> OK guys, I have written several threads about Brian May's vastly inflated ego.
Leave it out!
> he suggests that "Prophet's Song" could have been as big a hit as "Bohemian Rhapsody"
He didn't say that. As a matter of fact, he said that it's NOT as commercial, and I agree. He also said that it's "more for the specialists", which I disagree with, because 'Bo Rhap' is definitely more complex (musically) than 'Prophet's Song' in spite of being shorter.
> It was always so random which song got picked for the leading single from a Queen album.
That's a comment I find unfair. Indeed Brian sometimes did that (like when he said that they credited the lyricist as writer). Some other quotes (including some from him) suggest otherwise anyway: the selection process wasn't "always so random", and as a metter of fact, 'Prophet's Song' HAD BEEN thought to be the single at some point (Fred confirmed so).
> That's why sometimes I wish the Greatest Hits would disappear for a while
I disagree with that one: I wish Greatest Hits would disappear for ever!
> Whenever he does live shows (including the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, of all things!!), we all know that he reverses the ratio in favor of his own songs.
I agree only partially. Was the Tribute an ego trip for him? definitely, but there were other reasons too: his songs are easier to play and easier to sing, so it's obvious that they'd do 'Tie Your Mother Down' than 'Killer Queen'.
> Why in the world does he think that "Prophet's Song" is one of the great Queen songs?
Because it is! Not only the interlude, but the whole thing: that brilliant intro with the acoustic guitar and the mini-koto; the lyrics, the melody, the guitar tour de force after the middle bit; the way the arrangement (and the resolution) changes from one section iteration to the other... it isn't AS sophisticated as 'Bo Rhap', but it IS still May-estic from beginning to end.
> After all, was it ever a hit in any way?
No, because they didn't release it.
> like all of Brian May's early releases, I suspect that "Prophet's Song" would have tanked.
Perhaps, but it still doesn't mean it's not a wonderful song. 'Keep Yourself Alive' is IMO much more commercial than ABBA's 'Name Of The Game', but KYA didn't even chart, and NOTG was #1. Reasons: KYA was a new band's debut single, NOTG was the new release from the act of the moment. So it does have a lot to do with luck in certain ways...
> Brian is merely wondering how things would have been different if another song had been released as a single.
Indeed, and many of us have done the same many times.
> How many times did you edit the Wikipedia article about the FM Tribute concert, with your outlandish suggestion that the concert was all about Brian satisfying his ego?
Actually, to be fair, I have edited that article several times with suggestions like that. So that comment should have been addressed to me :)
> the release of the mediocre "Prophet's Song"
A song like that is definitely not mediocre. It's very well-done in every aspect and I admire the amount of work put there. Not only by Brian, who did a marvellous work writing it, doing his vocals, guitars (acoustic and electric) and koto, but by the others as well (albeit there are some slight mistakes by Deacy).
> The thing that really pisses me off the most here is Brian’s failure at acknowledge the fact that “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the very reason for why he and the others became famous in the first place!
They were already famous (with a #10 and a #2 hit and a successful world tour) before.
> Yeah, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' IS a damn good song, but it's no better or worse than 'The Prophet's Song'.
Better? no; worse? no. More musically advanced? Yes.
> If you accuse "The Prophet's Song" of being devoid of "melody" during the
Thread
Posts in chronological order
My comment about Mr. Bad Guy was more in the spirit of Scott saying that Brian wasn't much without Freddie. Yes, Mr. Bad Guy was Freddie doing pop, but that stuff doesn't stand up very well to the test of time without a rocky sound.
I respectfully disagree about your comment about Brian's fingers versus his head. They are totally different, but in the case of Brian, his creativity makes him what he is as a guitarist. He alone invented the Queen guitar sound, with the layers and the harmonies, and if he were in the Stones or the Who, he'd be a lot like a Richards or Townshend, obviously a better soloist, be he wouldn't be renowned for his sound. His guitar, his mind and his fingers make Brian the guitarist he is, moreso than virtually anyone else. If you look at TYMD, it's a great riff, but that song could be played by any guitarist in any band. But GSTQ? Brian's desire to play individual notes, not chords to get a fuller sound, it's his trademark, and IMHO, that's why you can't separate Brian the musician from Brian the guitarist, and BTW, I always find your input fantastic Sebastian.
I respectfully disagree about your comment about Brian's fingers versus his head. They are totally different, but in the case of Brian, his creativity makes him what he is as a guitarist. He alone invented the Queen guitar sound, with the layers and the harmonies, and if he were in the Stones or the Who, he'd be a lot like a Richards or Townshend, obviously a better soloist, be he wouldn't be renowned for his sound. His guitar, his mind and his fingers make Brian the guitarist he is, moreso than virtually anyone else. If you look at TYMD, it's a great riff, but that song could be played by any guitarist in any band. But GSTQ? Brian's desire to play individual notes, not chords to get a fuller sound, it's his trademark, and IMHO, that's why you can't separate Brian the musician from Brian the guitarist, and BTW, I always find your input fantastic Sebastian.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Boy Thomas Raker wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Brian has an oversized ego? Odd, as most people who seek out the public eye are usually wallflowers who would prefer to perform their guitar or vocal gifts on YouTube.
Would Prophets Song have succeeded like Bohemian Rhapsody? Never. Bohemian Rhapsody sounded like nothing ever before it, or anything since. It had tons of twists and turns in keys, chords, signature that Prophets song doesn't. However, they're both wonderful songs.
Interesting thoughts by Scott Mercury about Brian delivering the quality of music and Freddie delivering the quality songs. Freddie's songs tended to reflect "Queen" music more than Brian's did, and while Brian is a superb writer, if he didn't have Freddie's voice to deliver his songs (predominantly major chord, similar structure) he would have been an amazing guitarist in another band. Conversely, if Freddie didn't have Brian's guitar, he'd be a great pop singer a la George Michael, but not a legend. Take away Brian's guitar and you get Mr. Bad Guy, which wouldn't get anyone legendary status.
Scott's other comment about hundreds of better guitarists on YouTube confuses me. Is guitar playing now a sport like long jump, where how far or fast you go makes you a good guitarist? Technically, Sir GH may be a better guitarist than Brian, as may 20 other players who frequent this board. That dismisses the key element in why Queen's sound was so unique, which is Brian's creativity. I'll never understand why people don't get this. It's the head, not the hands that makes Brian better than all but one or two players, ever.[/QUOTE]
1) I never said Brian has an oversized ego... in fact he's almost too shy in my opinion. A great musician no doubt, but I wish he has 1/20th of Freddie flair and charisma.
2) I usually skip Prophet's song... but then again, I think Queen 2 is a overated album that is blown away by Queen 1, and at least 5 other Queen albums.
3) Brian is a perfectionist, as was Freddie... but Freddie was frantic, it came fast, or he forgot...Brian would be the one to go back and take his time on things. If each person in Queen had a timeclock.... I will bet anyone here, anything you'd like to bet, that Brian logged more hours on each album in most cases. But I feel he had to. It may very well took Brian 3 times the amount of time to compete with Freddie in the songwriting department.... by all accounts, Freddie wrote most of his songs in 30 minutes to 2 hours. Brian has said he sometimes will spend months.
4) Your comment on Freddie and Brian without each absolutely contradicts yourself.... so with no Freddie, Brian simply would have found another singer, and also became the most popular band in England?? Yet...poor Freddie, couldn't get another guitarist to play with him, so he would have to pray to be a pop star??.....I THINK NOT!!! More guitar players are looking for a Freddie Mercury, then there are Freddie Mercury's out there hopelessly looking for a guitarist to play with.... this really isn't up for discussion. This is common sense.
5) Nope, most of the shredders on youtube bore me to death too.... I'll take Brian anyday of Vai, Malmsteen, Satch, Zakk Wylde, Tony MacAlpine, Marty Friedman.....and 1,000 of other no name shredders on youtube.....
But from a technical standpoint, they are all better than Brian.
From a technical standpoint, I am probably better then Brian... but I humbly admit he would have alot more to teach me than I could teach him.
Better technically doesn't = just plain better.... don't get so hyper... technical ability is merely one aspect of playing, and to me, not the most important one.
Would Prophets Song have succeeded like Bohemian Rhapsody? Never. Bohemian Rhapsody sounded like nothing ever before it, or anything since. It had tons of twists and turns in keys, chords, signature that Prophets song doesn't. However, they're both wonderful songs.
Interesting thoughts by Scott Mercury about Brian delivering the quality of music and Freddie delivering the quality songs. Freddie's songs tended to reflect "Queen" music more than Brian's did, and while Brian is a superb writer, if he didn't have Freddie's voice to deliver his songs (predominantly major chord, similar structure) he would have been an amazing guitarist in another band. Conversely, if Freddie didn't have Brian's guitar, he'd be a great pop singer a la George Michael, but not a legend. Take away Brian's guitar and you get Mr. Bad Guy, which wouldn't get anyone legendary status.
Scott's other comment about hundreds of better guitarists on YouTube confuses me. Is guitar playing now a sport like long jump, where how far or fast you go makes you a good guitarist? Technically, Sir GH may be a better guitarist than Brian, as may 20 other players who frequent this board. That dismisses the key element in why Queen's sound was so unique, which is Brian's creativity. I'll never understand why people don't get this. It's the head, not the hands that makes Brian better than all but one or two players, ever.[/QUOTE]
1) I never said Brian has an oversized ego... in fact he's almost too shy in my opinion. A great musician no doubt, but I wish he has 1/20th of Freddie flair and charisma.
2) I usually skip Prophet's song... but then again, I think Queen 2 is a overated album that is blown away by Queen 1, and at least 5 other Queen albums.
3) Brian is a perfectionist, as was Freddie... but Freddie was frantic, it came fast, or he forgot...Brian would be the one to go back and take his time on things. If each person in Queen had a timeclock.... I will bet anyone here, anything you'd like to bet, that Brian logged more hours on each album in most cases. But I feel he had to. It may very well took Brian 3 times the amount of time to compete with Freddie in the songwriting department.... by all accounts, Freddie wrote most of his songs in 30 minutes to 2 hours. Brian has said he sometimes will spend months.
4) Your comment on Freddie and Brian without each absolutely contradicts yourself.... so with no Freddie, Brian simply would have found another singer, and also became the most popular band in England?? Yet...poor Freddie, couldn't get another guitarist to play with him, so he would have to pray to be a pop star??.....I THINK NOT!!! More guitar players are looking for a Freddie Mercury, then there are Freddie Mercury's out there hopelessly looking for a guitarist to play with.... this really isn't up for discussion. This is common sense.
5) Nope, most of the shredders on youtube bore me to death too.... I'll take Brian anyday of Vai, Malmsteen, Satch, Zakk Wylde, Tony MacAlpine, Marty Friedman.....and 1,000 of other no name shredders on youtube.....
But from a technical standpoint, they are all better than Brian.
From a technical standpoint, I am probably better then Brian... but I humbly admit he would have alot more to teach me than I could teach him.
Better technically doesn't = just plain better.... don't get so hyper... technical ability is merely one aspect of playing, and to me, not the most important one.
Surprisingly, I agree with Scott, although Freddie's songwriting started to go downhill slightly once Queen became an arena rock band and focused more on singles. For every 'We Are The Champions' and 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', there was a 'Get Down, Make Love' and 'Don't Try Suicide' (don't get me wrong, I still enjoy both of those songs, but Freddie's songwriting output between 1973 and 1976 was almost all excellent songs).
And, lest we not forget two of the biggest duds in Queen's oeuvre: 'Staying Power' and 'Body Language'.
However, I found that Brian was a consistently good songwriter, and had very few duff tracks. But, Freddie did help make his songs come alive, and Brian added that extra sheen of theatricality with his guitar to Freddie's songs. Keep in mind that Brian orchestrated the guitar parts of 'Millionaire Waltz'.
And, lest we not forget two of the biggest duds in Queen's oeuvre: 'Staying Power' and 'Body Language'.
However, I found that Brian was a consistently good songwriter, and had very few duff tracks. But, Freddie did help make his songs come alive, and Brian added that extra sheen of theatricality with his guitar to Freddie's songs. Keep in mind that Brian orchestrated the guitar parts of 'Millionaire Waltz'.
I'm a little confused with how I contradicted myself, Scott. About Brian, I said "if he didn't have Freddie's voice to deliver his songs, he would have been an amazing guitarist in another band." About Freddie, I said, "if Freddie didn't have Brian's guitar, he'd be a great pop singer a la George Michael, but not a legend."
That basically means Brian would be a great guitarist in another band, and Freddie would be a great singer in a bnd or solo. I didn't say Brian would have found another singer and become the most popular band in England, nor did I think "poor Freddie" couldn't get another guitarist to play with him. This really wasn't the discussion that was up for discussion, so I don't know what common sense has to do with anything. I do know this. They both needed each other. Brian May is one of rock's greatest guitarists, one of rock's greatest songwriters and one of rock's greatest innovators. Freddie Mercury was the arguably greatest package of talent in the 20th century, a once in a lifetime creature. He is, was and will be what made Queen great, but he wouldn't have done the great stuff without Brian (or Roger and John.)
That basically means Brian would be a great guitarist in another band, and Freddie would be a great singer in a bnd or solo. I didn't say Brian would have found another singer and become the most popular band in England, nor did I think "poor Freddie" couldn't get another guitarist to play with him. This really wasn't the discussion that was up for discussion, so I don't know what common sense has to do with anything. I do know this. They both needed each other. Brian May is one of rock's greatest guitarists, one of rock's greatest songwriters and one of rock's greatest innovators. Freddie Mercury was the arguably greatest package of talent in the 20th century, a once in a lifetime creature. He is, was and will be what made Queen great, but he wouldn't have done the great stuff without Brian (or Roger and John.)
"IMO, it would've been better with Brian's vocal."
You know, I would often hear the start of Save Me and swear it was Brian! Having heard their voices at length, I'm pretty sure that's the treatment he would've given the song. I'd kill to hear a demo of it, at any rate.
In any event, I mainly refer to the later parts of the song that Brian probably wouldn't have been able to give the same power to.... I definitely would love to have heard Brian take the more sensitive parts of the song like in WWTLF.
You know, I would often hear the start of Save Me and swear it was Brian! Having heard their voices at length, I'm pretty sure that's the treatment he would've given the song. I'd kill to hear a demo of it, at any rate.
In any event, I mainly refer to the later parts of the song that Brian probably wouldn't have been able to give the same power to.... I definitely would love to have heard Brian take the more sensitive parts of the song like in WWTLF.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Zebonka12 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
In any event, I mainly refer to the later parts of the song that Brian probably wouldn't have been able to give the same power to.... I definitely would love to have heard Brian take the more sensitive parts of the song like in WWTLF.[/QUOTE]
I sometimes wonder if Brian was "marking his territory" in WWTLF - (it being his song) by singing that first verse, given that Freddie took the next verse and most of what came after that.
Then I think/rationalize that he really did a gentle, round sound on purpose to sound more "other-wordly" (it's loaded with echo effect) before Freddie's more incisive-toned vocal.
Then I think.....naaaaah.
Then I think that I think too much, lol.
In any event, I mainly refer to the later parts of the song that Brian probably wouldn't have been able to give the same power to.... I definitely would love to have heard Brian take the more sensitive parts of the song like in WWTLF.[/QUOTE]
I sometimes wonder if Brian was "marking his territory" in WWTLF - (it being his song) by singing that first verse, given that Freddie took the next verse and most of what came after that.
Then I think/rationalize that he really did a gentle, round sound on purpose to sound more "other-wordly" (it's loaded with echo effect) before Freddie's more incisive-toned vocal.
Then I think.....naaaaah.
Then I think that I think too much, lol.
Brian's singing at the beginning of WWTLF works very well... Brian can do a very close Freddie soft voice.... but I love the Brian soft, kind, concerned voice at the beginning....
It sets the stage for the Mercury bring down the house power that follows.
In reality, when your in a band with Fred, realistically, it would be acceptable if no one else ever sang... sometimes it works...best example would be Roggie's "Love with my car" that was perfect for him, but things like Brian's "Sidewalk" from NOTW.... uhh.. Barry Manilow might as well sang that.
It sets the stage for the Mercury bring down the house power that follows.
In reality, when your in a band with Fred, realistically, it would be acceptable if no one else ever sang... sometimes it works...best example would be Roggie's "Love with my car" that was perfect for him, but things like Brian's "Sidewalk" from NOTW.... uhh.. Barry Manilow might as well sang that.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Sebastian wrote: [/QUOTENAME]> How many times did you edit the Wikipedia article about the FM Tribute concert, with your outlandish suggestion that the concert was all about Brian satisfying his ego?
Actually, to be fair, I have edited that article several times with suggestions like that. So that comment should have been addressed to me :)[/QUOTE]
Great. Stop doing it, please. Wikipedia is a place for facts, not for propositions and opinions.
[QUOTE]> It's the head, not the hands that makes Brian better than all but one or two players, ever.
Not really. You "play" guitar with your fingers; you "arrange/write" for guitar with your brain, or heart, or soul, or whatever. That's why I think Brian is first a musician, then an arranger, then a composer, and then (fourth place) a guitarist.[/QUOTE]
Fantastic reply... agree fully.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Better technically doesn't = just plain better.... don't get so hyper... technical ability is merely one aspect of playing, and to me, not the most important one.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. To me, being a musician consists of three things: technical ability, composition, and feel. Most of those Youtube show-offs have only one of those things.
Actually, to be fair, I have edited that article several times with suggestions like that. So that comment should have been addressed to me :)[/QUOTE]
Great. Stop doing it, please. Wikipedia is a place for facts, not for propositions and opinions.
[QUOTE]> It's the head, not the hands that makes Brian better than all but one or two players, ever.
Not really. You "play" guitar with your fingers; you "arrange/write" for guitar with your brain, or heart, or soul, or whatever. That's why I think Brian is first a musician, then an arranger, then a composer, and then (fourth place) a guitarist.[/QUOTE]
Fantastic reply... agree fully.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Better technically doesn't = just plain better.... don't get so hyper... technical ability is merely one aspect of playing, and to me, not the most important one.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. To me, being a musician consists of three things: technical ability, composition, and feel. Most of those Youtube show-offs have only one of those things.
> Yes, Mr. Bad Guy was Freddie doing pop
Actually the thinline between "rock" and "pop" is quite hard to tell. More on that later ... if I ever finish my website, or some book ;)
> in the case of Brian, his creativity makes him what he is as a guitarist.
Keep in mind that not always he invented the guitar parts, sometimes he "only" performed them, which he did marvellously too. I think sometimes people underrate his ability to actually play, and only think of the melodies or the distinctive sound. Imo, even if May hadn't ever composed or arranged a solo, even if he used the typical Strat + Marshall combo and played with plectra, he'd still be an astonishing guitarist.
> Brian's desire to play individual notes, not chords to get a fuller sound, it's his trademark
He's neither the first nor the only one doing that. But probably the first one putting that aspect in the foreground that way, yes. Everybody's got a different approach to guitar playing, that's why it's so fascinating.
> that's why you can't separate Brian the musician from Brian the guitarist
You can: the "guitarist" part concerns the way he uses his fingers, the way he sustains the notes, the way he produces (for instance) violin sounds, the way he taps, etc... which are nice features, some of which he does (or did, I don't know) brilliantly. A "Brian's an outstanding guitarist because he's a composer" statement is imo as ridiculous as saying "Sepp Maier was a wonderful goalkeeper because he played tennis".
> by all accounts, Freddie wrote most of his songs in 30 minutes to 2 hours.
That's very false. Perhaps 'Delilah' took him half an hour (lyrically, musically it's more interesting than you'd think at first listen), or some shite like that... but actually he worked much harder than he commented. His comments completely contradict other people's accounts ('My Fairy King' took two years to be completed in the songwriting department), and that's the cue to start a "Freddie Mercury: Egomaniac" thread.
> he wouldn't have done the great stuff without Brian (or Roger and John.)
The counterfactual bit is always controversial. What if...? We'll never know. But I think the four of them were excellent players, and above all, excellent musicians, so they'd eventually find their way to success with or without each other.
> To me, being a musician consists of three things: technical ability, composition, and feel.
So in your opinion Yo-Yo Ma isn't a musician? Kiri Te Kanawa? Christoph Eschenbach? Montserrat Caballe? Elvis Presley?
Wasn't George Best a fantastic footballer because he never invented a playing technique? Do you have to invent measurement units in order to be tall?
Actually the thinline between "rock" and "pop" is quite hard to tell. More on that later ... if I ever finish my website, or some book ;)
> in the case of Brian, his creativity makes him what he is as a guitarist.
Keep in mind that not always he invented the guitar parts, sometimes he "only" performed them, which he did marvellously too. I think sometimes people underrate his ability to actually play, and only think of the melodies or the distinctive sound. Imo, even if May hadn't ever composed or arranged a solo, even if he used the typical Strat + Marshall combo and played with plectra, he'd still be an astonishing guitarist.
> Brian's desire to play individual notes, not chords to get a fuller sound, it's his trademark
He's neither the first nor the only one doing that. But probably the first one putting that aspect in the foreground that way, yes. Everybody's got a different approach to guitar playing, that's why it's so fascinating.
> that's why you can't separate Brian the musician from Brian the guitarist
You can: the "guitarist" part concerns the way he uses his fingers, the way he sustains the notes, the way he produces (for instance) violin sounds, the way he taps, etc... which are nice features, some of which he does (or did, I don't know) brilliantly. A "Brian's an outstanding guitarist because he's a composer" statement is imo as ridiculous as saying "Sepp Maier was a wonderful goalkeeper because he played tennis".
> by all accounts, Freddie wrote most of his songs in 30 minutes to 2 hours.
That's very false. Perhaps 'Delilah' took him half an hour (lyrically, musically it's more interesting than you'd think at first listen), or some shite like that... but actually he worked much harder than he commented. His comments completely contradict other people's accounts ('My Fairy King' took two years to be completed in the songwriting department), and that's the cue to start a "Freddie Mercury: Egomaniac" thread.
> he wouldn't have done the great stuff without Brian (or Roger and John.)
The counterfactual bit is always controversial. What if...? We'll never know. But I think the four of them were excellent players, and above all, excellent musicians, so they'd eventually find their way to success with or without each other.
> To me, being a musician consists of three things: technical ability, composition, and feel.
So in your opinion Yo-Yo Ma isn't a musician? Kiri Te Kanawa? Christoph Eschenbach? Montserrat Caballe? Elvis Presley?
Wasn't George Best a fantastic footballer because he never invented a playing technique? Do you have to invent measurement units in order to be tall?
I always regretted that the Highlander version (Freddie-only version) of WWTLF was not released because I strongly disagree with the opinion that the Brian intro benefits the song - it only emphasizes Freddie's amazing vocals on this song when he takes over the second verse.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]YourValentine wrote: [/QUOTENAME]I always regretted that the Highlander version (Freddie-only version) of WWTLF was not released because I strongly disagree with the opinion that the Brian intro benefits the song - it only emphasizes Freddie's amazing vocals on this song when he takes over the second verse.[/QUOTE]
Actually I could agree that it doesn't benefit the song, maybe for some it simply doesn't fit. It doesn't take away from the fact that the intro is very well sung.
Actually I could agree that it doesn't benefit the song, maybe for some it simply doesn't fit. It doesn't take away from the fact that the intro is very well sung.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]YourValentine wrote: [/QUOTENAME]I always regretted that the Highlander version (Freddie-only version) of WWTLF was not released because I strongly disagree with the opinion that the Brian intro benefits the song - it only emphasizes Freddie's amazing vocals on this song when he takes over the second verse.[/QUOTE]
The Freddie only version is just as good.... my point is that IMO Brian is a mediocre singer at best. When Freddie comes in, it makes you say "who was that wuss singing at the beginning?" (sorry Bri)
I am of the opinion that Freddie could pull off any of the others songs better than themselves with very few exceptions.
Hell, a couple times on tour in 1979 Roggie forgets the words to IILWMC a few times, and Freddie takes back over to guide hime on track....sounds great.
Brian has said in the past that although he was passionate about singing "Sail Away Sweet Sister" he sometimes wondered if that was a mistake as no non-Freddie sang song ever had a chance at being a choosen single.
The Freddie only version is just as good.... my point is that IMO Brian is a mediocre singer at best. When Freddie comes in, it makes you say "who was that wuss singing at the beginning?" (sorry Bri)
I am of the opinion that Freddie could pull off any of the others songs better than themselves with very few exceptions.
Hell, a couple times on tour in 1979 Roggie forgets the words to IILWMC a few times, and Freddie takes back over to guide hime on track....sounds great.
Brian has said in the past that although he was passionate about singing "Sail Away Sweet Sister" he sometimes wondered if that was a mistake as no non-Freddie sang song ever had a chance at being a choosen single.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]YourValentine wrote: [/QUOTENAME]I always regretted that the Highlander version (Freddie-only version) of WWTLF was not released because I strongly disagree with the opinion that the Brian intro benefits the song - it only emphasizes Freddie's amazing vocals on this song when he takes over the second verse.[/QUOTE]
The Freddie only version is just as good.... my point is that IMO Brian is a mediocre singer at best....but he does have a certain quality in his voice in that begining. When Freddie comes in, it makes you say "who was that wuss singing at the beginning?" (sorry Bri)
I am of the opinion that Freddie could pull off any of the others songs better than themselves with very few exceptions.
Hell, a couple times on tour in 1979 Roggie forgets the words to IILWMC a few times, and Freddie takes back over to guide hime on track....sounds great.
Brian has said in the past that although he was passionate about singing "Sail Away Sweet Sister" he sometimes wondered if that was a mistake as no non-Freddie sang song ever had a chance at being a choosen single.
The Freddie only version is just as good.... my point is that IMO Brian is a mediocre singer at best....but he does have a certain quality in his voice in that begining. When Freddie comes in, it makes you say "who was that wuss singing at the beginning?" (sorry Bri)
I am of the opinion that Freddie could pull off any of the others songs better than themselves with very few exceptions.
Hell, a couple times on tour in 1979 Roggie forgets the words to IILWMC a few times, and Freddie takes back over to guide hime on track....sounds great.
Brian has said in the past that although he was passionate about singing "Sail Away Sweet Sister" he sometimes wondered if that was a mistake as no non-Freddie sang song ever had a chance at being a choosen single.
"Actually I could agree that it doesn't benefit the song, maybe for some it simply doesn't fit. It doesn't take away from the fact that the intro is very well sung."
I beg to disagree. Brian's vocals in this verse are very emotional but in terms of voice control he sounds very weak. When Freddie takes over the second verse you hear the difference between an occasional singer and one the world 's best vocalists. The song deserved the best vocalist imo. I always wondered why Brian sang some of his songs on the albums when he had the best possible singer around. Freddie never played lead guitar on one of his own songs, did he?
I beg to disagree. Brian's vocals in this verse are very emotional but in terms of voice control he sounds very weak. When Freddie takes over the second verse you hear the difference between an occasional singer and one the world 's best vocalists. The song deserved the best vocalist imo. I always wondered why Brian sang some of his songs on the albums when he had the best possible singer around. Freddie never played lead guitar on one of his own songs, did he?