This episode of Recovering Queen was such a delight to listen to. They’re covering the wonderful Bicycle Race, a definite 10/10 Queen song. I love their banter about the song itself and the cover at the end was fantastic!
Tag Archives: Queen
1986 Interview With John Deacon
I love this interview with John Deacon, bass player with Queen. He comes across as a very ordinary and likeable person.
Interesting to hear his recollection of Under Pressure, that it was David Bowie pushing them to do it better.
Queen at Live Aid
It was 40 years ago today. I remember watching bits of Live Aid and had a VCR recording it, but as an almost ten year old, I got bored and went out to play. So I don’t remember seeing Queen play that day, but I’ve watched their performance multiple times since.
The official Queen YouTube channel is showing a remastered version of their set for 24 hours only, so the video above may not work if you’re visiting this blog post in the future.
Go get yt-dlp and save a remarkable performance for your own viewing pleasure!
Now, go look at a 480p version of their set. You’ll notice some improvements to the audio, which I like, but the 1080p video in the remaster could have been so much better.
Edit a few days later: it’s gone. I hope you grabbed a copy for yourself!
Queen of the Cold Feet
My wife and I have started rewatching Cold Feet, and I couldn’t help but notice that we’re now older than the characters during their original run at the turn of the century. It’s a strange sensation to watch characters who are at a younger stage of life than I am now, especially since I once thought of them as older, embarking on family adventures that I wouldn’t consider for several more years.
Anyway, in season 3, one of the characters is getting IVF, and they want some music. It’s weird how the nurse got the name of the song wrong, but I guess they weren’t able to license that one, and the music would have been added later…
There’s a funny meme about that song. If I find it, I’ll add it to this post.
The Making of The Miracle Album Cover
If you’re of a certain age you’ll probably be familiar with Queen’s album, The Miracle. Or you might have heard of it because a “deluxe” version came out last year, with some great “sessions” versions of the original songs.
Anyway, the cover of the album is very distinctive, featuring the faces of each member of Queen merging together. It was made in the late 80s when computer image software wasn’t quite as sophisticated as now, but they still made a great job of it.
The video above shows how it was done. Really impressive work!
Lazing on a Sunday afternoon
If you don’t know, “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” by Queen, you’re in for a treat. Absolutely lovely song and one of my favourite songs. Just over 1 minute of perfection.
Jai on the Recovering Queen Podcast did a great cover of it too!
When you’ve listened to that, follow it up with Seaside Rendezvous. Another delightful song!
If you’ve never heard either of those songs, you should run, without hurting yourself, to the nearest record store and purchase a copy of Queen’s 1975 album “A Night At The Opera”. A stupendously good album, and I guarantee you have heard at least one song from it. There’s no way you haven’t heard this song I’m thinking of. (it’s also on any music streaming service, if you must have instant gratification.)
When I shared this on Mastodon yesterday Stephen Tures replied, linking to this documentary on the making of the album. I’ve only watched 17 minutes of it, but listen with headphones as they play snippets from the songs too!
Yes, of course, PLAY QUEEN LOUD!
It’s a Miracle, Another Post!
What! Two posts in one day? Well, I’ve been miserable with Covid-19 this week. But there is good news. Today is the day when Queen released The Miracle (Collectors Edition) which is a 4 disc compilation featuring the original tracks of the album. It’s the sessions disc that is getting my attention. There are great reworkings of the album songs, cleaned up demos, and well, Face it Alone, which in the context of the sessions, is not that bad.
I thought I was the only one who loved the original Party and Khashoggi’s Ship, but no, there are two of us out there! The new versions are so different. I’m sure they’ll grow on me. Listen to the full album on Spotify.
Make sure to read Gord’s reaction to The Miracle pt 1. Great post about the album, history and reception in the long distant late 80s.
Here’s part 2 of his look at The Miracle.
I loved this album when I first heard it in the early 90s, and this new iteration is great too!
Oh, and then there’s this amazing video for “Was It All Worth It?” Wow. Cheered me up to see all this today! Wow!
Play Queen Loud!
Edit: they totally auto-tuned Freddie Mercury’s voice in Face it Alone.
“Queen: Face It Alone” Leaked
Queen will release a new song tomorrow, Face it Alone, with vocals by the late Freddie Mercury. First play was supposed to be on BBC Radio 2 in the UK, but a French DJ played it last night, and somebody recorded it. I first heard there would be a new song back in July, and I was so excited to hear what it would be.
The song comes from a demo recorded in 1988 or 1989. There are copies of the demo floating around out there, but it looks like they’ve been scrubbed from YouTube. There used to be a version of it here last July. The demo wasn’t great. It was probably recorded on a tape recorder with a microphone held up in the air as other people talked nearby. I presumed that Queen have a better recording of it.
Is it any good? I listened to it once. I’m not jumping up and down with joy that there’s a new Freddie Mercury song. They didn’t have much to work with, and it unfortunately shows. Freddie’s vocals sound very auto-tuned. His singing at the start of the song sounds like an AI effect you’d hear on a Zoom call to remove background sound. It ruins his voice. Other vocals are better, the guitar is great, but it’s not a song I’ll listen to on a regular basis.
Listen to it here and judge for yourself.
Edit on October 13th: the official video is out now. Sound quality is much better, of course, but that first verse sounds very forced. The last line, “is set on fire”, does not sound natural. I would love to know how much processing went into making this track.
Damn, it’s growing on me.
Liza Minnelli – We Are The Champions
Liza Minnelli’s performance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 is an iconic moment that will be remembered by fans of both Queen and Minnelli for generations to come. Her rendition of “We Are The Champions” was a poignant tribute to the late Freddie Mercury, and her powerful performance was the perfect way to honour his legacy.
Minnelli’s unique style and voice are well-known to fans of musical theatre and film, but her interpretation of “We Are The Champions” added a new dimension to the song’s emotional impact. She brought her own brand of theatricality to the performance, infusing the song with a sense of drama and intensity that perfectly captured the spirit of the tribute concert.
The emotional impact of the song was not lost on the audience, either. As Minnelli belted out the lyrics, the crowd responded with cheers and applause, clearly moved by her passionate performance. This emotional connection was undoubtedly strengthened by the fact that Freddie Mercury adored Liza Minnelli – their close friendship was well-known, and he had expressed his admiration for her movies and songs many times.
One of the most memorable moments of Minnelli’s performance was when all the other performers came on stage to sing behind her, arm in arm, celebrating Freddie Mercury with a song he wrote. This spontaneous moment of unity and camaraderie was a fitting tribute to the man who had brought so much joy and energy to the music industry. George Michael, who was also performing at the tribute concert, hugged Minnelli and joined in the group sing-along with the other performers, creating a powerful and emotional moment that brought the entire audience together.
Personal anecdotes about Minnelli’s performance abound, adding depth and interest to the story. One notable example is the fact that she was not initially scheduled to perform at the tribute concert – she was asked to step in at the last minute after another performer dropped out. Despite the short notice, Minnelli rose to the occasion, delivering a performance that was both passionate and heartfelt.
In the broader context of the tribute concert, Minnelli’s performance played an important role in honoring Freddie Mercury’s legacy. “We Are The Champions” is one of Queen’s most popular songs, played at many sporting events, and its enduring popularity is a testament to the impact that Mercury had on popular culture. By choosing to perform this particular song, Minnelli not only paid tribute to Mercury’s musical talent but also acknowledged his impact on the wider world.
In conclusion, Liza Minnelli’s performance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was a memorable and emotionally charged moment that will live on in the annals of music history. Her interpretation of “We Are The Champions” was a powerful tribute to Freddie Mercury and his enduring legacy. Tthe spontaneous sing-along that followed was a fitting tribute to the man who had brought so much joy and energy to the music industry. With her unique style and voice, Minnelli brought a new dimension to the song’s emotional impact, creating a performance that will continue to inspire and move audiences for generations to come.
Keep Yourself Alive (Long Lost Re-Take)
I just heard this edit of Queen’s Keep Yourself Alive for the first time and I love it. It’s longer than the original and definitely worth listening to if you know the original.
Apparently it was recorded in 1975 as a possible radio edit according to this post but it was finally released in 1991 by Hollywood Records.
This acetate first was thought to be from circa 1972. But some years ago in an interview Brian confirmed that in 1975 it was re-recorded as new version for a possibly new release. Interestingly, the “long” track is refered to as a “long lost retake” on the hollywood version.
I’d love to know what other material is in the Queen vaults waiting to be heard..