Queen (Under Rated?)

[ZoSo88]

Allow me to clear up a few things...

1: Queen being a comedic band?

They were not funny, and usually took themselves seriously 99% of the time, knowing when to throw in a little fun of course. Things like singing "Fried Chicken" in their song One Vision are the very rare times they strayed from being serious.

Listen to songs like "Who Wants to Live Forever" or better yet "The Show Must Go On", here you have a guy in Mercury singing about his own mortality very close to right before he passed, yet he's singing his heart out! I dare people to find music of a more serious and less comedic tone. They were brilliant musicians, great song writers (being the ONLY band in the Song Writers HOF for a reason), 4 individually talented people, dynamic showman, especially mercury, and the only other band I know who played venues as large as the mighty Zeppelin.

2: Popularity Confusion

Yes I do believe they were under appreciated in the States, but as stated before they did stop touring here early. Buy what i hate is people's misinterpretation of popularity. I heard someone say that the spice girls are more known then pink floyd? No they are not, not even close. Spice Girls are a great example of a fad, sell many records (although not in comparison to floyd/zeppelin level) and get forgotten. I've heard someone say Hanna Montana is popular, so i guess she's great? Being sarcastic because I often believe popularity and musical brilliance go hand in hand. Listen people, Hanna could not sell out 140,000 to save her life, we are talking different degrees of popularity. The level i speak of is beyond these spice girls, hana montana, etc...its something totally different.

And some have proven my point about Queen being underrated. And to a degree...yes they are underrated cause they are not ranked with the Stones and Who. No offense to those two band who i like alot. Queen (overall) was simply better. And the proof is in the music. Dont tell me that i have not listened to enough of the who for instance because i have and i like them alot as well. Queen's sold about 200 million to Who's 40 million but that doesn't make them better. Music overall does.

I hope people dont think i like bashing the who cause nothing could be further from the truth! Just in comparrison to these two bands, Zeppelin and Queen that knocks them down a few notches.

[GetTheLedOut]

I hope people dont think i like bashing the who cause nothing could be further from the truth! Just in comparrison to these two bands, Zeppelin and Queen that knocks them down a few notches.

I think in light of the "Led Zeppelin, just a cut above the rest!" thread, it's clear you just prefer Led Zeppelin (and in this case Queen) over the Who, and are not bashing them.

[Tinkerbell]

Granted this is personal opinion, but if there is a better lyricist than Pete Townshend I haven't found him.

I didn't want to say that Townsend was a poor songwriter. His words are not as elaborated as e.g. Jimmy Morrison worked out his messages - but both cases were a necessity and have their own style. Pete Townsend is awesome in saying much more with less effort - The Who were streetfighters in the 70s (....and I'm fond of reading between the lines). This is my personal opinion, of course.

And I also love Jimmy's lyrics ..... And before I fall into the big sleep I wanna hear the scream of the butterfly..... . (I miss you, Jimmy...)

PS: Sometimes it is not too easy describing opinions in English, especially in questions about music which always are connected with deep emotions. Sorry for that.

[ZoSo88]

I think in light of the "Led Zeppelin, just a cut above the rest!" thread, it's clear you just prefer Led Zeppelin (and in this case Queen) over the Who, and are not bashing them.

Thank you...and i'll stray out of character for a moment and say Go Who!!!

[GetTheLedOut]

I didn't want to say that Townsend was a poor songwriter. His words are not as elaborated as e.g. Jimmy Morrison worked out his messages

Morrison's lyrics are hit or miss, but that's besides the point.

Townshend is one of the best writers in all of rock music not just in the music department, but in the lyrics department. No one is better at explaining a feeling, opinion, or thought than Townshend. His words are well thought out and brilliant.

[jpj4eva-jb-rip]

queen were a great singles band, there albums suck though, all apart from 'a night the the opera' which is very good.

Also yeah, they were quite campy, which makes me want to never go around with a queen t-shirt or even tell anyone i like them.

[jpj4eva-jb-rip]

Have you heard News Of The World, that's one fine album. There were others too, but you're right, nothing really came close to A Night At The Opera.

Wasn't everyone camp in the '70s? I don't want to sound mean, but how can you be embarrassed wearing a Queen t-shirt when you have a signature as 'camp' as that?

that's american psycho, very un-camp, 2 seconds later that guy on the chair get's beaten to death with an axe lol..

but as far as albums go, i tried 'news of the world' it did nothing for me, strangely enough though 'queen live at wembly' which i think has stuff from 'news of the world' is one of my favourite live albums/dvd's..a very good live band, and freddie is the greatest front man ever

Edited December 3, 2007 by jpj4eva-jb-rip

[Jim]

queen were a great singles band, there albums suck though, all apart from 'a night the the opera' which is very good.

Also yeah, they were quite campy, which makes me want to never go around with a queen t-shirt or even tell anyone i like them.

There's a lot of gold in them there albums if you take your time to look... Also, I don't think anyone should be scared of being emasculated for liking Queen... I mean, FFS..

[Jim]

Ok, sorry :blush: :blush: That's just not what it looked like. Forgive me for my ignorance (or rather innocence)

I see exactly where you're coming from with the album and singles thing. Led Zep are a kind of band you would to have all the albums of. Queen are a band that's Greatest Hits would prove to much more satisfying. I have a few of the albums though.

I totally disagree with the Greatest Hits comment... Have you got Sheer Heart Attack? What an album that is!

Brighton Rock, Killer Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited... All classic Queen songs on one album!

Personally, I think that Queen I, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, News Of The World, Jazz & The Game are all essential classic rock albums for any collection...

(Of course, I'm incredibly bias..)

[Tinkerbell]

No offence, but I'm not even sure that Jim Morrison actually wrote half the songs he has been credited with. He was good and all, but in my opinion he wasn't half the poet people hailed him to be.

Yeah, who knows ...... But I like the work of the Doors anyway and so it does not really bother me much who wrote the songs actually.......

[MOJO]

freddie mercury had the best stage presence a pleasure to watch

god bless him

[Jahfin]

Bump

[4urlife]

queen were a great singles band, there albums suck though, all apart from 'a night the the opera' which is very good.

Also yeah, they were quite campy, which makes me want to never go around with a queen t-shirt or even tell anyone i like them.

Apparently you haven't listened to many Queen albums. Most (maybe all?) of their albums up through the early 80s were awesome. I will admit their 80s stuff didn't do much for me, but apparently millions of people all over the world disagree with me on that. Oh, and Innuendo was a masterpiece.

[timothy5151]

Part of their appeal is in the "horrible" stuff, like "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon." I f*ckin' love that song!

I totally agree. That song kicks a**. I remember listening to the Queen albums for the first time, I didn't know what to expect for the next song coming up. It was always a pleseant surprise. Their songs were really diverse. They sort of remind me of another band in that regard.... I can't quit remember their names.... hmmmmm ......

Edited July 2, 2009 by timothy5151

[dazedcat]

I don't think Queen is underrated. They're pretty legendary actually for millions of people all over the world.

My personal opinion is they're overrated, but music is a personal thing. I guess for myself and my own tastes, whenever I want to play something from the "classic rock era"..........Queen hardly ever gets a thought.

Sorry.

[marlam]

I, too, think that they are overrated. Never understood what's so special about them. But that's just my opinion.

Edited July 4, 2009 by marlam

[Otto Masson]

Queen were a wonderful band. I've described it before (on the old forums probably), but the first time I ever heard them was unforgettable. It was 1975, I was 10, and I was over at my friend's house. We were just sitting there in his room, and elsewhere in the apartment there was a little radio going. And suddenly I was just stunned by what I was hearing, and went over to hear the rest of the song, because I'd never heard anything even remotely similar to it. That was Bohemian Rhapsody. I simply had to hear more, and I did. Went to a record store and heard the first couple of tracks off their first album. Keep Yourself Alive was just a great rock song, and I loved it, but then came this slow, ballady kind of classically melodic song, Doin' All Right... except suddenly comes this somewhat aggressively sounding bass-line, and then a completely raucous guitar riff, just taking the song somewhere else! I just thought, dear me - that's amazing!

It was very basically, at least in the beginning, a hard rock band, but with such a profound and extremely broad sense of musicality to it, and in such an incomparably light-hearted way, there never will be another band like them. A Night at the Opera was like a musical circus - as was A Day at the Races (an incredible follow-up). I loved all these odd little fun songs with a touch of humorous nostalgia, because it was really a part of who they were themselves. It wasn't done with an ironic smirk. It wasn't even a parody in any real sense. Because they MEANT it, and loved doing those things - and yet were obviously having a good laugh as well. You can say much the same thing about their arrangements and production values, for which they were also indebted to the people they used to work with in the studio in the first few years. It was very much over the top, yes, but quite consciously so, and to just the right extent. They made being over the top an art form in itself.

All four of them were songwriters, which is extremely important for what they did as a band. John Deacon only contributed songs occasionally, but among them you find things like You're My Best Friend, Spread Your Wings, and Another One Bites the Dust - Friends Will Be Friends was him and Freddie. Incredible. They consistently managed to put a distinctive band profile on very different individually written songs, not least because of their vocal arrangements, which were simply astonishing, ingenious and beautifully executed. Freddie of course was one of the best lead vocalists in rock, without question, but having two other great voices there as well, in a four-piece rock band, is probably unique. Because they were also great instrumentalists, and Brian May remains one of the most imaginative lead guitarists in rock - not least because there is that great sense of humor in many of his solos. How many great guitarists manage to just crack you up while also playing in a really meaningful way, creating great music?

Even back when their musical profile was simpler and more decidedly hard rock, their songs were completely unique. They were amazing live. Everybody has seen their performance on Wembley in 1986, but if you go back to Hammersmith Odeon in 1975, it's all there. If you listen to Queen II you'll hear Brian come up with a dozen great riffs in each song. Metallica have made entire songs basically by nicking a couple of seconds here and there from that album.

[goldenguitar]

Queen is a very great band with four talented musicians: each of them composed at least one hit, even John Deacon.

One song I really like is My Melancholy Blues from the album News Of The World, it's not very famous but Freddie has a beautiful voice on it.

Also try In My Defence: this song is part of Mercury's solo stuff and it's really amazing

[MistyMountainHopper]

Queen is extremely underrated!!!

They are my fourth favorite band!!!

My fav queen song is Killer Queen

My fav queen Album is Night at the opera

[Xtazy]

Roger Taylor is 60 now!

Happy Birthday!

[Xtazy]

Oh yeah, and the 19th of July saw Brian May’s 62nd anniversary.

Coincidentally, he was born the same day I was. But 46 years earlier .

Edited July 26, 2009 by Xtazy

[ledded1]

Apparently you haven't listened to many Queen albums. Most (maybe all?) of their albums up through the early 80s were awesome. I will admit their 80s stuff didn't do much for me, but apparently millions of people all over the world disagree with me on that. Oh, and Innuendo was a masterpiece.

well I have to agree with the one you disagree with. Queen were probably the best exponents of pop/pomp rock with all the anthemic songs they did. However many of their albums weren't really that good once you take the obvious tracks I am talking about.

In fact they created some pretty duff and mediocre tracks in their lifetime.

[MistyMountainHopper]

Roger Taylor is 60 now!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Roger!

[Otto Masson]

well I have to agree with the one you disagree with. Queen were probably the best exponents of pop/pomp rock with all the anthemic songs they did. However many of their albums weren't really that good once you take the obvious tracks I am talking about.

In fact they created some pretty duff and mediocre tracks in their lifetime.

People will see it differently, but I think it's fair to say that they kind of lost the plot when they did Hot Space - I think that was mostly Freddie and John, and the rest of the band weren't really comfortable with it. And I agree there are filler songs on Works, especially the Shakin' Stevens-like things. I did like the hits on that album though. I also thought A Kind of Magic was somewhat uneven, but on the whole it looked to me like they were coming back into their element around that time.

[Xtazy]

Voyageur Press has set a November 15 release date for "Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock", penned by London, England-based author Phil Sutcliffe.

With glorious concert and candid off-stage photography from throughout the band's career, as well as concert posters, backstage passes, LPs and singles, and other memorabilia from throughout the world, this is the ultimate visual tribute to QUEEN. More than 500 photos and artifacts are accompanied by contributions from some of today's top rock journalists from Europe and North America. In addition to a chronological history of the band, there are reviews of all studio albums, notable excerpts from period publications, complete year-by-year tour dates, and a discography, as well as reflections on the band and their music from many of rock's top performers past and present, including Slash, Tommy Lee, and Billy Squier.

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