| dowens 07.06.2011 18:44 |
OK, so I've always wondered this. At the beginning of May's TMLWKY on his "Back to the Light" album, the opening vocal harmonies sound like Freddie. Is it Freddie and Brian's harmonies? I love them and always thought it sounded a lot like Freddie. Since Freddie laid vocals down for this track, could it be? |
| PrimeJiveUSA 07.06.2011 19:00 |
I dunno...but I've always prefered this version of the song than the one with Freddie on lead vocals...it just seems more genuine and sincere. |
| YannickJoker 07.06.2011 23:33 |
Brian can sometimes sound like Freddie, especially during harmonies. It's just Brian, no Freddie there at all. |
| TyphoonTip 08.06.2011 09:40 |
I always thought higher part of the two part "Make you plead and scream and crawl" harmony sounded like Freddie. (particularly the 'plead') I know better now of course, but still I find it compelling every time I hear it. |
| GratefulFan 08.06.2011 11:49 |
I don't think much of this song overall, but in what it tries to be Brian does do a better job. It did seem that his personal identification with it communicated something more searing and emotive. It would be interesting to know what Freddie thought of the song, if he felt he could get behind it emotionally etc. |
| Wiley 08.06.2011 12:31 |
I used to hear a Freddie-ish shade in the "Is dead ahead of you" line in Driven by You. |
| AlbaNo1 08.06.2011 15:53 |
Freddie's version is better . It might seem slightly less heartfelt but the power , control and professionalism of the vocal make it more easy to appreciate than Brian's. On sound similarities both Brian's solo efforts contain a few Queenish effects , the intro to TMWKY would have been great on a Queen album. |
| Holly2003 08.06.2011 16:22 |
GratefulFan wrote: I don't think much of this song overall, but in what it tries to be Brian does do a better job. It did seem that his personal identification with it communicated something more searing and emotive. It would be interesting to know what Freddie thought of the song, if he felt he could get behind it emotionally etc. Spot on. Can't stand this song myself -- too cheesy -- but Brian's version is less cheesy than Fred's. |
| the dude 1366 09.06.2011 00:34 |
I have to say Brian's verson is much better, especially the bise guitar version. i've got it and its beautfiful |
| FriedChicken 09.06.2011 05:08 |
It's Brian. But of course it has the Queen sound. Since Brian's harmonies really make the Queen sound. |
| Sebastian 09.06.2011 10:24 |
No, they don't. They're part of it, an integral part of it, but they're not the Queen sound. There can be Queen sound with or without Brian, just as there can be with or without Roger and with or without Freddie. |
| dysan 09.06.2011 10:28 |
I honestly don't think I've listened to this song. Still reeling from the Tribute Concert performance of it that just went on and on and on and on. |
| malicedoom 09.06.2011 10:32 |
Just throwing in here... wanted to say I really like Brian's version but Freddie's version just KILLS me. Incredible. I far prefer him on the lead vocals. |
| brENsKi 09.06.2011 11:14 |
PrimeJiveUSA wrote: I dunno...but I've always prefered this version of the song than the one with Freddie on lead vocals...it just seems more genuine and sincere. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ don't understand how Brian's version is more genuine and sincere...he didn't write the lyrics.....do they're not his feelings...they're either the lyricist's feelings, or the lyricist's ideas of what Brian's feeling might be...but definitely not brian's if he didn't write them |
| Thistle 09.06.2011 11:18 |
Was just listening to Brian's version earlier and, although I do like it, it's the Queen one every time for me as Freddie's vocals are just astounding on it. It also gave Brian the chance to polish up on the guitars, which again makes the Queen one that touch better. And have to agree with Yannick, Brian does have the knack of sounding like Freddie on harmonies! If anyone has bothered with the Queen + PR show from Chile (2008), during Las Palabras, Brian gives a little "Yeah!", and had I not seen the visuals I would have sworn Freddie was there! |
| GratefulFan 09.06.2011 11:50 |
Holly2003 wrote: Can't stand this song myself -- too cheesy -- but Brian's version is less cheesy than Fred's. ======================= That's it precisely. It's the lesser of two cheevils. Clearly there is a lot of love and respect for the song in many quarters, and it even won that songwriting award. I'm glad it makes a lot of people happy, if that's the right word, but it does nothing for me. |
| GratefulFan 09.06.2011 11:55 |
brENsKi wrote: don't understand how Brian's version is more genuine and sincere...he didn't write the lyrics.....do they're not his feelings...they're either the lyricist's feelings, or the lyricist's ideas of what Brian's feeling might be...but definitely not brian's if he didn't write them ================================== I don't know what his precise contribution was, but he's spoken more than once about his connection with the song and how meaningful it was to him to win an award for that particular song. And you certainly don't have to write every word of a song (or any words in a song) to connect to it emotionally, which is something music fans really shouldn't need to be reminded of? |
| brENsKi 09.06.2011 13:08 |
i don't get the sincerity thing...how Brian's somehow has more sincerity than Freddie's? these were someone else's lyrics.....they may have applied to Brian in many ways....but if you read them closely there are plenty of potential double meanings coupled with the timing of the demo recording.... there are more ways to interpret the "mess of a situation" the singer is in: lots of stuff can allude to death in these lyrics...even the title "Too Much Love Will Kill You" could be a barbed reference to shagging around too much and the consequences...in Freddie's case HIV. maybe this gave Freddie's more relevant sincerity: I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be Too many bitter tears are raining down on me I'm far away from home And I've been facing this alone For much too long In my tangled state of mind I've been looking back to find Where I went wrong I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be And it seems like there's no way out of this for me I used to bring you sunshine Now all I ever do is bring you down How would it be if you were standing in my shoes Can't you see that it's impossible to choose No there's no making sense of it Every way I go I'm bound to lose Too much love will kill you Just as sure as none at all It'll drain the power that's in you Make you plead and scream and crawl And the pain will make you crazy You're the victim of your crime Too much love will kill you Every time |
| The Real Wizard 09.06.2011 22:21 |
Thistleboy 1980 wrote: If anyone has bothered with the Queen + PR show from Chile (2008), during Las Palabras, Brian gives a little "Yeah!", and had I not seen the visuals I would have sworn Freddie was there! ======================== Yeah, there are always those little moments when Brian and Roger sound a bit like Freddie. Or to some ears, a lot ! The Chile video is one of my favourite Queen-related things. Specifically that very song, Las Palabras. As far as I'm concerned, if that performance doesn't move you in some way, then you are not a Queen fan. Yes, Freddie's not there, but two members of Queen get more than half the job done here - link |
| TyphoonTip 10.06.2011 07:48 |
I find it's a fine line with Brian. He can sound great, but when he's trying too hard, it frankly sounds ridiculous. He doesn't have Freddie's voice (power, technique, gift for phrasing etc...), but in the last 15+ years he's, on the odd occasion, fooled himself into thinking he has. His solo singing style within Queen was, for the most part, quite sedate. It contrasted beautifully with Freddie and Roger's natural ability to sing in a more aggressive fashion. And it was a joy to listen to. A man's got to know his limitations. |
| Holly2003 10.06.2011 08:17 |
TyphoonTip wrote: I find it's a fine line with Brian. He can sound great, but when he's trying too hard, it frankly sounds ridiculous. He doesn't have Freddie's voice (power, technique, gift for phrasing etc...), but in the last 15+ years he's, on the odd occasion, fooled himself into thinking he has. His solo singing style within Queen was, for the most part, quite sedate. It contrasted beautifully with Freddie and Roger's natural ability to sing in a more aggressive fashion. And it was a joy to listen to. A man's got to know his limitations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yep. For example, his "unplugged" version of TYMD recentl posted here (from the promotional tour for Another World) shows just how awful he can be. His poor phrasing and misguided attempt at rehearsed "spontaneous" vocals are cringeoworthy. Mind you, when he gets it right, he's a tremendously emotional singer, for example, "Why Don't We Try Again". The stream of consciousness bit in "I'm Scared" from Back to the Light also shows how weak he can be when he moves beyond his comfort zone. |
| Mercuryking 10.06.2011 08:33 |
Whats cheesy about it? Its a great song and Freddie does it much much better than Brian which is not a surprise. Freddies got much more power, precision and his voice is just thousand times better offcourse. Its a great song and if you cant hear that it is then you must check your ears. |
| malicedoom 10.06.2011 09:05 |
I am still dying to hear the ORIGINAL version (Freddie's vocal) of the song that was originally going to be included on The Miracle. Not the shorter demo that's out there - I've heard that plenty of times, but the actual track that they planned on releasing in 1989. Surely they changed it in some way before releasing it on Made In Heaven, right?? |
| TyphoonTip 10.06.2011 09:32 |
malicedoom wrote: I am still dying to hear the ORIGINAL version (Freddie's vocal) of the song that was originally going to be included on The Miracle. Not the shorter demo that's out there - I've heard that plenty of times, but the actual track that they planned on releasing in 1989. Surely they changed it in some way before releasing it on Made In Heaven, right?? Interested to hear that as well. As you say, it would have undoubtedly been altered for MIH. ....just like they altered (read: completely pissed all over) MLHBS, and turned it into a hideous soulless synthfest. |
| Holly2003 10.06.2011 10:53 |
Mercury SingerOfLife wrote: Whats cheesy about it? Its a great song and Freddie does it much much better than Brian which is not a surprise. Freddies got much more power, precision and his voice is just thousand times better offcourse. Its a great song and if you cant hear that it is then you must check your ears. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I did have some hysterical deafness at one point, caused by listening to one of your songs, but I'm okay now. |
| catqueen 10.06.2011 11:20 |
I like both, but i prefer Brian on this song. I like Brian's voice, its so gentle. I have his solo album, and love a lot of the songs on it, but i do find it gets 'old' a lot quicker then Freddie's voice. I don't listen to it a lot. Having said that, I love Brian's version of this and of 39. On 39 i think Brian's voice just fits the tone of the song better -- its a wistful song, and Freddie sounds powerful. But i think for Too Much Love, i just like Brian on it cos of the meaning that he puts into it. |
| Mercuryking 10.06.2011 14:18 |
sorry but it was way before any of my songs tht you got deaf, dont try to fool us. You have been deaf all your life , feel bad for u |
| bootLuca 10.06.2011 14:50 |
I think the queen version has a better arrangement but the brian version is sung better, with more expressive... |
| Silken 10.06.2011 15:10 |
The intro really sounds like Freddie! I can't say one version is better than the other. I love both. |
| Holly2003 10.06.2011 16:00 |
Mercury SingerOfLife wrote: sorry but it was way before any of my songs tht you got deaf, dont try to fool us. You have been deaf all your life , feel bad for u -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What? |
| john bodega 11.06.2011 14:28 |
He gets it right, occasionally. Simply put, he's done a few tracks that are good enough that he cannot be totally dismissed as a singer. Once you reach that level of actually being better than some alleged 'singers', then I think you earn the right to keep giving it a go - shit or bust, as Robert Plant says. Brian's only real crime here is that he isn't Freddie. I still think The Call was a really bad idea, though... |
| woodstar12 14.06.2011 07:46 |
I think its just brian singing. personally I always skip this track though, because I think Brian has a limited vocal range. You can hear him straining his voice on the higher notes...Freddie's version is much better, you can tell that a proper singer is singing. Brian is the greatest guitarist, but he ain't no singer. I think he would be the first to acknowledge that. Roger is a better singer than Brian as well. Brian is ideal on backing vocals. |
| Hangman_96 14.06.2011 08:07 |
It's not Freddie's voice for sure. It's Brian's. He just sounds a bit like Freddie at that instant. I remember him sounding just like Freddie at some spot on the Kharkov concert. Anyway, I've always prefered only Freddie's version because it's the best. I've heard so many people who have made Queen covers and still I haven't heard anyone sounding better than Freddie. Many years will pass and we'll never hear someone who can sound better than Freddie or even near his vocal level, because Freddie was the best singer of all time! Brian is the best guitarist, but Freddie is the best singer and he sounds million times better than Brian, Roger, John (though we haven't heard him that properly), and all other singers in the world. We've lost the best singer in the world and he will be missed forever... |
| john bodega 14.06.2011 10:12 |
You sound like a very dreary person. |
| Hangman_96 14.06.2011 10:32 |
That it is. Everybody can sound dreary while listening to this song and knowing that it had been recorded a few years before Freddie died (I'm talking about Freddie's version). I don't want to say that I did really sound dreary while was writing the above post, but yes, it makes feel dreary a bit. |
| catqueen 14.06.2011 15:57 |
its a sad song!!! its SUPPOSED to make you feel dreary! or at least wistful.... still love it though. |
| john bodega 14.06.2011 18:52 |
"I don't want to say that I did really sound dreary while was writing the above post, but yes, it makes feel dreary a bit. " Well knock it off - there is a lot of music in the world and you've got a wax buildup in your brain if you think the world ended when Freddie died. Every 10 or 20 years 'the music dies', but there's still good stuff around. It is sheer laziness if you don't want to go looking for it. PS. Just don't looking for it on any Top 10's! |
| plumrach 15.06.2011 05:10 |
I really prefer Freddies' version to Brian's |
| mike hunt 15.06.2011 23:13 |
I prefer The freddie Version on Made In Heaven.....The Brian Version starts off nicely, but once the chorus comes he sings out of his range, and once that happens it's all over for me. Brian sings a nice ballad, but if a song is upbeat, or calls for a wide range of singing he'll sound silly. Usually doesn't work for him. The freddie Version has great vocals, and is the better version IMO. Overall, the song is good, but don't consider it one of their best. |
| freddiefan91 16.06.2011 02:40 |
When Brian sang this at Freddie's tribute it was full of raw emotion and it was excellent and I prefer that to his album version, really like Freddie singing it as well though |
| Djdownsy 16.06.2011 08:11 |
I prefer Brian's version, he may not have as good a voice, but i think the arrangement is much better, also the multitracks at the beginning are superb, i'm assuming he used the 'Vocalist'? Not a fan of BTTL, But i actually think 'Another World' is an excellent album, he sounds far better, his range, power and confidence are much better, and how could you NOT love a song like 'The Guv'nor'? |
| john bodega 16.06.2011 11:17 |
Guv'nor sounds like an 80's anachronism, at times I feel like I've accidentally put in the Bill & Ted soundtrack. Bit too daggy for me. But you're right; his singing was way improved on Another World. Why Don't We Try Again holds its own against the work of many singers out there; it is a fine piece of work. |
| ITSM 17.06.2011 07:31 |
This song was quite popular in Norway back in the day. It was on a collection called "Absolute Music 6"... |
| mike hunt 17.06.2011 14:58 |
Djdownsy wrote: I prefer Brian's version, he may not have as good a voice, but i think the arrangement is much better, also the multitracks at the beginning are superb, i'm assuming he used the 'Vocalist'? Not a fan of BTTL, But i actually think 'Another World' is an excellent album, he sounds far better, his range, power and confidence are much better, and how could you NOT love a song like 'The Guv'nor'? I don't like the guv'nor, so There!....Can't stand the song......I agree another world vocally is much better than BTTL, but i still like the latter better. the ballads are good on his solo albums for the most part....Another world is a good one, as is wilderness, |
| Dr Zoidberg 17.06.2011 15:24 |
I have always liked BTTL better than AW, mostly because I think the songwriting on BTTL is better. But the biggest beef I have with AW is that most of the songs on it had already been released in one form or other before the album ever came out - sometimes by 3 or 4 years. By the time AW was released in '98, I'd already heard nearly everything on it. |