Brian contracting hepatitis. It is presumed by doctors that his

contraction of he virus was from the dirty needle from the injection he had been given when going to Australia. Mott replaced Queen with the Canadian band Kansas, while Queen returned to England and consoled themselves by writing songs for the next album. The songs are written with Brian adding his guitar as and when he is able to. In September Queen II had sold over 100 000 copies. Queen are presented with silver discs by a Her Majesty the Queen look-a-like. In October 11, their next single was released. A double A-side of "Killer Queen" and "Flick Of The Wrist'" Brian: Killer Queen in 1974 was the turning point. It was the song that best summed up our kind of music, and a big hit, and we desperately needed it as a mark of something successful happening to us. We were penniless, you know. just like and other struggling rock 'n' roll band. All sitting around in London bed sits, just like the rest. The single became a big hit for Queen, reaching number two in the UK chart. By this time even the dismissive press were having to come to terms with Queen, and the reviews for the single weren't that bad. Queen embarked on another British Tour. This time they were armed with an even bigger lighting rig and with the intention of giving their audiences a real show. The tour went swimmingly, with none of the riots of the first tour - however Freddie did get dragged into the crowd and had to be rescued by security guards at one venue. The last dates on their British tour was at the Rainbow Theatre. Originally only one night was planned, but the demand meant that an extra night. Both nights were recorded with the intention of releasing a live album, which in the end never appeared. After their successful British tour, Queen went on to tour Europe. Their shows were all sell outs, and in an issue of "Music Week" the head line "Queen Conquer Europe" was run. This was pretty close to the mark. At around this time the relationship that Queen had with Trident started to deteriorate. They had had some real success but were still being paid a pittance, whilst their managers were out buying Rolls Royces. Queen approached Jim Beach, a music lawyer, to negotiate their way out of the Trident deal.

Queen Biography 1975
Queen begin the year with a relaxing holiday in Teneriffe. On January 17th their next single "Now I'm Here" is released, and eventually reaches number 11. On the 18th John gets married to Veronica Tetzlaff. They commence their first headline tour of the USA, with massive support from Elektra. Tickets are in such demand that matinee performances have to be scheduled at certain venues. Unfortunately Freddie is stricken with a throat problems and rest is ordered. Several shows are cancelled, however Freddie soon gets back into the swing of it and continues touring. After the arduous US tour the band go on holiday to Hawaii, before heading of to Japan for their first tour there.

On 18th April Queen arrive at Tokyo airport for their first Japanese tour; they find the airport besieged by thousands of fans. The band are totally overwhelmed by 'Queen mania'. The band proceed to tour the country - selling out everywhere they go. The whole of Japan is caught up in Queen mania. Whilst there, Freddie falls in love with the country and becomes (overnight) a fanatical collector of Japanese art and antiquities When Queen arrive back in the UK they find themselves at the top of many 'readers polls' in music magazines. As well as this, Freddie is presented with an Ivor Novello award for "Killer Queen". The band start work on their next album. A lot of time is spent experimenting to see what sounds they can create, and the best way to display their music. Freddie also finds time to produce a single for Eddie Howell. Freddie hadn't produced anybody else before and found the experience quite interesting. In the end Freddie sang backing vocals and played the piano. He also roped Brian into playing guitar. Not surprisingly the final product sounds very "Queenie"... At long last Jim Beach had managed to negotiate Queen out of Trident. One sticking point was that there was a planned US later in the year. Unfortunately this was cancelled in order to resolve any internal problems. The group now signed their own deal with EMI and Elektra directly. Freddie: As far as Queen are concerned our old management is deceased. They cease to exist in any capacity with us whatsoever. One leaves them behind like one leaves excreta. We feel so relieved! Queen were now left without a manager though, and instigate a search. They had a number of options. First was Led Zeppelins manager, Peter Grant, however he wanted the band to sign with Led Zeppelins own production company, Swan Songs, however this was unacceptable to the band. They also Peter Rudge but were unable to contact him. John Reid, Elton John's manager, was contacted. At first he was uncertain if he could manage another band, however his mind quickly changed when he heard the band was Queen. John Reid set to work organising Queen's affairs. He assigned Pete Brown to be Queen's day to day manager and threw a huge party to celebrate his union with Queen. John also arranged for EMI Publishing to advance Queen one hundred thousand pounds so that Queen could finally settle their Trident arrangement. Queen presented John with what they wanted to be their next single "Bohemian Rhapsody". Whilst he was in agreement that it was a nice tune, he was adamant that it couldn't be a single because of its length of nearly six minutes. He said no one would play it - the average length of a song then was 3 minutes. The band though were equally forthright in their opinions and convinced John of the merits of the song and the single was pressed. Queen make their first video for "Bohemian Rhapsody". The video costs just 4,500 pounds but is still revolutionary. It is regarded as the first promotional film, as it was recorded on video tape rather than proper film. On the 31st October Bohemian Rhapsody is released. It is the first UK Queen single to be given a picture cover. The song took Britain by storm, and on November 25th reached the number one position and staying there for nine weeks.

Radio play for the single had been an issue due to its length, however none of the radio stations edited it. Queen were helped by a friend of theirs, a DJ called Kenny Everett. Freddie and Kenny had become friends when Freddie had agreed to be on Kenny's radio show. Queen gave a test pressing for Bohemian Rhapsody to Kenny - with strict instructions not to play it. Kenny wasn't very good at self denial and played it anyway - reputedly fourteen times in two day. "A Night At The Opera", the accompanying album is released in December. The album had been named after the Marx Brother's movie of the same title. At a media launch "A Night At The Opera" is reported to be the most expensive album ever recorded, partly because in order to get things just right, the band used no less than six different studio's, sometimes recording in up to three simultaneously. One song on the album causes Queen some problems though. "Death On Two Legs" is dedicated to an anonymous person and the lyrics are quite scathing. Norman Sheffield believed that the lyrics are about him and threatened to sue Queen and EMI. Queen refused to be moved by his threats, however EMI settled the situation out of court - rather than let the situation escalate. Queen undertake another tour - again expanding their elaborate stage lighting. On tour in Dundee, they are pulled in by the police and are searched for drugs. NONE were found.

Queen Biography 1976
Queen reign once more in the annual music polls and Freddie receives yet another Ivor Novello award - this time for Bohemian Rhapsody - which by now has sold over 1 000 000 copies in the UK alone. It is also announced that it is the biggest hit since 1957.

Queen leave for their third stateside tour on January 20th - with the first gig in Connecticut on the 27th. Queen take with them a new face, a tour manager called Gerry Stickells. Queen get on well with Gerry, and he manages all the other Queen tours. Initial radio reluctance stalls the progress of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "A Night At The Opera" stateside. However the excessive touring of the US has an impact and they eventually reach numbers 8 and 3 respectively. In New York in February, Freddie sees true fan hysteria face to face when he is mobbed by a gang of females. Freddie is half strangled by one of them as she decides that she NEEDS his scarf desperately! February also sees the release of the "Live At The Rainbow" film. It supports the new Burt Reynolds film called "The Hustle". Queen then head for a lightning visit of Japan for their second tour, where there popularity knows no bounds. While there the UK Top Twenty features all four of their albums simultaneously - a feat that has never been repeated by any other band. Queen next stop is to tour 'down under'. After their previous experiences they were a little apprehensive about going back - but their fears were quickly quashed. The tour was a sell

out and by the end "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "A Night At The Opera" are at the top of their respective charts. June sees the release of "You're My Best Friend" written by John Deacon. It is the first single to be released on its own - not being a taster for a forthcoming album. The band decide to record another video for it and the song eventually reaches number 7 in the UK chart. The band whilst spending most of their time recording do spend time to do a short tour of the UK. The most notable of which is when they play to over 150 000 people at a free gig in London's Hyde Park. Held on the 18th September - the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death - that show holds the attendance record for any show put on at Hyde Park. The massive influx of people brought certain areas of London to a halt - and public transport was severely overloaded.
Brian:

I think that Hyde Park was one of the most significant gigs in our career. There was a great affection because we'd kind of made it in a lot of countries by that time, but England was still, you know, we weren't really sure if we were really acceptable here. So it was a wonderful feeling to come back and see that crowd and get that response. The concert went tremendously, the only black spot was that Queen were not allowed to paly an encore. The show had overran its allotted time and the police were adamant that the show must end. They went so far as to threaten the band if they went on again. Freddie didn't really fancy being locked up in a leotard and the band reluctantly agreed to the polices demands. With that the police turned of the main power - which also controlled the lights and 150 000 people struggled to find their way home in the darkness. The whole concert was broadcast on Capitol Radio and was also filmed. Unfortunately the film has degraded in quality so much that a commercial release is unlikely. After the concert, work on the next album progresses - this being the first to be produced without the assistance of Roy Thomas Baker. The split was amicable whit the band just wanting to 'do their own thing'. On the 12th November "Somebody To Love" is released. The accompanying video features scenes from the Hyde Park concert. The single is another success reaching number 2. As promotion and as a celebration for the new album Queen host an unorthodox reception at Kempton Park Race course. The band all make bets as to the out come of a race in their honour. Unknown to each other they all back the same horse - which storms home and wins.

EMI receive advance orders of over half a million for the next Queen Album, borrowing another Marx brothers title "A Day At The Races". At that stage the press made quite a big deal of the Marx brothers theme. Roger eventually read up on them and discovered quite a few similarities - perfectionism and talent being just two. Groucho Marx was kept up to date with Queen's activities due to the connection with his films and sent them a telegram wishing them success. His good wishes must have paid off as the album became Queen's second UK number 1. The year end with Queen doing the rounds of television programs promoting the new album. The BBC also repeat the Queen at The Hammersmith concert, shown a year earlier, due to high public demand. Queen Biography 1977
Queen begin the year touring America - again. They add four new songs to their list from "A Day At The Races". This tour also marks the first time that Queen paly Bohemian Rhapsody in its entirety. Up until now it had been played only as a part of a medley. In support they have Thin Lizzy, and as it is Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee year the tour is dubbed the "Queen Lizzy tour". The American critics enjoy themselves immensely by deliberately slating Queen and praising Lizzy to the skies. The band backfires with the public coming to see Lizzy and being blown away by Queen's exemplary performance. Scott Gorham (of Thin Lizzy) Thin Lizzy went on tour supporting Queen during the Seventies and we had a great time. Some nights we blew them off stage, and some nights they did the same to us. Brian May was a big fan of ours and we really got on well together Brian: Thin Lizzy as a support band is a real challenge. They'll want to blow us of stage, and that can be a very healthy thing. You feed of the energy of others and I know that if they go down a real storm then we're gonna go on feeling that much higher. It makes for good concerts. We've had it the other way around. I think that we gave Mott The Hoople a hard time on our first tours of Britain and America. The combination of Queen and Thin Lizzy was tremendous - both fed of off each other. That tour has gone down in history as one of the finest ever. The tour was also a land mark for Queen as it is the tour that they realised a dream. They played Madison Square Gardens for the first time. March sees the release of their next single, "Tie Your Mother Down" - a real rocker, written by Brian. Also in March, they are in Los Angeles, and Groucho Marx invites them to visit. Queen present him with a tour jacket and a engraved gold disc. From the US they go on to Canada and then back to the UK for more touring. They play two nights at the prestigious Earls Court as part of the official celebrations of the Queens Silver Jubilee year. Freddie:

The Jubilee's quite fun isn't it? I love the Queen. I'm very patriotic. I love all this pomp, of course I do. I love it. She does outrageous things! At Earls Court they unveil their famous 'Crown' lighting rig - costing fifty thousand pounds. Unlike other rigs of the time this one actually moves - ushering in the age of interactive, 'living' lights. Queen put on a lavish show - whit the profits from the second night going to the official Jubilee fund - all in all Queen 'lose' seventy five thousand pounds. All of this sort of thing doesn't go down with the music press. Many so called journalists are championing newer bands like the Sex Pistols. They see Freddie Mercury - someone who toasts his audience with champagne - as all that is wrong with rock. NME runs what is less of an interview than a confrontation between Freddie and 'journalist' Tony Stewart under the heading "Is This Man A Prat?". Communication between the two is almost impossible. All this leads to a further downgrading of the relationship Queen has with the press. In August Roger astounds everyone by releasing a solo single "I Wanna Testify", which immediately sets the press tongues wagging about the imminent demise of Queen. According to the media Roger was testing the water, because he can no longer handle being the third songwriter. However rumours of Queen splitting had been circulating since 1973... "We Are The Champions" backed with "We Will Rock You" is released. The video has live feel, with the band playing to an audience. The audience aren't paid extra's though, they are members of the fan club. The single becomes an international hit, but more impressively they develop into permanent fixtures of popular culture. The songs are sung at major sporting events around the world - regardless of the countries race, religion or ethos. In October Queen are awarded a Britannia Award for best single in 25 years (Bohemian Rhapsody). Two days later the band release "News of the World", their sixth album. The cover art is by Frank Kelly Freas. Science Fiction devotees Brian and Roger remembered the cover of and old comic - a drawing of a giant with a blood stained finger, holding a lifeless man in his hand. They managed to trace the illustrator to Virginia, USA, and he agreed to redesign his drawing for the album. Up until now Queen had always designed their own album covers. The album sells 7 000 000 copies world wide. At this stage the band decide to finally severe all remaining ties with Trident. As part of the original deal Queen had agreed to paying Trident a one per cent royalty on their next six albums. Queen were now in a position to pay of the Sheffield Brothers earlier. The band conduct another tour of the US. Two US tours in the same year was unthinkable - but Queen were as successful as always. Freddie buys a lacquered piano during a shopping spree in New York. It takes US and UK customs 73 hours collectively arranging the return shipment. Freddie and his long time girlfriend Mary Austin 'come to an arrangement'. He buys her a luxury London apartment of her own, because he is away so much, and they agree to a loser relationship. Freddie: Our love affair ended in tears, but a deep bond grew out of it, and that's something nobody can take away from us. It's unreachable. All my lovers ask me why they can't replace her, but it's simply impossible.

I don't feel jealous of her lovers because, of course, she has a life to lead, and so do I. Basically, I try to make sure she's happy with whoever she's with, and she tries to do the same for me. We look after each other, and that's a wonderful kind of love. I might have all the problems in the world, but I have Mary and that gets me through. Queen decide to split from John Reid As Queen grew bigger and demanded more of John's time, It became apparent that he could no longer manage Elton John and Queen. The severance agreement is signed in typical flamboyance - in the back of Freddie's Rolls Royce. Freddie: We simply don't need a manager like John any more. We're in a position to guide our own careers Splitting from John Reid though wasn't cheap. They paid him a flat amount initially and agreed to pay him fifteen per cent of all future royalties of those albums already released. The fact that managers seemed to be costing Queen a lot more than they apparently seemed to work made Queen to set up their own management company with Jim Beach. The band take over Queen Productions and appoint themselves as directors. During the year 78/79 they each earn a salary of 690 000 pounds as directors of the company. The highest paid directors in British industry! Brian: We didn't particularly want the job of managing ourselves, but we decided it was the best way of getting precisely what we wanted and controlling our own destiny Queen end the year touring the US. On the 22nd of December they play the Los Angeles forum. The encore features a bevy of girls and an elf - brilliantly portrayed by John Reid.

Queen Biography 1978
The year begins with "Spread Your Wings" being released - a superb John Deacon song - it unfortunately only reaches number 34, spending a mere two weeks on the chart. Queen then go on to a sell out tour of Europe. They play the Forest Nationale at maximum capacity for three nights - something no other band had done before. At the end of the tour Roger, John and Brian flew to Musicland Studio's to start work on their next album. Freddie though, in England, stayed behind and co-produced with Roy Thomas Baker, Peter Strakers album "This Ones On Me". By July the band were reunited and in full swing going to Switzerland and France to record their new album "Jazz". Whilst in Montreux a violent thunder storm erupts. Brian promptly goes outside and records the whole thing. These sounds appear on the song "Dead On Time". For this album they are again joined by Roy Thomas Baker - for reasons that remain unclear. This same month sees Roger buy a manor outside Guildford, complete with 20 acres of land. The house used to belong to Dr Crippens lawyer... Whilst the band are busily recording, EMI International Records are awarded the Queen's Award to Industry. To celebrate the occasion they choose to press three to four hundred copies of their

biggest hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Royal Purple vinyl. This has since become the ultimate collectors trophy. The first single from the new album is a double A-side of "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race". "Bicycle Race" was inspired by the Tour De France. Whilst in France recording the race has been on and Freddie had been inspired by all those men on Bikes. For the video the band felt that it would be good if they could have fifty naked women riding around on bicycles. This is promptly organised - with an amazing amount of volunteers. A race is conducted in the grounds of Wimbledon Stadium, with the winner being lucky enough to adorn the cover of the single. The "blatantly rude" cover sparks outrage - and eventually the band agree to have panties painted on the girl. For once the press are lost for words - NME still manage to print an article with a picture of Freddie and the caption "Fat Bottomed Queen" Brian: We lost some of our audience with that . 'How could you do it? It doesn't go with your spiritual side'. But my answer to that the physical side is as much a part of a person as the spiritual or intellectual side. It's fun. I'll make no apologies. All music skirts around sex, sometimes very directly. Ours doesn't. In our music, sex is either implied of referred to semi-jokingly, but it's alway there. The album "Jazz" is released in November, and reaches number 2 in the UK charts. Never ones to hide from controversy, the album comes with a colour poster of all fifty girls and their bicycles much to the delight of the male population! Again there is uproar and the poster is later replaced with an application form for the poster - for those that want it...quite a few I would imagine... Queen hold are party to celebrate the album releasing New Orleans, the home of jazz, featuring mud wrestlers, jugglers, magicians. Both their record companies were invited - with the companies both trying to ensure that they had the most staff at the party. Ever the perfect hosts, Queen provide a 'special groupie' who gave a the record company executive..."a very good time!". The year is finished with the band announcing that they wish to have a concert on centre court at Wimbledon. They are politely refused permission...

Queen Biography 1979
Early January see the band touring Europe. Whilst on tour their next single 'Don't Stop Me Now' is released which reaches a number 9 in the UK. The entire tour is recorded with the thought of a live album later in the year. During the year they stop of at Mountain Studios in Montreux to work on their next album. They like the studios so much they buy them! When the resident studio engineer David Richard's asked what they intend to do with the studio, Freddie replies 'dump it in the lake, Dear!'. In June Queen release a double live album 'Live Killers', which reaches number three on the UK chart. The album manages to spark controversy in that Roger goes on the record in saying he doesn't like it - in that the sound isn't up to his standards. It attract criticism from the press as well for the inclusion of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', as during the operatic section Queen leave the stage and play the pre-recorded tapes.-

Brian: Rhapsody is not a stage number. A lot of people don't like us leaving the stage. But to be honest, I'd rather leave than have us play to a backing tape. If you are there and you have got backing tapes, it's a totally false situation. So we'd rather be up front and say 'Look, this is not something you can paly onstage. It was multi-layered in the studio. We'll play it because we think that you want to hear it. The fans love it though, as they had been making do with poor quality bootlegs up until this time. The album was pieced together at Musicland Studio's in Munich. There Queen discovered the resident engineer Reinhart Mack - or just Mack as he is commonly known. His ideas appeal so much to the band that he is credited with co-producer on the next album. In August Queen headline a huge open air concert in Germany. That day Roger decided to bleach his hair, something he had been doing for quite some time now. Unfortunately things went a bit wrong and it went green. Freddie proceeded to make fun of him all night... At the end of the show Queen cooled down the crowd with some water cannons - welcome relief on a very hot day. Dino Di Laurentis commissions the band to write music for his new movie, 'Flash Gordon'. When Queen were first suggested as a possible band for the soundtrack, Laurentis replied 'who are the Queen's?!'. After learning a bit more about the band he readily agrees that they are the right people for the job. Roger's Ferrari blows up in the South of France. Roger was just driving along, apparently quite fast, and the engine caught fire. Roger quickly disembarked the vehicle safely - the car however was a write-off. The next single released, form the new album 'The Game', is 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', written by Freddie. Freddie: I wrote 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' in the bath. I actually grabbed an upright piano to my bedside table once. I've been known to scribble lyrics in the middle of the night without putting the lights on. Brian: We're not a singles group. We don't stake our reputation on singles and we never have done, but I think that it's brought a lot of younger people to our concerts. The single is a huge success reaching number 2 in the UK and giving the band their first US number 1. Roger: 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - it's not rockabilly but it does have that early Elvis feel, and it was one of the first records to exploit that. In fact I read somewhere - in Rolling Stone I think - that John Lennon heard it and it gave him the impetus to start writing again. If it's true - and listening to that last album it certainly sounds as if he explored similar influences - that's wonderful.

Around this time Freddie performs with the royal ballet. He practised for a few weeks and eventually danced and sung to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. Freddie also commandeered the Royal Ballet's best wardrobe man... At the end of the year Queen embark on the Crazy tour - crazy because the venues are tiny. The venues certainly aren't what you would expect from a major act such as Queen. One of the problems with this tour is actually getting the equipment into the hall. Roger: I remember at the Lyceum gig in 1979 - the roof was too small to fit in all our lights - so we cut two holes in it. We got a call from Paul McCartney saying Wings were playing there next week and they'd need a hole in the rood, so could he pay for one of them? Just think - we became the first group to sell Paul McCartney a hole. Brian: We thought it was important to actually visit people again. Unless people can see you in their home town, it can almost seem as though you don't exist. It's also a relief to us because, having done the big barns, it's nice to be somewhere where people can actually see and hear you. The advantage of what we're doing is that, because our sound and lighting systems are better than ever, we can really knock audiences in the stomach. The only real disadvantage is that not everybody can get to see us - but I think that those that do will have a much better time. It's great fun too, because the reward is much more immediate and rewarding. In the larger venues you tend to lose that intimacy, but on the other hand you gain something. You get a feeling of an event, and the more people there are, the greater the tension becomes. As a result it makes you work harder, particularly to reach the people at the back. During the Crazy Tour Gerry Stickells collapses back stage. He had been touring with Queen non-stop for years and it had all taken its toll. The doctors ordered a long rest period, but within two to three days Gerry was back in the thick of things. The year ends for Queen by playing at the 'Concert for the People for Kampuchea' on boxing day. A live version of 'Now I'm Here' makes it to the accompanying album.

Queen Biography 1980
The year begins with the release of "Save Me", written by Brian and recorded at last year's session in Munich. Advance orders put it in the chart before it is even released. It eventually settles at the number 11 position in the UK chart. In February Freddie went to England for a holiday. Whilst there he appears on the Kenny Everrett Television Show. Normally Freddie avoided such things with a vengeance, but as Kenny was a friend he agreed to appear. At this time Freddie also sees a Victorian mansion, for sale for five hundred thousand pounds in a the heart of Kensington. Freddie liked it so much that he bought it immediately. He paid for it in cash! Freddie then went about having it decorated to his liking... The next single to be released is "Play The Game", which eventually reached number 14 on the UK charts. The b-side is a non album track called "A Human Body" with lead vocals by Roger. In the video Freddie appears wearing a moustache - which initially many fans didn't like that much. The bands offices were flooded by 'gifts' of razors.

In their spare time Queen work on the new album "The Game" and the soundtrack for "Flash Gordon" in Musicland studio's. This album broke with tradition, in that it featured the use of synthesisers for the first time. John: We wanted to experiment with all that new studio equipment. We had always been keen to try out anything new of different whilst recording. The synthesisers then were so good, they were very advanced compared to the early Moogs, which did little more than make a series of weird noises. The ones we were using could duplicate all sorts of sounds and instruments - you could get an entire orchestra out of them a the touch of a button. Amazing. "The Game" is finally released in June and becomes a huge success everywhere. At the time Queen are touring the US. During a break in the tour Roger spends some time on a solo album. Roger: There isn't enough room on Queen albums of a lot of the things I want to do, so I am expressing my own excess. "Another One Bites The Dust" is released. It is picked up by black radio stations in America, who think that the song is recorded by a black act. The song reaches number 1 and becomes the biggest hit of the year in America. Queen are the only 'foreign' act to achieve this accept the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The song was written by John Deacon John: I listened to a lot of soul music when I was in school and I've always been interested in that sort of music. I'd been wanting to do a track like "Another One Bites The Dust" for a while, but originally all I had was the line and the bass riff. Gradually I filled it in and the band added idea. I could hear it as a song for dancing but had no idea it would become as big a hit as it did. That year they receive a Dick Clark award as best band; a Billboard awards for 'Top Crossover single' and numerous nominations for Grammys, Junos, etc. After the tour ended, the band are back in the studio's recording "Flash Gordon" that is eventually released in December. Brian: We saw 20 minutes of the finished film and thought it was very good and over the top... We wanted to do something that was a real soundtrack... It's a first in many ways, because a rock group hasn't done this type of thing before, or else it's been toned down and they've been asked to write pretty mushy background music, whereas we were given the licence to do what we liked, as long as it complemented the picture. At the end of 1980, Queen have sold over 25,000,000 singles and 45,000,000 albums worldwide.

Queen Biography 1981

Queen become THE rock pioneers of South America, undertaking the first ever major stadium tour of South America. They play five stadiums in eight days in Argentina and perform to the biggest ever paying audience for one band - 251,000 at Sao Paulo's Morumbi Stadium. Argentine fans show their appreciation by buying enough Queen product to ensure that each and every LP is listed in the top 10 during their tour. Brian: It's a long time since we've experienced such warmth from a new audience. We feel really good about it now, as it our ambitions have been partly realised. Roger: I was surprised we didn't get more criticism for playing South America. I didn't think we were being used as tools by political regimes, although obviously you have to co-operate with them. We were playing for the people. We weren't playing for the government. On March 22nd Queen say goodbye to South America. Freddie flies back to the UK on Concord anything as long as it is expensive! On the same day Roger's second solo single, "Future Management" is unleashed upon the world. The accompanying album, "Fun In Space", is released on April 6th, and reaches number 18 on the UK album chart. From July to September Queen bury themselves in their Mountain Studio's to record their next album, "Hot Space". It just so happens that David Bowie is staying in Switzerland at the same time. He accepts an invitation from David Richards, the resident engineer, to come and visit the lads at work. A impromptu jam starts and they come up with a genesis for a song. They decide to work on it a bit, to see what they come up with and "Under Pressure" is born. October sees Queen in the Appeal Court attempting to stop the publication of a book. The book claimed to be official, when the band had not given its permission to. Queen lose the case and vow never again to enter the courts under a similar situation. Better news arrives on the 26th with the bands first Greatest Hits albums being released. It reaches number 1 in the UK and other territories. That year it becomes the second biggest selling album of the year in the UK, and later becomes the biggest selling album of that country, being certified eleven times platinum. In November "Under Pressure" is released and goes straight to the number one spot in England. Queen dominate the Album and Singles charts. Greatest Flix, a compilation of all the bands videos to date, is also number one on the video chart. All in all a pretty good year for Queen.

Queen Biography 1982
The bands 12th LP "Hot Space" is released in May while they are on an extensive tour of Europe. The album was different to other albums in that it had an emphasis on funky-disco type music. Fans from the very beginning were unsure as to what Queen were up to. Much of Brian's guitar seemed to be replaced with synthesisers - and most people considered Brian's guitar an integral part of Queen's music. Brian admitted publicly that he wasn't that keen on the album - however did say that Queen needed to try different things. Queen were always experimenting with different sounds and this 'disco' type of sound was just part of their kaleidoscope of music.

Curiously the album is received quite well by the music press with NME saying that the whole production was a peach and Sounds telling its readers that they will love "Hot Space". Importantly this album marked a turning point in the bands appeal in the United States. Queen were seen as a hard rock band, but the disco content on "Hot Space" helped to disprove that. DJ's didn't like the songs on the album and didn't play them, so the public never really got to hear them. The tour includes a scheduled date at Manchester which was scrapped due to a lack of portable toilets as the pope was touring the UK at the time. The last show of the tour is at the Milton Keynes Bowl which is filmed and later shown on Channel 4 in the UK. Though not a sell out, it still attract 37 000 fans. Brian: None of us thought that it was a particularly good gig at the time, we were wishing that they had filmed Leeds. I particularly found that it was hard to get the sound right, and couldn't hear the monitors very well. But Tyne Tees filmed it, and mixed it themselves, with no help from us; and we now think that it's one of the better videos of our live shows. Queen have a party to celebrate the end of the tour, in the usual flamboyant style. The theme is shorts or stockings and suspenders. Queen held it at the Embassy Club - which sets them back ten thousands pounds. "Under Pressure" goes to number 1 in Argentina. Queen appear on Top of the Pops for the first time in years performing a special version of "Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)". Unfortunately at this time the UK is in a state of conflict (war) with Argentina. In England the release of "Las Palabras de Amor" isn't really seen as appropriate. In Argentina Queen's popularity annoys the government who bans the bands songs from being aired on radio. Roger: In Argentina we were number one when that stupid war was going on and we had a fantastic time there, and that can be only for the good. Music is totally international. That year, Freddie also spends some time recording with Michael Jackson. Several tracks were recorded, however none have been released. Freddie: I'd like to release something with Michael because he is really marvellous to work with. It's all a question of time because we never seem to be together at the same time. Just think, I could have been on "thriller". Think of the royalties I've missed out on Michael has been a friend of ours (the bands) for a long time. He's been to our shows and enjoyed them. We make a great team. After the European tour the band head for America. The band had been a little apprehensive as to the reception they might get - however were relieved when the tour sells out. The tour was an unmitigated success with the city of Boston declaring a whole day as 'Queen Day'. Within the first weeks of the tour, Queen's private plane is damaged and they need to hire another one. The one that they find available is the "Lisa Marie" - Elvis Presley's own private jet,

named after his daughter. Queen find the plane unsuitable though, due to Elvis' apparent aversion to sun light. At the next available opportunity they switch to a different plane. The US tour finished on the 15th September at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles, ad Queen promptly fly back to the UK for a rest. Five days later though, they return to feature on the "Saturday Night Live" show to perform "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Under Pressure". October 15 sees Queen tour Japan again. Just before the tour an album is released by Mercury Records in Japan, titled "Gettin Smile". It features the songs that Smile recorded for Mercury in 1969. At first Brian and Roger think that it is a fake, as they couldn't remember recording os much material. After listening to the record though they are convinced it is Smile. The album had also been released without permission, and there was talk of suing, but after having the sleave notes translated for them, Brian and Roger decide to let it go. As always in Japan the shows went tremendously, and the band were followed by adoring fans wherever they went. The last night of the tour at the Seibu Lions Stadium was filmed, for the later video release "Live In Japan".

Queen Biography 1983
1983 is a year of rest for the band. Since the early 70's they had been touring-recording non-stop, and the time had come to slow down. Brian: We were getting to close to each other ... getting on each others nerves which happens periodically. This time we said: 'Let's take a break and give ourselves some breathing space. Let's do individual things, then we can come back to Queen when we actually feel motivated'. We took about five months off work, up until August this year (1983). During that time we met and talked a lot, but we didn't actually do anything. Roger: After touring America, Europe and Japan we were totally knackered, so we thought we deserved a bit of a rest... It also had a lot to do with the last album (Hot Space) not doing as well as previous LP's. We realised that it hadn't bee what a lot of fans wanted or expected from us, so we thought a break would give us the opportunity to think things through a bit. During the time of, Brian decided to travel to America. In the back of his mind he was thinking of doing some sort of recording, and therefore decided to take the "Red Special" with him. He obviously was a little weary of letting baggage handlers 'man-handle' his beloved guitar, but was too big to put in an overhead locker. Eventually an agreement was made that he would pay the price of a child's ticket so that his guitar could have its own seat. When he got to America, he met up with Jeffrey Osborne in the Mad Hatter studio's in Los Angeles. Brian played on two tracks from Jeffrey's forthcoming album "Stay With Me Tonight". Whilst in LA Brian invited some old friends, including Eddie Van Halen and Fred Mandell, to come and 'jam' at a studio. What eventually came out of the session was a re-working of the theme of a Japanese Sci-fi show called StarFleet, which Brian's son got him addicted to, a recording of a song Brian had written a long time ago called "Let Me Out" and what is essentially a twelve minute jam called BluesBraker.

Brian eventually releases these tracks under the guise of the "StarFleet" mini album. Mack mixes the tracks and Brian enlists Roger's help for backing vocals before the listening public are able to buy it. Brian: To be honest I didn't even know if I could play with other musicians. I had been so long with Queen I thought, 'what kind of musician am I?'. I had been working the machine, but maybe I had become too much of a slave of it... Edward and I took a break from the recording and started talking about how it was in the old days when Eric Clapton was doing his thing with John Mayall. We all found the "Beano" album had a big influence on us, remember, the one with Eric reading the comic on the cover? It was a classic collectors item for every guitarist. It sounded like they were having so much fun they couldn't stop... "BluesBraker", which takes up all of side two on the album is my favourite part of the record. It seemed very indulgent putting out a long ham but, having listened to it, I think that it's worthwhile... It's rock blues with all the mistakes left in. Trouble was brewing in North America with Freddie refusing to record any more albums for Elektra. He was very unhappy about the way they were representing the band there. They agree to sign to Capitol a record company VERY happy to have Queen. At the celebratory party, Roger sums up what he thought of the Elektra deal by saying "It Shucked". Even though the band was quite in their activities, the Queen offices were a hive of business. In spring Jim Beach and Gerry Stickells began to look into the possibility of another tour of South America. Unfortunately the same problems of equipment and unreliable promoters started to rear their heads again and they eventually decide that another tour is simply not worth it. John discovers the art of surf boarding and Roger the art of skiing. Roger is arrested and imprisoned in Monaco during the Grand Prix for being inebriated, along with Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt. Rick: Yeah, I went to Monaco with roger and we finished up in prison. It was quite a funny night, we were accused of something we didn't do, but we sat in prison all night and it rained all the next day so we didn't see the race. We had a thoroughly bad time, but we came home laughing. After the Grand Prix, Roger and John were to attend the premier of the Queen in concert film "We Will Rock You" at Datona Beach in Florida. Whilst the film well documents Queen as a live band, it seemed to attract problems. It was envisaged that the screen to show the film on would be a massive 60 by 80 feet. However at this size, even the smallest gust of wind meant that it would topple over. The premier was cancelled at the last moment as 'experts' attempted to work out how they could stop the screen from being blown down. Freddie starts work on his new album in Munich. The first solo work from Freddie we get to hear is "Love Kills" co-written by Georgio Moroder which reaches no. 10 in the U.K. The song is also featured on the soundtrack album for the film Metropolis, a Fritz Lang classic that Georgio Moroder was putting contemporary music to. John meanwhile was having a well deserved rest, however does find time to play bass with tennis ace John McEnroe and Vitas Gerulaitis who swapped their racquets for guitars.

Nearing the end of the year, the band find themselves ready to work together as a unit again. The band move to the Record Plant studio's in Los Angeles. This was the first time they had recorded in America, and the band hoped that it would help them to tune into the American music scene. Jim Beach was currently involved in the process of producing a film version of the book "The Hotel New Hampshire" and asked Queen if they would like to score the soundtrack. Initially the group were very keen on the idea and set about reading the novel for themselves. However as work progressed in the studio, they felt that the music they were creating was not right for the film. It was then proposed that two albums be released - one Queen album and one sound track album. However, Queen found that their album was taking too much of their time, and had to stop work on the sound track. One song from the sound track album remained though, "Keep Passing Open Windows", which was phrase used throughout the book to signify hope. In September a new era is ushered in. "The Game" becomes the first Queen album to be released on the then new Compact Disc format. Unfortunately, it is only released in the United States. Work progresses well on the album, with the band agreeing that the break had done them all good. By November the next single had already been decided upon. A Roger Taylor penned song, called "Radio Ga Ga". The band decided that they need an elaborate video for the single. In the end it was decided that the film would need a number of 'extra's' to help with a handclapping chorus. The extra's were drawn from the Queen Fan Club's list of members - that performed brilliantly. The band on the other hand had problems with getting everything right! The video also incorporated scenes from the film "Metropolis". The video became one of Queen's best and most expensive, costing one hundred and ten thousand pounds.

Queen Biography 1984
The year starts with Freddie heading to Munich in January to continue work on his solo album. At the time he felt that he needed to express things that he couldn't within the context of Queen. Most of the songs turn out to be 'love orientated'. On January 23rd “Radio Ga Ga", is released. Roger: I wrote it after watching a lot of MTV in the States, and it seemed to me there was far too much emphasis on a band's visual image. I got the name Radio Ga Ga from my son, Felix - he was watching TV with me and started going around saying 'radio poo poo' which changed to 'radio ka ka' and then eventually to Radio Ga Ga. It becomes a worldwide hit, reaching number 1 in 19 countries, and getting into the top ten in many others. In the UK it enters the chart at number four and climbs to number 2, kept of the top spot by Frankie Goes To Hollywoods "Relax". The single is also the first to feature the bands own personal catalogue number - Queen 1. On the 3rd of February queen perform at the annual song festival at San Remo, Italy. It is the first time they had played Italy and Queen wonder why they hadn't been there before... At the end of February, the moment Queen fans had been waiting for had arrived. Queen's thirteenth studio album, entitled "The Works" was released. The album was a massive success reaching the top of the chart in many different territories. Unfortunately though the change of

record company in America did nothing to revive Queen's support there, with the album not making much of an impression there. The next single, "I Want To Break Free", features the entire band in drag - Roger's idea apparently... The video is a parody of the longest running British soap opera "Coronation Street" which was meant to be funny. MTV in the United States didn't think so though and refused to play it. As well as the famous "Coronation Street" parody, the video also sees Freddie recreating Debussy's famous ballet L'Apres-midi d'un faune... Roger: We had done some really serious, epic videos in the past, and we just thought we'd have some fun. We wanted people to know that we didn't take ourselves too seriously, that we could still laugh at ourselves. I think we proved that. Whilst all the Queen releases were happening Freddie also had the time to appear in Vogue magazine, modelling a diamond stud ear-ring. Brian, finds time to play on a Billy Squier album, "Signs of Life" and Roger finishes off his solo album. By May Queen are back together, this time performing at the Golden Rose Pop Festival in Switzerland. The whole event was a bit of a farce in that Queen, like all the other acts didn't perform live. Queen never pretended to play live to backing tapes - it just wasn't their style. However the prospect of performing to a television audience of 350 million was too big an opportunity to let go. May 14th sees EMI release "The Works" on compact disc. Up until their planned European tour, Queen spend time holidaying, or in the case of Roger and Freddie, doing solo work. Roger releases his second solo LP on 25 June, called Strange Frontier, whereas Freddie continues working on his solo album. The tour commenced in Brussels in August. The first concert was filmed and later became the basis for the video for "Hammer To Fall". Some members of the audience were also invited back the next day to record some hand clapping sequences for the video - much to their delight no doubt. Continuing with the "Metropolis" theme resident in their videos, the Queen tour also had a "Metropolis" back drop which involved having two giant cogs turning throughout the show. During the tour, the "We Will Rock You" video is finally released. It entered the video charts at number one. The tour ended in Vienna on the 30 September. It had been a mammoth tour, which played Italy for the first time. After the European tour though, came controversy. Queen had agreed to play in South Africa, which at that time was condemned by the international community due to its policy of white/black segregation - Apartheid. Queen agreed to play 12 shows at the Sun City Superbowl. On the first night though, Freddie's voice gave out. He did finish the gig but was in great pain for the majority of the show. A specialist was flown in and absolute rest for the next few days was ordered. All in all four dates had to be cancelled, however it did give the band some time to look around and talk to some black South Africans.

The tour eventually got up and running again. Queen released a special live album (an edited version of live killers) and donated the proceeds to the Kultawamong School for deaf and blind children. However all was not quiet on the home front and when Queen returned to England they faced a hostile Musicians Union and press. Brian: We've thought a lot about the morals of it a lot, and it is something we've decided to do. The band is not political, we paly to anybody who wants to come and listen. The show will be in Botswana in front of a mixed crowd. We're totally against apartheid and all it stands for, but I feel we did a lot of bridge building. We met musicians of both colours. They all welcomed us with open arms. The only criticism we got was from outside South Africa. John: Throughout our career we've been a very non-political group. We enjoy going to new places. We've toured America and Europe so many times that its nice to go somewhere different. Everybody's been to South Africa, it's not as though we are setting a precedent. Elton John's been there, Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard. I know there can be a bit of fuss, but apparently we're very popular down there... Basically we want to play wherever fans want to see us. Everyone else didn't see it that way. The artists union fined them - Queen agreed to pay as long as the money goes to charity, rather than the union coffers. They are also black-listed by the United Nations. The end of the year sees Freddie continuing work on his solo album - with the others taking a well earned rest. They do, however, find time to release a "Christmas song". On the 26th November Queen release "Thank God It's Christmas", written by Brian and Roger. It wasn't terribly successful, only reaching number one in the charts, it has become somewhat of a collectors item though.

Queen Biography 1985
Queen return to South America to headline the enormous “Rock in Rio" festival in front of 250 000 people. On January 12th at 2 am Queen take the stage to deafening applause and a crowd that spread as far as the eye can see. Everything went well that night, until Freddie came on in drag for the encore and sang "I Want To Break Free". It was then that the audience stared to throw rubbish or anything they could get their hands on at the stage. Freddie quickly ripped of his false boobs and carried on. After the show the local people explained that the song "I Want To Break" free had become somewhat of an anthem of liberation for them and they didn't want to see it being 'denigrated'. On the night of the concert, EMI held a huge party for the Rio artists at the Copacabana hotel for the artists. During the party it became known to Brian that a number of fans had gathered outside, and had spelt out the word "Queen" with 1 500 candles. Brian left the party and went and joined them - having some fun in the process. Queen were back on the stage on the 19th of January again, this time though, to close the event. After the concert Queen and many of the other acts pursued the rights to release a video of their performance. Queen are the only band given permission to do so. "Live In Rio" is released in May and goes to the top of the UK video charts.

At the beginning of the year, the British Video Awards were held and Queen did not go unnoticed. They picked up two awards - best compilation for the Works EP ( a collection of their videos for the album) and best promotional video for "Radio Ga Ga". In April Queen head for New Zealand for the first time. At the airport they were greeted by a party of Anti-apartheid protesters, and even more were to be found outside their hotel. Nevertheless, Queen manage to spend a few days seeing the sights. It is during this time that Bob Geldoff approached Spike Edney about sounding out Queen about a possible appearance at a charity event in aid of the people of Ethiopia. Queen at first refused, but Spike encouraged Bob to call them direct, and eventually wore them down into saying that they 'may' appear. The concert at New Zealand went well, with the band having an ecstatic audience to play to. They were also joined on stage for the encore by Spandau Ballet's singer Tony Hadley - a keen Queen fan - who had flown over from Australia to see them. From New Zealand they went to Australia for a series of eight sell out concerts. One of the concerts went disastrously - in the bands eyes at least. There entire light rig wouldn't work and all the microphones seemed to be failing. Phil Collins, who was there on the night, said that it was fine though. On April the 29th Freddie releases his long awaited solo album, "Mr Bad Guy". The title was perhaps Freddie being a little coy about how some people perceived him. The album wasn't what a lot of people expected though, as most songs were gentle ballads. Freddie was very proud of this album and said at the time that it was very "him". The press reaction was mixed. Freddie: I've put my heart and soul into this album. It's much more beat orientated than Queen's music, and it also has some very moving ballads. They're all love songs, things to do with sadness and pain. At the same time they're frivolous and tongue in cheek; that's my nature. I've wanted to do a solo album for a long time, and the rest of the band have encouraged me to do it. I wanted to cover such things as reggae rhythms and I've done a couple of tracks with a symphony orchestra. After Australia Queen go to Japan for a short tour. Again they are received very enthusiastically by the Japanese people. After a brief break from all the touring, Queen start rehearsing for their next show - this time at Live Aid. The project that Bob Geldoff had spoke to them was going to happen and it was going to be big. It was billed as the global juke box, with bands from all persuasions given 20 minutes to perform to the world - all in aid of the starving in Ethiopia. Queen wanted to make sure that their show was as good as it could be and practised quite hard for it. In the end result they were in everyone's opinion, the band of the day. John: We didn't know Bob Geldoff at all. When "Do They Know It's Christmas" was out, that was a lot of the newer acts. For the gig, he wanted to get a lot of the established acts. Our first reaction was, we didn't know - 20 minutes, not sound check...!

When it became apparent that it was going to happen we'd actually just finished touring Japan, and ended up having a meal in the hotel discussing whether we should do it, because obviously they wanted our answer, and we said yes. We didn't get involved in the running order thing, but strangely enough we did well coming on when we did... It was the one day that I was proud to be in the music business - a lot of days you certainly don't feel like that! But the day was fabulous, people there forgot the element of competitiveness... It was a good morale booster for us too, because it showed the strength of support we had in England, and it showed us what we had to offer as a band. The Live Aid experienced refreshed the band and they go back into the studio and record "One Vision", which makes it to number 7 in the UK, and is used for the theme song for the movie "Iron Eagle". The press release stated that the band were encouraged to go in and record after the success of Live Aid - somehow this transpired to music journalists that the song was written about Live Aid and they believed that the royalties should go to charity. Roger: I was absolutely devastated when I saw that in the press. It was a terrible mistake and I was really annoyed about it. Some public relations person got hold of the wrong end of the stick. I went absolutely bananas when I saw that. Roger plays on the Keith Moon tribute album "Under a Raging Moon". He also finds time to coproduce with David Richard's Fergal Sharkey's single "Loving You". EMI release "Queen: The Works" a box set featuring all the Queen albums, (except Greatest Hits), and also a new album, called "Complete Vision" that features all the non album b-sides. The end of the year and "Queen" is engraved on an obelisk in Antarctica for their donations to Greenpeace. Queen also, reluctantly, release a press statement categorically denying any plans to return to South Africa.

Queen Biography 1986
The year starts with Queen working on their next album, that would include the songs for the film 'Highlander'. As individuals they still find time to dedicate time to their own projects. Freddie finds time to Billy Squiers album among other things, John works on some tracks with Hot Chocolates lead singer Errol Brown. Roger in the meantime produces an album for the rock band Magnum. The Queen album is finally finished and the final decisions have to be made as to what singles they should release from it. In this instance the Capitol and EMI decide to release different singles. EMI go with 'A Kind Of Magic' and Capitol go with 'Princes Of The Universe'. Both of the videos are directed by Russell Mulchay. Whilst 'A Kind Of Magic', written by Roger does extremely well, reaching number 3 in the UK and being the top of the charts in 35 other countries, 'Princes Of The Universe' goes barley unnoticed in the US. Queen then release the music for the $20 000 000 feature film - 'Highlander' in the shape of their album 'A Kind Of Magic'. The film stars Christopher Lambert (who features in the video for 'Princes of the Universe') and Sean Connery.

When I did this film, there was only one band in my mind to do the music, and that's Queen. Queen's music was just right for this film: they have a very keen sense of visuals. They write very powerful, anthem-type songs, and the film needed just that kind of energy. I've always been a fan of Queen's and for a long time I have wanted to work with them. John in the meantime was approached by the makers of 'Biggles', a film based on the classic books concerning a world was one fighter pilot, to write some music for the film. For the project John formed another band called the Immortals with friends Robert Awhai and Lenny Zakatek. One song is released from their recordings , 'No Turning Back', but has little effect on the charts. On the 25th of April the first International Queen Fan Club Convention is held at Great Yarmouth. Over a thousand fans attend from as far a field as South Africa and Australia. The fan club also premiered the film 'Highlander' to an exited audience. Jim Beach (Queen's Aide): We'd thought of a Fan Club convention like that a couple of years ago but never got around to organising it. If it works well I'm sure it will become an annual event. The conventions are still going strong. Queen release their next song 'Friends Will Be Friends'. Again the band ask the fan club for some extras to help create a live audience feel for the video. There is no trouble getting volunteers and everyone who came along got to take home a 'I'm A Queen Friend' t-shirt. Queen again appeared at the Montreux Music Festival. Again the band mimed, as it was a necessity due to the logistics of the event. Freddie though made it clear that the whole thing was a farce, with his tapping of supposedly live microphones and his ability to be heard even when he wasn't singing... After Montreux the band all went into rehearsing for their upcoming tour. Demand for tickets was tremendous. In the UK you could only buy the tickets through the post, and postal application eventually amounted to over 500 000 thousand tickets being applied for. The fans would not be disappointed with Queen's performance. For one thing they had the world's largest ever lighting rig to 'wow' the crowds with. The bands performance was faultless, with the band having rehearsed for this tour more than any other previously. The ensuing European 'Magic tour' plays to over one million people. In the UK where there popularity was unstoppable, they broke the all time attendance record for a European tour with the total attendance being in excess of 400 000 people. The band covered all the prestigious venues including Wembley Stadium, Knebworth and Budapest’s famous Nepstadion, which was built by Stalin - a first for any western band. Roger: We had a wonderful time in Hungary. I think everybody who came to the Nepsatadion enjoyed themselves. Especially the support! It was about 60 middle aged ladies singing an Hungarian Folklore version of 'Jumping Jack Flash' and, believe me, it was different. After the tour, another single is released - 'Who Wants To Live Forever'. It was written by Brian in the back of the car on the way home from the viewing of the 'Highlander' movie. The song is central to the plot of the movie.

The Wembley Show was filmed by Tyne Tees and is shown in the UK on channel four in October. Since Channel four is independent of the BBC - the only national Radio Station owner, it had to arrange with lots of tiny regional stations to simulcast the show. In December the Album 'Live Magic' is released and enters the UK charts at number 3. Quite a few fans were disappointed that it wasn't a double live album - but the concept behind it was to give the fans a souvenir - rather than a full document of the tour. By the end of the year Queen have sold a total of 1 774 991 albums in the UK alone.

Queen Biography 1987
As far as Queen went, the first part on 1987 was very slow. Roger and John were on holiday in Los Angeles and Brian was at home, trying to sort out his personal life. Freddie used this opportunity to work on some solo ideas. The Budapest concert was released on the 16th of February. The concert was filmed by Mafilm, the governments own film company, and they had used every 35 mm camera in the country to film the concert. Freddie activities in the studio culminates when he releases "The Great Pretender" on February 23rd. A video is made in typical Freddie style. The video features him in all his Queen guises. Freddie also manages to dress in drag again for a video, with Roger and his friend Peter Straker... One of Freddie's originally ideas had been to fly over the white cliffs of Dover, but due to logistical problems, this was eventually scrapped. The single was directed by David Mallet that didn't worry about the excesses of Freddie videos. In fact, David Mallet was likely to turn anything remotely simple and straightforward into a huge production all by himself. The single becomes his biggest solo hit to that point reaching number 4 in the UK charts. Late February also sees the release of Queen's Greatest Hits in Hungary. Changes had taken place in the communist government that meant that Queen could finally release records there. Sales were huge. Early in the year, Brian flew to Los Angeles to work with Meat Loaf. The pair collaborated on a track called "A Time For Heroes". This song became the theme tune for the Para-Olympic Games, to be held in LA later in the year. In March Freddie meets opera diva Montserrat Caballe in Barcelona and forms and unusual partnership. The two of them agree to make an album together. Montserrat was performing at London's Covent Street Gardens and Freddie went to see her. For the encore she sang "Exercises In Free Love" one of the songs that Freddie had played to her in their first meeting, much to Freddie's delight. On the 15th of April Queen receive an Ivor Norvello award for their outstanding contribution to British Music. Work on Freddie's albums with Montserrat soon started. Recording it would be a totally different experience for both of them, as they had previously worked in very different areas. The album took over nine months to record... The 30th of May saw Freddie and Montserrat perform one of their songs for the first time. Barcelona was going to host the Olympic Games in 1992 and were having the Ibiza '92 festival to

celebrate. Here Freddie and Montserrat perform "Barcelona" - a song that Freddie had written on Montserrat's request. In the meantime, Brian had been tracked down by spoof heavy metal band "Bad News" and been worn down enough so that he would produce their record. They even do a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody - much to the dismay of Queen fans... Brian also found time to produce Anita Dobson in her quest to become a pop star. Rumours were abound as to the nature of their relationship - which at this point were emphatically denied by both of them. In August Roger forms a new band, "The Cross", in order to exercise his creativity in Queen's quieter periods... Ads were placed in various music papers. Hundreds sent audition tapes, but eventually Clayton Moss, Josh Macrae and Peter Noon were the lucky ones. They were also joined by Spike Edney on Keyboards. Roger himself took the role of lead vocalist and guitarist, something he had always wanted to do. The single Barcelona is the first we hear of Freddie's new partnership. In Spain the single sells over 10,000 copies in 3 hours. It is promptly adopted by the Spanish Olympic Committee as the theme for the 1992 Olympic Games. The single reaches a respectable number 8 in the UK. Roger's new band put out their first single, "Cowboys and Indians" which doesn't fair too well, reaching only number 74. At a filming for the video "Love Lies Bleeding" Roger meets Debbie Lang and become instant friends... romance later develops. In November John flies on the inaugural flight to Florida on Virgin Airlines, with a host of other celebrities. Among those present were Morris Minor and The Majors, who were about to release a rap single. Somehow John ended up in the video, and it was decided that cameo roles should be found for him in all their proceeding video's as well. The 30th of November sees the release of "The Magic Years" - a visual anthology of the history of Queen. It features quite a bit of behind the scenes footage of the band as well as some great interviews and live shots.

Queen Biography 1988
Roger's relationship with Debbie Leng had developed to a point of them wanting to live together. The security of his children with Dominique had to be resolved though. Roger and Dominique got married on 25 January - a ceromony witnessed by Freddie and Mary Austin. Roger then moved in with Debbie - in a house a few minutes away from Dominique and his children. The press were quick to catch on to this story, as they thought it was quite strange... The Cross release their first album "Shove It" which reaches number 58 on the UK albums listings. A European tour follows with the band playing club and university dates. Promoters of the various venues wanted to advertise the act as "Roger Taylor and the Cross". However Roger was adamant that the band would make it or break it on their own merits and the poster read only "The Cross".

Around this time it was announced by "Record Collector" that Queen were the third most collectable artist in the world. Freddie appears once on the London musical "Time" starring Cliff Richard. All the profits of the show were donated to the Terrance Higgins Trust for research into AIDS. The Cross appear at the Montreux Rose Rock Festival. They were playing live though - not lip synched. An unusual request, but since Jim Beach was a key organiser of the festival, he was able to pull a few stings. On the 6th of June Brian and John appeared as part of the Prince's Trust Gala Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Other stars that performed that night were Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Mark Knopfler and Elton John. Brian was particularly thrilled to work with Joe Cocker. The concert was a much needed positive moment for Brian as his father had died just four days earlier. At this point his personal problems came to a head. Brian left his wife Chrissy for Anita Dobson. Predictably the press had a field day with the story. The Magic Years video set earned an award from the International Music and Media Conference for the best long form video. Elaine page records a "Queen" album. Famous Lyricist Tim rice persuaded her to do it. Originally she was a little apprehensive, but after listening to some of Queen's more gentle ballads she was persuaded. The project had Queen's full support and they even appear in a photo with Elaine Page on the album notes. The year ends with The Cross playing a one of gig at the Hammersmith Palais for the fan club Christmas party. Special guests are Brian and John. They play "Tie Your Mother Down" sung jointly by Brian and Roger - who forget the words...

Queen Biography 1989
Brian starts the year on a quest to raise money for children with leukemia. He re-records "Who Wants To Live Forever" with some young aspiring singers. Queen release their sixteenth album "The Miracle" on May 22nd which enters the UK and numerous other territories charts at number 1. This album was different to any other in that all the songs were credited to Queen and not individual band members. At first the process was difficult - as all were protective about their ideas. However as time progressed it worked well, leaving them to wonder why they hadn't done it a long time ago. Sometimes their productiveness had been quite destructive - particularly when they were in Munich. The album cover represented this 'joining'. The faces of the band were all blended into one using a Quantel Graphics Paint Box - to stunning effect. The album produces FIVE single releases - "I Want It All", "Breakthru", "The Invisible Man", "Scandal" and "the Miracle". They filmed a video for "Breakthru" on a private railway on Cambridgeshire - the video also includes an appearance of Roger's girlfriend Debbie, whom he met on a Cross video shoot. Queen hadn't done an interview as an entire band for some time, and they were persuaded to change all that by Mike Reid, and on 29 May they were all interviewed. During the interview

Freddie described his reluctance to go on tour, that the he had 'been there and done that' and wanted to change the cycle of 'album-tour, album-tour'. Brian breaks his arm whilst skate boarding in the USA. With Roger he also gets involved in the Rock Aid Armenia project, along with the likes of Ian Gillan, Bruce Dickinson and David Coverdale. Roger makes headlines for confusing the Ministry of Defence, the media and his neighbours; laser lights roving the sky at his outrageous 40th birthday party are mistaken for UFO's. The year ends with the release of "The Miracle Video EP" - just in time for the Christmas market.

Queen Biography 1990
Queen receive a special BPI awards for their outstanding contribution to British music and hold a 20th anniversary party that goes on all night. The party is held at a club in Soho called Groucho's. Everyone who had ever worked with the band was tracked down and invited. Queen terminate their contract with Capitol in the USA and sign a major new deal with the Disney owned Hollywood Records, for a sum in excess of $10,000,000. They resign with EMI for the rest of the world. Brian composes and records his first work for the London stage - Macbeth. Roger and The Cross record their second album whilst Queen records their next album.

Queen Biography 1991
Innuendo the single is released in January and crashes into the number one spot, to be later joined the same position by the Album of the same name. The video representing a compendium of styles wins numerous awards including a 'Gold Camera Award' for director Jerry Hibbet. Hollywood Records releases Innuendo in America where it reaches number 30. Hollywood then reinvestigates the re-issue of the entire Queen catalogue on CD in North America. All the reissues are remastered to great effect and include bonus tracks (except Live Killers). Brian plays his way around radio stations as promotion for "Innuendo" and his forthcoming solo album. At some shows he actually plugs his guitar into the mixing desk and plays along with the songs. The second single released is "I'm Going Slightly Mad" which features penguins, teapots, gorillas and other peculiar things in the video. It reaches number 22 in the UK, scores the top position in Hong Kong. "Headlong" is the follow up single (the first single release in North America). The video is taken at The Townhouse studio's where much of the album is recorded. The video to accompany it is a classic performance piece. In October the band release their second Greatest Hits package, surprising no one when it enters the Charts at number 1. It was proceeded by the single "The Show Must Go On". Speculation had been mounting as to the state of Freddie's health for some time. On the 23rd November Freddie confirmed the worst by issuing a statement saying that he did in fact have

AIDS. At 7pm the next day Freddie Freddie's fight was over. Freddie Mercury - a God to millions, a treasured friend to some - had died. Queen issued the following statement: We have lost the greatest and most beloved member of our family. We feel overwhelming grief that he has gone, sadness that he should be cut down at the height of his creativity, but above all great pride in the courageous was he lived and died. It has been a privilege for us to have shared such magical times. As soon as we are able we would like to celebrate his life in the style to which he was accustomed. Flowers from across the globe flooded the Queen offices - so many that they ended up covering Freddie's huge lawn in a double layer. On the Tuesday night before his funeral, the gates to Freddie's home were opened to the fans outside sot they could view the flowers and say their good byes. Freddie's cremation was held on the 27th at the West London Crematorium. It was a private affair kept very quiet. The service was conducted in the Zoroastrian faith, and was attended by Freddie's closest family and friends. As a fitting tribute to Freddie "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released with "These Are The Days Of Our Lives " as a double A-side, with all profits going to charity. The notes on the single sleave read: AIDS Concerns Us All The proceeds of this record will go to the Terrence Higgins Trust. Freddie Mercury was concerned about the financial support should be available to those less fortunate than himself and therefore the money raised by this record will go to the home care of people living with AIDS and to health education campaigns to help the further spread of the virus It crashes into the UK Chart at number 1, and stays there for five weeks. It becomes the first and only single to be a 'Christmas number one' twice, and becomes the second biggest selling single in UK history. In December 1991, Queen have ten albums in the UK top 100. Brian also releases his first solo single. He expressed concern about the timing of such a release - but Freddie insisted that he must release it. "Driven By You", an adaptation of a song Brian had written for the Ford Motor Company, reached number 6 in the UK chart. Brian, Roger and John spent the Christmas period quietly with their families.

Queen Biography 1992
On the 6th February 1992 Hollywood Records release 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as a double A-side with 'The Show Must Go On'. The single reaches the number 2 position, helped along by its inclusion in the movie 'Wayne's World'. It becomes the most played song on radio in the USA for 1992. On the 12th Queen win an award for best British single for 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' from the British Phonographic Industry. In collecting the award Roger announces the upcoming 'Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert', to be held at Wembley Stadium on April 20th. The remaining members of Queen also except a special post-humous award for Freddie's contribution to British Music.

Tickets for the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert went on sale on the 13h February, and they all sold out within six hours - before anyone knew who was going to be playing except Brian, Roger and John. The work began for Queen on 27 March when they began to re-learn some of their older hits and working out how to play their newer songs live. Playing without Freddie proved to be a very hard thing to do. Once this initial phase had been completed they moved to Bray Studios, where they were joined by many stars who had offered their services for Freddie. The line up of people really was phenomenal. It really was 'wall to wall' stars with the likes of Elton John, David Bowie, Guns 'n Roses, Metallica, Extreme, Seal, Roger Daltry, Tony Iomi, Roger Plant and Def Leopard to name but a few. The stage began construction on 15th April and it was even bigger than the 'Magic Tours'. On the same day Brian and Roger collect another award, this time an Ivor Norvello for 'Best Selling British A-side' for 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives'. Brian also receives an award for best song in a commercial for 'Driven By YOU'. At this event they present the Terrence Higgins Trust with over one million pounds - the proceeds of 'Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days Of Our Lives'. The crowds for the tribute concert begin to converge on Wembley Stadium on Sunday the 19th of April. At 4 pm the next day the gates were finally opened and fans raced in for a good position. The merchandise stalls quickly began to sell out of merchandise. A new record for merchandise sales were made that day. At 6 pm Brian, Roger and John took the stage. After promising to give Freddie the biggest send off in history they left the stage for the first act - Metallica. Many acts ran through a short 20 minute set and then there was a break for the second half of the show. The second half featured Queen joined by special guests taking the vocals. The stars did their best at being Freddie Mercury - but his shoes were too big to fill. Many had to change the notes because they just couldn't do it the way Freddie could. The viewing figures for the concert were amazing. In the UK an estimated 6.3 million people watched it. World wide in over seventy countries one billion people saw it - more than those who had watched Live Aid. In order to distribute the funds Queen set up the Mercury Phoenix Trust. In America Hollywood records, released Classic Queen - a best of compilation - that reached number 4 in the albums chart and was awarded double platinum status. It featured a remixed version of 'Under Pressure'. May 26th saw the release of a full length, unedited version of Queen performing at Wembley in 1986. It reached number 2 in the UK chart. In the middle of the year Brian releases his first solo album 'Back to the Light', with a single from it, 'Too Much Love Will Kill You', reaching number four in the UK and number one in Holland. Brian goes touring with the album across the globe. 1992 was the Olympic year - with the Olympics being held at Barcelona. For nearly two weeks all you could hear was Freddie and Monserrat singing Barcelona. 'Barcelona' the single was reissued, and with all the 'Olympic hype' it reached number 2 - only just being kept of the number one spot.

In November 'The Freddie Mercury Album' is released. It is a compilation of songs that have been remixed. The album was proceeded with the release of 'In My Defence' as song Freddie had recorded as part of the musical time, for his friend Dave Clark. The single reached number 8 while the album gets to number 4. Most fans seem to rate the remixes as diabolical and are really confused as to why the album was released. It seemed blasphemous to most fans.

Queen Biography 1993
To coincide with the anniversary of the Tribute Concert the 'Five Live EP' is released. It features George Michael version of 'Somebody to Love' - one of the highlights of the tribute concert. It enters the UK chart at number one and stays there for five weeks - with all profits going to charity. Whilst the UK got the EP some territories were issued with 'Somebody To Love' as a single and 'Five Live' as a mini album. Brian is still busy touring, and much to the fans delight releases a live album 'Live At Brixton Academy'. For once the fans don't have to rely on poor quality bootlegs. A remixed version of Freddie's 'Living On My Own' is released, reaching number one in the UK, and eventually selling more than two million copies worldwide. Brian continues touring and Roger starts work on his solo album.

Queen Biography 1994
Roger releases his third solo album 'Happiness?', which enters the UK Chart at number 22. The proceeding single 'Nazis 1994' sparks controversy as it is refused air-play on Radio One and many shops don't sell it for fear of Neo-Nazis reprisals. Roger does a tour of Japan, Britain and some parts of Europe. Work continues on the new Queen album. At the end of the year Brian composes the music for a Radio One serial 'Spider-Man'

Queen Biography 1995
The year is quiet with the band busy at work until October when the new single, "Heaven for Everyone", is released. It crashes into the UK Top Twenty at number 2, and becomes a worldwide hit. Two weeks later the album "Made In Heaven" is released and enters the UK and other countries charts at number 1. A Christmas single is released, entitled "A Winters Tale" which enters the UK chart at number 6.

Queen - formata in 1971 in Londra, Anglia Perioada de activitate: 1971 - 1995. Membri: Freddie Mercury - voce, pian, Brian May - chitara, Roger Taylor - tobe, John Deacon - bass. Stiluri abordate: Hard Rock, Pop Rock, British Metal, Progressive Rock. * Queen - discografie, Inceputurile formatiei Queen sunt localizate in Anglia anului 1968, cand Brian May si Roger Taylor au pus bazele trio-ului SMILE. Dupa ce Tim Staffell, basist si solist, iese din trupa in primavara anului 1970, locul sau este luat de colegul sau de camera Freddie Mercury, care se alatura celor doi, May si Taylor, pentru a forma QUEEN. In anul 1971, locul de basist este ocupat de John Deacon, completand astfel componenta. Membrii Queen sunt cunoscuti ca fiind pionieri ai heavy metal, glam rock, uneori calcand si in zona rockului progressive. Desi personalitatea lui Freddie Mercury a dominat in presa, toti cei 4 membri au compus hituri uriase (Freddie Mercury - "Bohemian Rhapsody", Brian May - "We Will Rock You", Roger Taylor - "Radio Ga Ga", John Deacon - "Another One Bites The Dust"). Pentru majoritatea albumelor formatiei fiecare membru a scris macar o piesa, si, desi, Freddie Mercury a compus multe hituri, nu a fost nicidecum compozitorul dominant; cei patru se considerau egali din punct de vedere al creativitatii, hotarand sa fie acordat creditul in mod simplu sub titlul "Queen", si nu in mod individual (valabil incepand cu albumul "The Miracle"). Inceputul istoriei trupei este legat de formatia SMILE, in care Brian May si Roger Taylor cantau alaturi de Tim Staffell (bass + voce). Freddie era pe atunci colegul de camera al lui Tim si urmarea indeaproape repetitiile si concertele formatiei, desi era solist in alte trupe, precum Wreckage si Ibex. Totusi, el era foarte nerabdator sa-si impartaseasca ideile cu privire la directia muzicala pe care SMILE ar fi trebuit sa se dezvolte. In 1971 Tim Staffell a considerat ca SMILE nu are nici un viitor si parasit trupa

pentru a se alatura alteia - HUMPY BONG. Freddie i-a luat locul imediat si impreuna cu ceilalti doi au hotarat sa caute cat mai repede un basist; insa abia cateva luni mai tarziu l-au gasit pe John Deacon, incepand imediat repetitiile pentru primul album, intitulat QUEEN. Albumul de debut, a fost lansat in 1973. N-a atras prea mult atentia publicului, dar a reusit sa produca un hit pentru posturile de radio - "Keep Yourself Alive". In general este vazut ca fiind un album de debut destul de reusit. Anul 1974 a adus cu el doua lansari discografice din partea trupei. Primul sa numit "Queen II", cu hitul "Seven Seas of Rhye" a fost unul experimental si nu a atras prea mult atentia, insa single-ul lor a intrat in topurile britanice. Mai tarziu, in acelasi an, a fost lansat cel de-al 3 lea album al formatiei, intitulat "Sheer Heart Attack" care a fost un succes in Marea Britanie si in Europa; a fost disc de aur in SUA. A fost considerat unul dintre cele mai mari eforturi artistice ale formatiei. Queen a facut un album de o coeziune uimitoare abordand o varietate de stiluri muzicale. A continut piesa Stone Cold Crazy, pe care au preluat-o cei de la Metallica mai tarziu, obtinand chiar si un Grammy pt ea, insa piesa de rezistenta a albumului a fost "Killer Queen", care a ajuns in Top10 in Anglia, si pana pe locul 11 in topurile americane. Urmatorul album, "A NIGHT AT THE OPERA", lansat in 1975, a fost si mai apreciat, formatia abordand si de aceasta data mai multe directii muzicale. Unele voci au sustinut ca acest album a fost pentru Queen ceea ce a reprezentat albumul "IV" pentru Led Zeppelin. A continut hitul urias "Bohemian Rhapsody" care a stat pe locul 1 in UK timp de 9 saptamani, si a urcat pana pe locul 9 in SUA. Cand a fost relansat in 1992, a fost din nou pe locul 1 in UK, iar in SUA s-a pozitionat pe locul 2. Albumul mai contine piesa "You're My Best Friend" (locul 14 in topurile americane) - un amestec dulce, pop, care era in contrast cu tot ce au facut cei de la Queen pana atunci. "I'm In Love With My Car" este o piesa hard-rock, scrisa si cantata de bateristul Roger Taylor, piesa care si astazi mai e folosita in reclamele pentru masinile Jaguar. Albumul a fost un succes urias in UK, si de 3 ori platina in SUA. Queen devenisera, foarte populari. Reveniti in studio, Queen isi arata neputinta de a surclasa "A Night At The Opera" in vanzari sau calitate, inregistrand si lansand apoi albumul "A DAY AT THE RACES". Coperta albumului reprezinta o forma variata a emblemei formatiei dupa cum era prezentata si pe albumul precendent (4 semne zodiacale - leii, zanele si racul, impreuna cu pasarea Phoenix). Existasera planuri cu privire la o lansare a ambelor albume in acelasi moment, insa acestea nu s-au realizat. Din punct de vedere muzical, acest album a fost realizat cam in aceeasi maniera ca si anteriorul, si, chiar daca atat fanii cat si

criticii l-au apreciat pozitiv, nu a reusit sa-l eclipseze, asadar rezultatul fiind un album oarecum subapreciat. Piesele de baza ale albumului au fost "Somebody to Love" si "Tie Your Mother Down". Cel dintai este o balada rock incredibila, pe care Freddie Mercury Brian May si Roger Taylor si-au multiplicat vocile pt a realiza efectului unui cor de gospel de 100 de voci. Piesa a urcat pana pe locul 2, respectiv locul 11 in SUA. Cat despre "Tie Your Mother Down" - e o melodie hard-rock specifica formatiei, care a adus un riff usor de recunoscut, precum si stilul unic, adesea intesat cu umor al grupului Queen. In 1977 este lansat "NEWS OF THE WORLD", un album criticat la inceput dar care odata cu trecerea timpului a primit tot mai multe aprecieri. Acest album a avut un suflu sonor mai puternic, dar si piese croite de o asa factura incat sa sune bine in concerte. Albumul contine imnul "We Will Rock You", faimoasa balada rock "We Are The Champions", precum si piesa "Sheer Heart Attack" cu un sunet de influente punk. Anul 1978 este marcat de lansarea albumului "JAZZ", care include hiturile "Fat Bottomed Girls" si "Bicycle Race", coperta albumului fiind inspirata dintr-o pictura de pe zidul Berlinului. Alte piese importante de pe acest album sunt "Dead on Time", "Let Me Entertain You" sau "Mustapha", ultima piesa fiind scrisa de Freddie, avand un sound 'arabic' combinat cu un sunet de chitara heavy. Reactia fanilor a fost lipsita de entuziasm, si pentru prima oara vanzarile formatiei QUEEN au cunoscut un 'mic' declin. Toti membrii grupului, in special Mercury au fost frustrati si dezamagiti in legatura cu acest album si, ca rezultat, au luat cu totii o pauza de la ritmul infernal de un album sau chiar 2 pe an, si s-au concentrat pe parcursul anului 1979 doar asupra noului album ce urma sa fie lansat in 1980. Au lansat, totusi, in aceasta perioada primul lor album LIVE, ca urmare a sumelor uriase care se obtineau din comercializarea bootlegurilor. Albumul, intitulat LIVE KILLERS, a fost platinat in mai multe tari (de doua ori in SUA). Formatia a lansat si un single de mare succes, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", melodie in stilul lui Elvis Presley, care urca in Top10 in majoritatea tarilor si le aduce in SUA cel de-al doilea single number 1. In 1980, au lansat albumul THE GAME, care a avut un succes urias, dovedindu-se a fi cel mai bine vandut album al lor. Continea single-ul "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", dar si hitul "Another One Bites The Dust", piesa care a fost lansat ca single in 1981, dupa ce Michael Jackson a sugerat ca acesta ar fi un single bun. Piesa a fost inspirata din melodia "Rapper's Delight" a color de la SUGAR HILL GANG si s-a situat pe pozitia 1 in SUA timp de 4 saptamani, iar albumul a fost de 4 ori de platina. Acest album a mai continut si cele mai bune balade ale formatiei - "Play The Game" si, favorita fanilor, "Save Me", ambele fiind hituri in Anglia, si nici un SUA nu au fost uitate. Semnificativ pentru acest album ar mai fi faptul ca a fost folosit un

sintetizator pt prima oara de catre QUEEN. In acelasi an, formatia a realizat coloana sonora a filmului FLASH GORDON. Soundtrack-ul a fost considerat unul inovativ si a primit critici pozitive, punand QUEEN intr-o alta lumina; totusi vanzarile au fost scazute. Anul 1981 marcheaza colaborarea trupei cu DAVID BOWIE in realizarea piesei "UNDER PRESSURE".Acest single a urcat pana pe pozitia nr 1 in Marea Britanie si a devenit un imn rock de neuitat, fiind o piesa preferata atat pentru fanii QUEEN cat si pentru fanii David Bowie. In acest an, trupa lanseaza si un album greatest hit care a continut cele mai importante piese ale primei faze a carierei trupei Queen. Reactia foarte buna a publicului la hitul "Another One Bites The Dust" a fost coplesitoare, motiv pentru care trupa a decis sa realizeze un album intreg cu piese influentate de disco/funk. A rezultat albumul HOT SPACE, lansat in 1982, un album care, pe buna dreptate sau nu, a fost privit atat de critici cat si de fani ca fiind unul dintre cele mai slabe albume ale formatiei. Albumul a fost o dezamagire mai ales pentru fanii adepti ai hard-rockului, care au sustinut trupa de-a lungul anilor '70 inca de la primul album "SHEER HEART ATTACK". HOT SPACE a continut totusi UNDER PRESSURE, singura piesa remarcabila, si BODY LANGUAGE, o piesa care a fost primita foarte bine in SUA, culminand pe locul 11 in topuri. In 1984, QUEEN a continuat sa se indeparteze de hard-rock cu albumul "THE WORKS", pe care se regasesc piese de succes ca "RADIO GA-GA", "I WANT TO BREAK FREE"(aceasta a devenit imnul miscarii democratice din Brazilia si mai tarziu a fost folosita in reclame pentru COCA COLA), "HAMMER TO FALL"(un comentariu poetic asupra Razboiului Rece), si "TEAR IT UP". In ciuda acestor hit single-uri, albumul nu sa vandut extraordinar, aceasta determinand aparitia unor tensiuni in trupa.Videoclipul piesei "I WANT TO BREAK FREE" a parodiat o telenovela britanica, Freddie Mercury fiind huiduit cand a aparut pe scena de la ROCK IN RIO imbracat ca in videoclip; brazilienii prezenti la concert au considerat ca prin gestul sau, Mercury degrada ceea ce pentru Brazilia era un imn democratic. Brian May declarase ca videoclipul a daunat vanzarilor albumelor QUEEN in SUA. Vanzarile mici ale albumului THE WORKS i-a impins pe membrii formatiei sa dezvolte proiecte solo in acea perioada. Apoi a venit momentul LIVE AID, in 1985, concert de caritate la care formatia a fost invitata sa participe. Dupa parerea criticilor dar si a fanilor, grupul a facut cel mai mare show, cantand unele dintre cele mai bune piese ale lor, uluind spectatorii cu o prezenta scenica energica si de 'spectacolul' oferit. Revitalizati de reactia publicului in urma concertului LIVE AID, dar si de cresterile semnificative ale vanzarilor, membrii formatiei au lansat la finele anului '85 single-ul "ONE VISION", ce a fost folosit pe coloana sonora a filmului "IRON EAGLE". La inceputul lui 1986, QUEEN a inregistrat albumul "A KIND OF MAGIC", inspirat de filmul HIGHLANDER, al lui RUSSEL MULCAHY. Acest album cunoaste un succes deosebit, dand nastere unei serii de hituri ce include titlurile "A KIND OF MAGIC",

"WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER?" si "FRIENDS WILL BE FRIENDS". Mai tarziu, in acelasi an, formatia a pornit intr-un ultim turneu, cunoscut si sub numele de "THE MAGIC TOUR", pentru a promova albumul "A KIND OF MAGIC", turneu care a culminat cu spectacolul de pe Stadionul WEMBLEY din Londra. In urma acestui concert a fost lansat un dublu album live intitulat " QUEEN LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM", aceasta inregistrare fiind consideratam, atat de fani cat si de critici, cel mai important 'document' live a formatiei QUEEN. A fost lansata si in varianta video in format VHS si mai tarziu in format DVD. In cadrul acestui spectacol, Freddie necajeste cele 89.000 de persoane prezente, afirmand ca e posibil ca formatia sa se desparta, insa a revenit imediat cu o declaratie mult mai serioasa sustinand ca nu e decat un zvon stupid, si ca, spre bucuria fanilor, formatia QUEEN va exista pana cand moartea ii va desparti. Acest turneu a fost ultimul pentru formatia QUEEN, care a dorit sa inchirieze stadionul WEMBLEY si pentru un al treilea concert insa era deja inchiriat, motiv pentru care au organizat un ultim concert in KNEBWORTH PARK. Biletele s-au vandut in 2 ore; peste 120.000 de fani s-au inghesuit in parc pentru a-i mai vedea LIVE inca o data, pentru ultima oara. Dupa ce pe parcursul anului 1988 membrii formatiei au lucrat la diverse proiecte solo (inclusiv colaborarea lui Mercury cu Monserrat Caballé - "Barcelona"), QUEEN lanseaza in 1989 albumul THE MIRACLE. Acesta a continuat pe aceeasi linie ca si A KIND OF MAGIC cu un sunet de pop-rock slefuit si cu hituri ca "Invisible Man", "The Miracle" si "Breakthru". In anul 1991, se zvonea tot mai mult in presa ca Freddie Mercury ar fi bolnav de SIDA. Desi zvonurile erau adevarate, Mercury le-a negat cu insistenta. Trupa s-a decis sa mai inregistreze un album. Acest album s-a numit INNUENDO. Desi sanatatea ii era tot mai precara, Freddie Mercury a contribuit foarte mult la realizarea acestui album. Piesele remarcate de pe acesta au fost "Innuendo", "Headlong", si imnurile "The Show Must Go On" si "These Are The Days Of Our Lives". Pe 23 noiembrie, 1991, Freddie aflat pe patul de moarte, face o ultima declaratie, recunoscand ca este bolnav de SIDA. Pe 24 noiembrie 1991, dupa nici 24 de ore de la acest anunt, Freddie Mercury a murit la varsta de 45 de ani. Inmormantarea sa a fost una discreta, tinuta in concordanta cu religia familiei sale. Pe 20 aprilie 1992, fanii formatiei au fost prezenti la un concert tribut Freddie Mercury, tinut pe acelasi stadion Wembley. Annie Lennox, Guns'n'Roses, Def Leppard, Elton John, George Michael, David Bowie, Metallic si Liza Minnelli(impreuna cu ceilalti membri ai formatiei

Queen)au cantat cele mai bune piese ale trupei. Grupul QUEEN nu s-a despartit practic niciodata, desi ultimul lor album ce contine materiale originale (nefiind incluse compilatiile) a fost lansat in 1995, cu numele MADE IN HEAVEN, dupa 4 ani de la moartea lui Freddie Mercury. Acest album a fost construit pe baza ultimei sesiuni de inregistrari pe care Freddie a realizat-o in 1991, precum si piese mai vechi care nu fusesera incluse pe albumele anterioare. Formatia isi mai face aparitia din cand in cand, mai putin basistul John Deacon (ale carui rare aparitii nu fac decat sa diminueze probabilitatile unei reuniuni QUEEN care sa-l includa si pe el); au fost realizate diverse proiecte de genul "Queen & ..." cu diversi muzicieni. La sfarsitul anului 2004, a fost anuntata reuniunea formatiei QUEEN si demararea unui turneu in 2005, impreuna cu PAUL RODGERS (membru fondator si fost solist principal al trupelor FREE, BAD COMPANY, THE FIRM) care va canta in locul lui Freddie Mercury, insa dupa cum a anuntat Brian May, Rodgers nu va deveni membru al formatiei QUEEN, nu-l va inlocui pe Freddie, ci doar va fi o colaborare de genul QUEEN "featuring with"(impreuna cu). Seria de concerte s-a tinut in Europa, repertoriul fiind compus atat din piese QUEEN cat si din materiale apartinand lui Paul Rodgers. Turneul european a fost unul de succes, fapt care l-a determinat pe Brian May sa anunte si cateva spectacole in SUA

In iunie 2005, Brian May primeste decoratia Commander of the British Empire; pe aceeasi lista de onoare s-a aflat si chitaristul formatiei Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page.

Discografie Queen
(albumele oficiale de studio) 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) Live Killers (1979) The Game (1980)

Flash Gordon (1980) Hot Space (1982) The Works (1984) A Kind of Magic (1986) Live Magic (1986) The Miracle (1989) Innuendo (1991) Live at Wembley '86 (1992) Made In Heaven (1995) Queen on fire - Live at the Bowl (2004) (Compilatii) Greatest Hits [Elektra] (1981) The Complete Works (1985) - all albums from 1973-1985 plus bonus material Queen at the Beeb (1989) Greatest Hits, Vol. II (1991) Classic Queen (1992) Greatest Hits [Hollywood] (1992) Greatest Hits [Parlophone] (1994) At the BBC (1995) Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-2 (1995) Queen Rocks (1997) The Crown Jewels (1998) Greatest Hits III (1999) Platinum Collection, Vols. 1-3 (2001) Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition (2004) Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (urmeaza a fi lansat pe 2 August 2005)

Freddie Mercury
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Freddie Mercury, Live At Wembley, 1985. Freddie Mercury (nume real Farrokh Bulsara) (5 septembrie 1946 - 24 noiembrie 1991) a fost un cântăreţ britanic de muzică rock, membru al formaţiei Queen. A murit la vârsta de 45 de ani, fiind unul din primii bolnavi diagnosticaţi şi decedaţi de SIDA.

Freddie Mercury într-una din imaginile video-ului cântecului Bohemian Rhapsody

Cuprins
[ascunde] • 1 Biografie timpurie • 2 Cântăreţ şi solist • 3 Compozitor • 4 Albume solo o 4.1 Un set complet • 5 Legături externe

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6 Citat 7 Note

[modifică] Biografie timpurie
Freddie Mercury - pe numele său la naştere Farrokh Bulsara - s-a născut în Stone Town, Zanzibar, din părinţi indieni de naţionalitate Parsi, Bomi şi Jer Bulsara [1]. Ca Parsi, părinţii săi sunt practicanţi ai religiei antice zoroastriene. Familia emigrase din India în insula Zanzibar, de asemenea o colonie britanică, pentru ca Bomi să-şi poată continua cariera de casier al Secretariatului de Stat pentru Coloniile Britanice (în limba engleză, Secretary of State for the British Colonies sau, pe scurt, British Colonial Office). Erau doar doi copii la părinţi, Farrokh şi sora sa, Kashmira. Educaţia sa şcolară a constat în frecventarea şcolii St. Peter's Boarding School din Panchgani, lângă Bombay (azi Mumbai), în India, unde a şi dat prima sa reprezentaţie pe scenă făcând parte din formaţia muzicală de cinci elevi ai şcolii. Tot la şcoala St. Peter, şi-a luat numele artistic de Freddie, pe care şi-l va adopta legal, alături de numele de familie de Mercury, mai târziu, în Anglia. Educaţia şcolară va fi completată tot în India la St. Mary's High School (Liceul Sfânta Maria) din Mazagaon, Mumbai. În 1964, la 18 ani, ca rezultat al revoluţiei din Zanzibar şi al evacuării tuturor funcţionarilor britanici, întreaga familie emigrează în Anglia. Aici, obţine o diplomă în "Artă şi design grafic" (Diploma in Art and Graphic Design) la colegiul de artă Ealing (Ealing Art College), urmărind, într-un fel, destinul altui muzician rock celebru, Pete Townshend. Mai târziu, calităţile sale de designer îl vor face să conceapă şi să realizeze emblema faimoasă a formaţiei de muzică rock Queen.

[modifică] Cântăreţ şi solist
Mercury a fost posesorul unei amplitudini vocale excepţionale pentru un bărbat, producând atât sunete înalte de tenor cât şi cele mai joase de bariton. Vocea sa înregistrată acoperă un registru vocal de aproape patru octave. Din cauza amplitudinii vocale deosebite pe care Freddie Mercury a avut-o, controlând perfect trei octave [2], s-a argumentat adesea - şi pe bună dreptate - că ar fi fost simultan un tenor, dar şi un bariton. Din păcate, Freddie suferea de creşteri aleatori de noduli pe corzile sale vocale. Ca atare, datorită sensibilităţii corzilor sale vocale, Mercury trebuia să reducă din înălţimea celor mai înalte note pe care le putea emite în concertele pe care Queen le dădea. Cu versatilitatea sa vocală, fiind posesor al multor tehnici vocale specifice muzicii clasice şi în special operei, Freddie Mercury a fost unul dintre cei mai tehnici, complecşi şi compleţi vocalişti şi muzicieni a întregii „Planete Rock and Roll”. În o listă a celor mai mari cântăreţi de limbă engleză ai secolului al 20-lea, prezentată de BBC Radio, Freddie Mercury a fost cotat al 10-lea [3]. Sondajul de opinie a avut pe primele locuri pe următorii

cântăreţi: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole şi Ella Fitzgerald. Într-un alt clasament, de data aceasta întocmit de MTV (Music TeleVision), conţinând o listă a celor mai mari cântăreţi din ultimii 25 de ani, a fost creditat cu locul al doilea, fiind întrecut doar de Mariah Carey[4]. Spectacolul oferit de Freddie Mercury la concertul de caritate Live Aid, în ziua de 13 iunie 1985, pe stadionul Wembley din Londra, a fost recent votat de diferiţi artişti, cântăreţi, muzicieni, jurnalişti şi persoane de conducere din industria muzicală ca cea mai reuşită şi complexă prezenţă scenică (live performance, în limba engleză) din întreaga istorie a muzicii rock [5]. Rezultatele sondajului de opinie au fost transmise în direct pe canalul 4 (Channel 4) al Marii Britanii într-un program numit "The World's Greatest Gigs". Dintre toţi cântăreţii, formaţiile şi muzicienii prezenţi în concertul transmis în direct, Live Aid, formaţia Queen este considerată cvasi-unanim ca cea care a fost "sarea şi piperul" întregii manifestări artistice, totul datorându-se în bună măsură talentului extraordinar şi a charismei lui Freddie Mercury. Una din notele distinctive ale lui Mercury, din punct de vedere al prezenţei scenice a artistului, îl reprezintă folosirea unui bare, relativ scurte, ca suport pentru microfonul pe care îl utiliza. În anii de început, obişnuia să utilizeze microfonul împreună cu bara sa de susţinere şi cu suportul său. Într-o anumită împrejurare, partea triunghiulară de susţinere a barei microfonului a căzut accidental. Începând cu acel moment, Freddie a început să utilizeze doar microfonul ataşat de bara sa verticală de susţinere. Când a fost întrebat de ce o face, a răspuns: "Everyone has to have a gimmick, dear."

[modifică] Compozitor
Freddie Mercury a compus zece din cântecele originale ale ale albumului "Queen's Greatest Hits" ("Marile succcese ale formaţiei Queen"), incluzând unele dintre cele mai creative piese ale formaţiei. Câteva dintre acestea sunt: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "We Are the Champions", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" şi "Somebody to Love". De fapt, Freddie a fost autor sau co-autor a nouă cântece de larg succes internaţional, toate plasate într-un clasament sau altul pe locul întâi [6]. Deşi toţi cei patru membri ai formaţiei Queen au fost compozitori (şi/sau textieri), producătorul Gary Langhan, care a lucrat în studio cu Queen la multe din albumele lor timpurii, a menţionat în cartea sa Freddie Mercury: The Real Life (Freddie Mercury Viaţă (sa) adevărată) că: "Freddie a fost întotdeuna extrem de dispus să ajute pe ceilalţi colegi în realizarea compoziţiilor acestora, acordând tot atâta atenţie realizării cântecelor altora cât a acordat-o realizării propriilor sale compoziţii. Era atât de diferit faţă de alte formaţii cu care am lucrat, unde exista doar un recunoscut compozitor, urmând ca oricare dintre ceilalţi membri să facă eforturi speciale pentru a ajunge undeva [în recunoaşterea compoziţiilor lor]." Formaţia Queen a început să utilizeze masiv mixări de studio odată cu cel de-al doilea album al lor, Queen II, care reuneşte numai compoziţii de-ale lui Mercury pe întreaga parte a doua a albumului (sau, pe varianta CD a albumului, piesele de la 6 la 11). Deşi

mulţi ascultători identifică "Bohemian Rhapsody" ca o culme a realizării artistice muzicale a lui Freddie, este perfect posibil ca în multe din piesele sale anterioare să se regăsească idei muzicale ce au condus la această piesă-capodoperă, o adevărată "minioperă."

[modifică] Albume solo
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Mr. Bad Guy (1985) Barcelona (1988) (cu soprana spaniolă Montserrat Caballé) (Russell Watson utilizează cântecul "Barcelona" în albumul său The Voice.) The Freddie Mercury Album (1992) The Great Pretender [Versiunea din SUA a The Freddie Mercury Album] (1992)

[modifică] Un set complet
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The Solo Collection (10 CDs and 2 DVDs) (2000)

[modifică] Legături externe

Wikimedia Commons conţine materiale multimedia legate de Freddie Mercury
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The Voice: Freddie Mercury Detalii extensive a vocii lui Freddie, incluzând amplitudinea sa sonoră. Queenzone website The Official International Queen Fan Club Freddie Mercury la Baza de date a filmelor pe Internet Format:Last.fm

[modifică] Citat
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Nu-mi pasă că mor mâine, am trăit pentru o sută de vieţi.

QUEEN(ROCK)

NEWS BIOGRAFIE DISCOGRAFIE VERSURI ASCULTA ONLINE VEZI VIDEO GALERIE FOTO

BIOGRAFIE
Queen - formata in 1971 in Londra, Anglia Perioada de activitate: 1971 1995. Membri: Freddie Mercury - voce, pian, Brian May - chitara, Roger Taylor tobe, John Deacon bass. Stiluri abordate: Hard Rock, Pop Rock, British Metal, Progressive Rock.

GALERIE FOTO

Inceputurile formatiei Queen sunt localizate in Anglia anului 1968, cand Brian May si Roger Taylor au pus bazele trio-ului SMILE. Dupa ce Tim Staffell, basist si solist, iese din trupa in primavara anului 1970, locul sau este luat de colegul sau de camera Freddie Mercury, care se alatura celor doi, May si Taylor, pentru a forma QUEEN. In anul 1971, locul de basist este ocupat de John Deacon, completand astfel componenta. Membrii Queen sunt cunoscuti ca fiind pionieri ai heavy metal, glam rock, uneori calcand si in zona rockului progressive. Desi personalitatea lui Freddie Mercury a dominat in presa, toti cei 4 membri au compus hituri uriase (Freddie Mercury "Bohemian Rhapsody", Brian May - "We Will Rock You", Roger Taylor - "Radio Ga Ga", John Deacon - "Another One Bites The Dust"). Pentru majoritatea albumelor formatiei fiecare membru a scris macar o piesa, si, desi, Freddie Mercury a compus multe hituri, nu a fost nicidecum compozitorul dominant; cei patru se considerau egali din punct de vedere al creativitatii, hotarand sa fie acordat creditul in mod simplu sub titlul "Queen", si nu in mod individual (valabil incepand cu albumul "The Miracle"). Inceputul istoriei trupei este legat de formatia SMILE, in care Brian May si Roger Taylor cantau alatur de Tim Staffell (bass + voce). Freddie era pe atunci colegul de camera al lui Tim si urmarea indeaproape repetitiile si concertele formatiei, desi era solist in alte trupe, precum Wreckage si Ibex. Totusi, el era foarte nerabdator sa-si impartaseasca ideile cu privire la directia muzicala pe care SMILE ar fi trebuit sa se dezvolte.

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In 1971 Tim Staffell a considerat ca SMILE nu are nici un viitor si parasit trupa pentru a se alatura alteia - HUMPY BONG. Freddie i-a luat locul imediat si impreuna cu ceilalti doi au hotarat sa caute cat mai repede un basist; insa abia cateva luni mai tarziu l-au gasit pe John Deacon, incepand imediat repetitiile pentru primul album, intitulat QUEEN. Albumul de debut, "QUEEN", a fost lansat in 1973. N-a atras prea mult atentia publicului, dar a reusit sa produca un hit pentru posturile de radio - "Keep Yourself Alive". In general este vazut ca fiind un album de debut destul de reusit. Anul 1974 a adus cu el doua lansari discografice din partea trupei. Primul s-a numit "Queen II", cu hitul "Seven

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Queen Album Discography
Did I miss something? Questions? Comments? Then mail me!

Queen Freddie Mercury (+ Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe) Brian May (+ Brian May and Friends, The Brian May Band) Roger Taylor (+ The Cross) John Deacon (+ The Immortals) Smile Promos, bootlegs, unofficial releases Other artists

Queen
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 Live Killers, 1979 The Game, 1980 Flash Gordon (Original Soundtrack), 1980 Greatest Hits, 1981 Hot Space, 1982 The Works, 1984 The Complete Works, 1985 - boxed set A Kind Of Magic, 1986 Live Magic, 1986 The Miracle, 1989 At The Beeb, 1989 Innuendo, 1991 Greatest Hits II, 1991 Live At Wembley '86, 1992 Greatest Hits I & II, 1992 - "Gold" disc double album Greatest Hits, 1992 - new US version Classic Queen, 1992 - US version of Greatest Hits II The 12" Collection, 1992 Made In Heaven, 1995 Greatest Karaoke Hits, 1996 - Japan only Queen Rocks, 1997 The Eye, 1998 - CD-ROM game Greatest Hits III, 1999 - scheduled for release Nov 8, 1999

Freddie Mercury
Mr. Bad Guy, 1985 Barcelona, 1988 - with Montserrat Caballé The Freddie Mercury Album, 1992 The Great Pretender, 1992 - US only Remixes, 1993

Brian May

Star Fleet Project, 1983 - Brian May and Friends Back To The Light, 1992 Live At The Brixton Academy, 1994 - The Brian May Band Another World, 1998 Red Special - Japanese Tour Mini Album, 1998 - Japan only

Roger Taylor
Fun In Space, 1983 Strange Frontier, 1985 Shove It, 1987 - The Cross MAD:BAD:and dangerous to know, 1990 - The Cross Blue Rock, 1991 - The Cross Happiness?, 1994 Electric Fire, 1998

John Deacon
Biggles Soundtrack - The Immortals

Smile
Gettin' Smile, 1982 Ghost Of A Smile, 1997

Promos, bootlegs, unoffical releases
A Tribute To Freddie Mercury, (bootleg) Classic Queen, 1989 (promo) Demories Please Majesties, (bootleg) From The Beeb To Tokyo, (bootleg) Her Majesty's Jewels, (bootleg) In Memories Of Freddie Mercury, (bootleg) In Nuce, (bootleg) In The Lap Of The Queen, (bootleg) Interview Disc & Fully Illustrated Book, (unofficial) Rock In Japan, (bootleg) Xmas 1975, (bootleg)

Other artists
Dragon Attack - A Tribute To Queen - Various artists Five Live - George Michael and Queen Passing Open Windows - David Palmer Queen Classic - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Queen Dance Tracks Vol.1 - Various artists Rhapsody From Heaven - Kween The Queen Album - Elaine Paige Treorchy Sing Queen - Treorchy Male Voice Choir Tributo a Queen - Various artists

The Queen Discography
This page has information on each and every Queen album officially released. There may come a time when I include details of rare albums such as "Queen in Nuce" and preQueen albums like "Ghost of a Smile", but for now I'll only include the freely available albums. Click on the album cover to go to that page.

Queen

Queen II

Sheer Heart Attack

A Night At The Opera

A Day At The Races

News Of The World

Jazz

Live Killers

The Game

Flash Gordon

Greatest Hits

Hot Space

The Works

A Kind Of Magic

Live Magic

The Miracle

Innuendo

Greatest Hits II

Live At Wembley '86

Made In Heaven

Queen Rocks

Released

13. July 1973 (UK) 4. September 1973 (USA) June 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 3:47 Keep Yourself Alive 4:09 Doing All Right 5:43 Great King Rat 4:08 My Fairy King

B-SIDE 6:25 Liar 4:23 The Night Comes Down 1:48 Modern Times Rock'n'Roll 3:20 Son And Daughter 3:44 Jesus 1:15 Seven Seas Of Rhye ...

Released

3. March 1974 (UK) 9. April 1974 (USA) November 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

SIDE WHITE 1:12 Procession 6:12 Father to Son 4:33 White Queen (As it Began) 4:21 Some Day One Day

SIDE BLACK 4:08 Ogre Battle 2:39 The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke 1:17 Nevermore

4:01 The Loser in the End

6:03 The March of the Black Queen 3:14 Funny How Love Is 2:48 Seven Seas Of Rhye

Released 1. November 1974 (UK) 12. November 1974 (USA) 5. November 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 5:08 Brighton Rock 2:57 Killer Queen 2:48 Tenement Funster 3:17 Flick of the Wrist 1:43 Lily of the Valley 4:10 Now I'm Here

B-SIDE 3:20 In the Lap of the Gods 2:12 Stone Cold Crazy 1:07 Dear Friends 1:50 Misfire 2:13 Bring Back That Leroy Brown 4:08 She Makes Me (stormtroopers in stilettoes) 3:42 In the Lap of the Gods... (revisited)

Released

21. November 1975 (UK) 2. December 1975 (USA) September 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 3:44 Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...) 1:07 Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon 3:05 I'm in Love with my Car 2:50 You're My Best Friend 3:30 '39 4:02 Sweet Lady 2:04 Seaside Rendezvous

B-SIDE 8:20 Prophet's Song 3:34 Love of my Life 3:17 Good Company 5:59 Bohemian Rhapsody 1:12 God Save the Queen

Released 10. December 1976 (UK) 18. December 1976 (USA) 5. March 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 4:46 Tie Your Mother Down 4:39 You Take My Breath Away 4:00 Long Away

B-SIDE 4:56 Somebody To Love 4:58 White Man 2:53 Good Old-Fashioned Loverboy

4:54 The Millionaire Waltz 3:25 You And I

3:43 Drowse 5:51 Teo Torriatte (let us cling together

Released 28. October 1977 (UK) 1. November 1977 (USA) 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 2:01 We Will Rock You 2:59 We Are The Champions 3:24 Sheer Heart Attack 3:09 All Dead All Dead 4:32 Spread Your Wings 3:03 Fight From The Inside

B-SIDE 3:51 Get Down Make Love 3:07 Sleeping On The Sidewalk 3:07 Who Needs You 6:27 It's Late 3:29 My Melancholy Blues

Released

10. November 1978 (UK) 14. November 1978 (USA) June 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE

B-SIDE

3:01 Mustapha 4:16 Fat Bottomed Girls 3:13 Jealousy 3:01 Bicycle Race 4:15 If You Can't Beat Them 3:01 Let Me Entertain You

3:23 Dead On Time 2:30 In Only Seven Days 3:30 Dreamers Ball 3:29 Fun It 3:15 Leaving Home Ain't Easy 3:29 Don't Stop Me Now 4:16 More Of That Jazz

Released

10. November 1978 (UK) 14. November 1978 (USA) June 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE (ALBUM 1) 3:18 We Will Rock You 3:15 Let Me Entertain You 3:31 Death On Two Legs 1:59 Killer Queen 1:28 Bicycle Race 2:01 I'm In Love With My Car 4:31 Get Down Make Love 2:08 You're My Best Friend A-SIDE (ALBUM 2) 4:28 Don't Stop Me Now 5:22 Spread Your Wings 12:13 Brighton Rock

B-SIDE (ALBUM 1) 8:42 Now I'm Here 3:44 Dreamers Ball 4:57 Love Of My Life 3:26 '39 4:02 Keep Yourself Alive

B-SIDE (ALBUM 2) 6:02 Bohemian Rhapsody 3:40 Tie Your Mother Down 3:35 Sheer Heart Attack 2:48 We Will Rock You 3:27 We Are The Champions 1:31 God Save The Queen

Released

30. June 1980 (UK) 30. June 1980 (USA) June 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 3:30 Play The Game 4:18 Dragon Attack 3:35 Another One Bites The Dust 2:48 Need Your Loving Tonight 2:44 Crazy Little Thing Called Love

B-SIDE 4:31 Rock It (prime jive) 3:52 Don't Try Suicide 3:33 Sail Away Sweet Sister 2:50 Coming Soon 3:48 Save Me

Released

8. December 1980 (UK) 1. January 1981 (USA) June 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 3:29 Flash's Theme 2:42 In The Space Capsule (The Love Theme) 2:40 Ming's Theme (In The Court Of Ming The Merciless) 0:57 The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction Of Dale) 1:28 Football Fight

B-SIDE 1:41 Arboria (Planet Of The Tree Men) 1:43 Escape From The Swamp 2:44 Flash To Rescue 1:12 Vultan's Theme (Attack Of The Hawk Men) 2:18 Battle Theme 0:56 The Wedding March

2:24 In The Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise) 1:05 Execution Of Flash 1:44 The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash

2:04 Marriage Of Dale And Ming (And Flash Approaching) 1:00 Crash Dive On Mingo City 1:23 Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations) 3:31 The Hero

Released

2. November 1981 (UK) 3. November 1980 (USA) (In some countries 'Under Pressure' is included)

A-SIDE 5:59 Bohemian Rhapsody 3:35 Another One Bites The Dust 2:57 Killer Queen 4:16 Fat Bottomed Girls 3:01 Bicycle Race 2:50 You're My Best Friend 3:29 Don't Stop Me Now 3:48 Save Me

B-SIDE 2:44 Crazy Little Thing Called Love 4:56 Somebody To Love 4:10 Now I'm Here 2:53 Good Old Fashioned Loverboy 3:30 Play The Game 3:29 Flash 2:48 Seven Seas Of Rhye 2:01 We Will Rock You 2:59 We Are The Champions

Released

21. May 1982 (UK) 25. May 1982 (USA) 5. March 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 4:12 Staying Power 3:46 Dancer 4:33 Back Chat 4:31 Body Language 3:33 Action This Day

B-SIDE 3:18 Put Out The Fire 3:31 Life Is Real (Song For Lennon) 3:51 Calling All Girls 4:00 Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love) 3:26 Cool Cat 4:02 Under Pressure

Released

27. February 1984 (UK) 28. February 1984 (USA) 26. November 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 5:49 Radio GaGa 3:28 Tear It Up 4:08 It's A Hard Life

B-SIDE 5:10 Machines (Or 'Back To Humans') 3:20 I Want To Break Free

3:28 Man On The Prowl

5:21 Keep Passing The Open Windows 4:28 Hammer To Fall 2:13 Is This The World We Created?

Released 2. June 1986 (UK) 3. June 1986 (USA) June 1991 Digitally remastered (Hollywood Records)

A-SIDE 5:08 One Vision 4:23 A Kind of Magic 4:26 One Year Of Love 4:19 Pain Is So Close To Pleasure 4:07 Friends Will Be Friends

B-SIDE 5:13 Who Wants To Live Forever 4:32 Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme) 4:35 Don't Lose Your Head 3:30 Princes Of The Universe

Released

1. December 1986 (UK) Recorded in summer 1986 at Wembley Stadium and Knebworth Park (UK) and Nepstadium in Budapest (Hungary)

A-SIDE One Vision Tie Your Mother Down Seven Seas Of Rhye Under Pressure Another One Bites The Dust

B-SIDE I Want To Break Free Is This The World We Created? Bohemian Rhapsody Hammer To Fall Radio GaGa We Will Rock You Friends Will Be Friends We Are The Champions God Save The Queen

Released

22. May 1989 (UK) 6. June 1989 (USA) October 1991 (Hollywood Records rerelease)

A-SIDE 2:24 Party 5:13 Khashoggi's Ship 5:02 The Miracle 4:40 I Want It All 3:56 The Invisible Man CD Bonus Tracks 3:46 Hang On In There 1:46 Chinese Torture The Invisible Man (12" Version)

B-SIDE 4:07 Breakthru 4:20 Rain Must Fall 4:42 Scandal 3:32 My Baby Does Me 5:42 Was It All Worth It

Released

4. December 1989 (UK) A-side tracks recorded on 5. February 1973 B-side tracks recorded on 3. December 1973

A-SIDE 4:06 My Fairy King 3:47 Keep Yourself Alive 4:11 Doing All Right 6:28 Liar

B-SIDE 3:56 Ogre Battle 5:57 Great King Rat 2:00 Modern Times Rock 'N' Roll 7:08 Son And Daughter

Released

4. February 1991 (UK) 5. February 1991 (USA) #-marked are slightly shortened on vinyl version

A-SIDE 6:31 Innuendo 4:06 I'm Going Slightly Mad# 4:30 Headlong 4:05 I Can't Live With You 4:42 Ride The Wild Wind

B-SIDE 3:55 All God's People 3:55 These Are The Days Of Our Lives 3:33 Delilah 3:33 Don't Try So Hard# 3:43 The Hitman# 1:19 Bijou#

4:27 The Show Must Go On

Released

28. October 1991 (UK)

A-SIDE (ALBUM 1) 4:24 A Kind Of Magic 4:04 Under Pressure 5:45 Radio Ga Ga 4:01 I Want It All 4:23 I Want To Break Free A-SIDE (ALBUM 2) 4:38 Headlong 5:00 The Miracle 4:23 I'm Going Slightly Mad 3:56 The Invisible Man

B-SIDE (ALBUM 1) 6:32 Innuendo 4:07 It's A Hard Life 4:07 Breakthru 5:15 Who Wants To Live Forever B-SIDE (ALBUM 2) 3:39 Hammer To Fall 4:07 Friends Will Be Friends 4:31 The Show Must Go On 4:03 One Vision

Greatest Hits I 5:59 Bohemian Rhapsody 3:35 Another One Bites The Dust 2:57 Killer Queen 4:16 Fat Bottomed Girls 3:01 Bicycle Race 2:50 You're My Best Friend 3:29 Don't Stop Me Now 3:48 Save Me 2:44 Crazy Little Thing Called Love 4:56 Somebody To Love 4:10 Now I'm Here 2:53 Good Old Fashioned Loverboy 3:30 Play The Game 3:29 Flash 2:48 Seven Seas Of Rhye 2:01 We Will Rock You 2:59 We Are The Champions

Greatest Hits II 4:24 A Kind Of Magic 4:04 Under Pressure 5:45 Radio Ga Ga 4:01 I Want It All 4:23 I Want To Break Free 6:32 Innuendo 4:07 It's A Hard Life 4:07 Breakthru 5:15 Who Wants To Live Forever 4:38 Headlong 5:00 The Miracle 4:23 I'm Going Slightly Mad 3:56 The Invisible Man 3:39 Hammer To Fall 4:07 Friends Will Be Friends 4:31 The Show Must Go On 4:03 One Vision

Released

3. March 1992 (USA)

4:24 A Kind Of Magic 5:59 Bohemian Rhapsody 4:02 Under Pressure 3:38 Hammer To Fall 2:14 Stone Cold Crazy 4:26 One Year Of Love 5:49 Radio Ga Ga

3:44 Tie Your Mother Down 5:02 The Miracle 4:14 These Are The Days Of Lives 5:08 One Vision 3:47 Keep Yourself Alive 4:38 Headlong

4:21 I'm Going Slightly Mad 4:01 I Want It All

5:13 Who Wants To Live Forever 4:31 The Show Must Go On

Released

6. November 1995 (UK) 17. November 1995 (USA) * marked are not listed in the tracklist # marked only on CD

2:32 It's A Beautiful Day 5:25 Made In Heaven 4:45 Let Me Live 4:46 Mother Love 3:15 My Life Has Been Saved 4:49 I Was Born To Love You 5:35 Heaven For Everyone

4:19 Too Much Love Will Kill You 5:24 You Don't Fool Me 3:49 A Winter's Tale ?:?? It's A Beautiful Day (reprise) 0:01 Yeah * ?:?? ? (nameless) # *

Released

5. January 1998 (UK) 3. November 1997 (Rest Of Europe)

Second Sleeve

2:01 We Will Rock You 3:44 Tie Your Mother Down 4:30 I Want It All 2:48 Seven Seas Of Rhye 4:47 I Can't Live With You(1997 'Rocks' retake) 4:28 Hammer To Fall 2:14 Stone Cold Crazy 4:13 Now I'm Here 4:16 Fat Bottomed Girls

3:47 Keep Yourself Alive 3:28 Tear It Up 5:08 One Vision 3:24 Sheer Heart Attack 3:11 I'm In Love With My Car 3:18 Put Out The Fire 4:38 Headlong 6:27 It's Late 4:13 No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)

Greatest Hits III
1. The Show Must Go On (Elton John) 2. Under Pressure (Rah mix) 3. Barcelona (Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe) 4. Too Much Love Will Kill You (Queen) 5. Somebody To Love (George Michael) 6. You Don't Fool Me 7. Heaven For Everyone (Queen) 8. Las Palabras De Amor 9. Driven By You (Brian May) 10. Living On My Own (Freddie Mercury) 11. Let Me Live 12. The Great Pretender (Freddie Mercury) 13. Princes Of The Universe 14. Another One Bites The Dust (Wyclef Jean) 15. No-One But You 16. These Are The Days Of Our Lives 17. Thank God It's Christmas

Queen At The BBC

1. My Fairy King 2. Keep Yourself Alive 3. Doing All Right 4. Liar 5. Ogre Battle 6. Great King Rat 7. Modern Times Rock'n'Roll 8. Son And Daughter

Killer Queen
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
She keeps Moet and Chandon in her pretty cabinet 'Let them eat cake' she says Just like Marie Antoinette A built in remedy for Khrushchev and Kennedy And anytime an invitation you can decline Caviar and cigarettes well versed in etiquette Extr'ordinarily nice She's a killer queen gunpowder gelatine Dynamite with a lazer beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Recommended at the price Insatiable an 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 (she's a killer queen) Perfume came naturally from Paris (naturally) For cars she couldn't care less Fastidious and precise She's a killer queen gunpowder gelatine Dynamite with a lazer beam

Guaranteed to blow your mind Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite wanna try? Drop of a hat she's as willing as a playful as a pussy cat Then momentarily out of action Temporarily out of gas To absolutely drive you wild - wild She's out to get you She's a killer queen gunpowder gelatine Dynamite with a lazer beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite wanna try? Wanna try

Love Of My Life
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
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 taken my love you 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 will 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 Back hurry back Please bring it back home to me Because you don't know What it means to me Love of my life Love of my life Yeah

Bohemian Rhapsody
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
Is this the real life Is this just fantasy Caught in a landslide No escape from reality Open your eyes Look up to the skies and see I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy Because I'm easy come, easy go, A little high, little low, Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, To me Mama, just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger, now he's dead, Mama, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away Mama ooo, Didn't mean to make you cry If I'm not back again this time tomorrow Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine Body's aching all the time, Goodbye everybody - I've got to go Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows) I don't want to die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche, scaramouche will you do the Fandango Thunderbolt and lightning - very very frightening me Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo Figaro - Magnifico But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me He's just a poor boy from a poor family Spare him his life from this monstrosity Easy come easy go-, will you let me go Bismillah! No-, we will not let you go- let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go- let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go- let me go Will not let you go- let me go Will not let you go- let me go No, no, no, no, no, no, no Mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye So you think you can love me and leave me to die Oh baby - Can't do this to me baby Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters-, nothing really matters to me, Any way the wind blows...

Somebody To Love
Words and music by Freddie Mercury

Can anybody find be somebody to love? Each morning I get up I die a little Can barely stand on my feet (Take a look at yourself)Take a look in the mirror and cry Lord what you're doing to me I have to spend all my years in believing you But I just can't get no relief Lord Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love? I work hard (he works hard) everyday of my life I work till I ache my bones At the end (at the end of the day) I take home my hard earned pay all on my own I get down (down) on my knees (knees) And I start to pray (praise the Lord) 'Til the tears run down from my eyes Lord somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (please) Can anybody find me somebody to love? (He wants help) Every day - I try and I try and I try But everybody wants to put me down They say I'm goin' crazy They say I got a lot of water in my brain Got no common sense (He's)I got nobody left to believe Yeah - yeah yeah yeah Ooh Somebody (somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love? (Anybody find me someone to love) Got no feel I got no rhythm I just keep losing my beat (you just keep losing and losing) I'm OK I'm alright (he's alright) I ain't gonna face no defeat I just gotta get out of this prison cell One day I'm gonna be free Lord Find me somebody to love find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love find me somebody to love

Somebody somebody somebody somebody somebody Find me somebody find me somebody to love Can anybody find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me find me find me Find me somebody to love Somebody to love Find me somebody to love...

We Will Rock You
Words and music by Brian May
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 You big disgrace Wavin' your banner all over the place 'We will we will rock you' Singin' '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 You big disgrace Somebody better put you back into your 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' Alright

We Are The Champions
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
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 I need to go on and on and on and on We are the champions - my friend 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 I've taken my bows And my curtain calls You've bought 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 And I need to go on and on and on and on We are the champions - my friend 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 friend 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

Fat Bottomed Girls
Words and music by Brian May
Are you gonna take me home tonight Ah down beside that red firelight Are you gonna let it all hang out Fat bottomed girls You make the rockin' world go round Hey I was just a skinny lad Never knew no good from bad But I knew life before I left my nursery Left alone with big fat Fanny She was such a naughty nanny Heap big woman you made a bad boy out of me Hey hey! I've been singing with my band Across the wire across the land I seen ev'ry blue eyed floozy on the way But their beauty and their style Went kind of smooth after a while Take me to them dirty ladies every time Oh won't you take me home tonight? Oh down beside your red firelight Oh and you give it all you got Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round Hey listen here Now your mortgages and homes I got stiffness in the bones Ain't no beauty queens in this locality (I tell you) Oh but I still get my pleasure Still got my greatest treasure

Heap big woman you gonna make a big man out of me Now get this Oh you gonna take me home tonight (please) Oh down beside your red firelight Oh you gonna let it all hang out Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round Get on your bikes and ride Oooh yeah them fat bottomed girls Fat bottomed girls Yeah yeah yeah Fat bottomed girls Yes yes

Bicycle Race
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like You say black I say white You say bark I say bite You say shark I say hey man Jaws was never my scene And I don't like Star Wars You say Rolls I say Royce You say God give me a choice You say Lord I say Christ I don't believe in Peter Pan Frankenstein or Superman All I wanna do is Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my Bicycle races are coming your way So forget all your duties oh yeah! Fat bottomed girls They'll be riding today So look out for those beauties oh yeah On your marks get set go Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle Bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle Bicycle race You say coke I say caine You say John I say Wayne Hot dog I say cool it man I don't wanna be the President of America You say smile I say cheese Cartier I say please Income tax I say Jesus I don't wanna be a candidate for Vietnam or Watergate Cos all I wanna do is Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like

Another One Bites The Dust
Words and music by John Deacon
Steve walks warily down the street With his brim pulled way down low Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet Machine guns ready to go Are you ready hey are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat yeah

Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey I'm gonna get you too Another one bites the dust How do you think I'm going to get along Without you when you're gone You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own Are you happy are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat look out Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey I'm gonna get you too Another one bites the dust Hey Oh take it - Bite the dust bite the dust Hey Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust ow Another one bites the dust he he Another one bites the dust haaaa Ooh shoot out There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man And bring him to the ground You can beat him You can cheat him You can treat him bad and leave him When he's down But I'm ready yes I'm ready for you I'm standing on my own two feet Out of the doorway the bullets rip Repeating to the sound of the beat Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone and another one gone

Another one bites the dust yeah Hey I'm gonna get you too Another one bites the dust Shoot out

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
This thing called love I just can't handle it This thing called love I must get round to it I ain't ready Crazy little thing called love This thing (this thing) called love (called love) It cries (like a baby) In a cradle all night It swings (woo woo) It jives (woo woo) It shakes all over like a jelly fish I kinda like it Crazy little thing called love There goes my baby She knows how to Rock'n'Roll She drives my crazy She gives me hot and cold fever Then she leaves me in a cool cool sweat I gotta be cool relax get hip! Get on my track's Take a back seat Hitch hike And take a long ride on my motor bike Until I'm ready Crazy little thing called love I gotta be cool relax get hip! Get on my track's Take a back seat Hitch hike And take a long ride on my motor bike Until I'm ready (ready Freddie) Crazy little thing called love

This thing called love I just can't handle it This thing called love I must get round to it I ain't ready Crazy little thing called love...

Flash (aka Flash's theme)
Words and music by Brian May
Flash - Ah - Saviour of the universe Flash - Ah - He'll save ev'ry one of us Seemingly there is no reason for these Extraordinary intergalactical upsets (ha ha ha) What's happening Flash? Only Dr Hans Zarkov formerly at N A S A Has provided any explanation Flash - Ah - He's a miracle This mornings unprecedented solar eclipse Is no cause for alarm Flash - Ah - King of the impossible He's for ev'ry one of us Stand for ev'ry one of us He'll save with a mighty hand Ev'ry man ev'ry woman ev'ry child With a mighty Flash General Kaka Flash Gordon approaching What do you mean Flash Gordon approaching? Open fire all weapons Dispatch war rocket Ajax to bring back his body Flash - Ah Gordon's alive Flash - Ah - He'll save ev'ry one of us Just a man with a man's courage He knows nothing but a man But he can never fail No one but the pure in heart May find the golden grail oh oh oh oh Flash Flash I love you But we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth Flash

Under Pressure
Words and music by Queen and David Bowie
Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you no man ask for Under pressure That burns a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streets Bah bah bah bah bah bah Bah bah bah bah bah bah That's o-kay! It's the terror of knowing What this world is about Watching some good friends Screaming let me out! Pray tomorrow takes me higher Pressure on people People on streets Do do do bah bah bah bah O-kay Chippin' around Kick my brains round the floor These are the days It never rains but it pours People on streets People on streets It's the terror of knowing What this world is about Watching some good friends Screaming let me out! Pray tomorrow takes me higher higher higher Pressure on people People on streets Turned away from it all Like a blind man Sat on a fence but it don't work Keep coming up with love But it's so slashed and torn

Why why why? Love love love love Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance? Why can't we give love give love give love? Give love give love give love give love give love? Cause love's such an old fashioned word And love dares you to care For people on the edge of the night And love dares you to change our way Of caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is our last dance This is ourselves under pressure Under pressure pressure

Radio Ga Ga
Words and music by Roger Taylor
Radio I'd sit alone and watch your light My only friend through teenage nights And ev'rything I had to know I heard it on my radio You gave them all those old time stars Through wars of worlds - invaded by Mars You made 'em laugh - you made 'em cry You made us feel like we could fly Radio So don't become some background noise A backdrop for the girls and boys Who just don't know or just don't care And just complain when you're not there You had your time you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga

All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio blah blah Radio what's new? Radio someone still loves you We watch the shows - we watch the stars On videos for hours and hours We hardly need to use our ears How music changes through the years Let's hope you never leave old friend Like all good things on you we depend So stick around cos we might miss you When we grow tired of all this visual You had your time you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio blah blah Radio what's new? Someone still loves you Radio ga ga Radio ga ga Radio ga ga Radio You had your time you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio

I Want To Break Free
Words and music by John Deacon
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 yeah God knows God knows I've fallen in love It's strange but it's true I can't get over the way you love 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 living without living without Living 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 yeah I want I want I want I want to break free....

Hammer To Fall
Words and music by Brian May
Here we stand or here we fall History won't care at all Make the bed light the light Lady Mercy won't be home tonight yeah You don't waste no time at all Don't hear the bell but you answer the call It comes to you as to us all

We're just waiting For the hammer to fall Oh ev'ry night and every day A little piece of you is falling away But lift your face the Western Way Build your muscles as your body decays yeah Toe your line and play their game yeah Let the anaesthetic cover it all Till one day they call your name You know it's time for the hammer to fall Rich or poor or famous For your truth it's all the same (oh no oh no) Lock your door the rain is pouring Through your window pane (oh no) Baby now your struggle's all in vain For we who grew up tall and proud In the shadow of the mushroom cloud Convinced our voices can't be heard We just wanna scream it louder and louder louder What the hell we fighting for? Just surrender and it won't hurt at all You just got time to say your prayers While your waiting for the hammer to hammer to fall It's gonna fall Hammer..you know..hammer to fall Waiting for the hammer to fall now baby While you're waiting for the hammer to fall Give it to me one more time

Is This The World We Created
Words and music by Freddie Mercury and Brian May
Just look at all those hungry mouths we have to feed Take a look at all the suffering we breed So many lonely faces scattered all around Searching for what they need

Is this the world we created? What did we do it for? Is this the world we invaded Against the law? So it seems in the end Is this what we're all living for today? The world that we created You know that every day a helpless child is born Who needs some loving care inside a happy home Somewhere a wealthy man is sitting on his throne Waiting for life to go by Is this the world we created? We made it on our own Is this the world we devastated Right to the bone? If there's a God in the sky looking down What can he think of what we've done To the world that He created?

One Vision
Words and music by Queen
(God works in mysterious ways ... mysterious ways) One man one goal one mission One heart one goal just one solution One flash of light yeah one god one vision One flesh one bone One true religion One voice one hope One real decision Wowowowo gimme one vision No wrong no right I'm gonna tell you there's no black and no white No blood no stain All we need is one world wide vision One flesh one bone One true religion

One race one hope One real decision Wowowowo oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah I had a dream When I was young A dream of sweet illusion A glimpse of hope and unity And visions of one sweet union But a cold wind blows And a dark rain falls And in my heart it shows Look what they've done to my dreams So give me your hands Give me your hearts I'm ready There's only one direction One world one nation Yeah one vision No hate no fight Just excitation All through the night It's a celebration wowowowo yeah One one one one... One vision... One flesh one bone One true religion One voice one hope One real decision Gimme one light Gimme one hope Just gimme One man one man One bar one night One day hey hey Just gimme gimme gimme gimme Fried chicken

A Kind Of Magic

Words and music by Roger Taylor
It'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 shaft 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 Is challenging the doors of time It's a kind of magic The waiting seems eternity The day will dawn of sanity Is this a kind of magic It's a kind of magic There can be only one This rage that lasts a thousand years Will soon be done This flame that burns inside of me I'm here in 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 The rage 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 one This rage that lasts a thousand years Will soon be done-done Magic - it's a kind of magic It's a kind of magic Magic magic magic magic Ha ha ha it's magic It's a kind of magic

Friends Will Be Friends

Words and music by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon
Another red letter day So the pound has dropped and the children are creating The other half ran away Taking all the cash and leaving you with the lumber Got a pain in the chest Doctor's on strike what you need is a rest It's not easy love but you've got friends you can trust Friends will be friends When you're in need of love they give you care and attention Friends will be friends When you're through with life and all hope is lost Hold out your hands cos friends will be friends right till the end Now it's a beautiful day The postman delivered a letter from your lover Only a phone call away You tried to track him down but somebody stole his number As a matter of fact You're getting used to life without him in your way It's so easy love cos you got friends you can trust Friends will be friends When you're in need of love they give you care and attention Friends will be friends When you're through with life and all hope is lost Hold out your hands cos friends will be friends right till the end It's so easy love cos you got friends you can trust Friends will be friends When you're in need of love they give you care and attention Friends will be friends When you're through with life and all hope is lost Hold out your hands cos friends will be friends right till the end Friends will be friends When you're in need of love they give you care and attention Friends will be friends When you're through with life and all hope is lost Hold out your hands cos right till the endFriends will be friends

Who Wants To Live Forever
Words and music by Brian May
There's no time for us There's no place for us What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away from us Who wants to live forever Who wants to live forever....? There's no chance for us It's all decided for us This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us Who wants to live forever Who wants to live forever? Who dares to love forever? When love must die But touch my tears with your lips Touch my world with your fingertips And we can have forever And we can love forever Forever is our today Who wants to live forever Who wants to live forever? Forever is our today Who waits forever anyway?

Princes Of The Universe
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
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 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 wrong 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

I Want It All

Words and music by Queen
Adventure seeker on an empty street Just an alley creeper light on his feet A young fighter screaming with no time for doubt With the pain and anger can't see a way out It ain't much I'm asking I heard him say Gotta find me a future move out of my way I want it all I want it all I want it all and I want it now I want it all I want it all I want it all and I want it now Listen all you people come gather round I gotta get me a game plan gotta shake you to the ground Just give me what I know is mine People do you hear me just give me the sign It ain't much I'm asking if you want the truth Here's to the future for the dreams of youth I want it all (give it all) I want it all I want it all and I want it now I want it all (yes I want it all) I want it all (hey) I want it all and I want it now I'm a man with a one track mind So much to do in one life time (people do you hear me) Not a man for compromise and where's and why's and living lies So I'm living it all (yes I'm living it all) And I'm giving it all (and I'm giving it all) Yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah I want it all all all all It ain't much I'm asking if you want the truth Here's to the future Hear the cry of youth (hear the cry hear the cry of youth) I want it all I want it all I want it all and I want it now I want it all (yeah yeah yeah) I want it all I want it all and I want it now I want it Now I want it I want it

The Invisible Man

Words and music by Queen
I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man Incredible how you can see right through me Freddie Mercury When you hear a sound that you just can't place Feel somethin' move that you just can't trace When something sits on the end of your bed Don't turn around when you hear me tread I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man Incredible how you can see right through me I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man It's criminal how I can see right through you John Deacon Now I'm in your room and I'm in your bed And I'm in your life and I'm in your head Like the CIA or the FBI You'll never get close never take me alive I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man Incredible how you can see right through me I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man It's criminal how I can see right through you Hah hah hah hello Hah hah hah OK Hah hah hah hello hello hello hello Never had a real good friend - not a boy or a girl No-one knows what I've been through - let my flag unfurl So I make my mark from the edge of the world From the edge of the world From the edge of the world Brian May Brian May Now I'm on your track and I'm in your mind And I'm on your back but don't look behind I'm your meanest thought I'm your darkest fear But I'll never get caught you can't shake me shake me dear

I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man Incredible how you can see right through me Watch me I'm the invisible man I'm the invisible man It's criminal how I can see right through you Look at me look at me Roger Taylor Shake you shake you dear

Breakthru
Words and music by Queen
When love breaks up When the dawn light wakes up A new life is born Somehow I have to make this final breakthrough Now I wake up Feel just fine Your face Fills my mind I get religion quick 'Cos you're looking divine Honey you're touching something you're touching me I'm under your thumb under your spell can't you see If I could only reach you If I could make you smile If I could only reach you That would really be a breakthrough - oh yeah Breakthrough these barriers of pain Breakthrough to the sunshine from the rain Make my feelings known towards you Turn my heart inside and out for you now Somehow I have to make this final breakthrough Now! Your smile speaks books to me I break up With each and every one of your looks at me

Honey you're starting something deep inside of me Honey you're sparking something this fire in me I'm outta control I wanna rush headlong into this ecstasy If I could only reach you If I could make you smile If I could only reach you That would really be a breakthrough If I could only reach you If I could make you smile If I could only reach you That would really be a breakthrough Oh yeah Breakthrough breakthrough If I could only reach you If I could make you smile If I could only reach you That would really be a breakthrough If I could only reach you If I could make you smile If I could only reach you That would really be a breakthrough Breakthrough

Innuendo
Words and music by Queen
While the sun hangs in the sky and the desert has sand While the waves crash in the sea and meet the land While there's a wind and the stars and the rainbow Till the mountains crumble into the plain Oh yes we'll keep on tryin' Tread that fine line Oh we'll keep on tryin yeah Just passing our time While we live according to race, colour or creed While we rule by blind madness and pure greed

Our lives dictated by tradition, superstition, false religion Through the aeons, and on and on Oh yes we'll keep on tryin' We'll tread that fine line Oh oh we'll keep on tryin' Till the end of time Till the end of time Through the sorrow all through our splendour Don't take offence at my innuendo You can be anything you want to be Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be Be free with your tempo be free be free Surrender your ego be free be free to yourself Oooh ooh If there's a God or any kind of justice under the sky If there's a point if there's a reason to live or die If there's an answer to the questions we feel bound to ask Show yourself - destroy our fears - release your mask Oh yes we'll keep on trying Hey tread that fine line Yeah we'll keep on smiling yeah (yeah yeah) And whatever will be will be We'll keep on trying We'll just keep on trying Till the end of time Till the end of time Till the end of time

Headlong
Words and music by Queen
And you're rushing headlong you've got a new goal And you're rushing headlong out of control And you think you're so strong But there ain't no stopping And there's nothin' you can do about it Nothin' you can do no there's nothin' you can do about it No there's nothin you can nothin' you can nothin' you can do about it

And you're rushing headlong you've got a new goal And you're rushing headlong out of control And you think you're so strong But there ain't no stopping no there's nothin' you can do about it Yeah Hey he used to be a man with a stick in his hand Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do She used to be a woman with a hot dog stand Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do Now you've got soup in the laundry bag Now you've got strings you're gonna lose your rag You're gettin' in a fight Then it ain't so groovy when you're screaming in the night Let me out of this cheap B movie Headlong down the highway and you're rushing Headlong out of control And you think you're so strong But there ain't no stopping and you can't stop rockin' And there's nothin you can nothin' you can nothin' you can do about it When a red hot man meets a white hot lady Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do Soon the fire starts raging gets you more than half crazy Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do Now they start freaking everywhere you turn You can't start walking cause your feet got burned It ain't no time to figure wrong from right Cause reason's out of the window better hold on tight You're rushing headlong Headlong out of control - yeah And you think you're so strong But there ain't no stopping And there's nothin you nothin' you nothin' you can do about it at all Yeah yeah Alright - go And you're rushing headlong down the highway And you're rushing headlong out of control And you think you're so strong But there ain't no stopping There's nothin nothin' nothin' you can do about it

Ah ha Headlong Yeah yeah yeah Headlong Headlong Headlong gnoldeaH gnoldeaH gnoldeaH gnoldeaH

These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Words and music by Queen
Sometimes I get to feelin' I was back in the old days - long ago When we were kids when we were young Thing seemed so perfect - you know The days were endless we were crazy we were young The sun was always shinin' - we just lived for fun Sometimes it seems like lately - I just don't know The rest of my life's been just a show Those were the days of our lives The bad things in life were so few Those days are all gone now but one thing is true When I look and I find I still love you You can't turn back the clock you can't turn back the tide Ain't that a shame I'd like to go back one time on a roller coaster ride When life was just a game No use in sitting and thinkin' on what you did When you can lay back and enjoy it through your kids Sometimes it seems like lately - I just don't know Better sit back and go with the flow 'Cos these are the days of our lives They've flown in the swiftness of time These days are all gone now but some things remain When I look and I find no change Those were the days of our lives - yeah The bad things in life were so few Those days are all gone now but one thing's still true

When I look and I find I still love you I still love you

The Show Must Go On
Words and music by Queen
Empty spaces - what are we waiting for Abandoned places - I guess we know the score On and on Does anybody know what we are looking for Another hero another mindless crime Behind the curtain in the pantomime Hold the line Does anybody want to take it anymore The show must go on The show must go on Inside my heart is breaking My make-up may be flaking But my smile still stays on Whatever happens I'll leave it all to chance Another heartache another failed romance On and on Does anybody know what we are living for I guess I'm learning I must be warmer now I'll soon be turning round the corner now Outside the dawn is breaking But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free The show must go on The show must go on - yeah Ooh inside my heart is breaking My make-up may be flaking But my smile still stays on Yeah oh oh oh

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die I can fly - my friends The show must go on - yeah The show must go on I'll face it with a grin I'm never giving in On with the show I'll top the bill I'll overkill I have to find the will to carry on On with the On with the show The show must go on

Heaven For Everyone
Words and music by Roger Taylor
(This could be heaven) (This could be heaven) (This could be heaven) This could be heaven, this could be heaven for everyone (This could be heaven) This could be heaven, this could be heaven, this could be heaven for everyone In these days of cool reflection (reflection) You come to me and everything seems alright In these days of cold affections You sit by me and everything's fine This could be heaven for everyone This world could be fed, this world could be fun This could be heaven for everyone This world could be free, this world could be one In this world of cool deception Just your smile can smooth my ride These troubled days of cruel rejection You come to me, soothe my troubled mind Yeah this could be heaven for everyone This world could be fed, this world could be fun

This should be love for everyone (yeah) This world should be free, this world could be one We should bring love to our daughters and sons Love,love,love,love This could be heaven for everyone You know that (this could be heaven for everyone) Yes! (this could be heaven for everyone) This could be heaven for everyone Listen What people do to other souls They take their lives,destroy their goals Their basic pride and dignity Is stripped and torn and shown no pity When this should be heaven for everyone This could be heaven, this could be heaven This could be heaven for everyone This could be heaven, could be heaven for everyone This could be heaven (this could be heaven) This could be heaven, could be heaven for everyone This could be heaven (this could be heaven) This could be heaven, could be heaven for everyone This could be heaven This could be heaven for everyone This could be heaven This could be heaven This could be heaven.... For everyone For everyone

You Don't Fool Me
Words and music by Queen
You don't fool me You don't fool me You don't fool me You don't fool me You don't fool me...

Da da da da dah Da da da dah Da da dah You don't fool me - those pretty eyes That sexy smile - you don't fool me You don't rule me - you're no surprise You're telling lies - hey, you don't fool me Mmm, mama said be careful of that girl Mama said you know that she's no good Mama said be cool, don't you be no fool Yup bup ba ba ba ba da da da dah! You don't fool me You don't fool me You don't fool me She'll take you You don't fool me, she'll take you You don't fool me, and break you Sooner or later you'll be playing by her rules Baby you don't fool me, yeah You don't fool me, you don't have to say "don't mind" You don't have to teach me things I know Sooner or later you'll be playing by her rules Oh (fool you) oh (rule you) She'll take you (take you) And break you (break you) Yeah Mama said be cool Mama said she'd take you for a fool She'll take you, and break you Ba ba ba ba bap bap ba baah La la la la la lah You don't fool me You don't fool me...

I Was Born To Love You
Words and music by Freddie Mercury

I was born to love you (love you...) With every single beat of my heart Yes I was born to take care of you Every single day (single day...) All right Hey hey I was born to love you with every single beat of my heart Yes I was born to take care of you every single day of my life You are the one for me I am the man for you You were made for me you're my ecstasy If I was given every opportunity I'd kill for your love So take a chance with me let me romance with you I'm caught in a dream and my dreams come true It's so hard to believe this is happening to me An amazing feeling coming through I was born to love you with every single beat of my heart Yes I was born to take care of you honey every single day of my life I wanna love you I love every little thing about you I wanna love you love you love you (Born) to love you (born) to love you yes (Born) I was born to love you (Born) to love you (born) to love you every single day of my life I was born to take care of you every single day, day, day of my life An amazing feeling coming through I was born to love you with every single beat of my heart Yeah I was born to take care of you every single day of my life Yes, I was born to love you Every single day Of my life I love you baby Yeah Born to love you Yes I was born to love you Hey I wanna love you love you love you I wanna love you Yeah yeah Aha it's magic I get so lonely lonely lonely yeah I wanna love you It's magic

Love you Yeah, give it to me

Barcelona
(Freddie Mercury & Mike Moran) I has this perfect dream Un sueсo me envolviу This dream was me and you Tal vez estбs aquн I want all the world to see Un instinto me guiaba A miracle sensation My guide and inspiration Now my dream is slowly coming true The wind is a gentle breeze El me hablу de ti The bells are ringing out El canto vuela They're calling us together Guiding us forever Wish my dream would never go away ¦Barcelona! It was the first time that we met ¦Barcelona! How can I forget The moment that you stepped in the room You took my breath away ¦Barcelona! La mъsica vibrу ¦Barcelona! Yella nos uniу And if God is willing We will meet again Someday Let the songs begin Dйjalo nacer Let the music play Ahhhhhhh...

Make the voices sing Nace un gran amor Start the celebration Ven a mi And cry! ¦Grita! Come alive ¦Viva! And shake the foundations from the skies Shaking all our lives ¦Barcelona! Such a beautiful horizon Like a jewel in the sun Por ti serй gaviota de tu bella mar ¦Barcelona! Abre tus puertas al mundo If God is willing If God is willing If God is willing Friends to the end ¦Viva! ¦Barcelona!

Lyrics
Greatest Hits III Living On My Own
Song Duration 3:37 Written by Freddie Mercury. Sung by Freddie Mercury.

Queen The Complete Words

Comments
This is not a Queen song. The original version of this song featured on Freddie Mercury's "Mr. Bad Guy" album and was released as a single in August 1985. It was remixed to make this version for the "Freddie Mercury album" and was released as a single in 1993, reaching number 1.

Lyrics
Dee do dee do day Dee do dee do dee do dee do day oh Sometimes I feel I'm gonna break down and cry, so lonely Nowhere to go, nothing to do with my time I get lonely, so lonely, living on my own. Sometimes I feel I'm always walking too fast, so lonely And everything is coming down on me, down on me, I go crazy Oh so crazy, living on my own. Dee do de de, dee do de de I don't have no time for no monkey business Dee do de de, dee do de de I get so lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, yeah Got to be some good times ahead Sometimes I feel nobody gives me no warning Find my head is always up in the clouds in a dreamworld It's not easy, living on my own, my own, my own Dee do de de (lonely), dee do de de (lonely) I don't have no time for no monkey business Dee do de de, dee do de de I get so lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, yeah Got to be some good times ahead (Ad lib section!) C'mon baby Dee do de de, dee do de de I don't have no time for no monkey business Dee do de de, dee do de de I get so lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, yeah Got to be some good times ahead Yeah baby Di di di di Dibby dibby du-wop du-wop yeah y-y-y-y-y-y-ow-yeah Living on my own, living on my own Living on my own, living on my own, wooh da, day, day, day, day di, di, di, di, di, di, di Be-dop, be-dop, be-dop, be-dop Be-dop, be-dop, be-dop, be-dop Be-dop, be-dop, be-dop, be-dop Woh!

Queen The Great Pretender
Oh yes I'm the great pretender (ooh ooh) Pretending I'm doing well (ooh ooh) My need is such I pretend too much I'm lonely but no one can tell Oh yes I'm the great pretender (ooh ooh) Adrift in a world of my own (ooh ooh) I play the game but to my real shame You've left me to dream all alone Too real is this feeling of make believe Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal Ooh Ooh yes I'm the great pretender (ooh ooh) Just laughing and gay like a clown (ooh ooh) I seem to be what I'm not (you see) I'm wearing my heart like a crown Pretending that you're still around Yeah ooh hoo Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal Oh yes I'm the great pretender Just laughing and gay like a clown (ooh ooh) I seem to be what I'm not you see I'm wearing my heart like a crown Pretending that you're Pretending that you're still around

Queen Discography
album title release date (UK) release date (US)

Queen I Queen II Sheer Heart Attack A Night At The Opera A Day At The Races News Of The World Jazz Live Killers The Game Flash Gordon Greatest Hits Hot Space The Works A Kind Of Magic Live Magic The Miracle Queen At The Beeb Innuendo Greatest Hits II Classic Queen Live At Wembley Greatest Hits (USA) Greatest Hits I & II Queen At The BBC Made In Heaven Queen Rocks Greatest Hits III

13 July 1973 8 March 1974 8 November 1974 21 November 1975 10 December 1976 28 October 1977 10 November 1978 22 June 1979 30 June 1980 8 December 1980 2 November 1981 21 May 1982 27 February 1984 2 June 1986 1 December 1986 22 May 1989 4 December 1989 4 February 1991 28 October 1991 26 May 1992 30 November 1992
see Queen At The Beeb

4 September 1973 9 April 1974 12 November 1974 2 December 1975 18 December 1976 1 November 1977 14 November 1978 26 June 1979 30 June 1980 27 January 1981 3 November 1981 25 May 1982 28 February 1984 3 June 1986 13 August 1996 6 June 1989
see Queen At The BBC

5 February 1991 3 March 1992 2 June 1992 15 September 1992 7 November 1995 7 March 1995 7 November 1995 3 November 1997 9 November 1999

6 November 1995 3 November 1997 8 November 1999

In 1968 Brian May and Tim Staffell, both students at London's Imperial College,
decided they wanted to form a group. Brian placed an advertisement on the college notice board for a "Ginger Baker Type" drummer and a young medical student called Roger Meddows Taylor auditioned, and got the job. They called the group SMILE. Smile were signed to Mercury Records in 1969 and had their first experience of a recording studio - Trident Studios - that year. Tim Staffell was at Ealing College of Art with Freddie Bulsara and introduced him to the band. Freddie soon became a keen fan. Sadly, in 1970 Smile decided to call it a day as nothing seemed to be happening for them. Tim went off and joined a band called Humpy Bang. Freddie left his band. Wreckage and joined up with Brian and Roger - it had all begun.

Freddie changed his name by deed poll to Mercury, changed the band's name to
QUEEN and John Deacon was asked to audition as their bass player after three temporary bassists had been and gone. In February 1971 John was taken on as the fourth member of Queen. The band rehearsed tirelessly and played several small gigs at Imperial College, where they rehearsed, for close friends. Then they were offered the chance to test a new recording studio called De Lane Lea. In return for trying out new equipment they could make free demo tapes, which they did. They had signed recording, publishing and management contracts with Trident in 1972, and during that year were paid just 60 pounds per week. Queen were given the "down time" or out of hours studio time at Trident Studios, where they began work on their first album.

In 1973 Trident and EMI signed a contract for a
recording deal for Queen, and July of that year saw the release of QUEEN, their first album. The band were offered a big break, their first major tour as support band to Mott The Hoople. It began in Leeds in November 1973, and it was said by many people during that tour that Queen were "more than just a support act...".

QUEEN II was finally released in March 1974; it
should have been earlier but their was a minor printing error on the sleeve which the band insisted was corrected. They embarked on their first headlining tour of Britain, starting in Blackpool in March 1974. In April 1974 the band undertook their first ever American tour, as guests to Mott The Hoople. But in May of that year whilst on tour, Brian collapsed with hepatitis and the band had to cancel the rest of their dates.

Work on their third album began without Brian
and with a lot of help from Roy Thomas Baker. Brian finally felt well enough to go into the studio to record his guitar parts, although he was still quite ill and spent much time between takes in the studio bathroom being very sick! But eventually the album was finished and SHEER HEART ATTACK was released in November 1974. It was a huge hit both sides of the Atlantic as the world came to realise that Queen were a force to be reckoned with.

In January 1975 Queen left for the USA on their first headlining tour. Ticket sales
were phenomenal, demand was so high that they had to add more shows, doing two shows in one day at some venues, both shows being sold out. Quite a few shows on that tour had to be cancelled as Freddie had developed a severe throat problem. But he soldiered on and performed as many as possible although doctors had advised him against it. Also in January 1975 Queen engaged the services of lawyer Jim Beach to negotiate them out of their Trident agreements, as Trident were no longer being as supportive as they should have been and the band were unhappy with the situation. Their first Canadian gig was in Edmonton on April 2nd, where they were joined on stage by support act Kansas. April 1975 saw Queen set to pay their first ever visit to Japan.

When they arrived at the airport there were over three thousand fans their to greet
them, as Sheer Heart Attack was number one in Japan at the time. In May 1975 Freddie was presented with an lvor Novello award by the Songwriters Guild for Killer Queen.

Queen began work on their new album in June.
Links with Trident were finally to the bands great relief, severed in August and by September Queen had signed with new management - enter John Reid. When the band decided to release Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975 everyone told them it was far too long and just would not be a hit at 5 minutes 55 seconds. But Freddie gave a copy to his friend and London DJ Kenny Everett, telling him it was for him personally and he must not play it on air. But of course he did - fourteen times in two days! From then on every major radio station played the song, in full. It was a colossal hit and really established Queen as THE band of the era. The video for the single, directed by Bruce Gowers using ideas from the band themselves, was attributed as the one that began the whole "video craze". The single stayed at number one in the UK for an amazing nine weeks. The album was, at the time, one of the most expensive ever recorded, but when A NIGHT AT THE OPERA was released in November 1975, it was a massive hit and gave them their first platinum album award. Freddie had designed a logo for the first Queen album which was reworked and used as a cover for Night At The Opera. The now famous CREST features the band's starsigns; two fairies for Virgo, a Crab for Cancer and two lions for the two Lees. The launch party for the album was held at the exclusive Opera Bar in London's Colosseum Theatre.

In January 1976 Freddie was presented with another lvor Novello award for
Bohemian Rhapsody. Also in January the band set off on their third American tour, which took them all over America and continued until the end of March. They then flew directly to Japan, arriving yet again to a riotous reception. By this time all four Queen albums were in the UK top Twenty, which was an unheard of feat. They undertook an extensive tour of Japan and then flew to Australia. Their tour Down Under began at the Perth Entertainment Centre.

They flew back into the UK to begin work on their next album, A Day At The
Races. But recording was halted while the band undertook a short UK tour. On September 18th 1976 Queen decided they wanted to say thank you to their dedicated fans and so in true extravagant style they staged a huge, free concert in London's Hyde Park. The crowds were estimated at between 150 and 200 thousand people, the largest audience Queen had played to at that time, and to date still the highest ever attendance record for a concert in Hyde Park.

A DAY AT THE RACES was released in
December 1976. The band all attended a special horse race at Kempton Park to promote the album, and in the "Day At The Races Stakes" a special race sponsored by EMI, they all backed the same horse without telling each other, and it won! Five days before it's release, the advance orders for Day At The Races were in excess of half a million, the highest orders EMI had received for any album.

Four days into 1977 and Queen were jetting off to America to rehearse for their
forthcoming USA tour. They were on the road constantly through January, February and most of March in the USA and Canada. Roger decided, at the end of all that, to record a solo single, which he paid for out of his own pocket. "I Wanna Testify" was released in August. In May of 1977 Queen flew out to Stockholm to begin an extensive European tour. Their concert at London's Earls Court featured the famous "Crown" lighting rig. It was 54ft wide, 26ft tall and weighed 5,000 pounds. It cost the band 250,000.

In October 1977 fan club members were asked, for the first time, to take part in
one of the bands videos. We Are The Champions was filmed at the New London Theatre. After initial filming was finished the band remained on stage and played an impromptu gig to say thanks to all the fans who had turned up and worked so hard. In October 1977 the band were presented with a Britannia Award for the Top British Single, Bohemian Rhapsody of course.

Queen released NEWS OF THE WORLD on
October 28th 1977. The cover was a drawing that Roger had seen by science fiction artist Kelly Freas. Roger had asked him if he would mind adapting his illustration for the cover and Freas readily agreed. In November they were off to the USA again for rehearsals for their forthcoming tour. For the first time, their finances enabled them to charter a private plane for the tour - it made life on the road that much more comfortable. The tour began on November 11th, their second

American tour in this year. They all arrived back in the UK just in time to spend Christmas with their families. That Christmas, We Will Rock You was knocked off the French number one slot after 12 weeks, by We Are The Champions!

In February 1978 Queen decided they should set up their own management
structure. They parted company with John Reid - more amicably than their split with Trident: this severance agreement was actually signed in the back of Freddie's Rolls Royce during a break in filming the video for We Will Rock You in the back garden of Roger's Surrey house! A short tour of Europe began in April 1978, again in Stockholm. In July the band started work on their new album, they recorded it in Montreux and France - the first time they had recorded outside of Great Britain.

As publicity for the forthcoming single - Bicycle
Race - the band hired Wimbledon Stadium and fifty naked girls had their own Bicycle Race! The original cover of the single featured the naked rear of one of the girls, but due to public outcry in some countries, panties had to be drawn on! More touring in the USA and Canada began in October. November loth saw the release of JAZZ. The sleeve was packaged to contain a fold out poster of the naked bike race, but the Americans banned it from the actual sleeve and instead inserted an application form so fans could send away for it! The launch party for Jazz was held in New Orleans, and has since gone down in history.

The band hosted the party themselves in order to invite both EMI, their European
record company, and Elektra, their USA representatives. It was the first time that both companies executives had met, and they both ensured that ALL of their directors attended, each to try and outnumber the other. The party was a completely over the top affair featuring mud wrestlers, midgets, topless waitresses and a host of other weird and wonderful characters.

The North American tour finished in late December and the band flew back to the
UK for Christmas. But they didn't get too much time to rest, as by January 1979 they were off to Europe yet again. The tour began in Hamburg. By March they were ensconced in Mountain Studios in Montreux working on their "live" album. The band enjoyed the peace of Montreux and liked the studio there, so they decided to buy it (the studio, not the town!). When Freddie was asked by resident

engineer David Richards why they had bought it, and what they intended to do with it, Freddie quipped "dump it in the lake dear!"

The band flew out to Japan for yet more touring in
April 1979. In June they approached the All England Lawn Tennis Club and asked if they could use the Centre Court at Wimbledon (after the tournament of course) for a concert. Permission was refused. The bands first live album LIVE KILLERS was released in June 1979. It was an album released by very popular demand. Queen were approached to write the musical score-for a science fiction feature film called Flash Gordon. When the idea was first discussed with producer Dino De Laurentiis, he simply asked "who are the Queens?". The band agreed to work on the music, and began in June, in Munich.

The end of 1979 found Queen embarking on The Crazy Tour. It included such
illustrious venues as Tiffany's in Purley, The Lewisham Odeon, Alexandra Palace and finally The Hammersmith Odeon. They were one of many bands who performed at the venue to raise money for the starving people of Kampuchea. During that tour the bands tour manager, Gerry Stickells, collapsed backstage and had to be rushed to hospital/ Gerry had been with Queen on every tour since 1976 ( and has done every one since).

At the start of 1980 the band were working hard
on their new album The Game, it was the first album to use the electronic wizardry of synthesizers. In June they were off to tour north American again. Roger had also started work on his first solo album. THE GAME was released in June 1980 and went five times platinum in Canada alone. Another one Bites The Dust became the bands biggest ever worldwide selling single. It became a huge "crossover" hit in the USA. topping the charts in rock, soul and disco. The band received a Dick Clarke award as best band, a top Billboard award for Top Crossover single, and were nominated for various other awards including Grammy's Canadian Juno's.

On December 8th 1980 the soundtrack album for
FLASH GORDON was released. By the end of 1980 Queen had sold over 45,000,000 albums worldwide. In February 1981 after another Far East tour the band flew into Rio de Janeiro for the start of their first tour of South America. Queen were the first rock band to undertake a stadium tour of South America, paving the way for many more bands to follow. The band's equipment had to be flown in a privately hired Flying Tiger 747 cargo plane from Tokyo; the flight between Tokyo and Buenos Aires is the longest air route between capital cities in the world.

Their first South American gig was Buenos Aires on February 28th 1981. They
filled three more Argentinean World Cup Stadiums, playing 5 sold out stadium gigs in just eight days. They then played two nights at the massive Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo. On the first night 131,000 people attended, and Queen created rock history - it was the largest paying audience for a single band anywhere in the world. During those two nights at the Morumbi Stadium 251,000 people saw the Queen spectacle - that's a bigger audience than most bands can expect in their whole career! Every single one of Queen's albums was in the Top Ten in Argentina during their tour - a first for any band.

Whilst they were in Sao Paulo the band celebrated the fact that the single Love
Of My Life had been in the Sao Paulo singles chart for over 12 consecutive MONTHS! In April 1981 Roger released his first solo album, titled FUN IN SPACE. Queen were back in South America, it was a return trip being hailed as The Gluttons For Punishment Tour! Unfortunately their last two Venezuelan gigs, in Caracas, had to be cancelled as the ex president of the country had died. So the band moved on to play Monterrey and Puebla, just outside Mexico City. Whilst there the band's promoter. Jose Rota, was arrested and jailed - over $25,000 bail money had to be paid to release him so the tour could continue!

GREATEST HITS, GREATEST FLIX and
GREATEST PIX were released simultaneously in October 1981. Greatest Hits, the album, entered the charts as soon as it was released and has rarely been out of the British charts since! Greatest Flix, the video, was the first real collection of prorno videos released commercially by any band. Greatest Pix, the book, was compiled by Jacques Lowe, who was President Kennedy's personal photographer during his term of office. It was Jacques personal selection of the greatest Queen pictures of the previous decade.

The bands twelfth album, HOT SPACE, was
released on May 21st 1982 whilst the band were in the middle of an extensive European tour. On June 5th of that year they played the huge open air Milton Keynes Bowl. The whole show was filmed by Tyne Tees Television under the direction of Savin Taylor, to be shown on Channel Four's The Tube programme at a later date. In September 1982 the Japanese record company Mercury Records released an album called Gettin Smile - which was originally thought to be a bootleg, but was proved to be the real Smile! In December 1982 Queen made it into the Guiness Book Of Records as Britains highest paid executives.

In January 1983 Freddie began work on a solo album and Roger began work on
his second solo album. During the early part of the year Brian had flown out to Los Angeles and gathered together a few close friends In The Record Plant studios in that town. Brian had some basic ideas to work on, but it was generally a lengthy jam session. Brian had no intention of wasting the talents of Edward Van Halen, Alan Grater, Phil Chen and Fred Mandel - and so kept the tapes rolling throughout the whole session. The result was the mini album STAR FLEET PROJECT which was released in October 1983.

Queen went back into the studios In August 1983 to start work on their next
album. Work commenced at The Record Plant in Los Angeles - the first time they had recorded in America. After a number of months recording switched from LA

to Munich, a city that the band spent so much time in during that recording session that they almost thought of it as home!

In February 1984 the band released their 13th
album, THE WORKS. Radio Ga Ga, taken from that album, became a worldwide hit, reaching number one in 19 different countries. The video for the single, directed by David Mallett, featured fan club members again. The handclapping chorus became a favourite with live audiences all over the world. Another single from The Works was I Want To Break Free - and that had an even more outrageous video also featuring members of the fan club. The band members dressed as female characters from popular British soap opera "Coronation Street" - when asked "why?" Roger said he had become bored with serious, epic videos and thought it was about time they had some fun and proved they could still laugh at themselves. MTV in America refused to show the video.

In June 1984 Roger released his second solo album, STRANGE FRONTIER.
Also in June a company called Guild Guitars launched a special copy of Brian's home made Red Special guitar. It was called the BHM1 and Brian had been closely involved in all aspects of It's production. Sadly, about a year later Brian and Guild had some discussions about the design of the instrument which resulted in Guild ceasing production.

In August Queen flew out to Belgium to start The Works tour. October saw them
in Bophuthatswana, South Africa. and a series of gigs at the famous Sun City Superbowl. The gigs themselves were fraught with problems, as Freddie had serious voice complications resulting in cancellations. But the problems were mild compared to what the band returned home to. Because of South Africas apartheid laws, their visit caused much public outcry. The band defended their actions, saying that they were a non-political band and that they had gone out to play music for the people, no other reason. Queen's first ever full length video was released in September 1984. We Will Rock You was filmed during the bands 1981 Montreal Concerts. During September, Queen had no fewer than nine albums in the UK top 200.

1985 was the year of Rock In Rio. It was billed as the biggest rock festival to be

held anywhere in the world and Queen were headlining the event. The whole festival was recorded for broadcast throughout South America, but Queen were the only band to obtain the rights to release their performance on video - Live In Rio was released in May 1985.

The band performed their first ever concert in New Zealand on April 13th 1985 at
the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. The band were met outside their hotel on arrival by a group of chanting anti-apartheid demonstrators. Tony Hadley, lead singer with British band Spandau Ballet flew over from Australia, where his band were on tour, to see the Queen show - and was honoured to be asked to join Queen on stage for their encore.

Freddie's first solo album, MR BAD GUY, was released on April 29th, whist the
band were on tour in Australia. The gig in Melbourne had to be played with no lighting rig at all, as the whole computer system that controlled the lights had broken down. After an Australian tour peppered with problems, not least being the incessant rain, the band flew across to Japan. Their concert at the Tokyo Olympic Swimming Pool was filmed by NHK to be shown on network Japanese TV.

July 13th 1985 was a day that went down in history, as the Live Aid Global
Jukebox took the world by storm from London's vast Wembley Stadium and from Philadelphia in the USA. Queen were just one of a multitude of top bands who all performed a 20 minute set. The World was watching, and Queen were unanimously voted, by press and public alike, as the band that stole the show. That event was a turning point for Queen.

They had decided sometime previously to take a break from each other, but that
day brought them all together with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. One Vision was the first release to come form that new inspiration.

Queen were approached by Russell Mulcahy to record the soundtrack for his first
feature film, a fantasy tale about an immortal Scotsman called Highlander. In an interview Mulcahy stated that Queen had been the first band he thought of for the score.

In March 1986 John formed a new band called The
Immortals to write and record some music for a forthcoming film called Biggles. They recorded just one track - No Turning Back, and the band folded. On June 2nd Queen released their 14th album, the soundtrack to Highlander called A KIND OF MAGIC. The album entered the UK chart at number one and remained in the top five for thirteen consecutive weeks.

On June 7th the Queen machine was in action again, as the band embarked on
their Magic Tour Of Europe. The first UK gig was Newcastles St James Park football stadium. The band, and promoter Harvey Goldsmith, donated ALL the proceeds from that concert to the International Save The Children Fund. On July 11th the Queen Tornado, as Freddie had dubbed it, hit London and two sold out shows at Wembley Stadium. During the set four enormous inflatables, modelled on the characters from the Kind Of Magic album, were released from amongst the audience into the night. The second nights show was filmed by Tyne Tees, again directed by Gavin Taylor, to be shown on TV at a later date.

When that concert was finally shown on TV, it became the first ever simulcast
between Channel Four and the Independent Radio Network in Britain. This feat has never since been repeated, possibly because in order to achieve this, a satellite dish had to be delivered to every single independent radio station in the UK so they could receive the sound by satellite.

On 27th July Queen made history again (something of a habit with this band)
when they played the beautiful Nepstadion in Budapest, Hungary It was the first time a major rock band had played a stadium date in the Eastern Bloc, and it was completely sold out well in advance. The concert was filmed by the Hungarian State Film Agency, MAFILM. in connection with Queen films. They had to commandeer every 35mm camera in Hungary to film it!

On August 9th the band flew by specially redecorated "Magic Helicopter" into
Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire. for the final date on the Magic Tour. It was the biggest show on the tour with an estimated audience of over 120 thousand people. It caused one of the biggest traffic jams in history as everyone tried to arrive in

plenty of time. Over ONE MILLION people saw Queen on that European tour - in excess of 400 thousand in the UK alone.

In November 1986 EMI records released the entire
Queen catalogue on Compact Disc - the first time an artistes complete collection had been made available simultaneously. In December Queen's 15th album, and their second live album, was released. LIVE MAGIC entered the UK chart at number three. On 13th December the band's film "Live In Budapest" opened in Budapest at 9 a.m., and proceeded to play to NINE sold out houses in that one day. Seven completely full screenings were shown each day for a week.

During 1986, in the UK alone, Queen sold a staggering 1,774,991 albums. On
February 3rd 1987, Freddie released a cover version of the great old Platters song "The Great Pretender". In the video to accompany the song Freddie recreated many scenes from his own and Queen videos. and actor Peter Straker, Roger Taylor and Freddie all donned wigs and make up and "became" female backing singers. It was an expensive video.

One of Freddie's all time heroines was Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballe,
and in March 1986 he met her in her home city of Barcelona. An astonishing partnership was formed when Montserrat agreed to record an album with Freddie. He penned a song about Barcelona for her, and the two began to write and record the album. Freddie and Montserrat appeared on stage together for the first time in May 1987, at the Ibiza 92 Festival, held at the famous Ku Club on the holiday island. They performed Barcelona.

In August 1987 Roger advertised for, auditioned and chose musicians to form a
new band, The Cross. He wanted a band he could write with and, more importantly, tour with during Queens increasingly lengthy "quiet" periods.

The single "Barcelona" was released in Spain in September 1987, and 10,000
copies were sold In just three hours. The Spanish Olympic Committee adopted the song as the theme for the Olympic Games, being held in the city in 1992, then decided against it, which caused great anger amongst the fans.

Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, an Austrian director/producer team,
followed Queen all over Europe during the Magic Tour, filming them on stage, backstage, resting, playing and generally "touring". They then searched the archives for footage of live shows, interviews and outtakes from videos. After that they interviewed the band, their friends, their fans and other "stars". Finally, in November 1987, a trilogy of documentary style videos was released, called The Magic Years. The trilogy received numerous awards, including the famous Silver Screen award In the USA (the biggest film and TV festival in the world), and the IMMC award at the Montreux Golden Rose TV Festival. Also during 1987 Queen were presented with a prestigious Ivor Novello award for their "Outstanding Contribution To British Music".

In January 1988 Queen went into the studios to start work on their next album. On
January 25th, The Cross released their debut album called SHOVE IT. The Cross also embarked on their first European tour, playing club and university dates throughout the UK, and clubs in Germany.

Freddie and Montserrat appeared together again on October 8th at the huge La Nit
event staged in Barcelona, which was held to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic flag from Seoul. Freddie and Montserrat closed the event, held in the presence of the King and Queen of Spain, with Barcelona, The Golden Boy and How Can I Go On, tracks taken from their forthcoming album.

BARCELONA, the duet album from Freddie and Montserrat was released on
October 10th 1988. The launch party was a typically extravagant affair held in the Crush Bar at the Covent Garden Opera House - a fitting venue!

On December 4th The Cross played a one off gig at London's Hammersmith
Palais, at a party held exclusively for fan club members. Special guests on stage were Brian and John.

THE MIRACLE was released on May 22nd 1989
and entered the UK chart at number one. It went on to became a massive worldwide success, reaching number one in most European countries. To promote the release, all four member of the band gathered in a Radio One studio and to be interviewed by DJ Mike Reid - a scoop for him as the band had not given a joint interview in many years. As it was the end of a decade, there were numerous "Best Of The Eighties" programmes on TV, especially in the UK. Queen were voted for, by the viewers of the Independent Television and readers of it's magazine TV Times, as The Best Band Of The Eighties. It was an accolade they were immensely pleased by, and they all appeared together on the show to collect it.

In late November 1989 Queen were already back in the studios working on their
next album.

On February 18th 1990, Queen were honoured yet again when they were
recognised by the British Phonographic Industry (at last) and presented with an award for their "Outstanding Contribution To British Music".They all collected the award and went on to host a huge, starstudded party at London's Groucho Club.

The Cross released their second album on March 26th called MAD BAD AND
DANGEROUS TO KNOW, a title taken from a quote used to describe the eccentric Lord Byron! The Cross also undertook a short German tour.

Brian, meanwhile, wrote and produced the haunting music for a version of
Shakespears Maebeth, performed at London's Riverside Theatre.

In November 1990 Queen signed a major new recording deal in North America
with the Disney financed "Hollywood Records". Hollywood immediately began the task of pushing Queen back up the popularity ladder, and plans were laid to remaster and re-release the entire back catalogue on CD. So far the collection had not been available on that format in the USA.

On December 7th The Cross played their only UK date for some time, at

London's Astoria Theatre, at yet another Queen Fan Club Party. Brian joined them on stage for the encore.

On January 14th 1991 the band released the six
and a half minute long epic "Innuendo" as a single. It was a massive success, giving the band their third UK number one single and ensuring them the number one slot throughout Europe. The album, also called INNUENDO, was released on February 4th and crashed straight into the UK chart at Number one, and reached the top slot throughout Europe.

In March 1991 The Cross went into the studios to start work on their third album,
BLUE ROCK. The album was released in September on Elektrola in Germany only. Queen went into studios in April to begin work on their next album.

On May 30th 1991 Freddie filmed what was to become his final video for Queen,
with the haunting Days Of Our Lives. A version featuring Disney animation was made for the USA.

Brian organised the Rock section of the Seville "Guitar Legends" festival, and
amongst those chosen by Brian to perform their music were Nuno Bettancourt, Stevie Vai, Joe Satriani and Joe Walsh, to name but a few. The concerts were performed live in October on the site of the Seville Expo 92 exhibition.

GREATEST HITS TWO was released in October
1991, a double album featuring 17 tracks. They also repeated their earlier success by releasing Greatest Flix II and Greatest Pix II, this time compiled by Richard Gray. A special box was also release called Box Of Flix containing Flix I & II plus four bonus tracks. Needless to say both Hits II and Flix II were number one in their respective charts!

On November 23rd 1991 Freddie announced to the world that he had AIDS. Just
the next day his fight was over and he died peacefully at his home, surrounded by family and friends. The world was in shock. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he really was. Fans from all over the world sent flowers and cards and many travelled to London to be outside Freddie's house. A quiet family cremation service was held three days after his death, conducted in the Zoroastrian faith that Freddie's parents followed so strictly.

In April, Brian had been commissioned by a London advertising agency to write a
piece of music for an advertising campaign for Ford cars. The resulting track. Driven By You, was so good (and proved so popular) that Brian released it as his first solo single on November 25th. It made the top ten in the UK charts. As a tribute to Freddie, and to raise funds for the Terrenes nigging Trust to continue the fight against AIDS, as Freddie's last wishes had requested, Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days Of Our Lives was released as a double A sided single. It entered the UK chart at number one, where it remained for five weeks, raising over one MILLION pounds for the AIDS charity.

In December 1991, Queen had no fewer than 10 albums in the UK top 100. In February 1992, the annual BRIT awards recognised Freddie with a special
posthumous award for "Outstanding Contribution To British Music" and out of three Queen nominations, "Days Of Our Lives" won the Best Single of 1991 award. At that awards ceremony, Roger and Brian announced plans for a massive, open air concert at London's Wembley Stadium to celebrate Freddie's life, and give him a send off to remember.

The tickets went on sale the next day , with no announcement of who was going
to play apart from Brian, Roger and John, and all 72,000 tickets sold out in just SIX hours.

On Easter Monday, April 20th 1992, many of the worlds top stars joined Brian,
Roger and John on stage at Wernbley stadium to pay an emotional tribute to Freddie. The stadium was packed to capacity and it was televised live to over one billion people.

In April 1992 Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello award for Best Single with

Days Of Our Lives, and Brian also won an award for Driven By You for Best TV Commercial Music.

September 1992 saw the release of the long awaited Brian May album, called
BACK TO THE LIGHT. During 1993 Brian undertook a series of concerts throughout Europe and the US to promote the album, including some support dates with Guns n'Roses.

Prior to Christmas 1992 a double video of The Freddie Tribute Concert was
released, with all proceeds being donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity set up specifically to deal with the proceeds from the concert and any subsequent fundraising. The money raised by the trust is used to help those with HIV and AIDS.

Freddie won a posthumous Ivor Novello Award in 1993 for the number one hit
single "Living On My Own". Brian went on tour with The Brian May Band and released a video of one show, the Brixton Academy, and a live album in 1994.

Roger released his third solo album in September
1994, called HAPPINESS. He promoted the album with a European tour. In November 1995 the tracks that Queen had begun way back in 1991 were completed by Brian, Roger and John, and the long awaited MADE IN HEAVEN was released worldwide. It was seen by many as the end of an era, as it was declared this was the band's final album. In May 1997, Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello award for the best song lyrically & musically for "Too Much Love Will Kill you" .

On November 3rd 1997 QUEEN ROCKS album
was released in the UK. It includes the most wellknown rock hits of the band. It also includes a new song No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young) written by Brian and dedicated to Freddie and everybody who died too young. On November 5th Brian and Rover moved to Cologne for a press conference. On November 13th they were in Barcelona collecting a Gold Disc presented by EMI Holland. No-One But You was released as a single on January 5th in the UK.

Plans are afoot for the release of archive videos and live material. Brian and
Roger are recording solo albums with plans for tours to follow. A state of the art video game featuring Queen music is in production, a major photographic exhibition featuring stunning shots of Freddie is on a world tour. Queen are one of the most collectable bands in the World, and their fan club is as strong as ever.

Queen will be around for a lot longer yet!