Reviews QFN-20 - Winter 95/96
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Made In Heaven. track by track review by Jane Hughes

It's A Beautiful Day
When I heard this track on the CD single I wasn't
particularly impressed. It seemed a little tuneless and
non-songlike. In the context of the album I like it uch
more. As an opening it is very effective - lots of strings
and orchestral noises.

Made In Heaven
As we all know this is taken from Freddie's Mr Bad Guy
album. I can't pick out any difference from the original. I
like the guitar chords in the intro though.

Let Me Live
This is the point at which the album begins to get more
meaningful. The title is poignant for a man who knows he's
dying.The gospel choir is effec is lovely and I especially
like the way the verses are split between Freddie, Brian and
Roger - something I've never heard before on a Queen song.
In fact the whole arrangement is nothing like I've ever
heard before from Queen, and I love it.

Mother Love
This is my absolute favourite on the album, and hasn't
ceased to make my eyes fill up every time I hear it. The
haunting melody shows Brian and Freddie at their most
despondent, the lyrics too are beautifully melancholy. What
gets me every time though, is the way Brian takes over from
Freddie in the last verse, and the song is gradually drown
out by the sound of the crowd from a concert. This is Queen
at their best.

My Life Has Been Saved
If you got a little depressed from the last song and feel
the album's been very deep, here it gets a little lighter.
Despite the lyrics for the verses, this song is uplifting
due to the melody, backing and refrain 'my life has been
saved'.

I Was Born To Love You
Another track from the Mr Bad Guy album, and another song
which I can't comment on any real differences. Although it
seems somehow more cheerful and upbeat and makes greater use
of the guitar. Extracts of other songs are mixed in at the
end for some reason.

Heaven For Everyone
I must admit, that although this was a Cross song I didn't
know it before I heard this version when released as a
single. I like it but personally I'm really not into Roger's
easy listening style. This along with the two previous
tracks provides a light-hearted contrast to the rest of the
album.

Too Much Love Will Kill You
To Appreciate the good, you must also experience the bad,
and for me this is the low point of the album. As far as I'm
concerned it's Brian's song and should stay that way. 

You Don't Fool Me
Luckily, here the album improves again. With some typical
harmonies, guitar fills and vaguely bizarre lyrics this is
Queen as we know and love them. The guitar part in
particular seems reminiscent of several other tracks from
various times. This is the stuff that great Queen albums are
made of. (Here, here! - Ed).

A Winters Tale
In both words and music, this song paints a very clear
picture. It flows along effortlessly with a lovely
combination of solo singing, harmoinies and musical
interludrs, and ends with a statement which could be applied
to the song itself; "It's bliss"! The lyrics are delightful
- "A cosy fireside chat / A litlle this, a little that." and
in its backing and creation of mood it is reminiscent of
'Nothing But Blue' from Brian's album Back To the Light.

It's A Beautiful Day (reprise)
The album could have ended happily before this, but the
reprise of this song finishes the album off nicely. Those
with the CD version will noticed it is seemingly divided
into two tracks (or 3 if you count the "Yeah" of track 12).
I was grateful that I knew it was going to last over 20
minutes other wise I would have been on the edge of my seat
thinking "has it finished yet?". This isn't something I
would listen to regularly, but it's nice. I think everyone
who listens to it will have their own idea as to what it
means, so I won't comment more.

What I feel now are conflicting emotions. Firstly I feel
happiness, for after four years waiting, here it is, the
final album, and it was truely 'made in heaven'. Secondly,
though, I feel sadness, for now there is nothing more. For
Queen, this really is the end.

All I can do now is be thankful. Thankful that Queen did
exist, and thankful that I shared in the experience while it
lasted.

It is a very sad time for all fans; living the rest of our
lives without another release from those four superb people
that are Queen. In years to come we will realise more and
more just what Queen actually meant to the music world and
the effect on fans lifes will become apparent. - Ed.

___________________________________________________________

Made In Heaven. A Cool Reflection by Andy FitzGerald

The Best : Too Much Love Will Kill You
Second   : Mother Love
Third    : Made In Heaven
Forth    : My Life Has Been Saved
Fifth    : It's A Beautiful Day
Sixth    : A Winter's Tale
Seventh  : Let Me Live
Eighth   : Heaven For Everyone
Ninth    : You Don't Fool Me
Tenth    : I Was Born to Love You


It's A Beautiful Day
I like the version on the single release especially. This
has a true feeling of singing on impulse. It has a real
sense - not pre-composed, and that's why I like it so much.
I can easily relate to this song - so simple, and yet still
refreshingly original. Favourite Line: But no-one's gonna
stop me now.


Made In Heaven
A piquant reworking of a special song. Now I find this track
to be exceptional compared to being simply above average.
Favourite Line: Waiting for possibilties.


Let Me Live
A radiant tune, but I find the lyrics a bit banal in places.
Sometimes I find that the melody does not fit the words, eg.
"cut like a knife". On the other hand, at it's best, this
song really flies in the chorus - enthraling stuff.
Favourite Line: And make a brand new start.


Mother Love
Except for the first three lines of the song, this is
absolutly phenomenal (would have been a great album title
too - Ed.) The lyrics are so moving - genuinely from the
heart, and they fit so well. A nostalgic touch at the end
with 'Live Aid' and 'Goin' Back'... my choice from the
'newies'. I wonder why the change of policy with the writing
credits? (See The Miracle and Innuendo credits - Ed).
Favourite Line: I don't want pity, just a safe place to
hide.


My Life Has Been Saved
A beautiful song... I guess about Brian's marriage. I hope
this song gets noticed more now, as it is well worthy of
acclaim. It is a shame that previously it got "second seat"
to the masterpiece 'Scandal', (it being the b-side, and a
non-album track - Ed). Favourite Line: This is where we are
today.


I Was Born to Love You
Maybe I've over-played this in the past, but it is not my
choice for this album. This version is not honestly
refreshing, although I would rate it as good as the
original. In It's time I loved it. Favourite Line: I'd kill
for your love.

Heaven For Everyone
A slight improvement over the Cross version on which Freddie
sings. Again some matchless guitar work... and a build up to
"Listen..."! Another song which really shows what Roger can
do with a pen! Favourite Line: Just your smile can smooth my
ride.


Too Much Love Will Kill You
Freddie at his ultimate! This type of song is perfect for
him. For me, these are the best ever Queen song lyrics, and
sung by the best voice... sends me reeling! Favourite Line:
I've been looking back, to find out where I went wrong.


You Don't Fool Me
Something about this makes me think of 'Under Pressure', and
'One Vision'. It's a bit conventional, but still too good to
throw away. Nontheless, it is probably one of the best
'partying' songs on the album. Favourite Line: Mama said be
cool.


A Winter's Tale
Graceful lyrics and a beautifully sung It is easy to picture
the scene as Freddie sings... now I know why there is a swan
on the cover. Favourite Line: Sends me reeling.

Queen have done a magnificent job, so well done to them and
everyone involved. So finally on to track thirteen (CD
only). I interpret it as being intended as being night-time,
in that the whole album represents a day... you must have
the CD player in 'repeat all' for this to work. Try it.

NB. Track 12 on the CD is just "Yeah" from the end of the
'It's A Beautiful Day' (reprise). Track 13 is over 22
minutes long and is an instrumental version of the previous
track. No sleeve notes are given about it. Apparently Brian
(the author) wanted it to be a surprise - Ed.

______________________________________________________________

Made In Heaven - Review by Brian Trubshaw
-----------------------------------------

I prefer the single version of 'It's A Beautiful Day', as it
changes mood and gets rocky - one thing Queen were great
for, the drama in their music. Strings, harmonies, single
notes, and over the top yet controlled heaviness.

The new guitar start for 'Made In Heaven' seems like and
extension of the opening track. The only redeeming fetyre
are the strong drums and added guitar otherwise it's hardly
differnt from the original, and I wonder why they wanted to
do a new version. Where they searching for known tracks to
perform when in the studio rather than sit doing nothing?
This is quite hard to believe. Perhaps Brian and Roger are
saving there new stuff for their solo albums? 

'Let me Live' is so familiar it's untrue. Not typical Queen,
(more reminiscent of Freddie's Barcelona) but typical of the
way I would expect Queen to do a gospel song (ie. Somebody
To Love). The 'Let me live/take a piece of my heart' lyric
is apparently from an Erma Franklin song, although I've not
heard it myself. Undeniably uplifting! 

'Mother Love' is next and is very moving, it being Freddie's
last ever track recorded. Was it unfinished lyrically, as
Brian sings the final verse? Definately a future classic.
It's one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard in my
life. Play this along side 'The Show Must Go On' and reduce
yourself to a flood of tears. By contrast, the next track
'My Life Has Been Saved' is very 'up' both musically and
lyrically.

My Life Has Been Saved. I can't honestly understand why this
track was included, except to give it a full album released,
as previously it was a non-album single b-side. This version
isn't too different to warrent comment. Perhaps a little
more polished. A good song never-the-less.

I Was Born To Love You. Rumbling begining not as the
original. Why you have to ask. Again I can't understand why
it was necessary to rerecord an old song. There are no
surprises here, as good as the original though.

Heaven For Everyone. I prefer the Cross version
with Freddie singing. Maybe I'm more use to it. Not enough
harmonies here.

Too Much Love Will Kill You.
A very vocal song in this incarnation, obviously overseen by
its creator. I wonder if Brian was trying to do something in
contrast to the original, as it isn't a patch on that for
musical emotion. Freddie's vocal are not as strained as
Brian's as he really had to reach for those notes, whereas
Freddies reaches them with ease, and perhaps this is where
the song loses a little beleivabilty. Ironic choice
considering though...

You Don't Fool Me.
Fantastic. This makes me think of summer holidays running in
the sand. I hope it's how Freddie feels now he's free. It's
a very positive yet flippant throw-away song. Played with
such ease yet perfectionm. There are non-serious lyric which
Freddie was great at, and a very modern yet familar sound -
Simply Red could only dream of.. He could capture a
generation with. Has some very familaar overtones and some
great chord changes. This track says "Get up and dance".
Would have been my choice to end the album. It reminds me
of...

A Winter's Tale.
I have a tendency to shy away from Christams songs, as they
are usually embarrasing, but this isn't one of them.
Christmas isn't mentioned in this track, and isn't it isn't
in the winter season for everyone either.

It's A Beautiful Day
More passionately played than the opener, and it includes
the most perfect mix of another Queen song I've ever heard
with the piano notes from 'Seven Seas Of Rhye' near the end.
In fact it always makes me wonder why Queen include lyrics
from other songs of, in new songs. Sometime they are so
sublte it only strikes home when you read the lyrics which
is something I don't always do.
__________________________________________________________________

BOOK REVIEWS

Who were The Hectics?
Who's favourite drink was Jasmin Tea?
Where did Roger played football with a cabbage?

There answers to all these questions and more may be
answered by reading...

Queen - The Early Years. A review by Brian Trubshaw.

When I first began to read this book I wasn't too sure about
the authors style. The book began rambling about rock stars
in general and I wanted wall-to-wall Queen facts! After a
few pages I forgave my previous reservations as the sheer
volume of facts by far outweigh any peculiarities in writing
style. The chapter headings are a little contrived though
and some don't really mean a great deal even when you
relaise their significance. 'Clucksville' anyone?

Mark Hodkinson has written various rock biographies and this
perhaps explains his objectiveness. He tries to present both
sides of a story and even requested comments from the band
an their management, but they declined. There are a few
mistakes, indeed the first chapter opens with "...Freddie
died in 1991 and Queen folded immediately..." This chapter
continues to generalise about rock and Queen and this for me
sets the tone of an impartial style, which I must admit made
me fear the worst, as I've read too many error-ridden books/
interviews etc. to last me a lifetime. This is not the case
with this book.  

Chapter's 1 to 4 deal closely with John, Roger, Brian and
Freddie individually, and then later chapters deal indepth
with pre-Queen bands such as 1984, Smile and Ibex. ex
members are interviewed and both funny and interesting
stories are remembered 

Whereas other books may say in passing that so-and-so was in
one of Roger's earlier bands, this author finds him,
interviews him and finds out what he's up to now and what
he's been doing since. Personally I love all these facts,
but maybe it's not for everyone. Actual live dates with
Queen's first 3 bassists are finally pinned down. 'See What
A Fool I've Been' is identified as a old obscure blues
number by two unknowns - Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.

Although this is not a book I could claim to read in one
sitting, as it is packed with detail, I did read it over a 
short period of time, and will probably refer to it
frequently in the future.

As the title suggests the book concentrates on early Queen
and really could have been called 'Before Queen', as most of
it is, although it actually ends in 1975 as Bohemian
Rhapsody is made for the sum of 4,500. The single entered
the charts at number 47, rose to seventeen, nine and finally
on Novermber 25th reached number one and stayed there for a
record nine weeks. 

_______________________________________________________________


Queen Live - A Concert Documentary by Greg Brooks
-------------------------------------------------
             Review by Jon James
             -------------------

When I first heard of this book I was full of excitement and
couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. I wasn't sure what
to expect. Was it to be like the Bruce Springsteen book
listing every concert, and tapes available with track
listings, quality etc? Was it going to list solo concerts
after the Tribute concert?

I was pleased when I received the book to see many rare
photographs - especially early photographs, and that Greg
had included details of many live singles and albums -
official and otherwise.

I found many of the comments about the concerts interesting,
but was upset by inconsistencies. Before I go any further,
It must be said that Greg has done a good job, and it must
have been daunting to research over 700 concerts and to rely
on other peoles comments for some sections. I appreciate the
effort which has been made, but found that often the book
contradicted itself.

An example of this can be located on page 29 - Birmingham
Town Hall. In the commentary it mentions Freddie introducing 
'Hangman', (a non-album track) but it is not listed in the
set list.

Another example can be found on page 94 - Montreal Forum,
where it states that the set list is the same as 'Live
Killers' except for three songs. What about the fourth - 'If
You Can't Beat Them'?

Next look on page 163 which lists the four songs not on
'Live Killers'.

Page 120 mentions the fast version of 'We Will Rock You'
being dropped from the set list, but as you read on, 'We
Will Rock You' (fast version) is listed for almost every
show and listed so.

Maybe it's just me, though I suspect that other fans will
find this type of inconsistency irritating. These are just
simple cross-referncing errors which with a little more care
could have been eliminated and made this book even more
worthy.

Having read through 'Queen Live' I was quite pleased with
it, but feel that as Freddie would say 'Whatever you do, do
it with stlye'.

However, I can still recommend this book to all Queen fans.
Great to look at and find when many songs were first played;
which songs were played at those concerts. We went way back
into the dim and distant past; read quotes from music papers
etc.

By the way what happened to Brodenby Hall, Copenhagen
12/05/77? Surely one of the most famous bootlegs - 'Queen
Invite You To A Night At The Warehouse'. There seems to be
no mention of it in the main text or track listing, except
at the back as a bootleg title.

Perhaps all the mistakes in this otherwise excellent book
will be corrected in a reprint at a later date. Thanks for
your effort Greg, you took on a difficult task and have done
well for Queen fans worldwide.

_____________________________________________________________

QUEEN Interview Disc & Fully Illustrated (Carlton - SAM 7002)
Review by Peter Gillham
-------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst browsing through my local Andy's Records store
looking for any Queen stuff I hadn't bought yet (fat
chance!) I did in fact come across something that I hadn't
seen before.

A CD book entitled 'QUEEN Interview Disc & Fully Illustrated
book'. Its contents, as the name suggests is a CD, and a
Book. The CD is a nice picture CD with the 4 members on it
and contains interviews with Queen, but thereis no music on
the CD.

The CD recording is only 17-mins long and the quality of the
sound is not very good. However for a Queen fan, the memory
of the band talking rather than singing makes a refreshing
change. Discussions with Freddie, Roger and Brian (I think)
take place and at one point I think the interviewer upsets
the band somewhat!

The book however, is a great deal better, it is the same
size as a CD box, in fact the whole package is CD box-sized,
so as to fit in a CD collection, the book contains many
pictures of the band, most of which are well known
photographs, and also includes a potted history of the
band's progress which covers, (in reasonable detail) their
rise from Smile through various gigs etc. through to
Freddie's death, and a some photographs from his funeral, as
a timely reminder of the shock it brought to his fans.

For 6.99 I feel as if it is good value for money and it is
something that I will cherish along with the proper albums
as a momento to Freddie & Queen.

Look out also for a small book about Freddie in a series
called 'They Died Too Young'. The series covers a wide
spectrum of famous people and isn't resticted to the music
industry. These potted histories contain no revelations but
the colour photographs are excellent for a book this size,
(a little larger than a credit card).

_____________________________________________________________

THE 1995 DUTCH QUEEN FAN MEETING
Review by Joy & Tony Whitelock
--------------------------------

On Saturday 21st October 1995, it was the Dutch Queen Fan
meeting which is held in Vlaardingen, Holland. Jacky from
the International Queen Fan Club together with Arena Travel
had organised a coach from London for British fans and
although the coach was not full 34 fans made the trip. The
fans had come from all over the country including Scotland
and even Ireland!

The coach left London at 7.30 am on Friday morning and
travelled to Dover stopping at a service station on the way
to board the 11.00 am ferry for Calais. Most of us met in
the bar (after visiting the duty-free) for a few drinks and
there was a singer, same one as last year, who even sang
'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' with most of us joining
in!! After the ferry crossing we continued our trip on the
coach through France, Belgium and finally into Holland,
making a stop on route for refreshments etc. During the trip
Jim Jenkins provided us with a quiz which was hard but kept
us all very busy (thanks Jim) and we watched Queen videos
including Queen Phenomenon which was very sad in places.

We arrived at the Hotel Commerce in Rotterdam at
approximately 5.30pm and were given a warm welcome from the
hotel owner. Our rooms were all ready for us and Friday
night was free for you to get a meal and start drinking!! We
were picked up from the hotel by our Dutch friends (Peter
and Silvanna) who took us out to a cafe/bar/club for a meal
where there was live music and the percussion player was
Juan from The Robby Valentine Band who we also like very
much. Juan took the time to come over and join us at our
table. Juan was very nice and we were able to take a few
photographs and get his autograph. After we went back to
Peter and Silvanna's home and met two more of our Dutch
friends (Leon and Ramses) and spent the rest of the evening
chatting and watching videos. Finally Peter drove us back to
our hotel and we had a quick drink and a chat with the
remaining English fans at the Hotel.

Saturday started with a very nice breakfast at the hotel
(with Queen music being played in the background) and then
we had a quick walk into the shopping centre of Rotterdam,
(even managed to find a shop which was already selling the
new Queen single - Made in Heaven). At 11.30 am the coach
left for the Queen meeting which was approximately half an
hour away at Vlaardingen, and on arriving at the venue there
was already quite a queue. We were greeted by more of our
Dutch friends (Theo, Hans, Dominique, Freddie, and Marion)
and another friend (Ann) who had travelled from the USA for
the meeting. Once inside we were given a list of the events
for the day (but this was in Dutch so we had to ask our
friends to translate!). One of the first items was the
opening of the market place at 1.00 pm, which very quickly
filled up. There was a good selection of dealers and
merchandise on sale and the market place was busy all day.
At 2.15 pm the Auction commenced, and there was a selection
of very nice Queen items including signed promos of Heaven
for Everyone, signed drumsticks that Roger used on the new
album, and finally a platinum disc awarded to Brian which
alone fetched over 600. At 5.00 pm the raffle was drawn (no
luck however!) and there were many great prizes! In between
the events they showed videos including the Queen
Phenomenon! There was a special T-shirt to commemorate the
event which sold out early although we were lucky enough to
buy one! 

At approximately 6.30 pm a Queen cover band (Night At The
Opera) from Wales took the stage. They played for over two
hours without a break and were given a huge welcome from the
fans. Their set included Las Palabras De Amor, Killer Queen,
Save Me, I Want to Break Free (sang by the fans), Teo
Torriatte, Under Pressure, Who Wants to Live Forever, Tie
Your Mother Down, Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, We Are the
Champions, and even Heaven for Everyone which the crowd
enjoyed. They also sang two of their own songs Forever and
Sail Away which were given a loud applause. Just after 9.00
pm Night at the Opera left the stage and it was time for the
Queen disco and serious drinking!! The disco latest until
nearly 1.00 am and everyone had a great time, the music of
course was fantastic!

Sadly it was all over too quickly and we had to board our
coach for the return trip to our hotel. We arrived back at
the hotel at 1.45 am and a few of us walked to McDonalds for
something to eat while many of the others went to the bar
for a nightcap or two. After our visit to McDonalds we
joined the others in the hotel bar to finish off a really
great day.

On the Sunday morning after our breakfast it was time for
the group photographs and at 10.30 am we started the long
journey home. We made a couple of stops on the way to Calais
including one at a hypo-market! During our journey we
watched more videos and had another quiz from Jim Jenkins,
(another hard quiz!!). The prizes for winning the quiz's
were given out and they were signed photographs of Queen.
One of the fans (Andy) who won the first quiz also won last
year so he raffled the prize at 50p a go (proceeds to MPT)
and another lucky person went home with the signed photo,
(nice one Andy!!). We arrived back in London at
approximately 7.30 pm, and after saying our good byes a few
of us piled into a local pub, put on some Queen music and
had a last few drinks together while we all waited for our
different trains and coaches home! We even managed to find a
few Queen songs on the jukebox but unfortunately not 'Made
in Heaven'!

Another great Dutch Queen Meeting was over but roll on next
year when we can do it all over again. For anyone who hasn't
been to the Dutch Convention we can recommend it - after all
the music is great and the Dutch fans are very friendly. 

Finally many thanks to Hannie for organising the event and
to Jacky and Arena Travel for organising our trip to
Holland.
__________________________________________________________


A SEASIDE RENDEZVOUS - Review by Joy & Tony Whitelock
-----------------------------------------------------

On Saturday 25th November 1995, 'The Freddie Mercury
Friendship Group' held their annual party at The Pavillion
Ballroom, Bournemouth. Tickets for the event were only 6
each for an evening of continual Queen music and many other
events from 7.30pm until 1.00am. It was also optional fancy 
dress for anyone who wanted to dress up for the night (there
was a prize for the best costume)! 

We arrived just after 7.30pm and were very pleased to see
that the ballroom was already quite full (in fact quite a
long queue had formed before the doors opened). The ballroom
was a large room with a stage erected in the middle directly
in front of a dance floor area around which were tables and
chairs. There was a bar within the room and hot and cold
food was also available.

A special guest for the night was Peter Freestone (Feebie)
who was there for the whole event and quite happy to give
autographs and have photographs taken and chat (many thanks
Feebie). Apart from the continual Queen music the first
event of the night was a Mastermind competition which
consisted a general round of questions to reduce the players
down to three and then each person had to answer as many
questions as possible in one minute, with the winner
receiving a T-shirt and a Mastermind Trophy. After a few
more Queen records the cover band "Command Performance" took
the stage dressed as 'The Brian May Band' and mimed to a
Brian May concert. This was the first time we had ever seen
a cover band which mimes but they were very good and really
did look like 'The Brian May Band' complete with Cathy and
Shelley, and the crowd loved them!! After a selection of
songs from Brian's concerts they left the stage and the DJ
continued with the Queen music.

After a short time it was the turn of various fans from the
audience to mime to a Queen song of their choice. The
judging was carried out by the crowd with the person who
received the loudest cheer winning. Next "Command
Performance" took the stage again dressed as Queen and mimed
to a selection of great Queen songs! The crowd again loved
them and many fans were now on the dance floor. All the
usual favourites were played including "We Are the
Champions", "We Will Rock You", and "Radio Ga Ga" with the
crowd joining in as usual, and they ended with "God Save the
Queen", and left the stage.

During the night raffle tickets had been on sale and the
raffle was drawn next. There was the normal selection of
prizes such as Queen T-shirts, Stationary, Books etc. Next
it was time for the auction which included many great signed
items. There were several items that were signed by either
two or three members of Queen and these attracted strong
bidding. There was also a framed promotion picture poster of
the new album 'Made in Heaven' which also attracted a lot of
bidding.

After the auction the DJ continued to play Queen music and
most fans were now on the dance floor. The evening ended
just after 1.00am and it had been a great enjoyable night,
(roll on next year!).

All profits from the night are being given to 'The Mercury
Phoenix Trust' and a local aids charity 'Sanctuary' who had
a stall at the event and during the evening their
representative gave a small talk about their work and
thanked everyone for their support.

Finally credit and thanks for a great night must be given to
Gary and Izzy Taylor and all the other helpers from 'The
Freddie Mercury Friendship Group' who worked so hard to
organise the evening.

If you want any further information about the group who
produce a magazine three times a year please write to:

Gary Taylor
The Freddie Mercury Friendship Group
73 Southbourne Road
Southbourne
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH6 5AQ 
________________________________________________________________


COVER BANDS IN THE WEST COUNTRY
Reviews by Joy & Tony Whitelock
-------------------------------

Within a week, two Queen cover bands played in Somerset. The
first was The Royal Family who played at the Mark Harvest
Home event on Tuesday 15 August, and the second was A Night
At The Opera who played at the Quicksilver, Yeovil on Friday
18 August 1995. We went to both concerts as they were local,
and it's quite rare to have one Queen event on our doorstep
let alone two!

Firstly...

THE ROYAL FAMILY  

The Royal Family (TRF) are a five piece cover band from
Hull. They appeared at the Mark Harvest Home which is an
annual event held in a marquee and adjoining fields which is
mostly attended by local people who go every year. During
the day and evening there is a fun fair and throughout the
day different activities are organised.

As we were unable to find out exactly when TRF would be
playing we arrived at approximately 8.00pm and found the fun
fair was in full swing. The concert was to take place in the
large marquee which had been erected and the stage had been
constructed by using two large flat-bed trailers at one end
of the marquee, with the bar at the other end.

As we entered the marquee TRF were doing their sound check
and this included singing several complete Queen songs.
After the sound check another band took the stage to open
the nights entertainment and played popular hits from the
past 20-30 years for 90 minutes. They did not introduce
themselves and only managed to tempt about six people on to
the dance floor.

It was soon obvious that apart from one of the TRF's crew we
did not see anyone else wearing a Queen T-shirt and started
to worry whether the night was going to be a success!

At approximately 11.00pm TRF took the stage following an
introduction and opened their set with 'One Vision'. They
were all dressed to look like Queen, with the fifth member
taking the place of Spike Edney. They went on to play 'Seven
Seas of Rhye', and 'A Kind of Magic' and very quickly the
dance floor became packed with people who were singing along
with the band. Their set went on to include 'Under
Pressure', 'Another One Bites the Dust', I Want to Break
Free' and Bohemian Rhapsody/Killer Queen'. We were very
pleasantly surprised at the great reception they received
especially as the crowd was made up of all ages and still no
Queen T-shirts in sight! After playing 'Crazy Little Thing
called Love' the band left the stage.

They quickly came back on to the stage much to the delight
of the crowd and played an encore which consisted of 'Radio
Ga Ga', 'We Will Rock You', 'Friends Will Be Friends', and
'We Are The Champions'. Everyone joined in with the encore
especially 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'We Are The Champions'. The
concert ended after approximately one hour with 'God Save
The Queen'.

This was the first time that we had seen TRF and for us
personally the music was quite good but the dressing up to
look like Queen was not necessary. It was very nice to see
the support and reaction of the crowd to a Queen cover band
which only goes to prove that Queen have a huge following of
fans everywhere who enjoy their music even if they don't yet
have the T-shirts to wear. 

If they are playing in your area go along and see them. It's
a good night of Queen music and decide for yourself on the
dressing-up! TRF can be contacted on Fax. No. 01482 864922.
__________________________________________________________


NIGHT AT THE OPERA

The following Friday, Night At The Opera appeared at The
Quicksilver in Yeovil. We had already seen Night At The
Opera (NATO) on several occasions and as they always put on
a good show we decided to go along and support them at a
local venue. We had first become aware of this concert via a
flyer which had been handed out at the Southport Queen Fan
Club Convention in May, however getting tickets from the
venue was a very difficult task!! It had required many
telephone calls and several visits to the venue before we
were able to obtain any tickets! But as they put on a good
show, we knew it would be well worth the effort and trouble
in obtaining tickets.

On the Friday night NATO were slightly late in arriving due
to bad traffic problems, however they quickly set up their
equipment and did a very short sound check. 

At approximately 9.30 pm NATO took the stage and opened with
'One Vision' quickly followed with 'We Will Rock You' and
'It's A Kind of Magic'. Although there was only a small
crowd of people (due to the difficulty in obtaining
tickets!!) they received a warm welcome. NATO apologised for
being late but said that they would play a longer concert to
make up for this. Their first set went on to include 'Now
I'm Here', 'You're My Best Friend', 'Crazy Little Thing
Called Love', 'Who Wants to Live Forever', '39' and 'Tie
Your Mother Down'.

Following a short interval NATO took the stage for their
second set which included 'I Want to Break Free', 'Stone
Cold Crazy' (with a member of the audience joining in with
the lead singer), 'Under Pressure', 'Killer Queen', and
their own version of 'Living On My Own' (which the crowd
seemed to love) and 'Somebody To Love'. Next they played
'Another One Bites the Dust' which was dedicated to 'The
Hedgehogs!' and then 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and then left the
stage. They were given a loud applause and returned to the
stage to play an encore consisting of 'Radio Ga Ga' (with
the crowd joining in as usual!), 'Hammer to Fall', 'We Will
Rock You', and finally 'We Are The Champions'. The crowd
joined in with all the encore and it was clear that everyone
was having a good time. The concert lasted for approximately
two hours and included a varied selection of great Queen
songs.

After the concert the band chatted to the fans and signed a
few posters etc. as they were packing up their equipment. If
NATO are playing in your area try and get along to see them
it's a good night of Queen music. Further information and
concert dates can be obtained by telephoning Jayne on 01633
420674.


Well, normally there is very little Queen related events
staged locally, but this week we had been spoilt with two
different Queen cover bands playing in the local area. There
is a growing demand for Queen cover bands and if you haven't
seen one yet, give it a try, after all you can guarantee
great music.
___________________________________________________________


Ga Ga - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, 3.11.95

           Review By Dean Pedley
           ---------------------

Having been called "The next best thing to Queen" in these
very pages, (in QFN the printed version) my expectation of
Ga Ga was high. The set list followed more or less the same
as covered previously in QFN, so to avoid repetition, I'd
like to discuss the merits of the Tribute band craze
currently dominating the live music scene.

Most popular bands of the last 20 years who are no longer
active (and, indeed, some which still are) have been awarded
this somewhat dubious honour. Indeed, there are currently a
number of Queen-related acts on the road of which I'm
assured Ga Ga are the pick of the bunch.

The advantages of this are that you can attend a gig in the
knowledge that you will recognise the material performed,
and hear songs the original act have not played for years
(i.e. 'Son And Daughter', 'Spread Your Wings' and 'Brighton
Rock') In addition, younger fans (of whom there were a
number) who never saw Queen perform have an opportunity to
see what it was all about. Or do they? Queen were never this
average, this ordinary, this faceless - despite the note for
note renditions, Ga Ga are nothing more than competent
musicians making a living out of someone else's work.

Fans I spoke to at the interval told me they had never seen
Queen live (despite being 10-15 years older than myself),
but became incredibly enthusiastic when discussing the
merits of Ga Ga's performance. I find it hard to comprehend
why anyone would want to purchase Ga Ga merchandise, become
emotional when Ga Ga (not Queen remember) perform 'The Show
Must Go On' or 'Love Of My Life' or see them live more than
once. There are many ways to keep the spirit of Queen and
Freddie alive than giving this band the sort of fan-worship
they surely are not worthy of, but which John Holmes appears
to revel in. Next time I'll stay at home with my old records
- and try to remember how it really was.


Editors Note: What do you others think about tribute bands? 
Maybe you've seen one (or more), and maybe you'd like to
voice your opinion. If so then send your views to the QFN
address which can be found at the back of this issue.

___________________________________________________________

END
