The Great Pretender

I just got a package from my counterpart! She sent me the book/DVD combo of The Great Pretender! Well, the book has a bonus interview CD. I'm SO excited!!!

Audrey's note reads, "with love always! audrey mercury XOXOX"

My favorite part that just barely surpasses the AWESOME of these gifts is that I actually had to switch my books with my random stuff to fit the Great Pretender book. I can't wait to watch the DVD :-)

THANK YOU again, Audrey! You'll be getting a present soon!!!

Reviewing my collection: format change

A while ago, I used to post about some of my stuff in no particular order because I didn't have anything better to post. But I miss posting here and I think I'm going to start giving each piece its own post.

I've covered it a bit before, but I want to start with Hot Space.

Let's go!

Did you see what I did there? Did the song Dancer just pop into your head?

I'm not sure where you stand, but I do love this album. The first time I heard any bits of it that wasn't Under Pressure was on Magic Years volume 2. There was a clip of Las Palabras De Amor and Staying Power from their Milton Keynes show. Imagine my surprise when I learned the recorded version of Staying Power wasn't that fast-paced or heavy!

But you know what? The recorded version is cool, too. I have a preference for the live version, but I also have a preference for Freddie's voice when his vocal cords aren't almost completely obliterated, so...

(Freddie's voice still rocked at that performance, though)

I like how Brian and Roger kept in with the album's format while still doing what they were comfortable with. i.e. the guitar solo in Dancer, Action This Day as a whole, etc. What annoys me is everyone puts the blame on Freddie for the synthesizers, but if I remember correctly, Roger introduced them to Freddie while they were recording The Game. Granted, around the time Queen were recording Hot Space, it was arguably the peak of Freddie's clubbing days (and Paul Prenter, Freddie's former personal assistant) that pushed for a dance-oriented album.

But just think of the consequences of Freddie not getting his way on this project or any other: Queen would probably just keep making the same sound, tunneling their way into obscurity, being the Nickelback of the 1970s.

Is this really what you want for the greatest band in the world???

So Hot Space is looking pretty damn good to you former nay-sayers right now, isn't it? Moving on!

I like Back Chat because it demonstrates John's talent. Aside from bass, he also plays rhythm guitar, synths, and electric piano. I guess he and Brian had an argument over whether there was going to be a guitar solo in there. Clearly Brian won because there it is.

The video is "meh" for me. As is the live version. I think it's too boring for the stage.

There was a long, long time where I couldn't listen to Body Language or watch the video. Same thing with Get Down, Make Love on News Of The World. That's probably in large part due to the fact that I don't have sexual crushes on any members of Queen. Although a disproportionate number of my pictures of Freddie in the 1970's have him wearing leather, so maybe that says more about me than I'm willing to acknowledge...

But the track is good. The bass line is catchy and synthetic, and the video is ridiculously tame by today's standards. And a bit weird. What was that cake all about???

I'm going to skip a few tracks because some of them will probably derail this whole post. I may add them later.

Cool Cat is my favorite track on here. John plays every instrument on here and it's really brilliant. I probably sing along to this more than the others, even if I can't sing falsetto.

Under Pressure is an awesome song. The end.

Moral of the story: Nickelback sucks.

Hungarian Rhapsody

As promised, a real post! It was awesome seeing Hungarian Rhapsody on the big screen, even though only two other people showed up. I'd like to think other venues in Massachusetts had a much better turnout. Especially Gloucester since Gunpowder Gelatine are performing after that showing (I'm there in spirit!!).

Walking into the theater was really nice. The PA was playing a bunch of Queen songs - even some of the more obscure ones, so I knew it wasn't just someone's copy of Greatest Hits. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but hearing a live version of You Take My Breath Away and an alternate take of Keep Yourself Alive showed a lot of caring and made me feel special. A short documentary titled 'A Magic Year' played before the concert, and it got my hopes up that Queen Productions, Ltd were planning on officially releasing The Magic Years series. That's not likely to happen, but the thought is nice.

As much as I enjoyed it, I was really disappointed with the editing. I'm not sure if that was to make space for the integrated bits of the band hanging out in Budapest, but it's pretty annoying since I was expecting the entire show. I wonder if the footage not included in the VHS release was thrown out, like in what has since become Rock Montreal? Either way, kind of a let-down.

On a more bittersweet note, I'm now completely spoiled. I want to watch ALL the Queen concerts and documentaries on giant movie screens with surround sound! Oh well. It's going to be a different experience watching it on my TV when Hungarian Rhapsody gets released on DVD and Blu-ray in November.

Brace yourselves

A new, actual post is coming!!! Are you as excited as I am?

No?

Well TOO BAD!

And please, be a dear and let me know what you think of this layout :-)

Post Queen Extravaganza show

You guys, last night was AMAZING!

My ticket.

I got there at 6pm to ensure a secure spot in line. I was worried that I would be one of the few there, but there was a bit of a line on one side and a couple people on the other. I opted for the latter since it was closer. I had doubts as to whether I was even in the right place, but one of the people was wearing a Breakthru 2010 t-shirt. The three of us hung out talking about Queen and I brought up the Magic Years documentaries for some reason. The person in the Breakthru shirt asked me if I had seen part three, and then mentioned that she was in it. I looked at her for a second and then it dawned on me that she was!

Me and Wendy Wright in the music hall (thank you Audrey for telling me her name!!)

About twenty minutes before the doors opened, someone approached my group and asked if they could get in ahead of us. The person not in the Breakthru shirt was in a power chair and I had my crutches, so we simply said that we weren't going to move. I wasn't paying attention until that someone explained that they didn't want us in their way during the show and I shot them a dirty look. The person in the power chair told them pretty much to piss off, and I was glad that they held their own.

The rest of my time outside was watching other Queen fans wander into line. One person walked by with a sweatshirt that read, "Roger what did you do?" and I commented on it. Apparently I was the first person to notice it. We wound up meeting again in the music hall and they let me take a picture for this blog. Unfortunately, it's pretty blurry, but you get the point.

Her name is Katie, and she's pretty cool!

Finally we made our way into the music hall, and I planted myself firmly at the very front row fairly close to the middle of the stage. There was a giant curtain with the Queen crest covering everything, so I got a few pictures because hell yes! Eventually the show started and it was too fucking awesome for words! It was weird when security started telling people to put their cameras away. I called the House of Blues earlier that day asking if my camera would be okay, and they had said that it would be as long as my flash wasn't on. I personally didn't get yelled at (miraculously), but every time someone near me did, I turned around to see phones and cameras being held up, clearly recording video and such. I kept my camera put away here and there, but then I decided to go ahead and take pictures anyway since I wasn't going to sell them or anything, and I'll be damned if my only memento is supposed to be my ticket!

Brian Gresh (left handed guitarist), Francois-Olivier Doyon (bass), Tristan Avakian (guitarist), Tyler Warren (drums). This is how close I was to the stage! Holy crap!

I appreciated that the vocalists all got their own stage time, and it wasn't the Marc Martel show. Actually, Yvan Pedneault stole it for me as a vocalist. Marc, Jeff Scott Soto, and Jennifer Espinoza did outstanding, but Yvan stood out the most in my opinion.

I tried really hard to get a decent picture of Brandon Ethridge since he didn't get to move around the stage, but my attempts were crap. Sorry, Brandon!

Jennifer Espinoza and Marc Martel.

Queen Extravaganza are: Jennifer Espinoza, Yvan Pedneault, Marc Martel, Jeff Scott Soto, Brian Gresh, Tristan Avakian, Tyler Warren, Francois-Olivier Doyon, Brandon Ethridge, and Spike Edney. Produced by Roger Taylor

Here are the rest of the pictures from that night!

Pre Queen Extravaganza show

Tonight I'm going to see Queen Extravaganza at the House of Blues in Boston. I'm so excited but also terrified for two reasons: this and this.

In the first video, it's highlighted bits from the band's rehearsal in the studio and Jennifer Espinoza is shoved to backing vocals. I like Marc Martel, but I really hope Jennifer gets as much time in the spotlight as him since she's a (damn good) vocalist as well.

I'm rooting for you, Jennifer! Even if I am so RIDICULOUSLY jealous of you in that picture!

The second video is QE's performance on American Idol. Please, if someone knows for sure, confirm that that video shouldn't have me the least bit worried!! I don't know if Brian and Roger emerging on stage was for that particular audience, but if that's going to happen now and again for this tour, I'm really concerned. Roger started his search for the best tribute band because supposedly the rest aren't quite up to snuff. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some that I'm not too fond of, but then there are those who are fucking amazing (see my links). If Queen Extravaganza is carefully hand-selected to be the best, then why the hell are Queen getting on stage with them?

What I like about tribute bands - specifically the idea of them - is that the good ones are good on their own merit and their audiences already know the songs that they're playing. Yes, they're influenced by the bands that they're performing, but they gain popularity and sell tickets and booze (if they perform in a bar) because they're talented. My worry is the possibility that Brian and/or Roger could pop on stage at anytime. On one hand, that would be AWESOME, but on the other - you guys, this is supposed to be the tribute band that puts every other to shame, and the possibility of the original band showing up is a slap in the face. Other tribute bands, even the damn good ones, didn't have the luxury of Brian and Roger holding on to the backs of their bicycles, they had to peddle and hope they didn't fall over and scrape their knees. If Brian and Roger think that their band can't sell tickets on their own, that's a huge problem for me. I hope I'm wrong, and the American Idol thing was just specifically for the show - even if Brian and Roger performing right in front of me in person would be a massive dream come true! I honestly do have high hopes for tonight, I promise!

Anxiety aside, I'm really excited about tonight! The last time I was at a big-deal concert venue was ten years ago (my uncle had an extra ticket to see Korn. I don't actually like them, but it was something teenagers do and I wanted to seem normal)! And this time I'm going to enjoy the music, dammit! And be surrounded (hopefully) by other Queen fans, dammit! I'll report back after the concert and hopefully have decent pictures!

More stuff

The other day I popped into Porter Square Books and found a copy of The Complete Illustrated Lyrics. They don't always have books about Queen, so it's special when they do (my only complaint about the store is they carry Dan Savage's book). It's nice to see samples of written lyrics that I haven't seen before - like A Winter's Tale and The Hitman. Also, the songs are all listed alphabetically rather than by album. I was initially annoyed by that, but I think it's growing on me because I could appreciate how each of Queen's albums are all different from each other.

I also finally watched Under Review: 1980-1991. I can't quite express a reason yet, but I liked 1973-1980 a lot more. Maybe because that one had a guy demonstrating some of Brian's riffs on guitar..? Maybe because it inevitably turned into The Freddie Mercury Show? I'm just saying, if they could take the time to talk about the Mr Bad Guy album - even though this series is supposed to be all about Queen, they could talk about Brian and Roger's solo projects as well. Maybe just mention that they'd done stuff on their own...

In other news, it's Mother's Day here. So here's a picture of some old lady!

For those who've been living under a rock, that's Jer Bulsara - Freddie's mum. So thanks, Jer, for raising my hero and allowing him to be the greatest thing ever in the whole, entire world!