Why disliking the biggest hits...

Many times I was posting here my opinions about Queen's most famous tracks (Radio Ga-Ga, WATC, BoRhap etc) and saying- I really don't like them. Same goes for albums from 80s- AKOM or WORKS. There were always ppl asking why and what is it all about... That maybe this is just an attempt be seen as "cool"...
After all those gigs I've seen this year (especially Sheffield and Wembley) I know EXACTLY why I almost HATE those songs.
Folks around me at those gigs were standing and doing nothing every time the band was playing AWESOME versions of either I'm In Love With My Car or '39 (in fact- those two gigs we had both verses of the latter one). Obviously, there was a huge interaction during the last few tracks (i.e. WWRY / WATC). But it almost seemed like the entire gig ppl were wiating for those particular songs. Looking at the crowd I saw ppl who would feel more comfortable at the Bingo Club, not the rock gig. Families and folks who thought- oh, that's Queen playing, that may be such a nice night out... I dunno, guys, but that's not what a rock gig is for me...
Anyway- those ppl became alive only during Ga-Gas and Magics and Champions and the likes... What's wrong with that? THAT it stops the band from playing anything else, that stops the band from doing anything risky. What I hate about those few HUGE songs is that they completely narrow the band's catalogue to those few radio friendly tracks. All those ppl for whom music is nothing more than a background are the general audience and to them mostly everything that Queen does is addressed! Those ppl (and those tracks) are the reason we are not going to hear White Man, It's Late, etc... Geez- folks in Sheffiled around me didn't even know TYMD!
I hate Greatest Hits albums, and I change the radio station every time they play Don't Stop Me Now or Radio Ga-Ga. At Wembley I left when they were still playing we Are The Champions. SUDDENLY every one was having so much fun... Pathetic- what about first 2 and a half hour of the show...?
There you go- what do you think? Do you think those songs are actually misleading the public? Do those tracks diminish band's potential? Discus!

I've never liked Crazy Little thing called love.
Not sure why. I don't dislike or hate the likes of WWRY / WATC... just heard them far too many times.

Disposable pop (do you remember who called Queen songs by these two words?)!

It's a show business, mate. They have to play it. As well as radio wouldn't ever play "March Of The Black Queen" not because it's a bad song. They need to play "hits" and they play hits. Giant jukebox. They can't make a real rock show instead of a charming family night because they're not young and too much popular for it.

(That's why I like Roger's, Brian's solo gigs more than current shows - they know that only Queen fans would go to see 'Roger Taylor' playing live)

Unfortunately, in order to sell tickets, the band target the people that bought the singles and, thus, play the singles.

It's a sorry state of affairs when a fan-club ONLY show like Brixton features NOTHING ou tof the ordinary, other than an infernally long and boring prelude to the band coming on stge (Track 13) and no rarities whatsoever.

Remember the days of The Cross's fan club only gigs? Special guests (Brian and John '88, Brian '90, Smile and Roger Daltrey '91) and plenty of rarities? Appears to me that these days are truly gone now and dedicated fans are treated just like everyone else.

Hard-core fans should realize that they're not the only ones in the audience. There are people ranging from the newly introduced person who just got a Greatest Hits album, to the most devoted Queen freaks who own every single album by 'The Cross'.

I however do agree that Queen should indeed include more of the non-hit obscure tracks, but only if they're songs like 'It's Late' that sound superb live. Most of the hits sound great live so it's a non-brainer that they're included. However, pop-oriented songs like 'A Kind Of Magic' should indeed been dropped off. 'Radio Ga-Ga' truly deserves to be included, though for bringing the whole crowd together.

In many respects I think it's often just a case of them being overplayed, although more recently WWRY has been trashed by others. In the 80s, the singles became a lot more pop than rock in general which wasn't to everyones taste, including mine. Some of my favorite tracks are hits,namely killer queen and somebody to love. However most of my fav stuff are album tracks, esp from the period before GH1. Queen did use to say they were an album band and to understand them fully you had to listen to the albums.

Fenderek Said:-

"I hate Greatest Hits albums, and I change the radio station every time they play Don't Stop Me Now or Radio Ga-Ga. At Wembley I left when they were still playing we Are The Champions. SUDDENLY every one was having so much fun... Pathetic- what about first 2 and a half hour of the show...?"

I agree with all your sentiments sir, except the comment about Don't Stop Me Now. I love that song and could never hear enough of it.

Not just wanting the hits isn't being a hardcore fan for fuck sake! Once upon a time (ie, the 70's) they were an album band... if you only know the hits, why the fuck would you pay £55+ to go see them? Any self respecting fan would be overly familair with the bands entire output... they do NOT need to cater for their fairweather fans, theyve just chosen to go the easy route.

all hail Fenderek....I thought that I was the only one who found the Greatest Hits albums something to avoid (although I obviously have them to keep my collection complete)

I would love to hear some more of the album tracks such as Stone Cold Crazy, Drowse, It's Late, Fight from the Inside, Rock It, A Human Body (non-album of course), The Hero and many others.

Some of the tracks sung on the albums by Roger and Brian would be much better than listening to Paul Rodgers continually murdering AKOM every show - who needs him anyway????!!!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bri and Rog should go it alone billed as "Taylor May'd" now i wouldn't mind paying £55 for that!

When I'm listening to an album I always skip the big hits. You hear them enough anyway. But sometimes I might feel like listening to them once in a while, because they aren't that bad really. They just get repetitive. The really great songs are the ones you never get tired of. I never skip Don't Stop Me Now.

Yeah, I like those songs too. Stuff like '39 and I'm In Love With My Car are great, as are Keep Yourself Alive and Las Parablas. I have never liked Somebody To Love, Play The Game or It's A Hard Life. But BoRap? You cannot be serious! Surely that is still the best song ever?!?

As much as I love Bo Rhap, it wouldnt bother me if they never played again or played it on rare occasions

Mr.Jingles79 wrote:

Hard-core fans should realize that they're not the only ones in the audience.

Of course! And we DO! But the band should also realise, that in the audience there are hardcore ones as well!!! What do we get? 5 second snippet of White Man? I think the hard core fans are being forgotten, in favour of the ones who just came back from musical and bought Greatest Hits... And this is a very sad trend for me... As Benn said- there was a great opportunity to play some rarities especially for die-hards in Brixton. Did they? Not really...

the_hero wrote:

Munchsack wrote:

Yeah, I like those songs too. Stuff like '39 and I'm In Love With My Car are great, as are Keep Yourself Alive and Las Parablas. I have never liked Somebody To Love, Play The Game or It's A Hard Life. But BoRap? You cannot be serious! Surely that is still the best song ever?!?

There are better Queen songs than Bo Rhap IMO

And quite few of them, I agree