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Queen

Queen In early 1970 the band Queen was formed. Freddie Mercury on vocals, Brian May on guitar, Roger Taylor on drums and Mike Gross on bass. They had known each other for years. All living in the town of Kensington in Britain, sometimes even living together. Brian and Roger belonged to a band called Smile, and Freddie was a very talented vocalsit playing for the band Ibex. They decided to join forces, to better themselves, and their chances of obtaining fame and fortune. After a few months with only a few gigs Mike Gross left the band. He was replaced by Barry Mitchell, who only played a few gigs with them. After a few short months they were looking for their third bass player. Roger, was at a party one night and was introduced to John Deacon, an electronics major at the University of London and a good bass player. The two hit it off, and Deacon became the new member of Queen. The early days were not easy for the bnd. They had few gigs to play and received little money. They had great confidence in themselves. They knew they could make it. The gigs they did play were at small colleges, or pubs. They were glad to show their ability even if the crowd was small. The songs they wrote were improving, and they were learning how to execute an exciting live show. Before long, they were hungry for a record deal. They went to every company, but no one would sign them. Finally in 1972 Trident records signed Queen, along with two other bands as a package. Atleast now, Queen had sufficient studio time. Meanwhile they were making a name for themselves with their live performances. They were loud and energetic, and a following was beginning to assemble. Recording for Trident was not all they had hoped it would be. They had to use spare studio time, because major artists like Elton John and the Beach Boys, were top priority. In 1973, Queen had completed the demo tapes which would later become their first album. Trident helped sign them to their parent company EMI after many negotiations. EMI granted them more studio time, and paid them a descent amount of money. Even then EMI could see that under the raw demo tapes, was a talented group of musicians. On July 6, the band's fist single "Keep Yourself Alive was released. It received mixed reaction from both Britain and the U.S. The album titled "Queen 1" was released later that week. It climbed to #24 in Britain, but stalled at #83 in the U.S. They were asked to be the opening band for the band Mott The Hoople on their tour of the U.K. They won many of the crowds over, and let the world know how talented they were. After the tour they recorded their second album appropriately titled "Queen 2". The single Seven Seas Of Rhye was a huge hit in the U.K The album climbed to #4 in the U.K and even reached the top 50 in the U.S. where the bands popularity was growing rapidly. They continued their exhausting tour scheduele going throughout the U.K. and even to Japan! The japanese loved them They were recognized almost as Gods. In 1974 they released their next album "Sheer Heart Attack" and it reched the top fifteen in the U.K. as well as the U.S. In 1975 all the hard work was recognized. "A Night At The Opera" was released backed by the epic single "Bohemian Rhapsody". The song gave them their first #1 in the U.K., and it reached the top five in the U.S. The song had everything from hard rock to opera mixed into it. The band was eveolving as songwriters, and Brian's fine guitar work, anf Freddie's powerful vocals did the single justice. Their next two albums "A Day At The Races" and "Jazz"were very successful throughout the world, but even greater success was just ahead. In 1977 they released their first double A side single "We Will Rock You", written by Brian, and "We Are The Champions" written by Freddie. The single gave them their first number one in the U.S. and fueled the sales of the album "News Of The World". They continued to tour the U.S., Japan, and Europe showing an amazing desire to please their fans. They wore rediculous outfits and tons of Jewelery to make ervery show a dramatic experience. Freddie especially, was known for his utrageous skin tight frocks. The band's ninth album "The Game" received great chart success and the "Elvis style" single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" hit #1 virtually everywhere. In 1980 the band changed their image considerably. They were no longer wild. Freddie cut his long hair, grew a mustasche, and stopped wearing the rediculous outfits that werre notorious at their live shows. The rest of the band followed suit. In 1982 while they were recording their next album, they met David Bowier in the studio, and reocrded a dong together. It was the first time they had collaborated with another artist. The song was called "Under Pressure", and was an instant success. The album "Hot Space" saw the bands style change drastically. It was full of synthesizers and electronics, and did not sit well with "hard rock" queen fans. The fans thought they had lost their edge, but the band insisted they were only exploring new styles. 1984 saw the release of "The Works".The first single, written by Roger was titled "Radio Ga Ga". The lyrics praised radio, in a time when MTV was immensely popular. The single hit #1 in seventeen countries, but only reached #13 in the U.S. Still, the band toured almost everywhere, even playing shows in South America. At about this time they were asked to write muisc for the movie Highlander. They graciously accepted and in 1986 the album "A Kind Of Magic" was released to coincide with the movie. The albumwas ignored by the U.S., but topped the charts everywhere else. They toured throughout Europe, even performing in the huge "Wembley Stadium" to over 200,00 fans. They did not tour America, because they felt they were being ignored. In 1988 after some time apart the band got together to record a new album. It was called "The Miracle". This was the first album where all the songs were written as a band, together. The idea worked so well, they wondered why they hadn't done it before. They produced an excellent album that even charted well in the states. They did not tour to promote the album, because Freddie wanted to "break out of the album then tour cycle" and try something new. The tabloids were quick to question his health. He insisted he felt better than ever, and that eased the fans' worries. In 1990 Freddie dragged the band back into the studio to record a new album. It was odd to record a new album so quickly after their previous release. The result was an superbly made album. In my opinion it's their finest material. It was released in 1991 and was a success throughout Europe, and reached the top 40 in the U.S. On November 23 Freddie addressed the public telling them of his battle with Aids. The next day he died. No one knows how long he had the disease, but some estimate about five years. The rest of the band decided that no Freddie meant no Queen. Brian, Roger, and John went into the studio together and compiled outakes from past studio albums and produced their final album "Made In Heaven". It was a strong album, and a fitting end to Queen's reign. They will forever be recognized as one of the most influencial bands in music history. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1296