This is why they're right when other countries say that the USA is stupid

I ordered a copy of The Freddie Mercury Album and the Wembley Roadie Cube box set. I'm very excited to add these to my collection - especially The Freddie Mercury Album because I've wanted it since I was in grade 6 (age 12). And I came across an Amazon review that blew my mind. Everything that's wrong with it can be summed up in the title, but I'll post the whole thing anyway. The title is, " Sacrilege. Not for true Freddy fans." ... Can you see where this is headed?

(I removed the user's info, but I will say they are from the US.)

If you're a Queen fan and you'd like to sample some of Freddy's solo work, then this might be a good buy. But if you're a true Freddy fan, then you'll be appalled at how they butchered his compositions in the re-mixing room.

In a weak attempt to bridge the gap between Queen's heavy rock sound and Freddy's gay style (I say "gay" meaning "happy"), the mixing engineers have slaughtered these pieces. The original versions, as released in Freddy's "Mr. Bad Guy", were just fine the way they were. Sure, some sounded like they could be the background to the Richard Simmons Workout Challenge, but true Freddy fans like it that way. *I* like it that way. If I want to hear something heavy, I'll pop in "Night at the Opera". I don't need some presumptuous mixing engineer adding heavy reverb on the drums, stupid house-techno beats and distorted guitars.

The worst is the absolute murder of the song "Mr. Bad Guy", originally a fully orchestrated piece, now reduced to some stupid "star search" sounding tripe with a whiny guitar soloing overtop everything.

What's next? Will some video engineer edit out all of Freddy's flamboyant concert outfits and digitally superimpose a bunch of tattoos and body piercing?

C'mon Atlantic (or whatever label was responsible for this travesty), give us some credit. Give FREDDY some credit. He liked it the way it was, and WE liked it the way it was.

Now pardon me whilst I throw this rubbish in the can, put on my leotard and listen to "Mr. Bad Guy" the way the artist intended it. Heavy on the gay. Party on.

The response I posted was, "If you were a "true" Freddie Mercury fan, you'd be able to spell his name correctly." If I tried to break it down any further in the comments, I'd probably get a reprimand from Amazon. Good thing I have a blog!

This person is a fucking dipshit. First, they're trying to push the "true" fan bullshit and acting all sanctimonious when they can't even spell Freddie's name. Second, I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that the tracks on the album are remixes. Since it was released after Freddie died and all... And why the hell are they comparing remixes of Freddie's solo work to any bit of the Queen catalog?! And early Queen at that! Two different entities and different musical directions according to latest trends even before these remixes were made! So NO FUCKING SHIT THEY SOUND DIFFERENT! And the expectation that they should sound almost completely alike is laughable. Every member of Queen made significant contributions. Queen was never Freddie and his backing band! Hence why even Freddie did solo stuff, because why would he need to if he was already totally in charge of Queen? For fuck sake, he wasn't that arrogant!

"I don't like these remixes because they don't sound like the originals or exactly like anything Queen did in the 70's." ... I don't think I've ever wanted to hit another Queen fan with a phone book so badly...

Okay, rant over!

I'm not expecting to like all the tracks on The Freddie Mercury Album, but it will be really nice to cross it off my list of things I still need! And the Wembley box set seems like it would be exciting! So here's hoping!

Entry Numero Uno

So yeah... I like the band Queen. Seriously, you really won't understand just how much I like them until you meet me in person.

I've been a fan since I was a wee child. My favorite member is Freddie Mercury. My favorite songwriter - as I'm writing this, because this fluctuates a lot - is probably John Deacon. I liked the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration. I love that Brian May - excuse me, Doctor Brian May is a giant nerd but is still more badass than I could ever hope to be. I love that Roger Taylor is still a fucking incredible musician.

In being a fan for many, many years, some things get a little old. Some of my friends - I love them very much and I get that they're just being supportive - drive me fucking nuts. Again, I get that they have the best of intentions, and they very obviously know one of my main interests which shows that they're paying attention... but there are only so many fucking times I can watch that damn Muppet video before it starts to get on my nerves!

Maybe this is karmic payback for annoying the ever-loving shit out of my family and friends when I listened to Bohemian Rhapsody over and over on my Queen's Greatest Hits cassette tape (in my defense I was learning the words and we didn't have internet in my house at that point)?

Don't get me wrong, I think The Muppets are awesome as fuck and I loved that video the first 50 times I saw it! Just like I loved the first couple or so times when Queen would come on the radio in the car and my parents would turn it up for me. And when my friends text me at random times to tell me they heard Queen on the radio at work, or they saw a guy with a mustache, or I Want It All played on that Chase Bank card commercial, etc. I appreciate the enthusiasm... Really, I do! But enough already! I don't care if Another One Bites The Dust is playing on the radio. It's always on the radio! Now, if a US radio station plays '39 or A Kind Of Magic I guarantee you I will stop what I'm doing and get really giddy and excited - because that's different.

At least where I grew up, it wasn't uncommon for any of the classic rock stations to play the following:

- We Will Rock You with We Are The Champions playing directly after that and being counted as one song

- Bohemian Rhapsody

- Another One Bites The Dust

and every once in a while to really shake things up:

- You're My Best Friend

- Killer Queen

- Somebody To Love

And yeah, back when I was younger and just getting into them it was ridiculously exciting. But it gets to a point where I seriously want to question my friends, "Is this all I am to you?!"

Then again, I did create this blog so I could talk about Queen...