QUEEN 

Queen is a British band of rock, formed in 1970 in London by the singer Freddie Mercury, the guitarist Brian May, bass guitarist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor.

 

SMILE:

The band start as Smile conformed by Roger, Brian and a singer Tim Stafell, Brian already has the Red Special guitar which he built with his dad. Tim Stafell leave the band for going a band called Humping Bong. After that Taylor and May contact Mercury.

FREDDIE´S NAME:

In this time, Freddie change his last name from Bulsara to Mercury. During a Queen performance at St. Helen's women's school, part of Freddie Mercury's microphone support broke loose and fell to the ground, keeping the microphone hooked to the first part of the stand. Mercury followed with the performance. From there arose the characteristic cane with microphone that used during all the concerts since then.

During this time, Queen had several bass players. The first was Mike Grose, who was in the first three concerts of the band. Barry Mitchell played that role for the next eleven performances. In January of 1971, Mitchell decided to retire of the set. In the search for a new bassist, appeared Doug Ewood Bogie, who considered a good option to have some equipment. After two performances in February at Kingston Polytechnic, the group friendlily asked Doug to find another band.                                  Next, John Harris, a friend who helped the ensemble with lights and equipment, took Taylor and May to a disco at Maria Assumpta Teaching College. There he introduced them to a bassist friend of his, John Deacon. Deacon, who was not in any band, was offered an audition. During the test they appreciated his potential as a musician, as well as his silence and tranquility. At the end of February, Deacon agreed to be part of Queen. The first concert with the new bassist was held on July 2, 1971, in Surrey, and shortly after they played again at Imperial College and started a tour of Cornwall.

ABOUT THE LOGO:

Mercury design the logo called Queen Crest. The sign combines the signs of the zodiac from the four of them, two lions for Leo (Deacon, Taylor), one crab for Cancer (May) and two fairies for Virgo (Mercury). The lions find themselves hugging a letter Q, the crab rests on the , and flares rise from it. The two fairies are under each lion. Inside the Q there is a crown. The whole has a similarity with the United Kingdom Shield, in particular by the lions. The original logo, which is on the back of the first album, was a drawing with simple lines, but the most complex and colored version was used for later albums.

MORE ABOUT:

Terry Yeadon friend of May, He was establishing a new studio complex in Wembley belonging to De Lane Lea Studios. The studio needed musicians to test the new equipment, so May went with Queen to try it out. There they made their first records, which were "Liar", "Keep Yourself Alive", "The Night Comes Down" and "Jesus", in 1971. With these demos the group started looking for record companies that were interested in their work, but none was interested.

THE FIRST WORK: QUEEN (1973)

In 1973 an executive of the EMI Company, Roy Fetherstone, was at the MIDEM Festival, held in the south of France. Right there appeared Jack Nelson, who made him listen to a Queen tape that immediately caught the attention of Fetherstone. Nelson lied to him telling him that several record labels were interested in the group. Then, Fetherstone sent a telegram Trident to ask that the group not sign with anyone else. When Fetherstone returned, everything was set in motion for Queen to sign the contract. Negotiations remained unsolved, until in March 1973, Queen went to the offices of EMI to finally agree on a recording contract. Then, Jack Nelson organized a concert at the Marquee, to present the CEO of Elektra Records, Jack Holsten. There the group signed with Elektra for the seal to distribute its works in the United States.

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: THE ARRIVAL OF SUCCESS (1975-1976)

The called Masterpiece of Queen is Bohemian Rhapsody.

If this album called The Night at the opera didn’t go well, Queen
they had to separate. So they spend all in this album.

Recorded in three weeks, the song has no refrain and consists of six sections: an introduction to a Capella, a ballad, a guitar solo, an operatic segment, a rock section and a coda that takes up the tempo and the tone of the ballad introductory. It was his first number one in the UK and he was eighteen months on the list, breaking the record.

No one of the recorders wanted to sponsor it because it has a duration of 6 minutes.

Mercury was friend of a men that works at the radio, so he convinced him to put it on the radio and some people like it and others no.

LIVE AID:

The Live Aid is the most famous and amazing concert in the history.

One of the most representative concerts of Queen and one of the most touching of all the time.

(There is the video in YouTube or you can also watch the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” and they represent the concert.)

 

LAST DAYS:

Freddie died at the age of 45, the 24 November 2019 of AIDS.

The band and Jim Beach made a campaign against the AIDS.

The band made a concert tribute for him, John, Roger and May invite different singers of the time for sing Queen Songs.

John decided to leave the band and have a normal life, because he didn’t wanted to play the bass and be in the band without Freddy.

NOW:

May and Taylor keep the band active. 

The last year (2018) it premiered a movie called: “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Nominated for a lot of awards. 

Thank you for read me, hope you like it.

Queen is my favorite band and also the movie.

               Love you 

                              Xoxo, Brighit