| cacatua 27.11.2009 16:57 |
A rather interesting article: http://thequietus.com/articles/03315-queen-finding-the-gems-beyond-the-gilded-headgear-of-the-greatest-hits I'm sure we all have our own recommendations though. |
| The Real Wizard 28.11.2009 18:29 |
Excellent reading. I thoroughly enjoyed that. |
| cacatua 28.11.2009 19:04 |
I thought Good Company deserved to be included, just for one thing, but I thought it interesting too, to hear the others evaluate the ones they chose. |
| mooghead 29.11.2009 13:53 |
This is poor. Non Queen fans will be rushing to youtube to listen to the dregs, like More of that Jazz/Fun It/ She Makes Me/ Mustapha/Get Down Make Love etc...... Will do Queen no favours. Where's Sweet Sister/Long Away/You and I/You Take My Breath Away/Millionaire Waltz/etc.... Cool Cat??? ffs! |
| cacatua 29.11.2009 15:41 |
We are all here because we love the music of Queen, but everyone has different tastes as to what he or she likes. What I thought was interesting about this article was that each contributor explained WHY he liked the song he chose, which made me want to revisit each song and give it another listen, trying to see it in the light of why this person liked it. |
| ParisNair 02.12.2009 13:10 |
Does no one like White Queen? Its been my fav Queen song from some time now, and I think it is so powerful and hard rocking. |
| Sebastian 02.12.2009 13:45 |
Great article |
| dragon-fly 02.12.2009 13:48 |
White Queen is adorable. |
| ParisNair 02.12.2009 14:36 |
ParisNair wrote: Does no one like White Queen? Its been my fav Queen song from some time now, and I think it is so powerful and hard rocking. Oh I'm sorry, I meant to say White Man here. |
| dragon-fly 02.12.2009 15:23 |
White Man is excellent too :) "A man who learned how to teach but forgot how to learn". |
| Angeline 03.12.2009 16:00 |
cacatua wrote: We are all here because we love the music of Queen, but everyone has different tastes as to what he or she likes. What I thought was interesting about this article was that each contributor explained WHY he liked the song he chose, which made me want to revisit each song and give it another listen, trying to see it in the light of why this person liked it. Enjoyable article - thanks for posting it. |
| ilikefreddyguy 03.12.2009 16:36 |
mooghead wrote: This is poor. Non Queen fans will be rushing to youtube to listen to the dregs, like More of that Jazz/Fun It/ She Makes Me/ Mustapha/Get Down Make Love etc...... Will do Queen no favours. Where's Sweet Sister/Long Away/You and I/You Take My Breath Away/Millionaire Waltz/etc.... Cool Cat??? ffs! I LOVED Cool Cat. Hell, I loved the entire "Hot Space" album. It's such a shame when an artist can't broaden their horizon because of whiny fans who are afraid of a little change. As far as I'm concerend anyone who considers "Hot Space" their worst album isn't a fan very much at all! "It's only a bloody record, people get so excited about these things." |
| *goodco* 03.12.2009 18:58 |
Sorry, but I was a fan of theirs for eight years before the '5 years post Disco Demolition' LP was released, so..... (side two is OK, but.........) Moving on............the article was a fun and great read. Like going down memory lane, with individuals who really knew the band. Kudos for the 'She Makes Me' and 'Fun It' comments. Always thought 'Fun It' should have been on side one of 'Jazz', between FGB and 'Bicycle Races'. Sound and mix work so much better there than it's place on side two. The commentators also had such a great way with words. Well done. Thanks for the link. |
| rhyeking 03.12.2009 23:36 |
Six words: The March Of The Black Queen |
| Amazon 04.12.2009 10:11 |
rhyeking wrote: Six words: The March Of The Black Queen Abslolutely! One of the greatest songs of all time, and everyone ignores it. I really wish that Queen would rerelease it in a compliation. It deserves to be become much better known. |
| The Real Wizard 04.12.2009 11:25 |
BlazeGoldmine wrote: I LOVED Cool Cat. Hell, I loved the entire "Hot Space" album. It's such a shame when an artist can't broaden their horizon because of whiny fans who are afraid of a little change. As far as I'm concerend anyone who considers "Hot Space" their worst album isn't a fan very much at all! Agreed. It's easy to judge something based on its commercial success (or lack thereof). For its ambitiousness alone, it's better than The Works or A Kind Of Magic. And there's no doubt it influenced Thriller in some way, as MJ was into Queen at the time. |
| Wiley 04.12.2009 18:03 |
Sir GH wrote: Agreed. It's easy to judge something based on its commercial success (or lack thereof). For its ambitiousness alone, it's better than The Works or A Kind Of Magic. And there's no doubt it influenced Thriller in some way, as MJ was into Queen at the time. I completely agree with Mister GH here. I think I still have Hot Space as my fave in my QZ profile. I like it a lot, just as much as I like ANATO, Races and The Game, which are the albums I enjoy the most and I listen more frequently. It was the last time Queen actually took a BIG RISK in an album. Mixed results, yes, but it still managed to get a #1 single in the UK and a couple of Top 20-ish hits in the U.S. Glad that you mentioned MJ and the influence on Thriller. I found this article a while ago (it's from Dec. 2007). link It's in Spanish but the last bit translates to: Michael Jackson has recently acknowledged that Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker was one of his references at the moment he put together Thriller. It was "a piece in which every song was an ace", he claims. But Queen's Hot Space was even more present during the recording. |
| The Real Wizard 04.12.2009 21:28 |
Wiley wrote: Michael Jackson has recently acknowledged that Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker was one of his references at the moment he put together Thriller. It was "a piece in which every song was an ace", he claims. But Queen's Hot Space was even more present during the recording. Very cool !! |
| Sebastian 04.12.2009 22:18 |
We'd already commented that, and I'd already mentioned that article. And the conclusion's the same: Did HS influence Thriller? Yes. But: Would Thriller still have existed without Hot Space? Yes. |
| *goodco* 05.12.2009 01:46 |
Wiley wrote: "Michael Jackson has recently acknowledged that Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker was one of his references at the moment he put together Thriller. It was "a piece in which every song was an ace", he claims. But Queen's Hot Space was even more present during the recording." RECENTLY acknowledged?!?!?!? |
| The Real Wizard 05.12.2009 01:58 |
Sebastian wrote: Did HS influence Thriller? Yes. But: Would Thriller still have existed without Hot Space? Yes. But: How different would it have been had Hot Space not existed? That we'll never know. |
| mooghead 05.12.2009 04:14 |
Sir GH wrote:BlazeGoldmine wrote: I LOVED Cool Cat. Hell, I loved the entire "Hot Space" album. It's such a shame when an artist can't broaden their horizon because of whiny fans who are afraid of a little change. As far as I'm concerend anyone who considers "Hot Space" their worst album isn't a fan very much at all!For its ambitiousness alone, it's better than For its ambitiousness alone it beats than the Sistine chapel. Unfortunately, ambitiousness is irrelevant. |
| The Real Wizard 05.12.2009 11:52 |
mooghead wrote: Unfortunately, ambitiousness is irrelevant. Umm... why, exactly? Ambitious bands created records like Revolver, Led Zeppelin III, Exile On Main St., Tales From Topographic Oceans, Hot Space, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and Zooropa. Not all of them are great records, but the artists deserve credit for the risks they took. |
| Amazon 05.12.2009 17:51 |
There is no doubt that HS was ambitious (although to claim it was more ambitious than the Sistine Chapel is a bit of a stretch), and ambition is important, but if the album isn't particularly good, then I don't think the ambition counts for much. Personally, I really like HS. While it's not one of my favourite albums, I think it has some terrific songs (with Staying Power being my favourite rather than the overrated Under Pressure), has some wonderful performances from Freddie who was clearly enjoying himself and demonstrated Queen's versatility and willingness to explore different things. Staying Power, Put Out the Fire,Las Palabras de Amor and Dancer, and probably Under Pressure (certainly due its bass line) are arguably among Queen's best songs of 1982-'89. They aren't necessarily THE best of that era (each of the other albums have songs which would challenge them, and perhaps surpass them), but there's only really one song from that era which is so god that I think it leaves the entire HS album for dead. That's I Want It All, and it's from an album which I think is Queen's weakest. |
| GratefulFan 05.12.2009 20:56 |
'I Want it All' seems so universally loved and respected that simply hearing it's name makes me feel like a bad fan. I find it tedious and dull. But focusing on behind the hits: If your mission was to convert someone who had never heard of Queen, or someone who thought they didn't like them based on the hits or the singles, into a fan, what five songs would you introduce them to? So, no hits, nothing that's ever been released as a single and nothing that was on Greatest I, II or III. My of the top of my head list that could change without warning: Tenement Funster Death on Two Legs (with the backstory) I'm in Love With My Car Dragon Attack Hitman (with an explanation that I think it's about AIDS) Ones that almost made the list: She Makes Me '39 More of that Jazz |
| The Real Wizard 05.12.2009 22:33 |
Amazon wrote: That's I Want It All, and it's from an album which I think is Queen's weakest. Interesting, the difference in opinion.. ! I think The Miracle is far stronger than the three records that came before it. There are a couple weak tracks, but The Miracle, Breakthru, and Scandal are amongst their top ten 80s songs in my books. Party and Khashoggi's ship are as classic Queen as it gets, with the trademark sounds combined with trying out new sounds. |
| Ziggy_SD 06.12.2009 00:10 |
People who dismissed Hot Space as a bad album should be shot, killed, arrested. It was a millions times better than the trash that followed it like The Works and A Kind of Magic. Sonically speaking, it failed because it was black music produced by a white rock band. In the end, it sounded like wimpy white disco with no balls. But when those songs got translated on stage, they sounded hot and powerful. |
| Wiley 06.12.2009 01:04 |
Sebastian wrote: We'd already commented that, and I'd already mentioned that article. And the conclusion's the same: Did HS influence Thriller? Yes. But: Would Thriller still have existed without Hot Space? Yes. Did I say this was never commented before? No. Is it against the rules to discuss previous topics again? No Do I find people who answer their own questions to make a point over and over again a bit annoying? Yes. Was Paul Rodgers Freddie's favorite sing... erm... Sorry, that was YOUR line. |
| Amazon 06.12.2009 10:44 |
GratefulFan wrote: 'I Want it All' seems so universally loved and respected that simply hearing it's name makes me feel like a bad fan. I find it tedious and dull. But focusing on behind the hits: If your mission was to convert someone who had never heard of Queen, or someone who thought they didn't like them based on the hits or the singles, into a fan, what five songs would you introduce them to? So, no hits, nothing that's ever been released as a single and nothing that was on Greatest I, II or III. My of the top of my head list that could change without warning: Tenement Funster Death on Two Legs (with the backstory) I'm in Love With My Car Dragon Attack Hitman (with an explanation that I think it's about AIDS) Ones that almost made the list: She Makes Me '39 More of that Jazz Yes, you're a terrible fan! Just kidding. Considering that I'm one of the few people on this site who isn't in love with ADATR and Innuendo, you are not alone in having unusual tastes. Five non-hits that I would show to someone who had never heard of Queen: (this could change at any time) 1)The March of the Black Queen- one of the greatest songs ever made, the is arguably be the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' of non-hits. 2)Death on Two Legs- vicious, sadistic, and absolutely extraordinary. I can not believe that this isn't better known. It would also have been interesting to hear a metal group like Metallica's take on it. 3)The Prophet's Song- my favourite Queen song, it's not perfect, but is brilliant enough to warrent selection in any 'best of' list. It's a masterpiece! 4)Sleeping on the Sidewalk- arguably Brian's best lead vocal performance, and one of my absolute favourite May-written songs, this is IMO a superb example of a Queen song which does not feature Freddie on lead vocals (or at all). 5)In Only Seven Days- arguably Queen's greatest love song, this was IMO John's finest hour as a song-writer. Freddie was gorgeous as always (Ireally loved it when he crooned), and the song was magnificently written. There are plenty of other non-hits that could qualify, but those are the five I would introduce to a non-Queen fan, at least for for today. |
| GratefulFan 06.12.2009 12:56 |
Amazon wrote:
There are plenty of other non-hits that could qualify, but those are the five I would introduce to a non-Queen fan, at least for for today.
Sleeping on the Sidewalk! Forgot about that one...definitely would have been an honourable mention for me too. I also really like Black Queen as well...in fact my list of my personal favourite non hit tracks would probably overlap but not exactly match my list of tracks I would initially introduce to a non fan. Queen I and Queen II both have many moments of greatness, but for the most part the sound is very much of it's era. I didn't choose any tracks off the first two for my list because unless the listener already has a taste for that very identifiable Uriah Heep-y late sixties/early seventies feel it might be a wash. It's a testament to Queen's musicianship that so many of their songs that followed could have been written then, or last week, or twenty years from now when they will still be revered. It's rarely a nostalgia trip with decades old Queen songs - it's just great tunes right now. |
| dragon-fly 06.12.2009 13:11 |
Have somebody mentioned The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke and Flick Of The Wrist? If no, they are worth mentioning :) |
| Amazon 08.12.2009 11:29 |
Sir GH wrote:Amazon wrote: That's I Want It All, and it's from an album which I think is Queen's weakest.Interesting, the difference in opinion.. ! I think The Miracle is far stronger than the three records that came before it. There are a couple weak tracks, but The Miracle, Breakthru, and Scandal are amongst their top ten 80s songs in my books. Party and Khashoggi's ship are as classic Queen as it gets, with the trademark sounds combined with trying out new sounds. I like The Miracle (I like all of Queen's albums), but what lets it down IMO in comparison to the previous three albums is that HS came across to me as much more fresh, The Works IMO had a larger number of very good to terrific songs and AKOM benefitted by being alligned with Highlander. The Miracle is also the 80's album I listen to the least, however IWIA remains one of my favourite Queen songs. Oh, and the other thing about the album, is that with a few songs (Party for example), Freddie came across as a little weird to me. It's funny though. For many years, I avoided it because I hadn't had a good experience with it in the past, however a couple of years ago, I forced myself to listen to it, and I really enjoyed it. It is my least favourite Queen album, but in no way do I regard it as a bad album. |
| ilikefreddyguy 08.12.2009 16:01 |
Oh dear, I feel I've started a wave of HS arguments. I understand why people don't LIKE that album, but as far as I'mconcerened that argument is long dead, and judging by the reactions on the forum, it was just as the record sales were- mixed reactions. Enough said, dearies. And someone needs to be kicked for not bringing up "My Fairy King." For me? I'd be sure to include "See What A Fool I've Been" at some point, Freddie's (by far) campiest singing, and it came out very bluesy, and it showed off some lovely sarcastic cynicism in it's lyrics. I was honestly surprised to find out Brian wrote it. |
| Angeline 08.12.2009 17:51 |
1) Prophet's Song 2)In the lap of the god's revisited... 3)my melancholy blues 4)march of the back queen 5)don't try so hard. 6) 39 7)Death on two legs. One of my favourite songs on Hot Space is Life Is Real. It strikes a cord. |
| Unblinking Eye 10.12.2009 04:17 |
I must say, I think that was an excellent article, demonstrating that Queen probably had better songs beyond the hits than with them! |
| Bo Alex 10.12.2009 13:42 |
The article is very good. But I would choice: 1- My Melancholy Blues 2-White Queen 3-The Millionaire Waltz 4-The March Of The Black Queen 5-Tenement Funster and many more, of course... |
| cacatua 10.12.2009 16:26 |
Seems to me that Queen recorded very few songs that were losers. Put that togther with all of the genres they covered, and it makes them very enduring. Although they definitely have their "sound" as a group, their songs are not endlessly repititious variations of very similar songs. ( As in I like some Gordon Lightfoot songs, but a whole GL album starts sounding very much the same and becomes tiresome.) If I'm in my shop working on something and begin a journey through my Queen albums, they don't get tiresome at all. Or maybe I am extremely biased! Also each player in the group had something substantial to add to a song, so that sometimes I listen to a particular song with a special ear for Brian's guitar work or Roger's drums, and so on. Freddie contributed a lot, and casual fans probably think Queen=Freddie Mercury, but he wasn't the only star. |
| Amazon 11.12.2009 12:07 |
Angeline wrote: 1) Prophet's Song 2)In the lap of the god's revisited... 3)my melancholy blues 4)march of the back queen 5)don't try so hard. 6) 39 7)Death on two legs. I love those songs! Prophet's Song is my favourite Queen song, and it along with Black Queen and Death on Two Legs are three of five songs I would introduce to a non-Queen fan, but the rest are also fantastic. ITLOTGR features a great vocal performance from Freddie, My Melancholy Blues is beautiful, DTSH is stunning and 39 is magnificent. Great list! |
| mike hunt 11.12.2009 16:32 |
Amazon wrote:Angeline wrote: 1) Prophet's Song 2)In the lap of the god's revisited... 3)my melancholy blues 4)march of the back queen 5)don't try so hard. 6) 39 7)Death on two legs.I love those songs! Prophet's Song is my favourite Queen song, and it along with Black Queen and Death on Two Legs are three of five songs I would introduce to a non-Queen fan, but the rest are also fantastic. ITLOTGR features a great vocal performance from Freddie, My Melancholy Blues is beautiful, DTSH is stunning and 39 is magnificent. Great list! my melancholy blues is one of my favorites. A lot of queens best songs were never hits. Fairy feller's masterstroke/nevermore was brilliant. Obvouisly the prophet song is one of the best. Flick of the wrist! |
| Angeline 12.12.2009 12:43 |
Amazon wrote:Angeline wrote: 1) Prophet's Song 2)In the lap of the god's revisited... 3)my melancholy blues 4)march of the back queen 5)don't try so hard. 6) 39 7)Death on two legs.I love those songs! Prophet's Song is my favourite Queen song, and it along with Black Queen and Death on Two Legs are three of five songs I would introduce to a non-Queen fan, but the rest are also fantastic. ITLOTGR features a great vocal performance from Freddie, My Melancholy Blues is beautiful, DTSH is stunning and 39 is magnificent. Great list! Thanks Amazon! Pity I detracted away from it by spelling 'chord' cord! |
| john bodega 12.12.2009 14:12 |
Hot Space was a great idea, it was just terribly executed. |
| Amazon 13.12.2009 23:00 |
Listening to Cool Cat at the moment (as recommended by the article that led to this thread), and while it's not one of my favourite Queen songs, it really does show what an extraordinary and versatile vocalist Freddie really was! |
| mike hunt 14.12.2009 01:08 |
Amazon wrote: Listening to Cool Cat at the moment (as recommended by the article that led to this thread), and while it's not one of my favourite Queen songs, it really does show what an extraordinary and versatile vocalist Freddie really was! cool cat one of Queen's best songs?...It isn't of of queens best, but I still like the song. One of my favorites on hot space. I think the album had great ideas, but somethings lacking. It had huge potential. I gone through my hot space moments. I heard a live version of body language, it kicked ass. Love the freddie/roger duet. They should have done more that in the studio... I can't believe how much better the hot space songs are live. |
| Amazon 15.12.2009 10:01 |
No, I don't think it is one of Queen's best, but Freddie's falsetto showcases his range and talents. As for the album; Staying Power, Put out the Fire, Dancer, Las Palabras de Amor and Under Pressure to a lesser extent were IMO among Queen's best 80's songs (with Staying Power being the masterpiece). |
| Wiley 15.12.2009 13:37 |
About Cool Cat, how about that rythm guitar? It sounds very atypical for a Queen song but I do believe it's Brian playing. Isn't it? It doesn't sound like John's rythm guitar playing (AOBTD, Staying power live) but I'm no expert. |
| mike hunt 16.12.2009 04:06 |
Amazon wrote: No, I don't think it is one of Queen's best, but Freddie's falsetto showcases his range and talents. As for the album; Staying Power, Put out the Fire, Dancer, Las Palabras de Amor and Under Pressure to a lesser extent were IMO among Queen's best 80's songs (with Staying Power being the masterpiece). I like staying power, but don't thinks it's a masterpiece. Almost hit the mark with that one. Kicks ass live!...For me the best 80's, are, it's a hard life, who want to live forever, under pressure. IMO, put out the fire is worse than body language. |