Queen back in the studios

[choc_soldier]

Queen back in the studio
October 26, 2006 - 1:34PM

Legendary British rock band Queen is back in full studio recording sessions for the first time since its iconic frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991, the group's guitarist Brian May said.


The 59-year-old said that he and Queen drummer Roger Taylor had joined forces with former Free vocalist Paul Rodgers and had already worked up a handful of new tracks.


The trio toured Europe and Japan in 2005 and North America earlier this year in what was the first Queen tour since 1986.


Former astronomy student May has been busy with his new book about space entitled Bang! The Complete History of the Universe, but insisted he had not swapped the plectrum for the pen permanently.


"The music is not on hold," the guitar legend said.


"We have about three weeks booked in the studio at the moment. It was going to be just exploratory to see what happened when Paul and Roger and I were in the same room with a recording machine.


"But we're already deep into it and we already have some very good material so I'm pretty excited about that: it's very new, very different," he promised.


"There may be enough there to create an album, though it's early days yet. At the moment it's just a few tracks but we'll see how it goes."


And despite the lack of a new Queen album since Made in Heaven in 1995 - painstakingly created with scraps of vocals left by Mercury - May insisted the pressure was off and the focus was on fun.


"It's great to do it for its own sake, it doesn't have to be an album, it doesn't have to be anything; it doesn't have to make money either.


"We don't really have anything to prove but we have a lot of passion still in our bodies and it seems to be finding a good place at the moment."


May and Taylor have occasionally been in the studio together since Mercury died - bassist John Deacon retired in the late 1990s - but this is the first time they have had a lengthy recording session working on new material.


And May said the Queen plus Paul Rodgers show could hit the stage again.
"It's on the cards: we might do some more touring depending on how we feel," he said.


May wrote on his website that the trio were back in the studio Wednesday to work on more new tracks.


He said the songs were "epic" and a diversion from anything Queen or Rodgers had done before.


AFP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/queen-back-in-the-studio/2006/10/26/1161749234178.html


I know Queen isn't the same without Freddie, but it does sound very interesting nevertheless. Hopefully something gets released out these sessions.

 

[newtownbluebags]

I know Queen isn't the same without Freddie

exactly!...a'la INXS - (minus) Hutchence!

 

[madunit]

I've heard Paul Rodgers perform live with Brian and Roger.

His vocal range is pathetic, and he sounds like he is trying very very hard to try and get close to sounding like Freddie, and he fails miserably.

I hope they make some songs that suit his voice.

Freddie, greatest front man that ever lived

 

[choc_soldier]

Freddie, greatest front man that ever lived

Amen to that!

 

[Nuke]

I'm with you both there.
I was hesitant to give my 100% support to Paul Rodgers fronting Queen (as the newly titled 'Queen+Paul Rodgers') until I heard their live album (and watched the dvd when it was released a short while later) 'Return Of The Champions'. Awesome live show. Not as good as Queen's 'Live At Wembley' show, but Queen (with both Freddie Mercury and John Deacon) were absolutely on top of their game - and the music world - back in 1986.

Since 'Return Of The Champions' cd & dvd, I rate the new Q+PR line-up very highly. I agree that Paul struggles to do some songs justice, but quite simply, you cannot compete with Freddie. I reckon the new Q+PR tracks will suit both 'Queen' (ie: Brian May and Roger Taylor) and Paul Rodgers. Neither will be out of their depth.

Australia missed out on the Q+PR 'world' tour this year and last, so I'm hoping with almost everything I've got that when the new album is released (and it will, I have no doubts in the world), Q+PR begin another tour and Australia is included. I recently sent Brian May an e-mail regarding his new astronomy book 'BANG! The Complete History Of The Universe', and briefly mentioned that Q+PR should come to Australia some day. He actually sent me a reply! He said (re: coming to Australia): "Yes, I need to get back Down Under some day ...". Hooray!

Here's hoping ...

 

[bartman]

Wow, Brian May replies to emails. Sounds like a top bloke.

Paul is no Freddie, but hopefully the new material won't expose that. Good on 'em for trying new material, at least that means they're not trying to live in the past and leave it at that. (But of course the past is the drawcard that helps get people interested in the new material, given that if they released it under a new name like say... Chowderfish, less people might give it a go?

Queen rocked, and they were all writers, not just Freddie. Should still be good.

 

[Nuke]

Yeah, he replies to some. His website (www.brianmay.com) has all his news, opinions, e-mail replies, ect. He has a lady he's employed to manage his site. She posts up news that people have sent, posts up his stories, photos, opinions, filters through the thousands of e-mails he receives, and sends on a small percentage to Brian himself and he'll decide if he replies to it or not. As you can imagine, he's a very busy man with Queen's musical 'We Will Rock You', his new astronomy book 'BANG! The Complete History Of The Universe', new Queen (+ Paul Rodgers) material, various guest appearances on songs (Meatloaf, Yardbirds, Foo Fighters, ect), restoration of Queen songs into dts dvd form, and of course, his family life ... the list goes on.

I feel absolutely privileged that the great man spent about 2 minutes of his life on me. For a fleeting moment in time, he knew I existed. 3 weeks later, it still blows me away. I printed out the e-mail, took it to work and got it laminated. I look at it most days. The novelty hasn't worn off yet!

 

[choc_soldier]

Queen rocked, and they were all writers, not just Freddie. Should still be good.

They were all singers too (well, three of them, anyway). The first 5 or so albums that they released had tracks that were sang by Brain May and Roger Taylor. Taylor sounds a bit like Rod Stewart, May has an almost angelic voice.

Both also released solo gear in the nineties. May's "Back To The Light" is very good!

But from about "Hot Space" onwards, pretty much every track on each album was done by Freddie.

 

[bartman]

Top stuff Nuke, don't blame you for the laminating.

But from about "Hot Space" onwards, pretty much every track on each album was done by Freddie.

You mean singing, yeah? Pretty sure they all still wrote music/lryics, especially toward the end/Innuendo. What a cracking piece of music that one was too, just quietly.

It's a great back catalogue. I still never get sick of delving into any aspect of it (though some of the Hot Space/The Miracle "disco-type" stuff though isn't as rewarding with the passing of time...)

 

[choc_soldier]

Yeah, I meant singing! But On "Made In Heaven", Brian May sang a fair bit of "Mother Love" (one of their best ever songs IMO, and perhaps their "heaviest" lyrics wise too), only because it appeared that Freddie unfortunately never got an opportunity to finish it...

Each album has their little gems (and also rather forgettable stuff). I never tire of their stuff either!

 

[gunnamatta bay]

Flag of Fathers. I give it 3 and a half out of five. Very gruesome similar to saving private ryan. Very sad and pretty accurate story of what became of the surviving soliders who hoisted the (2nd) flag over Iwo Jima.

 

[bartman]

Think you clicked the wrong thread with that one Gunna? Movie?

 

[madunit]

Yeah, I meant singing! But On "Made In Heaven", Brian May sang a fair bit of "Mother Love" (one of their best ever songs IMO, and perhaps their "heaviest" lyrics wise too), only because it appeared that Freddie unfortunately never got an opportunity to finish it...

Each album has their little gems (and also rather forgettable stuff). I never tire of their stuff either!

i loved the 70's stuff they did, hot space was a no-no, but boy did they bounce back when they released The Works. One of their best albums imo.

I have the Queen live at the bowl dvd and i truly believe that this concert, was Freddie at the peak of his game. Its hard to believe that a song as powerful as The Show Must Go On was performed while he was on his deathbed.

I've been listening to a lot of Queen lately and I can't help but wonder why Freddie couldn't have just kept his gayness to himself and not expressed it physically, that way he'd still be alive and queen would still be kicking arses