Brian wasn't usually as prominent as Freddie or Roger on the backing vocal department but he was also excellent. Let's celebrate some of his best moments. Some of my favourites, per album/era:
* Smile: 'Earth' (he's doing the high part and Rog's doing the low part, true story).
* Queen: 'Doing All Right' just before the last verse. He actually sang the middle part there and Fred did the low one.
* Queen II: 'Nevermore', the call-and-response bit with Rog.
* Sheer Heart Attack: 'Dear Friends'. The whole thing.
* A Night at the Opera: The end of ''39' when he harmonises with himself (in falsetto).
* A Day at the Races: 'Somebody to Love' ('at the end of the day').
* News of the World: 'All Dead, All Dead' ('take me back again').
* Jazz: 'Leaving Home Ain't Easy' (near the end).
* The Game: 'Save Me' (second middle-eight).
* Flash Gordon: The tenor bit on the famous 'ah-ah'.
* Hot Space: 'Las Palabras de Amor' ('this night and evermore').
* The Works: 'Hammer to Fall' (during the solo).
* A Kind of Magic: 'Princes of the Universe' ('people talk about you...').
* The Miracle: 'Too Much Love' (technically belongs to this era, in terms of recording sessions).
* Innuendo: 'The Show Must Go On' ('learning ... turning' and the end).
* Made in Heaven: 'Heaven for Everyone' (just before the solo).
This might be an uncommon opinion, but I really like the pitch-shifted section in Leaving Home Ain't Easy.
'What's wrong, my love?
What's right, my love?
Aaaaah'
Brian's two part harmonies here give me chills - they're not complex, but effective. The chord progression and harmonies on the end part that you mentioned are also really great.
He did the harmonies to Dear Friends? They are among my absolute favourites.
I really like his voice in The Prophet's Song. His vocals combined with Roger's introduced this feeling of a huge choir with dozens of men and women in it.
Oscar J wrote:
I really like his voice in The Prophet's Song. His vocals combined with Roger's introduced this feeling of a huge choir with dozens of men and women in it.
And Freddie as well. Fred did both lead and (a lot of the) backing vocals there.
True, though I would argue that Brian and Roger contributed more to the "mass of people" sound, as Freddie bv's were more exact pitch wise, while Brian and Roger (especially Roger) sang with more vibrato. Brian had a tendency towards a brighter, more nasal tone than Freddie, which IMO added to the illusion of women in the choir. But all in all, it was of course the blend of all three of them that resulted in the soundscape we know and love.