Queen is a British rock band which was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The group is well known for its sports anthems and classic rock radio staples, particularly the hits "We Are the Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody;" the band promoted the latter, first released in 1975, with one of the earliest successful music videos, and later re-released it for the soundtrack album from the movie Wayne's World. Queen are widely recognised as pioneers of heavy metal, glam rock, and stadium rock.

The beginnings of Queen can be traced to 1968, when Brian May and Roger Taylor formed the trio Smile, at Imperial College, London, where they were both students. After the group's bassist and lead singer Tim Staffell departed in the spring of 1970, May and Taylor took on vocalist Freddie Mercury in April 1970 to form Queen. In 1971 John Deacon completed the lineup as bass guitarist

Brian May and Roger Taylor were playing on a band called Smile with bass player/singer Tim Staffel. Freddie was Tim's roommate in Ealing Arts College and followed Smile's rehearsals and concerts closely. At that time Freddie was a singer in other bands, such as Wreckage and Ibex. Still, he was very eager to share his ideas in which musical direction Smile should develop. At some point Tim Staffel decided Smile was not going anywhere and he decided to join a band called Humpty Bong. Freddie quickly stepped in for Tim and they started to search for a bass player. One of the first was Barry Mitchell. It was not until 1972 that they found John Deacon and started to rehearse for the first album, Queen.

1970s

In 1973 Queen released their first album, a self-titled effort. It drew little attention, but succeeded in giving the band an FM radio anthem "Keep Yourself Alive." In hindsight, it's considered to be a strong first album.

1974 saw two releases; the first being of Queen II, which had the hit "Seven Seas of Rhye" on it. The album was highly experimental, so it garnered little mainstream attention, but the single got them on to the charts in Britain.

Later that same year, Sheer Heart Attack was released. The album was huge in the UK and throughout Europe; it went gold in the United States. Considered one of their very greatest efforts, Queen made a suprisingly cohesive album with a wide variety of different types of music; British music hall to heavy metal tunes like "Stone Cold Crazy" (which Metallica would later cover and earn a Grammy for) and "Now I'm Here" (a live concert favorite); ballads ("Lily of the Valley"), ragtime ("Bring Back That Leroy Brown"), even Caribbean ("Misfire")

The standout track was "Killer Queen" a British Top Ten and hitting number 11 in the U.S.. It combined campy, vaudeville British music hall with Led Zeppelin-like sound and Brian May's virtuousity on the guitar.

If Sheer Heart Attack's blend of eclectic styles and heavy-metal was considered to be gamut-running, their 1975 effort A Night At The Opera was all-encompassing. Considered by many to be their greatest effort (some call it Queen's Led Zeppelin IV), this is the album that featured the huge worldwide hit, Bohemian Rhapsody. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was number one in the UK for nine weeks, breaking the record set by Paul Anka's "Diana." It reached number 9 in the U.S.; when it was rereleased in 1992, it reached number one in England again, and hit number 2 in America. The album also featured "You're My Best Friend" (which peaked at 14 on the U.S. charts), a sweet, pure pop gem that was unlike anything Queen had ever done to that point. "I'm In Love With My Car" was a hard-rock tune, written and sung by drummer Roger Taylor, which is currently being used in Lexus commercials.

The album was a smash in Britain, and went three times platinum in America. It was official; Queen had hit the popular music scene.

Back in the studio and unable to really top A Night At The Opera in sales or quality, Queen recorded what essentially was a companion album, A Day At The Races, also in keeping with the Marx Brothers' movie theme for the title. The cover was the same as Operas, only with the colors inverted. Plans were made to eventually release the two together as a package, but those plans never came to fruition.

The album was done very much in the vein of Opera musically as well. Although it was by both fans' and critics' standards superb, it was unable to eclipse its predecessor, and thus as a result has been somewhat overrated.

The standout tracks would have to be Somebody to Love and Tie Your Mother Down. "Somebody" was an incredible rock ballad, on which Freddie Mercury mulitracked his voice to make a 100-voice gospel choir. Staying true to their guitar-driven style, it was filled with Brian May's virtuoso harmony, and it went to number 11 on the U.S. singles chart and number 2 on the U.K. charts. "Tie Your Mother Down" was a typical Queen hard-rocker that produced a very recognizable riff and displayed Queen's trademark sense of humor.

1977 saw the release of News of the World, an album that was critically panned at the time but has gained recognition over time. This album had more of a sonic punch to it, as well as songs that were tailor-made to be performed (and subsequently have their greatest effect) live. This album produced the anthemic We Will Rock You and the famous rock ballad We Are The Champions, as well as the punchy, near-punk sound of "Sheer Heart Attack" (not to be confused with the album of the same name released three years earlier).

1980s

In 1986, Queen went on a sold-out final tour, which culminated at Wembley Stadium in London. Freddie teased the capacity crowd of 89,000 that Queen might be breaking up, only to tell the crowd that it was just a silly rumor, and that Queen would be together until "we fucking well die, I'm sure!" much to the delight of the crowd. It is rumored that Freddie contracted AIDS that year as well.

In 1988 August 9th, Queen performed for the last time together. They couldn't book Wembley for a third night because it was already booked, so they turned to their manager, Jim Beach to book them elsewhere, and he got them a gig at Knebworth Park. It sold out within 2 hours, and over 120,000 fans packed the park to get a glimpse of Queen one last time live.

1990s

In 1991, rumors started spreading that Freddie Mercury was suffering from AIDS. Even tabloids worldwide got in on the news. Mercury flatly denied these rumors, but knowing the actual truth as his other bandmates did, they decided to make an album free of conflict and differences. That album became Innuendo. Although his health began to deteriorate, Mercury was courageous in handling his contributions. Highlights of the album were the anthems "The Show Must Go On" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives".

On November 23, 1991, in a prepared statement made on his deathbed, Freddie Mercury finally acknowledged he had AIDS. Within 12 hours of the announcement, Mercury was dead at the age of 45. His funeral services were private, held in accordance with the Zoroastrian religious faith of his family.

On April 20, 1992, the public shared in the mourning of Mercury's passing at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held at London's Wembley Stadium in Mercury's honor. Musicians such as Annie Lennox, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Elton John, George Michael, David Bowie, Metallica and Liza Minnelli (along with the three surviving members of Queen) perfomed most of Queen's major hits.

Queen never actually disbanded, although their last album of original material (not including compilations) was released in 1995, ironically titled Made In Heaven, put out four years after Freddie Mercury's death, and constructed from Freddie's final recording sessions in 1991, plus material leftover from their previous studio albums. The band, minus John Deacon (who retired from the band after the "No One But You" tribute track to Freddie), still appears from time to time, making "Queen+" projects with various guest musicians. A tribute album has appeared, but not with musicians of note. The album is entitled "Dragon Attack" after one of Queen's earlier recordings.

2000s

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 groundbreaking live shows. Queen is credited by artists like Iron Maiden, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Trent Reznor, George Michael, Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Darkness as having a major influence on their sound.

The Digital Realm

Under the supervision of Brian May, 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 70's and 80's) 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 arrangments 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 evisioned for their work years ago.

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 Live

Queen's live performances were truly groundbreaking, employing massive lighting rigs, pyrotechnics, and other special effects to make their shows into engaging theatrical events. Along with their contemporaries KISS, they changed live concerts forever from the staid, stodgy events that had prevailed since the time of the Beatles, where performers would merely stand around and play their instruments. The energy with which they performed, the excitement, enthusiasm and pure adrenaline Freddie Mercury brought with his vocal performance, was so natural and so genuine that the audience almost always joined in and sang. Mercury immersed himself in the crowd's adulation and thrived off their excitement, a trait for which many, including Kurt Cobain (in his suicide note), have expressed admiration. Beginning with "News Of The World" in 1977, Queen began to write songs with the specific purpose of involving the crowd, like "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions," and tailored some songs, like "Radio Ga Ga" to involve claps. This resulted in a stunning moment at Live Aid at which every member of the nearly 100,000 strong crowd at Wembley clapped their hands over their head in unison to "Radio Ga-Ga."

Queen embarked upon many popular tours, with memorable shows (including the historic Live Aid concert) held at Wembley Stadium in England, and Maracanã, for the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, although only the group's final tour, in support of the album "A Kind of Magic", ever actually made any money.

The Wembley concert, part of a UK tour in 1986, attracted 150,000 people over two nights. A memorable and prophetic moment occurred when Freddie Mercury told the audience: "There's been a lot of rumors lately about a certain band called Queen... the rumors are that we're gonna split up. What do you think?" Audience: "No!" Freddie: "Forget those rumors, we're gonna stay together 'till we fucking well die, I'm sure!".

At the Knebworth concert two days later, there is a point in which Freddie makes the following statement:

"...and earlier on, there were rumours of us splitting up, but I mean, fuck 'em!. I mean, really, look at this! (cheers). I mean, how can you split up when you have an audience like this, I mean, really! We're not that stupid! So now we're gonna do a song called..."

Ironically, the band were to hardly meet for another 3 years, during which time Freddie Mercury did some solo work and Roger Taylor did some work with The Cross.

It is unknown whether or not Mercury was aware he had AIDS at this time.

Famous songs

• "Killer Queen" from Sheer Heart Attack featured May's virtuosity on the guitar and first brought attention to the band.
• "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a classic song that was the focus of one of the first music videos ever. It first appeared on the 1975 album A Night At The Opera. After Mercury's death, the single was rereleased in the UK as a double A-Side with "These are the days of our live". It became the 1991 christmas number one and the first single to reach number one on the charts on two separate occasions (the only other single to have done this is George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"). The single was rereleased in the US in 1992 following its feature in the film Wayne's World.
• "Tie Your Mother Down" was not one of Queen's biggest hits-it came in number 33 in the U.K. charts and peaked at 49 in the U.S.-which pales in comparison to many of their other singles. Because of Queen's stringent Greatest Hits standards (if it wasn't in the top 30 in the U.K. they would not include it) it hasn't enjoyed a resurgence like many of their other classics. However, it has one of rock music's most recognizable riffs, and while many people cannot identify the song or who played, they are familiar with the riff. From the 1976 album A Day at the Races.
• "We Will Rock You" is a staple at sporting events around the world; audience members will stomp and clap along to the rhythm of the song and chant the chorus line of the song, in support of their team. From the 1977 album News of the World.
• "We Are the Champions" is a favorite post-game song for obvious reasons. From the 1977 album News of the World.
• "Another One Bites the Dust" was a huge crossover hit when it was released, topping both the pop and R&B charts. It was a unique brand of discofied funk rock. It was inspired by the bass guitar riffs of the disco group Chic, and ironically released at the tail end of the disco era. It has been one of the songs rumored to have a backwards message, supposedly "It's fun to smoke marijuana." The title phrase of the song does sound vaguely like that when played backwards, but it is most likely a coincidence, since there is nothing about the song that suggests that the lyric was contrived to sound a particular way when played backwards. From the 1980 album The Game.
• "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was a number one hit in the U.S. and is often mistaken for an Elvis Presley tune. Freddie Mercury wrote the song whilst languishing in a bathtub at a hotel, and put it to rhythm guitar. He recorded it with band members Deacon and Taylor, with May overdubbing lead guitar throughout. It has a unique, rockabilly sound to it not like anything Queen had ever recorded, and Mercury does an absolutely superb job of imitating Presley's voice. Released as a single in 1979 and appeared on the 1980 album The Game.
• "Radio Ga Ga" was an enormous worldwide success for the band; it was in the top 20 of no less than 36 countries, 20 of them it was at number one. The song was a commentary of the invention of televison overtaking radio's popularity, and how one would listen to radio for their favorite comedy, drama, sci-fi programs etc... as well as the advent of the music video and MTV. Drummer Roger Taylor wrote this, and it was originally conceived as "Radio Ca-Ca," a slam against radio for the decrease in variety of programming and the type of music being played. It was eventually changed to Radio Ga-Ga, because it sounded better, clearer, and rolled off the tongue easier. From the 1984 album The Works.
• "Who Wants To Live Forever", a rare duet by Freddie and Brian May, featured strongly into the plot and later marketing of the 1986 film Highlander. Reportedly written in a limo while returning to their hotel after seeing a music-less cut of the film, the song played heavily on the theme of lonliness the movie's immortals feel as they watch their loved ones grow old and die, while they remain forever young. Performed by Seal at the Freddie Mercure Tribute Concert and featured on the album "A Kind of Magic".
• "Barcelona", although a solo endeavour by Freddie Mercury, was featured on Queen's Greatest Hits III and Freddie's duet album with Montserrat Caballe. It was an anthem during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

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, Wayne's World, Small Soldiers, Super Size Me, A Knight's Tale, and Shaun of the Dead.

Queen in musical theater

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; 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.