Did Queen lose the States, because they 'lost' Freddie?
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brENsKi · Member since
I'd say that Freddie was the reason for their losing the USA...the campness of the promotional videos was what put the American public (generally) off.
The MTV generation did so much for some artists in the USA but it killed queen.Freddie's artistic approach to both IWTBF and IAHL was so overblown that it turned most americans off. Most people cite the Coronation St thing as being key - but i think it was more the overtly camp visuals in "The Fawn" section and the camptastic decadence of IAHL....
Really can't understand that a group so "in touch with trends" (CLTCL and AOBTD are examples of this) - why didn't record they two promo videos for each Works single?
The Real Wizard · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]Vocal harmony wrote:[/b]
What doesn't seem to be well documented is that a 1984 US tour was cancelled. BM in march of that year did an interview on Rockline Radio. I think it was in LA but I'm not sure. I had a tape of it but it has been long lost. During that program BM took questions by phone. One of which was a woman asking when they would tour next and would the show be as big as in the past. BM's revealing answer was that this time round the show is bigger with more of a back to the heavier songs feel. He also said we will be around your way in June or july! Those dates fit in with the long gap between the release of the works and the first European dates at the end of august and September.
[/QUOTE]
Fascinating. And not at all surprising.
How I'd love to be a fly on the wall during the ensuing conversations where the tour was pulled. Doesn't surprise me in the least. I bet this is what they were talking about when they said Paul Prenter blew off their US contacts one by one.
I really wish I still had that tape. The BM was talking about the staging, setlist and proposed dates it sounded like they wer very close to announcing something.
Yeah being a fly on the wall would have been very enlightening. . . .
Talking of touring and stage sets I wonder what they are planning this time? Maybe that thought/question belongs on another thread.
Woof woof!
Lord Gaga · Member since
I always thought the release of The Works (February 1984) and the start of their tour (August 1984) was an unusually long gap for Queen. I don't think they'd ever had such a gap before in their history, and I'm sure a lot of it was because Freddie was working on Mr. Bad Guy.
Interesting that a US tour was planned but canceled. I bet that if Queen had toured the US, especially with the Works repertoire, which excised a lot of the Hot Space/dance material in favor of a harder rock edge, they would have done astoundingly well, and might even have gotten a lot of their fans back. Remember that Rolling Stone called The Works "Led Zeppelin II for the 80s", and what better endorsement could a band possibly ask for?!
people on streets · Member since
This crap again?
MercuryArts · Member since
This is the first tome I ever heard any mention of a US tour cancelled in the spring/summer of 1984. I was waiting & waiting for a tour to be announced.
I agree with above posts & I have posted on here before that IWTBF, both the song & the video hurt Queen here in the US. This isn't the sole reason for their decline in the US, but it certainly played a part.
As for the whole Sun City tour, There was never any mention of these gigs around my area, Philadelphia, for sure. I would have heard about it on the radio or from someone in H.S. for sure.
Back to the info about the cancelled US tour, that only hurts more to know that it was on the table then taken away, rather than no tour being planned at all.
LucasDiego · Member since
It's sad that great songs like it's a hard life, hammer to fall, princes of universe and innuendo passed too unnoticed in america
musicland munich · Member since
I just add some dates to the 84`timeline ( not complete )
February: Release of "The Works" ( around that time Fred had some fights with "The Sun"-- "Oh yes I`am gay.I`have done all that"
May: Golden Rose Montreux
June : Rogers Album "Strange Frontier" was in the UK Charts
July: Tour Rehearsals began ( sometimes twelve hours and more a day)
August/September: Tour
October: Sun City dates / Freddies Single "Love Kills" " Metropolis Soundtrack
and they produced "Thank god it`s christmas"
Shumway · Member since
There's no denying that Freddie's hit song writing output did decline in the 80s, but we know he made substantial changes to AKOM among others.
I have an interview disc which I haven't listened to in 10-15 years. It contains a previously unreleased Freddie interview recorded some time after The Works was released. I remember Freddie saying that Roger Taylor really wanted Radio Ga Ga to be a hit, (because all other band members had already penned hit singles).
In the same interview he said that Brian's songs were virtually finished and needed no more work by the time he presented them to the band, but (in his opinion) Deacon and Taylor's songs often needed some of his input, (as with AKOM for example).
I'm not sure if anyone else remembers the interview I am talking about? Freddie is eating as it is being conducted and can be heard summoning Phoebe to fetch him more chicken throughout, ("Phoebe! More chicken!")
Saint Jiub · Member since
In a 2011 interview of Brian mentioned: "and I think 3 things contributed to us losing America"
Highlander was a fairly big budget US film, and Queen agreeing to do the soundtrack could have been seen to be a pretty sure fire way to reach the US market again. However, through no fault of the band, the film effectively bombed in the US, thereby ruining any plan they had of that being their 'way back in'.
greaserkat · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]Vocal harmony wrote:[/b]
What doesn't seem to be well documented is that a 1984 US tour was cancelled. BM in march of that year did an interview on Rockline Radio. I think it was in LA but I'm not sure. I had a tape of it but it has been long lost. During that program BM took questions by phone. One of which was a woman asking when they would tour next and would the show be as big as in the past. BM's revealing answer was that this time round the show is bigger with more of a back to the heavier songs feel. He also said we will be around your way in June or july! Those dates fit in with the long gap between the release of the works and the first European dates at the end of august and September.
[/QUOTE]
Fascinating. And not at all surprising.
How I'd love to be a fly on the wall during the ensuing conversations where the tour was pulled. Doesn't surprise me in the least. I bet this is what they were talking about when they said Paul Prenter blew off their US contacts one by one.
