Monday, 20 April 2015

Q is for Queen



Queen is an English rock band that consisted of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. They rose to fame after the release of their self-titled debut in 1973. This was followed by Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. Their fourth album, A Night at the Opera, was released in 1975, and it contained one of their biggest hit singles, Bohemian Rhapsody, which topped the UK singles chart for nine weeks.

They released their sixth album, News of the World, in 1977, and it contained two of their most recognizable hits, We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions. In 1981, the band released the album Greatest Hits, a compilation of hits from 1974 - 1981; it remains the bestselling album in UK chart history with more than 6 million copies sold.

Queen enjoyed additional success for the rest of the 80s with singles like Radio Gaga. But by the end of the decade, rumors had started to circulate that its lead singer, Freddie Mercury, was suffering from AIDS. The singer would eventually confirm those rumors in 1991, in an official statement written on his deathbed. He died barely 24 hours after the statement was released, from bronchial pneumonia brought on by his illness.

Queen remains one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Their album sales are believed to be in excess of 300 millions copies. Their biggest hit is the song Another One Bites the Dust, which was featured on their 1980 studio album, The Game. The song, which also happens to be one of my favorites, has sold more than 7 million copies.


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41 comments:

  1. Not to be confused with Weird Al's Another One Rides the Bus.
    Brian May is an amazing guitarist.

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    1. LOL. And yeah, Brian May is definitely up there with the greats.

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  2. I love this song by them. Nice blogpost!!

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  3. Hi Michael. Popping in from the A-Z list and became a new follower. Cool idea for a theme. I want to go back and read all of your older posts when I get the chance...this A-Z is taking up all my free time.

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    1. Nice to meet you, Jaybird. Glad you like the theme. Many thanks for the follow. Much appreciated. :)

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  4. They really had an amazing number of great hits. Always raises a smile to hear them.

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    1. Yeah. Probably has something to do with Freddie Mercury's voice. :)

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  5. Queen is one of the great classic groups from the 70s. I remember hearing their songs on the radio back in the day. Bohemian Rhapsody is my all time fave.

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    1. It's amazing that they've kept the band together till today, to some capacity, in spite of the death of their lead singer.

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  6. Great band. There's a really good documentary about them. I've seen it a couple of times, and it always makes me cry. Freddie Mercury was ill for a long time, but carried on recording and writing music so the band would have material for when he was gone. He made them promise not to tell anyone he was ill either, so they only had each other for support. It must have been a very intense time.

    They were on the verge of splitting forever when they did the Live Aid concert and stole the show.

    Sorry for rambling. I know far too much about this band!

    Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

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    1. Wow. I don't believe I've come that documentary before. Would definitely love to see it. :)

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    2. Here you go, Michael, enjoy

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0go4X_w1JMc

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    3. Gee, thanks. I truly appreciate this. :D

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  7. I could listen to this song (and band) all day every day.

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  8. Funny name for an all male singing group. We learn new things everyday. Thanks Michael.

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  9. I wonder if Highlander would have become even a cult hit without Queen's soundtrack. (Well, there was also Sean Connery. And Clancy Brown! The point is, Queen was a major part of that movie, too.)

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    1. Yes,Tony, their music was indeed an integral part of the overall experience. It's been a while since I saw the original film, so I guess it is high time for a rewatch.

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  10. Queen is one of my all time favorite bands. I could go on and on (and on) about their music, how talented Freddie was, how talented Brian May still is (and he is a Ph.D. to boot!). But you covered it quite well.

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