Queen and Paul Rodgers -- why did it end the way it did?

[QUOTE] [b]Vocal harmony wrote:[/b]

^^^^ not quite.

RT and Paul Rodgers didn't get on during the first tour.

They decided to carry on because both sides thought there was a chance of producing something worthy. The album for whatever reason wasn't a huge success. Rodgers has since firmly laid the blame at BM and RT's feet.

The Cosmos tour played to big audiences but Rodgers was being difficult to work with. His reputation is well known. The back stage arrangments were like two different camps. Rodgers preferring to have little to do with BM and RT.

At one point they had Jeff Scot Soto on call in case Rodgers walked!

Things came to a head in South America. BM is on record ax saying to preserve their none profecional friendship they decided to end the partnership.

Rodgers has since said he'd like to work with them again if a big enough charity event was in the offing.

The lineup with Rodgers was very much two different camps coming together to work. At least with Lambert it has some feeling of being a real band in the sence that they are playing just Queen songs, and they all get on together.also Lambert unlike Rodgers isn't using the live shows to push his own career.[/QUOTE]


I didnt knew about JSS, but I have read the other points in different sites over the years.

RT in some interview during FOE promotion said that he never had problem with PR, so everything points at something wrong betwen BM and PR.
Remember the "problems" with intro in 2008 - One Vision, Surf' up, TYMD and not fitting Hammer To Fall (which was said it was Brian's idea). I guess BM always wants to hold thing in his hands and maybe he wanted to play less new material (Rodgers new tracks played only few times) but Paul did't feel much comfortable in Freddie's shoes so logically he'd like to play more new or his solo songs than he was allowed...
Only my opinions, but I must admit that Paul's voice is for me better than Adam's, cos he's more rock singer than Adam.

I must say, I always get the impression that Brian is a control freak at least when it comes to his music and business. Roger is probably less of a control freak and was happier to let Freddie get involved on his stuff, and he's known Brian long enough that it isn't a problem to him nowadays.

I can imagine that Paul Rodgers wanted to make it a genuine partnership, but Brian wanted it to be Queen through and through. It could have been something interesting but it really wasn't in terms of the Cosmos Rocks. It's not a bad album in that it's listenable, but really, it's boring, and in retrospect I hear the artistic tensions resulted in a withdrawing of interest all round, and it turned out like a weak Brian solo album. I'll tell you when I first heart Cosmos Rocks I was just happy to hear that kind of Queen sound on new material, but I tired of it very quickly once the excitement had passed (which took about five minutes. I listened to it once).

The Adam Lambert thing works because Adam has agreed to do this job as the singer of Queen, rather than as an artist in his own right, so that's probably why no new material has come out of it. Adam Lambert is relatively inexperienced when compared to Paul Rodgers, and he's coming into this as a young artist (i know he's 34, but he came into the business a little bit later and he doesn't have that many albums out already), and he is just revelling in the opportunity to front his favourite band. That's fine, but nobody can pretend it's an artistic partnership and I feel that it was never supposed to be that. It's basically Brian telling him what to do, and they probably get on well on those terms.

To be honest I can imagine Paul Rodgers and Brian May tearing each other to pieces.... and Roger escaping to the pub at those times.

The issue with an album with AL is (I believe) he has little experience of songwriting. I'm not sure Brian and Roger can generate enough material for an entire album. Maybe they should try a single and see.

The same argument with Kerry Ellis: I've not seen her get a single songwriting credit.

I suspect KE and AL more or less "do what they're told" (perhaps a little harsh) and I can't imagine an established songwriter like Paul Rodgers doing so.

Roger is quoted saying that Brian and Paul had some differences. Which probably means that BIG differences, and thus arguments etc

The JSS story is interesting. He was at the venue for several of the UK gigs in 2005, but I would love to get a list of all the gigs he "attended". I don't know about 2008 though?

although I'm not very keen on scandals within the band, I would still like to know what made QPR fold. it seemed to happen very quickly

If JSS was there in 2005 that must have been in case Rodgers COULDN'T do it......if he was there in 2008 it would be if Rodgers WOULDN'T do it.

i think the pressure of being[i][b] "Freddie's favourite singer" [/b][/i]finally got to [b]Paul[/b], eventually he just snapped :-)

I consider the Queen+ Paul Rodgers collaboration to be quite a farty part of Queen related history.

Has anything ever been confirmed about the Jeff Scott Soto thing? I've seen that rumour come up a couple of times, but I honestly can't imagine Brian and Roger having a back-up singer available if Paul wouldn't do it. In 2005 Paul had voice problems, so I can kinda imagine them having a back-up then - but in 2008 they had just recorded an album etc, so if tensions were already high why did they agree to such a long tour...?

$£¥€

Three's a crowd. I can imagine PR in different situations siding with either BM or RT which would rile up the odd man out - and we know things haven't always been plain sailing for RT and BM. Add a 3rd wheel and I can imagine it being difficult in any scenario.

As has been said, I'm sure AL is happy to do as he's told. The minute he feels he has to tell his management to tell Queens management that he'd like to open with so and so, it's over.

Whose idea was it to open with One Shot/Reaching Out?

The One Shot intro was RT's idea. Reaching Out, I believe, was BM's idea as it Represented the first time he and PAul Rodgers had played/recorded together.

As far as playing a long tour. How about a contractual obligation to promote the album with live shows? The tour did, after all, bring about an end to the band with that lineup.

I've also heard that RT wanted Gail Ann Dorsey or Pino Palladino to play Bass with them but the idea was overturned by Rodgers.

[QUOTE] [b]Vocal harmony wrote:[/b]

The One Shot intro was RT's idea. Reaching Out, I believe, was BM's idea as it Represented the first time he and PAul Rodgers had played/recorded together.

As far as playing a long tour. How about a contractual obligation to promote the album with live shows? The tour did, after all, bring about an end to the band with that lineup.

I've also heard that RT wanted Gail Ann Dorsey or Pino Palladino to play Bass with them but the idea was overturned by Rodgers.[/QUOTE]

Paul apparently turned down Neil Murray on the basis they'd had a falling out over 20 years earlier.

Of course, Neil played a couple of shows in 2008 when Danny was sick - there was tension between the pair at first, apparently.

[QUOTE] [b]dysan wrote:[/b]

Three's a crowd. I can imagine PR in different situations siding with either BM or RT which would rile up the odd man out - and we know things haven't always been plain sailing for RT and BM. Add a 3rd wheel and I can imagine it being difficult in any scenario.

As has been said, I'm sure AL is happy to do as he's told. The minute he feels he has to tell his management to tell Queens management that he'd like to open with so and so, it's over.[/QUOTE]

I actually have quite the opposite impression and I think you're demonising it. AL is Brian and Roger's last chance to stay on the road really and I would imagine he might have a bit of a say, e.g. could we try this or that, tweak the running order, etc. The difference is that he does not really have a catalogue of his own, so he is naturally restricted to Queen. Besides, I don't think he has any desire to flog "Ghost Town" in front of a Queen audience. Everybody knows people are coming to hear Queen and that's it.