This afternoon I took a long run/walk (mostly walk, my hip is killing me lately) and my music choice was Queen Live at Wembley 86. What a great album, and what a terrific performance from one of England's most prolific and original bands, Queen. If you know me, you know that Queen is in my list of top three favorite bands. And, also if you know me, you know that I love live music, because in my mind that's the true test of a performer's talent. Mediocre talent can go into a studio and make good songs come to life, but to translate that talent onto a stage, in front of thousands of fans is truly a different animal. And when it comes to the top live performances of a group of bandmates, Live at Wembley 86, has to be one of the best ever. That's not to say that Queen is the best, most talented performers, but this one is pretty magnificent. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.
When I was a little kid, maybe 8 or 9, my older brother had a record, a 45 with We Are the Champions on one side and We Will Rock You on the other. I was fascinated by this record. My parents had a stereo we used to play it on, and I had a little record player that was like a little tiny orange suitcase. That record player was state of the art then. And we'd sing those songs, not knowing anything about the artists or about the songs, we'd just sing them for the anthems that they were. And that's when I was around 9...1979. And I've loved everything about Queen ever since. I'd heard all the seedy gay stuff about Freddy Mercury and everyone had guitarist Brian May as one of the top guitarists around. I didn't care about that stuff too much when it came to Queen. I just loved hearing the guy sing. I agreed with the Brian May ranking of course, but Freddy was the man. And this was in a world where David Lee Roth and Ozzy Osbourne were as important to the rock scene as any other time. So I've always loved Queen, because of Freddy Mercury's voice. He was an amazing singer. Always will be.
And so I always had the Queen bug, and their albums and cassettes and you could always find Queen in my room or in my car. And then sometime around 1989, a friend, and sometimes girlfriend, Whitney, gave me Live at Wembley 86. I was amazed. I can't remember if it was a birthday gift or a Christmas present, but what a great gift. I don't think I can recall where more than maybe five albums I've ever owned have come from, but I do and always will for this one.
And so today I listened to this live album for maybe the 300th time (maybe more, no joke) and it was incredible. And Freddy Mercury is the reason why. Freddy was as talented, vocally, as 5 Elvis Presleys, and had more range than Pavarotti. And I love both of those dudes. But the way that Freddy captivates his already adoring audience is equal to none. He has his audience spellbound for the hours that they're together on this night. They'd loved him for fifteen years prior, and they had no idea they'd lose him five years later, but they were there for him. As far as rock bands go in England, it doesn't get much bigger than The Beatles and Queen. And walking through the bike paths here in Pleasantville, I relived every reason why I love this band, and respect this singer so much. Freddy is fiercely in control of his voice, he hits every note. He sings with such feeling and emotion that I kept catching myself singing out loud over my earbuds from my ipod. The band is spectacular but the star is Freddy. And for this performance, as well as countless hundreds of other Mercury performances, he was regaled as a rock god and was applauded for every syllable, every note and every octave that he produced. And never was a singer more worthy of fan adulation than was Freddy on this night. He was superb. He was unbelievably perfect in his singing performance.
My favorite song on this double-album is not my favorite Queen song but is in the top ten for sure. It's Love of My Life, for obvious reasons. You don't have to love it like I do, but please listen and realize that Freddy Mercury was a talent that won't soon be rivaled in rock and roll. He made some fatal choices in his life, but he's not to be blamed for it, and not to be judged by them. He was an artist of significant talent that has gone down as a true pioneer to his craft, and as a leader of many in the ways of singing and song writing. And on this night, for this performance, never has a star shone more brightly.
When I was a little kid, maybe 8 or 9, my older brother had a record, a 45 with We Are the Champions on one side and We Will Rock You on the other. I was fascinated by this record. My parents had a stereo we used to play it on, and I had a little record player that was like a little tiny orange suitcase. That record player was state of the art then. And we'd sing those songs, not knowing anything about the artists or about the songs, we'd just sing them for the anthems that they were. And that's when I was around 9...1979. And I've loved everything about Queen ever since. I'd heard all the seedy gay stuff about Freddy Mercury and everyone had guitarist Brian May as one of the top guitarists around. I didn't care about that stuff too much when it came to Queen. I just loved hearing the guy sing. I agreed with the Brian May ranking of course, but Freddy was the man. And this was in a world where David Lee Roth and Ozzy Osbourne were as important to the rock scene as any other time. So I've always loved Queen, because of Freddy Mercury's voice. He was an amazing singer. Always will be.
And so I always had the Queen bug, and their albums and cassettes and you could always find Queen in my room or in my car. And then sometime around 1989, a friend, and sometimes girlfriend, Whitney, gave me Live at Wembley 86. I was amazed. I can't remember if it was a birthday gift or a Christmas present, but what a great gift. I don't think I can recall where more than maybe five albums I've ever owned have come from, but I do and always will for this one.
And so today I listened to this live album for maybe the 300th time (maybe more, no joke) and it was incredible. And Freddy Mercury is the reason why. Freddy was as talented, vocally, as 5 Elvis Presleys, and had more range than Pavarotti. And I love both of those dudes. But the way that Freddy captivates his already adoring audience is equal to none. He has his audience spellbound for the hours that they're together on this night. They'd loved him for fifteen years prior, and they had no idea they'd lose him five years later, but they were there for him. As far as rock bands go in England, it doesn't get much bigger than The Beatles and Queen. And walking through the bike paths here in Pleasantville, I relived every reason why I love this band, and respect this singer so much. Freddy is fiercely in control of his voice, he hits every note. He sings with such feeling and emotion that I kept catching myself singing out loud over my earbuds from my ipod. The band is spectacular but the star is Freddy. And for this performance, as well as countless hundreds of other Mercury performances, he was regaled as a rock god and was applauded for every syllable, every note and every octave that he produced. And never was a singer more worthy of fan adulation than was Freddy on this night. He was superb. He was unbelievably perfect in his singing performance.
My favorite song on this double-album is not my favorite Queen song but is in the top ten for sure. It's Love of My Life, for obvious reasons. You don't have to love it like I do, but please listen and realize that Freddy Mercury was a talent that won't soon be rivaled in rock and roll. He made some fatal choices in his life, but he's not to be blamed for it, and not to be judged by them. He was an artist of significant talent that has gone down as a true pioneer to his craft, and as a leader of many in the ways of singing and song writing. And on this night, for this performance, never has a star shone more brightly.
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