So, I was thinking about whether Freddie was a more talented songwriter or singer, and came up with this question.
Would you rather live in a world where:
a) Freddie never wrote a single song, but you can listen to all the songs he sang but didn't write.
E.g. you can listen to Tie Your Mother Down in exactly the same way you can now, but you can't listen to Bohemian Rhapsody at all.
b) All the songs Freddie wrote exist, but Freddie didn't sing any of them, or indeed any songs at all. (So any songs he sang must be sung by someone else of your choice).
E.g. you can listen to Bohemian Rhapsody, but Roger sings it.
I can't decide.
I'd rather live in a world like it already is. Freddie sang his own masterpieces and did it darn well. He also sang some of the crappier ones and still did it pretty fucking amazing which makes them worth listening even if only for his vocals.
So essential we might ask would they have made it as big if none of Freddie's songs existed.
Probably not.
Especially considering that would've meant more John and Roger songs on the albums. I guess Queen would just be considered how someone like 10cc are now. Clever AOR.
*10cc is a bad example as all 4 wrote and sung. I mean more the life span of the group and chart run.
I suppose I'd choose his songs. There are some Frederick sound-alikes who can, up to some extent, get close to his timbre and his delivery, even if they don't do it 100%. There's nobody who can write something like 'Bo Rhap' or something like 'Killer Queen' or something like 'Was It All Worth It', let alone all of those and many more.
I'd go a.
I'd rather hear Freddie sing White Queen ,Who Wants to Live Forvever or Spread your wings than George Michael Somebody to Love or Elton John Bohemian Rhapsody.
I've not heard any cover that's improved a Queen song. It's not like Bob Dylan where other artists can somehow bring more music out of his songs.
AlbaNo1 wrote:
I'd go a.
I'd rather hear Freddie sing White Queen ,Who Wants to Live Forvever or Spread your wings than George Michael Somebody to Love or Elton John Bohemian Rhapsody.
I've not heard any cover that's improved a Queen song. It's not like Bob Dylan where other artists can somehow bring more music out of his songs.[/QUOTe. I heard a lot of Queen covers and 99% of them suck. Metallica did a good Stoned Cold Crazy, and George Michael did well. That's about it though.
Voice.
Songs like BoRhap, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, It's A Hard Life, The Millionaire Waltz, March Of The BQ, Seaside Rendevous, Champions, Body Language..:p would be a big loss,
but his voice even bigger. I truly adore Freddie's voice no matter what he sings. And let's not forget about the vocal harmonies he made. He had the most versatile voice I've ever heard. His voice is always "at right place" whether it is Barcelona album with Montserrat Caballe or rock songs, jazz, blues, pop, gospel, rockabilly...
Hard question to answer.
But I'd go for this songs. Although, to be honest, it's kind of hard to even completely differentiate between these two aspects. Because part of the magic of the song is the actual way he delivered it, and it wouldn't be the same if someone else sang it.
The problem is that when Freddie voice peaked they (including Freddie) started to write less good songs, ofcourse, they had some great songs in the late 70s and mid 80s.
AlbaNo1 wrote:
I've not heard any cover that's improved a Queen song. It's not like Bob Dylan where other artists can somehow bring more music out of his songs.
Excellent point. But could that be because Dylan doesn't have a great voice?
Gun to my head, I'd pick the voice. There are a ton of great songwriters who have written things that will last for generations, but Mercury's voice was truly one in a billion - I could listen to him sing the phone book, never mind Brian May's compositions.
Great thread.
Really tough question.
Cannot answer it but if there were a gun to my head I'd go with the songs. Because Mercury's imagination was ultimately the thing that captured me most...but I'd so miss that voice.
If Freddie had not written songs we would not know anything about Queen or Freddie's voice because without his songs they would have disappeared after their third album - which would not have been Killer Queen :-)