[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]The Flash Danny Project wrote:
'Ironic' is the only word I can use to describe Queen's success in the U.S. It was the singles that incidentally sounded nothing like Queen songs (Crazy and Dust) that gave them their biggest hits there. Even more ironic is the fact that Bo Rap became a hit in '92 ONLY after it was featured in Wayne's World (mind you, the insignificant parallel event of FM's death had nothing to do with it).
What does this say about Americans? ;)[/QUOTE]
True, but from an American fans perspective...
Queen had killed their career in the States long before Freddie died, so his death didn't generate the coffin-chasing sales that it did in the rest of the world. Wayne's World introduced BoRap to a whole new generation that probably had no idea who Freddie was due to their decline on the American scene a decade earlier.
I stuck with the band in the early eighties, but the release of Flash and Hot Space back-to-back sent most fans packing. They had a shot at getting some fans back in 83, but when the lead single off your new album has the chorus "Radio Ga Ga, Radio Goo Goo, Radio Blah Blah", and you decide to quit touring the states, you weren't doing yourself any favors. The rumor (that Brian likes to subscribe to) is that the Break Free video turned America off. But being a fan, I can say that no one really cared about Queen anymore one way or the other at the time, and the video to a banal song didn't make much difference.
CLTCL and AOBTD were very "American sounding" songs (rockabilly and funk), so I guess it seems natural that they were big hits. The other single releases were more "British" (for lack of a better term) and probably not as digestable to the masses here.
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Whoops - sorry for the bold post - not sure what happened there.
I have to say I like the bold typeface. How do you do that?
Why the fuck does everyone go on about were queen big in the US or not. Quite honestly i don't give a shit. It doesn't matter. America has a population of 240m people - Europe has a population of 807m people.
Yes i know being big in america will get you more coverage but america isn't the be all and end all.
America has not the greatest taste in music anyway. Listen to that crap r+b shit, or the grammy awards - what a load of rubbish (and that's so true - U2 have only something like 15, Queen, Led Zep, the Who, Jimi Hendrix have won 0).
Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
Yes i know being big in america will get you more coverage but america isn't the be all and end all.
America has not the greatest taste in music anyway. Listen to that crap r+b shit, or the grammy awards - what a load of rubbish (and that's so true - U2 have only something like 15, Queen, Led Zep, the Who, Jimi Hendrix have won 0).
Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
How do you define "cool"? I can't imagine that you would want Queen to look or act like Mick Jagger or Keith Richard (really coarse) or to be like Paul McCartney (almost prissy).
Each member of Queen is cool in his own way. John, while mildly introverted, is studly with his bass, is articulate, and has a wry and dry sense of humor. Brian is brilliant, refined, polite, and even with his long curly locks always manages to avoid looking grungy. Roger is cool in any way you could define the word. Freddie was particularly cool as a stage frontman.
We're talking here about a unique group of guys. Immensely talented, very well educated, and each member of the group wrote some incredibly great songs. That's why the group has been so successful.
I hope this gives you a sense of why I think each of the group is "cool".
Each member of Queen is cool in his own way. John, while mildly introverted, is studly with his bass, is articulate, and has a wry and dry sense of humor. Brian is brilliant, refined, polite, and even with his long curly locks always manages to avoid looking grungy. Roger is cool in any way you could define the word. Freddie was particularly cool as a stage frontman.
We're talking here about a unique group of guys. Immensely talented, very well educated, and each member of the group wrote some incredibly great songs. That's why the group has been so successful.
I hope this gives you a sense of why I think each of the group is "cool".
Hello everyone...
I am a newbie to the site. But definitely not a newbie to Queen. As a professional musician all my life, I can tell you they were probably THE main musical influence only equal to the Beatles in my quest to become a 'rock god'!!
You know....the thing about the word 'cool' itself means that it is a FAD. It comes and goes very fast. 'cool' is FICKLE. And in my eyes, most people who follow cool are fickle too. I'm an American, and I see supposed "cool" all around me everyday....and to be honest....after years in the biz...I would rather be known as an artist who had longevity and a wealth of stedfast fans, than any poser who doesn't think I'm COOL anymore or ever was. Punk Rock was COOL. Punk rock was also a fad. It has had a short revival again, but if you notice, it's considered RETRO....it will be COOL for awhile..then gone again....
That being said....Nope...Queen was NEVER cool. But why would you want to be cool when you ARE your own musical genre?? I mean...who else EVER sounded like them, and had such a following that STILL would be willing to see them, even if the frontman would no longer be here to lead?
To this day, I can safely say that not even die hard fans, no matter HOW loyal, unless they were a musician themselves, knowledgable of not only recording techniques, but musical arrangements, and the discipline to meticulously nail down perfectly what they did in the studio...(180 overdubs of Freddie's voice to literally make an Opera section for heaven's sake) could even imagine the shear genius that was ticking away in the heads of those four guys when creating the albums they did.....It IS a testament to the guys to still have so many NOT SO COOL fans!!!
I'm glad to be seeing them in Cleveland in three weeks....I absolutely cannot wait!!! It will be a much long awaited dream.....
Cheers!!!
I am a newbie to the site. But definitely not a newbie to Queen. As a professional musician all my life, I can tell you they were probably THE main musical influence only equal to the Beatles in my quest to become a 'rock god'!!
You know....the thing about the word 'cool' itself means that it is a FAD. It comes and goes very fast. 'cool' is FICKLE. And in my eyes, most people who follow cool are fickle too. I'm an American, and I see supposed "cool" all around me everyday....and to be honest....after years in the biz...I would rather be known as an artist who had longevity and a wealth of stedfast fans, than any poser who doesn't think I'm COOL anymore or ever was. Punk Rock was COOL. Punk rock was also a fad. It has had a short revival again, but if you notice, it's considered RETRO....it will be COOL for awhile..then gone again....
That being said....Nope...Queen was NEVER cool. But why would you want to be cool when you ARE your own musical genre?? I mean...who else EVER sounded like them, and had such a following that STILL would be willing to see them, even if the frontman would no longer be here to lead?
To this day, I can safely say that not even die hard fans, no matter HOW loyal, unless they were a musician themselves, knowledgable of not only recording techniques, but musical arrangements, and the discipline to meticulously nail down perfectly what they did in the studio...(180 overdubs of Freddie's voice to literally make an Opera section for heaven's sake) could even imagine the shear genius that was ticking away in the heads of those four guys when creating the albums they did.....It IS a testament to the guys to still have so many NOT SO COOL fans!!!
I'm glad to be seeing them in Cleveland in three weeks....I absolutely cannot wait!!! It will be a much long awaited dream.....
Cheers!!!
piano4te, are you my twin brother, or what?!? I'm a trained pianist who was very moved by the creativity and quality of the Beatles' music in the 1960's, and by the late 1970's I had become consumed by the quality of Queen's compositions.
We have obviously interpreted "cool" differently, but there's no misunderstanding when it comes to appreciating the talents of Queen.
I'm confident you'll LOVE the show in Cleveland. I saw them in Los Angeles in October and was again mesmerized, as I was when I first saw them do their concert in Chicago in 1980. It's the anthemic and majestic value in the music that keeps bringing me back. I just love that stuff, and my three children are in awe of it as well. The concert is just a really powerful experience.
Thank you for your post, and welcome to the site.
We have obviously interpreted "cool" differently, but there's no misunderstanding when it comes to appreciating the talents of Queen.
I'm confident you'll LOVE the show in Cleveland. I saw them in Los Angeles in October and was again mesmerized, as I was when I first saw them do their concert in Chicago in 1980. It's the anthemic and majestic value in the music that keeps bringing me back. I just love that stuff, and my three children are in awe of it as well. The concert is just a really powerful experience.
Thank you for your post, and welcome to the site.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]The Flash Danny Project wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Funny, even though I like the band, I never considered them "cool". In fact, in spite of all their achievements and popularity, they were very ordinary, even dorky looking guys. I mean, check out most photos of JD - nerd alert! BM is a total dork with that stoneage perm that he refuses to shear, and even FM for the most part looked like he was fairly uninterested with the band on a marketing level. I guess the only one even remotely hip was Roger, but even he was arrestable for tragic fashion sense in the 80s. I must also mention the extremely low hip factor of the majority of their fanbase: very dorky and unsexy themselves. I think I've mentioned how ugly some fans are, based on the concert footage I've seen (please don't take offence here, people!) I guess it's fair to conclude that a band will attract like-minded people.
Now I understand what Bob Geldof was talking about all those years ago...[/QUOTE]
We can cross you off the cool list Flash because certainly anyone who uses the phrase "Nerd Alert" is anything but cool.
Now I understand what Bob Geldof was talking about all those years ago...[/QUOTE]
We can cross you off the cool list Flash because certainly anyone who uses the phrase "Nerd Alert" is anything but cool.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]una999 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Why the fuck does everyone go on about were queen big in the US or not. Quite honestly i don't give a shit. It doesn't matter. America has a population of 240m people - Europe has a population of 807m people.
Yes i know being big in america will get you more coverage but america isn't the be all and end all.
America has not the greatest taste in music anyway. Listen to that crap r+b shit, or the grammy awards - what a load of rubbish (and that's so true - U2 have only something like 15, Queen, Led Zep, the Who, Jimi Hendrix have won 0).
Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
[/QUOTE]
Wow. Just... wow. What a post.
I wonder what Brian, Freddie, and Roger's response would be if they were asked whether being big in America is/was important to them or not...
Yes i know being big in america will get you more coverage but america isn't the be all and end all.
America has not the greatest taste in music anyway. Listen to that crap r+b shit, or the grammy awards - what a load of rubbish (and that's so true - U2 have only something like 15, Queen, Led Zep, the Who, Jimi Hendrix have won 0).
Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
[/QUOTE]
Wow. Just... wow. What a post.
I wonder what Brian, Freddie, and Roger's response would be if they were asked whether being big in America is/was important to them or not...
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]una999 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Why the fuck does everyone go on about were queen big in the US or not. Quite honestly i don't give a shit. It doesn't matter. America has a population of 240m people - Europe has a population of 807m people.
Yes i know being big in america will get you more coverage but america isn't the be all and end all.
America has not the greatest taste in music anyway. Listen to that crap r+b shit, or the grammy awards - what a load of rubbish (and that's so true - U2 have only something like 15, Queen, Led Zep, the Who, Jimi Hendrix have won 0).
Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
[/QUOTE]
Europe has better taste in music? What a load of rubbage. Proof? 5ive and Take That.
That is all
Yes i know being big in america will get you more coverage but america isn't the be all and end all.
America has not the greatest taste in music anyway. Listen to that crap r+b shit, or the grammy awards - what a load of rubbish (and that's so true - U2 have only something like 15, Queen, Led Zep, the Who, Jimi Hendrix have won 0).
Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
[/QUOTE]
Europe has better taste in music? What a load of rubbage. Proof? 5ive and Take That.
That is all
There's a Brian quote I can't quite remember. Damn. Queen were too ... something ... to be cool. It's going to drive me crazy.
Poopdud - John was 26 in '77, you twerp.
Poopdud - John was 26 in '77, you twerp.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]una999 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Europe has a better musical culture. That's just a fact. All the great bands are from europe (UK). America is too diverse and yes Queen are big there. They'll still be playing we will rock you...in 20 yrs time. Will they be playing U2 for example??
[/QUOTE]
I have always thought that most of the better bands out there are/were from Europe. Most of the ones I listen to and respect are, for sure. One of them is also U2, although I think Queen were better musicians and composers and I find Queen's music more interesting. U2 is great though and they know how to put up a great show and, contrary to what you say, they WILL be playing U2 in 20 years time as they were playing them 20 years ago. U2 will be regarded as one of the best bands ever, specially in America, where they have been touring in the last 2 decades.
I'm actually sick of listening to We Will Rock You as a sports anthem and having people regard it as Queen's biggest hit or, worse than that, some people don't even know it's by Queen... :S
The good thing about this recent tour and the American Idol thing is that they'll be in the spotlight once again. Hope they get an album together in some months and then tour again the US, Mexico and South America and go out with a bang in a bigger European tour. :)
Wiley
[/QUOTE]
I have always thought that most of the better bands out there are/were from Europe. Most of the ones I listen to and respect are, for sure. One of them is also U2, although I think Queen were better musicians and composers and I find Queen's music more interesting. U2 is great though and they know how to put up a great show and, contrary to what you say, they WILL be playing U2 in 20 years time as they were playing them 20 years ago. U2 will be regarded as one of the best bands ever, specially in America, where they have been touring in the last 2 decades.
I'm actually sick of listening to We Will Rock You as a sports anthem and having people regard it as Queen's biggest hit or, worse than that, some people don't even know it's by Queen... :S
The good thing about this recent tour and the American Idol thing is that they'll be in the spotlight once again. Hope they get an album together in some months and then tour again the US, Mexico and South America and go out with a bang in a bigger European tour. :)
Wiley
Hey, back off! Queen are so much cooler than people like Dick Cheney! And leave Paul McCartnety alone! He's also cool, unlike Ringo!
I always have thought Queen were the coolest people on earth.