| Star* 07.02.2018 14:12 |
For myself personally so don't go slagging me, i would say "Somebody to Love" was the sheer essence of Queen, it was regal, pomp, brash, with that blistering Brian May guitar solo and the mock opera backing vocals which was very Freddie, all wrapped up in Taylors thrashing of cymbals and deacon's tight bass playing and it represented what Queen was all about. Obviously we got a taste of all this type of formula from Queen 2 which was a grand sound, and even today Brians guitar playing does not sounds a s regal as it used to back then which maybe because he does not use the old valve amps like he used to. So come on guys which song do you think was the spirit of Queen ? |
| Marlamir 07.02.2018 15:12 |
Not easy for me to answer this but personally i will pick innuendo. Also i remember that in one interwiev someone ask freddie very similiar question. not remember what exactly he answer but something like each songs represent bitt of what queen is about. hope understand me :) |
| master marathon runner 07.02.2018 17:13 |
...Millionaire Waltz tieing with Bo Rhap. |
| Star* 07.02.2018 17:25 |
Marlamir, yes i remember someone asking Freddie years ago, why choose Queen as a favourite band and Freddie regally replied "Because Queen offers a wider span of music than most other bands" He was correct of course as no other band has crossed over from Heavy rock to Disco ! |
| Holly2003 07.02.2018 17:53 |
happystar wrote: "Somebody to Love" ... the mock opera backing vocals which was very Freddie,Surely "mock gospel choir" backing vocals? |
| Holly2003 07.02.2018 18:00 |
happystar wrote: as no other band has crossed over from Heavy rock to Disco !Off the top of my head --- Van Halen -- Dance the Night Away Kiss -- I Was Made for Lovin' You |
| Star* 07.02.2018 18:10 |
Don't forget Queen have done a lot of different styles of music, from Heavy Rock, Rockabilly, Pop, Love Ballads, Punk Rock, Disco, yes i understand Kiss & Van Halen have done fluffier things than hard rock but Queen have done a bit of everything in between. They were the most experimental band around ! |
| Holly2003 07.02.2018 19:18 |
Yes they dabbled in a number of styles and that was certainly a strength and selling point. However, a case could be made that the Beatles, The Who, Zappa, Floyd, Rush, Muse, Bowie etc also experimented (to use your word) in different styles and techniques, maybe to greater effect. The Beatles did a lot to bring Eastern music to popular attention in the USA, for example, even though they weren't the first to do so. Compare Tomorrow Never Knows to Mustapha: no contest! The Beatles virtually invented heavy metal with Helter Skelter. They wrote ballads, reggae (after a fashion), rock, raga etc. The Doors' The End was a great experiment in psychedelic raga rock. Zepp's Kashmir incorporated north African rhythms. Page experimented with folk tunings to a greater degree than Brian. The Rain Song is a great example of that. |
| Holly2003 07.02.2018 19:43 |
Anyway the answer to this question has to be Bo Rap of course, since we're only allowed one song to cover two decades of their career, but Brian's trying very hard to make it WWRY. |
| master marathon runner 07.02.2018 19:47 |
Don't forget 10 cc. They're the nearest comparison to Queen as far as genre crossing and vastly underrated. |
| Sebastian 07.02.2018 19:59 |
I'd say 'Doing All Right' or 'Father to Son'. |
| Marlamir 07.02.2018 20:26 |
Father to son is great choice i must say |
| cmsdrums 07.02.2018 20:42 |
happystar wrote: Brians guitar playing does not sounds a s regal as it used to back then which maybe because he does not use the old valve amps like he used to.I thought he still used the same self customised AC30 valve driven cabs.....what does he use now instead? |
| Star* 07.02.2018 21:15 |
As far as i am aware Brian was sick and tired of the old valve amps exploding and causing chew on stage and i think now he is all circuit board amps! (Master Marathon Runner) i think The Sweet came as close to Queen than 10cc. The Sweet were very hacked off with Queen nicking there sounds that on one of there album covers "Give us a wink" they put on the sleeve that "Queen were a load of wankers" lol |
| Saint Jiub 08.02.2018 01:07 |
I would like to name March of the Black Queen, but realistically it's Bohemian Rhapsody |
| scottmax 08.02.2018 04:35 |
Was It All Worth It, in my opinion, encapsulates everything about Queen. Big production, big harmonies, big guitar solo, fucking ace song |
| Vocal harmony 08.02.2018 06:10 |
happystar wrote: As far as i am aware Brian was sick and tired of the old valve amps exploding and causing chew on stage and i think now he is all circuit board amps! (Master Marathon Runner) i think The Sweet came as close to Queen than 10cc. The Sweet were very hacked off with Queen nicking there sounds that on one of there album covers "Give us a wink" they put on the sleeve that "Queen were a load of wankers" lol |
| Vocal harmony 08.02.2018 06:22 |
^^^ Brian May uses Vox AC30 combos and always has done. Where has he ever said he was "sick and tired" of them. His sound is based on a Vox AC30 being driven into natural saturation by a treble booster with the volume turned up to between 8 and 10 and the guitar volume pot used to sweep from clear to sparkly distorted signal. Where do you get your "facts" from. Maybe you'd like to explain what a circuit board amp is? |
| dysan 08.02.2018 07:56 |
I think I read at a young age that Brian said Killer Queen encapsulated all the band stood for - at least until that point. I find it difficult to select another song that would probably rely too much on personal taste rather than being objective. |
| master marathon runner 08.02.2018 08:19 |
/\ Haha Happystar ! |
| Dr Magus 08.02.2018 08:38 |
The Call |
| Invisible Woman 08.02.2018 08:39 |
This question is not easy. I like Queen because they have so many good songs and so many different styles of music. But I would choose these songs: Was It All Worth It, The Show Must Go On and Don't Stop Me Now. |
| aristide1 08.02.2018 09:37 |
Sweet Lady, because Bohemian Rhapsody is out of the question, since the topic is for fucking connoisseurs only, whatever this means. Judging by the NOTW reactions, it's a bunch of disabused angry greedy cheap "gimme more new records to listen once and get bored" people, myself included. |
| Star* 08.02.2018 11:05 |
Vocal Harmony, A circuit board amp is an amplifier that has no valves and relies on the resisters capacitors and transistors to amplify the sound. I read many articles on Queen but it was many years ago i read in a guitar mag that Brian was featured in and he stated he ditched the valve amps, and if you listen carefully to Brians guitar from 1974 then 1986 its a totally different sound. Mays sound was very creamy and regal back in 1974 but got guttsier as the 80s approached with a harsher sound. |
| Vocal harmony 08.02.2018 13:12 |
happystar, what you are talking about is a transistor amp as opposed to a valve amp. As I said Brian has always used Vox AC30's and still does. I've never read anything where he has said he's ditched them and if you watch any film of Queen live there are at least 9 of them on stage. . . 12 during The Works and Magic tours. The difference in sound you may be talking about was when he replaced the range master treble booster with a Pete Cornish unit. He is now using a KAT booster which is closer to the original Range Master. The other changes in sound have come from using different studios, producers, engineers etc. The only real way to hear what the guitar sounds like is to see the band live. The other thing is that a lot of the thick creamy guitar orchestration on the albums was a transistor amp. The Deacy, the small amp John built in early 73. |
| mike hunt 08.02.2018 13:53 |
Holly2003 wrote: Anyway the answer to this question has to be Bo Rap of course, since we're only allowed one song to cover two decades of their career, but Brian's trying very hard to make it WWRY.Yea, We're not talking about personal favorites here, talking about what represents the bands sound and what they're about. I say Killer Queen and despite being played out Bo Rhap. If it's only 1 choice of course it's Bo Rhap, it has everything that Queen was in that one song. |
| mike hunt 08.02.2018 13:58 |
We will Rock you and We Are The Champions are among the most popular songs in history, so of course Brian is proud of writing We will Rock you, but personally wish he would promote his other songs. He has so many great ones. |
| Star* 08.02.2018 15:37 |
Vocal Harmony: i only repeat what i read in the guitar mags when Brian is featured so i really cannot prove if he now uses valve or transistor technology btu to be honest valves went out of fashion moons ago! They do have a habit of popping when they overheat too. |
| Vocal harmony 08.02.2018 16:05 |
happystar your out of your depth, if you think valve amps went out of fashion "moons ago". You just don't know what your talking about, even when I've given you some factual infomation you try to prove you know better. Steve Vai Joe Satriani Jeff Beck Brian May Edward Van Halen Slash James Hetfield Tony Iommi Joe Bonamasa Jimmy Page Pete Townsend Paul Gilbert Alex Lifeson I could go on and nene hundreds, all guitarists who play through VALVE amplifiers. I seem to have got hold of a tiny bit of info expanded it and constructed what you (wrongly) believe to be fact. Go and have a look on YouTube, let's start with Brian May since you're an obvious expert on the subject type in Brian May rig rundown, after you have watched it and listened to what both Brian May and Pete Meladrone have to say then come back here and start this conversation again! But to be absolutely sure search for some film of Queen live where Brian isn't plugged into a Vox AC30 backline. |
| gran rey rata 08.02.2018 17:52 |
The show must go on. What more? |
| Star* 08.02.2018 18:15 |
vocal harmony, yeah i have just read an article and a feature on Brian's amps and yes he is still using some valve amps, not sure if they are all valve but to some extent he is. It is quite confusing what some music magazines print when doing interviews on guitarists so fact and fiction does prevail. |
| Holly2003 08.02.2018 20:20 |
I think the problem is that Brian hits the Dolby (or Dobly)* noise reduction button on his guitar at the start of the show. That comment is copyright 1984 except *copyright Spinal Tap. |
| mooghead 08.02.2018 21:16 |
Came to this thread to contribute but people are talking about Brian and valves? Was gonna say Killer Queen or Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy but..... GO VALVES!!! |
| Vocal harmony 09.02.2018 00:36 |
Holly2003 wrote: I think the problem is that Brian hits the Dolby (or Dobly)* noise reduction button on his guitar at the start of the show. That comment is copyright 1984 except *copyright Spinal Tap.None more black! |
| Marlamir 09.02.2018 01:45 |
[quote]happystar wrote Marlamir, yes i remember someone asking Freddie years ago, why choose Queen as a favourite band and Freddie regally replied "Because Queen offers a wider span of music than most other bands" He was correct of course as no other band has crossed over from Heavy rock to Disco ! [/quote] yeah this is the interwiev i meant :) |
| Marlamir 09.02.2018 01:46 |
how to quote here :) srry for offtopic |
| mike hunt 09.02.2018 15:46 |
Plenty of bands did a crossover from Heavy Rock to disco, but I do agree Queen were a band that played more styles on one album than most bands play in their entire career. Only a few bands could match Queen in that area, |
| Marlamir 09.02.2018 18:02 |
True, maybe this is the reason why queen have so many fans. because everyone find something they like |
| Dr Magus 10.02.2018 10:51 |
And because they were great and wrote some bloody great songs. |
| TheAdmiester 10.02.2018 18:12 |
scottmax wrote: Was It All Worth It, in my opinion, encapsulates everything about Queen. Big production, big harmonies, big guitar solo, fucking ace songI was thinking some of their early-mid 70s stuff would be the most quintessential, but I think you nailed it here. Tons of harmonies all over the place, a wonderful mystical sounding intro leading into a heavy metal intro, a heavy metal outro, plenty of big orchestra bits mixed in with brilliant guitar solos, and yet still it has that Queen campness/light-heartedness that they're famous for. Because of the fact that The Miracle had the potential to be their last album, I think they really gave all their heart and soul (ha) to make Was It All Worth It a hell of a swansong to sum up the band just in case. |
| mike hunt 10.02.2018 20:33 |
Was it all worth It Would have been a good ending, but The Show Must Go On was even better. |
| sdferertg 12.02.2018 12:16 |
To clear up the valves discussion: link Quote: --- "Everything is point-to-point wired – no PCBs here – and, as can be seen from our pictures, is extremely neat and tidy. Reliability is the name of game, so much so that a solid-state rectifier, custom-made by Hill, has replaced the traditional GZ34 valve in all the amps, following in the footsteps of an operation undertaken on May’s amps back in the day by Pete Cornish. “The first thing a valve does when it goes down is take the valve rectifier out,” stresses Malandrone. “The way that we came across the idea of using a transistor GZ34 was that Mike simply made one and asked me to try it. I plugged it in, Brian didn’t notice any difference in sound, and that was it. It just adds a little more reliability to the amp, and I’d defy anybody to A/B a GZ34 rectifier valve with one of Mike’s and tell the difference.” How about the other tubes? “Valves!” exclaim Hill and Malandrone in tandem, quick to correct our inadvertent slip into Americana." --- |