Post by chk on Apr 5, 2006 2:28:44 GMT -5
April 4, 2006
Old band, new voice
QUEEN SINGER FINDS SUCCESS IN TREND
BY BRAD KAVA
San Jose Mercury News
For music fans, it didn't at first sound like a match made in heaven. But for Queen drummer Roger Taylor, singer Paul Rodgers is more than a lead singing stopgap for the flamboyant Freddie Mercury, who died in 1992 of complications from AIDS.
Rodgers and the band are just one example of how well-known music groups would rather replace their most recognizable part, the lead singer, than break up the whole crew and start anew.
Van Halen did it, replacing David Lee Roth with Sammy Hagar, then Hagar with Gary Cherone. AC/DC did it, subbing in Brian Johnson for Bon Scott, who died. The Cars, who are on tour this summer, also did it, swapping Ric Ocasek for Todd Rundgren.
But maybe the most visible recent incarnation is Australian band INXS, which staged a reality television show -- "Rock Star: INXS" -- to find a new lead singer to replace Michael Hutchence, who died in the '90s.
"Did it work out for them?" Taylor asks. "I guess, if that's the way they want to do it. I found it fascinating to watch, but I don't think it did INXS any favors."
Taylor, 55, liked the "blond guy" (Marty Casey), who came in second place, and he thought picking a woman would have been more daring and interesting for the band.
He's also not keen on the "American Idol" format, which began in England.
"I don't think it should be confused with the music business. It's TV entertainment, and usually the people who come out of it are just a flash in the pan."
Celebrity and its incarnations are a peeve of Taylor's, and he's considering writing a song about it.
"The word `celebrity' is a complete joke. Kids aspire to it, and it doesn't mean anything. There are a lot of broke celebrities, a lot of idiot celebrities, a lot of celebrities with no talent. Yet you hear the word continually, meaning anyone who has been on TV is a celebrity."
Despite his criticisms, Taylor acknowledges the new Queen came about as a result of a TV show, but it wasn't inspired by one.
"It was a lucky accident, and it sort of works," Taylor says. "We happened to be doing a TV show (for the U.K. Hall of Fame), and Paul was there, and we asked him to sing a couple of songs with us, `We Will Rock You' and `We are the Champions.' It went great and sounded incredible. The idea came out of that."
And now, Rodgers and the band are writing songs together and considering new material from this new version of Queen.
"Freddie was a big fan of his voice right from the beginning," says Taylor of Rodgers, from a tour stop in Milwaukee. The original Queen even had a song called "Hangman" written in the style of Rodgers' first rock band, Free. It has been performed live, but "I don't know if we ever recorded it," Taylor says.
The current 23-city tour is Queen's first U.S. appearance in 24 years and includes a beefed-up version of the former quartet. Taylor and original guitarist Brian May are joined by bassist Danny Miranda, guitarist Jamie Moses and pianist Spike Edney, who has played with the theatrical show about Queen, "We Will Rock You."
It's hard to imagine the meat-and-potatoes Rodgers, who played in Free and Bad Company -- Led Zeppelin-style blues-rock bands -- replacing Mercury, whose over-the-top vocalizing brought an operatic singing style to the concept of a rock opera. But, Taylor says, Mercury wasn't always the crowd-pleaser in concert that he was during the celebrated televised Live Aid show, when he had a huge London crowd singing and clapping along.
"Freddie was more outrageous," Taylor says, comparing the singers. "But he was also more aloof. He'd get a distance from the audience, which I guess they liked. Paul gives us a bluesier edge. His range is phenomenal. I wouldn't have thought he could hit those high notes, but he can."
The concerts could be a testament to the diversity of Queen's catalog, which includes the operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody," the rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," the sports anthem "We Will Rock You" and the songs that have become hip-hop sampling staples, "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Under Pressure."
The show, which has sold 5,000 to 13,000 tickets a night, harks back to arena shows of yore, with big lights, video and flash pots -- and a sound quality that wasn't possible three decades ago.
So, what Queen songs can't you do with Rodgers?
" 'Killer Queen' " Taylor says, "because the harmonies are so spot on."
edited to add date and red letters!
Old band, new voice
QUEEN SINGER FINDS SUCCESS IN TREND
BY BRAD KAVA
San Jose Mercury News
For music fans, it didn't at first sound like a match made in heaven. But for Queen drummer Roger Taylor, singer Paul Rodgers is more than a lead singing stopgap for the flamboyant Freddie Mercury, who died in 1992 of complications from AIDS.
Rodgers and the band are just one example of how well-known music groups would rather replace their most recognizable part, the lead singer, than break up the whole crew and start anew.
Van Halen did it, replacing David Lee Roth with Sammy Hagar, then Hagar with Gary Cherone. AC/DC did it, subbing in Brian Johnson for Bon Scott, who died. The Cars, who are on tour this summer, also did it, swapping Ric Ocasek for Todd Rundgren.
But maybe the most visible recent incarnation is Australian band INXS, which staged a reality television show -- "Rock Star: INXS" -- to find a new lead singer to replace Michael Hutchence, who died in the '90s.
"Did it work out for them?" Taylor asks. "I guess, if that's the way they want to do it. I found it fascinating to watch, but I don't think it did INXS any favors."
Taylor, 55, liked the "blond guy" (Marty Casey), who came in second place, and he thought picking a woman would have been more daring and interesting for the band.
He's also not keen on the "American Idol" format, which began in England.
"I don't think it should be confused with the music business. It's TV entertainment, and usually the people who come out of it are just a flash in the pan."
Celebrity and its incarnations are a peeve of Taylor's, and he's considering writing a song about it.
"The word `celebrity' is a complete joke. Kids aspire to it, and it doesn't mean anything. There are a lot of broke celebrities, a lot of idiot celebrities, a lot of celebrities with no talent. Yet you hear the word continually, meaning anyone who has been on TV is a celebrity."
Despite his criticisms, Taylor acknowledges the new Queen came about as a result of a TV show, but it wasn't inspired by one.
"It was a lucky accident, and it sort of works," Taylor says. "We happened to be doing a TV show (for the U.K. Hall of Fame), and Paul was there, and we asked him to sing a couple of songs with us, `We Will Rock You' and `We are the Champions.' It went great and sounded incredible. The idea came out of that."
And now, Rodgers and the band are writing songs together and considering new material from this new version of Queen.
"Freddie was a big fan of his voice right from the beginning," says Taylor of Rodgers, from a tour stop in Milwaukee. The original Queen even had a song called "Hangman" written in the style of Rodgers' first rock band, Free. It has been performed live, but "I don't know if we ever recorded it," Taylor says.
The current 23-city tour is Queen's first U.S. appearance in 24 years and includes a beefed-up version of the former quartet. Taylor and original guitarist Brian May are joined by bassist Danny Miranda, guitarist Jamie Moses and pianist Spike Edney, who has played with the theatrical show about Queen, "We Will Rock You."
It's hard to imagine the meat-and-potatoes Rodgers, who played in Free and Bad Company -- Led Zeppelin-style blues-rock bands -- replacing Mercury, whose over-the-top vocalizing brought an operatic singing style to the concept of a rock opera. But, Taylor says, Mercury wasn't always the crowd-pleaser in concert that he was during the celebrated televised Live Aid show, when he had a huge London crowd singing and clapping along.
"Freddie was more outrageous," Taylor says, comparing the singers. "But he was also more aloof. He'd get a distance from the audience, which I guess they liked. Paul gives us a bluesier edge. His range is phenomenal. I wouldn't have thought he could hit those high notes, but he can."
The concerts could be a testament to the diversity of Queen's catalog, which includes the operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody," the rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," the sports anthem "We Will Rock You" and the songs that have become hip-hop sampling staples, "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Under Pressure."
The show, which has sold 5,000 to 13,000 tickets a night, harks back to arena shows of yore, with big lights, video and flash pots -- and a sound quality that wasn't possible three decades ago.
So, what Queen songs can't you do with Rodgers?
" 'Killer Queen' " Taylor says, "because the harmonies are so spot on."
edited to add date and red letters!
