are Queen a ROCK band?

My friends still think Queen are a pop band so i thought id just ask you all here to get some proof and tell them that about i dont know how many  people just said their a rock band or what ever else, 
any ideas? because you have to admit their music is alot lighter than some other bands music like KISS who are alot more heavy, but i guess at the time then it was a rock band

Technically they're both, as Pop Music is just short for Popular Music.

Now, short of getting into the long and detailed spiderweb of musical influences, varying definitions of "pop" (both current and historic), let's just say that nowadays, the idea seems to be that Pop Music is geared to singles charts and the broadest appeal. In some purest circles, it's sort of a negative label, I guess, in that it implies either a lowest common denominator/superficial approach and/or result, or something aimed at younger audiences. You'd rarely heard Led Zeppelin accused of being a Pop Band.

So, what are Queen? Well, I think they're the best of both worlds: a Rock Band with a Pop sensibility towards its singles output.  

And really, that was their greatest commercial strength. They could cover a lot of bases reasonably well. They could rock out hard and they could put out radio-friendly material as well.

i see, i guess its just modern "pop" that's utter shit.
but radio friendly? i thought that get down make love was banned for talking about to much sex, but i heard theres a new "song" out by some white rapper called "grab your crotch!" which i think is a no no, im not a fan of rap and hip hop, its just annoying. 
but i understand what your saying hun :)

I meant their radio-friendly material tended to be their singles.

"Get Down, Make Love" was never a single, as far as I know.

"Body Language" was and it was a successful in the US (#11, I think?)....even #25 in the UK isn't terrible, though by Queen's previous standards (Top 10s and 20s), it was a miss.

In my opinion, Queen were generally a "Rock" band up until after The Game, at which point they leaned more toward "Pop".  I mean, could you imagine them recording a song like "Back Chat" or "Rain Must Fall" in the 70s?  Now, I'm not knocking either version of the band.  I prefer the 70s Queen, but the 80s Queen had its virtues, as well.

This just makes me Stone Cold Crazy.

I think Queen is a rock band that can do other things as well. That´s because they aren´t a buch of rockers who just know how to headbang. they are true musicians who like to do rock music but exactly because they are musicians they do lot of different stuff.
And about getting hard...well I don´t think that rock n´roll all night or strutter are even close to be so heavy as ogre battle, stone cold crazy and many others amazing heavy songs they used to play.
Even in the 80´s they continued to do heavy tracks like princes of the universe, gimme the prize among others.

I think here categorisation is hard - a little from column A and a little from column B. I find this interview with Freddie quite interesting and raises a few points

http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/interviews/freddie-mercury/is-this-man-a-prat-/

Don't be put off my the title! :-)

I would say 70's - hard rock / "pomp rock"
80's - rock, pop, disco (Hot Space era)
90's - pop, rock

lifetimefanofqueen wrote: My friends still think Queen are a pop band so i thought id just ask you all here to get some proof and tell them that about i dont know how many  people just said their a rock band or what ever else, 
any ideas? because you have to admit their music is alot lighter than some other bands music like KISS who are alot more heavy, but i guess at the time then it was a rock band
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i think it has to be put into perspective in relation to time. Queen evolved to capture as big a market as possible (this backfired a little from 82 onwards in the USA)....but they were by no means an exception...lots of  traditional "Rock bands" took this path in the 80s...
listen to the singles/album output form bands like Genesis, Yes, the Who, Kiss, foreigner, ...it all headed into a much more pop direction

i tihnk IF queen were still aorund, and IF they were still working together...then they'd have done the indie thing and practically every other new trend along the way....

rubens wrote: I think Queen is a rock band that can do other things as well. That´s because they aren´t a buch of rockers who just know how to headbang. they are true musicians who like to do rock music but exactly because they are musicians they do lot of different stuff.
And about getting hard...well I don´t think that rock n´roll all night or strutter are even close to be so heavy as ogre battle, stone cold crazy and many others amazing heavy songs they used to play.
Even in the 80´s they continued to do heavy tracks like princes of the universe, gimme the prize among others.

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aye, but "god of thunder" is quite "heavy"

To me, they're anything but a rock band.

They are Queen. Nuff said.

Master Marathon Runner

lifetimefanofqueen wrote: aye, but "god of thunder" is quite "heavy" 

Well I supose you are right...it´s hard rock for sure.
But I think that when the boys wanted, they could rock harder than any other band of their time.
Of course in the end of the day it´s all subjective : )

Based on most of what I kenw and experienced back then, and what I have read since, they are considered "Glam Rock"