What You Didn't Know About Queen

1. Before Queen the four members played in various bands - Smile, Sour Milk Sea, Ibex, Wreckage, 1984, The Opposition, Left Handed Marriage. It would be Freddie Mercury who chose the name Queen, for it sounded "royal" and was easy to remember. The charismatic singer will also be the one to design the now-famous Queen crest, bringing together a large crowned Q and the astrological signs of the four musicians.


 
2. The last to join the band would be bassist John Deacon, in 1971. Before him Queen had tried to play together with three other bass-players, but none could fit as well as the silent and tallented Deacon. Nowadays he has quit the music business alltogether, has cut all ties with the press and likes to keep his life really private.

3. One the cover of several early albums one could find the funny label "No Synthesizers". It would be later and especially during the 80s that Queen introduced electronic music in their recordings, the first major style shift being the controversial 1982 Hot Space.

4. After conquering South America in the spring and autumn of 1981, with a string of concerts that became historical events for countries like Argentina or Venezuela, the band wanted to return triumphantly in 1983 for another grandiose tour. Plans were made, first posters were printed and it would have been another landmark in Queen history, but unfortunatelly the project fell apart due to a number of reasons, not in the least the need for a break from each other.

5. Greatest Hits I, released by Queen in 1981, is one of the best-selling albums of all times, with over 35 million units sold. The second volume of their best songs, Greatest Hits II, from 1991, has so far sold over 17 million units.

6. Queen had nearly broken up around 1984-1985, before their triumphant gig at Live Aid. Although the gigs were still very successfull their last two albums, Hot Space (1982) and The Works (1984), had received mixed reviews, their decision to play in Sun City in 1984 was ill-advised, to say the least, and Mercury was more and more attracted to the idea of a solo career. If it wasn't for Live Aid, since then often called the best rock live performance ever, most probably the band would have split up.

7. The very first Queen concert (Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and their first bassist, Mike Grose) took place at the City Hall in Truro, UK, on June 27th 1970. Even if it was far from the fame and glamour of much later gigs, it was a good beginning, even if the band was still rough and unpolished.

Photo: www.allmusic.com, www.guardian.com