If Queen were around today would they be the "worlds biggest rock band " ?

Peter Cetera...

Didn't Freddie say that quote, and not Roger? Well, maybe it's a misunderstanding. Anyway....not to stray to a tangent or anything...

In order to be one of the biggest acts, Queen would have had to gone to some big measures, ESPECIALLY within the US. Maybe after Waynes World with the popularity of Bohemian Rhapsody in both the US and Europe, they could have done something to 'boost' them up again. But woo....we are debating over a hypothetical question....isn't that fun?
Cheers

how could queen EVER have become bigger than the legacy of the beatles?

only 3 singles failed to make no1 (in UK) and two of those are arguably their finest songs
oh and the small matter of14 number one UK albums

i love queen much more than beatles, but at least i'm objective enought to see they could never be bigger

now the U2 argument is a better one - queen are certainly bigger than U2 (although u2 have had 7 no 1 albums)- and while we're at it - U2 have NEVER called themselves the "world biggest band"
- this is a label the music press stamps all over whoever is the hottest ticket at any time

it was REM for about four years - early 90s, then nirvana, then u2 more recently the chilis and now u2 again

The fact that the music press speaks for what artists are good or not, is complete bullcrap. Although I personally like U2 and REM, a couple of their albums haven't been very good, and yet they get a handful of great reviews from the press.

Why should a couple of thousands speak for hundreds of millions? They could keep praising bands like The Strokes, and The White Stripes all they want but in the long run does any one really give a rat's ass about them. They are still thousands of miles away from becoming the music phenomena that critics predict they will be.

Americans seem to like only what radio plays, especially top 40 radio, which wasn't big on Queen music. So I don't think they would be any bigger now than they were in the 80s and 90s. The thing that bothers me is that when I play Queen music for someone who never heard them, the person ends up liking their music. I think that if Queen received enough airplay by top 40 radio, their popularity would have soared.

I bloody hope so.

I agree with RockitPJ.
When I play stuff by Queen to my friends who have only heard their hits, they are amazed, and end up being an immense Queen fan (Not more than me of course, because I am god, lol). But that doesn't go for all people....
But it could have made a difference, especially here in the US.
cheers

Weren't Status Quo the biggest Rock Band in the world once according to their own publicity and where are they now? Oh yea Cleethorpes Winter Gardens - Capacity 400 tickets still available!!!

They would be massive I think because of the massive publicity they could generate through mediums like the internet which I think they would have utilised had they still been around. And I don't think they would have become arrogant like U2 and that they would have played down how big they were, well except Roger.

Yes, they would be the biggest. In fact, they still are because in worldwide popularity Queen are miles ahead of U2. I really like U2, but they aren't Queen. When U2 went popish, they went absolutely crap. Queen went pop but still produced some amazing songs and it gave them a whole new audience and some of the biggest anthems ever were made in Queen's poppy years (e.g. IWTBF and Radio Ga Ga). Queen's popularity worldwide makes up for the missing parts in the U.S. Although U2 saying they are "the world's biggest rock band" prob means biggest rock band going today with relevant and fresh stuff. That doesn't include bands like Queen, The Beatles, Zeppelin, The Stones. Which you can't really deny. However, I could not believe U2 went into the U.K Hall Of Fame before The Stones and Zeppelin and Queen And Elton. Who has inspired more artists. The 5 'founding members' should have been (in no particular order)

.1. The Beatles
.2. Elvis
.3. Elton John
.4. Queen
.5. The Rolling Stones

For U.K music Madonna has inspired alot of females so maybe she should have been there, but Marley inspired some of the black artists that followed him, but how has he done more for U.K music than Queen, Elton and all those?

Queen inspired...
Muse
The Darkness
Radiohead
Extreme
Dave Grohl
George Michael
Katie Melua
Guns N' Roses (Axl and Slash anyway)
All the way down to new X-facter band G4.
In fact just about every Rock artist since in one way or another.

People may like U2 and think Bono is a wonderful singer and frontman, but they haven't been inspired like people are inspired by Queen or a member of Queen.

There's my 2 cents. Phew...

P.S. Queen will never equal The Beatles popularity, but there isnt any shame in being beaten by the second best.

Queen inspired the Darkness?
Well, maybe that is true, but there is NO comparison between both bands and the music. The Darkness, to be honest, has inspired me to become more homocidal. Woo.
Cheers

Not in the states, unfortunately. They would definitely have regal status worldwide. I think they would be like Elton John status now. Who knows, Disney might have approached them to do music for a movie. Hard to say.

No way. Sorry, but Queen was absolutely dead in North America. They're more popular here in Canada, but still back in high School I used to have to force my friends to even just listen to Queen. The lack of touring, the campy videos, and Freddie's over-the-top flamboyance buried them until "Wayne's World" showed these sheep that Bohemian Rhapsody was cool after all.

Queen was my favourite band as a kid, but then lost me after around the Hot Space area. The power of Freddie at Live Aid brought me back and if Queen had toured in support of The Works in North America then maybe they could have regained their following. Sorry, right or wrong without the States no band can be the biggest in the world.

Yeah,I agree with Lord Blackadder.Linkin Park and The Offspring are also ace!:D:D:D:))))).

LadyMoonshineDown wrote:

Queen inspired the Darkness?
Well, maybe that is true, but there is NO comparison between both bands and the music. The Darkness, to be honest, has inspired me to become more homocidal. Woo.
Cheers

i don't think you have to write music in the same style to have been influenced by them. The influence for the Darkness is probably more evident in the presentation than music.

I don't think Queen would've been the world's biggest rock band, had they been around today. People today don't seem to appreciate music as did people back in 80's and even early 90's... They don't seem to be sticking with one band through both the good times and the bad. That's why you see so many "one hit wonder" groups out there today. It's unfortunate I think...