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Queen

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

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In 1967 Tim Staffell and Brian May wanted to form a band. They were looking for a drummer so May, being a resourceful student at London’s Imperial College, posted a want ad on a bulletin board. Roger Taylor, a dental student at the time, responded, and after auditioning joined Staffell and May in their new band appropriately named “Smile.” The group signed with Mercury Records in 1969, but soon after, Staffell exited the group and the remaining two members formed a new band called “Wreckage.” Singer Farrokh Bulsara had been a fan of “Smile” and a friend of Staffell’s from school. Bulsara was recruited as the band’s singer and would later become known as Freddie Mercury. Shortly after, the trio was joined by bassist John Deacon and the group, now called “Queen,” began its musical journey. As singer Freddie Mercury said, “I thought up the name Queen. It’s just a name, but it’s very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid. It’s a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it.” On June 6th 1971 the band made its first appearance at the Hornsey Town Hall in London. Since the four men were still attending college, they decided not to perform the usual low brow gigs that most of their contemporaries were forced to play. Instead, they spent the next 2 years practicing and honing in their craft. They went on tour in 1973, and on July 6th of the same year, released their self-titled debut album.

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The band released their second album, simply named, “Queen II” in 1974. The album went to the #5 spot on the British charts, and they embarked on a tour opening for Mott the Hopple. It was on this tour that they would make their US debut. Later that year Queen released “Sheer Heart Attack.” The album included the song “Killer Queen” which would become their first top 20 hit in the US. “Sheer Heart Attack” also became the band’s first gold record in the US. Their slow steady success paid off in 1975 with the release of “A Night at the Opera.” The track “Bohemian Rhapsody” would shoot all the way to #2 in the US and in 1976 and would top the charts in the UK for 9 straight weeks. On June 12th of the same year, the now classic song from the same album, “You’re My Best Friend,” hit #16 on the charts. The album went on to sell more than 3.6 million copies.

“We Are the Champions” became a hit in February of 1978. The song would go on to be a staple in the world of sports, being played absolutely everywhere. Despite their monumental success thus far, Queen still had not made it to the top of the charts in the United States. On June 30th 1980 they released “The Game” and that all changed. With hit singles, “Need Your Loving Tonight,” “Play the Game,” “Save Me,” and the infectiously catchy “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” Queen could add another jewel to their crown in the form of a #1 album in the US. In America alone the album sold more than 4.4 million copies. “Another One Bites the Dust,” also became a #1 hit. Queen was now truly an international sensation. In 1981 the band would also team up with superstar David Bowie to record “Under Pressure.” Although it is a beloved song and certainly one of their classics, it didn’t do as well commercially as the band had expected.

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The album “The Works” was released on February 27th 1984. It included the hit single “Radio Ga-Ga,” and was followed by the record “A Kind of Magic” on June 2nd, 1986. A little more than 2 months later the band would play at Knebworth Stadium in England. Unbeknownst to fans, the performance, which would be the group’s 658th, would also be their last. “The Miracle” was released May 22nd 1989 and although it failed to produce the hits of previous albums, it didn’t really matter. Singer Freddie Mercury had secretly been battling AIDS. Although it had been rumored, the band had always denied it. In November of 1991 it was confirmed by Mercury himself. Just two days later, he was dead.

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The next year on April 20th 1992 “A Concert for Life” was held at London’s Wembley Stadium. Many bands including Metallica and Elton John played, with all the concerts earnings going to AIDS charities. Ironically that same year Queen became incredibly popular in the United States again, due to the fact that the song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” was prominently featured in the motion picture “Wayne’s World.” The song actually remained in the #2 spot on the American charts for 5 weeks. Although the band did release a few more albums, it was obviously never the same. On March 19th 2001 Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to take their rightfully deserved spot amongst music’s other legendary acts. Recently, as of October 8th 2008 Queen plus Paul Rodgers released the album “The Cosmos Rocks.” The new incarnation of the group included Brian May, Roger Taylor and singer Paul Rodgers.

 

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100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

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