| Rotwang 28.02.2007 09:36 |
First I want to say that I hold nothing against anyone here. But I would like to talk briefly about other artists, The Darkness and Mika, being compared to Freddie. It seems that because a singer wears 70's style clothing and sings Falsetto that somehow he sounds like Freddie. I realize that these bands are giving props and paying tribute but let's not confuse that with the fact that Freddie was an original and these guys aren't in my opinion. Sure the songs are catchy and even good but enough comparisons. Let the flood gates open! |
| Wiley 28.02.2007 11:21 |
(Opens flood gates and runs away like crazy) |
| Mr Faron Hyte 28.02.2007 14:28 |
Rotwang wrote: ... but let's not confuse that with the fact that Freddie was an original and these guys aren't in my opinion.I'm sure Little Richard thinks Freddie ripped him off. |
| JoxerTheDeityPirate 28.02.2007 14:44 |
Wiley wrote: (Opens flood gates and runs away like crazy)snorkel and fins are available for a reasonable price in the qz shop |
| Rotwang 28.02.2007 14:45 |
That could be true but I want to stress again that I'm not coming down on any band or artist that wants to throw a shout out to Freddie or imitate in any way. But focusing on the voice differs obviously from the image. Plus, will we hear from The Darkness or Mika in 20 years? Perhaps on a 1 hit wonders show on VH1. Or they may still be going strong. I like Mika's voice and I've only heard "Grace Kelly" but all the reviews I've read are positive overall on his CD. I guess, wrong or not, I'm protective of the image and talent of Freddie (not that I had anything to do with it). Broadway style and musical hooks are not what Freddie was about. That's why he has and will forever have staying power. |
| steven 35638 28.02.2007 17:50 |
I try not to look into these things too much, but seeing as how you've brought it up, here is my opinion. I consider artists like The Darkness and Mika to be proof that Queen (in general) made an ever lasting impact on the music industry. They sparked something that inspired many artists, and for that we as fans should be proud. Personally, I'm a big fan of The Darkness and respect them very much. Having said that, Justin Hawkin's whole projection does resemble that of Freddie Mercury's projection. I'm not talking about what he wears, which is very similar to Freddie Mercury's look, rather I'm talking about his performances and colorful behavior. Unfortunatly I think Justin Hawkin's behavior was just a tad bit too wild (for Christ's sake, he became a druggy and he's now in rehab!). That's a shame. I don't know much about Mika and couldn't care any less. I'm just glad to see the Queen spirit still with us. Carry on with the discussion. |
| john bodega 28.02.2007 21:05 |
"I consider artists like The Darkness and Mika to be proof that Queen (in general) made an ever lasting impact on the music industry. They sparked something that inspired many artists, and for that we as fans should be proud." Extreme's performance at the Freddie Tribute didn't tell you that already? :P |
| i'm going slight mad... 01.03.2007 06:54 |
Rotwang wrote: I realize that these bands are giving props and paying tribute but let's not confuse that with the fact that Freddie was an original and these guys aren't in my opinion. Sure the songs are catchy and even good but enough comparisons. Let the flood gates open!Freddie wasn't an original, nobody develops in a vacuum. he took different elements of the people he admired and made up his stage act with them. like everybody else does. |
| Rotwang 01.03.2007 08:12 |
I guess what I meant by Freddie being an original was that even during the glam rock era he stood out and was able to change with the times. It was a new sound for Rock 'n Roll in general at that time and Queen obviously had an original sound, although their early stuff has been compare to Yes and Alan Parsons. These new bands are going for a "throw back" sound and not trying to go down their own path. But with the music biz being a corporate mess you have to take into consideration the fact that things aren't what they used to be. I've gone off on enough tangents but I'll leave you by saying Steve Perry sounds more like Freddie than Justin Hawkins or Mika. Uh Oh!! |
| Saif 01.03.2007 11:59 |
lol Mika is the next George Michael if anything...and George Michael majorly rules. I'd like to see him front Queen + George Michael... |
| FriedChicken 01.03.2007 12:49 |
Freddie wasn't original with singing in falsetto and wearing tight 70's clothings. bands like Sweet, Slade, David Bowie etc. wore tight leotards and suits with shiny glittery things on it long before Freddie did. And as for singing in falsetto... I won't even start |
| FriedChicken 01.03.2007 12:54 |
Rotwang wrote: That could be true but I want to stress again that I'm not coming down on any band or artist that wants to throw a shout out to Freddie or imitate in any way. But focusing on the voice differs obviously from the image. Plus, will we hear from The Darkness or Mika in 20 years? Perhaps on a 1 hit wonders show on VH1. Or they may still be going strong. I like Mika's voice and I've only heard "Grace Kelly" but all the reviews I've read are positive overall on his CD. I guess, wrong or not, I'm protective of the image and talent of Freddie (not that I had anything to do with it). Broadway style and musical hooks are not what Freddie was about. That's why he has and will forever have staying power.I think nowadays the music industry doesn't give the chance for bands and artists to outgrow the one hit wonder status. There is sooooooo much different music and new artists these days. I heard that in the USA alone there are made about 1000 new cds a week. When you look at old charts from the 70's and 60's you also see a lot of differnent artists, but you when you compare a few weeks spread over the years you will find a lot of 'old' names as well. It's not that music was better back then, but it wasn't a extremely big market at it is now |
| Mr Faron Hyte 01.03.2007 19:44 |
Rotwang wrote: I'll leave you by saying Steve Perry sounds more like Freddie than Justin Hawkins or Mika. Uh Oh!!And there went your credibility. I think it all boils down to you being upset by artists you don't like being compared to Freddie Mercury. Nobody is obviously going to be exactly like Freddie, but to say that there are no similarities between someone like Mika or Justin Hawkins and Freddie is just willful denial. The similarities have to be there for so many people to have noticed them in the first place. |
| Rotwang 02.03.2007 15:23 |
WIth all due respect Mr. Faron Hyte, I was joking about Steve Perry. My initial point in starting this thread was to see how differently or similarly people view this subject. I'm not mad or upset that someone wants to sound like or be compared to Freddie. Good music is good music. That's the beauty of it all. It's somewhat related to the numerous threads about Freddie and Paul Rodgers. Having an open mind in life opens doors and possibilities a person might not have realized before. This community if filled with intelligent people and I enjoy the different perspectives people can have about a certain subject. |
| Boy Thomas Raker 02.03.2007 16:02 |
It's a fine line between imitation as flattery and imitation as your creative soul. From what I've seen of the Darkness, there is a sense of humour, but they do borrow a lot from Queen, and need to establish a better identity. Mike certainly borrows from Freddie, but as Fried Chicken said, if the internet were around in '73 everybody would say that Freddie ripped off Bolan, Bowie, Slade etc. Give a guy like Mika time and he may find a pure identity that is far removed from what we've seen so far. |