Listen to This

1. Listen to This (Insert the song we want to play at the beginning of the presentation)

3. Queen

4. Freddie Mercury Roger Taylor Brian May John Deacon (take pictures of book- pix of them in playing cards…)

6. The Making of Queen

7. How it all started… • 1968 - Brian May, Tim Staffell and Roger Taylor formed the group SMILE • 1969 – SMILE were signed to Mercury Records • Tim Staffell introduced Freddie Mercury to the band. Freddie soon became a keen fan • 1970 – SMILE calls it a day…. • Freddie leaves his own band “WRECKAGE” and joins up with Brian and Roger • 1971 – In February, John Deacon is enlisted QUEEN is ready to Rock the World!

8. “ I thought up the name “QUEEN”. It’s just a name, but its very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid. It’s a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it” - Freddie Mercury

9. The Crest Combines zodiac signs of its members: 2 lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor) Acrab for Cancer (May) 2fairies for Virgo (Mercury). The lions embrace a Letter Q.

10. Early 1970s - Queen had moderate success with the albums Queen and Queen II The release of Sheer Heart Attackin 1974 and A Night at the Operathe following year propelled the band into international success. 1976 – Release of News of the World, the champion that rock the world!

11. Received critical response from the Rolling Stone- establishing their prominence in mainstream culture Gordon Fletcher writes: “Rumor has it that Queen shall soon be crowned "the new Led Zeppelin" .... this funky, energetic English quartet has all the tools they'll need to lay claim to the Zep's abdicated heavy-metal throne, and beyond that to become a truly influential force in the rock world.”

12. The KING of QUEEN

13. 1946 – a star is born • Freddie’s Birthplace : Zanzibar, East Africa • His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara were Parsis from the Gujarat region. The Bulsara family had moved to Zanzibar so that his father could continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office. • 1952 younger sister, Kashmira, is born.

14. Early Life • Mercury spent his childhood in India • Took piano lessons at a young age. • When he was 8 , studied at St. Peter's School, a British-style boarding school for boys near Bombay. He began to call himself "Freddie".. • Aged 12, he formed a school band, The Hectics. • At the age of 17, Freddie and his family fled for safety due to the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution

15. His youth • 1n 1963 the family moved to England. • Freddie studied art and earned a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College • After graduation, Freddie joined a series of bands and sold second-hand clothes in the Kensington Market in London. • Friends from the time remember him as a quiet and shy young man who showed a great deal of interest in music. • In April 1970, Mercury joined Brian May & Roger Taylor and formed QUEEN.

16. His Name • Freddie changes his name by deed poll. • He closed the door on FarrokhBulsaraand reinvented himself as someone else –synonymous with glamour, fame and strength. He delved in Roman mythology and chose Mercury, the messenger of the gods. • As of July 1970, he was to be known as Freddie Mercury.

17. “All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me.“ – Freddie Mercury (1985)

18. Albums:

19. Freddie, the Instrumentalist Piano • Received formal piano at a young age. • Played the piano in many of Queen's most popular songs. He used concert grand pianos and other keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord. • Unimpressed with his own, he used the instrument less. He preferred to walk around onstage and entertain the audience. Guitar • While living in London, he learned guitar • Favourite artists: The Who, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin • Wrote many lines for the guitar, but possessed only rudimentary skills • Songs like "Ogre Battle" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" were composed on guitar.

20. Freddie, the Songwriter • Wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album: • His songwriting involved a wide range of genres :rockabilly, progressive rock, heavy metal, gospel and disco. • In a 1986 interview, "I hate doing the same thing again and again and again. I like to see what's happening now in music, film and theatre and incorporate all of those things.” • Tended to write musically complex material. Eg "Bohemian Rhapsody" is acyclic in structure and comprises dozens of chords]He also wrote six songs from Queen II which deal with multiple key changes and complex material • Wrote most of his songs on the piano and used a wide variety of different key signatures. • Used his intuition to compose in a manner that he found sonically pleasing.

21. Freddie, the Singer • His Speaking voice in the baritone range but delivered most songs in the tenor range. • Vocal range extended from bass low F (F2) to soprano high F (F6). He could belt up to tenor high F (F5). • As Queen's career progressed, he would increasingly alter the highest notes of their songs when live, often harmonising with seconds, thirds or fifths instead. He is said to have "the rawest vocal fold nodules" and claimed never to have had any formal vocal training

22. The difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice. His technique was astonishing. No problem of tempo, he sung with an incisive sense of rhythm, his vocal placement was very good and he was able to glide effortlessly from a register to another. He also had a great musicality. His phrasing was subtle, delicate and sweet or energetic and slamming. He was able to find the right colouring or expressive nuance for each word.” - Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé

23. Freddie, the Live Performer Highly theatrical style Evoked a great deal of participation from the crowd A performer out to tease, shock and ultimately charm his audience with various extravagant versions of himself

24. “Of all the more theatrical rock performers, Freddie took it further than the rest... he took it over the edge. And of course, I always admired a man who wears tights. I only saw him in concert once and as they say, he was definitely a man who could hold an audience in the palm of his hand.” - David Bowe

25. Freddie, the Live Performer • Performed an estimated 700 concerts around the world • 1st band to play in South American stadiums, breaking worldwide records for concert attendance in the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo in 1981. • Live Aid in 1985, entire stadium of 72,000 people clapped, sang and swayed in unison. Queen's performance at the event has since been voted by a group of music executives as the greatest live performance in the history of rock music. • In 1986, played behind the Iron Curtainto a crowd of 80,000 in Budapest, one of the biggest rock concerts held in Eastern Europe. • Freddie's final live performance with Queen took place on 9 August 1986 at Knebworth Park in England and drew an attendance estimated as high as 300,000.

26. Crazy Little ThinG called love • Freddie had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin in the early 1970’s. • By the mid-1970’s, he had an affair with a male American record executive who worked for Elektra Records. • In the early 1980’s, he became involved with Barbra Valentin, an Austrian actress. • By 1985, again he became involved with a male hairdresser named Jim Hutton.

27. Love kills • 1985 - Mercury undergoes a secret AIDS test at the end of 1985 • 1986 - Results had come back, he learnt from his doctors that he has AIDS

28. The final chapter – 1988-1991 • Nov 1988 - Following a brief hiatus, the group reconvened to record prolifically for the remainder of Freddie's life, producing three albums, two of which Queen released prior to his 's death {The Miracle [1989] and Innuendo [1991]). • During the final ten months of Freddie’s life, although AIDS significantly debilitated his physical capacity, he valiantly continued to record and compose in the seclusion of Montreux, Switzerland, a place that provided him with serenity from the unrelenting pursuits of the paparazzi.

29. The show must go on • Mercury's spirited ambition to continue making music determinedly reflected, in part, his dismay for contracting a malady that would inescapably terminate the band. • Following his AIDS-positive diagnosis, Mercury, rather than immediately surrendering his talents to a merciless disease, courageously continued to battle for his life, as he sought to impart his musical legacy upon the world. Despite the constant manhunts by the paparazzi during the Montreux voyages, Mercury bravely continued to compose and record music, as he chronicled through "The Show Must Go On:" "Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up may be flaking but my smile still stays on."

30. Brian May states: We kind of knew for a long time, very very gradually, because the signs began to appear. There came a day when Freddie said, "Look, you've probably figured out what I am dealing with. I have this thing, and as far as I know, there is no cure. I only have a certain amount of time left and I would like everything to carry on as is; I would like us to make records. I do not want anyone to know, I do not want anyone to talk about it from this point forward, and that is it."

31. Brian May discusses the circumstances that surrounded these sessions: By the time we were recording these other tracks [the songs comprising Made inHeaven] after Innuendo, we had had the discussions and we knew that we were totally on borrowed time, because Freddie had been told that he wouldn't make it to that point. So our plan was to just make use of him as much as possible. We lived in the studio for a while and when he would call and say, "I can come in for a few hours," our plan was to make as much use of him as we could. Freddie said, "Get me to sing anything, write me anything and I will sing it, and I will leave you as much material as I possibly can."

32. Peter Freestone states: “For so many people that I know, as soon as they are told they have AIDS, they give up because there is no reason for living anymore. But for Freddie, it was the total opposite. It concentrated him, it made him accept that there was so much more that he still had to do, particularly where the music was concerned. It wasn't just him who was going to suffer from this, it was the band. With him being so inconsiderate and dying, what would happen to the band? That preyed a great deal on his mind. He wanted to give them as much as he could.” Mike Moran continues: "He could have easily given up and disappeared somewhere, and lived the rest of his life in isolation, but he did not do that. It is another example of how brave the man was. He was out working until he could actually work no more."

33. Freddie’s Farewell 23 Nov 91 - This announcement was made to the press on behalf of Mercury: “Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.”

34. A little over 24 hours after issuing the statement, Mercury died on 24 Nov 1991 at the age of 45. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS

35. Heaven and beyond 6 November 1995, nearly four years following the singer's tragic death, the surviving members of Queen released their fifteenth album, Made in Heaven, an unparalleled posthumous work intended to eulogize Mercury's inspirational life. (Jami- pix for the album.. If can find…)

36. Queen+ Rodgers Following Mercury's death in 1991 and Deacon's retirement later in the decade, May and Taylor have performed infrequently under the Queen label. Since 2005, they have been collaborating with Paul Rodgers, under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers. They officially split up on 12 May 2009.

37. Bohemian rhapsody Steph – this can be included in your part, its what he says about the song - Jami “It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them... "Bohemian Rhapsody" didn't just come out of thin air. I did a bit of research although it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera. Why not? — Freddie Mercury

38. End of Jami’s changes

39. Musical Styles, Influences

40. Musical style The band are noted for their: • musical diversity – fragmented strict genre paradigms and gender codes • eclectic array of music in a consistently innovative manner • multi-layered arrangements to imitate the sound of a large choir through overdubs • vocal harmonies • extended guitar solos • incorporation of audience participation into their live performances – often theatrical • flamboyant and androgynous imagery • themes of sentimentality, mystery, fantasy and escapism

41. Aside from the amount of raw talent in the band Queen excelled because each member had a specific role to play and fulfilled it to the max. Everyone contributed as a songwriter. They had three lead singers who brought distinctly different attributes to the songs they sand. They forged a unique collaborative vocal style. They had a cosmic guitar presence that was unequalled and perhaps the most commanding frontman rock ‘n’ roll has ever seen. You don’t get much better than that. ~ Billy Squier, Rock icon, 1982

42. Musical genres • encapsulated a diverse range of genres, interwoven artistically through the medium of a rock album Typical Glam rock Hard rock Dance/disco- ‘I Want to Break Free’ Heavy metal – ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ Pop rock- ‘We are the Champions’, ‘ We will Rock You’ Progressive rock Psychedelic rock Others Country Ragtime Rockabilly – ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ Opera - ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Gospel - ‘Somebody to Love’ Vaudeville Folk Funk

43. I like people to go away from a Queen show feeling fully entertained, having had a good time. I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film - after that, they can go away and say that was great, and go back to their problems.. - Freddie Mercury, 1981

44. “I’m in awe of Queen as a band, just from the way they morphed from pretty much a direct hard rock band into a massively effective progressive rock band and the way they married classical into hard rock...and the way they kept pushing the envelop. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ to me, took rock to another level. And Queen was mega-versatile- songs like ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ that were practically 1950s to songs like ‘Killer Queen’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ that were out-and-out rockers. Jus watching that band morph and change directions over the years was just amazing.” ~ Paul O’Neill, Trans Siberian Orchestra

45. Who inspired them • Many other British rock acts at the time, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple, and David Bowie • And other artists such as the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Jan and Dean, AnnunzioMantovani and Frank Zappa • ... as well as many different genres of music, often with a tongue-in-cheek attitude / am so depressed by these people who still won't admit that everything we do simply drips with originality. - Freddie Mercury

46. Who they inspired • Like their music, the bands and artists that have claimed to be influenced by Queen are diverse and span different generations, countries, and genres: Nirvana Foo Fighters Franz Ferdinand Muse Mika George Michael Green Day Guns N' Roses Journey Katy Perry Keane Lady Gaga Meat Loaf metallica My Chemical Romance Panic at the Disco Radiohead Robbie Williams The Killers Kurt Cobain Adam Lambert michaeljackson ...

47. Bohemian Rhapsody - introduction • Released as a single on 31 October 1975, and later appearing on A Night at the Opera (21 November 1975) • Queen's best-known and arguably most important work in terms of its lasting cultural significance • At the time of Mercury's death, he considered "Bohemian Rhapsody" to be one of his greatest accomplishments • Sonically personifies the artistic innovation and musical mastery of Queen and the late Freddie Mercury – through technological experimentation and creative modes of composition • Vividly showcases the fragmentation of genre constructions through the group's innovative use of technological applications and by fusing elements of glam and progressive rock with those found in musical theatre, opera buffa and vaudeville • Groundbreaking promotional video significantly influenced the style of modern-day music videos in the MTV era • Six minutes long -nearly twice the length of conventional pop singles of the time

48. Bohemian rhapsody – A rock “mock opera” • Use of "cascade effect" and vocal overdubs to create sonic choral effects • Parodies various elements of opera: choruses of multitracked voices alternating with arialike solos, excessive emotions, confusing plot, and sarcastic recitative and distorted Italian operatic phraseology • Operatic recitative, aria/lied, and chorus are juxtaposed with hard rock • The initial dramatic monologue gives way to outrageous juxtaposition of music and words, so the song veers from melodrama to nonsense. • The confused context of these terms serves both to highlight the foreign intrusion of opera in a rock anthem and parody the lack of understanding of foreign language opera common to most rock fans.

49. Bohemian rhapsody – musical structure • Consists on 3 main parts: a ballad segment ending with a guitar solo, an operatic passage and a hard rock section • Begins with a cappella group vocals introducing the story and setting the mood • Next comes an aria/lied – a lament-like ballad with enigmatic lyrics, accompanied by limping broken arpeggios on the piano • depicts a suicidal young man confessing to a murder, bemoaning his short life and imploring his “mother” ‘to carry on as if nothing really matters’ • Interrupted by a dramatic guitar solo which depicts an Orpheous-like descent into the insanity of he underworld aka chaos --complete with a demonic chorus “Thunderbolts and lightning, very veryfright’ning...” • Followed by a operatic section with falsetto solos - ‘Gallileo...’ and a nonsensical mix of Italian and French terms such as ‘Silhouetto’, ‘Scaramouche’, ‘Mama mia’ and ‘Fandango’. • Choral jury interjects with their judgement of guilt; “We will not let you go;” • Abrupt transition into a stereotypical rock mode with the words, “So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye.” • Songs ends with an aria/lied by gradually thinning the density of the accompaniment with a subtle decrescendo

50. Bohemian rhapsody – Meaning part 1 • Literal interpretation: its nihilistic narrator kills a man for no reason and then resigns himself to execution and subsequent damnation. • Underlying meaning: autobiographical testimonial to Mercury's binary life ---- Mercury expressing his plea for forgiveness, as he confronts his suppressed past and begins a new life as a liberalized homosexual • A very simple interpretation of a very complex song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmwdalT4HHQ