<Passavamo giorni interi seduti nelle anticamere dei Trident Studios, sperando che qualcuno cancellasse qualche turno. A volte arrivava qualcuno e ci diceva: "Ehi ragazzi, David Bowie ha finito prima oggi, se volete registrare qualcosa avete tempo dalle tre di mattina alle sette, quando arrivano le donne delle pulizie>. (Brian May)
Brian Harold May è un capace studente di astrofisica all'Imperial College di Londra nonché un promettente chitarrista che nel 1964 suona in una band dall'avveniristico nome: 1984. I suoi compagni di ventura sono: Tim Staffell (voce), Dave Dilloway (basso), Richard Thompson (batteria) e John Garnham (chitarra). L'avventura 1984 (che vedrà aprire una finestra nel 1990 con una reunion a casa di Dilloway nel Surrey) terminerà nel 1968, dopo aver annoverato nel proprio curriculum un'esibizione di spalla a Jimi Hendrix proprio all'Imperial College. Staffell e May preferiscono dedicarsi agli studi senza abbandonare gli studi, concentrandosi sulla ricerca di un batterista per il cui ruolo viene scelto un giovane studente di odontoiatria a nome Roger Meddows Taylor. Prendono così vita gli Smile. Nello stesso periodo Staffell, presenta al resto dei suoi compagni un esuberante studente di origine indiana dal non facile nome di Farookh Bulsara che diventa subito un fan della band. Per Farookh (che dopo aver cercato fortuna con Ibex, - poi Wreckage - e Sour Milk Sea) che si appresterà a sostituire lo stesso Tim i primi mesi del 1970, sarà decisivo anche il cambio di nome per un'identità più accattivante (diventando così Freddie Mercury), quanto per una più pomposa per il gruppo, coniando uno tra i più sfarzosi monicker che la storia della musica possa aver annoverato: Queen per l'appunto.
Senza dubbio sono le esibizioni dal vivo dei quattro a dar modo di esprimere tutto il loro potenziale artistico, con particolare menzione per quelle due date che rappresenteranno la rampa di lancio della carriera di Brian, Freddie, Roger e John: siamo a Londra ed è il 2 luglio 1971 quando al Surrey College la formazione definitiva si esibisce sul palco per la prima volta, mentre il 24 marzo 1972 al Forest Hill Hospital sarà il manager Jack Nelson della Mercury Records a rimanere talmente impressionato dalla personale proposta del gruppo, da offrire quel contratto che porterà la band ad incidere nella successiva estate il suo primo disco.
E' "Keep Yourself Alive" a far da traino all'atteso album di debutto: un brano che rivela immediatamente sonorità aggressive ed una voce nitida ma anche così atletica, mostrando da subito una capacità di estensione non comune. A "Great King Rat" spetta il ruolo di presentazione di Mercury come compositore: una costante ritmica spagnoleggiante la fa da padrone in un burrascoso marasma di suoni in cui la propulsione basso/batteria Deacon/Taylor chiarisce i benefici di un rodaggio artistico ben svolto. Testimonianza di una gavetta benefica si rivela "Doing All Right" (presa dal repertorio Smile),che lascia fuoriuscire in tutta la sua bellezza l'inclinazione corale del gruppo, in cui la svenevole melodia prepara il terreno ad un May inaspettatamente straripante. "Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll" cantata e scritta da Taylor, toglie (... a chi ne avesse ...) ogni dubbio a chi pensa che la stesura dei brani venga rimpallata solo nell'ambito della collaudata coppia May/Mercury: quasi due minuti per un brano sanguigno e capace di precorrere di almeno qualche anno, i suoni della generazione no future che verrà.
Un album che non pone freni alla libera espressione del gruppo, in grado di mettere in note la musica dal proprio punto di osservazione, creando un marchio musicale solenne ma nel contempo tagliente e dall'aspetto ancora giustificatamente grezzo. Ne sono una conferma l'illusorio viaggio di "My Fairy King", come l'esplosione sonica di "Son and Daughter", non risultando da meno la tenacia di "Jesus" che lascia spazio ad una spontanea ed educata vena ironica che non abbandonerà mai il poliedrico singer. A ricordare ancora l'importanza dei primi passi mossi nel mondo della musica, ci sono (per Mercury) la coraggiosa "Liar" (concepita sul riff di "Lover" da Mercury insieme al fido Mike Bersin ai tempi degli Ibex) che propone uno dei pri esempi di elegante combinazione tra rock e opera, mentre (per May) la bizzarra "The Night Comes Down" la cui demo version registrata ai De Lane Lea Studios nel settembre del 1971, viene preferita per l'album alla versione più recente realizzata presso i Trident Studios. La chiusura è affidata a "Seven Seas Of Rhye", una lussuosa e cinematografica coda strumentale che sembra quasi voler consegnare all'ascoltatore, un esclusivo invito a non perdere un oramai già atteso secondo capitolo.
Il biglietto da visita dei Queen nell'ambito del mercato discografico si rivela essere una competente prova di una musica genuina e vigorosa, facilmente riconducibile alla pluralità di influenze che da una decina di anni si libravano nell'aria e che la band aveva fatto proprie. E' immediatamente percepibile una variegata ricchezza di contenuti musicali, proposta secondo un gusto personale placato da quella irrefrenabile e perdonabile voglia di mostrare a tutti e subito, il proprio talento, che per essere espresso al meglio ha solo bisogno di fluire naturalmente.
Elenco tracce e testi
01 Bicycle Race (03:05)
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
You say black I say white
You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene
And I don't like Star Wars
You say Rolls I say Royce
You say God give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah!
Fat bottomed girls
They'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
Bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle
Bicycle race
You say coke I say caine
You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog I say cool it man
I don't wanna be the President of America
You say smile I say cheese
Cartier I say please
Income tax I say Jesus
I don't wanna be a candidate for
Vietnam or Watergate
Cos all I wanna do is
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
03 Bohemian Rhapsody (05:39)
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.
Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies and see.
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me,
To me
Mama, just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh,
Didn’t mean to make you cry.
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow,
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters.
Too late, my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine
Body’s aching all the time,
Goodbye everybody, I’ve got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh, (any way the wind blows)
I don’t want to die,
I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening me
Galileo - Galileo
Galileo - Galileo
Galileo - Figaro
Magnifico - ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!
I’m just a poor boy, nobody loves me
He’s just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go,
Will you let me go?
Bismillah! No! We will not let you go! - Let him go!
Bismillah! We will not let you go! - Let him go!
Bismillah! We will not let you go! - Let me go!
Will not let you go! - Let me go!
Will not let you go! - Let me go, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Mama Mia, Mama Mia, Mama Mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me!
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Ooh baby, can’t do this to me baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right out of here
Ooh yeah
Ooh yeah
Nothing really matters,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows
07 We Will Rock You (02:00)
Aah
Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo' face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place
Singin'
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you
Buddy you're a young man hard man
Shouting in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on yo' face
You big disgrace
Wavin' your banner all over the place
We will we will rock you
Sing it
We will we will rock you
Buddy you're an old man poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make
You some peace some day
You got mud on your face
Big disgrace
Somebody betta put you back into your place
We will we will rock you
Sing it
We will we will rock you
Everybody
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you
Alright
08 We Are The Champions (04:59)
I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
And we mean to go on and on and on
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
And I need to go on and on and on
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
09 Spread Your Wings (04:34)
Sammy was low
Just watching the show
Over and over again
Knew it was time
He'd made up his mind
To leave his dead life behind
His boss said to him
'Boy you'd better begin
To get those crazy notions right out of your head
Sammy who do you think that you are?
You should've been sweeping up the Emerald bar'
Spread your wings and fly away
Fly away far away
Spread your little wings and fly away
Fly away far away
Pull yourself together
'Cos you know you should do better
That's because you're a free man
He spends his evenings alone in his hotel room
Keeping his thoughts to himself he'd be leaving soon
Wishing he was miles and miles away
Nothing in this world nothing would make him stay
Since he was small
Had no luck at all
Nothing came easy to him
Now it was time
He'd made up his mind
'This could be my last chance'
His boss said to him 'now listen boy
You're always dreaming
You've got no real ambition you won't get very far
Sammy boy don't you know who you are?
Why can't you be happy at the Emerald bar?'
So honey
Spread your wings and fly away
Fly away far away
Spread your little wings and fly away
Fly away far away
Pull yourself together
'Cos you know you should do better
That's because you're a free man
Come on honey
FLY WITH ME!
11 Killer Queen (03:00)
So sad her eyes
Smiling dark eyes
So sad her eyes
As it began
On such a breathless night as this
Upon my brow the lightest kiss
I walked alone
And all around the air did say
My lady soon will stir this way
In sorrow known
The White Queen walks and the night grows pale
Stars of lovingness in her hair
Needing - unheard
Pleading - one word
So sad my eyes
She cannot see
How did thee fare, what have thee seen
The mother of the willow green
I call her name
And 'neath her window have I stayed
I loved the footsteps that she made
And when…
My Goddess, hear my darkest fear
I speak too late
It's for evermore that I wait
Dear friend goodbye
No tears in my eyes
So sad it ends
As it began
12 Don't Stop Me Now (03:44)
Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive
And the world turning inside out, yeah
And floating around in ecstasy, so
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me
'Cuz I'm having a good time, having a good time
I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go, go, go
There's no stopping me
I'm burning through the sky, yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm a traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
(Don't stop me now) I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball
(Don't stop me now) if you wanna have a good time just give me a call
(Don't stop me now) 'Cuz I'm havin' a good time
(Don't stop me now) Yes, I'm havin' a good time
I don't want to stop at all
I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
On a collision course
I am a satellite, I'm out of control
I am a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, explode
I'm burning through the sky, yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman of you
Don't stop me, don't stop me
Don't stop me, hey hey hey!
Don't stop me, don't stop me
Oh, ooh, ooh, (I like it)
Don't stop me, don't stop me
Have a good time, good time
Don't stop me, don't stop me
I'm burning through the sky, yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
(Don't stop me now) I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball
(Don't stop me now) if you wanna have a good time just give me a call
(Don't stop me now) 'Cuz I'm havin' a good time
(Don't stop me now) Yes, I'm havin' a good time
I don't want to stop at all
Carico i commenti... con calma
