English rock band, one of the most successful in the history of music of the 20th century. The most famous hits Queen are " Bohemian Rhapsody», « we will Rock You», « We Are The Champions», « A Kind Of Magic», « The Show Must Go On"and others. Group members: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.
The guitarist is considered to be the founder of the group Brian May). In 1968 Brian and his friend Tim Staffel decided to take up music and hung it within the walls of the London Imperial College announcement. The drummer was one of the first to respond Roger Taylor. Initially the group was called " 1984 "(in honor of the novel of the same name by George Orwell), and with the arrival of Roger it was transformed into " Smile».
Smile's biggest achievement was opening for Pink Floyd.
One of the most devoted fans of the group was a friend and classmate of Tim Staffel - a student Illing College of Art Freddy Balsara. In 1970, the trio broke up: Staffel decided to leave " Smile" Freddie took the place of vocalist. It was he who came up with the name " Queen", developed the group's logo, and took a pseudonym Mercury.
Over the course of the year, the band changed several bassists. In February 1971, a fourth permanent member joined the group - John Deacon. From this point on, Queen's lineup remained unchanged for twenty years.
The group rehearsed a lot and gave concerts, mainly at student venues. In 1972, the musicians signed a contract with a record company Trident.
The terms of the contract were quite harsh: the band members received only 60 pounds a week and could use the studio mainly at night.
Debut album " QUEEN" was released on July 13, 1973. At the same time, the group went on their first tour, opening for Mott The Hoople, and later gave her first independent concerts in Great Britain, Germany and Luxembourg. Second album - " QUEEN 2"- came out in March 1974. Despite negative reviews from critics, it enjoyed considerable popularity and took 5th place in the British charts. The next record is called “ Sheer Heart Attack", released the same year, rose to second place on the charts, and the song " Killer Queen"became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 1975, the group went on their first independent tour of the USA and Japan. Queen's popularity was already such that tickets for concerts were sold out instantly, and crowds of fans were waiting for the musicians at the airport.
The album “A Night At the Opera,” released the same year, became four times platinum and has been repeatedly named one of the best albums of modern music. The six-minute composition "Bohemian Rhapsody" became one of Queen's most famous songs. The single stayed in first place on the English charts for nine weeks, and twenty-five years later the British called “Bohemian Rhapsody” the song of the millennium.
The video made for this song marked the beginning of the music video industry.
The next album was released in 1976. " A Day At The Races"caused a storm of indignation from critics: they accused the group of trying to repeat the previous record. But negative reviews from journalists could not prevent the album from taking 1st place in the British chart, and the song “ Somebody To Love"became one of Queen's most popular compositions.
On September 18, 1976, the group organized a grandiose free concert in London's Hyde Park, which was attended by about 170 thousand people.
Next albums – “ News Of The World" (1977) and " Jazz"(1978) - also became bestsellers. At the end of 1979, a new period began in the group’s work. The musicians dramatically changed their image: everyone except Brian May cut their hair short, and Freddie also grew a mustache and stopped performing in tights. In the 1980 album " The Game» Queen used a synthesizer for the first time, something they had previously refused on principle.
In the following years, the group toured a lot and recorded new songs. In 1985, Queen first participated in the festival Rock in Rio", and then takes part in a grandiose charity concert " Live Aid" The twenty-minute performance was unanimously recognized by both critics and the public as the highlight of the program. Queen was rightly called the best and most famous band in the world.
The following year, the musicians wrote the soundtrack for the science fiction film " Highlander" Album " A Kind Of Magic", which included compositions for this film, started in the British charts immediately at number one and stayed in the top five for 13 weeks in a row.
In the same year took place Magic Tour"- the last concert tour, which attracted a total of more than a million spectators. No group has seen such a scale since the Beatlemania of the 60s. The tour kicked off on June 7 in Newcastle, with proceeds from the first performance going to the International Children's Fund.
Queen was the first Western rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain. Tickets for the concert in Budapest were sold out long before the start of the tour.
After " Magic Tour"The group no longer went on tour. This gave rise to many rumors about the imminent breakup of Queen, as well as about possible health problems with vocalist Freddie Mercury. Nevertheless, the group continued to actively work in the studio and shoot video clips. During this time, the musicians also worked on solo projects.
In 1987 Freddie met with Montserrat Caballe, they soon decided to record the song “ Barcelona" As a result, an entire album was recorded, released in October 1988, and the title song became the official anthem of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.
In 1989 the album “ The Miracle", which took first place in the charts of most European countries. The disc received praise from critics for almost the first time in the band's history, and Queen were named the best rock band of the 80s.
On 18 February 1990, the British Recording Industry presented Queen with its Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award.
In February 1991, the album “ Innuendo", which included the compositions " Innuendo», « I'm Going Slightly Mad», « These Are The days Of Our Lives", as well as " The Show Must Go On", which became one of the most famous songs of the group. The video was shot in May. These AretheDaysof Our Lives", which became the last Queen video.
On November 23, 1991, the disease was officially announced Freddie Mercury. The next day he died of pneumonia, worsened by AIDS. On April 12, 1992, a concert in memory of Freddie took place at Wembley Stadium, in which many famous musicians took part. In 1995, the album “ Made In Heaven", which included materials recorded back in 1990-1991.
It was announced that this was the group's last disc. In the following years Brian May And Roger Taylor periodically performed with other musicians, and in 2002 the musical “ we will Rock You" It was successfully performed in different countries, including Russia.
In 2005, a tour was organized " Return Of The Champion", in which Brian and Roger were joined by an English musician Paul Rogers, former band member Free And Bad Company. It was soon announced that a new studio album would be recorded. Disk " The Cosmos Rocks"was released in 2008 and at the same time another grandiose tour took place" Queen + Paul Rodgers" The tour opened with a charity concert in Kharkov on Freedom Square. It attracted the largest audience in the history of the group - about 350 thousand viewers.
On September 15-16, 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers concerts took place in Moscow, at the Olimpiysky sports complex.
Discography. Studio albums and compilations:
1973 Queen
1974 Queen II
1974 Sheer Heart Attack
1975 A Night At The Opera
1976 A Day At The Races
1977 News Of The World
1978 Jazz
1980 The Game
1980 Flash Gordon
1981 Greatest Hits
1982 Hot Space
1984 The Works
1985 The Complete Works
1986 A Kind Of Magic
1989 The Miracle
1991 Innuendo
1991 Greatest Hits II
1994 Greatest Hits I & II
1995 Made In Heaven
1997 Queen Rocks
1999 Greatest Hits III
2000 Platinum Collection
2005 Return Of The Champions
Singer Adam Lambert, who became famous thanks to his participation in the popular American talent search show "American Idol", proudly announced that he will become the new vocalist of the legendary group Queen. For some this is a surprise, but for others it is a completely expected event, because Lambert has already performed several times with the group after the sudden death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS in 1991. No matter how great a singer Freddie was, as it turned out, no one is irreplaceable.
Let's delve into history and where it all began. Queen's original line-up was Freddie Mercury (piano, vocals, guitar), Brian May (guitar), John Deacon (bass, rhythm guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums). But before the group Queen appeared (the name of the group was given by Freddie Mercury himself), there was a group “Smile”, the composition of which changed several times, but as soon as the ambitious leader of the group Farukh Bulsara appeared (this is the real name of Freddie Mercury), the name of the musical quartet was changed to the same Queen, a logo was developed, and singer Farukh became Freddie. For many years, it was the lineup presented below that delighted the public with new albums, performances and simply their presence in the life of every person. Queen had a completely special energy, but to be honest, it only appeared thanks to the vocalist, Freddie Mercury.
When he was gone, one of the band members, John Deacon, left, saying that
“There's no point in continuing. It is impossible to replace Freddie"
Other members remained and made several attempts to restore their former glory and revive Queen. This was successful for a short time, but Brian May and Roger Taylor never received the audience's former applause. Freddie was clearly missed.
Queen is known for their hits "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Radio Ga Ga" performed by Freddie Mercury.
"The Show Must Go On"
"We will Rock You"
"We Are the Champions"
"Radio Ga Ga"
This was in the 70s, but now it’s a different time and Adam Lambert has replaced Freddie.
Adam Lambert performing with Queen in 2009.
Adam said that he does not expect to become a full-fledged replacement for Freddie Mercury, but such a chance comes only once in a lifetime. Adam also added that he could never become the new Freddie for the public. But Lambert’s fans don’t think so, since his solo career has stalled, despite the release of a new album this year, but he needs to develop, especially since he really is in some ways similar to the great Freddie. Firstly, they both have excellent vocals, secondly, both are prone to shocking behavior, and, finally, thirdly, they are both bisexual. The third point has nothing to do with creativity, but I couldn’t help but mention it, because... the fact remains a fact and must be taken into account.
Whether people call Freddie irreplaceable, or believe that Adam will bring newness to the old sound, it is certain that Lambert will go on tour with Queen in the spring and summer of 2012. It's an honor for him, one thing is clear for Freddie Mercury fans
“It’s not Queen without Freddie.”
In the same year, Queen recorded one of their most striking albums, Sheer Heart Attack, which took second place in the British charts, and a year later went gold. The hits Killer Queen and Now I'm Here were especially popular. But real success came to the group in 1975 with the release of their famous album A Night At The Opera. The disc held first place in the British charts for 9 weeks; the work was also highly praised in America The group's almost six-minute composition Bohemian Rhapsody occupied a special place in the album (and in all rock music) - a brilliant art-rock canvas, multi-part and dramatically built. The success of the song was facilitated by a catchy video, filmed for only 5,000 pounds. the global rock and pop industry, showing the importance of video clips for ensuring the success of a musical work.
The next album, A Day At The Races (1976), also became extremely popular, although it did not cause such a stir as the group's previous work. But the next two - News Of The World (1977) and Jazz (1978) - became one of the best in Queen's work, giving the world such timeless symbolic songs as We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. At the same time, the group retained one of its most distinctive features: Queen’s albums were not divided into pass-through numbers and hits; each composition was self-sufficient, solid and high quality. Because of this, each album was solid and bright. The album The Game (1980) became a kind of watershed between two different periods in the life of the group, due to a change in style and sound. The use of synthesizers has expanded, the rhythms have become more modern, “danceable”. These trends found a warm response in the US, but British audiences were more muted in accepting them. The instrumental soundtrack for Flash Gordon (1981) could be considered a failure. And the next works of the musicians, the album Hot Space (1982; the central hit Under Pressure was co-written with David Bowie) and Works (1984), also had moderate success; although the song Radio Ga Ga became a real “stadium” hit, enjoying wild popularity at concerts.
Realizing that something needed to change, Queen launched an intense concert activity, touring not only in the Western world, but also in a number of developing countries; Instead of a half-female, half-clown image, musicians began to use “macho” images (especially Mercury). All this gradually returned Queen to their former popularity, which was consolidated by the rather commercial, but very strong and enjoyable albums A Kind Of Magic (1986) and Miracle (1989), which gave many popular hits. During this period, Mercury learned that he was terminally ill: he was diagnosed with AIDS. The disease progressed, and he had to work through pain and terrible effort. Realizing that there was little time left, the musicians recorded Queen’s real “swan song,” the masterpiece album Innuendo (1991), in which Mercury embodied all his will, pain, faith and hope for the future. The best compositions of the album Innuendo, I'm Going Slightly Mad and Show Must Go On, extremely tragic and at the same time majestic, became a miraculous monument to a wonderful musician.
On November 24, 1991, two days after Mercury announced his illness, he passed away. The following year, Queen musicians organized a large-scale concert in memory of Mercury at London's Wembley Stadium. The most famous rock musicians and bands who performed Queen songs took part in it. In 1995, the members of Queen, having collected and processed scattered recordings made at the end of Mercury’s life, published the group’s “posthumous” album Made In Heaven, ending Queen’s “royal” history. In 2002, the premiere of the musical “We Will Rock You”, written by May and Taylor based on the music of Queen, took place.
Last week, in the comments, we tried to find answers to an ambiguous question about the work of The Beatles. Today we decided to look at the Queen phenomenon.
Many people alive today would love to see a Queen concert, because very few bands have managed to sell huge numbers of albums, drive crowds into frenzy and achieve critical acclaim for their songs with equally great music and lyrics.
Why is Queen so popular? Queen is one of the most extraordinary bands in the world. All four of its members - Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon - remained together from the beginning to the end of the group's existence.
Surprisingly, each of them has either a master's or bachelor's degree (by the way, we also talked about other musicians with a high level of education). “Brian May has a master's degree and a doctorate in astrophysics, Freddie Mercury has an M.A., John Deacon has a master's degree in electronics, and Roger Taylor has a bachelor's degree in biology,” notes journalist Vignesh Ananthraj. Moreover, unlike other musicians, no scandals erupted around them - this is a very rare occurrence in the music industry.
All four of them contributed to the development of the group: each of them had a song in the top ten hits at least once. All of them were versatile musicians and skillfully played several musical instruments, sang and experimented with new musical solutions.
Queen managed to find that perfect balance between good and marketable music. The songs "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" are excellent examples of high quality stadium rock. As for the diversity of genres and styles, Queen's repertoire can only be compared with that of The Beatles.
The melodies and lyrics of their songs “catch” listeners and are always understandable to ordinary people. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" can be classified as early rock and roll, "Stone Cold Crazy" can be classified as speed metal, "Innuendo" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" can be classified as progressive/art rock, and "Another One Bites" The Dust" - to funk. In the song “Love Of My Life” you can hear features characteristic of soft rock, and in “Killer Queen” - glam rock.
“Somebody To Love” belongs to the gospel genre, and the list does not end there. What is especially striking is that the band members excelled in any of these genres, thereby showing that they truly understand music.
The group also succeeded in the lyrics. They wrote both “light” works and “deep” ones, filled with meaning. “My favorite line is from the song “The Show Must Go On.” – says Abhishek Padmanabhan. - Here it is: “My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die. I can fly my friends".
“Do you need another reason for Queen's popularity? “I will answer – Brian May,” Abhishek continues. “How can you not love a guitarist who is an astrophysicist by training?” He left his mark on the group's work and, in addition to the guitar, can also play the piano and a couple of other instruments. In addition, he is an excellent vocalist, and his voice can be heard in the songs of every album of the group.
However, the main reason for Queen's success is considered to be one of the greatest performers of all time.
We are, of course, talking about Freddie Mercury - undoubtedly the best frontman in history. He had expressive vocal abilities - from a deep baritone to a high tenor, which always amazed listeners at live performances. “I think Freddie has a wonderful voice,” says Gem Scott. “Not many people can do 'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' with dignity and not look stupid.”
Mercury always managed to get an audience of thousands to sing in unison with him. Everything about him radiated confidence and passion for what he did - his style of dress (he usually performed in tights), his walk, his demeanor.
Even those who do not like the group's songs or are neutral towards them admit that Freddie Mercury is one of the best performers of our time. Freddie was good at everything: he was a great performer and musician and knew how to communicate with the public.
However, alone in the field is still not a warrior. Each member of Queen has fantastic musical talent. Guitarist Brian May takes an innovative approach to playing technique and boldly experiments with sound, and his guitar solos are always particularly melodic.
Roger Taylor, who beats out various rhythms with ease, in turn, has been recognized as one of the best hard rock drummers. John Deacon is the man who created the bass lines for the popular songs “Another One Bites The Dust” and “Under Pressure”.
These four are also excellent performers: Brian May and Roger Taylor's contribution to the band's musical style is invaluable - together with Freddie they created an incredible clean sound.
We also have to give Queen credit for being one of the bands that managed to bring an element of theatricality to rock music. However, despite this, the team cannot be accused of excessive vulgarity or pretentiousness. During live performances, Queen were always at their best, which cannot be said about other famous rock performers like Led Zeppelin or Guns N' Roses.
The band's performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985 is considered one of the best live performances in the history of rock music.
"I was 11 when Freddie passed away, so I can't say I grew up with the band," says David Hood. – I didn’t go to their concerts, but I’m old enough to remember the popular film “Wayne’s World”, thanks to which Queen songs were constantly played on the radio in the 90s. I fondly remember the times when I sang the band’s songs while driving my first car. I also constantly quoted that film and watched it on videotape.
Their music is timeless - it never gets old. Now I listen to Queen songs with the same pleasure as when I first discovered this group. Their songs are still on my iTunes, even though my music tastes have changed as I've gotten older."
Considering the above, Queen can rightfully be considered one of the greatest bands in history, and their long and resounding success is further proof of this. You could even say that in some parts of the world they are more popular now than during their active creative activity.
Queen is a British glam rock band that made a breakthrough in the music industry in the 70s. They are distinguished by Freddie Mercury's completely new vocals for that time - a hysterical powerful falsetto. They managed to displace The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd on the pedestal of world fame and became one of three performers for whom the existing framework for evaluating an album with the highest status of “platinum” became too tight. Their 1981 “Greatest Hits,” which sold 50 million copies, earned it unofficial status as a “uranium album.”History of the group's creation
The creative path of the legendary band began back in 1967. Brian May and Tim Staffel, students at London College, organized their first group "1984" (in honor of George Orwell's dystopia). A year later, drummer and part-time dentist Roger Taylor joined them, and the band was renamed “Smile”. 
The group's main achievement was their performance at the Royal Albert Hall, where they met on the same stage with Joe Cocker and Phill Collins. Unexpectedly, Tim Staffell left the band, having received an offer from another group, and the musicians urgently had to look for a vocalist. Farrukh Bulsara, Tim's roommate, came to their aid. He often attended their rehearsals, but until that moment no one suspected that the guy could sing and had unique vocals.
Farrukh became not only an excellent soloist, but also a generator of creative ideas and the creator of a new concept for the group. He suggested calling the band “Queen”, changed his unpronounceable name to the sonorous pseudonym Freddie Mercury and developed a coat of arms logo. After a long search for a bass player, John Deacon joined the team, and the group existed in this classic line-up for twenty years.
The main stages of creativity
The group had more than enough material - three members were talented composers. But they had no access to recording studios. In 1971, Brian May's friend, who worked at the De Lane Lea studio, came to the rescue. The musicians were offered a barter: they had to test equipment, perform in front of potential studio clients and record some attractive single to attract new ones. In exchange, the Queens could use the studio for their own personal purposes. 
The musicians worked tirelessly and spent their nights (the only time free from other clients) creating new material. The result of two years of hard work was a contract with the Trident Studios label and the release of Queen's debut album in 1973, after which the group began to tour the country. Queen's first concert performances created a sensation among the British public, and Freddie's unique vocals and his eccentric behavior on stage invariably caused surprise and indescribable delight among the audience. Critics have noted the influence of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and The Who on their work.
In 1974, the second album “Queen II” was released, divided not into the traditional sides A and B, but into “white” and “black”. During the tour in support of it, the team visited the USA. Then the album “Sheer Heart Attack” went on sale. Although it did not bring the group worldwide fame, it was remembered for several hits, including the famous “Killer Queen”.
Queen – Killer Queen
But thanks to the next record, “A Night at the Opera,” which was released in 1975 with a multimillion-dollar circulation, the group became famous throughout the world. The album stayed at first position on the national chart for 9 weeks, which was a record at that time.
The composition “Bohemian Rhapsody”, consisting of six parts that are completely different in musical style, has captivated music lovers in all corners of the planet. In 2002, this composition was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the best song in history. A video clip was shot for it using a unique technology for superimposing frames and faces. It is believed that it was this music video that became the starting point for other artists to also begin to pay attention to creating videos for their songs.
Queen – Bohemian Rapsody
Many people believe that the video for “Bohemian Rapsody” is the first music video in history, but this is not true (even Queen themselves already had a video for “Killer Queen”). But Queen released the first ever collection of their videos, but much later, in 1981.
The group’s next album, “A Day at the Races,” was a logical continuation of the previous one and pleased listeners with the hits “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “We Will Rock You,” although it could not eclipse the previous one in popularity. Subsequently, “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” became the band’s calling cards: Queen performed them at the end of every concert.
Queen – Will Rock You
In the early 80s, Queen's musical style underwent some changes, which also affected the appearance of its lead singer. Mercury cut his long hair, grew a mustache and stopped appearing on stage in tight tights. At this time, the next collection “The Game” was released, which Freddie himself considered the best of the entire existence of the team. In support of it, the group went on a world tour, during which they gave more than seventy concerts.
Queen songs were included in the film Highlander with Christopher Lambert: the film's director knew the band and asked them to record the soundtrack. “It’s like magic,” MacLeod says in one scene. This is also the name of the album that includes the songs used in the film (“A Kind of Magic”).
In 1983, the group briefly interrupted performances - all members worked on solo projects. Drummer Roger Taylor locked himself in the studio for three days and created a song he wanted to call "Radio Ca-Ca". The composition was full of irony about the current state of British radio. The Queen bandmates saw it as a potential hit and, after some minor changes, including the title, played "Radio Ga-Ga" (which can be translated as "crazy radio").Queen – Radio Ga-Ga
It was included on the 1984 album The Works, as was the song "I Want to Break Free". A storm of emotions was caused by the video of the same name, in which the musicians appeared before the audience in women's dresses.
Queen – I Want To Break Free
The following year was marked by a series of European concerts called the “Magic Tour”, which were attended by about a million people in total. Such excitement has not been observed since the days of the legendary Beatles, and the performance in Budapest was the first on the territory of a Warsaw Pact member country.
This tour was the last in the group's history. Soon rumors spread about Mercury's illness, which, unfortunately, turned out to be true. The group's latest black-and-white videos could no longer hide the devastating consequences of the deadly disease AIDS.
A real anthem to life and a kind of farewell to Freddie’s fans was the composition “The Show Must Go On” from the group’s next album “Innuendo” (1991). The title of the album was translated as “understatement”, “indirect hint”.
Queen – The Show Must Go On
In November of the same year, Mercury died (on the eve of his death he officially announced his illness). He bequeathed all proceeds from the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody to the AIDS Foundation. Six months after Freddie’s death, a concert was organized with the participation of the world’s leading musicians, who thus honored his memory.
After the death of Freddie Mercury, the group did not break up, but actually ceased to exist. In 1995, the album “Made in Heaven” was released, created on the basis of recordings from 1991 and other creations that were not included in previous albums. This, for example, is the last song Freddie wrote, “Winter’s Tale,” and the last song with his vocals, “Mother Love.”
In the same year, guitarist John Deacon left the group, believing that Queen could not exist without Freddie, and a year later, May and Taylor, having recruited new musicians, went on a European tour. About 350 thousand people gathered at their concert in Kharkov - the largest audience in the entire history of the group.
