What Went Wrong With The Cosmos Rocks ?

Very insightful and very well-stated, Boudica. I do think that a very under appreciated aspect of Freddie was his ability to add to songs, to contribute innovative lyrics, rhythms, arrangements, etc. to make them unique and listener-friendly. For example, he has said that Roger wrote Radio Gaga, and then he had to rework it himself. What did Freddie do to it to “improve” it....I would love to know. I’d also love to hear Roger’s original version to hear the difference. If any of you Houdini’s with the bootlegs and recordings have that, please share!

And an interesting point about John being the one to really drop off in song writing in the later years...was part of that Freddie’s focus on his solo stuff, maybe less time to assist John? Or did the lack of success on Hot Space make John withdraw a little, thinking maybe he’d lost some magic? Or was it just life getting in the way, children and general issues kind of stifling the creativity? It would be nice to know what went on.

in response to the OP question -
"What Went Wrong With The Cosmos Rocks ?"

Answer: it was recorded!

[QUOTE] [b]Boudica wrote:[/b]


Brian is a very good songwriter, but he never actually wrote that many big hits. Brian has produced some interesting and unique music.
[/QUOTE]

Those May sheep might disagree ;) But you are completely pot on. Without Freddie May would have become an astronomer

Yep Freddie wrote the big tunes for Queen and Brian May will always be jealous of Mercury's Bohemian Rhapsody!

I don't think Queen would've been successful without each other as they all submitted different things.

I always think of this with the members of Queen:

- Roger was very good at coming up with ideas/embryos for songs especially from the 80s onwards
- Freddie was very good at completing/commercialising songs
- John was very good at technical side of recording e.g. setting up/adjusting equipment
- Brian was very good at perfecting Queen songs e.g.determjnation and work effort

Of course Freddie wrote a lot of the hits but Brian was the most consistent writer and wrote a lot more of the meaningful and powerful songs, but not very commercial compared to other Queen songs.

Please do not forget Freddie broke the band into the big time and it was his songs that got heads turning and landed them on Top of the Pops !
Freddie & Brian were the main song writers at the start but for 45s it was Freddie all the way.

[QUOTE] [b]ST17 wrote:[/b]

Please do not forget Freddie broke the band into the big time and it was his songs that got heads turning and landed them on Top of the Pops !
Freddie & Brian were the main song writers at the start but for 45s it was Freddie all the way.[/QUOTE]

Yes I know but I'm trying to even it out between all the members!

To balance it all out...

- It was Brian who started Queen in the first place way back in the late-60s when he asked for a "Ginger Baker/Mitch Mitchell type drummer"

- It was John who wrote Queen's best selling single; Another One Bites The Dust

- It was Roger who wrote or contributed significantly to the highest charted songs after 1984 including Radio Ga, A Kind Of Magic, Innuendo, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and Heaven For Everyone

Freddie liked being in Queen so he would've left if he thought that he was the only one to contribute significantly to the group. (He tried going solo but didn't like it, he rathered being in a group.) Queen is not all about Freddie - Brian, Roger and John are simply not just a backing band.

[QUOTE] [b]Young Music Fan wrote:[/b]

Of course Freddie wrote a lot of the hits but Brian was the most consistent writer and wrote a lot more of the [b]meaningful and powerful[/b] songs, but not very commercial compared to other Queen songs.
[/QUOTE]

Perhaps you mean Brian wrote more "personal" songs -- unless you consider Now I'm Here, TYMD, FBG, Dead on Time, Tear It Up etc as "meaningful"? :)

I'm joking. Mostly. I know he wrote White Man which is "meaningful and powerful." But I think your definitions are muddy and imprecise.

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

[QUOTE] [b]Young Music Fan wrote:[/b]

Of course Freddie wrote a lot of the hits but Brian was the most consistent writer and wrote a lot more of the [b]meaningful and powerful[/b] songs, but not very commercial compared to other Queen songs.
[/QUOTE]

Perhaps you mean Brian wrote more "personal" songs -- unless you consider Now I'm Here, TYMD, FBG, Dead on Time, Tear It Up etc as "meaningful"? :)

I'm joking. Mostly. I know he wrote White Man which is "meaningful and powerful." But I think your definitions are muddy and imprecise. [/QUOTE]

He did also write WWTLF, Save Me, It's Late, White Queen and The Prophet's song.

[QUOTE] [b]rockchic65 wrote:[/b]

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

[QUOTE] [b]Young Music Fan wrote:[/b]

Of course Freddie wrote a lot of the hits but Brian was the most consistent writer and wrote a lot more of the [b]meaningful and powerful[/b] songs, but not very commercial compared to other Queen songs.
[/QUOTE]

Perhaps you mean Brian wrote more "personal" songs -- unless you consider Now I'm Here, TYMD, FBG, Dead on Time, Tear It Up etc as "meaningful"? :)

I'm joking. Mostly. I know he wrote White Man which is "meaningful and powerful." But I think your definitions are muddy and imprecise. [/QUOTE]

He did also write WWTLF, Save Me, It's Late, White Queen and The Prophet's song.

[/QUOTE]

Your definitions also appear to be muddy and imprecise. Is Prophet's Song "meaningful" in the way the original poster meant? (what did he mean?) What about Its Late? And if Brian wrote less commercial tracks why were many of the above songs released as singles? (Now I'm Here, TYMD, WWTLF, Save Me, Its Late) Many of these songs have a personal meaning for Brian, but you could say that about the songs of all 4 band members.

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

[QUOTE] [b]rockchic65 wrote:[/b]

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

[QUOTE] [b]Young Music Fan wrote:[/b]

Of course Freddie wrote a lot of the hits but Brian was the most consistent writer and wrote a lot more of the [b]meaningful and powerful[/b] songs, but not very commercial compared to other Queen songs.
[/QUOTE]

Perhaps you mean Brian wrote more "personal" songs -- unless you consider Now I'm Here, TYMD, FBG, Dead on Time, Tear It Up etc as "meaningful"? :)

I'm joking. Mostly. I know he wrote White Man which is "meaningful and powerful." But I think your definitions are muddy and imprecise. [/QUOTE]

He did also write WWTLF, Save Me, It's Late, White Queen and The Prophet's song.

[/QUOTE]

Your definitions also appear to be muddy and imprecise. Is Prophet's Song "meaningful" in the way the original poster meant? (what did he mean?) What about Its Late? And if Brian wrote less commercial tracks why were many of the above songs released as singles? (Now I'm Here, TYMD, WWTLF, Save Me, Its Late) Many of these songs have a personal meaning for Brian, but you could say that about the songs of all 4 band members.
[/QUOTE]

Brian wrote a lot more personal songs (e.g. meaningful and powerfulness) than any of the others members think about...

White Queen (As It Began), '39, Good Company, Long Away, Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together), It's Late, Leaving Home Ain't Easy, Save Me, Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love), Who Wants To Live Forever, Scandal, Too Much Love Will Kill You and No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young). Freddie wrote a few, as did the other members but Brian in my opinion wrote the most.

Brian may have had a lot of singles but not many of them were Top 10 hits (hence not very commericial songs). His only Top 10 hits in the UK were Flash and I Want It All. And as a solo artist, Too Much Love Will Kill You. Can you see not very many commerical songs.

Young Music Fan It was not Brian that started Queen in the 60s.
Brian met Roger and they called themselves "Smile" and got a singer called Tim Staffel who later left when the band flopped,
then came a fan of "Smile's" in the form of Freddie Mercury who begged them to give him a chance as he could turn the band around
and he did, firstly the bands name changed to Queen which was Freddie's idea and the crest was formed then Freddie had a brilliant
forecast ahead knowing what direction to take to make the new band work! The rest is history and not only did Freddie make the band massive he himself is
considered by millions as the greatest male vocalist ever !

[QUOTE] [b]Young Music Fan wrote:[/b]
Brian wrote a lot more personal songs (e.g. meaningful and powerfulness) than any of the others members think about...

'39,
Who Wants To Live Forever
Too Much Love Will Kill You [/QUOTE]

agreed generally, but:

'39 isn't personal is it? it's a sci-fi song.
WWTLF was written for The Highlander - for a specific scene, so again - it ain't really personal
TMLWKY - it may be personal, but isn't it Elizabeth Lamers who penned the lyrics?

I recall Brian saying that 39 could be taken on two levels, one of them being an emotional journey which he personally related to the experience of going on tour with a rock band away from family and everything seeming different on his return.

[QUOTE] [b]ST17 wrote:[/b]

Young Music Fan It was not Brian that started Queen in the 60s.
Brian met Roger and they called themselves "Smile" and got a singer called Tim Staffel who later left when the band flopped,
then came a fan of "Smile's" in the form of Freddie Mercury who begged them to give him a chance as he could turn the band around
and he did, firstly the bands name changed to Queen which was Freddie's idea and the crest was formed then Freddie had a brilliant
forecast ahead knowing what direction to take to make the new band work! The rest is history and not only did Freddie make the band massive he himself is
considered by millions as the greatest male vocalist ever !
[/QUOTE]

But the point I'm trying to make is that if Brian and Roger hadn't have met in the first place then there would be no Queen. The way your putting this information is like Queen isn't a group but a singer with backing musicians like Elton John. Freddie would've quit Queen if he thought that he did everything, it was more of a group effort then your making out.