Synopses & Reviews
Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon—they were renowned for electrifying live performances, envied for rumors of rock ’n’ roll excess, and beloved for music that melded an array of genres. To celebrate Queen’s music and accomplishments, here’s the first history befitting this larger-than-life rock band.
Packed with stunning performance and offstage photographs—dozens of them previously unpublished—as well as handbills, posters, backstage passes, tickets, T-shirts, LPs, and singles gathered from around the globe, this is the ultimate visual history for Queen fans everywhere. All told, more than 500 photos and artifacts are accompanied by specially commissioned works from a host of today’s top rock journalists in Europe and North America. A history of the band written by longtime U.K. music writer Phil Sutcliffe spans the pre-Queen years to current work with Paul Rodgers. Complementing this thorough account are reviews of all studio and live albums; complete year-by-year tour dates; an extensive annotated discography; reflections on the band and their music from some of rock’s top performers past and present; and exclusive insights from former crew chief Peter Hince, longtime producer Reinhold Mack, and Mercury collaborator Billy Squier.
Queen created one of the most compelling catalogs and lasting legacies in rock. Little surprise, then, that forty years after their debut, they are enthroned among rock royalty. Here is the book that dares to tackle their towering achievements.
Review
The “ultimate” book on Queen, arguably the most underrated (in the U.S.) rock and roll band ever, had to be as bombastic and colorful as the band itself. Everything Queen is here: Rare and not-so-rare black and white and color photos, biographical and chart info, detailed discography and tour info, and album-by-album reviews. The book has an obvious fan appeal, but is objective enough to deal with the most delicate issues in Queen’s history intelligently: Paul Rodgers (the former Bad Company frontman who “led” the infamous Queen + Paul Rodgers concoction) ain’t no Freddy Mercury, but the music he did with Brian May and Roger Taylor wasn't as bad as we think; that 1982’s
Hot Space, justly vilified when it came out, is now a semi-classic; and how Mercury, unfairly criticized for keeping his illness a secret during his last days, became a champion for AIDS-awareness in death. Most importantly, the book understands why Queen was a great band: Yes, they may have betrayed their own “no synthesizers” mantra when it was convenient to do so, but any band that can play and sing that well, and that can produce so many hits ranging from hard-rock to metal, to silly but instrumentally intricate music-hall and operatic gems, has the right to kill its own rules. A must for Queen fans and latecomers.
Coffee-table books on rock bands usually fall into one of two categories; either they're chock-full of great visuals with very little textual information, or the book looks like the U.S. tax code with a few snapshots thrown in. Thankfully, music journo Sutcliffe got it right both ways with this work, a must-have under the tree for any Queen fans on your list.Though utilizing mostly previously published interviews, Sutcliffe offers a detailed and comprehensive history of the band from their early days (when three-fourths of the classic lineup was known as Smile) up to their appearance during last season's American Idol finale. In addition, rock scribes and stars alike chime in on the band's albums, music, and impact….The real treat of Queen, though lies in the 500+ photos of the band in action and memorabilia including vintage backstage passes, T-shirts, record sleeves from around the world, and posters. Ironically, many of the tour laminates - designed by Mercury himself - feature scantily clad or nude women, many of them (of course), fat bottomed girls. — Houston Press
Review
Guitar Player
“This 288-page tome is overwhelming, overblown, pompous, theatrical, orgiastic, and self-indulgent. In other words, it’s a brilliant tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time. Although it’s an illustrated history, with gorgeous photos from every part of the band’s career and the members’ lives, it contains a tone of great writing to accompany the photographic story. From their humble beginnings as Smile to the world-beating success they would later achieve, Phil Sutcliffe does a great job of chronicling the band’s development and placing them in a historical context as he does so, with tales of the band opening for Hendrix and Pink Floyd, seeing the first Led Zeppelin tour, recording ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ mourning the huge loss of Freddie Mercury, and beyond. The guitar info is spot-on, thanks to a killer contribution form Dave Hunter that goes so far as to detail Dr. Brian May’s pickup selections on several tunes. In addition to the insightful prose of Sutcliffe, a general sprinkling of quotes form May and his eloquent mates makes this book impossible to put down.”
U. The National College Magazine
“Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock makes the ideal gift for someone who loves rock and roll. Filled with hundreds of photos, stories, and memories from other rock icons, such as Slash and Tommy Lee, this compendium of rock’s majesty Queen will be a hit with any music lover.”
Synopsis
They were renowned for stunning live performances, envied for rumors of their rock ’n’ roll excess, and beloved for their music, occasionally anthemic and always virtuosic. Nearly twenty years after the death of their engaging and supremely talented front man, Queen remains the archetypal larger-than-life rock band, comfortably enthroned among rock royalty. Now, to celebrate the majesty of Queen’s contributions to rock, here’s the first-ever complete illustrated history of the band.
With glorious concert and candid off-stage photography from throughout the band’s career, as well as concert posters, backstage passes, LPs and singles, and other memorabilia from throughout the world, this is the ultimate visual tribute to Queen. More than 500 photos and artifacts are accompanied by contributions from some of today’s top rock journalists from Europe and North America. In addition to a chronological history of the band, there are reviews of all studio albums, notable excerpts from period publications, complete year-by-year tour dates, and a discography, as well as reflections on the band and their music from many of rock’s top performers past and present, including Slash, Tommy Lee, and Billy Squier.
Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon combined a dizzying array of influences and genres in creating what would become one of the most compelling catalogs and lasting legacies in rock. Here is the book that dares to match that bombast.
Synopsis
Queen was renowned for electrifying performances, envied for rumors of rock excess, and beloved for music that melded an array of genres. Now available in a nicely priced paperback edition comes the first history befitting this larger-than-life rock band. Packed with stunning performance and offstage photographs—dozens of them previously unpublished—as well as handbills, posters, backstage passes, tickets, T-shirts, LPs, and singles gathered from around the globe, this is the ultimate visual history for Queen fans everywhere. A history of the band spans the pre-Queen years to current work with Paul Rodgers. Complementing this thorough account are reviews of all studio and live albums; complete tour dates; an extensive discography; reflections on the band and their music from some of rock’s top performers past and present; and exclusive insights from their former crew.
About the Author
London-based freelance journalist Phil Sutcliffe has been writing about rock since 1974 and has interviewed greats like Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Radiohead, Nirvana, Nick Cave, and Queen. His work has appeared in myriad publications, including Mojo, Q, the Los Angeles Times, Blender, Sounds, and more. Phil’s back catalog is mostly available on the world’s best archive of music writing: rocksbackpages.com.
Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter 1 Foreplay: The Making of Queen
Chapter 2 The White Side And The Black Side
Chapter 3 A Little High, A Little Low
Chapter 4 Music And Love Everywhere
Chapter 5 Making The Rocking World Go ’Round
Chapter 6 Playing The Game
Chapter 7 Under Pressure
Chapter 8 Break Free
Chapter 9 Want It All
Chapter 10 Goodbye Everybody—I’ve Got To Go
Chapter 11 Carry On, Carry On
Selected Discography And More (Also Selective)
Acknowledgments
Sources
Contributors
Index