Freddie Mercury & Queen

 

Queen - Somebody To Love (1976)

Today, November 24, 2024, it is 33 years ago that dear Freddie Mercury died from pneumonia and AIDS. Freddie Mercury and Queen have left a deep mark on my life. Not only musically, but also with art, culture, film and poetry. Their first three albums "Queen I, Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack" are full of art and poetry. Queen II is my absolute favourite album, it was also the first album I bought from them. I didn't even buy it for the music, I had never heard of Queen in 1974. I was a 6-year-old boy who had received some record vouchers for his birthday. The cover of Queen II especially attracted me at the time. It triggered something in me from a previous life, I discovered many years later. The pose that Queen has on that album resembles a Celtic cross. When I listened to the album, a world opened up for me and a lifelong love began between me and the music of Queen.

Freddie Mercury was a special man who had a dream and lived it. As he himself said, "I will not become famous, I will become a legend" and that is what he became. I have seen many concerts of them in different countries and they were always sublime. No artist could give such a show as Queen. Only the very greatest such as Bowie and Springsteen "who I have also seen myself" could come close.

Queen was and still is a special rock band with an enormously rich history. According to many, they are the fathers of the video clip and have made all kinds of music styles such as blues, jazz, speed rock, hard rock, rock, dance and pop. And as solo artists they also knew how to keep the quality high, as the solo works of Freddie, John, Roger and Brian testify.

Worldwide they have sold many millions of records and CDs and their concerts were always sold out. They also contributed to the film music of the cult films Flash Gordon and Highlander. And of course there was the iconic performance in Wembley Stadium for Live Aid in 1985 where Queen showed the world who they were and what a joy their music could bring.

For me that performance is equal to the coming of The Beatles in the 60’s. Something I did not experience myself, but I am an empathetic person so I can imagine it. That was also a bright spot in a dark time. And even after dear Freddie's death, Queen still managed to shine with Paul Rodgers as singer. I think the album "The Cosmos Rocks" is a fantastic album and has made Paul Rodgers even better when I listen to albums of him from after his time with Queen. I think the current singer Adam Lambert is a bit over the top. He is a great guy, good singer and performer, but for me he is a bit over the top. But I've become a little conservative in recent years.

Peter68 © ® 24-11-2024
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Jubileum - Anniversary

(For English scroll down)

Ik was het helemaal vergeten in alle hectiek van tegenwoordig, maar afgelopen 27 maart was het 50 jaar geleden dat ik als klein kereltje mijn eerste Queen lp kocht. Meteen was ik helemaal verslingert aan de muziek van Queen. Ik had voor mijn jaardag die op 22 maart was platenbonnen gekregen. Op woensdagmiddag was ik vrij van school dus ik met de tweede vrouw van mijn vader naar de lokale platenzaak. 

Het was een kleine winkel, maar er stond genoeg om uit te kiezen. Vreemd genoeg werd ik meteen naar de letter O, P en Q getrokken en daar zag ik het album Queen II staan. Ik had nog nooit gehoord van de groep Queen, maar toen ik de hoes zag moest en zou ik die kopen. De tweede vrouw van mijn vader stond nog te pushen voor een lp met sprookjes erop of kinderliedjes, maar ik wilde Queen met Queen II hebben. 

Na nog twee singletjes erbij hebben uitgezocht uit de dump bak om zo mijn platenbonnen geheel op te kunnen maken, kocht ik dus Queen II van Queen. Eenmaal thuis met mijn nieuwe aanwinsten moest ik wachten tot mijn vader thuis was, ik had namelijk geen platenspeler en moest dus de platenspeler van mijn vader gebruiken. Toen mijn vader thuis kwam keek die een beetje verbaasd naar mij en zijn tweede vrouw. Hij vond het vreemd dat ze had toegestaan dat ik dat had gekocht en niet een kinder elpee. Ze zei, ik heb het geprobeerd maar hij was onvermurwbaar en wilde hoe dan ook die lp hebben.

Mijn vader zei, prima en zetten Queen II voor mij aan op de platenspeler. Wat ik hoorde bracht mij in vervoering. Ik was zes jaar, sprak geen woord Engels maar de muziek raakte mij zo ongelofelijk diep. Mijn tranen in mijn ogen heb ik zitten luisteren. Mijn vader die normaal altijd klassieke muziek draaide had er moeite mee, dit was stevige rock muziek, maar dat interesseerde mij niet. Het was echt alsof er een nieuwe wereld voor mij open ging.

 

 

 In dat zelfde jaar ging ik voor het eerst werken in een familie bedrijf, ik was inmiddels in een kindertehuis geplaatst en kwam niet meer thuis bij mijn vader. Ik de zomervakantie verbleef ik bij de moeder van mijn overleden moeder, mijn oma. In die zomervakantie werkte ik hard en aan het einde van de vakantie kreeg ik 100 Nederlandse Guldens die ik meteen uitgaf aan een Philips platenspeler. O wat was ik blij, mijn eigen platenspeler en de gelegenheid te hebben de muziek te kunnen afspelen die ik leuk vond. Ik had van een nichtje van me ook een heleboel oude singles en een paar lp's gekregen, dus mijn romance met de muziek kon beginnen en gaat nog steeds voort.

Peter68 © ® 02-04-2024
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Anniversary

I had completely forgotten it in all the hustle and bustle of today, but last March 27 it was 50 years ago that I bought my first Queen LP as a little boy. I was immediately hooked on Queen's music. I had received record vouchers for my birthday, which was March 22. On Wednesday afternoon I was free from school so I went to the local record store with my father's second wife.

It was a small store, but there was plenty to choose from. Strangely enough, I was immediately drawn to the letters O, P and Q and there I saw the album Queen II. I had never heard of the group Queen, but when I saw the cover I had to buy it. My father's second wife was still pushing for an LP with fairy tales or children's songs, but I wanted Queen with Queen II.

After picking out two more singles from the dump bin to completely use up my record vouchers, I bought Queen II from Queen. Once home with my new acquisitions I had to wait until my father was home, because I didn't have a record player so I had to use my father's record player. When my father came home, he looked a little surprised at me and his second wife. He thought it was strange that she had allowed me to buy that and not a children's LP. She said, I tried but he was adamant and wanted the LP no matter what.

My dad said, fine and put Queen II on the record player for me. What I heard thrilled me. I was six years old, didn't speak a word of English, but the music touched me so incredibly deeply. I had tears in my eyes listening. My father, who normally always played classical music, had difficulty with it, this was heavy rock music, but that did not interest me. It really was like a new world opened up for me.

That same year I started working in a family business for the first time, I had now been placed in a children's home and no longer came home to my father. During the summer holidays I stayed with the mother of my deceased mother, my grandmother. During that summer holiday I worked hard and at the end of the holiday I received 100 Dutch Guilders which I immediately spent on a Philips record player. Oh how happy I was to have my own record player and the opportunity to play the music I liked. My niece also gave me a bunch of old singles and a few LPs, so my romance with music could begin and is still going on.

Peter68 © ® 04/02/2024
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Queen - White Queen (A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975)

I have been a fan of Queen since 1974. If someone asked me, what do you think is the most beautiful song ever made by Queen? I would answer, White Queen (As It Began) in the live performance from 1975. Why you might wonder? The song was written by guitarist Brain May in 1968, so even before Queen existed. Brian May then played with drummer Roger Taylor and singer Tim Staffell in the band Smile. 

White Queen was never recorded by Smile but was saved and ended up in 1974 on Queen's second album, Queen II. It fitted perfectly on that album, partly because Freddie Mercury had written the song March of the Black Queen. Queen II was the first album I ever bought from Queen. I was a child and had no idea who or what Queen was but the album cover attracted me so much. When I played the LP for the first time I was immediately sold and was therefore also a Queen fan. 

But back to the why? White Queen is a song that touches you very deeply, deep in your soul. Roger's drums, John's bass guitar, Freddie's piano and voice and the almost dolphin or whale-like sound of Brian's guitar go through marrow and bone and touch every cell in your body. It is like magic how this song can penetrate you so deeply. Every time I play this song, tears run down my cheeks. If you look at the lyrics then it is quite a sad song but somehow this song lifts me spiritual to an unprecedented height.

 

Queen - White Queen (As It Begins)

Peter68 © ® 03-02-2020

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