Frogtoon Music

News Of The World (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: News Of The World

News Of The World Is The Sixth Studio Album By English Rock Band Queen Released In 1977. Containing Hit Songs "We Will Rock You" And "We Are The Champions" And "Spread Your Wings" The Album Went Platinum In The United Kingdom Four Times Platinum In The United States And Achieved High Certifications Elsewhere Throughout The World Also. News Of The World Was The Second Album To Be Produced Solely By The Band The First Being A Day At The Races And Was Recorded At Sarm West And Wessex Studios England And Co-Produced And Engineered By Mike Stone. Background
After Releasing A Day At The Races Queen's Self-Producing Debut And Followup To A Night At The Opera Which Featured Their Magnum Opus "Bohemian Rhapsody" Having Received Some Criticism That Races Was A "boring" Album Queen Decided To Shift Their Musical Focus Towards The Mainstream But Remaining As The Producers Of The Next Album. After Completing The A Day At The Races Tour The Quartet Re-Entered The Studio To Begin Work On Their Sixth Studio Offering In July 1977 Enlisting Mike Stone As Assistant Producer At The Basing Street Studios In Wessex London. The Group Completed Recording And Production Of The Album Two Months Later In September And Released The Album On 28 October. Initially The Album's Critical Response Was Mixed And Some Was Rather Negative Commenting That The Group Had Again Produced A "bland" Album However As The Singles For The Album Were Released The Reviews' Favourability Improved And Sales Quickly Improved. During The Recording Of The Album The Sex Pistols Were Recording Their Album Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols In The Next Studio And Johnny Rotten Was Eager To Meet Mercury So He Crawled On All Fours Through Queen's Studio Up To The Side Of The Piano Where Mercury Was Playing And Said "Hello Freddie!" Before Crawling Out. Brian May Describes News Of The World As Being A "rootsier" Album Than Previous Queen Records Partly Due To The Punk Scene Breaking At That Time Which Inspired Queen To Record A More "back To Basics" Rock Album. News Of The World Is A Less Finely Polished Production Than Their Previous Offerings. The Complex Vocal Harmonies And Guitar Orchestrations That Are Used Heavily In Earlier Queen Albums Are Used Much More Sparingly And Subtly On This Album. Track Listing
Side One # Title Writer S Length 1. "We Will Rock You" Brian May 2 01 2. "We Are The Champions" Freddie Mercury 2 59 3. "Sheer Heart Attack" Roger Taylor 3 26 4. "All Dead All Dead" Brian May 3 09 5. "Spread Your Wings" John Deacon 4 32 6. "Fight From The Inside" Roger Taylor 3 03 Side Two # Title Writer S Length 7. "Get Down Make Love" Freddie Mercury 3 51 8. "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" Brian May 2 59 9. "Who Needs You" John Deacon 3 07 10. "It's Late" Brian May 6 27 11. "My Melancholy Blues" Freddie Mercury 3 29 1991 Bonus Track Hollywood Records CD Reissue # Title Writer S Length 12. "We Will Rock You 1991 Bonus Remix Ruined By Rick Rubin " Brian May 4 47 Song Information We Will Rock You
Main Article We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" Sample Info Was Released In The UK As A B-Side To "We Are The Champions" And Became One Of Queen's Biggest Songs Worldwide. A Staple Of Arena And Stadium Sports Everywhere It Was A Conscious Decision By Brian May To Make The Song Simple And Anthemic "stomp Stomp Clap Pause" In A 4/4 Metre So That Their Live Audience Could Be More Directly Involved In The Show. Elektra Records In The US Recommended Putting "We Will Rock You" And "We Are The Champions" Together As A Single And The Double A-Side Reached #4 In The US In 1978. In The Video For "We Will Rock You" And "Spread Your Wings" May Used A Copy Of His Guitar. He Supposedly Didn't Want To Commit His Red Special To Outside Conditions As The Videos For These Songs Featured The Band Performing In The Snow At Taylor's Garden. We Are The Champions
Main Article We Are The Champions
According To Freddie Mercury "We Are The Champions" Had Been Already Written In 1975 But It Wasn't Recorded Until 1977. Mercury Was Thinking About Football When He Wrote It And Was Surprised That Nobody Composed Anything To Overtake It As A Sports Anthem. "We Are The Champions" Was The First Promotional Video For Which Fan Club Members Were Invited To Participate In The Filming. The Video Was Filmed At The New London Theatre 6 October 1977. Everyone Got A Single And Queen Did A Free Concert After The Shoot. Sheer Heart Attack
"Sheer Heart Attack" Was Half-Finished At The Time Of The Eponymous Album. Roger Taylor Sang Lead On The Demo But For The Definitive Version The Band Decided Mercury Should Sing Lead Vocals Probably Based On The Fact That May Had Already Sung Two Songs And Taylor One . Guitars And Bass Were Played By Taylor Apart From Some Guitar "screams" By May During The Instrumental Section. During This Time The Punk Rock Movement Went Into Full Effect And This Song Was Viewed As Something Of A Jab At The Musicians Who Felt Bands Like Queen Were Too Self-Indulgent. Of Note Is The Lyric "I Feel So Inarticulate" And The Fact That Taylor Stated In Interviews That He Thought Many Of The 1970s Punk Bands Had Very Little Talent. German Heavy Metal Band Helloween Covered The Song. The Cover Can Be Heard As A B-Side For Their Single "Just A Little Sign". All Dead All Dead
"All Dead All Dead" Was Written And Sung By May And Features Mercury On Backing Vocals May Also Plays Piano. Lyrically The Song Deals With May's Experiences Following The Death Of His Childhood Pet Cat. Spread Your Wings
Main Article Spread Your Wings
"Spread Your Wings" Sample Info Was Written By John Deacon. The Piano Is Played By Mercury Although Deacon Mimes It In The Music Video. The Video Was Filmed At Roger Taylor's House At That Time In His Backyard When The Weather Was Freezing And The Band Was Performing In The Snow. Mercury Can Be Seen Wearing Star-Shaped Sunglasses In The Video. Guitarist Brian May Is Seen Playing A Copy Of His Red Special Due To The Cold Weather Conditions. Also Drummer Roger Taylor Can Be Seen Singing In The Video Despite There Are No Backing Vocals In The Entire Song. It Was The First Queen Single Without Harmony Vocals. Fight From The Inside
"Fight From The Inside" Was Written And Sung By Roger Taylor. In Addition To The Drums Taylor Also Plays Rhythm And Bass Guitar The Latter Borrowed From Deacon Himself. The Track Is Built Around A Jangly Guitar Riff And Is Amongst The First In The Queen Catalogue To Focus Predominantly On The Drums And Bass As Opposed To The Lead Guitars. Lyrically The Song Can Be Interpreted As An Expression Of Scorn Directed At Punk Rock Fans Which At The Time Had Lambasted Queen Guitarist Slash Has Cited The Guitar Riff To This Song As One Of His Favourite Riffs Of All Time. Get Down Make Love
"Get Down Make Love" Written By Mercury Is Among The Most Sexual-Oriented Songs In The Queen Catalogue. The Distinctive 'psychedelic' Sound Effects Heard In The Song Were Not Produced On A Synthesizer But On May's Red Special And An Electroharmonix Frequency Analyzer Pedal Which He Would Often Do Live. These Sound Effects Together With Mercury's Moans And Groans Were Expanded Upon During Live Renditions Of The Song Presenting The Band An Opportunity To Show Off The Full Potential Of Their Stage Lights And Effects. The Song Was Later Covered By Nine Inch Nails Appearing On Their "Sin" Single. Sleeping On The Sidewalk
"Sleeping On The Sidewalk" Written And Sung By May Was Inspired By Eric Clapton. It Was Recorded In One Take. Lyrically It Deals With An Aspiring Trumpet Player's Career Delivered In A "rags-To-Riches" Fashion. May Sings With An American Accent Providing Some Near-Authentic Blues Credibility To The Jam And Measures The Aforementioned Trumpet Player's Success By "bucks" As Opposed To Pounds . On A Close Inspection John Deacon Can Be Heard Playing The Wrong Notes In Some Bass Parts And Brian May Can Also Be Heard Laughing At The End Of The Song. It Is Also One Of The Few Queen Songs That Does Not Feature Mercury. The Reason The Song Is So Aloof Is Because It Was A First Take. The Band Was Not Aware They Were Being Recorded At The Time And Were Simply Practicing While The Engineer Had Turned On The Recording But Brian May Denied The Authenticity Of This. Who Needs You
"Who Needs You" Was Written By Deacon Who Along With May Also Plays Spanish Guitar Also Heard On "Innuendo" . May Also Plays Maracas And Mercury Plays A Cowbell. The Song Is Fairly Similar To Deacon's Earlier Song "Misfire" In Terms Of Music. It's Late "It's Late" Written By May Was The Author's Idea Of Treating A Song As A Three-Act Theatrical Play. It Makes Use Of The Tapping Technique Before Eddie Van Halen Of Rock Group Van Halen Brought The Technique Into The Mainstream. My Melancholy Blues
"My Melancholy Blues" Was Composed By Mercury. There Are No Backing Vocals Or Guitars. Despite The Title The Track Is More Related To Jazz. Deacon Played Fretless Bass On Stage During This Song But Used A Regular Fretted Bass On The Record. Omitted Tracks Feelings Feelings
Unreleased Track By Brian May. Cover Astounding Science Fiction October 1953The Album's Cover Was A Painting By Award-Winning American Sci-Fi Artist Frank Kelly Freas. Taylor Had An Issue Of Astounding Science Fiction October 1953 Whose Cover-Art Depicted A Giant Intelligent Robot Holding The Dead Body Of A Man. The Caption Read "Please... Fix It Daddy?" To Illustrate The Story "The Gulf Between" By Tom Godwin. The Robot Killing The Man Was Likened To A Child Injuring A Bug And Looking Up At His Parents Saying "what Have I Done?". The Painting Inspired The Band To Contact Freas Who Agreed To Alter The Painting For Their Album Cover By Replacing The Single Dead Man With The Four "dead" Band Members Taylor And Deacon Falling To The Ground . The Original Painting Also Called The Gulf Between Features On The Cover Of Freas's Collection Of Art As He Sees It Paper Tiger 2000 . Brian May Confirmed The Cover Was Roger Taylor's Idea On An Episode Of The US Radio Show In The Studio With Redbeard Which Devoted An Episode To The Making Of News Of The World. Singles
"We Are The Champions" Released 7 October 1977 In The UK As The First Single Where It Reached #2. In The US It Was Released As A Double A-Side With "We Will Rock You" Where It Reached #4. "Spread Your Wings" Followed As The Second Single From The Album. Written By John Deacon And Released In The UK On 10 February 1978 It Reached #34. "It's Late" Is The Last Single From The Album And Was Only Released As A Single In The United States Canada Japan And New Zealand In 1978. Only Reached #74 In The US Failing To Chart Everywhere Else. Reception Critical Response
News Of The World Initially Received Mixed Reviews Mostly Reflecting On The Differences To The Previously Predominantly Progressive Rock Sound Produced By Queen And This Album's Vast Shift Towards A More Pop-Rock Oriented Sound. Following The Immense Success Of Singles "We Will Rock You" And "We Are The Champions" The Critical Reception Shifted Towards A More Positive Stance As It Became Evident That The Band Was Displaying Another Field Of Their Musical Ability. Charts
Country Charts Sales Peak Position Weeks Certification Units Sold Belgium 1 Brasil 1 Canada 1 3xPlatinum 600 000 France 1 Gold 560 000 Israel 1 Ireland 1 Mexico 1 Netherlands 1 3xPlatinum 250 000 Portugal 1 Silver 10 000 Japan 3 250 000 United States 3 36 4x Platinum 4 500 000 Norway 4 21 United Kingdom 4 20 2x Platinum 600 000 Germany 5 Platinum 700 000 Austria 9 28 Sweden 9 8 Swiss Platinum 70.000

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