Queen recruit new singer

[Rick Hoffman]

I think the new name thing is a great idea...otherwise "Been" will just be another floundering Van Halen.

 

Erik...George Michael? When I think about it thats actually an excellent choice.

[EoS]

They should just get Gail Ann Dorsey to handle bass and vocals. 2 birds, with one ...bird.

 

And she'd do it in a heartbeat!

[Red Winger]

Originally posted by John William Hofmann:

Erik...George Michael? When I think about it thats actually an excellent choice.

He was an excellent choice. He did a fantastic job covering Freddie on "Somebody to Love" a couple of years back. Why Rodgers and not Michael for the tour is beyond me.

 

Oh...news flash: "Been" has just decided to add Flea, long-time bassist with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to the line up. Says Brian May, "It's going to be great. Paul's [Rodgers] smooth vocal stylings will be a great contrast to the frenetic pace Flea sets. Roger and I haven't figured how we'll mesh with the two of them yet, but it ought to only take a couple of shows before we work it all out."

 

[Base]

I completely agree that Brian and Roger have a lot of musical life left in them and shouldn't give up for a long time yet, and with Paul Rodgers they could make a great band.

 

But it won't be Queen and they shouldn't try fooling themselves or anyone else!!!!!

 

But George Micheal?!?!??!?!? There are lines that should not be crossed!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dylan]

They should have asked that guy from The Darkness to sit in. He's flamboyant like Freddie and has the range! Plus, he's entertaining!

[Bunny Knutson]

Robbie Williams wouldn't have been a bad choice, especially when compared to Paul Rodgers!

 

If they tour with Rodgers, they should call the band Queen-Free.

[jeffbayson]

Originally posted by Bunny.:

If they tour with Rodgers, they should call the band Queen-Free.

Or... Queef?

 

(I only chime in when I have something really important to say.)

[Bunny Knutson]

[Philip OKeefe]

I agree that George would be a better choice for doing old Queen tunes than Paul would be. Not that I dislike Paul's voice - I think he's one of the better rockers out there... but Freddie had something about his showmanship that I just can't see Paul pulling off - and certainly his vocal range is no where near what Freddie's was.

 

If they dig playing with Paul, they should write and record new stuff, do a few Queen covers along with the new stuff live, and call the band something other than Queen. If they're looking to do an oldies / greatest hits "Queen" band, find someone who sings more like FM and do that.

 

And FWIW, I doubt it is all about the money. Even though Freddy wrote the bulk of the Queen material, their corporation did extremely well, and all four members were some of the highest paid people in all of England for years. I seriously doubt they're hurting for money.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by Dilligan:

They should have asked that guy from The Darkness to sit in. He's flamboyant like Freddie and has the range! Plus, he's entertaining!

Now THIS is a great idea!!!!!

[Philip OKeefe]

Originally posted by It's Ken Upon a Midnight Clear:

Originally posted by Dilligan:

They should have asked that guy from The Darkness to sit in. He's flamboyant like Freddie and has the range! Plus, he's entertaining!

Now THIS is a great idea!!!!!

I believe in a band called Queen.falsetto voice>

[Dylan]

That's what I'm talkin' about, guys! They could call themselves Dark Queen!

[TeleCarlos]

This is funny.

 

The Queen is dead; Long live the Queen, yadda, yadda....

 

Dark Queen would be cool.

 

C'mon guys, George Michael, apart from your dislikes, is a pretty smooth singer. I like some of his stuff.

 

Quahm!

[DC]

I'm really surprized anyone would wonder why they want to call their band 'Queen.'

 

Reminds me of a David Gilmore interview after Waters split and them asking why he wanted to use the name 'Pink Floyd.' And he's like, well, I sold a few thousand solo albums, but Pink Floyd sold...

 

 

If you've got something that is recognized everywhere by everybody, you're gonna play the big rooms eh?

[Anderton]

<>

 

Excellent advice. Plus, they would have a better shot at longevity because they'd be at the start of a new thing, not the coda for an old one.

 

I always admired Led Zeppelin for calling it quits after Bonham died. And I think it guaranteed the level of immortality they now enjoy because they came across as a class act.

 

And I always thought it was classy that the Beatles never did a reunion, and my opinion of Abba went up a zillon per cent when they turned down an obscene amount of money to do a reunion tour.

 

A band with ex-Queen people and Paul Rogers? Sure. Just don't call it Queen.

[dj jud]

Kind of OT, but doesn't Borat from the Ali G show bear some web page resemblance to Freddie.

[dj jud]

whoops, heres the link http://www.boratonline.co.uk/

[michael saulnier]

I also had a kinda "negative" reaction when I first heard this news...

 

Then I read what Brian May said about it...

 

"Well, the news seems to be out .... Roger spilled the beans on his interview with the Wettendass Web-page gal .... so I endorsed it.

 

And this time it's not just a rumour. We are in the process of looking at venues for a QUEEN tour in the spring. It really all came about because of the Fender 50th Anniversary gig that I did with Paul Rodgers. We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in All Right Now, that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was "something happening here". And if we were to play together some more, which we both thought was an exciting possibility, who would be the drummer ??? Well, the expression "No Brainer" comes to mind. Then the UK Hall of Fame awards just came up out of the blue. Apparently we had won one of the categories and the request was there for us to play. I had already had the conversation with Roger at this point, about how brilliant Paul Rodgers was, and, since, very conveniently, he had also been asked to be there, we agreed we would ask Paul if he would team up with us for this event.

 

The rest in a way is already History. The show went so incredibly well from our point of view, and we got so many rave reactions from out there, we decided almost then and there that we would look at a tour together.

 

This is what we have been doing over the last two or three weeks, looking at venues, discussing how we might approach our collective material, etc. etc.

 

It's very exciting .... ever since the run-up to that Awards show, I felt in my waters that something big and scary was happening. Scary because as soon as you press the button for something like this you set a massive juggernaut into motion which cannot be stopped ! So bang goes the home life, and anything else we might have planned for the coming months. Suddenly the QUEEN Phoenix is rising again from the ashes, and will take precedence over everything in our lives. So be it. So there ya go. I won't go into more details right now, but, barring accidents, QUEEN and PAUL RODGERS will be on the road, pretty much for sure, around April 2005.

 

See ya there !

 

Love

 

Bri"

THEN... I saw footage from the UK Hall of Fame concert Brian references in his message...

 

(I can't link to the vid's directly because this board's software can't handle the parentheses in the URL... so here's a link to a thread elsewhere that DOES work... scroll to about 1/2 way down the page...)

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=806254&perpage=20&highlight=Queen&pagenumber=3

 

After seeing this... I for one, would find it fun to see them live.

 

Paul's not Freddy, and he's not really trying to be a clone. Brian rocks as always... the other guys are... well the other guys.

 

THEY own the name QUEEN... and I think it's their right to use it if they want. Notice, btw... that Brian once refers to the show as "Queen and Paul Rodgers"... I think THAT just about says it.

 

I know many won't be happy because they are somehow... spoiling the "Queen legacy" or something.

 

Maybe they should call it... "Queen for a Day!"

 

I don't think there's a plan to record any new material... it sounds like more of a "one-off" tour.

 

Hope they come near me!

 

michael

[Dan South]

I don't believe that your life should stop because your singer died.

 

Be realistic: it would be impossible for a bunch of middle aged geezers to start a new band in today's NSync/Britney music world. Anyone over fifteen need not apply.

 

Even if they go with a new name, people will find fault with them. "Oh, it's just Queen except with a new name."

 

People are merciless. I wish these guys all the success in the world if it turns out that they work well together. And if they turn out to be VH3, then a quick and painless death would be recommended.

[The Studio Pet-Rock]

I think George Michael might lose the label of "Lame Suckass" if he fronted Queen. He's got the pipes to pull it off, though his solo recordings have been bubble gum crap.

 

...How about Annie Lennox?

[kylen]

I hate comin in here and thinkin about what could be...arf I mean no one said Paul Rodgers is gonna sing Queen Freddie Mercury stuff did they...oh man - I love all that stuff I can't begin to imagine what it sounds like mixed up like this though...Is the Universe collapsing or do I just need some Brown Acid

[Base]

Velvet Quevolver...?

[John Sayers]

I agree with Craig - leave it alone. - I saw an asian band in Singapore play the full Queen set, note for note, sound for sound, vocal for vocal.

 

cheers

John

[Harald F. Metzner]

Hi,

 

if a member of an original band is leaving or died, why not go on and be successful? There will allways be fans comparing one singer to the next, complaining that the old one was better, but with new members and new songs (I hope they write some) you will get new fans. It worked before, it can also work here.

What about Deep Purple? Genesis? Van Halen? Rainbow?

And the money: If you check the Queen records, you will notice that in the first 7 or 8 records you had individual names for lyrics and music, most by Freddie and Brian, later there was only "Queen", meaning they split the money.

 

(Some people say if Elvis joined the Doors after Morisson died, it would have saved all of them, but thats a different story...)

[Base]

Harald, if they were going to start writing and recording new material then I may be willing to give it a chance, but that isn't what is being suggested, they want to go out and tour the Queen back catalogue and nothing else under the name of Queen. At least that was my original impression, if it is going to be more of a mixture of all involved's songs and it will be billed as Queen & Paul Rodgers, then it may not be as horrendous an idea as I feared, tho I think calling it Brian & Roger (from Queen) & Paul Rodgers would be more honest.

 

Still think forming a whole new band is the best way forward for them. So what if it wouldn't make as much, they are all stinking rich, do it for the love of writing music..

[Ernest Buckley]

The best singer at the Freddy Mercury memorial concert was George Michael, who I previously didn't respect at all. He kicked ass on "Somebody to Love"... everyone else was an embarrasment... he'd be a good candidate for a new "Queen" frontman. Plus, he needs the work.

 

Paul Rogers isn't even a tenor. What a joke... ?

Agree. There are very few singers that can rock like Mercury. George Michael is close. That would be an ideal choice.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by Dan South:

I don't believe that your life should stop because your singer died.

That's right Dan. Therefore, I'm proposing that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr tour with Andre 3000 and Dave Grohl and call it the Beatles.

 

Good idea, right?

 

- Jeff

[Red Winger]

Great idea! They could do a new twist on DAy in the Life by weaving in "Times like These"!

 

While Dan has a point, it really depends on how key the dead band member was to the sound of the band and how close the replacement can come. I've seen Journey without Steve Perry and the "new Steve" looks and sounds virtually identical, so it really does feel like Journey. AC/DC was able to make a switch without Bon Scott, by finding a singer that, while different in sound, had a lot of the same qualities. The Who went on with their concert tour when John Entwhistle died, because they had a guy who could cover his bass lines pretty much verbatim (although they didn't do Boris the Spider). I saw them at Shoreline just days after John died, and while it was sad that he wasn't there, they still sounded like (and were) the Who. In some ways, it was a bigger blow to their sound to lose Keith than it was to lose John.

 

I don't think anyone can possibly argue that Paul Rodgers sounds even remotely like Freddie Mercury. I have no problem with them touring as "Queen and Paul Rodgers", or some other moniker that shows it's not really the same band. It's all in a name, I know, but I just think there's something wrong about keeping the Queen name if you don't try to get someone that can hit the high notes like Freddie could. It will either really limit the song repetoire that they perform live, or they will suck ass when Paul tries to go into those insane octaves (or does something lame like alter the song by leaving out the high-end range).

 

All MHO, of course.

 

--Mark

[JLsound]

I think it could be a great thing for the remaining members of Queen to get together with Paul Rodgers, but I agree with previous statements. They shouldn't market themselves as Queen. Personally, with Brian May and Paul Rodgers being great song writers,IMHO, I think they are better off writing new songs and calling themselves a different name. They could still play some Queen and Bad company/Free songs live, but that should not be the focus.

[tnb]

EoS said

They should just get Gail Ann Dorsey to handle bass and vocals. 2 birds, with one ...bird.

And she'd do it in a heartbeat!

Best idea I've heard yet