I'm not sure any of you care, and I don't even own any of their music, although I like a few songs - but Queen (or at least guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor) will apparently tour next year with Paul Rodgers on lead vocals.
Rodgers was the lead singer for the band Free before joining Bad Company (Bad Co. was the first band signed by the Atlantic label subsidiary formed by Led Zeppelin, known as Swan Song). Rodgers left Bad Company to do some solo work before linking up with Jimmy Page to release two albums as The Firm in 1985 and 1986 (self-titled debut and sophomore effort Mean Business) and do two tours. You might know their lone radio hit, "Radioactive," although it was far from the best song on the album. It might tell you something that the CD is under 10 bucks on Amazon. The band received some acclaim but ultimately flopped. The live shows were a little lackluster and no Bad Company or Zeppelin songs were performed.
I should also mention that Robert Plant sang a couple songs (notably "Thank You" leading into "Crazy Little Thing Called Love") at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992. He was pretty well-received, I think.
Anway...are there any Queen fans out there who have an opinion about Rodgers singing Freddie Mercury's songs? I haven't heard any of his attempts, but I wouldn't think he'd have anything near Mercury's almost operatic range/delivery.
3 comments:
This post was made on the Zeppelin mailing list I subscribe to, and basically echoes my sentiments. The Gerrard Street comment is in reference to the first rehearsal ever held with the four members of Led Zeppelin. They jammed on "Train Kept a Rollin'" and from all reports, the room "just exploded"...
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From: TangerineMan tangerineman@sympatico.ca
Subject: VLZC: Queen to reform with...
...Paul Rodgers on vocals?!
Absolutely no offense to Rodgers, who's a fine rock vocalist within his
style. But even in his heyday he had nowhere near the range of a Freddie
Mercury. I'm trying to think of a Bad Company or Firm song with a melody
line that spans more than an octave and I ain't havin' much luck. Pro
singers, help me out here: wouldn't PR be classified as a baritone, and FM
more a tenor?
And in terms of stage presence/charisma? Sorry, Paul.
Now, I completely understand the move, from the musician point of view:
apparently the 3 ex-Queen members and PR jammed on Free's "Alright Now" at
some benefit, and it just "clicked." When it clicks like that, something's
happening, and it's worth running with it (cf. Gerrard St., London, August
1968). But they're going to have a hard time convincing me.
One guy with the range for it is a guy who I thought was unfairly dissed
during the Diamond Dave vs. Hagar the Horrible debate here last week: Gary
Cherone. I always thought he was great; it's just that he was all wrong for
Van Halen. Extreme were a great funk-rock band with a kickass rhythm
section, a fleet-fingered, inventive guitarist and a very charismatic
frontman with a great range (just like Zep). Yeah, ok, so they were sort of
guilty of being a less underground, more radio-friendly version of the Red
Hot Chili Peppers. They still put out some great tunage with virtuoso
musicianship during the 90s, at a time when lo-fi, DIY grunge was all the
rage.
Plus, Cherone's sung Queen songs before, including at the Freddie Mercury
tribute concert (IIRC, Extreme did "Keep Yourself Alive"--fitting, as that
Brian May intro riff had obviously influenced Nuno Bettencourt a great
deal).
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I can't imagine anyone measuring up to Freddie Mercury adequately, and I don't think Rodgers is flexible enough to be right for Queen. I could be utterly wrong, and I hope I am.
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