If this day 26 years ago never happened

This is a subject that has been brought up many times I bet, over the last two decades AND.. on this forum... BUT.. Lets have a 2018 take....

Its coming up to 2018 and Queen, Brian, John Roger and Freddie are going to continue on from what they have been doing the last 26 years since they decided to..... and they will kick New years off with...

How would Queen How would those headlines go??

Had Freddie lived the last 26 years and what would 2018 bring to us?

Here in Taupo NZ, we have a summer concert. It has been going for the last five years and it has attracted some big acts.. Playing in this amazing outdoor venue to some 10-15000 people.. A three band line up..
We've had Lynard Skinard, Icehouse, REO Speed wagon, 10cc and others... Most of these well. all of these... Were... Big bands in the day... most are now made up of one or two original members... With what Roger and Brian are now proving today.... They are still more than some wine tour band touring with 70s/80s pop icons ...
BUT...
Would Queen have essentially become a... " Major... stadium sell out.. hits band..?" GnR being basically a "major" ROCK hits band in a sense that stands out to my mind... Although this band has been a one man band over the last 20 years.. The last year has seen them come to their closest complete and original line up... Even without Slash and Izzy... they/Axle still pulled in the masses and probably will continue to do so even if... Slash/Duff decides it was fun but....
What about a band that pulls out an album now and again??? My good mate and a dieheart Stones "from the very beginning!!!" fan would always preach his beloved band and everything about them but.... Even he has said, " I would never buy their 80s albums onwards...!!! absolute shite" (list all of them in release order)
Would Queen have become a Stones, even a Iron Maiden or a Metallica band in that respect... Big bands that... Release some amazing albums compared with the shit we get today.. But still have masses of fans expecting them to play a complete setlist not containing any songs from their last 5 albums.??? Bands that are basically a complete and original lineup from day. Albeit, one minus one or two at the very most???

Have to say... Queen would have to be very few bands if any to have stood the test of time of their career.... Could they continue to stand the test of time (as in today...) Could they still go on to produce relevant and multi million selling albums in 2018.. ..? Which leads to the other direction

Could....
Could Queen carry on to pull off the unthinkable and be an ACDC??? The only major band that stood the test of time, that still produces amazing albums from day one (ACDC although a very simple band.... They made a very simple structure and sound ageless!!!! Rock or Bust or even Black Ice!!! Say no more... Maybe Led Zep an exception albeit a decade.. Every album of Led Zep was consistent and relevant and very much like Queen where each album was different )
Have to Admit... When it comes to albums... Queen, straddling two, almost three decades.. They had been quite constant band from day one... To be able to change with the times and produce amazing albums... With each album producing A hit single....Whether it became a cult fan Fave but a commercial flop Queen I/II Even if it meant loosing some dieheart fans along the way.. Hotspace (Still produced a hit...)/The Game... (Queen I doesn't count as it has some of the most epic songs ever that almost spanned their entire live career) Would Queen been able to carry on from Miracle and Innuendo??? Taking out that element of what they were about. Especially the Miracle to an extent or a album made up of some of those songs not inspired by Freddie's illness....

Lets take out of the equation... The rumours of John planning on leaving and take in to consideration... The fact that they had lives and families... Carrying on from the gaps between HS-TW-M- and the Miracle... With slightly more extended breaks between albums... Lets say maybe a 5er between
What path would have Queen gone down?? Where would Queen come from, the last 26 years and... In what capacity would Queen be in entering 2018 and beyond.....

There is no way Fred would be poncing about as a sad old fart. He was way too special for that. Queen may have existed in some form but not as it was. I can see Fred as mainly a loan piano based performer, perhaps occasionally guesting with other artists. And had they toured on into the 90s lets face it his voice would be gone by now.

I agree with LOTV that Queen "may have existed in some form but not as it was." I think John would be retired anyway, or "half retired" like he was in the 90s. Freddie was doing ballet in 1979 and "opera" in 1987 and 1988 so I'm 100% sure he would like to try more of this. I believe he would take some professional singing lessons (from M.Caballe) and perform as a opera singer in Metropolitan Opera or Royal Opera House. Maybe not as a soloist but some little role. Or doing a few opera concerts like Bocelli or The Three Tenors because, obviously, he wouldn't have been able to run around the stage like he used to. I would like to believe Montserrat and Freddie recorded "Barcelona II" because I love this album. Roger would continue his career as the singer of The Cross. And Brian would continue to play with The Brian May Band. 3 or 4 of them would play as a guest with other stars from time to time. Queen concerts would took place very occasionally (once/twice a year). And the life of a Queen fan would be more fun. And the best of this is that Q+AL would never existed :)

One can dream

[QUOTE] [b]Chopin1995 wrote:[/b]

I believe he would take some professional singing lessons (from M.Caballe)[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure if she's a voice coach. Not every great singer is necessarily a great singing teacher. She may have given him pointers when they worked together but that's not the same as giving him genuinely lessons. If he'd gone that way - being trained by somebody else - he'd probably pick a bona fide singing tutor, perhaps one recommended by Montsy or someone who had taught her, if they were still around.

Otherwise, I agree: they'd probably go their separate ways and get together for the occasional 'farewell' tour or special events such as Live 8, Rock in Rio, award ceremonies or paying homage to deceased colleagues.

I wonder how Frederick would feel about the slight resurgence in unaccompanied vocal music (Pentatonix, films like Pitch Perfect, TV programmes like Glee, though they often featured instrumentation). With his talent, his creativity and the technological possibilities, he could've easily given the likes of Jacob Collier and Peter Hollens a run for their money, and at the same time helped popularise multi-track 'one-man choir' recordings. That would've been interesting.

McCartney'd just turned 49 when his first classical work (composed in collaboration with Carl Davis) premiered. Jeff Lynne's big productions (outside ELO) also began taking off in his late forties, and Sting was 55 when he released his album of English Renaissance music composed in the 16th and 17th centuries (I absolutely adore that record, by the way). Had Fred been able to live that long, he would've probably managed to do some of that as well: more classical work, more producing, perhaps a couple of soundtracks.

Or... he could've become a parody of his former self and spent his days producing fifth-division artists for a living, and getting annoyed at anyone who dared disagreeing with him.

The bands legacy would be untarnished and this site would not have GLAMBERTS checking in and posting crap.

Perhaps Adam would be Frederick's favourite reality programme loser!

"Perhaps Adam would be Frederick's favourite reality programme loser! "
+1

I think Freddie would've thrown a huge 69th birthday bash concert in las Vegas riding to the stage on a giant cock flying into two lips. ...the concert would be an orchestral 70's disco music review. Some of the usual gay icons would perform as guests. ...the whole thing would be in incredibly bad taste and the string section would be in g strings with lace blind folds to give the illusion of being blinded.



Numerous arrests for various offenses and it'd be one massive self indulgent blunder.

Fred would be balding but very much keenly wearing pompous wigs when going out in public.

Queen would write several film themes and perform the odd show every 3-4 years.

That is until Roger was kicked out for excessive weight concerns

I think Freddie would've also relocated to Switzerland and you'd only hear about him when courting a new star from hollyweird.

After his 69th birthday bash i think his public persona would be tame. Maybe until a rare appearance in Rio. He would've been big time partying and going around with the Olympics.
probably would've won a few Oscars for best original song/performancE on many animated features

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]Chopin1995 wrote:[/b]

I believe he would take some professional singing lessons (from M.Caballe)[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure if she's a voice coach. Not every great singer is necessarily a great singing teacher. She may have given him pointers when they worked together but that's not the same as giving him genuinely lessons. If he'd gone that way - being trained by somebody else - he'd probably pick a bona fide singing tutor, perhaps one recommended by Montsy or someone who had taught her, if they were still around.

Otherwise, I agree: they'd probably go their separate ways and get together for the occasional 'farewell' tour or special events such as Live 8, Rock in Rio, award ceremonies or paying homage to deceased colleagues.

I wonder how Frederick would feel about the slight resurgence in unaccompanied vocal music (Pentatonix, films like Pitch Perfect, TV programmes like Glee, though they often featured instrumentation). With his talent, his creativity and the technological possibilities, he could've easily given the likes of Jacob Collier and Peter Hollens a run for their money, and at the same time helped popularise multi-track 'one-man choir' recordings. That would've been interesting.

McCartney'd just turned 49 when his first classical work (composed in collaboration with Carl Davis) premiered. Jeff Lynne's big productions (outside ELO) also began taking off in his late forties, and Sting was 55 when he released his album of English Renaissance music composed in the 16th and 17th centuries (I absolutely adore that record, by the way). Had Fred been able to live that long, he would've probably managed to do some of that as well: more classical work, more producing, perhaps a couple of soundtracks.

Or... he could've become a parody of his former self and spent his days producing fifth-division artists for a living, and getting annoyed at anyone who dared disagreeing with him.[/QUOTE]

You're right Sebastian. I saw some footage on youtube with masterclasses with Montsy and I assumed it is enough to make her a vocal tutor. But obviously she isn't. She is a opera singer. I know very well this is also how it works in sport and classical piano world. Horowitz might be the best pianist ever but that doesn't make him the best teacher. Greg Popovich is considered the best NBA coach now but he was far from being a great player.
He even didn't make to NBA as a player.

"multi-track 'one-man choir' " That should be interesting!

Thanks for your suggestion about classical works of famous 'pop' musicians. I'll listen to the Sting's album for sure, following your opinion about it :)

"Or... he could've become a parody of his former self and spent his days producing fifth-division artists for a living, and getting annoyed at anyone who dared disagreeing with him." This also could be possible, as we know ;)

Probably wouldve been charged with rape and the band would've been broken up since the nineties and this board wouldnt have existed.

Regarding Sting, check this video: https://youtu.be/nntri9OfaRY

[QUOTE] [b]The Fairy King wrote:[/b]

Probably wouldve been charged with rape and the band would've been broken up since the nineties and this board wouldnt have existed.[/QUOTE]

FINALLY some positivity!

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]

Regarding Sting, check this video: https://youtu.be/nntri9OfaRY [/QUOTE]

I especially like the 2nd half of this, from the lute solo. I always thought recording "multi-track 'one-man choir" as you name it must be great fun. I'd love to try it someday but I can't sing so far. Actually harmonies are probably my favourite aspect of music. One of the reasons I love Queen.