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I don't think Freddie is overrated--I think the other three members are UNDER-rated and under-appreciated (invisible) by the general public.
TI don't think Freddie is / was / will ever be over *OR* under rated by anyone.
This all falls down to which member of the band you like best. If you're primarily a Brian fan, then Freddie will seem to be over rated when other people wax lyrical about him. Vice versa.
Alternatively, you could just be a *Queen* fan and none of the members become more important than the others.
This all falls down to which member of the band you like best. If you're primarily a Brian fan, then Freddie will seem to be over rated when other people wax lyrical about him. Vice versa.
Alternatively, you could just be a *Queen* fan and none of the members become more important than the others.
Well I LOVE the songs by Freddie and Brian the most but Freddie still wins hands down. Brian was great too but Freddie was a writer, THE voice of queen and good on instruments. He has a great voice and I do love his songs so much. I guess you just have to think of them as a cake. Like a cake would be nothing without the flour (Freddie) But it needs the others to make it taste nicer (sugar, icing and er chocolate). Theres no I in Team basicaly but I still like Freddie the best.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]August R. wrote: [/QUOTENAME]I think this a question that us, the Queen fans, can't answer alone. I mean, amongst fans Freddie probably isn't overrated, 'cos we all know that the others were skilled musicians and great composers, as well. Casual rock listeners, on the other hand, often think that Freddie was Queen, e.g. he wrote all the hits and was "the boss" in the band. And that's understandable, 'cos he was such a great singer and frontman and a BIG personality. Even his death was big media event with the tribute concert. No wonder if people tend to over-emphasize Freddie's importance to the band.
Unfortunately, even some fans seem to think that Freddie was Queen. We should know better.
[/QUOTE]
By far the best post in this thread.
V.
Unfortunately, even some fans seem to think that Freddie was Queen. We should know better.
[/QUOTE]
By far the best post in this thread.
V.
How the hell can you say Freddie was "overrated." He's the best singer in rock, that's been proven since 1971 (lol), and Freddie Mercury and "Lazy" shouldn't even be in the same sentence. Sure, some of his writing in the 80s wasn't as good as the 70s, but what songwriter doesn't have a writing slump? His writing on Barcelona, The Miracle, Innuendo, and Made in Heaven was good!
And Deacon is the most underrated writer.
And Deacon is the most underrated writer.
You may say mr mercury is over rated but whenever may or taylor speak about him, THEY speak about him in legendary terms - just listen to the way how hes spoken about on the greatest hits 1 and 2.
Freddie did some remarkable crap in the 80's, especially for a person with his track record. He seems to have had horrible lapse of taste for big parts of the decade. But the entire band got kind of lazy, safe and/or saved a lot of their for solo stuff. Roger really stepped up to the occasion with a lot of their best singles.
Freddie, while being one of rocks most uniquely talented musicians, is certainly overrated by those who claim he solely was Queen. The Queen sound was created by four equally important parts (even though Brian has shown himself to be capable of recreating the sound).
Freddie, while being one of rocks most uniquely talented musicians, is certainly overrated by those who claim he solely was Queen. The Queen sound was created by four equally important parts (even though Brian has shown himself to be capable of recreating the sound).
I think it's fair to say that if queen existed [i]only[/i] in the 80's, this forum would be less likely to exist. When I think about my own passion for the band, 90% of that flows out of the 1970's and up to 1980. A lot of output after that was for me eminently forgettable, which doesn't mean you don't sing along or drive a little faster or tap your feet, it's just not fuel for that passion that sweeps you to some higher place when listening or watching. Who knows why. Growing older, different personal pressures, rapidly evolving culture of the new decade, wealth, drugs, illness, whatever, it was a different band in the 1980's.
As to the other question, I have always thought of queen as four equal people whose precise chemistry accounted for their brilliance as a band. Song writing credits on the record sleeves can never tell the whole story, for Queen or anyone else.
As to the other question, I have always thought of queen as four equal people whose precise chemistry accounted for their brilliance as a band. Song writing credits on the record sleeves can never tell the whole story, for Queen or anyone else.
I understand this whole "4 equal" members crap, and I love John and roger, but There is no queen sound without freddie and brian. They are the queen sound, freddie's voice and original, creative style of writing, and brians guitar sound and writing is what made Queen monsters in their prime. yea, roger came up with some good singles in the 80's to keep the Queen machine running, but even those songs arn't vintage Queen. John also came up with some brilliant stuff, but he needed direction from freddie to make those songs happen. Just look at the mess The queen machine became since freddie died!....
Rogers drums are just as recognizable as Brians guitar. At least for fellow musicians they are.
Also Johns arrangements on bass are very recognizable as being his.
These contribute just as much to the overall 'Queen-sound'
Also Johns arrangements on bass are very recognizable as being his.
These contribute just as much to the overall 'Queen-sound'
[QUOTE]
[b]Dane wrote: [/b]
Rogers drums are just as recognizable as Brians guitar. At least for fellow musicians they are.
Also Johns arrangements on bass are very recognizable as being his.
These contribute just as much to the overall 'Queen-sound'
[/QUOTE]
Are you kidding?....Roger was a good drummer, but wasn't all that great ,and rarely gets a mention with the all time best. The musicians I know arn't all that Impressed by him. Only on queenzone he's considered great. John, a good bass player and writer. Contributed great things for Queen, but freddie's equal?....You must be kidding!....He's not all that unique as a player or writer.
[b]Dane wrote: [/b]
Rogers drums are just as recognizable as Brians guitar. At least for fellow musicians they are.
Also Johns arrangements on bass are very recognizable as being his.
These contribute just as much to the overall 'Queen-sound'
[/QUOTE]
Are you kidding?....Roger was a good drummer, but wasn't all that great ,and rarely gets a mention with the all time best. The musicians I know arn't all that Impressed by him. Only on queenzone he's considered great. John, a good bass player and writer. Contributed great things for Queen, but freddie's equal?....You must be kidding!....He's not all that unique as a player or writer.
After all these years does it really matter? Just enjoy it
[QUOTE]
[b]mike hunt wrote: [/b]
Roger was a good drummer, but wasn't all that great ,and rarely gets a mention with the all time best. The musicians I know arn't all that Impressed by him.
[/QUOTE]
Most people, including a fair portion of musicians, equate better with flashier and faster. For this reason, they do not recognize the talents of the other three remaining members of Queen. Roger Taylor was and still is a great drummer live. Check out any version of Now I'm Here during the middle section to see the way he never plays the same thing for 8 bars, always having different fills to keep it sounding fresh. Same goes for the last section of Spread Your Wings, or the middle of Liar. These are the subtle things that contribute to the overall picture, not the flashy things that jump out like a 60-piece drum kit. But if we want to talk about technique, his snare rolls are cleaner than anything John Bonham could have fathomed.
John Deacon's delicately melodic style falls into the same category. His bass work in songs like Sail Away Sweet Sister, Spread Your Wings, and Teo Torriatte are in a league of their own. This kind of musical texture is not in the forefront, but the music would be much more bare without it. Danny Miranda once said how John's bass lines are like little stories.
And for the same reason, the average music fan does not recognize Brian May as an innovative guitarist. Brian wasn't flashy like Jimmy Page or Eddie Van Halen, but he contributed just as much to the evolution of rock guitar as they did. It is his equisite selection of notes and the feeling he plays with that make him stand out from the rest, and of course, the orchestrations in dozens of songs like White Queen and Good Company. Sixteen bars of music at the end of the latter place him in the top tier of musicians of the past few decades, never mind just rock guitarists.
[b]mike hunt wrote: [/b]
Roger was a good drummer, but wasn't all that great ,and rarely gets a mention with the all time best. The musicians I know arn't all that Impressed by him.
[/QUOTE]
Most people, including a fair portion of musicians, equate better with flashier and faster. For this reason, they do not recognize the talents of the other three remaining members of Queen. Roger Taylor was and still is a great drummer live. Check out any version of Now I'm Here during the middle section to see the way he never plays the same thing for 8 bars, always having different fills to keep it sounding fresh. Same goes for the last section of Spread Your Wings, or the middle of Liar. These are the subtle things that contribute to the overall picture, not the flashy things that jump out like a 60-piece drum kit. But if we want to talk about technique, his snare rolls are cleaner than anything John Bonham could have fathomed.
John Deacon's delicately melodic style falls into the same category. His bass work in songs like Sail Away Sweet Sister, Spread Your Wings, and Teo Torriatte are in a league of their own. This kind of musical texture is not in the forefront, but the music would be much more bare without it. Danny Miranda once said how John's bass lines are like little stories.
And for the same reason, the average music fan does not recognize Brian May as an innovative guitarist. Brian wasn't flashy like Jimmy Page or Eddie Van Halen, but he contributed just as much to the evolution of rock guitar as they did. It is his equisite selection of notes and the feeling he plays with that make him stand out from the rest, and of course, the orchestrations in dozens of songs like White Queen and Good Company. Sixteen bars of music at the end of the latter place him in the top tier of musicians of the past few decades, never mind just rock guitarists.
Saying that Roger and John are equal to Freddie and Brian is like saying George and Ringo are equal to Paul and John.
I love George, Ringo and Roger and John, but really...
I love George, Ringo and Roger and John, but really...