Until we fucking well die
April 14, 2012 11:24 PM Subscribe
Queen's finest moment may have been their 1986 concert at Wembley Arena, which you can now see (at very high quality) online.
Queen's finest moment was the Flash Gordon soundtrack.
posted by adamdschneider at 11:54 PM on April 14, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by adamdschneider at 11:54 PM on April 14, 2012 [8 favorites]
Montreal 1981 is way better. Better period for the band, better setlist, and lovingly and beautifully remastered for Blu-ray.
posted by anazgnos at 12:09 AM on April 15, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by anazgnos at 12:09 AM on April 15, 2012 [10 favorites]
Freddie Mercury for Galactic President.
posted by joe lisboa at 12:13 AM on April 15, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by joe lisboa at 12:13 AM on April 15, 2012 [6 favorites]
as the tile alludes to - around half an hour in, freddy mercury was talking abuot rumors that the band were breaking up. he said "we're going to stay together until we fucking well die, i'm sure of it." if the citation in wikipedia is correct, he received his diagnosis about 4 months later.
as to the quality - 360p is pretty dang good for something recording in 86 and it sounds better than a lot of the live queen stuff you can find on youtube.
posted by nadawi at 12:14 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
as to the quality - 360p is pretty dang good for something recording in 86 and it sounds better than a lot of the live queen stuff you can find on youtube.
posted by nadawi at 12:14 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
When I was eight I told my parents I wanted to grow up to be Prince and/or Freddie Mercury. To their credit, they did not immediately put me in counseling, but sprang for piano lessons instead.
Thanks, BoringPostcards.
posted by joe lisboa at 12:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [7 favorites]
Thanks, BoringPostcards.
posted by joe lisboa at 12:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [7 favorites]
As long as we're at it:
Queen - Live in Budapest, 1986
posted by louche mustachio at 12:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Queen - Live in Budapest, 1986
posted by louche mustachio at 12:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
What Nadawi doesn't mention is that the song that follows the comment about staying together is "Who Wants To Live Forever", which was new at that time, Highlander being out three months and the "A Kind of Magic" album that it was released on out about a month at the time of the concert.
Which makes that comment even more poignant.
And we can have forever...
posted by mephron at 12:28 AM on April 15, 2012
Which makes that comment even more poignant.
And we can have forever...
posted by mephron at 12:28 AM on April 15, 2012
It would appear that the same user who put up the Budapest concert (which RIPS oh my god) Wembley as well.
Slightly higher quality, but channel marked in the corner. Choose your own adventure.
Also, I love Queen so much. Can I just say that? I do.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:33 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Slightly higher quality, but channel marked in the corner. Choose your own adventure.
Also, I love Queen so much. Can I just say that? I do.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:33 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
For the record, when I said the video was "high quality" I meant it looked and sounded good. Sorry if I got anyone all twitterpated with my use of the word "quality."
posted by BoringPostcards at 12:34 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by BoringPostcards at 12:34 AM on April 15, 2012
It was at Wembley Stadium, not Arena.
posted by GeorgeBickham at 12:38 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by GeorgeBickham at 12:38 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Live At The Bowl, 1982
Japan, 1982
(I'll stop now.)
posted by louche mustachio at 12:40 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Japan, 1982
(I'll stop now.)
posted by louche mustachio at 12:40 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the post, BP!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:44 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:44 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have no restraint
Live at The Rainbow, 1974 (HQ), young rock gods, so young.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:57 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Live at The Rainbow, 1974 (HQ), young rock gods, so young.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:57 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Just rolling around in a big pile of Queen.
posted by louche mustachio at 1:06 AM on April 15, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by louche mustachio at 1:06 AM on April 15, 2012 [6 favorites]
When they stole the show at Live 8? Come on people. That's one of the finest live performances ever captured on tape.
Radio Ga Ga is just one of those songs that's played better live than the studio version. Seeing May with the old Red Special as well.
posted by Talez at 1:10 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Radio Ga Ga is just one of those songs that's played better live than the studio version. Seeing May with the old Red Special as well.
posted by Talez at 1:10 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Thread ... restoring ... faith in humanity ... must ... resist.
posted by joe lisboa at 1:13 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by joe lisboa at 1:13 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
I prefer my Queen drunkenly sung from the back of a police cruiser
posted by shakespearicles at 1:19 AM on April 15, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by shakespearicles at 1:19 AM on April 15, 2012 [9 favorites]
Give in, Joe.
Give in to the power of Queen.
We will rock you. Go slightly mad. Let the hammer fall, rush headlong, join the Princes of the Universe, and remember that love's such an old fashioned word and love dares you.
posted by mephron at 1:21 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Give in to the power of Queen.
We will rock you. Go slightly mad. Let the hammer fall, rush headlong, join the Princes of the Universe, and remember that love's such an old fashioned word and love dares you.
posted by mephron at 1:21 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Joe Lisboa! No - we will not let you go - ( let him go )
posted by hal9k at 1:30 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by hal9k at 1:30 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Queen's finest moment was the Flash Gordon soundtrack.
I'm with louche mustachio. Queen's finest moments (and there were a bunch) came early -- their first three albums where they were exploring the hell out of stuff, finding common ground between the likes of Led Zeppelin and old Hollywood musicals, and battling ogres.
posted by philip-random at 1:38 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm with louche mustachio. Queen's finest moments (and there were a bunch) came early -- their first three albums where they were exploring the hell out of stuff, finding common ground between the likes of Led Zeppelin and old Hollywood musicals, and battling ogres.
posted by philip-random at 1:38 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
I prefer my Queen drunkenly sung from the back of a police cruiser
Just give me a minute to take off my pants and run outside, and I can probably indulge you.
I'm with louche mustachio.
Oh, no, you're with adamdschneider. If you were with me you would be pantslessly singing "Fat Bottomed Girls" at the top of your lungs in the rain.
Also, you would have scotch.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:04 AM on April 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
Just give me a minute to take off my pants and run outside, and I can probably indulge you.
I'm with louche mustachio.
Oh, no, you're with adamdschneider. If you were with me you would be pantslessly singing "Fat Bottomed Girls" at the top of your lungs in the rain.
Also, you would have scotch.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:04 AM on April 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
Freddie Mercury was an amazing singer, performer, and general human being. A primary school teacher taught us the word 'greatness' by associating with Freddie Mercury… true then, true now.
posted by nickrussell at 2:28 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by nickrussell at 2:28 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Yes! Queen!
posted by joost de vries at 2:55 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by joost de vries at 2:55 AM on April 15, 2012
This whole post and thread. Fuck & Yes.
posted by KingEdRa at 4:40 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by KingEdRa at 4:40 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
louche moustachio, why do you hate our freedoms our free time?
posted by ersatz at 5:32 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by ersatz at 5:32 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
And here is their Live Aid stint in its entirety, which some critics think is not only Queen's finest moment, but is the best live gig by any rock band ever.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:36 AM on April 15, 2012 [12 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:36 AM on April 15, 2012 [12 favorites]
For the record, when I said the video was "high quality" I meant it looked and sounded good. Sorry if I got anyone all twitterpated with my use of the word "quality."
posted by BoringPostcards at 12:34 AM on April 15 [+] [!]
What? You're offering me the chance to watch an awesome video (for free) from more than a quarter century ago, and all I have to do is click a button, and wait a few seconds?
And it's not shot in 4K with Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround?
For shame! Your video is bad, and you should feel bad.
posted by kcds at 6:02 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by BoringPostcards at 12:34 AM on April 15 [+] [!]
What? You're offering me the chance to watch an awesome video (for free) from more than a quarter century ago, and all I have to do is click a button, and wait a few seconds?
And it's not shot in 4K with Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround?
For shame! Your video is bad, and you should feel bad.
posted by kcds at 6:02 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
When I was a young Splunge the release of a new Queen album was an Event. A select group would get together after school and listen to it, over and over. Of course there were sacramental herbs involved. On that day, all was well. We were in the thrall of Queen. Life was good.
.
posted by Splunge at 6:07 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
.
posted by Splunge at 6:07 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
I would love to roll with you, louche mustachio. I have scotch, and pants are overrated.
posted by wintermind at 6:14 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by wintermind at 6:14 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Ladies and Gentlemen, a toast: to Queen!
posted by Talkie Toaster at 6:19 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Talkie Toaster at 6:19 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
♕
posted by flabdablet at 6:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 6:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]
Note that this is at (the old, now demolished and rebuilt) Wembley Stadium, and not Wembley Arena as stated.
Still - Queen at the height of their powers, timeless.
posted by metaxa at 7:19 AM on April 15, 2012
Still - Queen at the height of their powers, timeless.
posted by metaxa at 7:19 AM on April 15, 2012
And here is their Live Aid stint in its entirety, which some critics think is not only Queen's finest moment, but is the best live gig by any rock band ever.
I'll have to watch it with an older set of eyes.
My most vivid memory of the day was the entire crowd doing the overhead handclap thing during "Radio Gaga" and thinking "I had no idea those guys were so popular over there."
posted by Trurl at 7:42 AM on April 15, 2012
I'll have to watch it with an older set of eyes.
My most vivid memory of the day was the entire crowd doing the overhead handclap thing during "Radio Gaga" and thinking "I had no idea those guys were so popular over there."
posted by Trurl at 7:42 AM on April 15, 2012
The power of Freddie is compelling me. (Great post and comments, thanks.)
posted by immlass at 7:46 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by immlass at 7:46 AM on April 15, 2012
Love the live Queen but considering the era those were some short shows. The Dead, the Who, Zep, and Bruce would have been at the halfway mark at the end of some of these.
posted by Ber at 7:53 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by Ber at 7:53 AM on April 15, 2012
I used to think I hated Queen. Then I realized that what I hated were the people I went to school with (in, oh, 7th and 8th grade) who liked "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" so much. It took me a long time to un-entangle my judgement in pop music from this kind of thing.
posted by thelonius at 8:36 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 8:36 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
No snark intended, but why are in we the middle of a Queen revival at the moment? They haven't been as popular as they are now in 20 years. What is driving this nostalgia?
posted by Keith Talent at 8:44 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by Keith Talent at 8:44 AM on April 15, 2012
The most amazing thing about Queen IMHO is that they got away with singing their 'We are the Champions of the World' song at UK Live Aid.
Just think about it for a moment. Jeez.....
posted by Monkeymoo at 9:07 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Just think about it for a moment. Jeez.....
posted by Monkeymoo at 9:07 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure I've noticed a Queen revival, but it would make sense. The indie rock taboo against singing in a clear strong voice seems to finally have been lifted. I mean, nobody in the indie rock world right now actually sounds like Freddy Mercury, but we're at least in a place where people can appreciate his talent instead of turning up their noses at it because it's "plastic" and "insincere" and "inauthentic."
For a while everyone was ironically rediscovering Journey, and now we've got a million bands on the radio that sound vaguely like Peter Gabriel, and Queen seems like a reasonable next step. Give the kids a few more years and they'll overdo it again and decide that vocal power is Out and the only way to express true sincerity is by sounding like Curt Cobain with loose dentures and a collapsed lung. And when they do, I'll chase the little fucks back off my lawn again. But for the moment, they're welcome to stick around.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:55 AM on April 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
For a while everyone was ironically rediscovering Journey, and now we've got a million bands on the radio that sound vaguely like Peter Gabriel, and Queen seems like a reasonable next step. Give the kids a few more years and they'll overdo it again and decide that vocal power is Out and the only way to express true sincerity is by sounding like Curt Cobain with loose dentures and a collapsed lung. And when they do, I'll chase the little fucks back off my lawn again. But for the moment, they're welcome to stick around.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:55 AM on April 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
If you think this is a Queen revival, you probably missed the Wayne's World era.
posted by klanawa at 10:18 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by klanawa at 10:18 AM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
I was at a party recently whose main focus was a drunken group watching of the Wembley show and it was glorious, the most fun I've had at a party in years. My only tiny beef with the show is that "Under Pressure" without Bowie is like a starship without its hyperdrive.
Also, as far as
Queen's finest moment was the Flash Gordon soundtrack.
goes, I actually think the finest moment in Queen/Flash Gordon comes in Public Enemy's "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic," when a sample from Flash gets cut up to sound like the end of the fucking world.
posted by COBRA! at 10:24 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also, as far as
Queen's finest moment was the Flash Gordon soundtrack.
goes, I actually think the finest moment in Queen/Flash Gordon comes in Public Enemy's "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic," when a sample from Flash gets cut up to sound like the end of the fucking world.
posted by COBRA! at 10:24 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
I put the Queen revival as dating from the moment I bought my wife all the Queen tracks available for download in Rock Band 3.
posted by mwhybark at 10:28 AM on April 15, 2012
posted by mwhybark at 10:28 AM on April 15, 2012
Queen's finest moment? When I turned round and saw my bride coming down the aisle.
Our grandparents thought "ooh the wedding march".
Our parents, aunts and uncles thought "ooh the wedding march on electric guitars".
Our friends went "fuck me, that's Brian May from the Flash Gordon soundtrack."
I just wish Vikki had let me change the vows to say "of the hour, yes".
posted by ewan at 10:34 AM on April 15, 2012 [20 favorites]
Our grandparents thought "ooh the wedding march".
Our parents, aunts and uncles thought "ooh the wedding march on electric guitars".
Our friends went "fuck me, that's Brian May from the Flash Gordon soundtrack."
I just wish Vikki had let me change the vows to say "of the hour, yes".
posted by ewan at 10:34 AM on April 15, 2012 [20 favorites]
I was at both the gig in the post and a year earlier at Live Aid. The 86 gig was great but the Live Aid set was just astonishing. I wasn't even a fan, just a 16 year old glammy goth boy there to see Bowie on my own cos no one else I knew would pay the crazy 25 quid for that day out, but Queen just destroyed it. Man, Freddie was a loveable Zanzibarian!
posted by merocet at 10:38 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by merocet at 10:38 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Give the kids a few more years and they'll overdo it again and decide that vocal power is Out and the only way to express true sincerity is by sounding like Curt Cobain with loose dentures and a collapsed lung.
For me, Nirvana (Mr. Cobain in particular) caused the initial Queen revival. Nevermind had just broken wide open ... and I loved it. But as is typical with great albums that become hugely popular, it was getting played to death. All that pile-driving, unrelenting for-fuckin-real-ness was actually starting to hurt. And then Freddie Mercury died and suddenly all these (so-called) cool people were pulling out their old Queen albums (layers deep in dust) and Holy Shit! they weren't just nostalgically good, they had something that Nirvana and their like lacked. A sense of fun, a sense of pop, a sense of glorious uncontainable abandon. And they didn't scare small children.
And then, less than three years later, Mr Cobain was dead by his own hand and suddenly all that for-fuckin-real-ness wasn't just painful anymore, it was toxic. Relax, I decided, keep yourself alive, leave it in the lap of the gods.
posted by philip-random at 11:08 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
For me, Nirvana (Mr. Cobain in particular) caused the initial Queen revival. Nevermind had just broken wide open ... and I loved it. But as is typical with great albums that become hugely popular, it was getting played to death. All that pile-driving, unrelenting for-fuckin-real-ness was actually starting to hurt. And then Freddie Mercury died and suddenly all these (so-called) cool people were pulling out their old Queen albums (layers deep in dust) and Holy Shit! they weren't just nostalgically good, they had something that Nirvana and their like lacked. A sense of fun, a sense of pop, a sense of glorious uncontainable abandon. And they didn't scare small children.
And then, less than three years later, Mr Cobain was dead by his own hand and suddenly all that for-fuckin-real-ness wasn't just painful anymore, it was toxic. Relax, I decided, keep yourself alive, leave it in the lap of the gods.
posted by philip-random at 11:08 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
I just wish Vikki had let me change the vows to say "of the hour, yes".
Or she could have said "Ewan, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the earth."
posted by Summer at 11:19 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Or she could have said "Ewan, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the earth."
posted by Summer at 11:19 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
i see a lot of love for queen and freddy mercury on the gay teen boy tumblrs. i also see them a lot on the 90s nostalgia teen boy and girl tumblrs - i'm guessing that is somehow related to waynes world. as for the indie rock kid claims upthread - i hung out with a lot of proto-hipsters in the early 2000s - they loved queen, loved journey, loved guns n roses, loved the who. basically - along with all the lofi and the mumbling and the heavy guitar feedback (also the alt country, this was texas after all) - they loved big songs that reminded them of the backs of station wagons in the summer and the first time they felt someone up. they loved songs that were fun to sing drunk. i don't think this is a new thing. i also think that people generally pigeon hole groups much more than they really are. ironic or not, the indie rock/hipster kids love music and in my experience, they don't keep to a specific genre.
speaking of waynes world/queen connection - i was in the 4th or 5th grade when that happened - i was already "the weird girl" at school. i didn't listen to what the other kids listened to. even in northwest arkansas, i liked country too much for my peers to find me cool (and simon and garfunkle). then i heard bohemian rhapsody and i became obsessed. i learned all the words. i'd sit up in the metal rocket on the playground and just sing the whole thing, from beginning to end, with all the parts. it didn't improve my reputation but i didn't care. it was an awesome month or so and pretty directly led to me getting me into baroque and operas and band. it laid the ground work for me getting into heavy metal and goth rock later.
posted by nadawi at 11:49 AM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]
speaking of waynes world/queen connection - i was in the 4th or 5th grade when that happened - i was already "the weird girl" at school. i didn't listen to what the other kids listened to. even in northwest arkansas, i liked country too much for my peers to find me cool (and simon and garfunkle). then i heard bohemian rhapsody and i became obsessed. i learned all the words. i'd sit up in the metal rocket on the playground and just sing the whole thing, from beginning to end, with all the parts. it didn't improve my reputation but i didn't care. it was an awesome month or so and pretty directly led to me getting me into baroque and operas and band. it laid the ground work for me getting into heavy metal and goth rock later.
posted by nadawi at 11:49 AM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]
i also see them a lot on the 90s nostalgia teen boy and girl tumblrs
If they're just old enough, perhaps their first Queen experience might be the Freddy Mercury memorial concert of '92 which was brilliant and even Guns 'N Roses was great at that. I think I got the tape I made of that from the telly still somewhere in my parents' attic.
BBC Four did an evening of Queen a few weeks ago (They do a lot of thematic music nights on Fridays) and it made me dig out my old Queen albums and relisten to them again for the first time in a couple of years just to release how brilliant they were and how good they were for how long.
Even when Freddie Mercury was obviously dying the songs were still good and all of their singles just rocked, not a bad one in the bunch. Even such a simple song as We Will Rock You, the way Brian May's guitar starts up at the end, that menace that then bursts out at the very end, is brilliant.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:52 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
If they're just old enough, perhaps their first Queen experience might be the Freddy Mercury memorial concert of '92 which was brilliant and even Guns 'N Roses was great at that. I think I got the tape I made of that from the telly still somewhere in my parents' attic.
BBC Four did an evening of Queen a few weeks ago (They do a lot of thematic music nights on Fridays) and it made me dig out my old Queen albums and relisten to them again for the first time in a couple of years just to release how brilliant they were and how good they were for how long.
Even when Freddie Mercury was obviously dying the songs were still good and all of their singles just rocked, not a bad one in the bunch. Even such a simple song as We Will Rock You, the way Brian May's guitar starts up at the end, that menace that then bursts out at the very end, is brilliant.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:52 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Of all of the obsessive YouTube marathons I've done over the years, the one that's brought the most joy and caused me to stay up the latest are blitzes through the live Queen clips. Many mornings I've been tired at work, but still I glad that "just ONE more clip" mentality lead me to something like a a great performance of 39. And I'm with you BoPo, I think this was probably their finest moment.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 2:04 PM on April 15, 2012
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 2:04 PM on April 15, 2012
The thing about Queen, n my opinion, is that they were always on. They weren't just awesome. They were always awesome.
And, man, no one writes a bridge like them.
posted by 4ster at 2:17 PM on April 15, 2012
And, man, no one writes a bridge like them.
posted by 4ster at 2:17 PM on April 15, 2012
At LiveAid Queen took the stage right at prime time in the UK and late enough to catch the bulk of viewers in the USA too. They would have got nigh on 2 billion viewers in 60 countries to listen to 6 of their biggest hits in their 20 minute set. Their set was technically and musically brilliant - but it still looks to me more like an exercise in egotistic intra-band rivalry and marketing than it does about getting people to give cash to feed Ethiopians.
posted by rongorongo at 4:02 PM on April 15, 2012
posted by rongorongo at 4:02 PM on April 15, 2012
fact: Queen were one of the great bands of theirs or any era.
open to debate: the ethics of Queen's politics.
posted by philip-random at 4:15 PM on April 15, 2012
open to debate: the ethics of Queen's politics.
posted by philip-random at 4:15 PM on April 15, 2012
The Flash Gordon theme was on Queen's setlist during the Montreal '81 concert, but due to rights issues it's not on the Blu Ray :-(
posted by thecjm at 4:32 PM on April 15, 2012
posted by thecjm at 4:32 PM on April 15, 2012
I just want everyone to know, I have every single snippet of dialogue from the Flash Gordon movie soundtrack memorized. All of it.
'Klytus, I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today?'
'An obscure body in the S-K system, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet...Euhhrth.'
'How peaceful it looks.'
[ cool, evil-sounding electronic whine ]
[ stock footage of natural disasters. Fire, volcanic eruptions, etc. ]
[ evil Ming laughter ]
[ evil Klytus laughter ]
'Most effective, Your Majesty! Will you destroy this, eh, Euhrth?'
'Later. I like to play with things awhile...Before annihilation.'
[ swelling drum beat ]
[ LIGHTNING STRIKES! ]
FLASH! AAA-AAHH!!!
...
The Flash Gordon soundtrack was the first album I ever bought, for myself, with my own money. It was possibly the best seven dollars I ever spent.
posted by KHAAAN! at 5:22 PM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
'Klytus, I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today?'
'An obscure body in the S-K system, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet...Euhhrth.'
'How peaceful it looks.'
[ cool, evil-sounding electronic whine ]
[ stock footage of natural disasters. Fire, volcanic eruptions, etc. ]
[ evil Ming laughter ]
[ evil Klytus laughter ]
'Most effective, Your Majesty! Will you destroy this, eh, Euhrth?'
'Later. I like to play with things awhile...Before annihilation.'
[ swelling drum beat ]
[ LIGHTNING STRIKES! ]
FLASH! AAA-AAHH!!!
...
The Flash Gordon soundtrack was the first album I ever bought, for myself, with my own money. It was possibly the best seven dollars I ever spent.
posted by KHAAAN! at 5:22 PM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
which some critics think is not only Queen's finest moment, but is the best live gig by any rock band ever.
If only there were cameras at Litherland Town Hall on Dec 27 1960.
posted by holdkris99 at 5:38 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
If only there were cameras at Litherland Town Hall on Dec 27 1960.
posted by holdkris99 at 5:38 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
but it still looks to me more like an exercise in egotistic intra-band rivalry and marketing than it does about getting people to give cash to feed Ethiopians.
I see only genius in the idea of harnessing the raw power of all that egoism to raise money for hungry people.
posted by straight at 6:05 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
I see only genius in the idea of harnessing the raw power of all that egoism to raise money for hungry people.
posted by straight at 6:05 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
No snark intended, but why are in we the middle of a Queen revival at the moment?
Lots of progress and victories in the past few years for gay-rights activists. Hard to do better than Queen as a soundtrack for that.
Maybe lots of people are finally getting to the place where they can love them in all their queer glory rather than trying to ignore it or enjoy them in spite of it.
posted by straight at 6:11 PM on April 15, 2012
Lots of progress and victories in the past few years for gay-rights activists. Hard to do better than Queen as a soundtrack for that.
Maybe lots of people are finally getting to the place where they can love them in all their queer glory rather than trying to ignore it or enjoy them in spite of it.
posted by straight at 6:11 PM on April 15, 2012
And let's give it up for Taylor and Deacon. Mercury and May would have only been the most awesome guitar/piano/vocal duo ever if not for Taylor and Deacon. All four of them, however, were Queen.
posted by Cookiebastard at 6:27 PM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 6:27 PM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Well, i can FINALLY retire my vcr now.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 7:37 PM on April 15, 2012
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 7:37 PM on April 15, 2012
And I will fully admit to never giving one lick of a shit about Queen aside from that funny/weird song from wayne's world. And also the knowledge that "We Will Rock You" was sung by a man that most jocks would have a very hard time, shall we say, relating to. But then, one day....
Queens 2004:
There I was already thirty, a serious lover of certain bands, goer of many a concert, and owner of a five digit mp3 collection, when I was bored and decided to pop my girlfriends Queen Live at Wembley (the very show from this post) in the VCR, one night when she was tending bar in the city. I was mostly likely stoned and just looking for some background music to Dawn of War, maybe hoping for some 80's hilarity. 1.75 hours later I knew who where the greatest rock band of all time. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was like Gandalf uncovering information of great portent in the libraries of Minas Tirith. "My god!"
A few years later I forced my mom to watch it and she felt the same way. And she was just boggled that she managed to not give much notice about this band that was at their best when she was in her twenties and early thirties.
Queen Rules
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 8:00 PM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]
Queens 2004:
There I was already thirty, a serious lover of certain bands, goer of many a concert, and owner of a five digit mp3 collection, when I was bored and decided to pop my girlfriends Queen Live at Wembley (the very show from this post) in the VCR, one night when she was tending bar in the city. I was mostly likely stoned and just looking for some background music to Dawn of War, maybe hoping for some 80's hilarity. 1.75 hours later I knew who where the greatest rock band of all time. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was like Gandalf uncovering information of great portent in the libraries of Minas Tirith. "My god!"
A few years later I forced my mom to watch it and she felt the same way. And she was just boggled that she managed to not give much notice about this band that was at their best when she was in her twenties and early thirties.
Queen Rules
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 8:00 PM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]
Of all of the obsessive YouTube marathons I've done over the years, the one that's brought the most joy and caused me to stay up the latest are blitzes through the live Queen clips.
So I'm a couple beers into one such marathon right now, bought on by this thread, and, somehow, I'd never seen THIS before.
What shabbiness passed for happiness before this moment.
posted by qnarf at 8:52 PM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
So I'm a couple beers into one such marathon right now, bought on by this thread, and, somehow, I'd never seen THIS before.
What shabbiness passed for happiness before this moment.
posted by qnarf at 8:52 PM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Queen had many finest moments. They were like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.
(Except the Rolling Stones could have quit or stopped or something so that we could be authentically nostalgic about 'em.)
posted by bukvich at 9:43 PM on April 15, 2012
(Except the Rolling Stones could have quit or stopped or something so that we could be authentically nostalgic about 'em.)
posted by bukvich at 9:43 PM on April 15, 2012
I distinctly remember watching Queen's Live Aid performance - it was a revelation.
I was a teen whose only interest was the alternative/new wave bands who were playing. I disliked metal and rock bands in general, Queen in particular (thought they were past their prime), and... well, okay, Bohemian Rhapsody was a good song. And huh, I guess Freddie Mercury can actually sing (that wasn't true for a lot of 80s bands playing live)... wait, wow - Freddie Mercury can *really* sing and belt it out like an opera singer. And instantly he had the entire stadium wrapped around his finger - clapping in time, answering his calls, singing along, and absolutely loving every moment of it.
It's also very important to remember the audience wasn't there just for them, or even mostly for them, and in some cases *despite* them. And it wasn't just that stadium - his performance was being broadcast around the world to one of the largest audiences ever. That's as big as it gets and Freddie Mercury completely and perfectly owned the moment. Freddie's stage presence was absolute and Queen blew every other act away. As far as I was concerned, Freddie Mercury was at that moment the living breathing personification of a rock god.
I had never seen anything quite like it before - or since. And it still gives me chills.
posted by Davenhill at 11:44 PM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
I was a teen whose only interest was the alternative/new wave bands who were playing. I disliked metal and rock bands in general, Queen in particular (thought they were past their prime), and... well, okay, Bohemian Rhapsody was a good song. And huh, I guess Freddie Mercury can actually sing (that wasn't true for a lot of 80s bands playing live)... wait, wow - Freddie Mercury can *really* sing and belt it out like an opera singer. And instantly he had the entire stadium wrapped around his finger - clapping in time, answering his calls, singing along, and absolutely loving every moment of it.
It's also very important to remember the audience wasn't there just for them, or even mostly for them, and in some cases *despite* them. And it wasn't just that stadium - his performance was being broadcast around the world to one of the largest audiences ever. That's as big as it gets and Freddie Mercury completely and perfectly owned the moment. Freddie's stage presence was absolute and Queen blew every other act away. As far as I was concerned, Freddie Mercury was at that moment the living breathing personification of a rock god.
I had never seen anything quite like it before - or since. And it still gives me chills.
posted by Davenhill at 11:44 PM on April 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Here's an HD version of the Live Aid performance, along with a retrospective on the performance which help puts it into better context, e.g. there was controversy about them performing for Live Aid because they had performed in South Africa, ignoring efforts to boycott the apartheid regime.
posted by Davenhill at 12:28 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Davenhill at 12:28 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Queen were the first band I ever loved, though I can only listen to the first three or or four albums. But they're enough. And can I just express my love for John Deacon? not only a great bassist and songwriter, but also the only member of the band posessed of enough dignity to knock it all on the head when Freddie died and quietly retire.
posted by peterkins at 1:42 AM on April 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by peterkins at 1:42 AM on April 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
OMG I am totally sending out war rocket Ajax watching this video.
posted by Sutekh at 3:38 AM on April 16, 2012
posted by Sutekh at 3:38 AM on April 16, 2012
Here's an interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor about why the band chose to play Sun City in South Africa during the Apartheid regime in defiance of a virtually unanimous worldwide boycott by international musicians.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgulhQSCraU
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 4:05 AM on April 16, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgulhQSCraU
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 4:05 AM on April 16, 2012
Who played the backing keyboards at the Wembley gig?
posted by flabdablet at 6:02 AM on April 16, 2012
posted by flabdablet at 6:02 AM on April 16, 2012
Yeah, John Deacon. I love him so. I had a biography of Queen when I was about 11 years old that I read over and over (lost for many years now, unfortunately) and John was always my favourite, although who could resist the charms of Freddie. I never saw his overbite. I still think he's the most handsome man I've ever seen. As for the music, there's a lot that I still love very much indeed. And I've passed it on to the next generation.
posted by h00py at 8:12 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by h00py at 8:12 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Today I learned Brian May's guitar has its own wikipedia page.
posted by bukvich at 9:05 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bukvich at 9:05 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Like several others here I never knew much about Queen beyond "We Will Rock You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" growing up in the 1970s and '80s. I didn't see Live Aid live, as it were, but an uncle gave me a VHS tape he had made. Ater the first time all the way through I pretty much only watched the Queen performance again, and I watched that many many times. And similarly to Stonestock Relentless, my mother was wandering through the room while I was watching one time and she stopped to look over my shoulder for a moment and became very quiet. After a minute she asked "Who is THAT?" and was unable to walk away until after their segment was over. Awesome in the truest sense of the word.
posted by zoinks at 9:10 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by zoinks at 9:10 AM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
COBRA!: "
My only tiny beef with the show is that "Under Pressure" without Bowie is like a starship without its hyperdrive."
I believe Starship without its hyperdrive is Airplane.
posted by Splunge at 12:29 PM on April 16, 2012 [6 favorites]
My only tiny beef with the show is that "Under Pressure" without Bowie is like a starship without its hyperdrive."
I believe Starship without its hyperdrive is Airplane.
posted by Splunge at 12:29 PM on April 16, 2012 [6 favorites]
In 1992, I was eleven, and Wayne's World had just come out. Of course, this meant that Bohemian Rhapsody was all over the airwaves, and having absolutely no idea who Queen was besides We Will Rock You and this song, decided to go to Camelot Music at the mall and buy one of their albums so I could have these two songs. The selection, to be sure, was picked over.....except for a cassette of Live at Wembley. I bought it because it had the two songs I wanted.....but I listened to that tape so much that I swear I almost wore it out. To this day, I can sing along with every song in order, recite every aside that Freddie speaks to the audience, and it brings back memories of sitting out in the grass with my candy-pink tape player belting at the top of my lungs. It was definitely the best musical education I ever got that year. *grins*
The 59 dislikes on this Youtube video should be taken outside and shot for their blasphemy.
posted by KoPi_42 at 12:56 PM on April 16, 2012
The 59 dislikes on this Youtube video should be taken outside and shot for their blasphemy.
posted by KoPi_42 at 12:56 PM on April 16, 2012
Queen's finest moment? When I turned round and saw my bride coming down the aisle.
I wish I could've gotten away with that but my wedding was very traditional in a big old Catholic church and there was just no way. Ode to Joy had to be approved by the priest because it wasn't on "the list" and it was just played straight on a piano.
But the reception featured several Queen songs at my request, both the common and (for most people there) the obscure but the best part was when In the Lap of the Gods Revisited came on and most people looked a bit confused while me and a few buddies rocked the too-high-for-us lyrics. Then I looked over and my middle-aged pastor was singing every last word loudly and a little bit Freddie-like. It was eye opening even though I already knew he was a cool guy. Later he asked me why he never knew how much of a Queen fan I was - we could have been talking about them for years.
And their best live performance is We Will Rock You: Live in Concert from 1981 in Montreal because I wore out 3 very low quality SLP mono VHS copies (best my local store could get at the time) in the mid 80s by watching it nearly every day for a few years. I haven't watched it now in at least 10 years, but I can tell you exactly when Freddie misses a measure on the piano because he grabs a drink of beer, or when his shirt comes off, or when Brian is going to look angry with the Red Special for some reason for a minute, or on and on and on.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 12:57 PM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
I wish I could've gotten away with that but my wedding was very traditional in a big old Catholic church and there was just no way. Ode to Joy had to be approved by the priest because it wasn't on "the list" and it was just played straight on a piano.
But the reception featured several Queen songs at my request, both the common and (for most people there) the obscure but the best part was when In the Lap of the Gods Revisited came on and most people looked a bit confused while me and a few buddies rocked the too-high-for-us lyrics. Then I looked over and my middle-aged pastor was singing every last word loudly and a little bit Freddie-like. It was eye opening even though I already knew he was a cool guy. Later he asked me why he never knew how much of a Queen fan I was - we could have been talking about them for years.
And their best live performance is We Will Rock You: Live in Concert from 1981 in Montreal because I wore out 3 very low quality SLP mono VHS copies (best my local store could get at the time) in the mid 80s by watching it nearly every day for a few years. I haven't watched it now in at least 10 years, but I can tell you exactly when Freddie misses a measure on the piano because he grabs a drink of beer, or when his shirt comes off, or when Brian is going to look angry with the Red Special for some reason for a minute, or on and on and on.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 12:57 PM on April 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
My only tiny beef with the show is that "Under Pressure" without Bowie is like a starship without its hyperdrive.
I got a bit of a shiver reading that - well played. :)
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:26 PM on April 16, 2012
I got a bit of a shiver reading that - well played. :)
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:26 PM on April 16, 2012
I have nothing to add beyond: my God, could that man sing.
posted by tantrumthecat at 9:05 PM on April 17, 2012
posted by tantrumthecat at 9:05 PM on April 17, 2012
There is a strong case to be made that Freddie Mercury was the best rock vocalist of his or any other era. For me he remains the standard by which all others are inevitably judged, and I've never really been a serious Queen fan.
And he's been gone now 22 years, nearly? How the fuck did that happen? I mean, seriously. That's just absurd.
posted by uberchet at 4:02 PM on April 18, 2012
And he's been gone now 22 years, nearly? How the fuck did that happen? I mean, seriously. That's just absurd.
posted by uberchet at 4:02 PM on April 18, 2012
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posted by Purposeful Grimace at 11:48 PM on April 14, 2012 [1 favorite]