talon
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Post by talon on Aug 11, 2012 7:21:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up on the question :D Yeah they really had no choice for awhile...they were under contract. But it does all work out in the end. And yes Jim Beach is still their lawyer/manager. He is also the executor of Freddie's estate so in any Queen Productions vote he is 1/4 of the vote. Brian and Roger being 2/4 and John is the remaining 1/4. Although as Brian has said basically they send John a note or whatever and if they don't hear back from him, it's assumed it's a yes vote  |
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 11, 2012 7:42:00 GMT -5
One of my favs of ALL time. White Queen (As It Began)Written by: Brian May Musicians: Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals Brian May - acoustic & electric guitars John Deacon - bass guitar Roger Taylor - drums - A first. One of the first "power ballads" that rockers became known for. It's an ABSOLUTLEY gorgeous piece of work. From the swelling guitar orchestrations to Freddie's emotional vocals to the haunting lyrics...it really always leaves me with a tear or two. Quite climactic. - One of the first Queen songs ever written, it was actually written by Brian in 1969 during his Smile days although it isn't known if Smile ever attempted it. - Performed live through 1977 and then once more in 1978. QUOTES: - “I wrote this at College, where I led a relatively sheltered life, even though the University on the whole was a pretty rampant pace! I had been reading The White Goddess by Robert Graves which explored the role of the idealized Virgin/Mother/Queen figure in art through history, and the name for our group, decided just around that time, fitted in with this perfectly – which was one of the reasons I was convinced to go with the name. The personal side is bound up with a girl (of course!) whom I saw every day at College, and was to me the ultimate goddess. It’s incredible in retrospect, but because I held her in such awe, in three years I never had the courage to speak to tell her, or even speak to her.” – Brian May - 2004 ALTERNATE RElLEASED VERSIONS: EP VERSION- NOT essential. - This was the version released on Queen's First EP which collected a track from each of the band's second, third, fourth, and fifth albums instead of just a new single from the fifth album. - It doesn't include the segue from 'Father To Son'GERMAN EDIT- NOT essential. In 1981 Germany put out a Queen compilation and in order to fit all the songs to vinyl they edited down the track so it starts at Freddie's vocals only. UNRELEASED VERSIONS: BBC SESSION 4 VERSION- ESSENTIAL LISTENING. - Much different. This adds Freddie on the piano and is much closer to the live version. It is less layered than the studio version obviously and that is missed but overall it might be a better version! UNRELEASED AND UNHEARD (?): SMILE DEMOQUEEN SESSION DEMO- These are more speculation. It is known that Brian wrote it in 1969 during his Smile days. Does that mean it was recorded by Smile? Is there a demo from Queen? It is unknown.
LIVE VERSIONS:
LIVE AT THE RAINBOW - MARCH 1974
LIVE AT THE RAINBOW - NOV 1974
LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH - DECEMBER 1975
- Both are great live versions from 1974's Rainbow and 1975's Hammersmith concerts. Much closer to the BBC session version but I could listen forever 
PERSONAL NOTES:
- I've given you personal notes throughout but all I can say is that I always return to this song. Great Great track.
NEXT up...Brian May's first lead vocal on a Queen song! Some Day One Day |
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Post by theosgma on Aug 11, 2012 8:00:54 GMT -5
THE WHITE QUEEN
It will be awhile before I am coherent enough to say anything about this amazing song. I am utterly lost in it.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Aug 11, 2012 20:48:56 GMT -5
OT (Sort of)
Talon, was Brian May a faculty member of the University where he completed his Masters/PhD? If he is, does he still teach actively?
If Live Aids 1985 did not happen, do you think Queen would have gotten back together (since prior to that they seemed to have taken a break off from the group)?
JMO...it seemed like Queen became a victim of their own success. Just based on RT's own released album and FM's around that time when they were taking a break from the group. Was it because the fans were so used to the "Queen" sound that they were also expecting to hear it from the released albums and became disappointed? Or did RT and FM really made the album sound so completely different from Queen? Or were the Queen fans became divided as to whom they have to support?
Just curious :D and wonder how RT's album in November will sound and how well it would sell.
Thanks.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Aug 11, 2012 21:29:48 GMT -5
White Queen (As It Began)
Love the BBC version! I closed my eyes as I listened to Freddie's voice and was like floating from the beauty of FM's delivery and was jolted ;D when the drum came on unexpectedly at "it began" (BBC version).
Love the guitar and piano combo. Melody is so glorious, FM's interpretation seemed reverent and really tugs at my heartstrings. Acoustic guitar is so out of this world. I hear the angels singing in their harmonies. Like I said, I am running out of ways to describe BM's creative art. Just awesome.
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Post by theosgma on Aug 11, 2012 21:40:46 GMT -5
HELP
Someone on twitter - what is going on? What did Adam mean about getting sucked into twitter feeds with crazies? Is this about the Idol stuff or are there other things going on? And what about the tweet from Mia Farrow?
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 12, 2012 9:54:14 GMT -5
THE WHITE QUEEN It will be awhile before I am coherent enough to say anything about this amazing song. I am utterly lost in it. I'm still lost in it over 20 years later after I first heard it... OT (Sort of) Talon, was Brian May a faculty member of the University where he completed his Masters/PhD? If he is, does he still teach actively? Brian completed his PhD at Imperial College. He was established as Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University (whose telescope he used completing his PhD). It's not an active teaching gig. It's more an ambassadorial role. So no he's too busy to be teaching actively with his music and his animal rights activism. I definitely think they would have gotten back together - it was just a matter of time. They needed more space from each other but every quote I've ever read from them was that they would never kill the goose that laid the golden egg and that they loved doing their solo stuff but they would always come back to "mother" (the band). If Freddie hadn't gotten sick I still think they'd be together although they would take more time between albums. I do wonder though about John. I think he still might have retired first...he was drifting away from the music business anyways. Well in the case of Queen it was ALWAYS the case that the WHOLE was far greater than the sum of it's parts as far as fans go. No one in the band had much in the way of solo success. Freddie's first album tanked, his opera album was well received however and his posthumous releases did well as posthumous releases usually do. Brian had some big success with his first full album but to be a bit crass Freddie's death kind of helped push that as well - as the first bit of new music released from the Queen camp after the tragedy. Roger's solo efforts have NEVER been gangbusters....they've always been moderately successful in the UK - a few top 30 hits but never smash hits. I think the fans want it all. THey want to hear Freddie's vocals backed by Brian's guitar lead and Roger's power drumming/backing vocals with John's unassuming, subtle bass riffs. The most Queen-sounding solo release was probably Brian's Back To The Light in 1992 which probably explains it's success. It has the Brian lead and layered guitar...Brian's voice IS a part of Queen so it's still familiar and Cozy Powell happened to be a very gifted power drummer so it was much closer to the sound. Freddie's first album had a bunch of session musicians who were competent but nowhere near as good as Brian, ROger, John, or Cozy for that matter...AND Freddie was staying in the gay dance club area that Queen fans had already had a bit of a backlash on. Roger's sound is quite different. You get the drums, and you get that familiar gravelly voice but it's still much different and much rawer than the Queen stuff. Also as you will find out Rog has this tendency to put effects on his voice a bit too much for my taste (note - not autotune or whatever...actual sound altering effects as in gettin ghis voice to sound like it's through a megaphone from down the street....but he dug it However his latest two solo songs don't have as much of that and seem to be a bit more organic. I have heard two sneak peaks (that few fans have heard) and one song was a very tongue in cheek track and the other was VERY Beatlesesque - angelic choir and piano...beautiful. I have a lot of expectations from RT's solo album musically. Saleswise? I don't expect much. But hopefully I'm wrong. I actually doubt he'll release it in the US. He hasn't released his last few albums here only in Europe and the UK. BUT I'll be importing for sure. White Queen (As It Began)Love the BBC version! I closed my eyes as I listened to Freddie's voice and was like floating from the beauty of FM's delivery and was jolted ;D when the drum came on unexpectedly at "it began" (BBC version). YES! I too had that same reaction the first time I heard it But it floored me then and still does. :D I'm never tired of hearing about it ! |
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 12, 2012 10:06:57 GMT -5
Some Day, One DayWritten by: Brian May Musicians: Brian May - lead and backing vocals, acoustic & electric guitars Freddie Mercury - backing vocals John Deacon - bass guitar Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals - First song on a Queen album with Brian on lead vocals. - The first really acoustic based Queen song as well (since Mad The Swine wasn't actually released til much later) - The band never performed this live nor did Brian on any solo tour. QUOTES - "It was born of my sadness that a relationship seemingly couldn't be perfect on Earth, and I was visualizing a place in eternity where things would be different...the acoustic 'tickling' and the overlaid smooth sustained electric guitars were intended to paint a picture of that world" - Brian May There are no alternate versions. PERSONAL NOTES - This is a track I've been hoping Brian would brush off for his acoustic mid-concert sessions with QPR and QAL. It would be nice to hear Brian just sing and strum this one and it would go perfectly. Ahhh...maybe next tour  - John's bassline fills should not go unremarked upon. He really has a fluid style that doesn't scream look at me...but when you listen you hear such subtle genius. He very rarely will just play the bass of the chords as some bassists do, he will often add a run in just the right place. Beautiful. Next up: Side White concludes with Roger's track... The Loser In The End
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Aug 12, 2012 19:10:48 GMT -5
Some Day, One Day
Of the Queen songs you have introduced so far it seems like BM is more attuned to his spirituality than the rest. Just basing it on his song lyrics and even some the melodies. He may not have the strongest voice compared to FM and RT but boy, he created such a complex guitar arrangement that sometimes he lets his guitar do the singing :D
So if he switches from acoustic to electric, does he use a different guitar for acoustic or does he pre-record the acoustic as part of the layers and just play his red guitar?
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 12, 2012 22:31:04 GMT -5
Brian was always the more...internal of the songwriters. He always wrote from the heart and soul. Rog was always the fun type rock and roller. Not much depth but a needed break from some of the melancholy. John was the ultimate pop writer. Freddie was the most theatrical and over the top...but Brian tended to be a bit more introverted. Just as complex as Freddie but definitely more introverted. Brian's voice always had a very wistful quality that works VERY well with smaller acoustic numbers. You can always FEEL what he's singing...and then yeah he let's rip with the Old Lady On the album it's all about layers. He would layer dozens and dozens of guitar parts on top of each other to get that orchestral feel. They would do the same with vocals. For example one reason they don't do the middle section of Bohemian Rhapsody is because it's like 80 vocal overdubs...something the three voices couldn't replicate live....no matter how talented |
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