See me previous reply and you’ll get the answers.
“ Queen were doing greatest hits tours waaaaay back.“
I never mentioned anything about that, and my comment about nostalgia wasn’t negative.
I said all those people would go to the Queen concerts even if it wasn’t Adam fronting the band... they go to see Brian and Roger.
I don’t mind them performing the hits...
“ The Works is a prime example of an album made for the public.”
One of my favorite albums. In fact, I like all of Queen’s 80’s albums more than their 70’s albums.
I have nothing wrong with commercialism at all. You’re speaking to the wrong person.
"I like all of Queen's 80's albums more than their 70's albums."
Interesting. I actually find it refreshing to see someone say that as their post-Game output is slagged off so much.
Still, I'm afraid I don't share that preference. I think that era of 1973-1980 is the greatest run from any band in history. Having said that, I DO love those albums of the 80's/early 90's and feel they are unfairly maligned.
I've told people for the longest time when I'm asked who my favorite band is and I say/specify "70's Queen" and then for 2nd favorite I say "80's/90's Queen". I get strange looks for that but it's just my way of highlighting how extraordinary I think their 70's output was while still giving an embrace to what they did after that magical run.
Yeah I understand that. 1980 took such a turn. The mid-late 1970’s, really.
But the thing about it with me is that previously, Queen would try to write sophisticated, complicated songs, even if they don’t have a true meaning.
By the 1980’s, even during the mid-late 1970’s, they really started to put their personal, emotional thoughts into the lyrics, even if they became less sophisticated lyrically, the songs became about actual negative emotions they had started to deal with as they venture into serious relationships and heartbreak issues, and other issues as well.
I think ‘It’s A Hard Life’ is the most honest song Freddie wrote for Queen in reference to to his troubled love life. It’s too bad that it’s so underrated. It’s a torturous song, and so relatable if you have a life that makes it hard to have a relationship due to whatever reasons. After Freddie met Jim, gone were Freddie’s heartbreak songs, so I know they were real issues Freddie was writing about.
Queen I and Queen II, while great bodies of work, don’t relate to me emotionally. They are my least played albums. I don’t relate to most of those things.
Brian’s hard rock songs in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s I like a lot because they relate to the mood I’m in quite often. I love hard, commercial rock. And I love things like A Kind Of Magic and I Want To Break Free and Radio Ga Ga and Breakthru, too, I think they are great pieces of work. Quite commercial, but not in an Adam Lambert or Justin Bieber kind of way, and I don’t mind keyboards and crap. I do like commercial, catchy music.
So for me, I’d say after Sheer Heart Attack is when things started getting different.
I'm right there with 'ya loving A Kind of Magic/ I Want To Break Free/Radio Ga GA/Breakthru. I loved those "keyboardy" singles, too. I'd give those songs 10/10 ratings. Heck...I will go to my death saying I love the STUDIO version of Staying Power and love it almost as much as a song like Don't Stop Me Now or Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. I also LOVE the much-maligned Rain Must Fall. I've always been crazy about the "keyboardy" Ride the Wild Wind.
BUT
For me the '70's stuff is in another, higher league regardless of lyrical content/subject manner. You are right that Jazz and News of the World are more "down to earth" and relatable than say...Queen II but I still find them to have more quality and depth than say The Works or A Kind of Magic . The band was much more vital, confident, creative and commited on those last two '70's albums.
Finally, I think I will always prefer Freddie's voice on those 70's albums. O think his voice really took a downturn starting with The Works. There was a bit of a "comeback" of his '70's voice in Innuendo, though.
Speaking of which, I rank Innuendo ALMOST as high as those '70's albums...almost.
*subject MATTER*
Damn phone!
Just looked at my messages for the first time in a few days.
No, I'm not Runner, thanks.