Why Roger and Freddie (solo) Got it right, but brian failed.

I'm not ripping brian in any way, he had some fine moments on his solo albums,  but the reason why I find Freddie and roger's solo stuff more interesting is because they were trying something different.  In defense of Mr. bad guy, yes, it was a weak album, but it was freddie trying something different and trying go get away from the Queen sound, isn't that what a solo album is about?....creating something different....Barcelona was a completely different animal all together.  That brings me to roger.  I recently been listening too rogers solo stuff, and must say some interesting and "different" sounds on his solo albums, nothing like Queen. The EP with the japanese musician (forget his name) was awsome and electric fire is a solid listen.  you could tell roger is creating "something new" instead of trying to recreate the Queen sound. Sadly brian was trying too make another Queen album with back to the light.  Even the first single sounded like a second rate Queen single.  If I'm gonna listen to a solo album from a member of Queen, or rush,  I want to hear something different.  not the same as the band they were in. That's boring.

I don't think Brian's solo work sounds that much like Queen. More so perhaps than the other guys, but I think it is different enough to be considered perfectly valid.







The only similarities I see in his work to Queen's is a big sound, fair bit of variety and excellent production. I can't see how those can be considered negatives.

Brian May is the real "Soul" of Queen....

Hmm, I really really like The Cosmos Rocks. The title track is great fun, and Still Burnin is fantastic with the best lyric on the album, in the way it tells a good story.
And yes, I think the Red Special is the real core of the Queen sound, probably along with Freddie's (or Queen's) multi-tracked BVs. Although, the BVs on Mr bad Guy don't really make it sound like Queen, but the Red Special on Brian's albums make it sound more Queeny. To me anyway. The Dark could easily be on a Queen album.

Having said all that, Roger's solo work, and The Cross' albums are my favourite side projects. The amazing modern drum sound on Electric Fire was great. Blue Rock is one of my favourite albums ever, and each of Roger's albums has something a little different and special to listen to.

Simon

Freddie may have been trying to get away from the Queen sound on Mr. Bad Buy, but not that much. He hired a guitar player who basically tried to emulate Brian in his solos  I was very surprised when I first head it that Freddie would inject this sound into his solo album, but I guess it goes to show that he really liked the melodic quality of Brian's work on his songs.

Brian's solo work is my favorite ;)  I suggest you get Another World album, because there might be something different thrown in there (Cyborg :D)

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[b]Marcelo_argentina wrote: [/b]

Brian May is the real "Soul" of Queen....
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I agree. Brian and the Red Special are as one, and I think it would be as impossible, or as likely, for him to sound entirely different as it would be for him to toss the RS and take up with a more conventional instrument. And he and the RS permeated most everything Queen did.

Brian said about [i]Back To The Light[/i], "There are many threads in the album and one of them is Freddie obviously. It had to be. Because all through the making of this album I was becoming more and more aware that Freddie was facing the end of his life. So obviously I was aware as I finished off [these songs] that in some way it was going to relate to Freddie too. And also to my dad and also to me. So there were a whole lot of link-ups there. But the song most directly concerned with Freddie is really [i]Nothin' But Blue[/i]. It was written around the time we lost him, and I had this strong feeling that this was the end."

As Georg Purvis said about the [i]Nothin' But Blue[/i] track from [i]Back To The Light[/i], "Essentially a showcase for for the Red Special, in which Brian all but makes his instrument weep............"

I am glad other people have mentioned the fact that Brian WAS most of Queen's sound, I was going to mention it in my earlier post, but decided not to.



THat guitar just has so much presence and unique tone, and I believe that Brian was more responsible for the way Queen constructed and vocalised songs than Freddie was. 



I am also pretty sure the main guitar used on Nothin' But Blue was not the RS but a guitar given to him by Santana, tho I cannot remember which make/model. The RS was used in the song too, but not the main parts. As someone else said in another thread though, Brian could achieve 90% of his own sound with almost any guitar, because it is in his fingers and his style.



I am sure someone will argue with my last point, but that is what I have come to understand anyway.

A lot of people have said Freddie was Queen...these people obviously need to pay more attention to the guitar work, because I think Brian was a major part of Queen.  He was the second-best songwriter in the group, second-best singer in the group (with some exceptions), and he was the most unique, I think.

Queen was Tim Staffell!!!

YEAH i SAID IT!

The "Japanese Guy" mentioned in an earlier post is Yoshiki, a classical pianist and rock drummer (yes, you read that right, haha).

I think "Foreign Sand" and the re-record of "Final Destination" (also with Yoshiki, from the "Foreign Sand" single) are among Roger's finest records.

To add my two cents to the discussion, I think all four guys played to their strengths. Freddie and Roger have (well, Freddie *had*) very pop sensibilities (melody driven). Brian was more a rocker. That doesn't mean he only wrote 'hard rock," but more traditional rock (heavy guitar numbers, rock ballads, etc.). John's few exclusive solo outings ("No Turning Back" and "Picking Up Sounds") were funkier numbers.

Chart-wise, Freddie and Brian were the most successful, with the most solo singles making an impact on the market. Just saying...

I love both Brian's solo albums. And there's nothing wrong with some similarities to Queen sound. He wrote almost (roughly saying) a half of Queen songs, which you can recognize easily. He has his own style of creating  music. That's his way. I'd say Brian is pretty constant person, what is not possible to say about Freddie. But to call it the same - is unfair as well. The songs changed a lot since their first album to his solo works. Anyway, I like Brian's solo stuff more than Freddie's (maybe that's because I'm very keen on guitar sound).

not a great topic we must be bored .can i just say isn't the Red special responsible for the renowned Queen Sound , so poor old Brian would have had to put the Special away each time he played solo !! come on guys your in Another World .

Yeah i have to agree with marcello here.

There is a lot of talk about Freddie, almost as when you say Queen you really mean Freddie and vice versa. Not fair. I had this conversation with a fellow Queen fan some years ago, about Brian, Roger and John being the band behind Freddie. Of course he was the driving force in the studio aswell on stage. He was the face of Queen, and one true "forntman/singer". Wheter he wanted to admit that himself or not.

Thus almost equal to Freddies geniostity was Brian and Roger. I leave John out of this since he has not gone solo, yet!(The Biggles project not included).

Rogers voice and drumming, Brians guitarplaying and vocals. Almost as distinct as Freddies pipe. IMO.

I have not seen any recordsales but I do know that Freddies solostuff flopped, in terms of Queen recordsales speaking. I can´t think that Rogers albums, both with The Cross and solo sold more than Freddie but at least equal to Brians BTTL and AW, even Starfleet and Furia soundtrack.


(Off topic here. Is there a connection with our Brian and the Brian May writing the score for A nightmare on elm street? I can swear it´s our Brian singing in the opening credits of the last original nighmare film, Final nightmare I belive.)


I think the Topic is merely personal opinions cause I find Brians solostuff almost as good as Queen. ALMOST.
Rogers I have to say, I don´t really like. And Freddies, well I love Barcelona cause he really went for what he belived in, but the other stuff is basicly Hot Space revisited. Again IMO.