talon
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Post by talon on Feb 9, 2015 0:21:09 GMT -5
I figured I'd keep the original thread the archive it's been (with a few random thoughts in there) and would make a new thread for a new project of sorts I may try while I'm here. With the untimely death of Freddie in 1991 there have been many chances for singers to try their shot at a Queen song whether at a Freddie tribute, a Queen + gig, a tribute album, or just plain covering...I thought it would be interesting to compare/contrast and give my opinion on who did it best....(note I'm not including Freddie - or indeed Brian or Roger - as I'm way too biased  ) Now I have three tiers here: a. Actually performed WITH Queen (or Queen members) - highest tier b. Well known artist who covered c. Lesser tribute or cover that I know about. The truth is there are thousands of covers and no way even I've heard of them. There's lists and lists of them and some artists I've never heard of. SO I'll just cover what I know... EDIT IN: A couple albums in and I forgot both Queen Extravaganza and Jeff Scott Soto (one of the original QE vocalists who also sang for Journey for a bit and performed an amazing Queen covers concert in 2003 at a Queen convention doing a TON of songs (most shortened) but also obscure tracks...Well loved by Queen fans. Jeff is friends with B&R and he has performed with them once or twice - AND there are unconfirmed rumors that during the last 2008 tour Brian had JSS on speed dial as a backup in case Paul bailed. I don't know if that's true... The covers come from this gig. I will put the entry at the specific time per song |
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talon
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Post by talon on Feb 9, 2015 0:36:01 GMT -5
Keep Yourself AliveTalon EntryThe link above takes you to what I wrote about it in the initial thread. To sum up, the band played it live from 1973-1981, dropped it during the 1982 tour and then brought it back as part of a medley in 1984-85 before dropping it again in 1986 outside of some brief references by Brian during solos. The entries.... SO we have 4 1/2 entries. The first one I'm disregarding because I've never heard it and have a hard time picturing it. Reportedly there is a cover by Colour Me Badd (which I assume is the boy band of the early 90s and I just can't picture it). SO down to 3 1/2 entries. The half entry I will also disregard but mention is Gary Cherone from Extreme. As part of their 20 minute Queen medley done at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert - Extreme did a small portion of the track. It is high energy but as it was a cover done not with any Queen members AND a medley I will disregard from this...though the 20 minute medley was a serious high point of the tribute concert! So we have 3 real entries, only one of which is actually with the band.... Yngwie Malmsteen - 1996 Yngwie is actually the guitarist. He is an extremely famous shredding guitarist. The vocalist is Mark Boals from Yngwie's band Rising Force. Jeff Scott Soto - 2003 Adam Lambert - 2012 From Kiev. I'll be honest - I've never liked Yngwie. He's a pompous windbag from what I've seen/heard. WAY too full of himself. And while he can shred on guitar - he is actually the anti Brian. He shreds just to shred. Instead of serving the song, the song serves his guitar virtuosity. And it's way too slick. Mark is not a bad vocalist - he's passable but it just doesn't have nearly the same feel. Jeff - His is a rocking version and quite authentic sounding. Adam on the other hand is interesting. Given that they haven't done KYA in the 2014-2015 world tour, you have to go back to 2012 where Adam was starting out with his first shows with the band - far more tentative and in my opinion not as strong on the rockers. (While it's still not his forte - I do think he has improved greatly with them). However in the medley format, Adam was able to hit quickly and move on and it worked well. It was great to see Queen resurrect the song and Adam did quite well with it in the brief moments we heard. The only thing is it's only bits of it so it's harder to tell thus I've changed my mind and given it to Jeff. If Adam had done the whole song it may be different. VERDICT? JEFF
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talon
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Post by talon on Feb 10, 2015 9:54:21 GMT -5
Doing All RightTALON ENTRYPlayed live by the band through 1977 and then dropped never to be performed live again. The entries? No one has really covered it on stage. AND it's hard to call the one alternative a cover since in fact it's the original. You see this song was originally done by Smile which was Brian and Roger's pre-Queen band with friend Tim Staffell who is in fact co-writer with Brian on the track. There is a demo by Smile that has circulated. The other version is a version Tim himself did when recording an album in 2003 and he had help from a certain curly haired guitarist on both guitar and vocals. Interestingly enough the BBC version of the track features Roger on lead vocals on the last verse so we can hear Freddie, Roger, and Brian all have parts of the tune! So both are Tim Staffel (and partially Brian) so he is by default the winner He doesn't have a spectacular voice but he serves his version of the tune very well! VERDICT TIM
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Post by talon on Feb 11, 2015 9:57:50 GMT -5
Great King Rat would be next...but I don't know of any significant covers so we'll move on. My Fairy King Not much in the cover department but there is one. The band as far as I know never played this live although Freddie did slip the piano in during some improvs during the 1984-1985 tours. TALON ENTRYValensia is a Dutch singer/composer with a HUGE love for Queen in fact he did an all Queen cover album and included this track. He is pretty faithful in recreating the Queen sound. Not much in a different interpretation. I like it but if I'm going there, I'd just listen to the original... Similarly for Liar... TALON ENTRYThis was the band's most popular live song in the early 70s as they grew on the concert stage and quite often closed the shows proper. It was performed through 1977 and then afterwards a sporadic performance or two and Brian often used the riff to go between songs. That really will do it for the debut album. The rest of the tracks.... The Night Comes Down, Modern Times Rock 'N' Roll, Son & Daughter, Jesus, and Seven Seas Of Rhye (THIS version - I'll get to the more popular Queen II Version then). So we'll jump to Queen II at that point! Verdict: Valensia by default again
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Post by talon on Feb 13, 2015 3:46:08 GMT -5
Ok moving on to Queen II - Quick album as really no one covered or performed Queen II tracks besides Freddie with the exception of... EDIT IN AS I FORGOT TWO: Some Day One Day
Talon Entry
Soda Stereo is a South American band that covered this track for the Spanish Tribute album released by Hollywood Records, Tributo A Queen. Straight forward cover but very nice work.
Verdict: Soda Stereo
Nevermore
Talon Entry
Never performed live by the band it was slipped into an acoustic set by a reunited Extreme. Right before More Than Words Gary and Nuno slipped in a cover of their favorite band.... Verdict: Gary CheroneSeven Seas Of Rhye
Talon Entry
Ok, Seven Seas was Queen's first hit (albeit a minor one) and was played through 1975. It was retired but then brought back in medley format during the 1984, 1985, and 1986 tours. We have THREE entries here as two vocalists have performed this with the band after Freddie and Queen Extravaganza has done it.... Midge Ure (with Jamie Cullum on piano) - 2010 Yvan Pedenault - 2012 Adam Lambert - 2012-2015 Well I do like famous pianist Jamie Cullum playing in 2010...Midge is not a great vocalist. He's a great musician and songwriter and a friend of the band so I'll give him a pass. Yvan was the lead in the Toronto WWRY and one of the other vocalists in QE. He does a very passable job here. Hits the notes well, and is dramatic enough. But nothing special. Adam takes the track and does it justice, hitting the notes and the drama quite well. I do think his voice sounds a bit boyish on this one for some reason but it's still a nice take. VERDICT: ADAM |
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Post by talon on Feb 14, 2015 0:04:09 GMT -5
First up for the next album would be Brighton Rock but nobody's covered it. SO we turn to Killer Queen. Talon EntryThere have been a few covers over the year, but no one has done it live with Queen with the exception of Adam. For completeness sake: Belgian band, Arid Sum 41 Panic! At the Disco Freddie Gredde Jeff Scott Soto Marc Martel Queen + Adam Lambert Arid's take is quite different. Arid is not huge fans of Queen but when asked to cover a glam rock song their initial song was taken so someone suggested KQ. They went for it and aftewards said they gained a WHOLE new appreciation for the complexity of the music. Arid's singer Jasper Steverlinck does have a great voice and they are a great band...although this is not my favorite. Sum 41 is a band I'm not a huge fan of but I will say I was pleasantly surprised at their straightforward cover for a Queen tribute album. Panic! At the Disco is a fun band and their cover is a lot of fun. Freddie Gedde is a YT sensation and I just included the video for it's humor. He's a talented singer though and it is definitely worth a view. Jeff - While I think Jeff does the rocking numbers well and does decently with ballads...he has no camp sensibility so this is NOT the song for him  Marc - Ahh the big debate begins Marc sounds just like Freddie at times so it makes it difficult. Right now I would state I prefer Adam to Marc to front Queen especially on NEW stuff. It's almost creepy to have Marc sing in front of Queen as it's trying to be Freddie. That said what a voice. Adam - Adam kills on the track...he does a great job with it. Personally I could live without all the antics you guys all love as I think it's overkill but all in all.... VERDICT: ADAMI gave it to Adam over Marc if only because a bit like Jeff, Marc isn't naturally as camp as this song demands. Adam may take it too far for me, the others don't take it far enough. |
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Post by talon on Feb 15, 2015 0:04:04 GMT -5
Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist, and Lily of the Valley
Talon Entry
The above links to Tenement Funster...scroll down in order for the rest.
Ok these are done almost in medley format on the album with one jumping into the next. Live though the band only did Flick of the Wrist. And then only til 1976. Lily of the Valley was never performed live. Tenement Funster, written and sung by Rog was debuted on his 1994 solo tour and performed on both of his solo tours. There is one really great cover of all three tracks in the medley done by prog metal band Dream Theater. VERY well crafted covers and they win by default :D James LaBrie has a great technical voice but nowhere near Roger's gruffness which works so well on Tenement Funster nor Freddie's power on the other two...but still a well crafted cover Jeff Scot Soto does do the one track: VERDICT: Dream Theater
Jeff does nice on the tender ballad though so it was a close one.
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Post by talon on Feb 16, 2015 1:16:39 GMT -5
Now I'm Here
Talon Entry
A Queen staple. From the time it was written it was at every Queen gig through their last show with Freddie. It was performed at the Freddie Tribute (not Queen but Def Leppard + Brian May). Brian even played/sang it on his first solo tour and then amazingly it was retired until 2014 with QAL. There were a few other smattering of performances. The Foo Fighters played it with Brian and Roger as well. So we have five entries. Foo Fighters + Brian May + Roger Taylor Def Leppard + Brian May Brian May + Gary Cherone + Nuno Bettencourt + Steve Vai + Joe Satriani Yvan Pedenault & Queen Extravaganza Queen + Adam Lambert Ok so we have our entries. Foo Fighters? I love them. This is a mess though. Dave Grohl is not a great singer...he's a good screamer with limited range...BUT even so? I love watching this cover because it's still fun and the Foos admiration for Queen is legendary. When Roger sits at the kit at the end, displacing Taylor Hawkins, I love watching Taylor just sit down next to the kit and just smile the biggest grin and bob along to the music. Def Leppard - Another good friend of Brian, Joe is a decent enough vocalist, especially on the rockier stuff. This went down well at the tribute concert but something about his voice is off to me...It's not bad, just not great. Gary Cherone - This is from the Guitar Expo 92, which was performed in 1991. Brian was the organizer and set up a ton of guitarists/friends such as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Gary and Nuno from Extreme, Joe Walsh, Paul Rodgers, et. al. Brian sings the first part of the song, and then Gary takes over for the rest. I love Gary. He has a snarl for his rockers which just works. He also has a very angelic voice for ballads (such as More Than Words). Yvan - again the WWRY guy. Eventually QE was pared down to just Marc Martel and Jennifer Espinoza because people really wanted to see Marc. This guy again is not bad...but nothing special. Adam - I've never been shy saying I'm not as big a fan of Adam on the rockier numbers but again he got better as he went along and this one was no exception. He has a handle on the dramatic side of the tune and it works well. VERDICT: Gary Cherone - He's just more convincing on the rockier number to me. (NOTE - I would put Adam at #2)
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Post by talon on Feb 17, 2015 11:28:23 GMT -5
OK just went back in after I remembered about Jeff Scott Soto and Queen Extravaganza! Adam lost one vote on KYA to Jeff Scott but the other verdicts remain the same (including Adam beating both Jeff and Marc Martel  ) Moving on...not sure when but soon :D |
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Post by talon on Feb 19, 2015 23:52:43 GMT -5
In The Lap Of The Gods
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Not the one you are used to...Although on the set list sheets and in interviews they call it that what QAL is playing is actually In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited. So not many go to cover this one although the band did play it live as part of a medley from 1974-1975. The only choice we have is our winner....Jennifer Espinoza in the Queen Extravaganza! VERDICT: JENNIFER
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