Let's celebrate what a great backing singer he is (of course, he's also marvellous as a lead singer and as a drummer ... and very competent as a composer, arranger, producer, lyricist and rhythm guitarist).
I'll do my list choosing one example from each album but feel free to use your own approach:
* Queen: The soprano part on 'Great King Rat' (chorus 'ahhh's).
* Queen II: 'Father to Son' coda.
* Sheer Heart Attack: 'Flick of the Wrist', just before the second chorus.
* A Night at the Opera: 'Prophet's Song' ('out of the rain').
* A Day at the Races: 'Somebody to Love' (just before the solo) and 'Tie Your Mother Down' (final chorus).
* News of the World: 'It's Late' (final chorus).
* Jazz: 'Don't Stop Me Now' ('explode').
* The Game: 'Sail Away Sweet Sister' (just before the solo).
* Flash Gordon: 'The Hero' (near the end).
* Hot Space: 'Action This Day' (verses).
* The Works: 'Hammer to Fall' ('oh no').
* A Kind of Magic: 'Who Wants to Live Forever' (last chorus).
* The Miracle: 'I Want It All' (outro).
* 'Innuendo': 'I Can't Live with You' (break).
* 'Made in Heaven': 'A Winter's Tale' (climax).
Good choices there! I always liked the Hammer To Fall one myself. Also there's the famous bit in BoRhap ("for MEEEEE")...and the screams at the start of In The Lap Of The Gods :D
He had an absolutely insane falsetto (technically head voice I suppose), especially in the 70's. He had such confidence, tone and vibrato up there.
From the top of my head then:
Obviously Queen I has My Fairy King with its (among serious fans) legendary shrieks.
The Soprano B in the left channel here: https://youtu.be/SoBMhx_ap_g?t=55s is definitely one of his craziest. Other good ones on Queen II can be found in TFFMS, Father To Son (already mentioned, just before the heavy bit), Ogre Battle and Seven Seas Of Rhye.
On Sheer Heart Attack, it's mainly ITLOTG (non revisited), though some of the parts are lead of course.
Although it could probably be considered a lead vocal, this is also quite memorable: https://youtu.be/1WGSFRe7C-g?t=4m2s.That alone takes the whole inferno bit to a whole new level.
You and I from ADATR has great backing vocals in "walking in the moonlight" lines.
Bicycle Race (just before the break with the bicycle bells).
Sebastian wrote:
* Flash Gordon: 'The Hero' (near the end).
I always thought those are all Brian !? It's very comparable to the choirs he did on his solo albums.
Either way - that's one of my favourite moments in the entire Queen catalogue.
Oscar J wrote:
He had an absolutely insane falsetto (technically head voice I suppose), especially in the 70's. He had such confidence, tone and vibrato up there.
Indeed. Do we know if Roger ever did singing lessons or anything of the sort? If not, he must have at least practiced a hell of a lot, and had a very good grasp on the proper technique required to sing with such a powerful & controlled head voice.
Sebastian wrote:
* Flash Gordon: 'The Hero' (near the end).
I always thought those are all Brian !? It's very comparable to the choirs he did on his solo albums.
This is the bit I mean: link
Roger's obviously there.
The only solo song by Brian which has got that exact timbre on the top voice is Starfleet (technically not a solo song but a collab, 'Brian May & Friends'), where there was a young English former dentistry/biology student singing backing vocals. You might recognise his name: Roger Meddows-Taylor.