Official Queen top 30 Countdown Thread!! (#s 05-03 featured!!)

[DragonAttack]

My first cut to 75 wasn't easy

My original Top 50 list....
QUEEN I    2
Queen II   3
SHA     7
ANATO   7
ADATR   4
NOTW   4
Jazz     2
The Game   3
Flash      1
Hot Space    1
Works     2
AKOM    3   
The Miracle    3
The Miracle Bsides   2
Innuendo   4
MIH   2
Forever   1

down to ...
QUEEN I    1
Queen II   1
SHA     3
ANATO   6
ADATR   3
NOTW   3
Jazz           1
The Game   1
Flash           0
Hot Space   1
Works    1
AKOM   3
AKOM Bsides   0
The Miracle   2
The Miracle Bsides   0
Innuendo    2
MIH      2

(sigh)

Will send my list by Saturday. 

[Stadler]

The highs are HIGH, the mids are pretty damn good, but when they crater, they CRATER. 

This is where I am at. I'd go as far as to say they largely cratered for the majority of an entire decade.

I can't say that.  Granted, the consistency from song to song fell off starting in the later 70s (see: Jazz, which has a lot of total crap), but with the exception of Hot Space and Flash (sorry, fellas), every album still had a few truly great Queen songs.  The Miracle, for example, gets glossed over a lot, and it has some major crap on there, but it has some great stuff as well.  I have three songs from The Miracle in my top 30 (and had four in my top 50 before I narrowed it down this week).  And I will stand by A Kind of Magic has being mostly really good from start to finish.

You'll get no argument on AKOM.   Love that record (and I think I have like three versions of it).

[DTwwbwMP]

Agreed ^! AKOM is their most complete "post Game" album until Innuendo. The ONE FAIL (and it's an EPIC FAIL) is "Pain is so Close to Pleasure" Also, I would have loved a piano version of "One Year of Love".

[Stadler]

I don't think I've done a countdown yet where some of the choices were so easy, then the very next one was so hard. 

[Animal]

Submitted my list yesterday but didn't have time to comment until now. Going through Queen catalog revealed some true gems (besides ANATO and Innuendo, I really enjoyed the first three albums). Top 50 seemed like too much at the beginning but in the end, culling 20 songs to make it only Top 30 felt almost painful.

Here is a breakdown by album.

Q I..........3
Q II.........3
SHA.........3
ANATO......4
ADATR.......3
NOTW........1
Jazz..........2
Game.......3
Flash Gordon....0
Hot Space.......1
Works............1
AKOM............1
Miracle..........1
Innuendo.......3
MiH...............1

It could be also interesting to break the list down by songwriters. Just eyeballing my list, it is almost exclusively FM and BM, although Deacon and Taylor could write monster songs too...This was a band with four amazing songwriters, three amazing vocalist and one bona fide musical genius. (Freddie Mercury is, besides Paul McCartney, one of the few pop/rock musicians to merit this label without hesitation

[Stadler]

It could be also interesting to break the list down by songwriters. Just eyeballing my list, it is almost exclusively FM and BM, although Deacon and Taylor could write monster songs too...This was a band with four amazing songwriters, three amazing vocalist and one bona fide musical genius. (Freddie Mercury is, besides Paul McCartney, one of the few pop/rock musicians to merit this label without hesitation

All right; I'm going to piss some people off here, but I'll say it anyway:  John Deacon is, to me, the John Myung of Queen.   It seems that people go batshit when it comes out that Myung is writing lyrics for a DT album, and honestly, I don't notice a difference.   The same with Deacon.   He's got a lot of songs that just don't do anything for me (and if you listen to Roger Taylor tell it, HE was a big impetus for Hot Space, as well as Mercury, who often gets "blamed" for the record).  I'm not done with my list, but I predict I will at most have two Deacon songs on my list, even if we went to 50.

[devieira73]

My top 30:
QI - 1
SHA - 4
ANATO - 2
ADATR - 2
NOTW - 1
J - 3
TG - 4
HS - 1
TW - 4
AKOM - 4
TM - 3
I - 1

[DragonAttack]

Deleted

[KevShmev]

It could be also interesting to break the list down by songwriters. Just eyeballing my list, it is almost exclusively FM and BM, although Deacon and Taylor could write monster songs too...This was a band with four amazing songwriters, three amazing vocalist and one bona fide musical genius. (Freddie Mercury is, besides Paul McCartney, one of the few pop/rock musicians to merit this label without hesitation

All right; I'm going to piss some people off here, but I'll say it anyway:  John Deacon is, to me, the John Myung of Queen.   It seems that people go batshit when it comes out that Myung is writing lyrics for a DT album, and honestly, I don't notice a difference.   The same with Deacon.   He's got a lot of songs that just don't do anything for me (and if you listen to Roger Taylor tell it, HE was a big impetus for Hot Space, as well as Mercury, who often gets "blamed" for the record).  I'm not done with my list, but I predict I will at most have two Deacon songs on my list, even if we went to 50.

I don't think any of Deacon's solo writes made my top 30, but he did write Another One Bites the Dust, which I believe was their biggest hit in real time, largely thanks to the crossover appeal, so when you factor in the couple other big hits he wrote, it's easy to see why he gets a lot of kudos, even if his songs are not favorites of mine, yours or others.

It was too short for me to rank it, but I do love Misfire from Sheer Heart Attack, which he also wrote.

[Dave_Manchester]

It's been a long while since I've heard some of these tunes. In that spirit, I'd like to inaugurate the "Weak Opening Tracks On Otherwise Great Albums" challenge. Exhibit A m'lud: Mustapha. What in Allah's holy name is that? I love Jazz's quirkiness but that IBRAHIIIIIIIIIM stuff is a bit much for me.   

[KevShmev]

It's been a long while since I've heard some of these tunes. In that spirit, I'd like to inaugurate the "Weak Opening Tracks On Otherwise Great Albums" challenge. Exhibit A m'lud: Mustapha. What in Allah's holy name is that? I love Jazz's quirkiness but that IBRAHIIIIIIIIIM stuff is a bit much for me.

For me, the charm of full album listens with Queen was their "let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" approach.  You never knew what song you were gonna get.  When it worked, it was awesome.  When it didn't, it was called Mustapha.

And honestly, I think the vast majority of Jazz isn't much better, but it still had three songs make my top 30 because of how great the good ones are.

[Stadler]

It's been a long while since I've heard some of these tunes. In that spirit, I'd like to inaugurate the "Weak Opening Tracks On Otherwise Great Albums" challenge. Exhibit A m'lud: Mustapha. What in Allah's holy name is that? I love Jazz's quirkiness but that IBRAHIIIIIIIIIM stuff is a bit much for me.

I was just listening to that about 15 minutes ago.   Don't disagree.

[Animal]

It could be also interesting to break the list down by songwriters. Just eyeballing my list, it is almost exclusively FM and BM, although Deacon and Taylor could write monster songs too...This was a band with four amazing songwriters, three amazing vocalist and one bona fide musical genius. (Freddie Mercury is, besides Paul McCartney, one of the few pop/rock musicians to merit this label without hesitation

All right; I'm going to piss some people off here, but I'll say it anyway:  John Deacon is, to me, the John Myung of Queen.   It seems that people go batshit when it comes out that Myung is writing lyrics for a DT album, and honestly, I don't notice a difference.   The same with Deacon.   He's got a lot of songs that just don't do anything for me (and if you listen to Roger Taylor tell it, HE was a big impetus for Hot Space, as well as Mercury, who often gets "blamed" for the record).  I'm not done with my list, but I predict I will at most have two Deacon songs on my list, even if we went to 50.

This is not a place to discuss DT so I'll just say that  re:Myung, I mostly agree . Not sure about the analogy as it is Myung's lyrics vs. Deacon's complete songs. And people don't listedn to either DT or Queen for their lyrics anyway. Back to the point:  I think I have about 2 Deacon songs in my Top 30. And zero Taylor songs.  But there is no denying they even if they were n. 3 and 4. in Queen, they could have easily been n.1 writers in any sligthly lesser band. After all, they did write quite a few major hits. But when it comes to songwriting prowess (and lead vocals), I can't think of any other band where the competition was as stiff as it was in Queen. And Freddie was capable of moments of almost Mozartian level of genius and May had an incredible knack for pure beaty....

[Stadler]

I know it's hip and cliche'd to say it these days, but I'm claiming "facts":  I'm really coming away with the notion - already something I intuitively understood - that Freddie was the secret sauce.   All the musicians are very capable, and certainly held their own in the band, but for my money, with only a few exceptions, the real moments where I think either they left the stratosphere, or lightning was captured in a bottle, all revolve around Fred. 

[Stadler]

I have all my Queen in a playlist on iTunes, sorted alphabetically, so I can refresh where needed.  I was playing "Spread Your Wings" and after the song, "Staying Power" started and I was like "Goddamn Spotify, with the ads!"  Haha.

[Animal]

I know it's hip and cliche'd to say it these days, but I'm claiming "facts":  I'm really coming away with the notion - already something I intuitively understood - that Freddie was the secret sauce.   All the musicians are very capable, and certainly held their own in the band, but for my money, with only a few exceptions, the real moments where I think either they left the stratosphere, or lightning was captured in a bottle, all revolve around Fred.

I don't disagree. I just happen to connect a lot with a kind of songs Brian May often wrote - Who Wants To Live Forever is a prime example. But I'l readily admit they are nowhere as innovative and ingenious as some Freddie's songs.

[KevShmev]

Currently at 13 lists for this.  Still a little shocked by how little the turnout has been, but traffic and posting in general seems down, so I am sure that isn't helping.

[Dave_Manchester]

I'll be submitting a list, probably on Friday. I finally whittled it down to 30 and now I just need to rank them. The cull was brutally difficult this time. Some may be wondering exactly how many utterly flawless songs Queen has, and the answer turns out to be 38. Very tough to send 8 of them home early.   

[The Realm]

I'm still submitting. Sorry just been flat out lately.

[Metro]

Busy with my Devin Townsend thread and other life stuff. Will have a list in by the deadline.

[ReaperKK]

List sent!

[Stadler]

Mine is coming; I got about halfway through and hit the "Back" button, losing everything.  I'm going to try to finish today.

[DragonAttack]

I'll be submitting a list, probably on Friday. I finally whittled it down to 30 and now I just need to rank them. The cull was brutally difficult this time. Some may be wondering exactly how many utterly flawless songs Queen has, and the answer turns out to be 38. Very tough to send 8 of them home early.

This should have been at least a Top '39 countdown.  '39....get it? 

I figured there'd be about the same participants as the Billy Joel one.

Mrs. DA did a Top 50.  Can she send a Top 30 and have it counted? 

[KevShmev]

Mrs. DA did a Top 50.  Can she send a Top 30 and have it counted? 

As much as I'd love to say yes, I don't want to start a precedent of forumers wanting to submit lists by family, friends, etc.  Best to keep it to active forumers only. 

[Dave_Manchester]

A few comments having recently wrapped up my complete re-listen of the catalogue:

1) If Queen had released Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist and Lily of the Valley as one song, there'd be a case to be made that it was one of their greatest masterpieces.

2) I feel like an idiot but Freddie's love song to his cat (Delilah) on Innuedo almost makes me tear up. It's a daft little tune (still very heartfelt though) with Brian's guitar making meowing noises, but Freddie's impending death makes it something so much sadder to me. In fact the silliness and joyfulness of it somehow deepens that sadness, like he's putting on a show for the cat that he knows he's gonna have to leave behind soon. I'm a sentimental soul at heart and stuff like the prospect of having to say goodbye to a beloved pet hits me hard.

3) When I was a lad of 11, I taped off the TV Guns n Roses' live show in Paris from their Use Your Illusion tour (1992). I watched that VHS tape over and over again during my teen years, in fact it was - probably still is - my most watched concert. Anyhoo, prior to Sweet Child o' Mine Axl sang this weird a capella bit that for 30 years I had assumed was something he just made up on the spot. But lo and behold, during this Queen marathon I've listened to some songs I'd never heard before, and it turns out he was singing Sail Away Sweet Sister by Queen! Here look, I've time stamped it for you:

https://youtu.be/hJ3N9LIk3Go?t=5611

Thus ended a 30-year mystery for me (I also learnt that the stuff he 'sings' after it is by Grand Funk Railroad, whoever they were).

[HOF]

A few comments having recently wrapped up my complete re-listen of the catalogue:

1) If Queen had released Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist and Lily of the Valley as one song, there'd be a case to be made that it was one of their greatest masterpieces.

2) I feel like an idiot but Freddie's love song to his cat (Delilah) on Innuedo almost makes me tear up. It's a daft little tune (still very heartfelt though) with Brian's guitar making meowing noises, but Freddie's impending death makes it something so much sadder to me. In fact the silliness and joyfulness of it somehow deepens that sadness, like he's putting on a show for the cat that he knows he's gonna have to leave behind soon. I'm a sentimental soul at heart and stuff like the prospect of having to say goodbye to a beloved pet hits me hard.

3) When I was a lad of 11, I taped off the TV Guns n Roses' live show in Paris from their Use Your Illusion tour (1992). I watched that VHS tape over and over again during my teen years, in fact it was - probably still is - my most watched concert. Anyhoo, prior to Sweet Child o' Mine Axl sang this weird a capella bit that for 30 years I had assumed was something he just made up on the spot. But lo and behold, during this Queen marathon I've listened to some songs I'd never heard before, and it turns out he was singing Sail Away Sweet Sister by Queen! Here look, I've time stamped it for you:

https://youtu.be/hJ3N9LIk3Go?t=5611

Thus ended a 30-year mystery for me (I also learnt that the stuff he 'sings' after it is by Grand Funk Railroad, whoever they were).

They're an American band.

[The Realm]

Gotta say I am one of those who contributed to having this countdown reduced to a top 30 and now I am struggling to fit in 30 songs! Man, I thought I would struggle to get to 30 but yeah this is tough...anyway will keep working on my list.

[DragonAttack]

A few comments having recently wrapped up my complete re-listen of the catalogue:

1) If Queen had released Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist and Lily of the Valley as one song, there'd be a case to be made that it was one of their greatest masterpieces.

2) I feel like an idiot but Freddie's love song to his cat (Delilah) on Innuedo almost makes me tear up. It's a daft little tune (still very heartfelt though) with Brian's guitar making meowing noises, but Freddie's impending death makes it something so much sadder to me. In fact the silliness and joyfulness of it somehow deepens that sadness, like he's putting on a show for the cat that he knows he's gonna have to leave behind soon. I'm a sentimental soul at heart and stuff like the prospect of having to say goodbye to a beloved pet hits me hard.

3) When I was a lad of 11, I taped off the TV Guns n Roses' live show in Paris from their Use Your Illusion tour (1992). I watched that VHS tape over and over again during my teen years, in fact it was - probably still is - my most watched concert. Anyhoo, prior to Sweet Child o' Mine Axl sang this weird a capella bit that for 30 years I had assumed was something he just made up on the spot. But lo and behold, during this Queen marathon I've listened to some songs I'd never heard before, and it turns out he was singing Sail Away Sweet Sister by Queen! Here look, I've time stamped it for you:

https://youtu.be/hJ3N9LIk3Go?t=5611

Thus ended a 30-year mystery for me (I also learnt that the stuff he 'sings' after it is by Grand Funk Railroad, whoever they were).

They're an American band.

 

Tenement Funster / Flick Of The Wrist / Lily Of The Valley.... the often overlooked gem(s), but certainly loved by DT.  Yeah, I wish it would have only counted as one song as well.

And, thanks for the Guns n Roses bit of one of Brian's songs.

[KevShmev]

Tenement Funster / Flick Of The Wrist / Lily Of The Valley.... the often overlooked gem(s), but certainly loved by DT.  Yeah, I wish it would have only counted as one song as well.

But it's not one song; it is three songs that all run together!

Honestly, had they been considered one song, I would have no clue how to rank it.  I love both Flick... and Lily... (both made my top 30), but only like Tenement Funster, so figuring out where it fits would have been pretty difficult, for me at least. 

Along similar lines, I have considered doing a Beatles countdown, as it sounds like there'd be interest there, but I have no idea how to tackle Side 2 of Abbey Road.  If we put it all together, it almost feels like cheating, as I am sure it would either dominate or finish extremely high, but if we leave all the individual songs on their own, trying to rank them individually is something that I imagine would be challenging for most.

[TAC]

Tenement Funster would kill the entire thing if I had to include it.

[hefdaddy42]

If those three were considered one song, it would be fairly high on my list.

[Stadler]

A few comments having recently wrapped up my complete re-listen of the catalogue:

1) If Queen had released Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist and Lily of the Valley as one song, there'd be a case to be made that it was one of their greatest masterpieces.

2) I feel like an idiot but Freddie's love song to his cat (Delilah) on Innuedo almost makes me tear up. It's a daft little tune (still very heartfelt though) with Brian's guitar making meowing noises, but Freddie's impending death makes it something so much sadder to me. In fact the silliness and joyfulness of it somehow deepens that sadness, like he's putting on a show for the cat that he knows he's gonna have to leave behind soon. I'm a sentimental soul at heart and stuff like the prospect of having to say goodbye to a beloved pet hits me hard.

I'm usually the guy that points out the backstories to songs/albums/artists, but the reality is, I rarely think of those things when listening.  I'm a "gut feel" guy when it comes to listening to music. 

Having said that, there are a couple songs in my Top 30 (and several more in the top 50) that are there simply because of the circumstances surrounding the band (not necessarily Freddie's illness and death, but generally).   I frequently criticize the mid-period stuff because it sometimes feels very "light" to me, even if the lyrical content is meaningful.  But there are easily ten songs on the last four albums that have an incredible, almost life-changing weight to them.

Long-winded way of saying I agree with you (though my rating of the song didn't really reflect that).

3) When I was a lad of 11, I taped off the TV Guns n Roses' live show in Paris from their Use Your Illusion tour (1992). I watched that VHS tape over and over again during my teen years, in fact it was - probably still is - my most watched concert. Anyhoo, prior to Sweet Child o' Mine Axl sang this weird a capella bit that for 30 years I had assumed was something he just made up on the spot. But lo and behold, during this Queen marathon I've listened to some songs I'd never heard before, and it turns out he was singing Sail Away Sweet Sister by Queen! Here look, I've time stamped it for you:

https://youtu.be/hJ3N9LIk3Go?t=5611

Thus ended a 30-year mystery for me (I also learnt that the stuff he 'sings' after it is by Grand Funk Railroad, whoever they were).

That's very cool.   Funny how things circle around like that. 

[Stadler]

List in.  Goddammit, the songs left OFF the list could be a greatest hits of most other bands. 

I - 0
II - 8
SHA - 3
ANATO - 3
ADATR - 1
NOTW - 1
J - 2
TG - 1 (B-side)
FG - 0
HS - 1
TW - 2
AKOM - 3
TM - 1
Inn - 3
MIH - 1

[The Realm]

List submitted.

[Metro]

List sent!