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| Queen Is a British rock band which came to popularity during the mid-1970s, and have amassed an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. They have sold an estimated 190 million records around the world and, in their home country of Britain, remain second only to The Beatles in terms of sales and collectability (though in 2005, they actually exceeded the number of weeks spent on the British chart by The Beatles). Though critically panned for decades, in recent years the group's critical stock has increased considerably: they have generally become recognized as pioneers of heavy metal, glam rock, progressive rock and stadium rock, been cited by innumerable acts as influential to their sound (see "Influence on Modern Music" later in the article) and in 2001 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. The band also paved the way for the commercial music video, having promoted their 1975 hit Bohemian Rhapsody with a conceptual promo which was released worldwide--many consider this to be the first true music video. Their band's crest (pictured) includes the zodiac signs of all four members surrounding a Phoenix - two lions, to represent two Leos, a crab for Cancer and fairies representing Virgo. |
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| Members
Though Freddie Mercury's personality always dominated in the press, he was by no means the dominant songwriter; indeed, all four members of the group actually wrote huge hits: Freddie Mercury, piano & vocals ("Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions," "Somebody to Love," "Killer Queen", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love") Brian May CBE, guitars ("We Will Rock You," "Tie Your Mother Down," "The Show Must Go On," "Hammer to Fall," "Fat-Bottomed Girls") Roger Taylor, drums & percussion ("Radio Ga Ga," "A Kind of Magic," "The Invisible Man," "These Are The Days Of Our Lives") John Deacon, bass guitar, rhythm guitar ("Another One Bites The Dust," "I Want to Break Free," "You're My Best Friend") |
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| Influence on modern music Queen is remembered for its never-seen-before theatrics, showmanship, camp and bombast so much that critics have since classified the band as a major player in the evolution of rock music. Queen is noted in particular for its musical eclecticism and ground-breaking live shows. Queen is credited by artists as diverse as Iron Maiden, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Trent Reznor, George Michael, Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day (for their album "American Idiot"), Foo Fighters, and The Darkness, and Joan Osborne as having a major influence on their sounds. Queen's theme music for Flash Gordon later became the inspiration of the theme music for The Big O. The Digital Realm Under the supervision of Brian May and Roger Taylor, numerous restoration projects have been underway involving Queen's lengthy audio and video catalogue. DVD releases of their famous 1986 Wembley concert (titled Live At Wembley Stadium) and 1982 Milton Keynes concert, and two Greatest Video Hits (Volumes 1 and 2, spanning the '70s and '80s) have seen the band's music remixed into 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. So far, two of Queen's most acclaimed albums, A Night At The Opera and The Game, have been fully remixed into DTS Surround on DVD-Audio albums. Known for their densely layered arrangements and backing, this medium seems tailor-made for Queen's music. Brian May has said he would like to see the entire Queen catalogue reproduced in this format, as it is closer to what the band envisaged for their work years ago. In 1998 Queen (in conjunction with Electronic Arts released a computer game Queen: The Eye to commercial and citical failure. The music itself was by and large well recieved, but the experience was hampered by poor gameplay. The Queen camp continues to work on future concert releases, at least one more video collection (Volume 3) and the rest of album catalogue in the DVD-Audio format. True to form, Taylor and May are in constant communication with fans, collectors and industry experts to find out where demand lies for future releases and where the industry and new technology is headed. Queen in film Queen contributed music directly to the movies Flash Gordon and Highlander (the original film directed by Russell Mulcahy). Several other films featured their songs, including Iron Eagle, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon, Wayne's World, Small Soldiers, Super Size Me, A Knight's Tale, The Girl Next Door, and Shaun of the Dead. The song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released after appearing in Wayne's World, and subsequently made number 2 on the US billboard chart. A year earlier it went to number 1 in the UK for a second time, the first time this had happened in that chart's history. Queen in musical theatre In 2002, a musical or "rock theatrical" based on the songs of Queen, entitled We Will Rock You, opened at the Dominion Theatre in the West End of London. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor. It has since been staged in Barcelona, Spain; Melbourne, Australia; Cologne, Germany; and Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The launch of the musical coincided with the Queen's Golden Jubilee. As part of the Jubilee celebrations Brian May performed a guitar solo of God Save the Queen, as featured on Queen's A Night at the Opera, from the roof of Buckingham Palace. |