Comments on: The New “Queen” Album Seems Like A Really Bad Idea

By: Ned Raggett

Ned Raggett — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:46:50 +0000

Amusingly enough (for Southern California folks):

tonight at 8:30 on KCET, you can witness a Queen show not unlike the one I loved despite the damage to my split ends. The public television station is broadcasting "Queen Rock Montreal," which captures a 1981 performance of the band at that Canadian city's Forum. Because it's pledge drive time, you'll undoubtedly have a chance to phone in for a "gift" of the concert DVD as well.

Extra fun comes during those pledge breaks, when Ms. Fox will be interviewing Queen guitar god and PhD-accredited astrophysicist Brian May about the band's new life with Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers in the Freddie seat, his gig as chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University and his recent book "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe."

By: westartedthis

westartedthis — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:48:06 +0000

@BigRicks: i had a comment eaten, and it's a good thing because i failed to notice that you'd already said everything i was going to say.

By: rockstarjoe

rockstarjoe — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:19:17 +0000

I think Taylor Hawkins and the Coattails put out a pretty great CD, really. But yeah, bad idea.

By: Thierry

Thierry — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:53:28 +0000

@Al Shipley: Taylor Hawkins wasn't half-bad doing a Dennis Wilson impersonation on the Pacific Ocean Blue reissue:

Still I can't imagine wanting to hear this new Queen record - and I can't imagine trumpeting a Taylor Hawkins cameo will do much for sale, either.

By: unperson

unperson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:34:24 +0000

I’ve always hated Queen, but I love Bad Company and Free, so for me, if anything, this whole thing has lowered my opinion of Paul Rodgers.

By: BigRicks

BigRicks — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:59:50 +0000

IMHO, this doesn’t do anything to the legacy of Queen, at least as far as I’m concerned. Anyone with any sense knows Queen died in ’91. If it does anything, it slightly taints what legacy remained for Brian May and Paul Rodgers. I prefer to just think it’s a bunch of old guys who want to make new music together and happen to have the money, connections, recognition and ability to put it out and have people (possibly) buy/hear it.

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:54:04 +0000

It was indefensible to let Taylor Hawkins sing even on the Foo Fighters' "Cold Day In The Sun," let alone on any other band's song.

Still, whatever, let the geezers have their fun. I enjoyed The Who's Endless Wire, and fully support classic rockers who exercise their prerogative to add weird final chapters to their recorded legacies instead of just leaning on the old hits for the more lucrative tours and reissues.

By: dippinkind

dippinkind — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:06:24 +0000

i’ll agree that he Wasn’t some sort of hack, i like some old Bad Company or Free on occassion as much as the next guy

By: Maura Johnston

Maura Johnston — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:02:32 +0000

@sydbarrett05: But he's not Freddie Mercury. Who was sort of a defining characteristic of Queen.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:57:00 +0000

The guy from Bad Company was also the lead singer of Free.
A really great band…It has become tiresome to read how people want to peg him as some sort of hack…he isn’t…and even though Bad Company had some more pedestrian sort of rock tendencies…I would rather take anything they did over scores of other groups!

Please go back and check out Free..and beyond “All Right Now” and find out why this man is so fantastic.

By: dippinkind

dippinkind — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:49:13 +0000

over the top ridiculousness has always been Queen’s MO, but the results used to end up super catchy and rockin, while based on that one song sample, that’s not the case anymore… but really, at this stage in the game who in their right mind honestly expected any Queen (or Lynyrd Skynyrd, or Stooges, or Black Sabbath, or Velvet Underground or etc etc etc) album to be even marginally decent? at a certain point any hope of greatness is past and the rest is just Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards.

By: Ned Raggett

Ned Raggett — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:27:11 +0000

Wikipedia brings some LOLs:

In 2000, Brian May and Roger Taylor participated together on a new version of We Will Rock You as Queen featuring boy band 5IVE. John expressed his unhappiness over the new version, perhaps also disappointed by such an uncredible musical union.

By: Mick Kraut

Mick Kraut — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:26:46 +0000

Brian May reading excerpts from his PHD thesis on Astrophysics has the potential to be less cringeworthy and more compelling...

Perhaps a better idea would have been to include May readings between tracks a la OUR LADY PEACE's record SPIRITUAL MACHINES with Ray Kurzweil...

I can only think that Taylor Hawkins sings in the event that that track is the single, then a video is shot. His appearances in FOO FIGHTERS videos show his willingness to dress in drag, should fit in nicely with QUEEN's past video releases...