QueenZone discussion #1388645
Is Queen a 90's band..?
| fras444 02.07.2014 23:53 |
With Queen's very brief flirt of the 90's, along with it, just managing to span three decades, a band that lead the way in 70's and 80's and had such a huge influence of the then and todays music and then to go out in such a spectacular way (as in a original 4 piece) releasing an epic album, which was basically written on a mans death bed (how many todays musicians would do that?) and also release a album made up of what was Freddies last ever vocals and a selection of songs to complete the album. How far would you go as to say Queen a "90's" rock band or their influence of the 90s? Why I ask that, is here in NZ on MTV/Classic music channels... When there is a 90s theme, there is always no Queen...? and the Rock Radio station had a week where they spent each day playing only songs from that decade starting from the 70's through to 2010's (Funny how when it came up to the 2010's they made up an excuse that being so early in this decade there ain't much selection.. haha in 74, 84 and even 94 there was already a saturation of freakin good music!!) Of course when The Rock fm did the "through the decades theme" Queen was frequent in the 70s described as the "glam hard rockers of the 70s" and the "Pop rock icons" of the 80s... but when it came to the 90s.... No Queen..? I totally understand that the 90's will always been known as the grunge/alt/nul rock era Nirvana/STP/Soundgarden/Korn, which it was of course... But when they played Metallica, a band where the hard core fans often stated "the day they released the black album was the day metallica died..." Why not play Megadeth a band that had it's best albums were from 90's rust in peace and countdown to extinction, Iron Maiden was also not present... although they released some good albums, they were not quite like what they were in the 80s, Deff Leppards adrenalized was an amazing album an album which marked them at the end of their peak "one would say" and many more great bands of the 80s that also made it big in the 90s and of course.... Queen a band that influenced all of these bands and what ended up being their final album innuendo... why not play some of those epic and just as heavy and hard rocking songs? Has anyone heard Queen on the radio or seen them on music channels when its a 90s theme..? And just how much of an impact did Queen have with its very brief stint of the 90s? |
| andyb1968 03.07.2014 02:51 |
Not one of the biggest bands in the 90's for sure, but they did keep having hit singles & albums, so yes any 90's music show should include innuendo etc. |
| brENsKi 03.07.2014 07:23 |
fras444 wrote:With Queen's very brief flirt of the 90's, along with it, just managing to span three decades, a band that lead the way in 70's and 80's and had such a huge influence of the then and todays music and then to go out in such a spectacular way (as in a original 4 piece) releasing an epic album, which was basically written on a mans death bed (how many todays musicians would do that?) and also release a album made up of what was Freddies last ever vocals and a selection of songs to complete the album. How far would you go as to say Queen a "90's" rock band or their influence of the 90s?i don't think you can say they led the way in the 70s. Zep, Floyd, purple and the Who would have much to say about that...perhaps they were among the leading pack during the 70s. as for the 90s....they were a a well and truly extinguished fire which they periodically try to reignite using spent matches |
| cmsdrums 03.07.2014 07:24 |
They had more number ones singles in the UK in the 90s than any prior decade!! |
| luthorn 03.07.2014 07:36 |
They did not set trends in the 90s, thou. Just closed the decade and turned off the lights on the 80s. Innuendo passed the torch to bands like Nirvana, which debuted around the same time on MTV. As I recall, MTV seemed to have a face off: Innuendo, Smells like Teen Spirit, and Red Hot Chili Peppers... musinc moved on to grunge until boys band and spice girls showed up. |
| brENsKi 03.07.2014 09:30 |
^^^ don't think Innuendo was doing any "torch passing" - and in any case certainly NOT to Nirvana and grunge... the whole grunge movement Soundgarden were already in the mainstream before Innuendo was was released. Grunge was supposed to be a reaction against the hair-metal tide of the 80s |
| andyb1968 03.07.2014 09:57 |
Innuendo ? Grunge ? Come on ! |
| luthorn 03.07.2014 11:18 |
If you recall, MTV played Innuendo and Teen Spirit almost constantly around the same time. By passing the torch, I mean one era ended another began in music. The soft 80s pop went out the door and for a good 5-6 years we had grunge and heavier sounds in the main stream, before boys bands killed it circa 1996. |
| andyb1968 03.07.2014 12:14 |
Good analysis luthorn, respect. |
| brENsKi 03.07.2014 13:30 |
one point of order. don't suppose you knew that for a tune that was played "almost constantly" 'Innuendo' was (at that time) joint second in a list of number one singles with fewest weeks on UK chart, with just six weeks so perhaps it just seemed like you remember it that way...because six weeks on the UK chart for a number one single hardly merits "almost constantly" being played...esp when you consider it entered the UK chart at no1, was only at the top for one week then spent the next five weeks on descent to exit the top 75. that's almost what you'd call the briefest of encounters with the charts - as far as no1 singles go to give you some comparators (UK charts obviously) title peak weeks on chart thank god it's xmas 21 6 friends will be friends 14 8 now i'm here 11 8 las palabras 17 8 body language 25 6 seven seas of rhye 10 10 bo rhap (75) 1 17 under pressure 1 11 bo rhap (91) 1 14 five live ep 1 11 |
| k-m 03.07.2014 13:56 |
Fair point Brenski, but I also remember Innuendo being played a lot, along with Enter Sandman and Smells Like Teen Spirit. I would never say Queen were a 90s band though. They simply enjoyed a lot of success, largely due to Freddie's untimely death and Wayne's World. However, I must still give it to the band that they fitted in pretty well with their two major releases of the 90s - Innuendo and Made in Heaven. The former having a rockier, back to the roots sound and the latter a poppier, more balladry sound which boded well with the respective parts of the 90s. |
| ANAGRAMER 03.07.2014 15:17 |
Maybe the decade refers to when a band came to prominence.. |
| Heavenite 03.07.2014 15:36 |
I agree that the 90's were the twilight period for Queen. I think it's a bit misleading to compare that sort of band with the current craze. Innuendo's short stay tends to suggest that while sales were significant, they were not necessarily across a wide part of the population. Mind you, Made in Heaven's quadruple platinum sales does seem to suggest something quite different. |
| Stelios 03.07.2014 15:52 |
Innuendo signifies the end of an era. Although released in '91 it is more related with the small space "farewell to the 80's, what is next? ". Made in Heaven was an echo from the past.Refreshed, but still an echo. Also the 90's were the decade were Queen became iconic. It had less to do with their music per-ce, and more with their legacy and how it was shaped for the years ahead. So i am leaning towards NO, musicaly they were not a 90's band. But i flip the question "was the 90's a Queen's decade?" i lean towards YES, because so much around the Queen concept happened along those years. |
| Apocalipsis_Darko 03.07.2014 18:13 |
Of course they are a band from the first 90's, with Innuendo. And remember, all grunge bands loved Queen. Chris Cornell did it, Mother Love Bone, Kurt Cobain and Ghrol for sure, some rappers...The influence were there, but only with Innuendo, Queen is a 90's band. The album was recorded also in the 90's, and not forget the three songs from Made In Heaven recorded in 1991. It was the end of Queen, but the tragic death of Mercury was a deep impact in the 90's, like Kurt Cobain suicide. |
| Another Roger (re) 04.07.2014 02:28 |
I want to include Made In Heaven as well. One of the most sold Queen albums in history. Heaven for Everyone got decent airplay and a 2nd spot on the UK charts? |
| Stelios 04.07.2014 08:13 |
Heaven for Everyone, You Dont Fool Me and solo stuff like Living on My Own 1993 remix, Too Much Love will kill You (B.May version) and Driven by You are associated with the 90's. Made in Heaven (the album) is 90's but in an almost "transparent" kind of way. I have a feeling that the Death of Kurt Cobain just one year before and its huge impact in youth/rock culture somehow effects Made in Heaven. I am not sure in which way but the context of the times was very strong at least in the music world. Innunedo (and the hits from the album) is like inside a time capsule of their own. They breath in a Queen/Mercury parallel time. This is the feeling i get. Does it make any sense? |
| andyb1968 04.07.2014 09:02 |
I remember the Brit Awards, the year after Made In Heaven came out, and been a massive world wide smash, but Queen did not get one single nomination ! That really pissed me off, still does actually !!! |
| brENsKi 04.07.2014 10:38 |
edit dbl post |
| brENsKi 04.07.2014 10:45 |
ok, and as you've quoted albums now, perhaps this might interest you.... title:-peak:-weeks on chart: innuendo-1-37 made in heaven-1-28 but how about this; - the two albums that get slagged off most around here: AKOM-1-62 works-2-93 and how about some other bands led zep I-6-79 led zep II-1-138 led zep IV-1-58 elton j - goodbye.-1-84 elton j - too low -7-73 purple - in rock-4-68 b adams - reckless-7-115 meatloaf - BOOH-9-395 f/mac - rumours-1-402 floyd - DSOTM-2-292 i suppose the point i'm making is about what we think was happening as opposed to what was actually happening...Innuendo @ 3/4 of a year and 5 hit singles , must (by default) mean the title track wasn't around as constantly as you care to remember it...and MIH - at 1/2 a year must've barely been about....esp when you compare it to some of the "lesser" hit albums in my third list. when you compare it to the more well-known albums of 94-96, it actually puts things into context (and let's not divert this into a discussion on taste and quality) oasis - wtsmg -1-145 manics - everything-2-81 blur parklife-1-106 |
| k-m 04.07.2014 11:26 |
Stelios wrote: Heaven for Everyone, You Dont Fool Me and solo stuff like Living on My Own 1993 remix, Too Much Love will kill You (B.May version) and Driven by You are associated with the 90's. Made in Heaven (the album) is 90's but in an almost "transparent" kind of way. I have a feeling that the Death of Kurt Cobain just one year before and its huge impact in youth/rock culture somehow effects Made in Heaven. I am not sure in which way but the context of the times was very strong at least in the music world. Innunedo (and the hits from the album) is like inside a time capsule of their own. They breath in a Queen/Mercury parallel time. This is the feeling i get. Does it make any sense?The first paragraph makes some sense (i.e. it's true facts), esp. with regards to Living On My Own remix, as it has a certain 90s feel. Not sure about the rest though ;-) No offence, but I don't think Kurt's death had anything to do with MIH's perception and success. If anything influenced it, it was the Beatles' Anthology and "new Lennon tracks" on which Paul & Co did similar work as Bri & Co with Freddie's vocals on MIH. |
| tero! 48531 04.07.2014 11:40 |
There was a brief period between 1995/1996 when Queen was one of the bands which were featured quite a lot on the European MTV. Heaven For Everyone, Let Me Live, and You Don't Fool Me were all pretty big hits on the European chart, and it wasn't uncommon to see a Queen video every day. Of course the other videos hardly ever appeared on television and the overall success was over in about six months, so you can hardly call them a significant 90's band. |
| Stelios 04.07.2014 12:17 |
k-m I agree about the Beatle's Anthology. I was having that in mind too. Perhaps you are right about Cobain. But what i mean about his death is the wave it created or helped create. I think it was in those years that music in relation with youth and/or general culture plus The Music Industry, all started changing drastically.MIH was a thing from the past in some sense. I think cutting edge artists like Queen if all alive and creative during 92-95 would have made a much more in-tune album with what was going on in mid 90's. So today it would have more of the 90's stamp on it, therefore Queen more of a 90's band to return to the OP question. ....Or perhaps they would go out and do their own thing whatsoever, not giving a shit about "the times" so i am just fooling my shelf. |
| Stelios 04.07.2014 12:19 |
double post |
| fras444 04.07.2014 22:51 |
It is real cool to see this as an interesting topic going into other subjects.... Has anyone seen Queen on 90's themes today in your respective countries? Queen in the 90's is an interesting subject. A decade where there was a lot of one hit wonders that got recognized and bands like you guys have mentioned, that were deeply influenced by Queen... too the extend where Freddie was mentioned in the suicide note.. (haha maybe Curt should have listen to Freddies "Don't Try Suicide!!") Queen a band with an endless arsenal of hits, that entered the 90s with not only an album full of hits but another album made up of some amazing bits and pieces to fill the three songs that Freddie sang in his last few months and for it to become a major success, yet Queen rarely gets a mention in today's "90's" theme's well here in NZ anyway, something I feel that they should be given more credit for! esp on a rock radio station that plays a lot of Queen.. As most of you agree Queen is A 90's band!! But just how heavy was the impact of Innuendo before it was known to the world what Freddie was really singing about and afterwards and the release of MIH and only the good die young.. I guess more airtime in USA a market they lost after the "drag" episode! What would have happened if The Miracle had the same issues Queen II had and was pushed out by a year..? Or put it this way if Freddies Diagnostic was pushed out a year... Three possibly four Queen albums in the 90's..? Or... If Freddie was terminally ill with something else, released the miracle and innuendo (if it wasn't for his illness a lot of those miracle/Innuendo songs would not have been) and like some rare terminally ill cancer patients out there and made a complete "miracle" recovery....? |
| fras444 05.07.2014 00:45 |
If you watch the GH2 video with Brian and Rogers commentary on, there is a real interesting quote that Brian mentions when I Want it All comes on... it has a real hint of both excitement and sadness... (a lot like watching a sad movie or a football replay.. you watch it again hoping that the outcome will change...) " I love this video of this song.. Back then we know what Freddie was going through there might have been still hope or more time with him and this video was an exciting look into what we could have done.. this video for this song had a stripped down raw,live, just the four of us approach to recording a video and something we really wanted to explore into, more in depth" Not quite quote for quote but very close This I find very interesting and which goes along with that thread about where Queen would have gone if Freddie hadn't of passed on... Queen doing what they do best. Shapeshift themselves to suite the current time, change their approach to their music.. Just like how they got through the "Punk" era on top when a lot of bands struggled such as Led Zep and Black Sabbath, and the pop rock 80s and Queen would have adapted and kept in pace with the head of the pack.. "the next generation... the 90's." I Want it All was a very striped down song almost the closest you could get to a Queen unplugged song with a video to match.. It was almost like a Nirvana/foo fighters/Soundgarden approach to their music videos.. very stripped down and with a live or studio look... It would have suited a older mid 40's Queen so perfectly, Freddie I feel would have given the 90s a very raw and powerful almost grunge approach I reckon, he would have been just like on that video, less running around on stage and with a more wise presences and preciseness (like what an older football player does when the slowness catches up they become wise with their positioning) and with brute power to match and make up for it.. I definitely feel Queen would have given another approach to that Grunge/alt rock era of the 90s and would have been with the leading pack, But definitely would have been their last decade the 90s if Freddie hadn't got Aids and John would have stuck around you just gotta look at how much John was making a presence in songwriting with three credited tracks in A Kinda Magic and even three or four.. possibly credited songs he had in Miracle.. Queen and the 90's could have been a awesome period, a very wise,stripped down and mature Queen!!! |
| fras444 05.07.2014 00:45 |
If you watch the GH2 video with Brian and Rogers commentary on, there is a real interesting quote that Brian mentions when I Want it All comes on... it has a real hint of both excitement and sadness... (a lot like watching a sad movie or a football replay.. you watch it again hoping that the outcome will change...) " I love this video of this song.. Back then we know what Freddie was going through there might have been still hope or more time with him and this video was an exciting look into what we could have done.. this video for this song had a stripped down raw,live, just the four of us approach to recording a video and something we really wanted to explore into, more in depth" Not quite quote for quote but very close This I find very interesting and which goes along with that thread about where Queen would have gone if Freddie hadn't of passed on... Queen doing what they do best. Shapeshift themselves to suite the current time, change their approach to their music.. Just like how they got through the "Punk" era on top when a lot of bands struggled such as Led Zep and Black Sabbath, and the pop rock 80s and Queen would have adapted and kept in pace with the head of the pack.. "the next generation... the 90's." I Want it All was a very striped down song almost the closest you could get to a Queen unplugged song with a video to match.. It was almost like a Nirvana/foo fighters/Soundgarden approach to their music videos.. very stripped down and with a live or studio look... It would have suited a older mid 40's Queen so perfectly, Freddie I feel would have given the 90s a very raw and powerful almost grunge approach I reckon, he would have been just like on that video, less running around on stage and with a more wise presences and preciseness (like what an older football player does when the slowness catches up they become wise with their positioning) and with brute power to match and make up for it.. I definitely feel Queen would have given another approach to that Grunge/alt rock era of the 90s and would have been with the leading pack, But definitely would have been their last decade the 90s if Freddie hadn't got Aids and John would have stuck around you just gotta look at how much John was making a presence in songwriting with three credited tracks in A Kinda Magic and even three or four.. possibly credited songs he had in Miracle.. Queen and the 90's could have been a awesome period, a very wise,stripped down and mature Queen!!! |
| fras444 05.07.2014 01:11 |
Hey one Question... Do you guys feel that The Game and The Miracle share something similar something like as in a parallel universe. Both "80's" albums but both released in in the midst of a changing decade both could have been either or.... What I mean by that. The Game is essentially an album made in 79 from what I have read that got polished up in 1980, songs that were really made for the 70s with more of a 70's sound than a 80s sound to it... If it weren't for Queen focusing on the Live Killers it could have easily been their last album of that decade. An album with many great hits of which feels like to me got lost in the Pop rock songs from Queens Hot Space,The Works and A Kinda Magic and the same with The Miracle... The Miracle album, full of hits could have easily been a 90's album a album released in the last year of the 80s and once again got lost in Queens 80's pop rock peak albums (Hot Space inrg to Under Pressure!!!) Once again songs from these wonderful Queen albums "apart from ANBTD" never really get any register in themes from the 80's video's on tv or radio station's doing 80's themes... Two great 80s Queen albums I feel, that have seem to have got lost in the midst of the turn of their respective decade. The Miracle album to me I must add... is very strange album for me.... Its full of great songs but for some reason I can only listen to it for one maybe two full rotations before I get bored real quick from it.... I don't know why... I know A Kinda Magic is the height of "plastic" music for Queen but for me The Miracle feels more so.. Do any of you get the same..? when listening to The Miracle? I could listen to any Queen album multiple of times esp Queen II and even Hot Space but not The Miracle... Weird.. |
| Stelios 05.07.2014 04:33 |
fras444 wrote: (haha maybe Curt should have listen to Freddies "Don't Try Suicide!!") ... yet Queen rarely gets a mention in today's "90's" theme'sI bet Kurt have listened to "Don't Try Suicide!!", However his pain,demons, and personal anguish was far beyond "nobody's worth it, nobody cares". I know you are joking, however not sure if this is a matter that can me taken lighlty.Kurt's story is a story of man in a hell of lot of pain. About Queen rarely gets a mention in today's "90's" theme's, its becouse everything they did post Miracle associates with theme's of Freedie,his courage,HIV and his death. From Nirvana's Smells Like A Teen Spirit to 2Unlimited's NO LIMIT (and all the stuff in between) you get an instant 90's vibe. Not the case with Queen. Perhaps You Dont Fool Me, escapes that root. |
| Stelios 05.07.2014 04:41 |
fras444 wrote: I could listen to any Queen album multiple of times esp Queen II and even Hot Space but not The Miracle... Weird..Perhaps its because it constantly changes moods, genres, themes, attitude. For me is the less "themed" album of Queen. Thank god for the collision of faces in the cover. It provided somekind of refernece point since it's associated with writing credits all going after the Queen unit. |
| br5946 07.07.2014 07:14 |
Obvious answer to the original post? Not really, no. But just to pitch my two cents, I've always thought that some Queen tracks really are timeless - the members really didn't leave an 'of-the-time' mark on a lot of them. Take Hammer to Fall, for example. I would've said it was made in '77 on random instinct, but I know it's '84. And like some people have said Innuendo doesn't exactly seem very 'nineties' to them, and it definitely doesn't scream '91 from the 'random instinct' point of view, does it? |
| fras444 07.07.2014 23:48 |
Stelios wrote I bet Kurt have listened to "Don't Try Suicide!!", However his pain,demons, and personal anguish was far beyond "nobody's worth it, nobody cares". I know you are joking, however not sure if this is a matter that can me taken lighlty.Kurt's story is a story of man in a hell of lot of pain. Yeah I was just joking guess its just my way of dealing with it as I myself has been through something very similar to Kurt, being paralyzed with depression during my teens, guess thats why I never really got into Nirvana as it was painfully close to what I was feeling.. Till now as I am really appreciating listening to what he was going through and the music behind it such as the bass lines and guitar... It is very very deep lyrics what Kurt wrote. Its funny with Nirvana as I have two friends who are polar opposites with Nirvana. One (a big grunge/alt rock fan) loves the new direction in music that they were developing, while the other being a fan of the 80's guitar solos such as old school cliff/dave mustaine inspired metallica, Marty Friedman, Steve Vai and Jason Becker. hates Nirvana for "destroying" that 80's technical guitar era. And what you said about The Miracle is very true too It would have been exciting to see where Queen would have gone in the 90s...! |
| Stelios 08.07.2014 12:43 |
fras444 wrote: Yeah I was just joking guess its just my way of dealing with it as I myself has been through something very similar to Kurt, being paralyzed with depression during my teens, guess thats why I never really got into Nirvana as it was painfully close to what I was feeling..Ok.Now i totally get you. Actually same case here during my teens. But beeing now in a second huge wave of depression, accosiated with grief, guilts and the actual suicide of my sibling, i become a little sensitive with these issues. And humour, an old time life-saving friend, dosen't exactlly do its job this time. |
| fras444 09.07.2014 04:19 |
Hey man so sorry to hear that yeah I can only 3/4 understand where you are at I hope you are ok. Myself it started from my parents having a messy break up around when I was 11 which led my sister into anorexia then into depression because she couldn't get to 20kgs which ended up with many attempts at ending her life which "fortunately" was never successful. Then myself, I was left in the middle because I was too laid back/wasn't the type of person who spoke their feelings which led me in to an undiagnosed depression and 130kgs and the fear of being in public and what they would think of seeing this 130kg kid.... And I guess from the reply from your last post on the other thread icy feeling.... Here in NZ we have so many slangs and uses for one word, a lot of my friends from overseas have said that English and esp our kiwi lingo is some of the most complicated in the world to understand... and along with that, I guess that my schooling was stifled some what from what I went through. I struggle to come up with the words that I really want to say but can't find the words so just come up with words that I feel best describe what I want to say I guess... With the name Stelios and me following my soccer cause my fathers Scottish... You're from somewhere around Greece....? correct me if I'm wrong....!!! Yeah mate which is why I love Queen as it was a band that I always listen too during those times which helped me through I guess... Mate if you want a break man you have a free place to stay should you ever come to NZ!!!! the perfect place to visit a country bigger than the UK but only 4 mill people!!!. Take you to an all blacks game and get you into Rugby mate!!! |