TALON'S TAKE
Seven Seas Of RhyeWritten by: Freddie Mercury
Musicians:
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano
Brian May - guitars, backing vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums, tambourine, backing vocals
- Issued as a single backed with
See What A Fool I've Been in the US but did not chart. The same pairing hit #10 in the UK giving them their first Top 10 hit.
- After
Keep Yourself Alive failed as a single in the UK, some of the reviews had complained that the song took awhile to get going with the long introduction. The band decided their next single would hit hard from the get go!
- Played live through 1975 and then reintroduced as part of a medley in 1984-1986 and then again in the Prince's Trust in 2010 and with QAL in 2012.
- Brian later on pointed out that he had written the bridge for this song in a demonstration of how though songs were initially credited to one person, sometimes others contributed quite a bit...
- Obviously the full version expanding on the instrumental idea from
Queen.
QUOTES:
- "My lyrics are basically for people’s interpretations, really. I’ve forgotten what they were all about. It’s really facetious. I know it’s like bowing out or the easy way out, but that’s what it is. It’s just a figment of your imagination. It all depends on what kind of song really. At the time, I was learning about a lot of things. Like song structure and as far as lyrics go, they’re very difficult as far as I’m concerned. I find them quite a task and my strongest point is actually melody content. I concentrate on that first; melody, then the song structure, then the lyrics come after actually.” – Freddie Mercury – BBC Radio One - 1977
- "I never understood a word of it, and I don’t think Freddie did either, but it was just sort of gestures really, but it was a fine song.” – Roger Taylor – Mojo – 1999
ALTERNATIVE RELEASED VERSIONS:
QUEEN VERSION- See
QueenWITHDRAWN PROMO MIX- I've never heard it because it was a promo that featured a very different (and incorrect) backing track. When the error was discovered the promo was quickly recalled and destroyed and according to rumor there only remains about 5 copies in the world.
TOP OF THE POPS VERSIONS- NOT essential listening...but interesting if grainy video.
2011 Instrumental Remix- ESSENTIAL listening.
- When Island Records remastered the entire Queen catalogue and released "deluxe editions" with an EP of bonus tracks, this mix was created as a bonus track.
- This version starts with Freddie counting in and features a complete instrumental mix of the track and takes out the ending
I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside singalong and ends with a little jam and studio chatter. Very interesting.
1991 HOLLYWOOD BONUS TRACK- NOT essential listening.
- Remixed by Freddie Bastone for a bonus track on the 1991 Hollywood remastering of
Queen II- A techno inspired dance remix - most fans are NOT fond of it although truth be told, it has been said that Freddie himself appreciated it quite a bit.
- A positive on it is the sampling from other Queen songs in the remix, with samples of
Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Mustapha, and White Man the most prominent.
UNRELEASED AND UNHEARD:
QUEEN SESSION DEMO- It is believe that a full version was recorded during the making of the first album.
OFFICIALLY RELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:
LIVE MAGIC VERSION- Although the
Live Magic album IS crap as it is full of edits and cuts...and OBVIOUS ones - I mean
Bohemian Rhapsody with no opera section? Horrible album....the good thing about it is that most of it comes from the final Queen concert ever..at Knebworth like this version.
LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM- Much like Budapest below - though I prefer Budapest myself!
HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY VERSION- Better than Wembley
UNRELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:
LIVE IN BOSTON - JANUARY 1976- A very raw performance, but nice as Freddie sings some alternative melodies. One of my favorite live performances and the band is tight. A full performance.
ALTERNATIVE LIVE VERSIONS:
QUEEN + MIDGE URE & JAMIE CULLUM - PRINCE'S TRUST CONCERT 2010- From the famous Prince's Trust charity concert in 2010 - Brian and Roger did a small five song set. Usually you see some collaborations here. Midge Ure is known mostly for being the lead singer of the 80s band Ultravox and also writing with Bob Geldof the
Do They Know It's Christmas and co-organizing Live Aid, Live 8, and Band Aid. He was a part of the house band for the Prince's Trust and reportedly asked if he could do the song with Brian and Roger. A really nice guy. Jamie Cullum is a UK jazz singer-songwriter and a really talented musician.
- It's not a bad performance at all and mostly was well received as the band hadn't played the song since 1986 and not in full since 1975, nearly 35 years previous!
QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT - JUNE 30th, 2012 - KIEV- It was great to see this come back to the setlist, even in shortened medley form. This is definitely a track that Paul Rodgers would have been hard pressed to have tackled and it fit Adam's theatricality quite well.
PERSONAL NOTES:
- Queen's first big single did what they intended. Everything thrown in in the first 30 seconds. I've always LOVED Freddie's piano here. Very rhythmic and speedy...almost frantic. Some great harmonies (especially Roger's upper end!)
- The singalong at the end is significant as they use the idea of joining albums this time around.
Brighton Rock, the opening song from the next album opens with someone whistling the
I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside singalong melody!
CHANCES:
Seven Seas Of Rhye......85% -- Anything they did on the 2012 tour will be at least 85%.
SUPPLEMENTAL:
The Fairy-Feller's Master-StrokeWritten by: Freddie Mercury
Musicians:
Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, piano, harpsichord
Brian May - guitars, backing vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, backing vocals, screams
Roy Thomas Baker - castanets
--Wow! Freddie saw a painting by Richard Dadd (of the same name):
and proceeded to create a masterpiece of his own about it!
- This song segues from
Ogre Battle and into
Nevermore which is why there is such an abrupt ending!
- Freddie learned harpsichord for this song! - Remember...No synthesizers!
- According to Greg Brooks' (Queen Archivist) book,
Queen Live: A Concert Documentary the song was possibly performed on March 1st, 1974 in Blackpool. However the book is filled with several inaccuracies (such as performing Paul McCartney's
Mull Of Kintyre months before Paul even released it. So that has to be taken with a grain of salt. There is no other record of the song having been played live until...
-Neil Fairclough used this bass riff as one of his key riffs during his Spot The Riff solo during
Dragon Attack at the QAL gigs.
QUOTES:
- "It was thoroughly inspired by a painting (of the same name) by Richard Dadd, which is in the Tate Gallery. I did a lot of research on it and it inspired me to write a song about the painting, depicting what I thought I saw in it. It was just because I'd come through art college and I basically like the artist and I like the painting, so I thought I'd like to write a song about it." - Freddie Mercury
PERSONAL NOTES:
- One of my favorites! The backing vocals really make the song for me - so complex and layered. (And oh Roger's "screams" :D) Even more is the fluidity of John's bass line. John's bass is much like a wandering guitar that allows Brian the freedom to just lay an orchestrated guitar foundation. Listen again to the bass though - Many bassists play simple 3-4 note bass lines. John lets loose and really flys all around. It works very well!
No Alternative or Live Versions Exist.
CHANCES:
Fairy-Feller's Master-Stroke......0% -- Definitely AIN'T happening outside a riff by Neil again
