The VERY SPECIAL CORE for your love for Queen ?

For me it was Freddie's charisma combined with with his death and partly his sexuality ( we share the same).

It just triggered some super-human quality that AIDS issue and his attitude towards death epitomed through Show Must Go On

On a more deep level ( i guess) his colorful , yet somehow frightening, calidoscope of gender/sexuality expression, i couldn't fathom at the time of 12 y.o.

Basically because of Freddie (voice, incredible musicianship and song-writing talent - but mostly his charisma on stage, and the fact that the man's life was all about music, in that he lived and breathed music, it was in his veins), and also because Queen are that once in a hundred years meeting of four characters which together managed to create a very rare type of magic. Kind of like Clarkson, Hammond and May - too bad that's ruined now.

It all started with Bo Rhap for me. I'm not sure I would have been a Queen fan if I hadn't heard Bo Rhap at all. I mean I did not become a fan suddenly after that, but it made me purchase Greatest Hits and discover Queen. One of the reasons that I like Queen so much is that they were the same four people from the first album to the last. (Unlike most of the bands that are replacing members like football teams changing players).They were all great musicians and great performers.

[QUOTE] [b]Costa86 wrote:[/b]

Basically because of Freddie (voice, incredible musicianship and song-writing talent - but mostly his charisma on stage, and the fact that the man's life was all about music, in that he lived and breathed music, it was in his veins), and also because Queen are that once in a hundred years meeting of four characters which together managed to create a very rare type of magic. Kind of like Clarkson, Hammond and May - too bad that's ruined now.

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I agree. And Top Gear is great!

Haha - I can't imagine Queen suspending Deacon if he punched Mack.

Queen GH1 was the first alum I ever listened to as a kid in the early 80s. Flash Gordon was my 'in' and I eventually listened to the rest of the songs on there having let the LP run on to the equally space age sounding Seven Seas Of Rhye. When I listen to Queen now (after sometime in the wilderness it must be said - Innuendo, through FM's death through MIH until maybe I discovered the place in '04 - '05) I imagine that little boy sitting listening to their music carefully and thnking WOW.

Seeing them on top of the pops in 1974, shortly after going to see them in Manchester with my best mate :-) I've been a mega fan ever since, constantly delighted and often let down, but that's what following Queen is all about !

I have 101 reasons to love Queen, too lazy to type them all down, so my reason for today is:
Their music sounds so raw and sharp to me, like a cutting knife. Despite what people said that Q's music was pretentious and overblown, I find it quite the contrary. Sometimes their songs are painfully personal (White Queen, Save Me). Sometimes their melody is delirious like coming right out of a fever (Black Queen, Stone Cold). Listening to them is riding a roller coaster. Sure it can be overblown at times, but even that feel like the "overblownness" is in their blood, their passion throws them ahead, not like they pretend to be something they aren't.

^^^ Terrific post! I totally agree with it.
Queen was the soundtrack to my life growing up. Both my parents are heavy 60s and 70s rock fans, with Queen at the top of their list. And Freddie's voice just got to me. To the point that I was obsessed with it. I wanted to hear him sing all the time. When I grew up a bit, I started really listening to their songs and fell in love with the complete Queen package.

[QUOTE] [b]Costa86 wrote:[/b]

Basically because of Freddie (voice, incredible musicianship and song-writing talent - but mostly his charisma on stage, and the fact that the man's life was all about music, in that he lived and breathed music, it was in his veins), and also because Queen are that once in a hundred years meeting of four characters which together managed to create a very rare type of magic. Kind of like Clarkson, Hammond and May - too bad that's ruined now.

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A friend of mine told me exactly the same about a once in a hundred years meeting of four recently when I asked her about Queen, who she hadn't listened to in ages. Just saying, lol.

[QUOTE] [b]noorie wrote:[/b]

^^^ Terrific post! I totally agree with it.
Queen was the soundtrack to my life growing up. Both my parents are heavy 60s and 70s rock fans, with Queen at the top of their list. And Freddie's voice just got to me. To the point that I was obsessed with it. I wanted to hear him sing all the time. When I grew up a bit, I started really listening to their songs and fell in love with the complete Queen package.[/QUOTE]
How cool that both your parents are heavey rock fans!

But for my part, luckily my parents don't have any tiny bit of like for rock. As I often go against their direction, i end up with rock :lol

The 60s and 70s are like golden years of rock.

I remember riding in the car (in New Orleans), with my mom driving, and hearing Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio for the first time and asking her "what is that"?  She said "rock opera".  Didn't matter much to me it just sounded great. 

Started to really get into Queen by the time of News Of the World.  That album had already come out when I heard the double A sided single We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.  At that point I had already borrowed a friend of mines first 5 albums, Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races (vinyl of course!) and wore grooves into them. 

Developed a big fondness for Queen (the first album) after that and absolutely loved News of the World, especially Brian's songs.  Brian has always been my favorite and love The Night Comes Down, Father to Son, White Queen, Some Day One Day, Brighton Rock, She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes), Good Company, Long Away, All Dead, All Dead (my favorite Queen song?), Sleeping On The Sidewalk, It's Late, Dreamers Ball, Leaving Home Ain't Easy, Save Me and Sail Away Sweet Sister. .

In 1978 Jazz came out and I found out Queen were going go play the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, LA on Halloween night 1978.  Living only 5 miles or so from there I had to go and I did.  That show was huge - blew me away (didn't get a chance to go to their infamous party though).  Also saw them on Dec 16th that year in Oakland and that was actually better than the New Orleans show.  I always loved Mustapha, Dreamers Ball, Let Me Entertain You (a big rocker), Leaving Home Ain't Easy, In Only Seven Days and More of That Jazz (all mostly overlooked tunes).  Have a soft spot in my heart for Jazz as it was the first brand new album of Queens that I had a chance to actually "wait on" to come out as the others had already come out by the time I was really hooked.

When The Game came out I was sort of taken aback by the change in musical direction but then I got to see them live again in Essen and Frankfurt Germany in 1980 and my concerns about the musical direction the album had taken were forgotten. Strangely enough I kind of remember how good "Need Your Lovin' Tonight" was live.  

When Hot Space came out in 1982 I was really shocked by the change in musical direction and kind of felt let down.  It's one thing to be diverse but to be diverse in a "following" way instead of breaking new musical ground kind of let me down.  That being said I saw them again in Frankfurt in 1982 and they rocked the Hot Space songs to kingdom come and were otherwise as big and loud as I had seen before. 

Wasn't able to ever see them live again until the QPR and QAL formations, plus The Brian May Band, but I won't discuss that here.  The albums from The Works to Innuendo were kind of all over the place in terms of musical quality - some things were really good, others not so much and still others were kind of "I'll listen here or there but for the most part I'll pass".  Too bad.  The creative energy these four guys created from the first album, Queen to Jazz, is right up there in rock history as being some of the most creative stuff ever heard.

For me it has always been the energy of Freddie's voice. You only need to hear a few lines and you are already energized yourself. I really don't like singers who sing anemically like Brian (although I like most of his songs). Freddie really stands out with this quality, since most singers just whine something into the microphone.

sgs8789: thank you for the long details, I enjoy reading it :)
Same here, for me Brian's songs are special. My favourite at the moment is Good Company and Sail Away Sweet Sister.

Sheldon: each one to his own^^ If "anemically" means "lacking vitality" as I look it up in dictionary, then it's certainly not what I feel about Brian's singing. For me his voice has a kind of negative energy, total in contrast with Freddie's positive tone. On a healthy day (because Brian is rather fragile), he can touch a song to the core by his sorrowful and deeply affectionate voice.

In a one sentence it was for me also Freddie's voice. That was the initial spark.
At some point i begun to imagine him singing tracks i liked from other artists . The way he would made them shine.
A little bit obssesed i guess but i was hooked and other singers started seem weak in comparisson.

"Their music sounds so raw and sharp to me"

Apart from the over produced 80's stuff.

Ultimately 4 band members, 4 song writers, 3 singers, 4 multi instrumentalists, a lead singer over time has become universally recognised as a true musical great..who else can boast that?