QueenZone discussion #1245036
Was It All Worth It -- Queen's last great song?
| Holly2003 13.10.2010 04:55 |
Here's what it says on Wiki: "Was It All Worth It" was composed by Mercury. The song harks back to the band's intricately-produced sound in the 1970s. Though the bulk of the song was masterminded by Mercury, all members contributed ideas and lyrics (for example - Taylor contributed the line "we love you madly!"). Deacon later cited the song as his favourite on the album. Taylor uses a gong and Timpani. Not sure how acurate any of that is but it sounds like a Mercury composition to me. I love this song. There are only two great songs on The Miracle, Scandal and this one. Was It All Worth It is a great big celebration of life and a retrospective comment on their career as a group. It has some excellent riffing by Brian (who had rediscovered some of his gunslinger attitude -- now sadly gone again) and some interesting, if at times, silly lyrics. But I love most of all Fred's understated conclusion -- 'Yes, it was a worthwhile experience!' -- which is a very 'English' way of doing things (e.g. no American 'awesomes' or 'it was like totally worth it man) ;) Too many Bristih bands slip into that mid-Atlantic drawl/phrasing, and Queen occasionally did it too (Bicycle Race), but here it's just ... nice. Queen's last great song imo. |
| FlorianS 13.10.2010 05:13 |
In my opinion innuendo also offers some great songs, but was it all worth it is one of my alltime favorites and clearly the best song on the miracle TO ME and the best song queen did in the 80s. I think it would have been kind of freddies bequest if they would not have recorded innuendo. |
| pittrek 13.10.2010 05:23 |
Last great song ? Have you ever heard about a masterpiece song called "Innuendo" ? |
| john bodega 13.10.2010 05:50 |
Last great song of the 80's. Put it this way; if he'd died an even more untimely death and never completed the Innuendo album, this would be the one people would remember as his 'farewell'. |
| Holly2003 13.10.2010 06:30 |
pittrek wrote: Last great song ? Have you ever heard about a masterpiece song called "Innuendo" ? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't rate Innuendo that highly. It is certainly interesting and different, but not great. The main guitar riff is a simple 3-chord flamenco riff, for example, and not on a par with Bo Rap, MotBQ etc. Of course, simple doesn't always equal lesser quality, and it's mostly a matter of opinion. If you think innuendo is great, good for you. It's certainly ambitious, but the bridge in the middle sounds a litle too much like figure skating music for my tastes :) |
| cmsdrums 13.10.2010 07:03 |
It's a great, indeed fabulous, song, and one of only a few more 'traditional' Queen songs of the later years (if there is such a thing). Strong, brilliantly played, well thought out, and lyrically tongue in cheek. The Show Must Go On has to be their last truly great 'epic' though?? These Are The Days Of Our Lives is a great song (as is A Winter's Tale), but in different ways, but unfortunately the material on the last couple of albums is difficult to judge objectively sometimes due to the circumstances we know existed at teh time of the writing and recording. |
| mike hunt 13.10.2010 07:48 |
Was it all worth it queen's last great song?.....The answer is obviously no for most queen fans. have you ever heard Innuendo?......the show must go on?........These are the day's of our lives?....shit, even I'm going slightly mad is great IMO. The song itself is great, love the middle section. The lryics?.....well, a bit silly in parts, but not horrible. The best song on the miracle, but that's not saying much. Other songs that compete with this great (but not the last great) song on that album are scandal, Breakthru, I want it all. Maybe the title track. |
| Rotwang 13.10.2010 11:21 |
It is a great song and I like the arrangement. However, I think the lyrics resemble those of "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" a little too closely to really consider them a retrospective of their career. The main line I can think of is the use of the trumpet: "We bought a drumkit, I blew my own trumpet" and "He took me to a room without a table, said 'blow your trumpet into here'. Musically and lyrically, I think Scandal is a better track but, like you said, they kind of went back to their arranging and recording roots on this one. |
| Graeme Arnott 13.10.2010 12:25 |
Blew my own trumpet is a saying we english use to mean sing my own praises Ie Freddie telling everybody how Good Queen were. |
| Rotwang 13.10.2010 12:34 |
I never realized that. Thanks for clearing it up. |
| Rick 13.10.2010 15:55 |
Don't Try So Hard is a masterpiece. I like it more than Innuendo. |
| thunderbolt 31742 13.10.2010 18:43 |
It's definitely Queen's best song of the 1980's, kind of a final farewell to the '70s sound which was absent on Innuendo (the album). That said, Innuendo was a great album with some great songs on it, and I'm not sure Worth It was their *last* great one...strong cases could be made for Innuendo (the song) and The Show Must Go On. Personally, I'd rate TSMGO as their last great song, with Worth It being their last great rocker. |
| Amazon 14.10.2010 00:55 |
No, I don't consider WIWI to be Queen's last great song. Innuendo had several great songs; These are the Days of our Lives, The Show Must Go On, Bijou (I don't consider Innuendo to be great), while Made In Heaven also had several great songs; Let Me Live, Heaven For Everyone, TMLWKY. No-one But You was also IMO a fantastic song. Zebonka12 wrote: "Last great song of the 80's. Put it this way; if he'd died an even more untimely death and never completed the Innuendo album, this would be the one people would remember as his 'farewell'." I would agree with that, if only because as WIAWI was the last song on The Miracle and I do consider it to be a great song. It's an amazing song, and it is certainly one of Queen's most underappreciated songs. Is it their best song off The Miracle? I don't think so. I would argue that I Want It All was. Scandal, Breakthru, the title track, and even Rain Must Fall were also terrific. On that note, am I the only person who considers The Miracle to be among Queen's most underrated albums? :D |
| alaynasusan 14.10.2010 03:40 |
I don't know about The Miracle being underrated, everything after A Kind of Magic gets a lot less spin time in my stereo mostly because it just stopped feeling like Queen to me, give or take a few songs. Considering the circumstances I guess it's bittersweet to listen to anything from that time period. When I'm listening News of the World or A Day at the Races, I'm in my own little world where Freddie is very much alive and in his prime. |
| *goodco* 14.10.2010 09:47 |
'Was It All Worth It' seemed so hypocrital on an album of non 'rock' songs. Get rid of a few, throw on the b-sides, and it would have been more 'epic'. Does that make sense? As to 'wiki'.....as to 'The Miracle' LP, it's listed that the original title was planned as 'The Invisible Man'. I was right next to Jackie Smith this summer during a bit of trivia, and she and most of us laughed at that suggestion. As for the band, it's listed that BoRhap was the first 6 minute plus song to make it to #1. A) It was less than 6 minutes. B) Ever heard of 'Hey Jude'? C) BoRhap was a ground breaking video. How was that? The Beatles did Paperback Writer and Rain in '66 as promo videos, when they quit appearing on various TV shows. What about Strawberry Fields and Pennylane a year later? Hell, go to youtube and check out Alice Cooper's 'Elected'. Aired originally on ABC TV's 'In Concert' (blacked out in many markets due to the fear factor of many station managers........I watched it on a UHF station because of this), the night Alice performed 'School's Out', 'Gutter Cats vs. The Jets', and 'Killer', ...if that ain't a promo video, and if that ain't before BoRhap was released, well.......... Also, I always thought that WIAWI was a Brian/Freddie collaboration. Sounds more Brian to me. Moving on.....Other than 'Delilah', all of 'Innuendo' is superb. 'The Show Must Go On' far outshines The Miracle closer. As to MIH, 'Let Me Live' still blows my socks off. Guitar, BVs, and Freddie, Brian, and Roger doing LVs. Finally !!!! Now, to answer the question, their last great song was MIH, Track 12. Succinct, to the point, easy to karaoke, air guitar and drum, positive lyrics, and totally unforgettable. Can't get the lyrics out of my head. Track 13 lingers on about 15 minutes too long. |
| prescott2811 14.10.2010 11:48 |
Was it all worth - Queens greatest last song?? It all depends on how you look at? In what I mean by this is the fact the song is typical Queen heavey rock, heavey lyrics, and even a middle instrumental part with violins in it type of song. It is up there with the greatest Queen songs of the 80s.. Of course we have things like, Another 1 bits the dust, Radio ga ga, A kind of magic, Under Pressure, Las palabras de armor, Scandal, Hammer to fall, Who wants to live forever, All great songs of the 80s. To me Was it all worth it is 1 of those songs I forget about unless I play through the mircale itself. It should of been released as single like all other great Queen album tracks. As rating it I'd give it 10/10 |
| *goodco* 14.10.2010 12:21 |
'Was It All Worth It' was released as a Dutch single, same time as the Greatest Sh*ts III was released, with the Up rah rah crap mix included on it. |
| Sith 14.10.2010 15:03 |
Graeme Arnott wrote: Blew my own trumpet is a saying we english use to mean sing my own praises Ie Freddie telling everybody how Good Queen were. Agreed, In America we say "Toot my own horn". |
| rhyeking 15.10.2010 09:59 |
"Was It All Worth It" Great song? Definately! Last great song? No, others followed! I'm sure there was a certain amount of autobiography in there, but I also think, like many of their songs, they were being somewhat tongue-in-cheek with it, poking a bit of fun at their legacy and experience as rock stars. "Yes, it was a worthwhile experience!" = awesome, hilarious understatement! |
| Martin Packer 15.10.2010 15:38 |
@Zebonka12 I'd go further than that... I reckon WIAWI was written with a fairly strong EXPECTATION it might be the closer on the last album. That Innuendo got made was probably not a given. They'd not have known how fast Freddie might fade. As for the track itself I adore it - even the bits others don't like (including the "corporate jingle" / "iceskating music" piece.) And I'm pleased others have highlighted Scandal - it's a tremendously powerful "from the heart" song. Nobody's mentioned "Breakthru". |
| john bodega 15.10.2010 17:40 |
I used to be easily turned off Breakthru because of the 80's production values, but fuck it .... the song seriously is the whole package. I'd take one Breakthru over 1000 songs like Party. |
| Martin Packer 16.10.2010 08:51 |
@Zebonka12 I agree about Party. It's about as poor an opener as Staying Power. (But again, like Staying Power, maybe it would've come to life played live...) :-( Actually I never had a problem with Breakthru's production... It sounded like fun to make from start to finish. |
| thunderbolt 31742 16.10.2010 22:16 |
I've always wondered if The Miracle was meant to be a live show of an album unto itself. When listened to as a song in its own merit, Party is miserable. If you picture the stage in your head and see Party being played over the PA when Roger, Brian and John coming onstage and taking over their parts as the song progresses, then the bang as Freddie appears to sing Khashoggi, you gain a new appreciation for the tune. |
| john bodega 17.10.2010 03:40 |
I have appreciation for the concept, but they had far superior songs with which to do that shtick. |
| Martin Packer 05.03.2015 07:43 |
Sorry to revive an old thread - but better than to start a new one. :-) I wonder if others had the same reaction as I did when I first heard WIAWI in 1989, namely "why the past tense?" That worried me then and I didn't know why. Now, of course, we do. |
| Day dop 05.03.2015 08:53 |
"There are only two great songs on The Miracle, Scandal and this one." I Want It All might've been overplayed to the point where you take it for granted, but I think it tops Scandal. It's a stronger track. |
| miraclesteinway 05.03.2015 08:56 |
Was it all worth it certainly sounds like Freddie waving goodbye, and I think it has been regarded as his composition by the other members of the group now. Notice in recent years when referring to songs from the Miracle and Innuendo, the writing credits have gone back to the 'original' writers rather than Queen, with Roger being credited with Days of Our Lives, and Brian the Show Must Go On, for instance. It's not the last great Queen song, because I think Innuendo, Show Must Go On, Days of Our Lives, Hitman, Headlong, Slightly Mad, are all good songs for example, but they are in a slightly different direction. It's certainly one of the heavier songs, and perhaps the last great heavy-metal styled track (heavy metal not quite the right phrase but certain hard rock). Interestingly enough, Peter Freestone said that in 1989 the band were told to expect that Freddie wouldn't make it to Christmas that year, but it hadn't quite been put that way to Freddie at that point. Well, lucky for us it didn't turn out that way, but it certainly sounds retrospective and final in a way, but it's far more light-hearted (on the surface) than Show Must Go On. |
| Ale Solan 05.03.2015 09:36 |
Do not confuse opinion or taste with facts. If you like a song, it doesn't mean it's great. Was it all worth it and Innuendo are both great songs, really hard to decide which one is better. No need to. |
| HighWideandHandsome 05.03.2015 10:32 |
The last part of the riff vaguely reminds me of "Tear It Up"... But overall the song doesn't resonate as much with me as say, "Scandal". I do think they intended it to be potentially the final song before Freddie's death, however. |
| Mercurydoc 05.03.2015 12:04 |
I think it's an ok song but not one of my favourites. I'm not a fan of the orchestral middle section. It also feels as if they're trying too hard to write a classic song. I feel the same about Princes of the Universe: all the ingredients are there but there's something missing. |
| Oscar J 05.03.2015 13:34 |
I'm not a big fan of the verses in Was It All Worth It. The melody is so unoriginal. It's like they had that awesome riff, and then realised they had to write a song to go with it and suddenly lost inspiration. Happens with me all the time. |
| ggo1 05.03.2015 13:38 |
I did wonder if it was going to be the last ever Queen song when I first heard it. It had been three years since the last album, they weren't touring, rumours of Freddies ill health had started though pre internet it was difficult to find out anything, even rumours... If it was the last ever Queen song, it would have been a wonderful epitaph... But The Show Must Go On came along two years later and that worked as an even better epitaph for me. Structurally and lyrically not as complex as WIAWI but heck that song has so much power and emotion.. My make up may be flaking... heartbreaking and wonderful... So NO, if they didn't make the Innuendo album I would have said yes... but they did, so it's a no. Bloody good song though. |
| ggo1 05.03.2015 13:41 |
As an addendum, I guess Im saying there are no GREAT songs on Made In Heaven. An album I really like. |
| miraclesteinway 05.03.2015 14:37 |
Actually I think Mother Love is a great song, and A Winter's Tale is a beautiful song - especially as you know it's en exceptionally frail man near the end, still finding so much joy in his world. It's not a young man's song at all. I was born to love you, the Queen version, is a glorious track. So in my opinion I'd disagree with the opinion that MIH has no great songs, but I appreciate all points of view. |
| hobbit in Rhye 05.03.2015 14:58 |
Agree about Mother Love, though it didn't get to you immediately the first time. For me I think Too Much LWKY is a great song in MIH, but seems like not many people here love it...? It may not sound too rock-ish but it has some very nice guitar, and heart-wrenching lyrics. Same opinion with Day dop about I Want It All: it's a powerful song, May absolutely killed it. |
| Day dop 05.03.2015 15:06 |
I Want It All was the obvious choice for leading single. I don't think any of the other tracks would've been such a good choice (Was It All Worth It, although superb, wasn't single material). |
| Mercurydoc 10.03.2015 16:06 |
I love Made in Heaven. The Queen versions of Freddie tracks are brilliant and I think Too Much Love.. Is sublime. For some reason I can't really get into A Winter's Tale. I like the sentiment behind the song i.e. the lyrics but Freddie's vocal is very strained. It reminds me if how he misread One Year of Love by straining rather than using his more mellow voice. |
| Chief Mouse 10.03.2015 16:46 |
Mercurydoc wrote: I love Made in Heaven. The Queen versions of Freddie tracks are brilliant and I think Too Much Love.. Is sublime. For some reason I can't really get into A Winter's Tale. I like the sentiment behind the song i.e. the lyrics but Freddie's vocal is very strained. It reminds me if how he misread One Year of Love by straining rather than using his more mellow voice.Might sound like strain to you but I think he just used this effect on his voice sometimes to give that certain gritty sound. He used it in many songs and recordings throughout his carreer. You might be right about OYOL though but for A Winter's Tale I don't think so. How can he sound 'strained' on "magnificent view" and a second later sing "A breathtaking scene" perfectly clean? Same with "Gentle rain beatin' on my face" and then he sings a higher note on "What an *extraordinary* place!" perfectly clean. By this time in his life he was able to sing really high without any strain. Just listen to those notes in TSMGO or I Can't Live With You - link |
| Gregsynth 10.03.2015 21:16 |
Freddie used distortion and the overdrive vocal mode on recordings like "One Year Of Love" and the tracks that Chief mentioned. |
| Heavenite 11.03.2015 07:27 |
Mercurydoc wrote: I think it's an ok song but not one of my favourites. I'm not a fan of the orchestral middle section. It also feels as if they're trying too hard to write a classic song. I feel the same about Princes of the Universe: all the ingredients are there but there's something missing.There are not many of us, but I'm not a fan of WIWI either. Not much of a fan of Scandal or Breakthru either. It's the maligned Party combined with Khashoggi's Ship that pops my cork! I also really like The Miracle (the song) and I Want It All off The Miracle album. That's why I reckon they are the first four tracks. |
| Martin Packer 11.03.2015 07:38 |
It has struck me that "Hang On In There" is a bit of a counterpoint (at least lyrically) to WIAWI. |
| freddiebluk 11.03.2015 14:36 |
I love that sony, but i think it was apin a way over produced. I don't like the arrangment and the orchestral section. It would had been great to listen to the band play it live. |
| freddiebluk 11.03.2015 14:38 |
I love that song but i think it was in a way over produced. I don't like the arrangment and the orchestral section. It would had been great to listen to the band play it live. |
| Martin Packer 12.03.2015 04:21 |
The OTT production works for me, particularly as it could've been the swansong. Just like TSMGO is overproduced but all the better for it. And TSMGO WAS in a way the swansong. |
| Heavenite 12.03.2015 07:05 |
I know lots of people think Queen is pretentious and overblown, but for me they never were those things. Except possibly for WIWI. TSMGO deserves that sort of production whereas for me WIWI is a bit forced, especially that middle bit, I simply didn't buy into it. I was so glad when Innuendo came out, as I completely bought into those big songs this time around. |
| malicedoom 12.03.2015 14:36 |
I've never liked Was It All Worth It. Not sure I could even properly describe what it IS about it that I... don't like. I just really does nothing for me. I think they made the right choices with what they decided to release as singles from The Miracle. |
| cmsdrums 12.03.2015 15:07 |
The whole point of the song is that it's overblown - I recall an interview with Brian once where he discussed the 'orchestral' section, and the conscious decision to put a car horn right in the middle to show that they really weren't takimg themselves seriously. |
| miraclesteinway 13.03.2015 05:14 |
Short answer to the question how can he sound strained on truly magnificent view, and sing 'a breathtaking scene' clearly, is that it depends on exactly what kind of support and larynx position he used for each phrase - and we also don't know how it was recorded - in one take, or a few? Anyway it's quite common for a singer to have a couple of top notes that are better than something a little lower down. Actually I think Winter's Tale is a stunning vocal performance. One Year Of Love is an overblown vocal performance, the key is too high and he does sound strained. I think they should have dropped it a third actually, but then maybe they wanted this kind of sound of desperation in it. It's actually a very soulful vocal even if it's not my favourite. My opinion only guys, don't give it too much weight. |
| dysan 13.03.2015 05:35 |
Interesting thoughts in this thread. I personally love The Miracle and WIAWI is the best track on there. Totally harking back to QII with is absurdity and one of the best guitar riffs of the whole 80s. It's fun and rocks. It's simple, and complex. I've said it many times before, but May is on fire on this album - I recently listened again with this thought in mind and he's playing like someone half his age. I mean this as in if it was a new band The Miracle would've changed the next couple of years of music. Britpop might have happened earlier for example. I guess in theory it was a new band - they changed how they worked and were refreshed. Even Breakthru has a mind blowing solo, ditto TIM. The only thing I'd have changed is the perennial track order Queen album problem, and had the 2 bonus tracks on the CD on all formats of the record. Yeah, I'd drop MBDM but for the sake of simplicity I'll keep it on there. There was another thread about this about a year ago I think. Chinese Torture should've been the opening instrumental blending into Party (or even better, into WIAWI. The title track in this configuration would make a perfect last track with it's uplifting fade out. But still, the album we have as is is a corker. I mentioned before, my reappraisal of it started with a comment I read in a book (2010ish) that said it was their maddest album. And when you listen to it with this in mind, it is amazing. |
| Heavenite 13.03.2015 06:42 |
Nice summary Dysan! The thing I find amusing is the songs I love are the least favourites of others. Just the same.I do agree that Brian was on fire on this album. For me though, that's especially on the first four tracks |
| dysan 13.03.2015 06:44 |
Agreed! The solo on Party is ridiculous! |
| Martin Packer 13.03.2015 08:42 |
You also have to bear in mind re my Swansong comment they probably really THOUGHT this was their swansong. The fact Innuendo happened afterwards is irrelevant. |
| Chief Mouse 13.03.2015 09:07 |
miraclesteinway wrote: Short answer to the question how can he sound strained on truly magnificent view, and sing 'a breathtaking scene' clearly, is that it depends on exactly what kind of support and larynx position he used for each phrase - and we also don't know how it was recorded - in one take, or a few? Anyway it's quite common for a singer to have a couple of top notes that are better than something a little lower down. Actually I think Winter's Tale is a stunning vocal performance. One Year Of Love is an overblown vocal performance, the key is too high and he does sound strained. I think they should have dropped it a third actually, but then maybe they wanted this kind of sound of desperation in it. It's actually a very soulful vocal even if it's not my favourite. My opinion only guys, don't give it too much weight.I still think that he sang it exactly the way he wanted - he added the grit and roughness on purpose. Here I made a small comparison of the same line being sung from Live Aid and Montreal (CLTCL). Live Aid is clean, Montreal is "gritty". He just felt like singing that way. Greg explained it in a more technical manner. Gregsynth wrote: Freddie used distortion and the overdrive vocal mode on recordings like "One Year Of Love" and the tracks that Chief mentioned. |
| goose44 13.03.2015 10:10 |
Dr. May made this album. His best effort and the record would have been amazing if they let him do even more. Plus get rid of MBDM and Chinese Torture and should have finished IGWFA and put Hijack my Heart, which IMO is the best B side they ever had. The PARTY.KS blend is filler but it pumps up the record for me. If Party was by itself I think it would not work but KS is a nice number and non queen fans friends of mine like it. The miracle, a fun upbeat rock blended with a little funk. It is their most upbeat record, always play in in the summertime especially. |
| dysan 13.03.2015 10:23 |
I agree about Hijack My Heart. Lightweight, but I loved it back in summer'89. Same with Party. It is a throwaway with a great solo, but as a kid in 1989 it was a real call to arms and made me wanna rock at a Party. |
| Oscar J 13.03.2015 11:06 |
Chief Mouse wrote: I still think that he sang it exactly the way he wanted - he added the grit and roughness on purpose. Here I made a small comparison of the same line being sung from Live Aid and Montreal (CLTCL). Live Aid is clean, Montreal is "gritty". He just felt like singing that way. Greg explained it in a more technical manner.I don't think that by 86 he could have sung that song "clean". Sure, he could with CLTCL, but that's because the absence of high notes in that song. In that vocal era, if he wanted to sing around the bottom of the 5th octave, he had to use overdrive. Sure, he got clean high notes here and there (WWTLF D5, OYOL F#5), but only when well past his vocal break, and with a lot of head voice mixed into the note. |
| Chief Mouse 13.03.2015 11:12 |
Well, either way. I do love that roughness about his voice. Makes it sound more powerful to my ears :) |
| The King Of Rhye 13.03.2015 11:43 |
pittrek wrote: Last great song ? Have you ever heard about a masterpiece song called "Innuendo" ?That was my first thought when I read the title of this thread! |
| Gregsynth 13.03.2015 12:46 |
Oscar J wrote:Gimme The Prize is a good example of Freddie singing with and without distortion in spots. On that line "I am the one the only one - I am the God of kingdom come" he starts off with some distortion on the B4s - then when he raises the notes to C#5, there's that cleaner tone (without distortion) on the first few words.Chief Mouse wrote: I still think that he sang it exactly the way he wanted - he added the grit and roughness on purpose. Here I made a small comparison of the same line being sung from Live Aid and Montreal (CLTCL). Live Aid is clean, Montreal is "gritty". He just felt like singing that way. Greg explained it in a more technical manner.I don't think that by 86 he could have sung that song "clean". Sure, he could with CLTCL, but that's because the absence of high notes in that song. In that vocal era, if he wanted to sing around the bottom of the 5th octave, he had to use overdrive. Sure, he got clean high notes here and there (WWTLF D5, OYOL F#5), but only when well past his vocal break, and with a lot of head voice mixed into the note. If you're singing up in the 5th octave like that - lightening the voice or mixing more head voice into the notes make it easier to sing (plus it's less strain on the vocal cords). If you overdrive too much chest into your mix voice (a problem Freddie had live), you can hurt your voice. |
| Chief Mouse 13.03.2015 12:49 |
Gregsynth wrote:Oscar J wrote:Gimme The Prize is a good example of Freddie singing with and without distortion in spots. On that line "I am the one the only one - I am the God of kingdom come" he starts off with some distortion on the B4s - then when he raises the notes to C#5, there's that cleaner tone (without distortion) on the first few words. If you're singing up in the 5th octave like that - lightening the voice or mixing more head voice into the notes make it easier to sing (plus it's less strain on the vocal cords). If you overdrive too much chest into your mix voice (a problem Freddie had live), you can hurt your voice.Chief Mouse wrote: I still think that he sang it exactly the way he wanted - he added the grit and roughness on purpose. Here I made a small comparison of the same line being sung from Live Aid and Montreal (CLTCL). Live Aid is clean, Montreal is "gritty". He just felt like singing that way. Greg explained it in a more technical manner.I don't think that by 86 he could have sung that song "clean". Sure, he could with CLTCL, but that's because the absence of high notes in that song. In that vocal era, if he wanted to sing around the bottom of the 5th octave, he had to use overdrive. Sure, he got clean high notes here and there (WWTLF D5, OYOL F#5), but only when well past his vocal break, and with a lot of head voice mixed into the note. Speaking of which. C_Matt made this - |
| Gregsynth 13.03.2015 12:50 |
Yep - that's exactly the line! What a voice! |
| miraclesteinway 13.03.2015 13:10 |
Yup - the B is pretty much in the chest voice, and the C# is head voice by raising the larynx position. You know what, for a man who was largely self taught he really did know his techniques and how to use them. Most rock singers don't have half of his ability and haven't got a clue about voice placement. I think if he were still alive, he'd do a fair bit of vocal coaching work in exclusive arrangements with up and coming younger singers, and established artists who require a boost. |
| Oscar J 13.03.2015 16:53 |
Gregsynth wrote: Gimme The Prize is a good example of Freddie singing with and without distortion in spots. On that line "I am the one the only one - I am the God of kingdom come" he starts off with some distortion on the B4s - then when he raises the notes to C#5, there's that cleaner tone (without distortion) on the first few words.Exactly. When he moved up the 5th octave, the tone started to clear up again. |
| sgs8789 13.03.2015 21:16 |
Always thought Innuendo was a great song as was The Show Must Go On. Maybe a bit less so but in their own way were These Are The Days of Our Lives, Bijou and I'm Going Slightly Mad. |
| hobbit in Rhye 14.03.2015 03:46 |
Was It All Worth It, while great song, doesn't touch me as much as their 70s stuff. It's epic, but it has a "mature" 80s tone to it. Not like I'm against their 80s, but it's doesn't have the freshness, the groundbreaking feeling, and even particularly, the delicious piano track of Queen's early songs. They couldn't recreate that, no matter how they try. I guess that's the beauty of youth. |
| tomchristie22 14.03.2015 07:23 |
I wish I could love Was It All Worth It. I like it, but it doesn't move me. I think it's down to the fact that I find the lead vocal's melody fairly uninspiring, and more importantly, where vocal harmonies do appear, they sound so hollow and uncharacteristic of Queen. It's all three of them singing them, as far as I can tell, it's just the way they were treated in mixing etc which makes them underwhelming. Granted, that's probably a problem with The Miracle on the whole, but it detracts greatly from what's considered a standout song, I feel. |
| k-m 14.03.2015 12:47 |
Holly2003 wrote: pittrek wrote: Last great song ? Have you ever heard about a masterpiece song called "Innuendo" ? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't rate Innuendo that highly. It is certainly interesting and different, but not great. The main guitar riff is a simple 3-chord flamenco riff, for example, and not on a par with Bo Rap, MotBQ etc. Of course, simple doesn't always equal lesser quality, and it's mostly a matter of opinion. If you think innuendo is great, good for you. It's certainly ambitious, but the bridge in the middle sounds a litle too much like figure skating music for my tastes :) |
| k-m 14.03.2015 12:48 |
"the bridge in the middle sounds a litle too much like figure skating music" What the hell?!? The bridge is amazing, some of the finest seconds of music Freddie ever conceived and put on tape. The song is pretty good overall and it has this apocalyptic feel, which was so different. A big hit in many countries. Having said that, the "Innuendo" album contains many more truly great songs - "Slightly Mad", "Don't Try So Hard", "Bijou" and "The Show" are divine in my opinion. "All God's People", "Days of Our Lives" come close and there are some really solid and enjoyable rockers too. "Headlong" and "Delilah" are probably the only weaker tracks, but I think they blend well with the rest of the album, adding a bit of lightness to it. A much better album than "The Miracle" in my opinion, although I do enjoy the latter too, as it is difficult not to enjoy it. It's a very rejuvenated record, bursting with good energy. Freddie sounds great and there are some very good, catchy tunes on it. Quite amazing, I think, when you think of the circumstances. Finally, let's not forget about "Made in Heaven", which contained gems like "A Winter's Tale", "Mother Love", "You Don't Fool Me" as well as fantastic versions of "Heaven for Everyone", "Made In Heaven", "Born to Love You" and "Too Much Love Will Kill You". In fact, when I look at this list now, I think their output from Freddie's diagnosis onwards was really amazing and brought so many classic tracks as well as a few deep cuts, hidden on the albums. 1987 - 1991 - a very prolific era for Freddie and Queen. "Was it All Worth It" was pretty good as well and it had this fantastic, meaty riff by Brian, but no, they came up with at least a few more great songs after it. |
| dysan 14.03.2015 13:22 |
Interestingly, I think much of the criticism of the Miracle production is also true of Innuendo and that really prevents me from getting so attached to it. That said, I know the main difference - TheMiracle was a summer album and Innuendo was a winter album so somehow reminds me of coldness. I wonder if anyone else gets that who bought them on first release. |
| k-m 14.03.2015 16:28 |
dysan wrote: Interestingly, I think much of the criticism of the Miracle production is also true of Innuendo and that really prevents me from getting so attached to it. That said, I know the main difference - TheMiracle was a summer album and Innuendo was a winter album so somehow reminds me of coldness. I wonder if anyone else gets that who bought them on first release.I get that, but it doesn't really affect my enjoyment of music. It's just something that is there in the back of my mind, but a tune stays a tune, doesn't matter which month or year it was released. Unless one was going through something really traumatic at the time, of course. Music can really bring back bad memories then. I do wonder what you mean in the first sentence though. Could you elaborate? |
| dysan 14.03.2015 16:52 |
It's just that I listened to The Miracle a lot in the summer, and Innuendo a lot in the winter and I associate those days and that feeling with both. The Miracle production is more in your face that the Innuendo production and seems to benefit rather than making Innuendo sound a bit half hearted. To be honest, I switched off Queen after The Miracle so in honesty didn't give Innuendo my full attention. I didn't like the look of the band by 1991 and I guess found them a bit passé. I've confused the issue haven't I? :) |
| k-m 14.03.2015 17:50 |
Lo, yes I think you have confused it a little bit :-) Anyway, I agree with what you're saying about production. "The Miracle" has a very clear, lucid sound and you can hear a lot of the individual elements, whereas "Innuendo" always sounds a bit "quiet" to me. I need to turn the volume up and I don't think it should be like that. Still, I value the "Innuendo" songs more, but obviously it's a personal choice and I don't expect anyone to agree. I do wonder now what you mean with the look of the band? ;-) Is it the fact they were all filthy rich by then, Freddie liked his shirts and John started getting grey hair? ;-) |
| dysan 14.03.2015 17:55 |
I don't think anyone looked their best in 1991! |
| dysan 14.03.2015 17:59 |
And I do like many songs off Innuendo. Just for me The Miracle is shorter and somehow better for it. |
| k-m 14.03.2015 18:15 |
dysan wrote: I don't think anyone looked their best in 1991!I thought Brian looked terrific in '91. Just look at the "Innuendo" booklet. What a contrast to poor, ailing Freddie... |
| hobbit in Rhye 16.03.2015 19:14 |
Great lyrics though. "It didn't matter if we won - if we lost, Yes we were vicious. yes we could kill" and "We went to Bali, saw God and Dali" lol (all thanks to John) Remind me of Sinatra's My Way. |
| tomchristie22 17.03.2015 06:43 |
The lyrics do have that playful and self aware quality that's so central to Queen's music. The same certainly can't be said for Show Must Go On, Days of Our Lives, or Mother Love, each of which serve as farewell tracks in certain capacities, much like Was It All Worth It was almost certainly intended as one. |
| goose44 17.03.2015 09:54 |
The Miracle and The Works are summer records where as Innuendo and Made in Heaven are winter records because of the production. Strange but true! |
| The King Of Rhye 17.03.2015 12:51 |
goose44 wrote: and put Hijack my Heart, which IMO is the best B side they ever had.You're not the only one with that opinion, but I disagree. Not even my favorite Roger-sung b-side or my favorite Miracle b-side! And then there's SWAFIB, I Go Crazy, Soul Brother, Lost Opportunity..... But again, to each their own.....;) |
| hobbit in Rhye 17.03.2015 14:07 |
tomchristie22 wrote: The lyrics do have that playful and self aware quality that's so central to Queen's music. The same certainly can't be said for Show Must Go On, Days of Our Lives, or Mother Love, each of which serve as farewell tracks in certain capacities, much like Was It All Worth It was almost certainly intended as one.You meant "The same certainly can be said for...", right? If there're any lyrics that sound so much Queen, it's Show Must Go on ^^ |
| tomchristie22 17.03.2015 15:13 |
hobbit-in-Rhye wrote:I did mean can't - Show Must Go On's lyrics certainly are excellent, but they're pretty serious stuff, I would have thought.tomchristie22 wrote: The lyrics do have that playful and self aware quality that's so central to Queen's music. The same certainly can't be said for Show Must Go On, Days of Our Lives, or Mother Love, each of which serve as farewell tracks in certain capacities, much like Was It All Worth It was almost certainly intended as one.You meant "The same certainly can be said for...", right? If there're any lyrics that sound so much Queen, it's Show Must Go on ^^ |
| Fat Bottomed Queen 13.08.2015 08:57 |
What baloney! All of MIH and Innuendo is fantastc. all of it. not 1 bad song out of the 2 of them IMO. I used to despice Headlong but now i like it. |
| Chief Mouse 13.08.2015 09:12 |
^ Well, some would say Delilah. |
| Costa86 13.08.2015 09:15 |
Anthony Venus wrote: What baloney! All of MIH and Innuendo is fantastc. all of it. not 1 bad song out of the 2 of them IMO. I used to despice Headlong but now i like it.Not a good idea to despice Headlong, without its garam masala it leaves one wanting. |
| Invisible Woman 23.07.2017 02:51 |
Was It All Worth It is great and i love this song but in my opinion the last great Queen's song is Innuendo. |
| Sebastian 23.07.2017 07:19 |
IMO, it's either 'A Winter's Tale' or 'Mother Love'. They're not as anthemic as 'Was It All Worth It' or 'The Show Must Go On' but they're really beautiful. |
| Metropolis 09.07.2019 16:32 |
Wow. It's been a long time this thread was replied to. I loved Was It All Worth It. I've heard that it was meant to be Freddie's farewell since he didn't expect to be able to live long enough to finish another album, but of course, he was able to finish Innuendo, and The Show Must Go On became his farewell song instead. |
| MisterCosmicc 09.07.2019 21:22 |
Was It All Worth It sounds like sophisticated English... somehow. It’s a great track, but not my favorite. I use to really love it so much more in the 90’s. |
| Toozeup 12.07.2019 02:57 |
Innuendo and A Winter's Tale are even better imo |
| Metropolis 12.07.2019 05:49 |
The Show Must Go On is more like an anthem, like We Are The Champions, stating Freddie's determination to keep going and never give up Mother Love is Freddie's final vocals, and it has a real symbiotic meaning, and listening to it I always feel like Freddie is gone already, whereas in the other ones he's still fighting These Are The Days Of Our Lives is nostalgic and recalling the good old days, having a very wistful but loving melody Was It All Worth It is Freddie validating everything he had done in his life, saying that everything he did was indeed worth it So yeah, that's my opinion on the "farewell songs". Strictly my opinion. |
| dysan 12.07.2019 07:20 |
Am I alone in thinking Mother Love stinks? Deep meaning whatevz. |