5.2.14 Adam a Presenter on IHR Music Awards

I do not find this song to be sad at all. Freddie wrote it in August 1978. This was the same time he changed his style dramatically. (This is Freddie with his clean look, short hair, black Jean Paul Gaultier leathers, Brando biker cap and the Mineshaft T.) It was when the band and Freddie were finally making money, and were headed into the most productive period. 


I think he wrote it in a time when almost anything seemed possible. And for Freddie in 1978, it almost was.

It was also 12+ years before Freddie died.  So really unrelated.

Adam mention in this Boy George interview (about midway through), and this video is presently front page on Yahoo:

news.yahoo.com/blogs/newsmakers/brand-boy-george-150039658.html

link

The may not be that smart....

>> I think they would have released an Adam VBO album no matter what, Queen tour or not. That is just a promo bonus.

>> These are pretty formulaic. The singles, best selling non-singles and a few quality rare tracks. Look at the other artists and it is the same strange mix. Not a Greatest Hits -- but a value priced collection designed to sell to core fans and casual buyers who do not own the artist.

>> This will end up being sold for $5.99 or so in retail. Merchandised as a value disc.

**

It looks like they picked the 1, 2, 3 sellers from Idol.

1. Mad World (American Idol Performance)

2. One (American Idol Performance)

3. Tracks of My Tears (American Idol Performance)


They picked all the singles.
4. Time For Miracles

5. For Your Entertainment

6. Whataya Want From Me

7. If I Had You (Radio Mix)

10. Trespassing (Radio Edit)

11. Never Close Our Eyes

12. Better Than I Know Myself


Charity Single
8. Aftermath


They picked two strategic bonus tracks to cause a reason to buy it
9. Can’t Let You Go
- released in the US only
13. Runnin’
- top selling bonus track from Trespassing

Finally they picked his very popular solo from Glee/
14. Marry The Night (Glee Cast Version)

Genre mix does not look like it has must to do with rock to me:

Dance-Pop or Synth-Pop Pop: FYE, IIHY, MTN, BTIKM, Trespassing, NCOE, Mad World*
Pop-Rock: TFM, WWFM, Aftermath, CLYG, Runnin'
Rock: One
Soul, R&B Ballad: TOMT

* Classified as new wave, synthpop, post-punk, synth-ballad depending on where I look. But not rock.

If they were putting together a collection to appeal to Queen fans, they could have selected a few more pop-rock and glam rock tracks....

From Idol: WLL, BTBW, FG (Muse and Queen share fans), Cryin'

From FYE: MA, SFW, Sleepwalker

From GNL:  20th Century Boy

Yes, I understood it was your association of the time and the song. But Freddie's version of this song (particularly live) was so joyous, that I was hoping to change your perspective just a bit.

It is one of my favorite Freddie compositions and one of my favorite Queen live songs.

I truly do not know why this was not a hit in the the US except that the US mainstream charts were full of Bee Gees in 1979 and there was no place for a song like this.

And the "cool" people were listening to new wave and punk music in 1979, not Queen. 

And it was also attached to an album that had one of the worst titles in American English for 1979 that I can imagine. "Jazz" for an album that had nothing to do with Jazz? {Except Freddie was in love with New Orleans.)

And Freddie was very clear that he and the band meant Jazz like the music, not the old 1920's expression "All That Jazz" which is an American Expression and was "owned" in 1979 by Bob Fosse (as in the movie that came out in 1979.)