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Queen (band)

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Queen were a British rock band of the 1970s and 1980s. Their biggest hit was Bohemian Rhapsody, first released in 1975, and promoted by one of the earliest successful music videos.

Members: Though Freddie Mercury's personality always dominated in the press, actually all four members of the group wrote huge hits: Freddie Mercury (We Are the Champions), Brian May (We Will Rock You), Roger Taylor (Radio Ga Ga) and John Deacon (Another One Bites the Dust).

In the 1970s Queen enforced a strict no-synthesizer policy, as evidenced by the famous "No Synthesizers were used on this Album" sleevenote included on their early LPs. The first album to feature a synthesizer was The Game.

They lost many fans with the Hot Space album, which used Funk and Dance music rather than the Glam or Hard Rock of earlier albums. Despite this, the song Under Pressure, co-written with David Bowie was an enormous world-wide hit.

They also embarked upon many successful tours, and were one of the first bands to play in stadiums, with memorable shows held at Wembley Stadium, in England, and Maracanã, for the Rock N' Rio festival, in Brazil.

Musical progression: Queen's musical style changed every few years, sometimes rather strangely. They started off with what may be called Medieval Metal moving in the direction of Glam Rock. The A Night at the Opera an A Day at the Races albums are perhaps best descibed as Opera Metal. News of the World and Jazz are fairly eclectic. Elements of Funk and classic rock and roll make up The Game. Hot Space is definitely Funk orientated, which was not received well either by fans or critics. With the The Works and A Kind of Magic Queen gave up experimenting, making sure the fans get what they wanted. With the The Miracle Queen returned to their Hard Rock roots. However, most Queen albums contain songs that do not fit into this description.

Legendary songs: We Will Rock You is a staple at sporting events around the world; audience members will stomp and clap along to the rhythm of the song and chant the chorus line of the song, in support of their team. We are the Champions is a favourite post-game song for obvious reasons.

Films: Queen contributed music directly to the movies Flash Gordon and Highlander (the original film directed by Russel Mulcahy). Several other films featured their songs, including Iron Eagle, Wayne's World, Small Soldiers and A Knight's Tale.

Discography

Albums

  • Queen (1973)
  • Queen II (1974)
  • Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
  • A Night at the Opera (1975)
  • A Day at the Races (1976)
  • News of the World (1977)
  • Jazz (1978)
  • Live Killers (1979)
  • The Game (1980)
  • Flash Gordon (1980)
  • Greatest Hits (1981)
  • Hot Space (1982)
  • The Works (1984)
  • A Kind of Magic (1986)
  • Live Magic (1986)
  • The Miracle (1989)
  • Queen at the Beeb (1989)
  • Innuendo (1991)
  • Greatest Hits II (1991)
  • Live at Wembley 86 (1992)
  • Made In Heaven (1995)
  • Queen Rocks (1997)
  • Greatest Hits III (1999)
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