Queen: Classic Or Dud

Regarding being liked by morons, etc. -- if I had judge all fans based on the majority of those I've encountered, I would have to call Belle and Sebastian fans all a bunch of annoying, stuck-up, blinkered elitist fucks, for instance. That I know a number of fans of said band who do *not* resemble this description in the slightest demonstrates the worth of not being so categorical. ;-)

I don't think of Queen as pretentious. It's actually the flash & entertainment I don't like.

Regarding being liked by morons, etc. -- if I had judge all fans based on the majority of those I've encountered, I would have to call Belle and Sebastian fans all a bunch of annoying, stuck-up, blinkered elitist fucks, for instance. That I know a number of fans of said band who do *not* resemble this description in the slightest demonstrates the worth of not being so categorical

OK this was an exaggeration on my part, although I didn't actually say that all their fans were morons, but that the band appealed to morons (ie they undoubtedly appeal to others as well, but morons - or something approaching that - do form a considerable part of their following).

I should have entered that in the absolving thread, actually ...

As for this moron business: quite frankly, every single band in the world that ever achieved even 10 album sales appeals to morons, because the majority of the world are morons. And I can't help but think that someone who has decided that U2, Tina Turner, and Oasis (plus Queen) SPECIFICALLY appeal to morons - considering Tina Turner is a fantastically good singer, for instance, makes the whole thing a bit odd - falls into the group. What a blithely ridiculous thing to say. It was a thing to say that was SO DUD IT'S CLASSIC. So it fits in the end. Hurrah.

ps-It doesn't hurt to pick up an album besides the greatest hits albums. Try Sheer Heart Attack, News of the World, or Night at the Opera

OK I should never have used the word 'morons' because it's an exaggeration, and because it would seem to anyone on this forum that likes Queen that I'm insulting them personally.

Nevertheless, the artists I listed do have something in common - a rabble-rousing mass appeal that attracts large numbers of a certain kind of person (who is more comfortable with things that lots of other people like).

As to Tina Turner being a "fantastic singer", that's debatable. She has a powerful voice and no doubt puts on a good live show. But that isn't really relevant to my original comments about why I dislike Queen (who are themselves great musicians and have recorded some rock/pop classics).

I'm largely in agreement with Ned Raggett's assessment. Queen's Seventies albums (well, the stuff before Jazz) are something of a guilty pleasure. Lotsa good stuff on Night at the Opera and News of the World. And the first minute or so of "Death on Two Legs" is an indisputable classic -- Sonic Youth would kill (or they should kill) for an entrée like that one; the nasty bitchiness of the lyrics is a plus too. And "39" is the best song McCartney never recorded. Also, anyone who likes the Smashing Pumpkins fan claims to hate Queen is either deaf, stupid, a hypocrite, or some combination thereof.

Minus: overplay of their songs, most of their Eighties output.

p.s.: The back-and-forth on "their fans are morons" is some of the funniest shit I've read yet. LMAO.

As for the morons debate well i think your generalising a bit mate. Dont ask me what i think about metalheads... death metal, country and wester, most r&B, I think you will find morons in any category of music in fact i will back up what a previous post mentioned and say that generally people are stupid. (is that generalising?) and to a lot of people I am but who cares!

Queen Rock... one of the timeless classic bands.. never to be seen again as processed pop (or should I say marketed pop) takes over. Its now sadly a teenage girl industry. Makes me sick!

Much as I like them, not entirely. Listen to those early Sparks records. ;-)

My comments were stupid and I retracted them.

Marcello: Britglam? Absolutely. "You're My Best Friend" RoXoR. But I still can't think of a worse example of 80s fascism of size. Apart from Opus, maybe. Ah, enter Laibach :).

undoubtedly classique, especially period between long hair silver jump suit freddie and suspicious moustache de-closeted freddie aka sheer heart attack => a night at the opera => a day at the races => news of the world => jazz best run of consecutive albums EVAH?

"I don't care much for them fairies... but Freddy Mercury did fuckin rock."

They occasionally make the same comment about the guy from Judas Preist.

It was a mix of bands, but mostly Iron Maiden.

Anyone who dares deem Queen a dud has lost control of his/her senses, and ought to be dunked in a barrel of rancid milk until reason reclaims its rightful iron fist on the steering wheel of their brain bus.

Buy "Hot Space". I'm curious what Tijn would make of that album.

The Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls is lucicrous, preposterous, beyond words. Also catchy, funny, and genius (or at least crafty).

Hahahahahahaaha

Could very well be, Anthony.

I'd rather listen to Journey instead of Queen, no question

― Οὖτις, Friday, October 28, 2016 4:18 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

belongs in the GTFO Hall of Fame it does

Assuming they are defensible at all, I refuse to believe that Queen or Journey, let alone the Eagles, are "good" beyond their hits.

man whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

I'm not big on Queen I (though "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Liar" are good), but Queen II is fantastic almost front to back, as is Sheer Heart Attack and Night at the Opera. you shoulda seen how we were geeking out in the Queen poll about deep cuts.

I'd rather listen to Journey instead of Queen, no question

― Οὖτις, Friday, October 28, 2016 4:18 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

belongs in the GTFO Hall of Fame it does

― Neanderthal, Friday, October 28, 2016 10:31 PM (twenty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

shit I even silently sided w/ shakey over being callus on the RIP of Anna Nicole but this is just blatent bad taste

There's excellent deep cuts on pretty much all of Queen's studio albums, and a lot of singles that didn't even make it onto either Greatest Hits or Greatest Hits II.

Yeah, I'll give them another shot (for the record: Queen is not dud, they are silly, but so is a lot of music.) It's tough, because like a handful of bands Queen is not really about "hits," as such, but AOR monoliths (a la Zeppelin). Maybe because those monoliths are so, well, monolithic, that explains why I've never been able to get into them as an album act? When you have "Bohemian Rhapsody" on an album, it tends to overshadow things. (That's probably why it's at the end.) Anyway, I know I saw the "Night at the Opera" classic albums doc, which means I've heard a few deep cuts for sure, but looking at the track list I think I recognize (beside "Best Friend" ) "Car" and "39." Will relisten next week. Looks like I even own the records! I recall liking Queen II (which is all deep cuts?) and Sheer Heart Attack.

My opinions about Queen are well documented here: why did rock critics hate Queen so much in the 1970s/80s? for those who care

duke, i deeply care but it's not the destination; it's the Journey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIcdj4UH9u0

(No comment on Queen, someone just forwarded me this trove. I've yet to make it though any of them! Earth Wind and Fire one was particularly rough.)

wow, thanks for introducing me to shittyflute

like a primary school recorder class meets the Portsmouth Sinfonia.

Probably the Queen song I hate the most:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BmL_HZdqbg

'We Are The Champions'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e61lGbGeu8

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/queen-news-of-the-world-40th-anniversary-5-disc-super-deluxe-edition/

Also - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOZuIV2FZTc

Interesting that this one is getting the anniversary treatment.

Would much rather have deluxe overdose editions of day at the races and sheer heart attack

Yeah, I agree!

hm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y7X6le5qmE

I mean, I've seen worse?

https://i.imgur.com/rMHrPim.jpg

The Freddie in this BBC production isn't terrible, though his moustache is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xipkQboBAE

looks pretty hacky tbh, can't imagine the one-two of a decent mid-length doc and a concert film wouldn't be 10x better

I thought the Days of Our Lives doc was decent, but could have been better. I think the definitive Queen doc is yet to be made and I think the quality of it would be down to how much the band members feel comfortable about revealing and John Deacon's involvement.

As long as the movie's second half covers 'Nazis 1994' and music May wrote for Timothy Spall's 'Frank Stubbs Promotes' then I'll be satisfied

so? I haven't seen it, haven't decided whether I want to, but surely someone here has…

There’s a thread on ILE; I can’t link from Zing.

Come anticipate BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY with me, the 'troubled' Queen biopic starring Mr Rowboat as F. Mercury

I wonder how many times I'm going to have to explain to people that Queen didn't actually split up and were actually in full touring mode by the time of Live Aid...

Haven't seen the film yet but I just know the coverage of that pre-Live Aid period is going to extremely irritating

BE

day-oh

The movie does have some good things about it - the actors playing Brian May and John Deacon are really dead-on, and I was blown away by how they recreated the Live Aid gig at insane levels of forensic detail... that must have taken some serious fucking rehearsing.

However, the script/dialogue is woeful in places, and a lot of the fucking about with the timeline and historical facts is really irritating to me. I'm really supposed to believe that they performed 'Fat Bottomed Girls' on an American tour in 1974? (This is just one example of... well, far too many)

Yeah, I understand that it was supposed to be relatively "family friendly", and that there's so much that would have impossible to explore with any degree of depth over 90 minutes, but this would have been easier to live with if they hadn't fucked about with the facts too much.

My favorite Queen songs not written by Freddie.

Listening to the Flash Gordon soundtrack this morning...wow is that a wacky record. Parts of it would not sound out of place on some of Trans Am's later records with the synth parts.

My favourite Queen songs not written by Freddie:
Keep Yourself Alive (Brian)
Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll (Roger)
White Queen (Brian)
Brighton Rock (Brian)
Tenement Funster (Roger)
Now I'm Here (Brian)
I'm in Love with My Car (Roger)
'39 (Brian)
The Prophet's Song (Brian)
Long Away (Brian)
Sheer Heart Attack (Roger)
Plus various bits of the Flash soundtrack not written by Fred

Not much John there I guess, sorry John.

No love for "Another one Bites the Dust"? That's an all time groove all genres.

He also wrote You're My Best Friend.

Here's ten of fifteen:

[1. “Back Chat” (John Deacon)
2. “A Kind of Magic” (Roger Taylor)
3. “Under Pressure” (Queen/David Bowie)
4. “The Invisible Man” (Roger Taylor)
5. “Hammer to Fall” (Brian May)
6. “Dragon Attack” (Brian May)
7. “You’re My Best Friend” (John Deacon)
8. “Calling All Girls” (Roger Taylor)
9. “39” (Brian May)
10. “I Want to Break Free” (John Deacon)

I'd prefer Another One Bites the Dust if it was actually played by Chic, rather than Roger "Not Funky" Taylor trying to sound like them.

You're My Best Friend is endlessly charming.

Dragon Attack features a brief but monstrously thrilling drum spotlight.

You're My Best Friend my go-to song when I want to demonstrate to someone how a Wurlitzer electric piano sounds different than a Fender Rhodes

Is YMBF Wurlitzer or Fender Rhodes?

Wurlitzer

the Wurlitzer has a gritter "bark" or "growl" (at least when played loud), whereas the Fender Rhodes is more mellow and chiming.

good lord A Day At The Races is great and I don't think I've ever heard any of these songs before? was there a hit?

Somebody To Love was the big single, #2 in the UK (and a totally sublime bit of faux gospel). Tie Yr Mother Down went #31, and Good Old Fashioned Loverboy - which I never liked as a kid but is now the excelsis of Queen's joyous whimsy to these ears - hit #17. It's my favourite LP of theirs after Sheer Heart Attack, and a lot less bitty and uneven than A Night At The Opera. You Take My Breath Away and Long Away are both crazy beautiful, and White Man is like a heavier and more focused Prophet's Song, and Teo Torriate is just wonderful, a big, blousy, over-the-top emotional anthem.

thanks!

i think nowadays Good Old Fashioned Loverboy is maybe my fave queen single

"Drowse" might be Roger Taylor's best song, more considered than his earlier contributions.