5.21.14 Idol Memories, Queen in OZ Coverage

TALON'S TAKE:

Bring Back That Leroy Brown

Written by: Freddie Mercury

Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, piano, jangle piano
Brian May - guitars, George Formby ukulele-banjo
John Deacon - bass guitar, double bass
Roger Taylor - drums





- Inspired in part by Jim Croce's Big Bad Leroy Brown

- Brian used a genuine George Formby ukulele banjo which was a unique instrument at the time to add a bit of flavor.

- This is a fun upbeat number that shows more versatility than your average rock band!

- For a never disclosed reason when the band added this song to the medley, they did a mostly instrumental version. Freddie sings 'that cutie pie' and the band do the last lines but the rest is instrumental.

QUOTES:

- "The ukulele was incidental to that because it that was Freddie's song. It had this kind of vaudeville atmosphere and I just thought the ukulele would go nicely on it and we worked beside it, so it could be done. And I managed to fiddle a little ukulele solo." - Brian May - 12/24/77 - BBC Radio One

ALTERNATIVE RELEASED VERSIONS

A CAPELLA MIX 2011


- ESSENTIAL listening.

- Released as a bonus track on the bonus EP of the Deluxe Version of the 2011 Island remastering of the album

- As much as Queen did it live instrumentally, the bonus track goes the other way. It isn't completely a capella as there is the occasional guitar note and piano riff but it is mostly and it's great to hear Freddie's harmonies and vocal stylings!

UNRELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:

LIVE AT THE RAINBOW - 1974


- Perhaps Freddie wanted to concentrate on his piano!

LIVE AT EARLS COURT - 1977


- Includes Freddie bantering with the audience a bit at the end.

PERSONAL NOTES:

- Another short track, but I love the fact that it goes well off the beaten path for a rock band. Funny and a good time. On a truly personal note this is my 8 year old daughter's favorite Queen song!

CHANCES:

Bring Back That Leroy Brown......0% - Ain't happening!

SUPPLEMENTAL:

No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)

Written by: Brian May

Musicians:

Brian May - lead and backing vocals, piano, guitar
Roger Taylor - lead and backing vocals, drums
John Deacon - bass guitar




- Issued as a single backed with ‘Princes of The Universe’ but was withdrawn and then after demand released as a Double-A single with ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ backed with ‘We Will Rock You (Ruined By Rick Rubin)’ and ‘Gimme The Prize (Instrumental Remix)’ in January 1998 in the UK (where it hit #13).

- Originally intended for a Brian solo project. Brian gave a copy to Roger who proceeded to put it in a drawer and forget about it for a few months. When Roger finally listened to it, he felt it was important to do it as Queen. He convinced Brian and the three surviving members then recorded it and released it on the Queen Rocks compilation

- Performed live by Brian during his Another World tour and on several occasions with Roger during various Queen reincarnations.

- The final studio recording by the three surviving members of Queen. John Deacon's last released studio effort to date.

QUOTES:

"I kind of thought that everybody knew that story, but I should perhaps mention it, because it was part of the inspiration of the song really. It's a Greek myth in which Daedalus and Icarus, his son, are imprisoned in a castle, and the only way out is upwards, as they're in the middle of the sea. So they make wings out of feathers, birds feathers and wax, and attach them to themselves, and they fly out and escape the castle. I think it's on Crete, and the legend says that Icarus was so excited and exulted, that he flew too high, too close to the sun, and his wax melted and he fell into the sea. So it's a very interesting symbolic tale that has a lot to do with the song, as you will realise when you hear it."

– Brian May – 11/16/97 – Pop On The Line

“It was written as sort of a tribute to Freddie and before long I became aware I was trying to make it sound very Queen-like. There are some musical and verbal quotes in there and I thought, ‘if it’s going to sound like Queen, maybe it ought to be Queen.’ I sent the track to Roger and he loved it and said we had to do it. Although I lost that track from my album, it worked out alright in the end; it was the final thing that made me realize I was on the wrong track for my album anyway.”

– Brian May – Guitarist – 1998

“(Roger) put it away in a drawer somewhere cause he was busy or whatever, and it was months later when he phoned up suddenly, excited and said ‘I just listened to the track and it’s amazing, and we have to do it as a Queen song!’”

– Brian May

THE MAKING OF:




LIVE VERSIONS

BRIAN MAY - LIVE 1998 - WARSAW

- On his Another World Tour - this vid also includes Brian's cover of Mott The Hoople's All The Way From Memphis

QUEEN - LIVE 2002 - AMSTERDAM

- Really the only time that Queen did it. Brian did it a lot on his solo tour and of course resurrected it with Kerry Ellis (that's a different project though) but this is a great time with Roger actually singing with Brian so it's a nice one off.

ALTERNATE:

[u}QUEEN + KERRY ELLIS[/u]

- Kerry Ellis gained Brian's attention during her performance in My Fair Lady. He then asked her to audition for We Will Rock You. Kerry got the part of Meat who sings this song during the show. It was the beginning of a long collaboration. This version isn't quite as good as the full orchestral one they did but I can't find that on YT.

EDIT - This one is processing and will hopefully show up:


PERSONAL NOTES: This is an amazing song. It's simple but beautiful. It would gain even more life later on with Kerry and in the musical. I would love to see QAL do this with perhaps each of them taking a verse!

CHANCES:
No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)......25% -- I think this one has an outside shot of being played. It could be done in many different ways. As a Brian/Roger mini-set....or maybe all 3 take a verse like in Say It's Not True....I would love to see it performed live. (As would my kids - it's one of their favorites).

Happy Birthday albiku, choons, ginneu, mangokat and suppu!

The "major rock concert" for NZ is not QAL. ???
lt is the Eagles.
Touring Aussie and a NZ show next year. Love the Eagles and saw them here in 1995 so keen to go again. 
And I'll see QAL in Aussie. But I know some kiwi fans who will be devastated cos they can't go to Oz. 

Timing of this announcement was so cruel so close to Aussie concert announcement. NZ misses out on so many big artists. Damn and I know a LOT of non-Berts who were keen to go to QAL too and I was so excited for them to see why I love Adam so much!

anyway it is what it is. 3.30am here so back to sleep. I hope!

 

Maybe but I doubt it. Aussie pre-sale today so if there is a nz show announced later that would be so unfair! Eagles announced both Oz and NZ together so QAL would have done too I guess.