freddie mercury: immortal rock and roll god

[Gato Moteado]

actually, he was a god in any genre.

remember this awesome stuff he did?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oH5SNmUZkc&mode=related&search=

what a great loss. only the good die young.

[lost-in-nj]

1. He was

one of a kind..... He never looked like he was struggling when he sang, it just came out of his mouth!
Oh what he could have done if he was here :(

Who wants to live forever?


Lost

[reyd reid reed]

2. Damn straight.

I get chills.

[idgiehkt]

3. yes

I concur.

[Gato Moteado]

4. i knew you would

:)

[idgiehkt]

7. lol

I've been watching alot of the old videos on youtube lately...It's so weird to experience them two different ways. When I was younger it was just pop, like 'another one bites the dust, etc. But then looking at it later on their diversity is just stunning. And he always looked like he was having fun, and that's exactly what he wanted to be doing. Wow. what a visionary.

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. Here's the one that does it

"Radio Ga-Ga" at Live Aid. He owned those people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPbSXhbvKfw&mode=related&search=

[Gato Moteado]

6. they sounded great at that live aid......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWbgMQ35RPw&mode=related&search=

[idgiehkt]

9. (the crowd roars!!!!!)

woohoo
:headbang:

[speedoo]

32. That's a fucking awesome clip.

He definitely owned that crowd and it's easy to see why. A great entertainer performing a terrific song masterfully.

(edit=spelling)

[Gato Moteado]

8. this one is powerful too.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B7CFpOdiQQ&mode=related&search=

[lost-in-nj]

11. OK

Now I'm crying......



lost

[Nickster]

10. This is one of my favs. Spread your Wings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wt_ZP-zYhE

[Zomby Woof]

12. More of a preening, pretentious wanker

The pseudo-operatic warbling champion of the world.

[Gato Moteado]

13. i take it you didn't like him.

nt

[TrogL]

14. YOU try hitting those high notes

[Zomby Woof]

17. King Diamond does it better

Fuck Freddie Mercury. He and Queen violated the boycott against South Africa in the 80's. But I hated them and their pompous music long before that.

[idgiehkt]

18. Mercury addresses that here:

I) What's the current thinking from the Queen camp about return visits or the attitude to South Africa and apartheid?

B) OK, the current thing is that we said we won't go back until this regime is gone. That's in response to what everyone else has said. We went there, and we're not ashamed of the fact that we went there. It would be very easy to say "OK, we made a mistake. Sorry" and all that stuff, but that's not really the truth.
The truth is we thought very carefully about going and we considered that it was right because for the first time we were going to be able to play to non-segregated audiences, which we did, and it's absolutely true, whether people believe it or not.
I was there, I saw it with my own eyes, I know what happened. We feel that by going there and by stating very clearly our point of view, which was that we were utterly opposed to apartheid, that we did a lot more to accelerate the end of that way of thinking in South Africa than many people have done by staying away.
I know it's a very unpopular thing to say, probably, but it's the way we feel, and that's the truth. We've been there, we've seen it, we've talked to people of all races there and we feel that, well know for a fact that a lot of people who were there feel that it was right for us to go. It's kind of special for us, because we've been selling records in South Africa for a long time, but not just to the white part of South Africa. We've been selling records to the black community, particularly "Another One Bites The Dust" and "I Want To Break Free", which became like an anthem for the human rights people down there. So we feel very close to the people who are fighting for their rights there.
By going there we feel like we helped them, and I know a lot of them there feel the same way. I can go on about t for a long time because it's something I feel very strongly about.
Nevertheless, we've now had so much pressure from people, the UN committee, Little Steven and all his friends, that it's better to stay away that we've said "OK, we'll go along with you, we'll do it your way", and we've said we won't go back.
I just pray that it's the right way. I think in my heart I'm not convinced that it's gonna do, that it's gonna be the best way to achieve the end which we all want to achieve. All I can say is that our aims are all the same, we just have slightly different ways of going about it.

I) I think without going there, though, people very much think it's all a black and white situation. It's not, there's 16 shades of grey, and people don't realise that until they get there.

B) That's right. That's right. That's so true, yeah. I would challenge so many of the people who come up with this very glib thing "OK we'll boycott the bastards. We're right, they're wrong." I would challenge them to go there and find out the real situation and then come back and say the same thing.
Of course apartheid is wrong. Of course the present situation produces a lot of misery, but how do you go about bringing about the change? I'm not convinced that this isolation policy is right and I'm not convinced a cultural boycott has ever achieved a change of internal attitude in a country. I don't think there's any examples in history where this worked.
I think all you do is tend to make people more bitter and more entrenched in their own opinions. Anyway, that's what I think.

http://queen.musichall.cz/index.php?s=ro&d=brian86

interesting.

[Gato Moteado]

21. i don't know who king diamond is.......

... but i'm sure he's great.

but who gets to say who does it better. it's art. it's expression. it's not something that can be measured or compared. queen was a great rock band. mercury was a great singer. his performances were pure emotion. the music spoke to a lot of us.

i love a lot of music; classical, rock, r&b, blues, jazz, and more. i love the stones, the beatles, mozart, mahler, tchaikovsky, marvin gaye, mingus, ellington, etc.
i can't order them on any kind of a scale that measures them against the other. one isn't better than the other...it's not a contest.

for the most part, stuff like country and rap don't speak to me. but does that mean they're not valid forms of art? of course not. millions of people relate to it.

i remember when i was in high school, kids used to get into arguments about who the greatest guitar player in the history of the world was; jimi hendrix or jimmy page. funny stuff.

[CrushTheDLC]

24. King Diamond sounds like a chipmunk on helium

and looks like he flunked the Kiss auditions back in 1973 and never took the makeup off.

[Gato Moteado]

25. who is king diamond?

and why have i never heard of him?

[Tenseiga]

34. Kim Bendix Peterson's stage persona

He sang for Mercyful Fate before going solo, and then floating between the two.

Mercyful Fate is a 70's-style metal band ( a bit Sabbathy, but different.)

King Diamond's solo work was more of the 80's style metal with a touch of classicla influence.

Anyway, I think the dude might be castrati, he can definitely hit some high notes, but his speaking voice is quite deep. Another quasi-operatic singer, and he sings probably an octave higher on a regular basis than anybody else.

Everyone I know who ever met him says he's the coolest guy they've ever met.

If you really must, do a youtube search... it may or may not be your cup of tea, but the talent is definitely there.

A link to the video for "Family Ghost"... a typical King Diamond solo tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a93KmAOwNKc

[Gato Moteado]

36. no wonder i never heard of him.....

....metal just gives me a headache.

i checked out the video and, yeah, it's not my thing. i'll take freddie singing "crazy little thing called love" anyday over that.

[Gato Moteado]

37. yeah, i just saw a video.....what's up with the kiss makeup?

nt

[idgiehkt]

16. he was quite the killer queen.

loved him. Can't think of any other flaming lead singers in rock 'n' roll bands. Except the guy in Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and they weren't around for long.

I think is my favorite Queen song, btw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTX-pwbK4Uw&search=Killer%20Queen

"Let them eat cake she said/Just like Marie Antoinette..."

[jobycom]

30. He never pretended to do opera, so how could he be

psuedo-operatic? His warblings were rock. Mick Jagger wouldn't have sounded very good singing opera, either. As a rock singer, and more importantly as part of a rock band, he and the rest of Queen achieved a great level of mastery most bands don't reach. Condemning him for not singing something he wasn't trying to sing is a bit silly. Like condemning Ferrari for not making a better Bentley.

As for pretentious preening--welcome to rock and roll in the 70s, mate.

[spacelady]

31. Freddie was a beautiful singer, thank you jobycom. n/t

[Tenseiga]

33. that's why Freddie's the man

nt

[speedoo]

35. What's the matter, ZombyWoof? Where's the defense of your attack?

Your silence is .... ummm.... interesting.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

38. Thank you. Now I like him and Queen even more. -nt

[johnnie]

15. When "The Show Must Go on" came out...

It was so sad to hear. Everyone already knew he was dying and then the song came out iirc. I just remember that it was really hard to listen to.

[Maestro]

27. The song

Who Wants to Live Forever always gets to me. Innuendo is just an incredible album when you think about what the band knew at the time.

[vixengrl]

19. There are songs that can make me tear up--

Just one year of love, is much better than a lifetime alone,
one sentimental moment in your arms, is like a shooting star
right through my heart.

His voice was like the pure tenor of an altar boy thrown out of church. It was operatic and powerful, suggestive and unlike any other.

Who wants to live forever,
who wants to live forever?
Who dares to love forever
when love must die?

I think he rocked.

[Book Lover]

20. Thanks for the links!

Made me feel young again...

[Texasgal]

22. Amazing....

I miss him so. :(

[Elidor]

23. He was the whole enchilada

Great singer and songwriter, with a fantastic, if cheesy, stage presence. He was a born entertainer.

[Maestro]

26. I am just so saddened when I see Freddie Mercury.

He was so talented, caring and such a compassionate person. Queen the band is one of my favorites. Brian May is great guy, John Deacon is an incredible bassist and Roger Taylor is as well a talented drummer. However, the band would have been nothing without Freddie. Damn, AIDS makes me so damn mad sometimes. I miss Freddie!

[Heddi]

28. I saw his house in London in 1998

the house is surrounded by a brick wall and on the entire wall, and sidewalk, and street is just wall to wall writing. Writing on top of writing. It's beautiful. I have a picture of it and I'll try to scan it in and post it.

Unlike Abbey Road, which had the sign/walkway/posts repainted every few months to cover the endless barage of writing, Freddie's estate has never washed away or painted over the writing. They feel it is the ultimate tribute to Freddy and that he himself would never have wanted peoples' heartfelt words and emotions to be thrown away and treated like garbage.

I remember my mom, who was 20 when she birthed me, said that Killer Queen was 'her' song and I just love that song. My mom was a glam rock/hard rock groupie of sorts....not that that has any bearing on this story...

[spacelady]

29. Freddie Mercury was my inspiration for my art and music and dancing.

He touched a hell of a lot of people and I admire him for his utter chutzpah.

[meegbear]

39. SPIN magazine had him listed as one of rock's greatest front men ...

With the best description of him: "He would be in front on the audience, whipping them up like in a Nuremberg Rally-like frenzy, while singing in falsetto".

R.I.P. Farrokh Bulsara