Why is it that Queen often does not get the respect they deserve? Given the fact that they wrote plenty of memorable songs and that especially Freddie and Brian were excellent instrumentalist, I find that the 'Serious' music press ignores their achievements. Is it because of their music is often pompous, or flamboyant, did they sell to many records, or what did they do to derve being called 'Facist'? Bob Dylan for example is respected, but he can't really sing and hasn't written that many songs. I find it a bit irritating, but Queen did get more respected when Freddie died. It's a good carreer move to die in showbizz
Greetz
Thread
Posts in chronological order
Dylan wrote not that many good songs I meant.
There is no such thing as 'serious' music press.
The only good song Dylan wrote was All along the watch tower, the rest was boring old crap, in other words, music to slash your wrists too, au revoir.
Freddie once said 'Fuck the press' and the 'press' will never forget that.
Dylan has written much more songs than Queen, but Queen has written far better songs.
Has anyone noticed how all the Bob Dylan covers are always better than the original?
I totally agree that the guy can't sing for shit.
Has anyone noticed how all the Bob Dylan covers are always better than the original?
I totally agree that the guy can't sing for shit.
Blinded By the Light
Words and Music by Bruce Springsteen
Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-menot whispers daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band
And she was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright
Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
He says: "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone watchin' the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
Yeah he was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
He got down but she never got tight, but he's gonna make it tonight
Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes
She said I'll turn you on sonny to something strong if you play that song with the funky break
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside
And little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride
Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playin' backyard bombardier
Yes and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent a dude with a calling card,
he said, do what you like, but don't do it here
Well I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground, asked wich was the way back home
He said take a right at the light, keep going straight until right, and then boy you're on your own
And now in Zanzibar a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car hummin' a lunar tune
Yes, and the avatar said blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon
And some kidnapped handicap was complaining that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night
Well I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but he'd figured he'd be all right
He was just blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is
Words and Music by Bruce Springsteen
Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-menot whispers daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band
And she was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright
Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
He says: "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone watchin' the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
Yeah he was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
He got down but she never got tight, but he's gonna make it tonight
Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes
She said I'll turn you on sonny to something strong if you play that song with the funky break
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside
And little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride
Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playin' backyard bombardier
Yes and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent a dude with a calling card,
he said, do what you like, but don't do it here
Well I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground, asked wich was the way back home
He said take a right at the light, keep going straight until right, and then boy you're on your own
And now in Zanzibar a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car hummin' a lunar tune
Yes, and the avatar said blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon
And some kidnapped handicap was complaining that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night
Well I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but he'd figured he'd be all right
He was just blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is
Listen to this because it's very important...
Who gives a fuck what critics think when music itself was made for the general public to enjoy it, not for some moron to tell people what they should listen to. It's the opinion of hundreds of critics against millions of people... so who is going to win?
As Freddie mentioned before, critics are nothing but a bunch of frustrated musicians. These music "experts" base their comments only on personal matters with the musicians, not quality, originality or talent.
Bob Dylan could be a god among critics, but he doesn't have one single bit of the worldwide popularity that Queen has.
Who gives a fuck what critics think when music itself was made for the general public to enjoy it, not for some moron to tell people what they should listen to. It's the opinion of hundreds of critics against millions of people... so who is going to win?
As Freddie mentioned before, critics are nothing but a bunch of frustrated musicians. These music "experts" base their comments only on personal matters with the musicians, not quality, originality or talent.
Bob Dylan could be a god among critics, but he doesn't have one single bit of the worldwide popularity that Queen has.
Well said Jingle Bells
I don't even listen to critics. :)
It`s actually a combination of factors. Queen didn`t actually invent anything, and top bands are mostly recognised for that: e.g. Led Zeppelin / Black Sabbath created heavy metal, Dylan started mature lyricism, Beatles did the first concept album... Now I`m not discussing now if those statements are true, but for the general audience, they`re considered facts. Same as Jimmy Hendrix as the best guitarist, John Bonham as the best drummer... Queen`s only official "first" is the video, and without telling the whole story, there are many videos before Bo Rhap.
As for Queen`s music itself, apart from the "lack of inventions": not enough promotion in the US during the 80s, with exception of Bo Rhap all of its mammooth hits are musically simple: Rock You, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free and the two US #1s. We Are The Champions is another super-hit and many people know it, but, as Denes once pointed out, nearly nobody pays attention to the music: the key changes, the orchestral bass-line, the way guitars build up the climax, the "angelical" vocal harmonies...
Freddie`s style, specially from Sheer Heart Attack onwards, was to put a "reverse make-up" and make the complex things look simpler, so they could be easy listeneable. For example Bicycle Race or Killer Queen are very complex songs, musically, but an ocassional listener doesn`t note that because Freddie put the modulations and stuff to happen "in the background". As opposed to that, several progressive songs are simpler, but they put so much improvisation and instrumental parts over them that they seem so much complex than they actually are. For example `The Wall` album (Pink Floyd), is very respected and admired, even though it`s not complex harmonically. Of course I love the album and the arrangements are great but that`s a different issue. Same for songs like November Rain or even Stairway. Mercury`s choice had a good part: those "proggressive" songs could still be "pop" and could be brought to the masses (a similar choice as Supertramp in late 70s). But of course it had a bad part: few people realise how clever those songs really are. He kind of sacrificed his own "musical genius" image due to that, and I`m glad he did, personally. If Bicycle Race or Somebody To Love lasted 18 minutes long and all the modulations were shown more in the foreground, surely prog fans would respect more the band, but a much smaller audience would even know about those tracks.
As for their performance, it`s also lack of general "fame". I mean all the world knows Radio Ga Ga, but very few know Was It All Worth It. Even a lot of Queen fans ignore the amazing range Roger had (he sang very high but he could also do great low notes), or John`s melodic bass-lines (e.g. the ending of Loser In The End). While Freddie`s popularity as singer is in a high level (and "best frontman/singer" polls demonstrate it), a lot of non-fans don`t even know he played piano, much less they know about his most interesting keyboard parts (the solos of My Fairy King, Love Of My Life, Fairy Feller`s Master Stroke).
As for Queen`s music itself, apart from the "lack of inventions": not enough promotion in the US during the 80s, with exception of Bo Rhap all of its mammooth hits are musically simple: Rock You, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free and the two US #1s. We Are The Champions is another super-hit and many people know it, but, as Denes once pointed out, nearly nobody pays attention to the music: the key changes, the orchestral bass-line, the way guitars build up the climax, the "angelical" vocal harmonies...
Freddie`s style, specially from Sheer Heart Attack onwards, was to put a "reverse make-up" and make the complex things look simpler, so they could be easy listeneable. For example Bicycle Race or Killer Queen are very complex songs, musically, but an ocassional listener doesn`t note that because Freddie put the modulations and stuff to happen "in the background". As opposed to that, several progressive songs are simpler, but they put so much improvisation and instrumental parts over them that they seem so much complex than they actually are. For example `The Wall` album (Pink Floyd), is very respected and admired, even though it`s not complex harmonically. Of course I love the album and the arrangements are great but that`s a different issue. Same for songs like November Rain or even Stairway. Mercury`s choice had a good part: those "proggressive" songs could still be "pop" and could be brought to the masses (a similar choice as Supertramp in late 70s). But of course it had a bad part: few people realise how clever those songs really are. He kind of sacrificed his own "musical genius" image due to that, and I`m glad he did, personally. If Bicycle Race or Somebody To Love lasted 18 minutes long and all the modulations were shown more in the foreground, surely prog fans would respect more the band, but a much smaller audience would even know about those tracks.
As for their performance, it`s also lack of general "fame". I mean all the world knows Radio Ga Ga, but very few know Was It All Worth It. Even a lot of Queen fans ignore the amazing range Roger had (he sang very high but he could also do great low notes), or John`s melodic bass-lines (e.g. the ending of Loser In The End). While Freddie`s popularity as singer is in a high level (and "best frontman/singer" polls demonstrate it), a lot of non-fans don`t even know he played piano, much less they know about his most interesting keyboard parts (the solos of My Fairy King, Love Of My Life, Fairy Feller`s Master Stroke).
Queen didn`t actually invent anything, and top bands are mostly recognised for that: e.g. Led Zeppelin / Black Sabbath created heavy metal, Dylan started mature lyricism, Beatles did the first concept album... Now I`m not discussing now if those statements are true, but for the general audience, they`re considered facts. Same as Jimmy Hendrix as the best guitarist, John Bonham as the best drummer... Queen`s only official "first" is the video, and without telling the whole story, there are many videos before Bo Rhap.That's a very good point!!! No-one can deny that some influence (and the bands mentioned by Sebastian are among the strongest ones!) is heard on EVERY Queen album... I would add one more thing, though- another reason why they didn't invent too much and are not that respected by general public is the fact that they were more often than not following the trends... In 1970s the rock was the major force and Queen were cool by playing heavy (of course it's generalisation- they had their own unique style, but...)
Came 80s, pop became extremely popular and their music changed as well... Especially its production- albums like AKOM or WORKS have 80s written all over them... The bands like Dream Theater play their music no matter what is actually popular - they're gonna be more respected than, but... not so popular!!! I'm not saying this way or another is better, but... That's how it works, IMO
with exception of Bo Rhap all of its mammooth hits are musically simple: Rock You, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free and the two US #1s. We Are The Champions is another super-hit and many people know it, but, as Denes once pointed out, nearly nobody pays attention to the music: the key changes, the orchestral bass-line, the way guitars build up the climax, the "angelical" vocal harmonies...Many ppl I've met stated they didn't like Queen giving me examples of tracks like Radio Ga-Ga or IWTBF, basically thinking that's what Queen were all about... You can't imagine how surprised they were and how much they enjoyed it when I forced them to listen to my bootlegs- Hammersmith'79, Buenos Aires'81, and the likes... They never even thought Queen had so much energy and were such a great rock band!!! And those ppl weren't idiots- they were just listening to different artists- Lou Reed fans, Nirvana fans, Black Sabbath fans, even Metallica fans...
******************************
It seems like some ppl didn't understand what this subjest is about... It's not only about critics... Only few hundreds? Well, how about millions of ppl who AREN'T Queen fans because all they hear in the radio is Ga-Ga or We are The Champions and when they read newspapers, they read- it's all crap... How about general audience- not everybody has to own a Queen album; not everybody has to know what Queen was all about!!! And clearly- Queen isn't respected not only by critics, but also by a huge part of general rock audience- very often misleded by those "unimportant" critics, but also very often because of bad promotion... I know many ppl here love Wembley, but... I can't see Led Zeppelin die-hards falling on their knees after listening to Wembley... I could imagine them doing so, however, after listening to Houston...
Read the forum!
Try these answers
Another Queen Song In A Commercial
http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/forumnew/forum_topic_view.aspx?Q=376225
Sue their asses!!
http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/forumnew/forum_topic_view.aspx?Q=376276
and this is a Queen/Brian friendly site!
You know I love my children (nothing means more to me) but there are times when I have criticised and even on ocassion - chastised them. This does not mean I do NOT love them - quite the reverse.
But we do not have to be sycophantic. If only someone loved Elvis enough to say he was too fat. If only someone stopped Ali from a fight too many.
It seems that great rock 'n roll bands sell their soul to the devil and not to "5ive", Britney or Viagra - or complain about their music being used as inspiration!
But as musicians - they rock!
Try these answers
Another Queen Song In A Commercial
http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/forumnew/forum_topic_view.aspx?Q=376225
Sue their asses!!
http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/forumnew/forum_topic_view.aspx?Q=376276
and this is a Queen/Brian friendly site!
You know I love my children (nothing means more to me) but there are times when I have criticised and even on ocassion - chastised them. This does not mean I do NOT love them - quite the reverse.
But we do not have to be sycophantic. If only someone loved Elvis enough to say he was too fat. If only someone stopped Ali from a fight too many.
It seems that great rock 'n roll bands sell their soul to the devil and not to "5ive", Britney or Viagra - or complain about their music being used as inspiration!
But as musicians - they rock!
Blinded By the Light
Words and Music by Bruce Springsteen
Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-menot whispers daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band
And she was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright
Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
He says: "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone watchin' the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
Yeah he was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
He got down but she never got tight, but he's gonna make it tonight
Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes
She said I'll turn you on sonny to something strong if you play that song with the funky break
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside
And little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride
Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playin' backyard bombardier
Yes and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent a dude with a calling card,
he said, do what you like, but don't do it here
Well I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground, asked wich was the way back home
He said take a right at the light, keep going straight until right, and then boy you're on your own
And now in Zanzibar a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car hummin' a lunar tune
Yes, and the avatar said blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon
And some kidnapped handicap was complaining that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night
Well I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but he'd figured he'd be all right
He was just blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is
WHO GIVES A FUCK STUPID MOTHERFUCKER
Come on!
Queen might not have invented anything new, but they were so much better than the rest in everything that was invented before them.
And stop bashing Ga-Ga and all those other 80s songs. It was mostly these songs that made Queen a super-band. All kinds of people know them and like them, not only some narrow group of heavy fans or metal fans.
Queen might not have invented anything new, but they were so much better than the rest in everything that was invented before them.
And stop bashing Ga-Ga and all those other 80s songs. It was mostly these songs that made Queen a super-band. All kinds of people know them and like them, not only some narrow group of heavy fans or metal fans.