Queen

diciembre 13th, 2012 · No hay Comentarios

Queen is a British rock band formed in 1971 in London, by the guitarist Brian May, the singer Freddie Mercury, the drummer Roger Taylor and the bassist John Deacon.

This band was very successful, first in United Kingdom, with albums such as “SheerHeart Attack” and “A Night at the Opera”, but later on, that last album attracted attention internationally and as a result, they reached the point of putting the band in first line of the music scene. In 1980 Queen made big impact in the United States, with many successful collections.

Queen is consider to be the first music band doing from their concerts a great and very eye-catching shows, using bomb of smoke, flash pots, mobile lights and the main component, Freddie Mercury’s charisma.

With more than 300 million of CD sold, Queen, is one of the most successful groups of all time. Their album called “Greatest Hits” may be still being the album that most sold in the United Kingdom.

*The Origin

Everything started in 1968 when Brian May and Tim Staffel, two students form the Imperial Collage, created a band called “Smile”. Roger Taylor joined the group as the drummer. In 1970, Tim Staffel left the group and Farrokh Bomi Bulsara, better known as Freddie Mercury, joined Brian’s and Roger’s group. They also changed the band’s name from “Smile” to “Queen”. During their first concerts they had several bassists, until John Deacon, joined Queen one year later. And with those four names it was completed the most important British rock band of the history.

*The members of the group:

Brian May:

He was born in 19^th July, in 1947 in London. He is a musician and astrophysicist. He is known worldwide for being guitarist, composer, vocalist and sometimes keyboarder of the British band Queen.

He composed many of the big successes of Queen. He uses an electric guitar made by him and called “Red Special”. When he was 16, he took the decision of chancing his guitar because with the one he had, he couldn’t play well the songs he listened on the radio and he tried to emulate. But as in those times, he didn’t have enough money to buy one, he decided to make it one with his father’s help who was electrical engineer.

Despite that, Brian continued looking for a characteristic sound and after some experiments he found out that playing the guitar with a coin of six penny, he was able to get a pure and clean sound. Consequently, that was the technique he used in albums and concerts of Queen. As I already said he was member of the group “Smile” before being a member of Queen. And although Freddie Mercury died in 1991, the other members on the group, including Brian May, worked in the project post-Queen and later on, he worked as soloist. He is considered one of the greatest and most original guitarists in history.

Roger Meddows-Taylor:

He was born in 26^th July, in 1949 in Kings Lynn Norfolk (United Kingdom). He was the drummer of Queen and is well-known and outstanding musician of the rock history. Some songs as soloist, he had acted as guitarist and vocalist.

In the band sang and record choirs, as well as, wrote famous songs of Queen, such as, “Sheer Heart Attack“, “I’m In Love With My Car“, “Innuendo“, “Radio Ga Ga“, “A Kind of Magic” and “Breakthru“.

But Roger Taylor, joined his first band in 1965, called “Johnny Quale and The Reaction”. When the singer of the group who was Johnny Quale left the group, Roger became the new singer and the band changed the name to “The Reaction”, which lasted until July of the year 1968. That year he moved to London Hospital Medical School of London, where he started to study odontology. But later, he left his studies in order to study biology in the North London Polytechnic.

As Brian May, he also was member of the group “Smile” until 1970 and he was the one who introduced Freddie Mercury to Brian May. After being member of Queen in which, he was a very influent person when taking artistic and businesses decisions, he started his soloist career.

Freddie Mercury: http://www.freddiemercury.com/

Farrokh Bulsara, that was his real name, was born in 5^th September in 1946 in Zanzibar isle. But after he was born, his parents moved to Bombay. His father, Bomi, was official of the British Supreme Court. In 1954, he went to study to St. Peter School in Panchagani, (about 80 kilometers from Bombay). That was where his friends started to call Freddie, name that his family also adopted.

Freddie Mercury although stand out as athlete and he liked playing cricket, table tennis, hockey and to box, his real passion was art. He loved music and he used to spend hours listening old Cd-s and singing.

The headmaster of the school son found out his quality and convinced his parents to sign up in music classes. Freddie Mercury took part in the choir of the school and learnt to play the piano. In 1958, with other four friends, he formed a band of Rock’n’ Roll, “The Hectics”, where Freddie Mercury played the piano.

In 1962 Freddie Mercury when finished the school, he went back to Zanzibar, but in 1964, he had to immigrate to England because of the prewar situation that there was in the country. There he wanted to study art and he started a course at university.

Freddie Mercury was very friend of Tim Stafell, who with Brian May and Roger Taylor formed a music group called “Smile”. And when Tim Stafell left the group the other members of the group called to Freddie in order to replace Tim. Freddie accepted and after, they change the name of the band to Queen.

As I already have written in 1971, John Deacon joined the band and like that was completed. Freddie Mercury designed the log of the group based on the zodiacs signs of the members of the group: two virgins because of his sign Virgo, two lions because of Roger and John that they are Leo and one crab because of Brian, he was Cancer.

He was the author of the first Queen’s song which reached the British Top “Seven Seas of Rhye”, the first big success of Queen “Killer Queen” and the author of the most famous song of the band “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

In 1983, as Freddie Mercury was able to sing every type of music, he worked with the Royal Opera House in one of Verdi’s work. There he met for the first time Montserrat Caballé, and was fascinated with her voice. And as a result, they worked together, they did a concert in Wembley and in 1987 Freddie Mercury traveled to Barcelona to work with her and like that, they made the song “Barcelona” which was the used for the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.

In 1991, the 23 of November, he declared that he had AIDS, and the next day, he died in London.

John Deacon:

He was born in the 19^th August in 1951 in Leicester (United Kingdom) he is a famous musician because of being bassist of Queen. He studied electronic and mathematics in Chelsea College of London University and that is why he had to leave his band formed when he was 14 called “The New Opposition” and later on called “Art”.

While he was studying in London, he found the advertisement of the extraordinary music band Queen, saying that they were looking for one bassist. John Deacon’s passion was the guitars but he was good playing the bass guitar. So, he took the decision of doing the audition, and the rest members of the Queen group Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor, were impressed by him. Consequently, in 1971, as I already have written, John Deacon joined the group.

He composed mythical song for the group, as “I want to break free”, “You’re My Best Friend,” ”Another One Bites The Dust”, etc. Furthermore, he also was the financial administrator of the band.

When Freddie Mercury died in 1991, he decided not to continue with his contribution for the group, although he took part in the concert which was done to pay tribute to Freddie Mercury in 1992 and he also collaborated in the creation of the CD “Made in Heaven” in 1995, composed the song “No One But You” of the Queen Rocks CD and he collaborated in more public events until 1995.

But in 1997, John decided to leave completely the group, and consequently, he was missed in the production of the musical “We Will Rock You” and in the new group’s formation “Queen + PR”.

*Queen’s music career

In 1973 they recorded they first album “Queen”. The songs mixed the religiosity of Freddie Mercury and the typical rock in pure form.

While they were in tour as openers of the group “Moot the Hoople”, they recorded their second LP “Queen II”. They begin a tour form United Kingdom and they did their first tour to United States but also as openers of the same group, “Moot the Hoople”.

After that tour, they recorded “Sheer Heart Attack” in 1974 that resulted to be a huge success worldwide.

In 1975 Queen started his first tour in United States in solitary, and they had to do two shows per day because of the success they received. And in April they began a tour in Japan where they were received by thousands of fans.

In the same year, the launched the single “Bohemiam Rhapsody” which became a big success, because it was number one during nine weeks. “When A Night At The Opera” was on market it became rapidly in a success, giving them their first platinum CD.

In 1976 and until Freddie Mercury died, they recorded a lot of albums that most of them resulted to be a big success worldwide. To pay a tribute to Freddie Mercury, the rest of the band, launched two themes “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “These are the Day of our Lives”. The money they gained with them was for an organization for the fight against AIDS.

In 1992, the 20^th April, also to pay a tribute to Mercury, they made a concert in Wembley, London, and the 72.000 tickets were sold in 6 hours, and it wasn’t known who was going to performed.

In 1995, after 4 years working, they launched the last work with Freddie Mercury, “Made in Heaven”. At the end of this year, the made the last album of the band “Ultimate Queen”, a luxury box with the 20 CD s of Queen. Few months later, they edited they last CD, “Queen Rocks” with a song dedicated to Freddie Mercury “No One but you (Only the Good Die young)”.

*Queen’s bests songs (according to “Rolling Stones” readers)

. Bohemian rhapsody (form the album “A night at the opera”, 1975).