How do you think Fred initiated lead-vox? How did others feel?

I've been tossing it around in my head the past couple of days, and finally decided hell with it, and I ask you guys:

How do you imagine Freddie came about making him the lead vocalist from Hot Space on? (Granted I know Bri and Rog would occasionally sing lines, but I'm talking about full on songs) I just wonder if he asked it, demanded it, etc.

I also wonder if this caused any turmoil or questioning for a small period of time within the group...
As they didn't know he had AIDS which is why I always assumed he took the role, so if any thing happened to him the press or critics couldn't claim Queen had just knocked a song off with zero input from Freddie - even though again, I know this is true for a small number of songs.

What do you fellas say about this?

Lead vocalist from Hot Space on? When was he ever not the lead vocalist?

Come on, don't be an ass. Obviously he is the lead - you tard - but Brian and Rog would usually sing a song an album. From Hot Space on, this ceased to be so. Try to apply a little thought to the question presented to you before you answer it.

I think he was trying to be funny--but I got what you were saying!

I don't think nothing really changed/happened between the members concerning the vocals.

My guess is money.  I remember Roger saying something akin to if he wanted his songs on the radio (and in particular Radio Ga Ga), he knew Freddie had to be the singer.

My feeling is that it could be due to Mack.  When Brian said he could play the Red Special to sound like a Telecaster, Mack said why not play the Telecaster directly.  So, in the same vein, he could have expressed the view that if Freddie was to sing all the songs on stage, he might as well sing them for the album.

Good point. AFAIK, Mack was also the one who suggested Freddie singing Rock It instead of Roger - finally a compromise was made and Fred only sang the intro on the studio version. Another possibility is that Roger had his solo career and that was already an outlet for him on both guitars and vocals.

I seem to remember Roger saying that the group felt that Freddie was singing particularly well at the time of Hot Space and that he could bring more to the songs that were being recorded. They never really changed this view from that time onwards. It was qualified though,  and if a song needed a different lead or approach then Brian or Roger would have taken it. Who Wants To Live Forever would back that up. It was Freddies insistence that Brian take the opening lines as he felt the song would be better that way.

There was a solo concert dated 21/12/1992 by Roger where one of the tracks was Rock It.  In it, he only sang the intro (the part sung by Freddie in the album).  It seems that he would like us to hear his full version, albeit in parts and many years later  :-)

"I don't think nothing really changed/happened between the members concerning the vocals."

Erm yes it did.. Freddie sang lead vocal on everything from that point. I think the reason is mentioned above, I'm sure I remember I think it was Long Away or Sail Away Sweet Sister (or possibly both) that the band and/or record company really liked but couldn't be released because Fredie wasn't singing. I guess for The Works in particular there was Hammer To Fall and Radio Ga Ga that were obvious singles so Freddie had to sing them and it just stuck.

It proves that Freddie was Queen.
LOL

Brian and Roger still sang lead vocals on b-sides like "Hijack my Heart" or "Lost opportunities". So I don't think there was some deeper meaning behind it all. To me it was more strange that Freddie's piano disappeared more and more on the later albums...

I was literally going to say what Soundfreak just said before me. 
I dont think anything changed persay, it was just a natural progression.
Maybe Mack did have a slight input, we'll not know until it's officially released.

it's commen sense.....roger never had a top 40 hit....the only band member who still never had one....he knew the only way was to have freddie sing his songs.  Radio Ga Ga and then obviously Magic was roger's coming out party,  so why would he start singing his own songs again?.....same for Brian, but in Brians case he stopped writing the type of songs that fit his voice.   no more 39's, good company,  Sweet sister.  the type of songs he was writing fit freddie's voice more, and the most Important reason.....Freddie's Voice=hits.........

mike hunt wrote: it's commen sense.....roger never had a top 40 hit....the only band member who still never had one....he knew the only way was to have freddie sing his songs.  Radio Ga Ga and then obviously Magic was roger's coming out party,  so why would he start singing his own songs again?.....same for Brian, but in Brians case he stopped writing the type of songs that fit his voice.   no more 39's, good company,  Sweet sister.  the type of songs he was writing fit freddie's voice more, and the most Important reason.....Freddie's Voice=hits.........
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Freddie's voice = hits

^ yep, spot on. It's not inconceivable that something like 39 might've been a hit in the 1970s with Brian on vocals. And it;s possible that in the wake of 3-4 hugely successful singles in the UK from The Works album that a song not sung by Freddie could've been a hit (had there been one on that album) but by and large Fred was the recognisable voice of Queen.