ABBA vs Queen

People seem to be forgetting that the FM and MJ song also got ignored, which was supposed to be HUUUUUUGE.
Don't know what happened there. Of course it's not a very good song...but at least deserved a lot more attention than it got. You can't even stream the song on Spotify. :')

^ I think there was never a complete agreement between Queen‘s and MJ‘s managements. Therefore no promo and no spotify.

[QUOTE] [b]Holly2003 wrote:[/b]

And yet Free as a Bird by the Beatles, sung by long-dead John Lennon, got much media attention and won a Grammy.[/QUOTE]

Yea, but that's the Beatles....Queen are big, but no one is as big as The Beatles. It's silly to even bring up The Beatles. Biggest band of all time. Queen are 10 ten globally. Made In Heaven topped the Charts in almost every country for a reason. 4 years after his death.

No it's not silly. In fact, it's totally relevant to a discussion about which bands get media attention years after their heyday. There are other examples, like Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Dylan, Elvis, Hendrix, even Kurt Cobain. As I've said previously, there seems to be reasons besides sales that factor in. You're right -- Beatles are a level above Queen in interest/respect/coolness. I've never said otherwise. besides, I was addressing a specific example by someone else. I would say most of the big 1960s bands are on a level above Queen.

Abba once turned down a billion dollars to do a unification tour of the USA. They turned it down because they didn't need the money and didn't want to ruin their legacy (BM and RT are ruining their legacy for the money). It will be interesting to hear the new songs simply because they want to and still feel they have something to offer. Comparing Queen and Abba? They did what Queen did (but sold more records) and did it in just a few years. Comparing any two bands is a bit pointless really.

And S.O.S is one of the finest songs ever written..

Caveat.. they weren't offered a billion up front but it was speculated that a tour might gross a billion... however.. big fucking money!!

Well, the numbers for record sales I read was Queen was 14th and ABBA checked in at 19th. Not sure where your getting that ABBA sold more records. That means Queen sold more records worldwide than the Stones and ABBA. Would you like me too send the link? A little research goes a long way people!

Yet both are behind Rhianna, Eminem and Mariah Carey

_shoots self in face_

[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]

Abba once turned down a billion dollars to do a unification tour of the USA. They turned it down because they didn't need the money and didn't want to ruin their legacy (BM and RT are ruining their legacy for the money). It will be interesting to hear the new songs simply because they want to and still feel they have something to offer. Comparing Queen and Abba? They did what Queen did (but sold more records) and did it in just a few years. Comparing any two bands is a bit pointless really.[/QUOTE]

Not strictly true, Agnetha became a recluse. She couldn't face all the travelling etc, no idea what's changed recently but even in 2016 she was against it.

It's because she is crazy hot

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

Yet both are behind Rhianna, Eminem and Mariah Carey

_shoots self in face_[/QUOTE]

I was thinking the same thing....that's why record sales don't tell the whole story,.

[QUOTE] [b]mike hunt wrote:[/b]

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

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

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

Queen have never been on quite the same level as The Stons, Beatles or Zeppilin[/QUOTE]

Really, even in the UK?

I always saw them as being second to The Beatles in the UK, even to this day. They even passed the fab four in the album charts.

In the US, certainly - Queen don't register in most people's top 10. But on your side of the pond it's a whole other story.
[/QUOTE]

In sales terms Queen's big UK album as we all know is greatest hits. Take away the sales figures for that album and they'd slip a long way down the list.

In the States NOTW was very big but it wasn't a Stones or Led Zeppilin sized release. The singles on The Game gave them another huge push, but they never rose above Arena level ticket sales in America, The Stones, Floyd and Zeppilin outshone the completely plus a plethora of American bands at the time.

In the UK Hyde Park was huge, but it was free, the next time they played outdoor UK shows (Hot Space) did not sellout, it took lLive Aid and the following years Magic tour to put them in the big league in the UK

The media seems, in general back then and now to an extent to regard the other bang names as somehow being more genuinely big. Certainly when Zeppilin announced their o2 show the world media went nuts with the news and the possibility of a tour to follow. When Queen came out of the shadows in 2005 the news did not compare, as with every Stones tour that has been announced since the mid 80's Queen just don't seem to be quite at the same level

[/QUOTE]

You do know that Queen are in the top 10 or 20 of the best selling artists of all time globally right? They sold more records than The Who and Hendrix I believe....[/QUOTE]

I don't understand quite what you're getting at. I didn't say they weren't a major selling act, I was talking about the fact that a lot of those sales were down to greatest hits albums, a lot of Queen's albums aside from greatest hits haven't sold as well as some albums by other major bands, as Seb went on to point out quite clearly.

The other point that I was making was that in general the media, especially in the 70's didn't view Queen in the same light as the bands I listed in my post.

VH: From what i gather Queen have sold over 300 million albums worldwide and that does not sound like a band who's records never sold as much as other groups does it ?

The figure is between 150 and 300 million depending on what you are reading. That is a massive difference in its self. Figures also say record sales not album sales. So 300 hundred million singles, EP's and albums combined

Once again I didn't say they'd sold less or not in huge numbers. I said that there greatest hits sales account for the huge numbers unlike other bands like Floyd or Zeppilin who sold more in many cases of there studio albums, eg, Dark Side Of The Moon outsold any of Queen's studio albums as did a number of Zep albums.

If you doubt what I'm saying go back through this thread and read Sebastian's list in which he has taken the time to list actual sales and re read my original post two or three posts before Seb's and when you've done that stop trying to pick arguments. Because again you are miss quoting and taking out of context what I'm saying.