#MindTheBand (Queen): round-up

Well… When I planned this challenge week I thought I would have more time to prepare for it than I actually did! It has been really good to whack Queen on the mp3 player (almost exclusively) again, especially after a few days of stomping around to The Clash, and it was interesting to try and […]

We Will Rock You

Imagine a world where all music is processed and sounds like it’s been spat out by an X Factor reject – instrument-playing bands are non-existent, and ‘real’ music is dead. That’s the premise of Ben Elton’s jukebox musical using the songs from Queen’s back catalogue, which has recently just kicked off a lengthy UK & […]

#MindTheBand (Queen): Never Boring

Freddie Mercury’s solo work never quite hit the dizzying heights expected of the front man of all-conquering Queen (at the peak of their powers, commercially speaking, throughout the 80s) – not to mention one of the most revered rock singers and respected songwriters still in the business. Not to say that it was a total […]

Day 5: Greatest Flix

Back in November 1975, Queen made history when they debuted what is widely regarded as the first ‘proper’ music video on Top of the Pops. As they were back on the road (and also had no idea how they’d ‘perform’ the operatic section), they submitted a pre-recorded film for Bohemian Rhapsody to play in place of […]

Day 4: “I Can Hear Music” – The Miracle

Hot Stats Release date: 22 May 1989 UK chart peak: #1 Running time: 41:22 Singles: The Miracle (#21), I Want It All (#3), The Invisible Man (#12), Breakthru (#7), Scandal (#25) In the years following Live Aid, Queen’s popularity continued to soar – and this was reflected in The Miracle hitting the top 10 in the […]

Day 3: “I Can Hear Music” – The Works

Hot Stats Release date: 27 February 1984 UK chart peak: #2 Running time: 37:15 Singles: Radio Ga Ga (#2), It’s A Hard Life (#6), I Want To Break Free (#3), Hammer To Fall (#13) By 1984 a band with a large global following, it’s no surprise that The Works performed pretty well, reaching the top 10 in many […]

Day 2: “I Can Hear Music” – Sheer Heart Attack

Hot Stats Release date: 8 November 1974 UK chart peak: #2 Running time: 39:09 Singles: Killer Queen (#2), Now I’m Here (#11) Though it’s widely considered to be a classic now, the band were still finding their feet and it just managed to reach the top 10 in Canada (#6), the Netherlands (#7), France (#6), […]

#MindTheBand (Queen): Diary

As this is slightly different to my previous challenge weeks, I thought that regular diary updates would be the best plan – so you can see how I’m keeping it Queen on a daily basis! Throughout the week I’ll be visiting as many key London locations from the band’s history, plus I’ll be sure to […]

Red ribbon

Hopefully you will be aware that today is World AIDS Day. Commemorated every year on 1 December, symbolised by the red ribbon. It is a cause that’s very close to my heart – my favourite band when I was growing up was Queen, and I really did live & breathe their music, videos & lives. […]