| FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN 10.10.2012 23:15 |
Please vote for Freddie and the gang on The Top Tens for Best Singer, Best Male Singer, Best Band, etc..... Freddie needs your help! And your votes! There are lots of categories that are Queen related, including Best Band From The UK, Best Classical Rock Band, Best Vocalist, etc.... Thanks! Freddie and Queen thank you! :) |
| The Real Wizard 11.10.2012 00:47 |
Freddie needs helpNo, he doesn't. If Freddie wins, it won't prove that he was the best. It will prove that more people who like Freddie found out about the poll and voted. Music isn't a contest. I pray for the day that the human race can move beyond partisanship and favouritism and simply learn to enjoy things for what they are instead of having to assert their tastes over other people's. |
| waunakonor 11.10.2012 16:11 |
The Real Wizard wrote:I do too. However that's not the case, so in the meantime, let's all be annoying, insufferable Queen fans and try to convert everyone to Queenism. Let's treat it like it's a religion.Freddie needs helpNo, he doesn't. If Freddie wins, it won't prove that he was the best. It will prove that more people who like Freddie found out about the poll and voted. Music isn't a contest. I pray for the day that the human race can move beyond partisanship and favouritism and simply learn to enjoy things for what they are instead of having to assert their tastes over other people's. Hell, let's go door-to-door preaching the Great Word of Freddie to all the poor mortal souls who will listen. |
| FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN 13.10.2012 00:57 |
To the Wizard... Thanks anyway for your less than enthusiastic reply. I'm still a mere embryo in the world of Queen and just got into them a few yrs ago.....so forgive me if my passion for Freddie and Queen, overwhelms you. But, as Freddie would say, "I don't give a s**t!" I LOVE QUEEN & I ADORE FREDDIE!!! Can't believe it took me a lifetime to find him/them, but I'm making up for lost time. And having seen every big name live who was ever worth seeing, but barely even remembering them, and then seeing Queen only on TV and getting totally blown away by them, I think I can safely, unequivocally, assert, undoubtedly, that Queen is the most amazing, most awesome, and greatest band ever to grace the Earth! If that's too much bias for you, too damn bad! Then you're in the wrong place, pal. For what is life without passion? You can pray all you want for "the day that the human race can move beyond partisanship and favouritism," but when you lose your passion, you might as well die! And if ever there was place to "assert" our tastes over other people's, I'd say that this the perfect place to do just that. All music is Not the same. A lot of it just sucks! And then there's the magic of Queen!.....And Freddie Mercury!....With the voice of an angel, whose unbridled passion injected life into every note he sang, exemplifying the spirit and miracle of being alive. Unlike the luke-warm, namby pamby acceptance of all music like you're suggesting, I absolutely reject such a dreadful proposal: mediocrity for the mundane. Like it or not, people Do have likes/dislikes & favorites.....Thank God!!! Sad is the day when we all like the same stuff with the same nauseating, listless, sheep-like indifference! Queen is far and above anyone else and everyone else! And.....Freddie.....there are no superlatives invented yet to properly describe his genius! Also, votes don't prove anything. We don't need votes to tell us how extraordinary Freddie is & how brilliant Queen is. It's just that when there is a vote, it's good for Queen to finally get the recognition & admiration that was denied them by the media. It was only due to Queen's devoted and supportive fan base that they blossomed & rose above all (media) expectations. So this vote is not to confirm my belief in Queen, which is unwavering, but to publicly put them in their proper, rightful place in music history, which until you and your lackluster response, was not in question. So ya, there are tons of dedicated Queen fans like me out there......Thank God! And Freddie Does need our votes and loyalty! Deal with it!! |
| tomchristie22 13.10.2012 07:43 |
Haha. I don't think he was trying to dampen your enthusiasm. I absolutely love Queen's music as well, I would be entirely willing to spend my life trying to reach their level of skill and musicianship, even though I wouldn't even come close. But I think the point was more that we don't need to assert our enjoyment of Queen onto others. Queen fans don't need to prove to anyone that Queen is the greatest band ever, because that's just a selfish, pointless thing to do. If your enjoyment of the music and the band relies on them being literally better than any other musician in their realm, then you need to rethink your priorities. The fact is, there's no legitimate way of saying which singer, band or anything is the 'best' one because there's simply no way of comparing. |
| brENsKi 13.10.2012 09:59 |
concur with all THREE replies. no need for these polls...they're based on which fanbase can whip up the biggest posse.... these things are only ok - when they detail the true subjective nature of the responses... a poll called "greatest ever rock song" is a load of bollocks with no meaning or basis of truth a poll called "listeners' favourite rock song" has some credit as it clearly states it's about people faves and anyway - while you're trying to get us to vote subjectively, i'd like to correct you - queen are NOT the greatest ever band. - and as a queen fan i'm being objective about this |
| The Real Wizard 13.10.2012 14:05 |
FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN wrote: >> For what is life without passion? You can pray all you want for "the day that the human race can move beyond partisanship and favouritism," but when you lose your passion, you might as well die! << But that *is* my passion - that we learn to respect one another instead of compete. Competition for money and status is what is tearing this world apart, and competition in the form of lists like this is an extension of it. It gives license to people to say "here's why my tastes are better than yours." >> Unlike the luke-warm, namby pamby acceptance of all music like you're suggesting << I didn't suggest that. Surely there is middle ground between "one band is the greatest band ever" and "let's tolerate all music." Let's try to move beyond binary thinking. It's important that we celebrate what we love and are passionate about - but not at the expense of others. Healthy exchange of dialogue and passions does not have to mean "my favourite band has more fans than yours," which is ultimately all that these polls are. If there is one greatest band ever, it is The Beatles. No entertainers of the last century have shaken popular culture as they did. But naturally, we must not blur the line between effect on popular culture and individual tastes. So on a personal note - by believing that one band sits on the throne (hehe, pun intended) above all, you actually might be doing yourself a disservice by closing yourself off to possibilities of discovering other great music that might reach you just as profoundly, or ... dare I say it ... more profoundly ! Wouldn't it be great to have numerous "Queens" in your record collection, as it were? Just some food for thought .. !? |
| FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN 14.10.2012 17:53 |
To The Real Wizard: OK, you need to read more carefully....esp the part where I said that I Had seen (Live!) every big name there was to see.....so many groups, so many shows.....none of which even stand out. Then when I saw Freddie, I was blown away!!!!! THIS is what music is about, I realized! And that was THROUGH the TV, since it was only a few yrs ago! So, to answer your 'concern,' I Have been exposed to all kinds of music, & plenty of it, & have seen ev since the 60's! Collected everything, (still have the vinyls! lol), and saw everyone who was anyone, then graduated w/ the times to current stuff, since I really don't like 'old music,' ironically. Then I got whacked w/ the magic of Queen...Through the TV, when I heard, really heard, music for the first time! And saw/experienced a performance so extraordinary, so vibrant, so electric, so spectacular....Freddie making the music come alive! Freddie's passion, laid out: bold, brazen, & so beautiful! And since I just 'discovered' Queen, it was all new to me! (So no silly nostalgia there!) It was all new and fresh, current and relevant......not old, stale, boring, and dead. I was hooked! There've been Plenty of "Queens," as you say, in my repertoire already. I've moved on....and am enjoying my excursion into the real Queen, a band so eclectic that it boggles the mind. How they could go from the frenetic Stone Cold Crazy & Dead On Time to the lovely Nevermore & Love Of My Life is astonishing.....plus everything in between! I have musicians in my family, so don't worry, I hear all kinds of music, from all genres and times. Nothing resonates and captures my soul like Queen! I cannot believe you brought the ubiquitous Beatles into this! The luckiest group in the world....but the best? Not by a long shot! Most records sold? So what! They were at the right place at the right time. Hence: the luckiest! The talents of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, The Isley Brothers, etc. paved the way for them to slide onto the scene. The music culture, the atmosphere, the social climate were all rife with revolution & at the tipping point. It wasn't them, per se, but the times in which they emerged. Their live shows were laughable, esp next to a force like Elvis! Plus their sophomoric tunes were, well, sophomoric, for the most part. And their singing, not so good, either. So, I don't know where you get that they were the 'greatest,' if just by their record sales or popularity, then shall I remind you of a little boy named Justin Bieber.....the most Googled person on the face of the Earth? But does that make him the greatest?! Unfortunately, the exceptional don't always get acknowledged so easily, or get the breaks that lesser ones do. So, let's not go by popularity. The mundane will always sink to the mediocre and follow the masses. Do not equate recognizability/popularity w/ actual talent or worth. And don't get me started on how passion for one band is at another's expense.......oh, boohoo!! Give me a break and grow a pair! Yes, some people are more talented than others. Just a fact of life, my dear. Alas, we are not ants, who live to please only the queen (hehe!), and sacrifice our lives so that others could thrive. We are individuals, w/ specific likes/dislikes that will always involve some poor sap's feelings getting hurt at some point b/c he's not as liked as the next. Oh well, that's life. The sad and joyous vicissitudes of life, but more importantly, the wonderful freedom of choice, and being able to express one's heart, unbridled by the 'ant' mentality of the need to fit in. Life would be very boring if we all conformed to the same simple things, just to appease 'feelings,' don't you think? Hence: the free will thing, to like and love what we want, apart from and despite the scrutiny or pained feelings of others. Ya, it would be nice to all just get along and love everything about everyone, blah, blah, blah.....but the truth is we are all different, w/ diff views, loves/hates. I have definite favorites in every aspect of life, & will continue to, even if it's at the detriment of another. Some folks are just more opinionated and run either hot or cold, rather than lukewarm. Call me crazy, but I just don't like to listen to stuff I don't like to listen to; others don't mind, and that's just....sweet. But as far as I'm concerned, Queen is for the discerning music lover like me. And as far as polls go, I couldn't give a crap about them, really. I don't need them to affirm my love for Queen; I'm perfectly confident that, for me, they are the greatest ever. This, after many yrs of a lot of mediocrity come and gone, but only a few memorable gems in the mix. Queen is that gem! :) |
| FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN 14.10.2012 17:59 |
To The Real Wizard: Your passion is to remove other people's passion?? That's a pretty sad state of affairs, and, frankly, a little scary! How is taking someone's passion from them ever a 'good thing?' |
| winterspelt 14.10.2012 20:04 |
Freddie doesnt need help. Musicians (pros and amateurs) people from the music business, fans from different generations, fans from another musicians, people who dont even know about music, etc etc knows about Queen's legacy and impact all over the world and some pool will never change that or give additional recognition. They dont even need a RnR hall of fame, a grammy, or any other (and more famous) prize from the press/music business. Online pools are made only to get traffic to websites and get more money from advertising and stuff like that. |
| brENsKi 15.10.2012 13:18 |
to the OP: the beatles were not lucky. they were innovative and they forged a path for many 70s bands try listening to the last half-dozen albums in order of recording: rubber soul, revolver, sgt pepper, the beatles, let it be, abbey road listen to the development, the pushing of boundaries, the imagination....marvel at how the f*ck sgt pepper sounded so complicated when there were only four tracks for recording onto? earlier tracks like "in my life" show an creativity and keeness to try new things, they single-handedly advanced music culture to a state where bands like the who, the small faces, kinks et al were encouraged to experiement also - or get left behind without the beatles - there would be no queen. you readily dismiss them - but all of queen cite the beatles as influences....you dismiss the beatles at your own aural cost....i pity you. |
| brENsKi 15.10.2012 13:33 |
FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN wrote: To The Real Wizard: OK, you need to read more carefully....esp the part where I said that I Had seen (Live!) every big name there was to see.....so many groups, so many shows.....none of which even stand out.________________________ seeing queen on tv isn't real you know...you do know the sound is always corrected/fixed/repaired for broadcast/film or dvd...don't you? only way to know exactly how good/bad a band is live - is to actually see them live...you didn't with queen...so you can't accurately judge them - so don't imply otherwise. think you should share with us who you call "every big name there was to see" i'm not judging you - i just don't thin you have realistic benchmarks/comparators....for what it's worth - i do! my own list of bands that i went to see live - and NOT on tv includes deep purple, queen(x5), lizzy, ufo, scorpions, msg, dire straits, bowie, elton john, inxs, ad/dc, quo, meatloaf, hawkwind, julian cope, saw doctors, whitesnake, rainbow, and many many more besides |
| AlbaNo1 15.10.2012 15:02 |
Would many of the good points made above not suggest a more accurate description of The Beatles as being "most influential" rather than "best". |
| brENsKi 15.10.2012 17:11 |
in addition to being the best. queen have been my favourite band for 38 and a bit years...but i accept that although queen might be my favourite, they're somewhere round about 2nd-4th as regards greatest they would probably have been a shoo-in for 2nd until the mad doctor spent the last 10 yrs doing untold damage to the queen legacy my own objective assessment is that it's something like: 1. beatles 2. zep 3. the who 4. queen 5. floyd 6. bowie 7. elton john 8. deep purple 9. dylan 10. elo btw - before someone flames me...i actually detest almost everything zep and their hype machine ever did i wouild've rated purple higher except for the same reasons i rate queen lower....gillan's been turning them into a cabaret act these last ten years |
| winterspelt 15.10.2012 19:22 |
I would place Jeff Beck in number 3, Hendrix in 4 and Ritchie Blackmore (instead of Deep Purple) in number 5. The amount of influence by Led Zeppelin is unavoidable, but everytime I hear Page's music I cant stop thinking "is this music an original work or is this another piece of music taken from somebody else?" |
| brENsKi 16.10.2012 10:43 |
most zep was derivative but then nearly all music is i generally dislike zep...i could count about ten track of theirs i like...until "in through the out door" - i like most of that album |
| tomchristie22 17.10.2012 05:40 |
The original poster only proves his ignorance by saying that he's seen every band there is to see, and he believes none of them can even be considered good except for Queen. |
| The Real Wizard 17.10.2012 14:06 |
FREDDIEKINGOFQUEEN wrote: >> Your passion is to remove other people's passion?? That's a pretty sad state of affairs, and, frankly, a little scary! How is taking someone's passion from them ever a 'good thing?' << Way to put words in someone else's mouth. It is possible to separate passion from partisanship and favouritism, and to enjoy something not at the expense of something/someone else. Just take a moment to entertain that thought and move beyond binary thinking. Your comparison of The Beatles to Justin Bieber has discredited you from having a discussion about music history even at a novice level, and thus ended my involvement in this thread. |
| Holly2003 17.10.2012 15:44 |
Talking of Zep, I'm just back from seeing Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day in the cinema and it was more awesome that I ever imagined. Best live versions I've heard of Stairway, Kashmir and Song Remains the Same. STH was really moving. And Jimmy is still a gunfighter! Truly epic. Drop whatever you're doing and go see it. Very well-filled theatre too, unlike Queen-Budapest a few weeks back. That's probably relevent to this discussion but the topic starter is so musically narrow-minded I can't be bothered to join in. |
| brENsKi 17.10.2012 16:20 |
you know what? i agree with you about those live versions - planet rock have been playing a different one on their "live a 5" each teatime this week... only thing is i can't get my head round that version of kashmir....it's not that it's not good....just that i can't get used to it...sounds a little like they were experimenting with how they'd do it live, but still hadn't quite decided right up until the moment they played it |
| GratefulFan 17.10.2012 16:22 |
Holy jeez Holly! Yet one more reason why you're my hero. I |
| Holly2003 17.10.2012 16:58 |
You are very welcome. You're in for a treat :) |
| Holly2003 17.10.2012 17:01 |
@brENsKi -- Have you heard the unledded version of Kashmir? Different but also still awesome. It's such an epic song that variations only add to its mystique. |
| GratefulFan 17.10.2012 21:36 |
Double post |
| GratefulFan 17.10.2012 21:38 |
How great was that. What an unexpectedly cool evening. If I would have not seen that post until tomorrow I would have been so disappointed! Probably running around yelling like Sean Penn in Mystic River "Did that play in my city last night? DID THAT PLAY IN MY CITY LAST NIGHT?!" lol Robert Plant was perfect, and in addition to making incredibly beautiful noise Jimmy Page is awesome because he looks like he could be anybody's really cool slightly drunken black sheep uncle. Along with the highlights already mentioned Trampled Under Foot and No Quarter were standouts for me. My kid who I have done nothing but raise with love and sacrifice for nearly 18 years CALLS ME about a third of the way into Stairway. I didn't answer so he started texting me. Texting me in the middle of STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN! I told him he was adopted and to go look for his real mother for half an hour or so. :P Anyway, really nice evening brought to me through the miracle of modern time zones. Thanks again Holly for mentioning. |
| brENsKi 18.10.2012 10:20 |
Holly2003 wrote: @brENsKi -- Have you heard the unledded version of Kashmir? Different but also still awesome. It's such an epic song that variations only add to its mystique.no i haven't. kashmir is one of the ten or so individual zep tracks that i actually like. an accoustic version would be welcome - i'll dig it out |
| The Real Wizard 18.10.2012 10:46 |
Holly2003 wrote: Talking of Zep, I'm just back from seeing Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day in the cinema and it was more awesome that I ever imagined. Best live versions I've heard of Stairway, Kashmir and Song Remains the Same. STH was really moving. And Jimmy is still a gunfighter!That he is. He doesn't have his 1972 chops, but his playing is still so expressive. That 2007 gig is the best he has played in decades. About a minute into Since I've Been Loving You he held onto this one bend for what seemed like an eternity, and his facial expression oozed of such incredible feeling that seemed to sum up every single feeling that was Led Zeppelin for him. It certainly summed up every feeling of why I wanted to be a musician when I grew up. |
| Mr.QueenFan 18.10.2012 14:46 |
I'm glad people are enjoying the new Led Zep release. Here's a great press conference they did in September 2012. link I would love to see something similar with John, Brian and Roger. |
| waunakonor 18.10.2012 15:46 |
Probably not even relevant to the thread anymore, which has trailed off into being about Led Zeppelin, but I want to adress the OP, although he may not read this at this point.
I too discovered Queen recently (2010) and wondered how I could have been missing this. In fact, for about a year after being hooked by them they were about all I listened to. After that, I started realizing there was more out there than that and I wasn't doing myself any favors by only listening to them. Since then, I've gotten quite into Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Metallica, and the solo careers of Freddie, Brian and Roger, among others. There's a lot of great stuff out there, and you're not less of a Queen fan for liking other band. That's not how it works. So don't think that you're a more dedicated Queen fan than the rest of us because they're all you listen to. Queen's my favorite band, but I have other favorites.
Life would be very boring if we adhered so closely to just one thing and only one thing.
Holly2003 was like: Talking of Zep, I'm just back from seeing Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day in the cinema and it was more awesome that I ever imagined. Best live versions I've heard of Stairway, Kashmir and Song Remains the Same. STH was really moving. And Jimmy is still a gunfighter! Truly epic. Drop whatever you're doing and go see it. Very well-filled theatre too, unlike Queen-Budapest a few weeks back. That's probably relevent to this discussion but the topic starter is so musically narrow-minded I can't be bothered to join in.Hm, it seems that I would have to go quite a ways--into Canada--to get to the nearest screen. I guess I'll probably have to skip this one, which is disappointing given the rave reviews you and GF gave. Damn. so brENsKi was just all like:Really? I find Kashmir to be a bit overly repetitive--better than the Immigrant Song, which I can barely stand, but still not that great. I could definitely think of 10 Zeppelin tracks that I like better. That "unledded version" was a very good listen, however. I'll take that version over the studio version any day.Holly2003 was all like: @brENsKi -- Have you heard the unledded version of Kashmir? Different but also still awesome. It's such an epic song that variations only add to its mystique.no i haven't. kashmir is one of the ten or so individual zep tracks that i actually like. an accoustic version would be welcome - i'll dig it out |
| brENsKi 18.10.2012 16:56 |
repetitive? kashmir? really? c'mon...it's a very good track. and any guitarist playing those arabic scales/patterns will usually produce a song that holds the interest. blackmore was a fine exponent of this also - if anything i'd say he was better than page in this genre immigrant song? - yeah. you gotta love those vikings |
| winterspelt 18.10.2012 18:32 |
Went to see it last night, Zepp's performance was amazing! I read somewhere that Page had a recently broken finger on his left hand. To me, the definitive Kashmir version is the one in the Page/Plant unleeded album, which sounds better (to me) than the one in the video. And I have to agree with brENsKi about Kashmir. Its an amazing song |
| brENsKi 20.10.2012 09:57 |
for me, regardless of the scales used when you listen to songs like "kashmir" "stargazer" "xanadu" you can almost feel the desert in the melodies...think songs that help nudge the imagination into top gear are wonderful |
| waunakonor 20.10.2012 21:01 |
Whatever. I like Led Zep in general, there are just a few tracks that kind of rub me the wrong way and I can't pinpoint exactly why. I've tried getting into Kashmir before, it just hasn't worked for me. |
| tomchristie22 22.10.2012 01:24 |
I knew I forgot about something. My local screening of Celebration Day was 5 days ago and this thread just made me realise this. At least it's been well received - having not really heard or seen that show before I assumed it would be a fairly lacking performance, with it more being the fact in itself that it was a Led Zep reunion that made it great. It sounds like the performance itself is great as well, so I'll have to get onto that when it comes out on DVD. I love Kashmir as a song. If you're finding the album version stale and repetitive, you might want to give live renditions a chance, for me they're a lot more dynamic. Less sweeping and grand, but, for me at least, they have a certain upbeat-ness and groove that the studio version doesn't necessarily offer. See what you think of the version from Earl's Court '75 or Knebworth '79. This is all very OT. I believe that there is no single greatest pop/rock act, but if I was forced to choose one it would be The Beatles, because of a combination of their immense influence and great songwriting and musicianship. Paul McCartney and George Harrison really are/were virtuosos. Queen would obviously rank among the top 5. |
| brENsKi 23.10.2012 16:24 |
ok just watched the knebworth 79 version and he (page) is producing some incredible sounds from the danelectro wish i could get hold of a crystal clear sound quality version of it tho, am sure the sound would be mindblowing |