Queen
burst onto the Rock 'n' Roll scene in
1973 with the release of this self- titled
debut album in 1973. As soon as they arrived
it seemed like they had always been superstars.
Limousines everywhere, huge entourage,
Freddie's finger nail polish, and the
vague similarities to ‘The Beatles’.
They had a dorky looking drummer in Roger
Taylor to compare to Ringo; a quiet one
in John Deacon to replace George Harrison;
a flamboyant pretty boy out front in our
Freddie to fill the Paul McCartney spot;
and a slightly menacing one, Brian May,
who even looked a bit like John Lennon.
But in fact Queen had paid their dues
and had all been in a few bands before
this lineup was stabilized in 1971. (Freddie
used to be in a band called 'Larry Lurex'.
I wonder if that would of caught on as
well as ‘Queen’?) It wasn't
till 1973 that they released their first
album, which eventually crawled up the
charts to reach #18 in the U.K. Mysteriously
this album was not released in the United
States of America until 1975 by which
time Queen were international superstars
and had already released three other albums.
So it is not really surprising that the
songs from this album are not so well
known on that side of the Atlantic. A
real shame as the first three Queen albums
remain this Dog's favorites. The second
album released in 1974 as Queen 2 (a little
more imagination please, boys, very Chicagoish)
and the wonderfully hard rockin' ‘Sheer
Heart Attack’ also released in 1974.
Queen, of course, went from strength
to strength, but in reality it was a slow
gradual climb to the summit of the tree
of Rock 'n' Roll. In the first instance
they did two tours of Great Britain and
one of the United States of America as
a support band to Mott The Hoople, before
heading out as a headline act on their
own. Mott The Hoople were the only band
to have Queen as a support band in Queen’s
whole career. These tours have been given
immortality in the Brian May written single
'Now I'm Here', which was off ‘Sheer
Heart Attack’. ‘Down in the
dungeons just Hoople and me.‘
Also in 1974 Queen released 'Bohemian
Rhapsody'. At almost six minutes it was
considered way too long for a single.
Defying all the predictions it went straight
in at #1 and stayed there for nine weeks,
all over Christmas and New Year. Queen
had a number one before in 'Killer Queen'
the previous year, but this was the big
one. Its promotional video was groundbreaking
in so many ways that there would be no
ground left to break for others for years
to come.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' was the inspiration
for M.T.V and all the other music stations.
This was followed early in 1975 by 'A
Night at the Opera', Queen's first platinum
album.
I know it's only an old Dog talking,
but by now longtime producer Roy Thomas
Baker (who was to become almost a fifth
member of the band in the studio), had
got them so polished that it all became
a bit to slick for an old rocker. However,
millions of folk obviously disagree as
each following album sold more than the
last.
Queen also toured consistently. Their
British Jubilee tour of the States in
1977 with Thin Lizzy ('Queen Lizzy' -
geddit?) broke box office records everywhere
it went. Then on July 13th, 1985, Queen
played at the Live Aid Concert, the largest
ever broadcast of a Rock 'n' Roll show
with all the most famous acts in the world
on the bill (some specially reforming
for the gig), and simply stole the show.
Queen's finest hour.
After this they could print their own
ticket, and could do no wrong. Until of
course, on 23rd November, poor old Freddie
announced he was suffering from the dreaded
Aids virus and quietly passed away the
following day. Fittingly the finale of
Freddie's life was the largest tribute
concert in living history at Wembley Stadium
the following April, the scene of many
of Freddie's previous triumphs.
Queen’s debut album is glorious.
As soon as Brian May plays the opening
licks of 'The Who' influenced (yes, everybody
has influences) 'Keep Yourself Alive',
you know you have something special in
your ears. 'Liar' is the first ever Queen
epic, and it stands as proud now as it
did then. At the end of the album you
even get a snatch of 'Seven Seas of Rhye',
which was to be completed by the time
of the next album and become Queen's first
hit single.
The new re-mastered version of this album
has three bonus tracks tacked onto the
end, two are alternate versions - in each
case the original is superior, and one
unreleased song that perhaps should of
stayed on the cutting room floor.
Taylor and Deacon are a marvelous rhythm
section and sing glorious harmony vocals
that were to become the trademark of the
'Queen' sound.
Roger Taylor also made his writing debut
here with 'Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll'.
Unfortunately not the strongest song on
the album. So? He was to make up for it
later.
Brian May contributes four songs and
establishes his sixpenny guitar sound.
(Brian May used an old English sixpenny
piece as a plectrum giving him a sound
all of his own.)
But where Queen is concerned you can never
get away from the man with the big teeth
and enormous talent. The world needed
Freddie Mercury and no matter what other
genes of music came along, don't forget
punk was just round the corner and blew
most of the old school bands away, Freddie
and his boys rode the crest of the wave.
Freddie contributed four songs. 'Liar'
is probably still the best known of the
songs, but I have always had a soft spot
for 'Great King Rat'. The first lyrics
that ever came from the pen of Freddie
for a Queen song were.
“Great King Rat died today,
Born on the twenty first of May,
Died Forty Four on his birthday,
Every second word he swore,
Yes, he was the son of a whore,
Always wanted by the law.”
|
Ah, Freddie, we will always miss you.
One of the great talents. You came and
conquered, and then was whisked away from
us. No the irony of the lyrics are not
wasted on this dog. Freddie Mercury, a
genuine star, we are not likely to see
his likes again.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
