Reset Password
Reset Link Sent
| Blogs > rm_mazandbren > The Complaisant Husband |
Princes of the Universe
|
Princes of the Universe I am quite the fan of Rockwiz; while I do enjoy ABC’s Spicks and Specks I just find that Rockwiz is more memorable. Of course having the sexy Julia Zemiro as host helps; I think that if Myf Warhurst stood up a bit more often I would definitely watch Specks a bit more. The only thing that I don’t like about Rockwiz is the tendency they have to be a little precious about the sort of music they think is ‘cool’. It mars what is otherwise a fantastic segment of the show; “What concert did you first go to? What was the first album you bought with your own money?” Whilst the audience contestants are interesting, it is the answers provided by the star guests that I often find fascinating. The first tickets I ever paid for were a double bill for Hoodoo Gurus and The Stems. Unfortunately I got a knock to the head at the hockey and spent much of the concert in hospital waiting to see if I had a concussion. The first concert I ever attended was Hunters and Collectors at the Old Melbourne Hotel. My dream was to see the Divynals; unfortunately there was always something in the way of seeing them; a regional sports carnival, not enough money, etc. Of course this was the dream of those bands likely to get to Perth. The fact is that the big performers and performances never made it past the Nullarbor; a lot of them don’t even make it out of Sydney and Melbourne. The one act I always hoped to see live one day was Queen. I cannot remember a time when Queen were not my favourite band. I am sure that there was a time when I was too young; I just don’t remember it. When I finally had money to pay for my own albums the first album I bought was ‘A Night at the Opera.’ I still have that<b> vinyl </font></b>record from my spotted youth; I also have it on tape and CD. I discovered that tapes were a lot handier than<b> vinyl </font></b>so I have the complete catalogue on tape whereas I only have four albums on vinyl, including the Greatest Hits. Getting a complete catalogue on CD has proven somewhat difficult; Hot Space in particular has proven elusive and I seem to have a bit of a problem with disappearing Queen CDs at parties. Bad enough, yes, but even more so when it is one of the early albums. I also have all the official DVDs and a fair whack of unofficial ones. I am not one of those fans that remembers every detail; I know the names of the band members, the instruments they played and not much more than that. To me, it has always been about the music. It didn’t bother me where the album ended up on the charts; what single was number one in Austria or Belgium. I loved the scope of the music; the grandeur that the band tried to add to what was just plain old rock and roll. The tribalism of ‘We Will Rock You’ and the operatic sensation of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ were major achievements in themselves. Yet their hits were only ever part of the story for me; I love the whole albums. It would be a mistake to suggest that each one possessed some underlying theme or spirit. To my mind, each song was meant to be taken on its own merits, not to serve some great building block within the structure of the album. It always seemed to me that each song was presented as an uncut gem; it required the listener to add their own take on the song- to give it its ultimate meaning. I can think of no other band that has touched us as completely as Queen have. No victory celebration could be complete without their iconic ‘We Are The Champions.’ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ changed the dynamic of the three minute pop song. ‘We Will Rock You’ is the challenge of the home team in any number of sports and leagues. ‘I Want To Break Free’ must be singularly unique as an iconic song of gay liberation and anti-apartheid protest. Sooner or later every company associated with the auto industry seems to run an advert based on ‘I’m In Love With My Car.’ There are many more; but it seems that the very ubiquity of their influence seems to have diluted whatever credit is owed to them. While it is increasingly rare to hear the Stones or the Beatles on the radio, Queen songs seem to have a hallowed place still. That it is the same four songs time and again is hardly their fault. My Favourite Queen Songs It’s A Hard Life- Because nothing has been easy for me I identify with this song; whilst ostensibly a song of lost love I find that the whole notion that everything worthwhile has to be worked for is so true. Bohemian Rhapsody- As an Opera lover I enjoy this attempt to bring the operatic into the rock milieu. There are a few heavy metal bands that do more, seem even more operatic, but this was a song that changed the way we look at rock. Teo Torriate (Let Us Cling Together)- a big soppy love song. One of ‘our’ songs. Fat Bottomed Girls- cause I love fat bottomed girls of loose virtue. Tear It Up- a sexual song full of grunt- taps right into the hind brain. Prophet’s Song- big guitars, big drums and Freddie at his operatic best, it is a very underrated song Innuendo- as much as I like the song, I love the video more. The Spanish rhythms are an interesting addition. It’s come to mean a lot more to me these last few months. Breakthrough- the video was shot in reverse- the smoke from the steam train obscured the band when it travelled forwards. I love the sentiment behind the song. Don’t Stop Me Now- another great sentiment- don’t stop me now, I am having such a good time. Back when I was drinking if you didn’t play this or Bowie’s Diamond Dogs there was going to be a fight. You Take My Breath Away- a really nice ballad. Of course I could just go on for another ten or twenty or thirty. But these are the songs that I think most accurately reflect who Queen were in my mind. For all the great times I have had listening to your music, thank you Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.  In truth is there no beauty? I am not in love; but i am open to persuasion. |
|||
|
thanks In truth is there no beauty? I am not in love; but i am open to persuasion.
|
Become a member to create a blog
