The Queen Thread

[King Postwhore]

It felt like it was pasted together from random songs from random project, though the live album release years later from that tour was great.

[Kotowboy]

Innuendo is an incredible album.

That title track. 



What does everyone think of The Cosmos Rocks ?

*runs*

[KevShmev]

Hmmm, well, I like A Kind of Magic a lot more than The Works, so there ya go.  Both albums have a couple of duds, but AKOM has five songs I absolutely love to pieces, while The Works probably only has two or maybe three. 

[Zydar]

Innuendo is an incredible album.

That title track. 

Probably my favourite song of theirs.

[Azyiu]

Obviously it is just ME. Between The Game and Hot Space, I personally like Hot Space way more.    I mean, you can hate disco music all you want, but I can't think of another crossover between rock and disco sounding quite as seamlessly as that in Hot Space. Unlike most artists taking the safe path, Queen was trying something completely new and they were kind of in uncharted territory per se.

[King Postwhore]

But The Game was uncharted waters as well and is better than Hot Space my light years.

[Azyiu]

But The Game was uncharted waters as well and is better than Hot Space my light years.

Fair enough, guess it is all about opinion and personal preferences. 

[nicmos]

Innuendo is an incredible album.

That title track. 

Probably my favourite song of theirs.

yes, probably clearly in my top 3 of theirs.  It's too bad Freddie died, they clearly had a lot left in them at that point.

[Kotowboy]

Wasn't Innuendo the album that they were racing to get finished before Freddie passed away ?

[KevShmev]

Yes.  And it is utterly fantastic.  Still a top 3 Queen album in my book, alongside Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera.

[The Holy Tune]

Yes.  And it is utterly fantastic.  Still a top 3 Queen album in my book, alongside Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera.

I'd pick Queen II instead of Sheer Heart Attack, but everyone likes something different ^^ It's still very touchy to read (I suppose) Brian May's words about The Show Must Go On about how Freddie recorded it on one try. Also Mother Love is so god damn emotional, knowing that Freddie didn't live long enough to complete the track, with Mr May singing the last verse.

Damn, sad to think that there'll be no one like him

[KevShmev]

I love Queen II, as well, and it would probably be next on my list of favorite albums, but I just love those other three just a little bit more.

[Azyiu]

I love Queen II, as well, and it would probably be next on my list of favorite albums, but I just love those other three just a little bit more.

Queen II
News of the World
Jazz
A Day at the Races
A Night at the Opera

^^ were ALL great albums during the so-called Queen-raw era in the 70's, period!

[KevShmev]

I just can't get on board with calling Jazz great.  The three big hits are all fantastic, and there are a handful of others songs I like quite a bit, but there are also a number of songs I'd be happy to never hear again.  News of the World is when the consistency started falling a bit, although almost everything on there is at least good, and Jazz was more of a drop-off, IMO.

[Azyiu]

I just can't get on board with calling Jazz great.  The three big hits are all fantastic, and there are a handful of others songs I like quite a bit, but there are also a number of songs I'd be happy to never hear again.  News of the World is when the consistency started falling a bit, although almost everything on there is at least good, and Jazz was more of a drop-off, IMO.

Again, I don't care if it is just ME, aside from the hits, I love these songs on Jazz:

Mustapha
If You Can't Beat Them
Dead on Time
In Only Seven Days
Dreamers Ball
Don't Stop Me Now

Then again, I agreed these two other songs on the same album SUCK:

Fun It
More of That Jazz

[jammindude]

I tend to agree that Jazz is one of my least favorite and most uneven Queen albums.   The highs are very high, and the lows are pretty darn low.   I like the hits, and about half of what Azyiu mentions.

But I must disagree on News of the World.   That is my all time favorite Queen album.  I love every single track from start to finish.

[Kotowboy]

I don't know them enough to go by albums - I mostly know what i've heard on Greatest Hits I,II & III

[KevShmev]

But I must disagree on News of the World.   That is my all time favorite Queen album.  I love every single track from start to finish.

I don't really dislike anything on it, but We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Spread Your Wings and It's Late are the only songs I would say I really like or love.  The rest all range from good to pretty good, but none of those other songs are ones I go out of my way to hear.

[jammindude]

I don't know them enough to go by albums - I mostly know what i've heard on Greatest Hits I,II & III

If that's the case, then you've never heard The Prophet's Song.   Wow....seriously....wow...   The first time I heard that song, I was wondering why it was Bohemian Rhapsody that got all the attention.   

[Zydar]

Oh, yeah. The Prophet's Song is amazing!

[KevShmev]

Because Bohemian Rhapsody is a million times better and more accessible?

The Prophet's Song is a good song, but the way "And now I know" repeats over and over during the middle section gets annoying after a while, and takes a bit away from the song.  I still like it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't cringe a little during that part every time I hear it.

[Kotowboy]

I've heard Innuendo in full and one other if memory serves. Which was either Day at the Races or A Night At The Opera. No idea which.

[jammindude]

Because Bohemian Rhapsody is a million times better and more accessible?

The Prophet's Song is a good song, but the way "And now I know" repeats over and over during the middle section gets annoying after a while, and takes a bit away from the song.  I still like it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't cringe a little during that part every time I hear it.

Vive le difference....

That entire section *MAKES* the song for me.   I absolutely adore it, and the entire reason I think The Prophet's Song is better than BR is because I think the middle section of TPS is superior to the middle section of BR.    Oh well.

[Kotowboy]

Also in the UK - Boh Rhap used to win every " best song ever " polls on Radio 1 and would get to number 1 every time they re-issued it which means I got sick of hearing it.

I only learned to appreciate the song YEARS later.

[Azyiu]

Vive le difference....

That entire section *MAKES* the song for me.   I absolutely adore it, and the entire reason I think The Prophet's Song is better than BR is because I think the middle section of TPS is superior to the middle section of BR.    Oh well.

Simply put, I am with you there! The harmony section toward the end of that "...now I know..." was just heavenly! 

Also in the UK - Boh Rhap used to win every " best song ever " polls on Radio 1 and would get to number 1 every time they re-issued it which means I got sick of hearing it.

I only learned to appreciate the song YEARS later.

And it was featured in the Wayne's World! 

[TAC]

https://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=494154

FM show from 1981 just went up. Nice setist!

[KevShmev]

  Also Mother Love is so god damn emotional, knowing that Freddie didn't live long enough to complete the track, with Mr May singing the last verse.
 

Okay, I gotta give you a shout-out for this.  For whatever reason, I had never bothered checking out Made in Heaven, mostly because I was always under the impression that they were leftover songs pieced together after Freddie's passing, and to a large extent, that is true, but Mother Love was definitely really nice, and it got me to check out the rest of the album, and while I wouldn't call it great, I did find a handful of songs that are more than good enough to make it on to my master Queen playlist: Made in Heaven, Let Me Live, Mother Love and You Don't Fool Me are all really good tunes that I will be enjoying from this point forward.  And I've had Too Much Love Will Kill You for years, and while that studio version will never touch the emotional impact of Brian May's version at the Freddie tribute concert, it's very nice as well. 

So yeah, thanks for getting me to finally check that album out!!

[Accelerando]

Wasn't Innuendo the album that they were racing to get finished before Freddie passed away ?

Yes.  And it is utterly fantastic.  Still a top 3 Queen album in my book, alongside Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera.

This! I love Innuendo with all my being, especially The Show Must Go On. Perfect ending for that album.

[The Holy Tune]

So yeah, thanks for getting me to finally check that album out!!

Not a problem ^^ I used to listen to Queen all the time before knowing of DT. And even though Made in Heaven isn't the best in their discography, it has some good pieces like You Don't Fool Me or A Winter's Tale. Those are also songs that are worth giving a hear

[Zydar]

Mother Love is one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard.

[KevShmev]

I particularly like Let Me Live, too.  I like how all three singers in the band get a verse, and I am admittedly a sucker for songs where Brian May sings lead at all. 

[Nel]

So after months of hyping this Queen Forever album as basically a new studio album compiled of old demos... it's three "new" songs and the rest is basically a compilation album. A bit disappointed.

***PRESS RELEASE: QUEEN FOREVER***
Queen Bring Back Freddie - New ‘Queen Forever’ CD Collection Brings New Freddie Mercury Tracks to Light

RELEASED NOVEMBER 10TH 2014

Three previously unreleased Queen tracks featuring late singer Freddie Mercury spearhead an exciting new Queen album, Queen Forever, due November 10th 2014 on the Virgin Records label.

PRE-ORDER QueenOnline Store*
Store - https://smarturl.it/QFSTORE
1CD – https://smarturl.it/QFSTORE_STD
2CD - https://smarturl.it/QFSTORE_DLX

*Pre-Order now to be added to the Queen mailing list for all the latest news on releases and live events…

PRE-ORDER International
1CD: https://smarturl.it/QueenForever_1CD
2CD: https://smarturl.it/QueenForever_2CD

The tracks include a long anticipated track from Queen and Michael Jackson, There Must Be More to Life Than This, a previously unfinished Mercury-Queen track Let Me In Your Heart Again originating from the band’s The Works album recording sessions, and a scorching new stripped-down ballad version of Mercury’s first solo hit, his Giorgio Moroder collaboration, Love Kills.

The rest of the package brings together Queen hits, classic tracks, and new takes on well-known songs, matched with band recordings Brian May describes as “things that we have collected together that are representative of our growth rather than the big hits” in a collection immaculately assembled by May and Roger Taylor themselves. The tracks are all linked to represent a definitive collection of Queen’s timeless love songs.

Queen Forever is available as a 20-track single CD and as an extended 36-track, two-CD set, and celebrates the extraordinary musical path of one of the world’s greatest rock bands.

Anticipation for these new Mercury tracks has been high since May and Taylor first hinted earlier this year that new tracks featuring Mercury were being explored.
Speaking at the press conference to launch their North American concert tour with singer Adam Lambert earlier in the year, May said: "There was a little bit more in the can that we had overlooked for a long time, so we have a few songs which we're working on right now. Freddie sounds as fresh as yesterday."
On the subject, Taylor said: “We’ve got some great new tracks that haven’t been heard and there’s an interesting selection of older stuff.”

The Queen and Michael Jackson duet, There Must Be More to Life Than This, began as a song written by Mercury during sessions for Queen’s 1981 album, Hot Space. The band recorded a backing track, but the song was never completed. Mercury visited Michael Jackson at his home studio in Los Angeles where he recorded Jackson singing the song for an unfinished version. Queen revived the track during sessions for 1984’s The Works, but again it was not finished. A year later, Freddie’s own version of the song surfaced on his debut solo album, 1985’s Mr Bad Guy. This new production of the powerful ballad fuses Queen’s original backing track and Mercury and Jackson’s distinctive vocals, and has been produced and remixed by celebrated Madonna/Robbie Williams producer William Orbit.
Talking of his involvement, Orbit say: “I had known Roger for many years, now he was on the phone asking if I would get involved in this musical adventure.
“When I first played it in my studio I opened a trove of delights provided by the greatest of musicians. Hearing Michael Jackson's vocals was stirring. So vivid, so cool, and poignant, it was like he was in the studio singing live. With Freddie's vocal solo on the mixing desk, my appreciation for his gift was taken to an even higher level.

“The musicianship of all four members of Queen is phenomenal. Roger, an extraordinarily multi talented man I've always admired. John Deacon's original bass part with its lyrical fluidity that made it easy for me to know where to put the odd reinforcement. Freddie's original piano carried most of the song's musical DNA. Brian, one take for the solo, a blur of fingers, and the spirits of MJ and FM fully present, in the moment, sending shivers down the spine.”

Perhaps the biggest revelation on Queen Forever is Brian May’s composition, Let Me In Your Heart Again. The song was first recorded by Queen for The Works album, but not completed at the time and has remained overlooked since then. An authentic, live-in-the-studio track from the same golden age as Radio Ga Ga and I Want To Break Free, this never-before-heard Queen track shows off Freddie’s timeless vocals and features newly recorded guitar parts and new backing vocals from Brian and Roger. This thrilling track finally reaches us nearly 30 years after Freddie first laid down his original vocal.

The third new track, Love Kills, was composed by Freddie Mercury and famed German producer/songwriter Giorgio Moroder for the soundtrack to Moroder’s newly restored and tinted version of Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic silent movie Metropolis in 1984 to which he added a pop soundtrack featuring various music artists. Mercury recorded a high-energy dance version of the song that became his debut solo hit in 1985. However, it is less well known that all four members of Queen played on the original track. Prior to Queen embarking on their recent tour with lead singer Adam Lambert, Brian May proposed performing an acoustic ballad version of Love Kills, which became one of the most memorable moments of the current Queen & Adam Lambert shows. This new Queen-Freddie studio version is shaped in the same ballad style and revives the Queen original with some newly recorded guitars and drums by May and Taylor, becoming a glorious showcase for one of Freddie’s most adrenaline-charged vocal performances.

Alongside this new material, both the one and two-CD versions of Queen Forever feature songs that spotlight the band’s songwriting prowess, studio experimentation and remarkable development. It’s a timely reminder that, almost uniquely in the world of rock and pop, all four members of Queen were accomplished songwriters and superlatively gifted musicians.

Queen Forever reaches back as far as 1974 with fan favourite Nevermore, a Freddie Mercury song originally included on Queen II, the album that first saw Queen use the recording studio as an instrument in its own right. From the same year comes the dramatic power ballad In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited, once the grand finale of any Queen show, and since revived by Queen & lead singer Adam Lambert on their 2014 tour. Meanwhile, the upbeat single, You’re My Best Friend, written by bass guitarist John Deacon, showcased Queen’s poppier side and was released as the follow-up to 1975’s Bohemian Rhapsody, becoming a Top 10 UK and Top 20 US hit in the same year and gave John Deacon his first Queen hit single.

Elsewhere, 1977’s Long Away remains the only Queen single to feature Brian May on lead vocals; and the same year’s B-side Drowse includes a rare Queen performance from Roger Taylor on guitar. Queen saw out the decade with a run of hits that included the gospel-flavoured Somebody To Love, memorably performed by Queen and George Michael at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, and finished on a high with ‘79’s US Number 1 hit, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, an exuberant rockabilly pop song composed by Freddie Mercury in the bath in Munich.

By touching on prog rock, gospel, acoustic balladry, Elvis-style rock’n’roll and more, these songs alone encapsulate Queen’s diversity in the 1970s. However, the band threw out the rulebook completely in the decades that followed, embracing funk, hard rock, soul and pure pop, but always sounding unmistakably Queen. The band used synthesizers for the first time on 1980’s Play The Game single; Freddie sang some of his vocals in Spanish on the 1982 hit Las Palabras De Amor, and 1986’s One Year Of Love featuring unusually a saxophone. The album is completed by latter-day Queen hits, including ’91’s no. 1 These Are The Days Of Our Lives and ‘95’s Too Much Love Will Kill You, together with the poignant A Winter’s Tale, recorded during Freddie Mercury’s final Queen recording sessions in Montreux in 1991.

Queen Forever is both a showcase for these exclusive new recordings, but also an enduring tribute to the extraordinary musical achievements of John Deacon, Brian May, Roger Taylor and the late, great Freddie Mercury whose singular talent we can again get to marvel at with the arrival of these previously unheard tracks.
Queen Forever. Forever? Who can tell? But for now we can be certain that this highly rewarding collection of Queen new, rare, and at their most accomplished, more than serves to uphold the band’s indisputable place in music history and is certain to earn a prized place in music collections for a long time to come.
Queen certainly rates in the top among Britain’s favourite bands. The UK’s Official Charts Company earlier this year confirmed Queen’s 1981 Greatest Hits album as Britain’s best-selling album of all time all after surpassing the 6 million sales milestone. A staggering one in three British households now own a copy of the iconic act’s original best-of collection.

And if 6 million sales isn’t enough for the band, Queen’s follow-up, Greatest Hits II, which was released in October 1991 also rides high at Number 10 in the all-time Official Albums Chart, having notched up a further 3.9 million UK sales to date.

*******
Queen Forever – Track Listings

Single CD:
Let Me In Your Heart Again
Love Kills – The Ballad
There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)
It’s A Hard Life
You’re My Best Friend
Love Of My Life
Drowse
Long Away
Lily Of The Valley
Don’t Try So Hard
Bijou
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Las Palabras De Amor
Who Wants To Live Forever
A Winter’s Tale
Play The Game
Save Me
Somebody To Love
Too Much Love Will Kill You
Crazy Little Thing Called Love

2-CD SET

CD1
Let Me In Your Heart Again
Love Kills – The Ballad
There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)
Play The Game
Dear Friends
You’re My Best Friend
Love Of My Life
Drowse
You Take My Breath Away
Spread Your Wings
Long Away
Lily Of The Valley
Don’t Try So Hard
Bijou
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Nevermore
Las Palabras De Amor
Who Wants To Live Forever

CD2
I Was Born To Love You
Somebody To Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Friends Will Be Friends
Jealousy
One Year of Love
A Winters Tale
‘39
Mother Love
It’s A Hard Life
Save Me
Made in Heaven
Too Much Love Will Kill You
Sail Away Sweet Sister
The Miracle
Is This The World We Created
In The Lap Of The Gods…Revisited
Forever

[Azyiu]

So many non-household name classics in this compilation... still, I am sooooo looking forward to hearing MJ and FM singing together though!

[Lowdz]

I just can't get on board with calling Jazz great.  The three big hits are all fantastic, and there are a handful of others songs I like quite a bit, but there are also a number of songs I'd be happy to never hear again.  News of the World is when the consistency started falling a bit, although almost everything on there is at least good, and Jazz was more of a drop-off, IMO.

Again, I don't care if it is just ME, aside from the hits, I love these songs on Jazz:

Mustapha
If You Can't Beat Them
Dead on Time
In Only Seven Days
Dreamers Ball
Don't Stop Me Now

Then again, I agreed these two other songs on the same album SUCK:

Fun It
More of That Jazz

Jazz is one of my favourite Queen albums. All those songs are great but yes, the other two are not.

[Lynxo]

Has anybody listened to the new live album Live at the Rainbow? Apparently recorded and mastered back in 1974, it was never released until now. It's also gonna be released on DVD/BlueRay, and they have two YouTube clips up for it. It looks and sounds awesome.

Keep Yourself Alive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrb0jIR2_8
Stone Cold Crazy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Rfb1Jtmic

I like the double count-in for Stone Cold Crazy. 

EDIT: I'm quite excited to hear songs from their first two albums. The production really brings it down, but the songs themselves are awesome.