QUEEN on progarchives

Snow Dog wrote: Actually Queen II has my favourite Roger Taylor song as well!

I love it - it's very refreshing as a contrast to all the other songs on the album.

Cert:

In responding to my song-by-song analysis, you say: "It's the concept.  You take the album as one whole thing - analysing the individual songs is...fruitless...It's a Night At The Opera - if you've ever been to an evening of operatic highlights that's been skillfully put together, you can enjoy songs from one opera juxtaposed against songs from another and still have a continual feel to the evening."

What are you smoking?  These songs have not one iota of connection beyond the extremely tenuous album title.  "Death on Two Legs?"  "I'm in Love with My Car?"  "You're My Best Friend?"  "Sweet Lady?"  Part of an evening of "operatic highlights?"  I have been to evenings of operatic highlights.  But they don't claim to be an opera - a cohesive event in which the songs are held together by a story or common thread - which is what the title of this album is ultimately claiming.  It isn't called "A Night of Operatic Highlights."

I can't believe you buy into the title that seriously.  There is nothing - nothing whatsoever - that connects these songs into any conceptual framework, no matter how nebulous.  To believe as you do is failing to see that the emperor has no clothes.  This doesn't change the genius of the album, or the vast majority of songs thereon.  NATO is a masterpiece - of rock with occasional prog sensibilities.

By the way, I, too, just re-listened to Queen II.  And I think I see where the confusion lies.  It seems to me that two elements - and only two elements - are swaying people into a belief that the album is prog.  The first element is May's admittedly unique guitarwork - his layering, texturing, etc.  The other is the extensive use of Queen's admittedly unique and layered harmonies, which are often used in a quasi-"symphonic" manner.  However, while the use of these two elements may arguably be said to be proggish, that does not make the music itself prog: i.e., it does not change the influences in the music or, most importantly, the approach to the composition.  That is, if you replaced May's guitars with synths, and removed the heavily layered and textured harmonies, the music itself is only minimally more proggish than lots of straightforward rock, glam rock, etc.  Again, this does not change the "brilliance" of the album (though I think brilliance is a slight overstatement).  But, like Tony, I still fail to see how the music can be classified as "prog."

Interestingly, in listening to it again, some of the influences I heard surprised me.  While I always heard the Beatles, Zep and glam influences, this time, really listening (with a musician's ear...), I heard quite a bit of The Who, especially on Side 1.  However, the only prog influence I heard was Yes in some of the vocals, again primarily on the first side.  But, again, nothing I heard - short of the two elements noted above - changed my mind about the music on the album, or the overall approach to the composition: neither is prog.

As for the harmony issue, Queen may ultimately have "bettered" The Beatles, but they could not have been Queen without The Beatles' influence.  [N.B.  Also keep in mind that, since the technology had changed, Queen were able to do things with their harmonies that were not possible for The Beatles to do even had they thought of if first.]  Re the comparison to Yes, I think both groups were equally brilliant in their harmony structures and uses, for their own individual sounds.  Re 10CC, some of their harmonies are as brilliantly layered, textured and arranged as Queen's.  However, it is likely that their harmonies were at least partially influenced by Queen (and, of course, The Beatles).  One group conspicuously missing from my list was The Beach Boys.  After all, some of their most brilliant harmony arrangements even predate The Beatles, so they would have to be included.  Indeed, Queen's harmonies may have been as influenced by The Beach Boys as by The Beatles.  Listen to Good Vibrations, and especially Little Saint Nick, and I think you'll agree.

Peace.

I thought it might be interesting to dig out an old article from Melody Maker at around the release of QUEEN's first album, so here it is:

Standing Up For Queen

by Michael Benton (Melody Maker, 28 July 1973)

Freddie Mercury is liquid heaviness. His friend Brian is an absolute dear. They're a pair of Queens. But let me explain.

Freddie and Brian have an amazing band. With two of their friends Roger and Deacon they're busily putting glam-rock on a new level by simply adding guts. To look at, the boys are divine - especially young Freddie who looks every inch a star. But a word of warning, don't try anything on with any of these Queens: They are hard and tough and their music is expressed in a very masculine manner. Their stage act is busy and they flash about in two colours - black and white. Not outstandingly gay, I think you'll agree.

"The idea of Queen was conceived by me whilst I was studying in college," says Freddie "Brian who was also at college liked the idea and we joined forces. The very earliest traces of the band go back to a group called Smile who made a single which was released in the States. The group was plagued by bad luck and eventually split up. Queen has been going for about three years now, but until recently we've not had a suitable outlet for our music. Trident took us on and our first album, which has been in the can for almost a year is being released through EMI." recalls Freddie.

Adds Queen Brian: "From the beginning the group has kept it's original concept. This album is a way of getting all our frustrations out of our system which we have built up over the years. We were into glam-rock before groups like The Sweet and Bowie and we're worried now, because we might have come too late."

Besides vocalist Freddie and guitarist Brian May, Queen's other two members Roger Taylor whose drumming pumps power into the band's songs and Deacon John who blasts away at his growling bass.

Brian May's guitar is made from wood plundered from a hundred-year-old fireplace. It sounds remarkable and allows Brian to form an excitingly solid foundation to Freddie's voice. Two perfect partners - but more rapiers than partners. They are Britain's very own New York Dolls - but better.

The group's first break came when producers John Anthony and Roy Thomas Baker invited them to make some demos. They hawked their product around innumerable London record companies eventually ending up with EMI.

As a live band they work hard to entertain in true showbiz fashion. At the moment they're not particularly well-known but they're already attracting screamers. Until recently the band have had to divide their attentions between studies and Queen but as Freddie explained "We've always wanted to be pop stars and the group used to come first. Now we're all qualified we can concentrate more on the band. We're confident people will take to us, because although the camp image has already been established by people like Bowie and Bolan we are taking it to another level. The concept of Queen is to be regal and majestic. Glamour is part of us and we want to be dandy. We want to shock and be outrageous instantly. We don't want people to have to think of they like us or not, but to formulate an opinion the moment they see us."

Brian and Freddie are the main songwriters, but they write individually, Mercury has a tendency to fantasise melodic and is more down to earth. Their first album, "Queen" is a series of amazingly different songs, from faster than fast rockers to soft ballads. Traces of Yes and Black Sabbath can also be found but structurally it seems to sound original.

A single 'Keep Yourself Alive' has been released in hopes of giving the band some early chart success. Like the album, it's commercial in a progressive kind of way. Spaced between the chunky verses, the group have incorporated a drum solo (with effects) and a tasty guitar solo which has an interesting synthesizer effect, Brian insists he doesn't use one though.

"Singles are important to is and to have a hit now would help the band, We've more to offer than bands like The Sweet, we're not just pop, because our music covers a wide area." Says Freddie.

The group are currently preparing to start recording their next album which they say will have a theme if 'good verses evil' They say it'll be much fresher than the first, because early frustrations have been expelled via the first album.

"We're worried that the name Queen will give people the wrong impression. We want to be a good British regal rock band and we'll stick to that way of thinking. Our music should override the image, because we'll concentrate on putting out a good product the whole time. Teenyboppers will probably like us and we might get a bit of a 'pop' tag but it won't last. At the moment we're just interested in creating a reaction amongst those who come to see us.

The Wizard wrote: I think the reason a lot of people are against Queen being in the archives is that they don't use synthesizers. Prog is not all about synthesizers. It is about using instrumentation in creative/complex ways. In the case of queen, the instruments are the voice and guitar. So I that justifies Queen as being prog.

This is the stupidest thing that I have read for ages!

Ehi, Snow Dog, you got my agreement.  

maani wrote: 'Nuff said.

HEAR HEAR!!!

Easy Livin wrote: maani wrote: 'Nuff said. HEAR HEAR!!!

HE SAID "'NUFF SAID"

I am so very proud right now...Queen being placed on the site is a great move!!!!!!!!....................Ladies and Gentlemen, we must never forget, that we should be in the business of tearing down walls and building communities.....the inclusion of Queen should not in anyway bring forth such vehement opposition. It's quite silly really.....

Let's not become elitist like our classical and jazz brothers and sisters........let us have open minds.....

Well now Queen is on the archives.

Shouldn't we include Freddie Mercury's solo albums also.

I've listened to roger Taylor and Cross also, but that's not progressive I think, May's solo albums are not progressive also, but the two albums Freddie made, are art Rock I think

Mr Bad Guy, with the title song which can easily be regarded as Art Rock

Barcelona, a combination of Opera and Art Rock, with lyrics by Mercury and Rice, a fabulous rock/Opera hybrid.