Queen: News, History & Updates

Queen Biography by Greg Prato

Excerpts from Greg’s books for Alternative Nation

DEE SNIDER [Twisted Sister singer]: I am a “day one/original Queen fan” – when there were no American Queen fans. I was right out of the gate. I heard them on WNEW. I was working a day job, and they played “Liar,” off the first album [1973’s self-titled]. It was this DJ, Jonathan Schwartz, and he hosted a show called Things from England, and once a week, he would play something new. I was like, “What the fuck…who is that?” First when I heard the song, I thought it was Yes, I thought it was Led Zeppelin…who is it? “It’s Queen.”

FLEMMING RASMUSSEN [co-producer of Metallica’s Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, & …And Justice for All]: It was actually their very first album, because I was friends with [engineer] Freddy Hansson, who did a Danish band called Gasolin’, and lo and behold, their producer was Roy Thomas Baker. So, I heard the very first Queen album, and I thought they were super-great. I’m not really a fan of any bands anymore, because when I listened to music after I started working in the studio, it’s more like, analytical. But I was a Queen fan and I was a Rolling Stones fan.

MATT PINFIELD [DJ/VJ, former host of MTV’s 120 Minutes]: The thing also that was so important about Queen to me was how every album takes you on a journey. From Queen II on, I felt like they approached every record in the way that Sgt. Pepper was – in the sense that, “Here we are, we’re going on a trip right now. We’re taking you on a journey – a musical journey.” The way the songs would weave together so brilliantly, and you’d turn the record over – back then, it was vinyl, of course – and you start the next part of the journey. That’s why they’re one of my favorite bands of all-time. They were so ambitious, but delivered. It was one thing to be ambitious, but it’s another to be able to deliver incredible songs like that. And back in those days, they weren’t waiting three years to make each record – they had an album coming out just about every year from ’73 on.

DOUG PINNICK [King’s X singer/bassist]: The other thing that really impressed me about Queen was “Ogre Battle.” It was so fast for the time. Now, it’s not fast at all, but when it came on with the high harmonies, I lost my mind when I heard “Ogre Battle,” because it was so heavy and so melodic, and so beautiful at the same time. The first three are my favorite, and the one with “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a good record [A Night at the Opera] – it was a great pop record. I like it when people are going for stuff where they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing, and to me, that’s where the real music is at – when you home in on it, and take that to the masses. It’s an awesome thing to do.

GEOFF DOWNES [Yes and Asia keyboardist]: Yeah, I think so [that Queen had their “prog rock” moments]. Obviously, when they started to stretch out, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was not your average single. Their direction was more operatic and had some similar ties with progressive music, but also had its roots in classical music. So, I think that the two were – in many ways – conjoined because of that reason, that they both had classical influences behind them.

LES CLAYPOOL [Primus singer/bassist]: News of the World was the only Queen album I ever owned. But it was a spectacular Queen album. I always liked “Sheer Heart Attack.” When I was a kid, I was like, “Oh my God! This song is amazing!” Before we heard any punk or anything, we were like, “How the hell do they play so fast?” And that’s a killer album cover. When you’re a kid, you’re like, “Oh my God! Look at that! A giant robot!” And of course, “We Will Rock You” was a huge thing. But “Sheer Heart Attack”…and then I was confused why Sheer Heart Attack was a different record, but was a song on that record.

MAX CAVALERA [Soulfly/Ex-Sepultura singer/guitarist]: Queen was my first concert that I’d ever seen – in ’81. They were touring for The Game, and they were on top of their game for that tour, too. It was an amazing concert. Freddie Mercury had the crowd in the palm of his hand for the whole night. It was a sold out soccer stadium, packed – full of people. And they did everything. It was kind of similar to the Live Killers set – it started with the fast “We Will Rock You,” and then went into “Death on Two Legs,” “Killer Queen”…but they also had the songs from The Game – “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Dragon Attack,” which has always been one of my favorite songs. It was a great show.

RICHARD CHRISTY [ex-Death drummer, member of The Howard Stern Show]: Unfortunately, I was too young to ever get to see them live. I’ve watched the Live Aid performance dozens of times though – to have been there and seen them at their pinnacle must have been incredible. The crowd shots are just astounding, and I don’t know if there will ever be another festival or performance like that again.

ALAIN JOHANNES [Eleven singer/guitarist]: Endless inspiration for me to this day. Brian [May] is kind of my guru in how to make interesting textures with guitar – I’ve tried using a fretless guitar with an E-bow, or whatever. I got to play around with full-on multi-overdub things a couple of times, but it was more really the musical phrasing, and how you would look forward to the solo, and he would just raise the song up, and you could quote the melody, but also, the way he would get tones and harmonics was impossible. In “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the very last note as he goes up for the last bit – that note had this twang harmonic to it, and every time you hear it, you go, “Oh!” Fucking genius.

NICHOLAS NIESPODZIANI [Yacht Rock Revue singer]: Because what we now call “yacht rock” was dominating the charts in the late ‘70s, you can hear its influences across the rock and roll spectrum. Queen is a great example – the smooth shuffle feel and groovy Wurlitzer suspended chords on “You’re My Best Friend” set sail for sure. Queen’s vocal harmonies were very choral and multilayered, you hear similar things in the stacks from Toto and Michael McDonald at the time. Like many of the session musicians in the California yacht rock scene, the guys in Queen were applying their formidable chops and educated understanding of complex harmonies to these perfect three-minute pop songs.

QUOTE SOURCES (CLICK LINK FOR ORDER INFO):
All quotes are from Long Live Queen: Rock Royalty Discuss Freddie, Brian, John & Roger