Whatever term is applied to the Queen group - cult, legendary, most popular - everyone will accurately reflect the attitude of fans and critics towards her. The musical team has long become a classic, if I may say so about a team that performs music in the style of hard and pop rock combined with glam and jazz.
History of creation
The idea "Shouldn't we create our own group" first came to the minds of students at Imperial College London and Timothy Staffel. The guys named the newly-minted team "1984", inspired by a dystopian novel. In college, on an ad, the guys found themselves a drummer, Roger Meddows Taylor.
In October 1964, the musicians gave their first concert, and three years later they managed to perform as an opening act for a beginner and little known. Then the group changed its name to "Smile" and received a pass to the same stage with the famous.
In 1969, the first serious contract with a major record label, Mercury Records, followed. "Smile" managed to release the single "Earth / Step On Me", which, however, went unnoticed.
In the spring of 1970, Staffel left the group. They did not look for a replacement for long, they found it in the person of Tim's roommate Farrukh Bulsara. And since the composition was updated, the friends began to think about a new name. The options of "Grand Dance", then "RICH KIDS" were considered, but in the end Farrukh convinced everyone to take "Queen" as the name. Bulsara himself named himself.
Freddie, in addition to being a good singer, turned out to be an excellent manager. He had a detailed understanding of how to present the musical material, how to use the voices of all the participants and how to behave on stage. In addition, Mercury, as a graduate of an art college, also came up with the band's corporate logo.
Composition
The main backbone of "Queen" at the dawn of the formation of a musical career was frontman Freddie Mercury, he also played keyboards, guitarist Brian May, and Roger Taylor sat behind the drums.
Before joining the group that later became a cult group, the biographies of each were almost the same - everyone's life was connected in one way or another with music. Brian picked up a guitar at the age of 7, and the instrument, made from pieces of furniture and a fireplace, is no less famous than its owner.
Roger began playing guitar with the Bubblingover Boys in high school, and only moved to drums in 1961. He performed in the Cousin Jacks group, aka FALCONS. After its breakup, he moved to Johnny Quale & Reaction.
While still at school, Freddie made a band called The Hectics with friends and performed at dances and holidays. After moving to London, he sang in the Liverpool "Ibex" and "Sour Milk Sea", then created his own group "Wreckage".
The search for a bass player in Queen dragged on for a year. At first it was Mike Grose from Johnny Quale & Reaction, but after 4 months he left. He was replaced by Barry Mitchell, with whom the band worked until January 1971. Then Doug Bogy played a couple of concerts with musicians. And only the fourth attempt was successful: John Deacon joined the team.
Before Queen, John had formed his first group, The Opposition, as a teenager, and in the new team, as a technically competent comrade, he became responsible for the equipment. In the group, all the members were engaged in songwriting, but Deacon was the least of all.
However, all of his compositions turned into 100% hits: “I want to break free”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “You’re My Best Friend”. By the way, after the death of Mercury, John refused further creative activity and participation in Queen projects. Moreover, the bass player condemned the remake of the hit "We Are The Champions", performed by the remaining members of the group in collaboration with.
Music
In the summer of 1972, QUEEN recorded a two-song demo at London's De Lane Lea Studios, "The night comes down" and "Liar". Then, through the mediation of Trident, she signed a contract and received the right to record a full-fledged album, but only at a time when the studio was free.
The guys had to dodge, as they continued to receive education and earn extra money. The label put forward one more condition: along with the Queen record, they should record songs of other artists supervised by Dee Lane Lee. By the end of the year, somehow managed to sign a contract with one of the world's largest companies Electric & Music Industries, release the debut single "Keep Yourself Alive", and after - the album.
Notable fame, as well as financial well-being, neither the song nor the album "Queen" brought, although in the United States the circulation of the disc was 150 thousand copies, the group began to go on tour abroad. After the musicians performed as the opening act for the rock band Mott the Hoople, the band had its own army of fans.
Seven Seas Of Rhye by QueenThe situation changed with the album "Queen II" and the composition "Seven Seas Of Rhye", which hit the UK Top 5 and Top 10 respectively. Classic hard rock was replaced by polyphony, some pomposity of performance and pump rock. Nevertheless, the disc, conceptually divided into "black" and "white" sides, became the "heaviest" in the band's discography. Only in the homeland of the musicians, the album sold 250 thousand copies.
World fame, and in the absence of advertising, was brought by the third "studio" - "Sheer Heart Attack", on which, among others, the first hit "Killer Queen" was recorded. Now Queen itself has gone on an overseas tour.
Killer Queen song by QueenHowever, to the surprise of the press and fans, the band did not earn anything from the sales of the album, moreover, in a strange way, they owed the record company six figures. EMI is trying to extinguish the scandal and allocates funds for Queen to pay off her daughter, Trident, but the group must return the entire amount.
As Roger and Brian later said, there was only one way out - to record a landmark album, the further existence of the band depended on it. And the next single "Bohemian Rhapsody", considered by some music reviewers the best composition of the group, rises to the top of the charts.
Bohemian Rhapsody song by QueenAt first, the radio stations refused to air the six-minute song, only the DJ Freddie knew took the risk. Filmed for Bohemian Rhapsody, the video is considered the progenitor of the clip industry. The album “A Night At The Opera”, the most diverse genre, expects no less success.
The follow-up "A Day at the Races" in some part resembled its predecessor, for which it was subjected to unprecedented criticism, but the song "Somebody to Love" from it became another hit. Pre-order, to the delight of managers, amounted to 500 thousand copies.
The song We Will Rock You by QueenTogether with the disc "News of the World"The army of fans, by that time numbering in the millions, received two Queen anthems - the compositions" We Are The Champions "and" We Will Rock You ". The album for the first time shows an unusual combination of punk and Mercury's vocals.
"Studio" "Jazz" had nothing to do with jazz, but was also distinguished by the diversity of styles. The album included the hit "Don" t Stop Me Now". The songs "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race" caused a wave of public outrage, the performers were accused of immorality and almost distributing pornography.
"Queen" did not remain in debt and held an enchanting presentation with the participation of strippers, wrestlers, fire-eaters. Clips were shot for all three songs. In 1981, the band recorded the soundtrack for the Dino De Laurentiis horror film Flash Gordon. Under the same name, the ninth studio album was released.
The albums "Live Killers", "The Works" with a clear electropop sound rose to the European and American tops. Critics called the album "Hot Space" a disappointment and only paid attention to the collaboration with David Bowie "Under Pressure". Six songs from the album "A Kind Of Magic" became soundtracks for films. With Mercury's Barcelona solo album, the music world was introduced to the crossover genre.
The Show Must Go On song by QueenIn 1991, Freddie's creative testament was released - the song "The Show Must Go On".
After the death of the leader, the group works in the Queen + format, participates in charity events. To go on the same stage with a world legend was considered an honor by both Robbie Williams and. Compilations and remastered albums are still popular. And on the Queen page on Instagram, the names of all the members are listed and it says that "they play rock and roll."
Queen now
The group continues to perform in various collaborations. The official website for the summer of 2018 announced the European tour of Queen and.
Concerts will be held at the largest venues: in Lisbon - at the Altis Arena, in Oslo - Telenor Arena. The capital of Great Britain will host the legendary team at Wembley Arena, Barcelona - in Palau Sant Jordi.
Clips
- 1973 - Liar
- 1975 - "Now I'm Here"
- 1977 - Tie Your Mother Down
- 1978 - "Spread Your Wings"
- 1980 - "Play the Game"
- 1982 - "Back Chat"
- 1987 - "Bohemian Rhapsody"
- 1989 - Rare Live
- 1992 - "We Will Rock You" / "We Are the Champions"
- 1996 - "Mother Love"
Discography
- 1973 - Queen
- 1974 - Queen II
- 1974 - Sheer Heart Attack
- 1975 - A Night at the Opera
- 1976 - A Day at the Races
- 1977 - News of the World
- 1978 - Jazz
- 1980 - The Game
- 1980 - Flash Gordon
- 1982 - Hot Space
- 1984 - The Works
- 1986 - A Kind of Magic
- 1989 - The Miracle
- 1991 - Innuendo
- 1995 - Made in Heaven
- 1997 - Queen Rocks
- 2016 - On Air
Last week in the comments to we tried to find answers to an ambiguous question about the work of The Beatles. Today we decided to take a look at the Queen phenomenon.
Many people alive today would love to see a Queen concert, because very few bands have managed to sell albums in huge numbers, drive crowds into a frenzy and achieve critical acclaim for their songs with equally great music and lyrics.
Why is Queen so popular? Queen is one of the most extraordinary bands in the world. All four of its members - Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon - remained together from the beginning to the end of the band's existence.
Surprisingly, each of them has a degree of either a master's or a bachelor of science (by the way, we also talked about other musicians with a high level of education). "Brian May has a master's degree and a doctorate in astrophysics, Freddie Mercury has a master's degree in art, John Deacon has a master's degree in electronics, Roger Taylor has a bachelor's degree in biology," noted journalist Vignesh Ananthraj. Moreover, unlike other musicians, no scandals flared up around them - this is a very rare occurrence in the music industry.
All four contributed to the development of the group: the song of each of them at least once hit the top ten hits. All of them are versatile musicians and skillfully owned several musical instruments, sang and experimented with new musical solutions.
Queen has managed to strike that perfect balance between good and marketable music. The songs "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" are excellent examples of high quality arena rock. As for the variety of genres and styles, the repertoire of Queen can only be compared with the repertoire of The Beatles.
The melodies and lyrics of their songs "cling" the listeners and are always understandable to ordinary people. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" can be attributed to early rock and roll, "Stone Cold Crazy" to speed metal, "Innuendo" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" to progressive/art rock, and "Another One Bites The Dust" - to funk. In the song "Love Of My Life" you can hear the features characteristic of soft rock, and in "Killer Queen" - for glam rock.
The work "Somebody To Love" belongs to the gospel genre, and the list does not end there. It is especially striking that in any of these genres, the members of the band have succeeded, thereby showing that they truly understand music.
The group and the lyrics were successful. They wrote both “light” works and “deep” works filled with meaning. “Most of all I love the line from the song “The Show Must Go On”. says Abhishek Padmanabhan. - Here she is: “My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die. I can fly my friends".
“Do you need another reason for Queen's popularity? I will answer - Brian May - continues Abhishek. “How can you not love a guitarist who is an astrophysicist by training?” He left his mark on the band's work and, in addition to the guitar, can also play the piano and a couple of other instruments. In addition, he is an excellent vocalist, and his voice can be heard on the songs of every album of the group.
However, the main reason for the success of Queen is considered to be one of the greatest performers of all time.
We are talking, of course, about Freddie Mercury - undoubtedly the best frontman in history. He possessed expressive vocal abilities - from a deep baritone to a high tenor, which always amazed listeners at live performances. “I think Freddie has a great voice,” notes Gem Scott. "There aren't many people who can do 'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' well without looking stupid."
Mercury has always managed to get thousands of people to sing along with him. Everything about him radiated confidence and passion for what he did - his style of dress (he usually performed in tights), his walk, his demeanor.
Even those who do not like the band's songs or treat them neutrally recognize that Freddie Mercury is one of the best performers of our time. Freddie was good in everything: he was an excellent performer and musician and knew how to communicate with the public.
However, one in the field is still not a warrior. Each member of Queen has a fantastic musical talent. Guitarist Brian May takes an innovative approach to playing technique and boldly experiments with sound, and his guitar solos are always particularly melodic.
Roger Taylor, who easily beats various rhythms, in turn, was recognized as one of the best hard rock drummers. John Deacon is the man who created the bass lines for the popular songs "Another One Bites The Dust" and "Under Pressure".
These four are also excellent performers: the contribution of Brian May and Roger Taylor to the band's musical style is invaluable - together with Freddie they created an incredible clean sound.
Queen should also be given credit for being one of the bands that has managed to bring an element of theatricality to rock music. However, despite this, the team cannot be accused of excessive vulgarity or pretentiousness. During live performances, Queen have always been at their best, which cannot be said about other famous rock artists like Led Zeppelin or Guns N "Roses.
The band's performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert has been hailed as one of the best live performances in the history of rock music.
"I was 11 when Freddie passed away, so I can't say I grew up 'with' the band," says David Hood. “I didn’t go to their concerts, but I’m old enough to remember the popular movie Wayne’s World, which got Queen songs on the radio all the time in the 90s. I fondly remember those times when I sang the songs of the band while driving my first car. I also constantly quoted that film and watched it on videotape.
Their music is timeless – it never gets old. Now I listen to Queen songs with the same pleasure as when I first discovered this group. Their songs are still on my iTunes even though my musical tastes have changed with age."
Given the above, Queen can rightly be considered one of the greatest bands in history, and their continued and resounding success is another confirmation of this. You can even say that in some parts of the world they are more popular now than during their active creative activity.
Singer Adam Lambert, who became famous for his participation in the popular American talent show "American Idol", has proudly announced that he will become the new vocalist of the legendary band Queen. For some, this is a surprise, but for someone it is a completely expected event, because Lambert has already performed several times as part of the group after the hasty death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS in 1991. No matter how great a singer Freddie was, as it turned out, no one is indispensable.
Let's delve into the history and how it all began. The original line-up of Queen was as follows: Freddie Mercury (piano, vocals, guitar), Brian May (guitar), John Deacon (bass guitar, rhythm guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums). But before the Queen group appeared (the name of the group was given by Freddie Mercury himself), there was a group “Smile”, the composition of which changed several times, but as soon as the ambitious leader of the group Farukh Bulsara appeared (this is the real name of Freddie Mercury), the name of the musical quartet was changed to the same Queen, a logo was developed, and the singer Farukh became Freddie. For many years, it was the line-up presented below that delighted the public with new albums, performances and simply their presence in the life of every person. Queen had an absolutely special energy, but to be honest, it appeared only thanks to the vocalist - Freddie Mercury.
When he was gone, one of the members of the team, John Deacon, left, saying that
“There is no point in continuing. Freddie can't be replaced"
Other members stayed and made several attempts to restore their former glory and revive the Queen group. For a short time, this was possible, but Brian May and Roger Taylor did not wait for the former applause of the public. Freddie was clearly missing.
Queen is known for their hits "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Radio Ga Ga" performed by Freddie Mercury.
"The Show Must Go On"
"We will Rock You"
"We Are the Champions"
"Radio Ga Ga"
It was in the 70s, but now the time is different and Freddie has been replaced by Adam Lambert.
Adam Lambert performing with Queen in 2009.
Adam said that he does not expect to become a full-fledged replacement for Freddie Mercury, but such a chance is given only once in a lifetime. Adam also added that he could never become the new Freddie for the public. But Lambert's fans don't think so because he Solo career stupefied, despite the release of a new album this year, but it is necessary to develop, especially since it really is somewhat similar to the great Freddie. Firstly, both have excellent vocals, secondly, both are prone to shocking, and, finally, thirdly, they are both bisexual. The third point has nothing to do with creativity, but I could not help but mention it, because. A fact remains a fact and must be taken into account.
Whether people call Freddie irreplaceable, or believe that Adam will bring newness to the old sound, but for sure in the spring and summer of 2012, Lambert will go on tour with Queen. For him it's an honor, for fans of Freddie Mercury one thing is clear
"Without Freddie, it's not Queen"
Freddie Mercury had a bad bite since childhood, but he never corrected it.
When the group became popular, Freddie was offered several times to go to the doctor, but he always refused.
The main reason is the banal lack of time due to the tour, but there is another version - Freddie was afraid of dentists, and also - that the corrected bite will change his voice.
freddy and cats
Freddie Mercury loved cats. Oscar, Goliath, Delilah, Miko, Romeo, Tiffany - and that's not all. full list singer's favorites.
When one of the pets died, Freddie cried as if he had lost a family member. He dedicated a separate song to Delilah.
Roger Taylor loved outrageous
Despite the fact that it was Freddie who annealed mainly on stage, drummer Roger Taylor was famous for his extraordinary behavior in life. According to rumors, he once welded a human skull in the hostel.
Other more likely actions by the drummer include shaving his legs for the I Want To Break Free video, greenish hair color and sitting in the closet until Freddie agreed to include the song I'm In Love With My Car in the Bohemian Rhapsody single.
John Deacon vowed "No Queen without Freddie"
Queen bassist John Deacon left the band immediately after Freddie passed away. He has been highly critical of Queen's work with other musicians. He was especially harsh about Robbie Williams, with whom Taylor and May recorded a remake of We Are the Champions.
"Freddie is impossible to replace, much less someone like Williams," Deacon said.
However, after Mercury's death, no one took the place of the vocalist, and work with other musicians was always designated as a joint performance.
By the way, it was John Deacon who wrote the immortal hit Friends Will Be Friends. Then he did not yet know about Mercury's illness.
Astrophysicist, biologist, electronics engineer and designer
Queen guitarist Brian May graduated in mathematics and physics from Imperial College London, one of the most prestigious in Britain. However, his musical career forced him to interrupt his scientific career.
Roger Taylor has a degree in biology, John Deacon in electronics, and Freddie Mercury graduated in graphic design.
In addition, Brian May plays the guitar with an English sixpence coin instead of a regular pick.
“I feel like it gives me closer contact with the strings and more control over them as I play. I hold it loosely between my thumb and forefinger, with the index finger bent,” Brian May told Guitar Player magazine in January 1983.
Sometimes the musician would use the serrated edge of the coin to scratch the strings.
This coin was withdrawn from circulation in the early 1970s. And in 1993, the Royal Mint minted a special batch of coins similar in size to the very sixpence, but with the image of Brian May himself. The guitarist used this coin on his first solo tour.
« We will be together until *** we die»
Freddie did not really like journalists for the constant desire to unearth something scandalous from his personal life. For this, he regularly received a portion of "shocking facts" about himself, even from the most reputable publications. Journalists did not disdain to collect any rumors about the group, and in the last months of his life they simply did not allow the musician to leave the house, turning his mansion into a besieged fortress.
Freddie answered journalists, as usual, with songs, although sometimes he could not restrain himself even during concerts.
“Recently there have been a lot of rumors about one gang called Queen. Rumors say the gang will break up. How do you like that? - once Freddie asked at the stadium and, turning his back to the audience, added, - that's where!
“I'm sorry, but I say whatever I want! So forget all these rumors - we will be together until all *** die! ”He added.
Mercury's personal life
At various times, journalists attributed novels to the Queen vocalist with the most different women and men, but his only official relationship was with Mary Austin.
They met in the early 70s and lived together for about seven years. After they separated, she moved into a house near Freddie's mansion. They maintained friendly relations until the moment of Mercury's death.
He became the godfather of her son and bequeathed to her most of his fortune.
“I don’t have many people I can turn to. One of them is Mary, she was my girlfriend for a long time. Even if we are not together now, I still often turn to her. My true friend must be very strong, and Mary has been with me, perhaps, through everything. She has depth and can find a common language with me, talk about serious things. Only she comes to my mind - in other cases, I do not seek help and take care of myself, ”Freddie once said.
Disease
It is unknown when the Queen vocalist contracted HIV. It is believed that he learned about his illness around 1985-1986. The rest of the band found out about her a few months before his death.
“We understood that something was wrong, but it was not discussed,” said Brian May.
He didn't want to tell anyone, but his appearance began to change rather quickly. Friends did not ask him about his health, but they understood that Freddie had serious problems.
"The only thing he wanted was to keep working," Taylor added.
The journalists tried to unearth the details, sometimes going over all the brink of decency in their search.
“For the last 18 months of his life, the press did not allow Freddie to calmly leave the house,” Roger Taylor later said.
In response to this, Queen releases the song Scandal, in which they tell fans what the band's life will turn into in the near future.
“When they stare, we'll say it's none of their business. They will still expose us to the amusement of the crowd and say that they do not care - after all, this is just someone's life that can be twisted and broken, ”Scandal sings.
“First of all, no one really knew Freddie. They just pretended they knew him. He was a very private person, and the press distorted almost all the facts. And he was soft, meek and kind,” says Roger Taylor.
“He was very responsible to close people, he was a generous and caring person,” adds Brian May.
Freddie continued to write. Despite the terrible pain that haunted the vocalist, Queen released the album Innuendo ("Hint"). The last, twelfth, track in this album is the legendary The Show Must Go On.
During the recording of this song in 1990, Freddie Mercury was already so ill that he could hardly move. Brian May recorded the sample vocals in falsetto because the song's key was too high for his voice.
"Fred, I don't know if you can even sing it," he told Mercury. He replied: “I, ***, can, dear” (I "ll ***** do it, darling), drank vodka, went and sang it in one take.
The last work of Freddie Mercury
Six months before the death of their vocalist, Queen continue to work. They shoot a video for the song "These are the days of our lives" in black and white, as Freddie already looked very bad. They finished the job in May.
This was the last appearance of Freddie Mercury in front of the camera.
At some point, the forces for the last verse of Freddie were no longer enough. He asked friends to give him rest, and promised to finish the work in a few days.
He never returned to the studio, a few days later Freddie Mercury died. Brian May sang the last verse for him.
Concert in memory of Freddie Mercury
Guns N "Roses, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Elton John, David Bowie and other stars performed at a concert dedicated to the memory of the great Freddie Mercury.
After the concert, John Deacon left the band.
After the concert, Brian May said: “When it was all over and we were leaving the stage, Joe Elliot from Def Leppard grabbed my arm and said: “Look, Brian. Look at this crowd. You will never see anything like it again." And I can be proud of that - proud that I knew Freddie, proud of what we did together.
This group is described by one phrase. "This is one of those cases where 2 very talented people met 2 geniuses." This phrase perfectly describes the British rock band Queen. Queen group rightfully considered one of the standards of rock. In terms of their impact on music and society, they are comparable to The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Queen group appeared in the mid-1960s, when students Brian May and Tim Staffel decided to create a musical group, named after Orwell's book "1984". Soon Roger Taylor responded to their advertisement for a drummer, becoming the third member of 1984. A few years later, the band renamed itself Smile.
Around the same time, the band members met Farukh Bulsara, who attended their rehearsals and was interested in their work. Throughout the year, their musical paths are on parallel lines. But at the beginning of 1970, Staffel left the group and then Taylor and May invited Farukh to try out for the role of vocalist, which Tim had previously performed.
The Queen Band, Freddie Mercury and the Path to Glory
This was one of the most important decisions in the history of rock music in the seventies. Soon the group changes its name to Queen, and Farukh changes his name to a stage name that has become famous all over the world -. This is how the famous link was born: Queen group - Freddie Mercury. For a long time, the Queen group could not get an intelligent bass player into their ranks, and only a few months later John Deacon joined them on a permanent basis.
John became the very last link on the path to worldwide fame and recognition of Queen. Freddie Mercury comes up with a logo for the group, which combines the zodiac signs of all members of Queen.
In 1973, after two years of recording, their 1st album with the prosaic title "Queen" appears on store shelves. At that time Queen group not only actively tours the UK and neighboring countries in support of the debut album. But also actively recording new material. In 1974, they shot two albums at once, which crept close to the top of the UK charts. At the same time, the first truly famous hit of the group "Killer Queen" was recorded.
Queen: global success
But the real success was yet to come. In 1975, the 4th Queen album "A night at the Opera" was released. It went platinum instantly and topped the charts. During the recording of this album, which became, perhaps, the crown of his career Queen, each of its participants contributed a part of the material. For example, Roger Taylor wrote the song I "m in love with my car, John Deacon wrote one of his best songs - You" re my best friend.
But the main work was still done by Brian and Freddie - both wrote 5 songs each. Brian came up with an arrangement of the British anthem, which later sounded at the end of Queen's performance, and Mercury came up with one of the band's main hits, Bohemian Rhapsody, which became the group's hallmark and elevated it to the level of popularity of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Following this, he conducts successful tours, while winning the sympathy of the audience in distant Japan. The following albums continued to strengthen the group's position on the music scene, and hits poured in from a cornucopia. It was during these years that two hymns were recorded, which are performed at many events to this day. The first of them - “" has become a frequent guest at rock concerts, and without “" at least one honoring of sports champions is rarely done.
In 1978, the band's most scandalous album was released. Many of the songs were incomprehensible to critics, and the clip for Bicycle Race was even banned from TV due to its pornography, since it featured several dozen naked girls on bicycles.
Queen: 80s and image change
If at the beginning of their career the band used catchy concert outfits, looking in the style of Slade, then by the beginning of the eighties the musicians decided to grow up. Queen ditched flashy clothes and everyone except Brian cut their hair short.
In the 80s, the band's work continued to develop at the intersection of many styles. As before, the band used a mixture of classic rock, jazz, punk, heavy metal and rhythm and blues in their work.
In 1980, she first used a synthesizer to record an album. In the same year, she recorded the soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon.
In 1984, Queen released a scandalous video for the song I want to break free, where all the band members were presented in women's clothing.
In 1986, the album "A kind of magic" was released, based on the soundtrack (for the TV series "Highlander"). The tour in support of him became the most successful in the history of the group. In the same year, Queen became the first rock band to play a concert in the countries of the Soviet bloc - in Hungary. This tour was the last for the original line-up of the band.
Queen: Freddie Mercury's illness and the breakup of the group
After 1987, rumors about Freddie Mercury's illness began to spread in the press. Until 1991, the group manages to release two albums, which were promoted thanks to singles and video clips, in which Mercury's progressive illness is clearly visible. The inevitable happened on November 24, 1991, when Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. His death caused a real boom in the fight against this terrible disease.
The group's activities did not stop after that - in 1992 a concert was held in memory of Freddie, with the participation of world pop stars, including Metallica, David Bowie and others. In 1995, a posthumous album was released, consisting of recordings with Freddie made before his death, as well as solo compositions by the band members. Shortly after his death, John Deacon also left Queen, citing the fact that without Freddie Mercury there is no point in continuing to perform.
But Taylor and May continued to perform: in 2008, the musicians released an album with a new vocalist, Paul Rodgers, with whom they performed successfully for several years. After that, the group continued to perform, inviting various performers to the role of vocalist, participating in many events, and even performing at the closing of the London Olympics in 2012.
