Queen can be a bit like area 51 at times with so many secrets and myths about what lies within Queen and behind those archival vaults and with Brian and Roger saying different answers to same questions asked 10 years later, whether studio recordings of hangman/rock roll medley exists, how much live recordings there are, how much unreleased studio recordings there is, when was Freddie's absolute last recording was etc etc and whether John has some vocal guides for his songs or even uncredited backing vocals mixed very deep in the multi voice chorus.

The very rare, knowledgeable interviewer who actually asks about Johns vocal talents, it seems like an inside joke for Roger and Brian. For example, if its a written interview. The answer usually starts with a few "laughs" then they say a joke answer like "have you ever heard John Deacon sing..? that's why we never let him sing!" or "he's always twenty feet away from the mic" or that quote of Brian's saying "the only time I heard John sing was when he was showing Freddie how to sing ANBTD and I said to John, never sing again!" Or when a fan wrote on Brian's wall "OMG is this John singing?!" with links to I think it was the Milan “radio gaga” concert and that "wo la la la" part in in the lap of the gods Earls, and Brian never really confirmed or denied it... And its funny how you never hear them mentioning about Johns singing at Earls? Because from the few video footage there is of that period between 74 and 77, when you see John really making an effort with his mic, like at the Rainbow you see him singing on many songs, such as the "do do do do" parts of Father to son, Now I'm Here and Liar... not just the “all day long” part! But when it came to the “liar”!! part there is a scene where he runs up to the mic.... You know that sound when you really shout at the mic.. that thud sound as the initial air blast hits the mic... you can actually hear and almost feel it when John roars that “Liar” part out loud, his veins in his neck almost pop out. Then after that infamous Earls court singing.... nothing really ever again from John...? Someone in the band either must of said something to John about that performance or he watched the recording and hearing his singing effort and went something along the lines of “oh god I can hear myself and never again” But from hearing that Milan effort.. He really must be actually singing into his mic when he is..?!

I also remember coming across a interview on the net with one of queens past managers Roy Thomas Baker maybe? and a subject about John singing was talked about, it was indepth He said that the roadies would note to keep Johns mic turned down, that he did sing backing on stage and he did mention that John did partake in some backing vocals early on, on some of Queens lower harmony songs, just as a vocal guide to see how the song was going for example somebody to love and if the song was a go, his vocals would all but be over dubbed out by the other three. Not sure how true that interview was and if anyone has read it, but it would be cool to know if John had an “escaped” backing vocal out there...?! I believe that I may have stumbled across it or something slightly different in "In the Lap of the Gods revisited" I had eaten my mates special "brownies" and man my ears had become so very highly tuned!! it was like nothing I have ever experienced in my life! I was playing the Sheer Heart Attack album with my mates $300 headphones and listening to that last track.... I am so very sure I heard/caught something just ever so slightly different in the vocals...? very faint but a distinctive only a "John Deacon" heavy english accent very deep in those multi layered vocals at the end.... who know's they say its the drugs but... well...?! I don't know....?? Someone here a willing participant to try that?


I do find this a really intriguing subject and for that matter I guess for all of you guys here. I guess any new Queen fan that actually listens to a whole “pre hot space” album quickly realise that, that is not Freddie's voice..? Then you realise that someone else is singing, then you realise after reading the album sheet that those other band members are actually singing, then you do the maths and realise there are four guys here and where is that other guys vocals to his songs..? John Deacon...! how come he's not singing?
That is what happened to me, I became intrigued with this, which then led me to start doing some research of myself, I read that he never sung except for some live backing vocals, I found that interesting and really wanting to know what he sounded like as a backing singer of course back then youtube wasn't around!, then I was reading about liar and how it possibly has John's only backing vocals and whether it was an uncredited backing vocal as he sang into Freddies mic on the video, being on dial up it took me almost a week to download that video to end up not really hearing anything in particular.. Then getting broadband and with youtube, these videos start popping up like "John's voice is finally heard here" live at Earls in somebody to love and very out of tune in in the lap of the gods and along with that audio clip of radio gaga in Milan. He really could have given it a real go at singing with a bit of practise you know....?

It would have been awesome if John had sung a lead on an album, it would have in a way completed Queen as one of the very few bands where everyone sang a lead vocal on a song on a album, along with where everyone not only wrote their own songs but also wrote more than one hit!.