Frogtoon Music

Innuendo (Album) by Queen

Artist Biography For Queen

Queen Is An English Rock Band Originally Consisting Of Four Members Vocalist And Pianist Freddie Mercury Guitarist Brian May Bass Guitarist John Deacon And Drummer Roger Taylor. The Band Formed In London In 1970 After May And Taylor's Former Band Smile Split After Having Released An Album And Single. Freddie Replaced Lead Vocalist Tim Staffell After The Latter's Departure From The Original Trio. There Was Much Deliberation As To What The Band's Name Would Be. May And Taylor Had Settled Upon The Grand Dance Derived From A C.S. Lewis Trilogy Of Books Out Of The Silent Planet. Ultimately The Band Went With Queen A Name That Was Entirely Freddie's. Originally Roger And Especially Brian Did Not Like The Name Though Mercury Would Eventually Persuade Them Both That It Was "right" For The Band. "Years Ago I Thought Up The Name Queen... It's Just A Name But It's Very Regal And It Sounds Splendid. It's A Strong Name Very Universal And Immediate. It Had A Lot Of Visual Potential And Was Open To All Sorts Of Interpretations. I Was Certainly Aware Of The Gay Connotations But That Was Just One Facet Of It. "
- Freddie Mercury. Queen Went Through Several Bass Players Before A Young Electronics Major By The Name Of John Deacon Arrived On The Scene In January Of 1971. "Until John It Had Been Exploding Bass Player Syndrome. If They Musically Worked They'd Look All Wrong And If They Felt All Right They Couldn't Play. - Brian May. This Quite Shy Guy Turned Up With His Immaculate Rickenbacker Bass And Immaculate Amplifier Plugged In And As Soon As He Started Playing We Realized It Was Right." - Brian May. Later That Year The Band Was Secured Recording Time At The Newly Built De Lane Lea Studio And Used The Opportunity To Record Several Songs That Would Later Appear On Their Debut Album - Liar Keep Yourself Alive Jesus And The Night Comes Down. The Demo Reel Was Passed Around From Producer To Producer With Little Success Until A Staff Member Of Trident Records By The Name Of Roy Thomas Baker Was Introduced To The Band By Fellow Trident Producer John Anthony. Baker Dropped In To Watch The Band At Work And Clearly Liking What He Heard Recommended Queen To His Superiors. It Was Eventually Agreed Upon That The Fledgling Band Could Record At Trident Studios Though After Already-Established Artists Had Finished Their Work Such As The Likes Of Elton John And David Bowie. Relegated To The Wee Hours Of The Morning To Record The Remaining Tracks Of Their First Album The Band Nonetheless Stuck It Out Until They Reached Their Ultimate Goal Of "perfection". Queen's Self-Titled Debut Album Was Released In 1973 And Received Little Attention From The General Public. They Quickly Followed It A Year Later With A Second Album "Queen II" Which Also Failed To Generate Much Interest From Music Fans In Britain Despite The Success Of The Album's Single Seven Seas Of Rhye Which Would Reach #10 On The Charts After The Band's Mimed Appearance On Top Of The Pops. The Band's Second Album Was Recorded With A Higher Budget Than The First And The Band Threw Everything They Had Into Recording It. Queen II Was Somewhat Of A "concept Album" Split Into "White Side" Vs. "Black Side". As Was In Their Nature The Band Pressed Onward After The Mediocre Success Of Their First Two Albums Immersing Themselves In A World-Wide Tour To Promote Queen II. Queen Played In America For The First Time As A Support Act For Mott The Hoople. Sheer Heart Attack Would Be Released Later That Year Focusing More On Being Accessible To Listeners Than The Grand And Complex Ideas Of The Previous Two Albums. The Recording Of Their Third Album Was Met With Some Hardships As May Fell Victim To A Series Of Illnesses Brought On By An Infected Inoculation Required For The Band's Rigorous Touring Schedule. Sheer Heart Attack Brought Even More Success For The Band With May's Now I'm Here And The Song That Would Be The Band's "turning Point" The Mercury-Penned Killer Queen The Latter Of Which Would Reach #2 On The UK Charts. During This Time The Band Began Developing A Huge Following In Japan And Witnessed Their Popularity For Themselves When They Visited The Country Mainly In 1975 To Promote Their Fourth And Most Famous Album "A Night At The Opera" Featuring The Epic "Bohemian Rhapsody". Queen's Popularity Grew Steadily Through The Latter Half Of The 70s As They Released Hit Album After Hit Album Reaching Its Peak In The Mid-80s After Their "Live Aid" Appearance And Continuing Into The Early 90s Before Mercury's Untimely Death On 24th November 1991. The Official Cause Of Death Was Bronchial Pneumonia Resulting From AIDS. Over The Course Of Their 30 Year Career The Band Did Sound Tracks For Two Films "Flash Gordon" And "Highlander" Released A String Of Live And Studio Albums And Had Many Many Fans Across The World. In 1995 4 Years After Mercury's Death The Band Released The Album "Made In Heaven". This Album Saw The Surviving Band Members In The Studio Completing Or Reworking Unused Vocals Unreleased Variations Of Freddie Solo Material A Queen Version Of "I Was Born To Love You" For Example And Tracks Where Brian And Roger Added Lyrics To Flesh Out A Song "Mother Love" . Queen Have Been On Indefinite Hiatus Since 1997 When John Deacon Decided To Retire. Several "Queen ..." Projects Have Been Developed In The Following Years A Few Of Them Mere Remixes With No Artistic Involvement From The Band. In 1999 A "Greatest Hits III" Album Was Released. This Featured Among Others "Queen Wyclef Jean" On A Rap Version Of "Another One Bites The Dust" A Live Version Of "Somebody To Love" Performed By George Michael And A Live Version Of "The Show Must Go On" Performed Live In 1997 With Elton John. Brian May And Roger Taylor Have Performed Together As Queen On Several Occasions Award Ceremonies Charity Concerts And The Like Sharing Vocals With Various Guest Singers. They Have Also Recorded Several Covers Of Queen's Hits With Guest Vocalists Including "We Will Rock You" First With Five And Later Britney Spears Beyonce John Farnham And P!nk And "We Are The Champions" With Robbie Williams . On The 14th Of May 2002 The Queen Musical 'We Will Rock You' Opened In The Dominion Theatre In London's 'West End'. A Musical About Young People In The Distant Future Who Aren't Allowed To Listen To Music Not Generated By Computers. Various Queen Songs Are Used In The Story Played By A Live Band. This Live Band Was Supported By Brian May And Roger Taylor On The Premiere Evening. At The End Of 2004 May And Taylor Announced That They Would Reunite And Return To Touring In 2005 With Paul Rodgers Founder And Former Lead Singer Of Free And Bad Company . Brian May's Website Also Stated That Rodgers Would Be 'featured With' Queen As 'Queen Paul Rodgers' Not Replacing Mercury. The Retired John Deacon Would Not Be Participating. Between 2005 And 2006 Queen Paul Rodgers Embarked On A World Tour The First Leg In Europe And The Second Japan And Then The US In 2006. On 15 August 2006 Brian May Confirmed Through His Website And Fan Club That Queen Paul Rodgers Would Begin Producing Their First Studio Album Beginning In October To Be Recorded At A "secret Location". The Album Titled The Cosmos Rocks Was Released In Europe On 12 September 2008 And In The United States On 28 October 2008. Following The Album The Band Again Embarked On A Tour Through Europe Opening On Kharkiv's Freedom Square In Front Of 350 000 Ukrainian Fans. The Show In Ukraine Was Later Released On DVD. Queen And Paul Rodgers Officially Split Up Without Animosity On 12 May 2009. Rodgers Did Not Rule Out The Possibility Of Working Together Again. Since 2012 Queen Has Been Touring With Adam Lambert As The Frontman. More Information About Queen Paul Rodgers Can Be Found On Their Last.Fm Page. Official Website Www.Queenonline.Com Discography 1.- Queen 1973 2.- Queen II 1974 3.- Sheer Heart Attack 1974 4.- A Night At The Opera 1975 5.- A Day At The Races 1976 6.- News Of The World 1977 7.- Jazz 1978 8.- The Game 1980 9.- Flash Gordon 1980 10.- Hot Space 1982 11.- The Works 1984 12.- A Kind Of Magic 1986 13.- The Miracle 1989 14.- Innuendo 1991 15.- Made In Heaven 1995

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Innuendo

Innuendo Is A 1991 Album By English Rock Band Queen. It Is The Band's Fourteenth Studio Album And The Last To Be Composed Entirely Of New Material. It Is Also The Final Studio Album To Be Released While Lead Singer Freddie Mercury Was Still Alive. The Album Was Praised By Critics And Fans As One Of The Strongest Albums Of Queen's Later Career. It Reached Number One On The UK Album Charts 2 Weeks As Well As In The Netherlands 4 Weeks In Switzerland 8 Weeks Germany 6 Weeks And Italy 3 Weeks . The Album Was Released In The United States One Day After It Was Released In Britain. The Album Would Be The First Queen Album To Go Gold In The US Upon Its Release Since The Works In 1984. It Peaked At Number Thirty In The United States. The Album Was Recorded When Mercury Was Progressing Into The Final Stages Of His HIV/AIDS Infection. Much Of The Material On The Album Deals With The Band's Coming To Terms With His Imminent Death. The Theme Is Also Reflected In The Music Which Can Be Heavy And Arresting "Innuendo" And "Headlong" But Also Bleak And Dark "The Show Must Go On" "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" "I'm Going Slightly Mad" And "Don't Try So Hard" And Very Often Both "The Hitman" And "Bijou" . The Album Cover Was Designed By Queen And Richard Gray. The Booklets And Single Covers From The Album Are By Grandville Or Are Inspired By His Illustrations. Track Listing LP Release Side One
"Innuendo" Queen – 6 29 "I'm Going Slightly Mad" Queen – 4 04 "Headlong" Queen – 4 31 "I Can't Live With You" Queen – 4 04 "Ride The Wild Wind" Queen – 4 41 Side Two
"All God's People" Queen / Mike Moran – 3 53 "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" Queen – 3 55 "Delilah" Queen – 3 32 "Don't Try So Hard" Queen – 3 32 "The Hitman" Queen – 3 43 "Bijou" Queen – 1 19 "The Show Must Go On" Queen – 4 24 CD Release
"Innuendo" Queen – 6 29 "I'm Going Slightly Mad" Queen – 4 22 "Headlong" Queen – 4 39 "I Can't Live With You" Queen – 4 35 "Don't Try So Hard" Queen – 3 39 "Ride The Wild Wind" Queen – 4 41 "All God's People" Queen / Mike Moran – 4 19 "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" Queen – 4 12 "Delilah" Queen – 3 32 "The Hitman" Queen – 4 52 "Bijou" Queen – 3 36 "The Show Must Go On" Queen – 4 24 Song Information Innuendo
Main Article Innuendo Song "Innuendo" Began As A Jam Session In Switzerland Amongst May Taylor And Deacon In Spring 1989. Mercury Was Upstairs And Heard Them Playing The Beat And Turned It Into A Song Creating The Melody And Starting Off The Lyrics. From Then On They All Four Worked On Polishing The Track And Taylor Took Over The Lyrics Which Were Written As A Tribute To Led Zeppelin And Their Song "Kashmir" . The Middle Section Written By Mercury Was Included Later And It Featured A Synth-Orchestra Programmed By Producer David Richards And A Flamenco Interlude Played By Yes Guitarist Steve Howe Who Had Come To Visit Them And Was Asked To Play What Brian May Himself Admitted He Couldn't. Like "Kashmir" The Title Of The Song Is Only Mentioned Once. "Innuendo" Was Released As A Single In January 1991. I'm Going Slightly Mad
Main Article I'm Going Slightly Mad
"I'm Going Slightly Mad" Was Begun In Mercury's London House After He'd Got The Idea Of Writing A Song About Madness Inspired By Noel Coward's Camp One-Liners. Most Of The Lyrics Like "banana Tree" Or "one Needle" Came From Both Him And His Friend Peter Straker Who Stayed Up All Night In Mercury's Kitchen Devising Ever More Outlandish Lines. The Music Is Mercury's As Well And It's One Of The Earliest Songs They Were Working On In Montreux When Steve Howe Came In. The Video That Accompanied The Song Saw Mercury Dressed In A Costume Suit With Wild Hair White Gloves Long Pointing Shoes And Extremely Heavy Make Up Also Filmed In Black And White. Whilst Queen Fans Were Thoroughly Amused By The Band In The Video In The Documentary "Champions Of The World " Taylor Confessed From The Band's Perspective The Video Was Marred By Mercury's Appearance Having To Be Camouflaged By Costume And Make-Up As Taylor Admitted Mercury Looked "Pretty Ill At That Point." Actress Cleo Rocos Stated That Mercury Had Explained To Her And Mutual Friend Kenny Everett That The Song Touches On The AIDS Induced Dementia He Incurred During The Final Years Of His Life. Headlong
Main Article Headlong Song "Headlong" Came From May At The Studio They'd Got In Switzerland. He Recorded It For The Solo Album He Was Doing At The Same Time. Once May Heard Mercury Singing It And Instantly Decided That It Worked Better As A Queen Track. Then The Band Took It Over And They All Made Modifications. I Can't Live With You
"I Can't Live With You" Was Also Written For May's Solo Album. He Gave It To The Band As Well Since Taylor Deacon And Mercury Were Fond Of The Track. Drums Were Programmed On Synth By May And The Keyboard-Pads Were Added By The Producer. An Alternative Version Of This Song Appeared On The 1997 Compilation Album Queen Rocks Billed As The "'97 Rocks Retake". It Was Said To Be More Along The Lines Of How May And Taylor Originally Wanted The Track To Sound With A Harder Guitar-Driven Rock Edge. Don't Try So Hard
"Don't Try So Hard" Came From Mercury. The Intro "rain" Is Actually The Pre-Set Sound Of The Korg M1 Which Appears When It's Switched On. Mercury Sings Most Of The Song In Falsetto. The Song's Middle Section Is Written In A Style Reminiscent Of Queen's Early 1980s-Songs Such As Play The Game. Ride The Wild Wind
"Ride The Wild Wind" Was Composed By Taylor Who Recorded A Demo With His Own Vocals. The Definitive Version Is Sung By Mercury With Taylor On Backing Vocals. The Song Is A Sort Of Sequel Of Roger's "A Night At The Opera" Composition "I'm In Love With My Car" Focused On Taylor's Passion For Cars And Race. This Time The Song Involved All Of The Other Members That Gave Life To A Fast Song With Beating Drums And Rhythmic Bass Line Which Create The Sensation Of Speed And Engine's Roar. In The Mid-Part A Brilliant May's Solo Which Accentuate The Sense Of High Velocity And Also Give The Song A Heavier Sound. In Some Parts A Racing Car Can Be Heard. All God's People
"All God's People" Started Off As Part Of Mercury's Barcelona Project Under The Title "Africa By Night" Hence The Co-Writing Credit With Mike Moran . He'd Asked May To Play Guitar Then One Thing Led To Another And The Entire Band Played. Piano Was Recorded By Mike Moran. The Song Features Mercury Singing A Head-Voiced High-F Note As Well As Some Very Low Ones. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Main Article These Are The Days Of Our Lives
"These Are The Days Of Our Lives" Was Written By Roger Taylor. It's Harmonically And Structurally One Of The Simplest Songs Of The Band's Catalogue. Keyboards Were Programmed By The Four Of Them In The Studio And Conga Percussion Was Recorded By David Richards. The Music Video For This Song Was Mercury's Last Appearance In A Video Medium. By The Time The Video Was Made It Had Become Impossible To Disguise That Freddie Was Seriously Ill. Despite His Frail Appearance He Appeared And Gave What Energy He Had Left Filmed In Black And White. The Black And White In The Video Helped Somewhat To Reduce The Ill/frail Appearance. When Footage Of The Band Making The Video Was Released In Colour It Is Clear To See Why. Delilah
"Delilah" Is A Song Mercury Penned For His Favourite Housecat A Female Tortoiseshell Cat Named Delilah. May Recorded His Solo Using A Talk Box. The Hitman
"The Hitman" Was Written By Mercury As Well. The Original Version Was Apparently On Keyboards And In A Different Key. May Took Mercury's Riff Not Un-Common Changed The Key And Recorded A Demo Of The Heavy Version. Deacon Then Re-Arranged The Structure And They All Filled The Gaps In Lyrics And Recorded It. All Of The Backing Vocals Were Done By May. Bijou
"Bijou" Was An Idea Mercury And May Had Of Making A Song "inside-Out" Having Guitar Doing The Verses And The Vocal Doing The Break . Mercury Put The Chords Title And Lyrics And The Two Of Them Worked On The Guitar Parts. Mercury Sang The First Line And Then May Transferred The Melody To His Red Special. The Song Was Finished Without Any Input From Taylor Or Deacon. The Idea Was Not New And Already Used By Yes On Their Song "Soon". Brian Later Credited Jeff Beck's 1989 Song "Where Were You" As The Inspiration 'Bijou'. In 2008 Queen Paul Rodgers Performed This Song In Their Shows Of The Rock The Cosmos Tour. The Show Must Go On
Main Article The Show Must Go On Queen Song "The Show Must Go On" Was Written By May & Mercury. The Song Was A Lively Dramatic Cross Between Opera And Rock. The Initial Idea Was A Chord Sequence Taylor And Deacon Were Working On. Then May Decided To Use The Sequence And Both He And Mercury Decided The Theme Of The Lyrics And Wrote The First Verse Together. From Then On May Finished The Lyrics Did The Vocal Melody And Wrote The Bridge Inspired By Pachelbel's Canon. Some Keys And Ideas Were Suggested By The Producer Too. The Song Was Initially Not Released As A Single As Part Of Promotion For The Innuendo Album But Was Released In October 1991 As The Band Launched Their 2nd Greatest Hits Album. The Video For The Song Featured A Compilation Of Clips From All Their Videos Since 1982 In Support Of The Greatest Hits 2 Album. Due To Mercury's Now Critically Fast Fading Health A Fresh Appearance By The Band In A Video Was Not Possible. A Live Version Featuring Elton John On Vocals Appeared On The Greatest Hits III Album. Elton Stated At The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert That The Song Was A Personal Favourite Of His. Personnel
Queen Are Freddie Mercury Lead Vocals Backing Vocals Piano Synthesisers Programming Brian May Electric Guitars Backing Vocals Synthesisers Programming Roger Taylor Drums & Percussion Backing Vocals Synthesisers Programming John Deacon Bass Synthesisers Programming Backing Vocals Guest Musicians Steve Howe Classical-Electric Guitar "Innuendo" Credited As "Wandering Minstrel" Mike Moran Piano Synthesisers Programming "All God's People" David Richards Producing Engineering Synthesisers Programming Brian Zellis Programming Noel Harris Assistant Engineer Justin Shirley-Smith Assistant Engineer Sleeve Design Richard Gray Sleeve Design Grandville 1803-1847 Illustrations Angela Lumley Additional Illustrations Simon Fowler Photography Singles
Five Singles Were Released From The Album "Innuendo" Was The Lead Single From The Album In Most Countries Save The United States Where "Headlong" Was Released As The First Single. It Was Released On 14 January 1991 In Europe And March 1991 In The United States As A Promo Single Becoming Queen's Twelfth Number-One Single. The Song Also Achieved Modest Success In The US Charting At Seventeen On Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. Still The Length And Style Of The Track Limited Its Appeal And It Only Spent A Week At Number One In The UK And Quickly Slid Down The Chart Spending Only Six Weeks In The Top Seventy-Five. B-Side On 7 Inch Release- "Bijou" "I'm Going Slightly Mad" Was Released On 4 March 1991. It Reached Number Twenty-Two In The UK Charts. B-Side On 7 Inch Release- "The Hitman" In Some Countries In Others It Was "Lost Opportunity" Which Was A Non Album Cut. "Headlong" Was Released In January 1991 In The US And On 13 May 1991 In The UK. It Was One Of The Most Successful Songs From The Album And Actually Served As The Lead Single In The United States. It Entered The UK Charts At Number Fourteen And Reached Number Three On The U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. B-Side On 7 Inch Release- "All God's People" In Some Countries In Others "Lost Opportunity" And In A Few "The Hitman" "The Show Must Go On" Was Released On 14 October 1991 In The UK. The Single Was Taken From The Album Although It Had Not Been Released As A Single From Innuendo And Released As Promotion For The Greatest Hits II Album And Peaked At Number Sixteen In The UK Charts. After Mercury's Death In November The Song Re-Entered The British Charts And Spent Longer In The Top Seventy-Five Than It Had On Its Original Release. This Single Was Released Just Six Weeks Before Mercury Died. In 1992 The Song Was Released As A Double A-Side With "Bohemian Rhapsody" In The US And Reached #2 In The US. The Original B-Side In October 1991 Was "Keep Yourself Alive". "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" Was First Released In The USA On Freddie Mercury's Birthday 5 September 1991. In The UK It Was Released In December 1991 Following Mercury's Death As A Double A-Side With "Bohemian Rhapsody". The Single Was The UK's Christmas Number One Of 1991. Promo Single
"I Can't Live With You" Was Released As A Promo Single To Radio Stations In The USA. This 2-Track Promo Single Completely Remixed By Brian Malouf Uses Slightly Different Lead Vocal Tracks By Freddie Louder And Tighter Harmony Tracks And Re-Programed Synth Drums Resulting In A Much More Punchy And "over The Top" Poppy Version Than Included On The Album. It Reached #28 On The US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. Charts
Country Charts Sales Peak Position Weeks Certification Sales Belgium 1 Finland 1 Platinum 50.000 Germany 1 Platinum 700.000 Ireland 1 Platinum 50.000 Italy 1 4xPlatinum 400.000 Netherlands 1 Platinum 150.000 Portugal 1 Gold 20.000 Singapore 1 3x Platinum 45.000 Switzerland 1 36 2x Platinum 100.000 United Kingdom 1 37 2x Platinum 600.000 Austria 2 20 Platinum 50.000 Australia 6 7 70.000 Norway 8 5 Spain 3 Platinum 140.000 Sweden 9 5 50.000 Japan 150.000 United States 30 Gold 900.000 Canada Gold 50.000 France Platinum 350.000 New Zealand 3xPlatinum 55.000 Spain 65 2