Sometime in the mid-seventies, I first heard the music of Queen. Singing loudly, I walked down the street "Galileo, Galileo. Galileo, Galileo Galileo figaro Magnifico". Bohemian Rhapsody was born for me. I wasn't an immediate big fan or anything. Appreciating Queen came with the years, right up to the very end, actually. The performance during Live Aid in 1985 (I was 20 then) was amazing. Queen was back, as if they'd never been away.
Freddie looked unwell in the last years of his life, yet I was not prepared for his death. I was shocked to bits when I switched on the radio on 24 November 1991. So many years after Freddie's passing, I am enthusiastic about Queen again. Different, but enthusiastic. There is no second Freddie, and you shouldn't look for one either. Adam Lambert has given a whole new interpretation to Queen's frontman, and with success!
Queen
Queen was founded in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, joined by bassist John Deacon in 1971. With dozens of hits in the seventies, eighties and nineties, Queen is one of the most successful rock bands in history.
The band is known for its musical versatility, layered arrangements, harmonies (as clearly heard in Somebody to Love) and powerful live performances. The Live Aid performance in 1985 was voted the best live performance of all time 20 years later.
Queen's big breakthrough began in 1974 with the singles Killer Queen and Now I'm Here from the album Sheer Heart Attack and a year later with the album A Night at the Opera featuring the number 1 hit Bohemian Rhapsody. Queen has released a total of fifteen studio albums, seven live albums, two EPs, ten DVDs, multiple compilations and dozens of singles. All band members have also undertaken solo projects. It is estimated that the band has sold over 300 million albums worldwide, making them one of the most successful bands in the world.
After Mercury's death in 1991, John Deacon withdrew from public life, except for a few performances. May and Taylor continued to work together. From 2005 to 2008, they did so with British singer Paul Rodgers. Under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers, a new studio album was recorded and two tours were held. Since 2011, Queen has toured with singer Adam Lambert. Additionally, a new album was released in 2014: Queen Forever. This album features previously unreleased tracks, including a duet between Queen singer Freddie Mercury and the late American singer Michael Jackson, who passed away in 2009. The rest of the album mainly consists of new versions of previously released songs.
From February 1971, shortly after the band's formation, until November 1991, the death of singer Mercury, the band's lineup remained the same. All four members have number one hits to their name, and most albums contain songs by all members. Although Mercury wrote many songs, he was certainly not the dominant writer. They considered each other equal in songwriting. For example, John Deacon, the 'quiet' band member, wrote Another One Bites the Dust, commercially the band's biggest hit. In later years, several members often worked together on a song. Therefore, from the album The Miracle onwards, they decided to credit the writer as Queen rather than an individual member, also for an equal distribution of royalties.
The logo was designed in 1972 by Freddie Mercury. It consists of a Q (standing for Queen) with a crown inside, symbolising Royalty. On both sides of the Q are lions, the star signs of Roger Taylor (26 July 1949) and John Deacon (19 August 1951). On top of the Q is a crab, the star sign of Brian May (19 July 1947). The two angels, or fairies, at the bottom of the Q represent virgins, the star sign of Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946).
All of this is protected by a phoenix, symbolising eternal rebirth, the phoenix rising again from its own ashes. Incidentally, it could also be an eagle, which would protect the lions, just as the lions protect the fairies.
Queen + Adam Lambert
During the finale of the eighth season of American Idol, the members of Queen were guests, performing with finalists Adam Lambert and Kris Allen (the eventual winner). This was the first performance together of Queen and Adam Lambert. Shortly after the finale, Brian May indicated in an interview with Rolling Stone that he was considering Adam Lambert as a frontman for Queen, replacing Paul Rodgers. The interest was sparked after he saw a video of Lambert's audition on American Idol where he sang Bohemian Rhapsody and a later performance where he sang Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. They also clicked after the joint performance on American Idol.
In November 2011, Adam Lambert performed with Queen at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast. On 30 June 2012, Queen and Adam Lambert gave their first concert together at Independence Square in Kiev. This concert was part of their first joint tour. This was a mini-tour. This tour was followed by a major world tour in 2014 and 2015. Queen and Lambert continued working together, despite Lambert releasing his own album in June 2015. A hit from his album The Original High, Ghost Town, was also played live by the band in September 2015 in South America. After a short break, a tour of Europe and Asia followed in 2016. In the summer of 2017, the band began a new world tour. It started in North America and then visited Europe, New Zealand and Australia. After the success of the film Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen announced the Rhapsody Tour. In the summer of 2019, the band toured North America and in early 2020, Queen visited South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. The European leg of the tour was planned for spring but was postponed to 2022 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. On 2 October 2020, the album Live Around the World was released, a compilation album with recordings from a selection of the 218 concerts Queen + Adam Lambert had performed together up to that point. This album reached number one in the United Kingdom and Australia and made the top 10 in several other countries.
source: Wikipedia photo: public domain
