Oakland Press
Written by Gary Graff - ahead of tonight's show.
This feature was also provided to New York Times syndicate of papers.

If you go
Queen + Paul Rodgers
perform at 8 tonight at
The Palace, Lapeer Road at
I-75, Auburn Hills.
Tickets are $39.50-$89.50.
Call (248) 377-0100
or visit www.palacenet.com

When it comes to Queen in 2006, you'd be justified in asking if this is the real life or is this just fantasy.The band ceased to be a going concern in 1991, following the death of frontman Freddie Mercury from AIDS. But there's a version of Queen on the road these days, with founding members Brian May and Roger Meddows-Taylor [sic] joining forces with former Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers for live dates that took Europe and Japan by storm in 2005 - resulting in a live album and DVD, "Return of the Champions" - and has its sights on North America this year.It's a combination that's cocked the eyebrow of more than a few Queen subjects, but drummer Taylor contends it's a perfectly valid endeavor."It didn't make any sense for us to tour under another name," says Taylor 56, noting that the formal moniker for the collaboration is actually Queen + Paul Rodgers. "(Queen) has been our name for 30-odd years, so why try to pretend this is something else."And there's a lot of interest around the world. You'd be surprised how busy we've actually been without doing a tour or a new album. So all the expectations were there, and the brand lives, if you know what I mean."He's not kidding. Queen has remained killer since Mercury's death, with a series of posthumous releases and other projects, such as the "We Will Rock You" musical that's played in six countries worldwide, including the United States. The 1992 "Wayne's World" film returned Queens "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the charts 16 years after its original release, and the group's 1977 hit "We are the Champions" was named the world's favorite rock song in a 2005 poll conducted by Sony Ericsson.A healthy dose of Queen's hits - including "Killer Queen," "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the anthemic medley "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" - remain classic rock staples from a catalog that's sold 150 million albums worldwide.Queen also has overtaken the Beatles on the British album charts, sitting third behind Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard."We obviously have some kind of lasting appeal," Taylor says with a laugh. "It's extraordinary. I have to say it's a wonderful surprise to us. I didn't think we were a flash in the pan, obviously, but I think it's impossible to tell at the time that something is going to have longevity."Making it workQueen's enduring appeal is largely the result of the diversity of its material. Starting as a hard rock band in pop's glam era, the group's lushly stacked, quasi-operatic harmonies on "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions" and other tunes separated it from the headbanging pack at the time. Mercury's cheerfully campy persona and a bombastic live presentation made Queen a potent touring force, and its international audience was strong enough to allow the band to thrive even after its U.S. following began to shrink in the early '80s.Rodgers brings a formidable heritage to the party too. As the frontman of Free ("All Right Now") he was tagged as one of the great new rock voices of the late '70s. Led Zeppelin protégé Bad Company affirmed that stature with its repertoire of hits ("Can't Get Enough," "Bad Company," "Feel Like Making Love," "Shooting Star," "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy"), and Rodgers kept his profile high by joining forces with ex-Zep guitarist Jimmy Page in The Firm, former Faces and Who drummer Kenney Jones in The Law, and with his own solo albums.Taylor, May and Rodgers - who crossed paths occasionally during earlier phases of their career - first joined forces to play a set at the inaugural UK Music Hall of Fame Awards in London in 2004."After the first rehearsal, it was kind of, 'Ooh, wow...,'" recalls Rodgers, 56. "We got a standing ovation from the hardened Queen crew, and it was, 'OK, something's going on here...'"Then, when we came off stage after the actual show, everybody just sad, 'Y'know, we should take this on the road.' The wheels were turning in our minds, thinking 'How can we do this?'"Taylor says he and May had no plans for a Queen tour in any form, but that "Paul sort of dropped in our laps." They approached original Queen bassist John Deacon, who's "opted out of the music thing entirely" but remains a profit-sharing partner in all Queen enterprises. So they assembled some additional players, and in early 2005, puzzled out how to make Queen and Paul Rodgers work as a joint operation."It helps that (Rodgers) didn't have to try and be like Freddie Mercury at all. He's a proven commodity in his own right, if you will," Taylor explains. "He was one of Freddie's favorite singers and one of our favorite singers, and very highly regarded. We loved his stuff with Free, particularly. It's what we grew up on."How far will it go?Rodgers returns Queen's regard and says performing the group's music has given him new insight into it."It's been a little tougher than I thought," Rodgers acknowledges. "When we first did 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions' they are so much in my ballpark, in my range, but there are other songs - like 'The Show Must Go On' or 'I Want It All' - that I really had to sit down and think, 'Now, how do I approach this one? And this one?'"I always did respect Freddie, but I have a huge amount of respect for him now. He had such a huge voice and he delivered so consistently at a high range. It's a huge undertaking really."But my approach has always been to just be myself. I reinterpret the songs the way I feel them. That's the only way I can do it, really."With shows booked into April, Rodgers and the Queen principals are starting to think about the future - together and apart. Rodgers contends "we have no plans beyond the U.S. and Canadian tour," and that he intends to return to his solo endeavors, which include a new solo album and possibly a live DVD. He also recently recorded a duet with soul great Sam Moore of Sam & Dave fame that's slated for Moore's new album.Taylor, meanwhile, says he and May have "started to write some new stuff. We would like to do something. We still think we can contribute something quite valid." But he and May deny that Queen will be a future subject for "Rock Star," the talent show that recently found a new singer for INXS. The way they see it, they already have a singer in Rodgers - if both parties are agreeable."He fits our instrumentation so well," Taylor says. "He's got great tone, great pitch, great phrasing. He's great to work with, and I imagine he'll probably pitch in, as well, because he's written so many great songs himself."And he gives us a bluesier edge. We were always a blues-based band, anyway. I suppose we just branched out a lot is all."Rodgers, however, only laughs when he's told of Taylor's interest in continuing the collaboration beyond this year's scheduled tour dates."You see - that's how it goes," he notes. "There are no plans, but there's lots of maybes."

Transcription by brianmay.com

PAUL RODGERS:MAY:
20 Saturday Foxwood Resort Casino Mashantucket, CT JUNE:
03 Saturday 12th Annual Republic of Texas Biker Rally
Travis County Exposition Center Austin, TX
11 Sunday Key Club at Morongo
Cabazon, CA
18 Sunday LZ Heartland Highlandville, MO
24 Saturday 25th Anniversary of the Grand Prix of Cleveland
Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland, OH

JULY:
04 Tuesday Itasca's Annual July 4 Concert and Fireworks
Hamelton Lakes Complex Itasca, IL (Chicago)

The top 3 were:
1. Deep Purple
2. Queen (with 12 albums for a period of 197 weeks in the top 10 - nearly 4 years!)
3. Pink Floyd

Greetings from Cologne
Norbert

HOLLISTER FREE LANCE
SAVE THE DATE
Thursday 4.6

Queen and Paul Rodgers After more than 20 years, rock legends Queen and Paul Rodgers are touring the United States and Canada. They will perform April 6 at HP Pavilion in San Jose. Tickets are available at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers located in Wherehouse Music stores, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino and select Rite Aid stores throughout the Bay Area, online at ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at (408) 999-TIXS, (415) 421-TIXS or (510) 625-TIXS. Info: www.hppavilion.com.

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DETROIT FREE PRESS
Brian McCollum's music weekend
March 24, 2006
BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

FRIDAY: Queen + Paul Rodgers

It's hard to keep a good band down. A quarter-century after the loss of Freddie Mercury, the surviving members of Queen have regrouped and are smack-dab in the middle of their first series of U.S. dates since their lead singer's death in 1991. Out front is fellow British classic rocker Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), who at 56 retains his formidable rock-vocal chops but seems an odd fit with Brian May and company more than a year after first linking up for what was to have been a one-shot charity gig. Area fans can make their own judgments. 8 p.m., the Palace of Auburn Hills, I-75 at Exit 81. 248-377-0100. $39.50-$89.50.

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IT'S A CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS
British rock band retools music, adds a famous singer and brings show to The Palace.
Joan Anderman / Boston Globe
DETNEWS.COM Queen + Paul Rodgers
8 tonight
The Palace of Auburn Hills
4 Championship Drive, Auburn Hills
Tickets $39.50 - $150
Call (248) 377-0100 or visit www.ticketmaster.com

Was there a more distinctive rock singer than Freddie Mercury? The late frontman for the British band Queen, who died of AIDS in 1991, was as gifted as he was eccentric: a flamboyant showman with a sublime, operatic voice, equally at home commandeering a metal riff, cooing to a disco groove or trumpeting a pop anthem.How do you begin to think about replacing Freddie Mercury? You don't."There wasn't an INXS search," says Queen drummer Roger Taylor. "The last thing Brian [May, Queen's guitarist] and I expected to be doing was touring. We weren't looking to re-form. We just happened to do a TV show with Paul Rodgers."All three had been invited to perform on the national broadcast of the UK Music Hall of Fame awards show in 2004. Queen was without a singer. Rodgers, the former vocalist for Free and Bad Company, was minus a band."They supported me on 'All Right Now' and asked me to play on 'We Are the Champions' and 'We Will Rock You,' " recalls Rodgers. "And it just escalated from there." The rest, if not exactly history, is certainly an opportunity. Following in the footsteps of such reconfigured classic-rock acts as the Doors of the 21st Century -- a short-lived and dubiously received effort with Cult singer Ian Astbury clutching Jim Morrison's microphone -- Queen + Paul Rodgers was born.The full-disclosure band name goes a long way, because in many ways Rodgers is a peculiar choice: a macho belter with none of Mercury's range or theatricality. But the threesome clicked.Over the next year they put together a 40-song, Queen-heavy set list sprinkled with a handful of Rodgers' hits. One assumes he was hired at least in part for his marquee-level name, so "Feel Like Makin' Love" could hardly be left out. A short European tour sealed the deal, a whirl through Japan followed, and the thriving new trio (Queen bassist John Deacon retired shortly after Mercury's death) documented its progress with a double-live disc, "Return of the Champions," recorded at a Sheffield, England, arena in May 2005."Where's the meeting point? It's the passion for playing live," says Rodgers."Paul," says Taylor, "was one of Fred's favorite singers."On the heels of two sold-out concerts last fall at the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden, Queen + Paul Rodgers decided to hit the road for a proper U.S. tour, Queen's first since 1982. Strong ticket sales and some positive reviews have tempered anxieties about the public's reception of the rejiggered lineup, but Taylor still bristles at the inevitable question."Fact: Freddie's not going to turn up. Fact: If Brian and I don't do it, you won't see Queen in any form. Fact: Paul is one of the best blues singers in the world. He gives 'We Will Rock You' a completely new take. It's edgier. But if people are so obsessed with Freddie that they can't bear to see Queen without him, they should stay home and listen to the records. This is very much a new thing." Except they're playing the old songs, with a few omissions and alterations: "Killer Queen" hasn't been resurrected, mainly because it's impossible to re-create the elaborate harmonies, and neither has some of the softer material like "You Take My Breath Away." "Bohemian Rhapsody" is performed as a duet between Rodgers and a videotaped Mercury. The rest of the repertoire, judging by the live recording, winds up sounding an awful lot like a Queen tribute band. A really good, tight Queen tribute band. Rodgers sings his heart out, but "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is hardly elevated by his bluesy drawl. Still, it'll do for the hundreds of thousands of Queen fans snapping up tickets to the shows."There's no replacing Freddie, but Paul does a pretty good job singing those songs," says Mike Thomas, program director at Boston rock station WZLX-FM."We've played some stuff from the Queen + Paul Rodgers album, to acknowledge that Paul's touring with the band and to let people know what it sounds like, and we haven't had anybody call up going, 'What the hell was that?' But I don't think they'll endure. I certainly don't see them putting out a new album."And yet if, as Taylor promises, "this isn't a revival," he, Rodgers and May will have to update the catalog.Rodgers says he's writing all the time, and a couple of his recent compositions have been added to the set list. He responds to an inquiry about recording an album of new material with a quiet "We'll see." Taylor, though, is raring to go.

"I think the sensible direction after this tour is to record a really good album over a long time," he says. "Something really considered. You can't live in the past. We're survivors."

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QUEEN, PAUL RODGERS HIT ROAD
By Chuck Darrow
(Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post

That a superstar rock band of the 1970s is on tour is hardly a novelty. After all, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles have been taking their acts on the road for years.But it was more than a little surprising late last year to learn that British pop-rock titans Queen were planning a return to these shores after a quarter-century absence.After all, the band's flamboyant front man, Freddie Mercury, died of AIDS in 1991 at age 45.For many, the thought of a Mercury-less Queen seemed as absurd as the Stones without Mick Jagger.But drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May, the two remaining band members, had an even more unexpected card up their sleeves: They recruited fellow '70s arena-rock stalwart Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company to be their lead singer. Which is how the concerts came to be officially billed as Queen plus Paul Rodgers."This really started as a lucky accident," Taylor explained during a recent phone interview."Brian and I had no intention, particularly, of touring. We actually ended up doing a show on TV in the U.K., and we ended up working on one of Paul's songs and a couple of our songs on TV, and it worked so great we just said, 'This is too good. We can't waste this. Let's take it on the road.'"Paul had been one of our favorite singers from the 1970s, and it just clicked. It was a magical pairing. He sort of brings a bluesier edge to our music."And obviously it's great fun for us to play Bad Company songs and Free songs. So we do some of Paul's songs, and we do some of our songs." (The tour has no dates scheduled at this time in the Louisville area.)It's doubtful anyone could actually replace Mercury, whose preening, glam-rock persona and powerful, quasi-operatic vocals helped set Queen apart from every other unit of its day. Taylor and May, whose melodic, multitracked guitar lines provided the band's musical signature, always understood that."The great thing about using Paul is, I think, that he's not trying to be Freddie Mercury," said Taylor."He's Paul Rodgers and always has been. And he sings as Paul Rodgers sings, but he has the range of Freddie, which is remarkable."Very few singers have that much range. And he was one of Freddie's favorite singers."It worked. We don't have a guy who's trying to imitate or impersonate Freddie Mercury. We have a guy who's a fantastic singer in his own right."Veteran Queen-ophiles will notice that bassist-songwriter John Deacon, while still alive, is not part of the reconstituted band, which also includes Deacon's stand-in, journeyman bassist Danny Miranada. Miranada's resume includes being in a more recent version of '70s heavy-metal mongers Blue Oyster Cult."John, for some reason, after Freddie's death, became completely noninterested in really having anything to do with music," said Taylor."He still remains our sort-of partner, and he sent us a very nice letter saying, 'I completely condone everything you do and agree with it. However, I feel I don't want to actually participate. And keep sending the checks.' "

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ALL HAIL THE NEW QUEEN -- WITH PAUL RODGERS
Classic rockers revisit old hitsDETROIT FREE PRESS
March 24, 2006
BY BRIAN McCOLLUM
FREE PRESS POP MUSIC WRITER

Queen + Paul Rodgers
8 tonight
The Palace of Auburn Hills
I-75 at Exit 81
248-377-0100
$39.50-$89.50It's a rock 'n' roll conundrum that's been around since Elvis sought rock redemption after years astray in Hollywood schlock: How do you pull off a legitimate comeback once you've lost, dumped or otherwise fiddled with one of the core components that made you legitimate in the first place? The surviving principals of Queen got their first encounter with the old quandary in late 2004, not long after their induction performance at the U.K. Music Hall of Fame. There, fellow British rocker Paul Rodgers handled vocal duties in place of the late Freddie Mercury, and was himself backed by the Queen guys on material from his Free and Bad Company days.The set had earned a standing ovation from a jet-set audience. And it nudged members Brian May and Roger Taylor closer toward a prospect they'd been dismissing since Mercury's 1991 death from AIDS complications: to take the Queen name, and the revered body of songs that goes with it, back onto the road.Tonight, they'll be at the Palace of Auburn Hills, where May, Taylor and Rodgers will lead a two-hour show of fare from Queen's grand conceptual rock heyday.During this past year of global touring, the band has insisted on keeping the boundaries well-marked -- to acknowledge and even emphasize that the current ensemble is not the definitive Queen, which featured May on guitar, Taylor on drums, the flamboyant Mercury out front, and the now-retired John Deacon on bass. They've repeatedly described this as a tribute, not a reunion. They stress that it also showcases a block of Rodgers' work, in the spirit of the initial 2004 pairing.Rodgers says that though he studied Mercury's vocal delivery, he did so only to "absorb Freddie's style." "I didn't want to be out there copying him," Rodgers says, "but acknowledging the way he did a tune."If anything, Rodgers adds, these shows have driven home a reminder that the quartet's identity was just as reliant on singular contributions from May and Taylor.Rogers says he sympathisizes with fans who say they are diluting "this, that or the other.""But you can't touch Queen's records -- there they are, set in stone. This is different. It's live, on a stage. Very passionate, very fiery. We still have a lot of fire in our veins to play live. You just can't lock us up in any museum, man.

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MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
ROSTER CHANGES CAN ROCK BANDS TO THEIR ROOTS
Music history teaches us that some stand-ins don't always stand out from the crowd
By GEMMA TARLACH
Journal Sentinel pop music critic
March 23, 2006Freddie Mercury is irreplaceable.If You Go
Who: Queen + Paul Rodgers
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Where: Bradley Center
Tickets: $39-$99, excluding service charges, available at the box office and through Ticketmaster

INXS

INXS frontman J.D. Fortune (above) holds the mic a lot like his predecessor, Michael Hutchence (top). But he hasnt been able to replicate his success.Black SabbathOzzy Ozbournes (at top) voice gave Black Sabbath its distinctive sound, although Ronnie James Dio managed some bright moments during his stints with the band.Mercury, the late frontman for Queen, was an icon thanks to the combination of operatic voice, mesmerizing stage presence and signature figure-skater-as-rock-star outfits.Rodgers is no slouch himself in the legends department: The 56-year-old Englishman gave us such classics as "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "All Right Now," among many others, during his storied career.When Rodgers performed with the surviving members of Queen at a gala in London two years ago, the chemistry among the musicians felt right. After a few more shows, they decided on a full-fledged world tour, which will make a stop at the Bradley Center on Monday - but they won't be performing as Queen.It's "Queen + Paul Rodgers," thanks very much, a somewhat cumbersome marquee heading that reflects, says Rodgers, the nature of what the show is, and what it is not."The question for me was not can I replace Freddie, but would I like to sing these great songs with these great musicians," Rodgers said.The evening's set list, for example, will be drawn from both Queen's canon and Rodgers' own hit parade as a solo artist and member of Bad Company and Free.

Rodgers knows better than to try to fill Mercury's platform shoes - we just wish all would-be stand-ins for famous rock frontmen were as smart. Consider this mere sampling of the dubious history of surrogates, fill-ins and secondhand singers . . . and we don't even have the time or space to get into the whole Deep Purple roster.

KLPX (96.1-FM) and Zia Records put on "Bohemian Plush: A Tribute to Queen" at the Fourth Avenue venue next Thursday (30 March). On hand to celebrate the '70s rock band and raise money for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation will be Beta Sweat, Lagoon, Love Mound, Seven to Blue, Leila Lopez and Andrew Collberg.

The show starts at 8:30 p.m.; tickets are $6 through Plush, 798-1298. Plush is at 340 E. Sixth Street, Tuscon.

PRESENTER: You’re a profession. You’ve been doing it for a longtime. You know what you’re doing, but did it still surprise you, like ’wow’, the chemistry was just there? PAUL RODGERS: Yeah, yeah, there was a great chemistry from the start, which didn’t really surprise me because Brian and I have played together before. Nothing lasts for ever…. It’s not something that we’ll wanna do for ever. It will last as long as it lasts and we’ve all got suspended things – solo things that we were gonna do any way. You know it’s great to do this, to be able to accommodate this, to go back to these probably after this tour. I have solo dates coming up. So it’s really a very rare opportunity to see Queen in action, you know.

Queen + Paul Rodgers
March 23 @ allstate arena
312.559.1212

THURSDAY ON VH1 CLASSIC
9 PM VH1 Classic on VH1: Hangin’ With Queen + Paul Rodgers

Repeats:
- Fri 03.03
03:00 PM ET
- Sat 03.04
09:00 AM ET

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
MUSIC
Thursday, March 23, 2006
John Soeder Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic

Whether we're talking about INXS or the so-called New Cars, stand-in singers are all the rage. The trend extends to Queen, back on the road for the first time since frontman Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS in 1991. With Paul Rodgers, formerly of Bad Company and Free, handling lead vocals, Queen capably rocked 6,000 fans Tuesday night at The Q. Despite the modest turnout, it was a fun gig - and the legacies of all involved survived intact.The larger-than-life Mercury was indisputably integral to Queen's superstardom; we won't see his likes again. Nonetheless, you can't negate the contributions of guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, both major talents who had a hand in many of the glammy British group's hits. Bassist John Deacon is retired, leaving three backing musicians to round out the band in concert.From the first few raucous bars of "Tie Your Mother Down," it was clear May and Taylor have found a simpatico accomplice in Rodgers, 56. He struggled a bit during "Under Pressure" and didn't seem entirely committed to "Another One Bites the Dust," but his gritty voice was a good fit for "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "Dragon Attack" and other vintage Queen rockers.Clocking in at two-plus hours, the marathon performance also accommodated blasts from Rodgers' past, including "Can't Get Enough" and "All Right Now," as well as a new song, "Take Love," jangly-heavy in a Bad Company vein.May, 58, dedicated "Love of My Life" to Mercury and later unleashed a dazzling display of guitar pyrotechnics, including a bit of "Brighton Rock" amid a fuguelike tangle of riffs.Taylor, 56, turned in a rolling-thunder drum solo and brought his Rod Stewart-ish rasp to bear on "I'm in Love With My Car," the nostalgic "These Are the Days of Our Lives" and an emotionally charged "Radio Ga Ga."Mercury appeared via video during the first and second movements of "Bohemian Rhapsody," with Rodgers joining May and Taylor for the anthem's hard-rocking finale. "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" made for rousing encores.

If you disagree with the whole affair in principle, consider all the great music we would've missed out on if, say, AC/DC had hung it up after Bon Scott died. It's an entertainment maxim and the title of another enduring Queen tune: "The Show Must Go On." It wasn't the same without you-know-who, but - mama mia! - let them go.

You can do that online at wklh.com... ...and stop by Major Goolsby's Monday for our Queen pre-show party with Miller Lite. Win tickets courtesy of Ticket King.
As always, THANK YOU for listening to 'KLH!

Bob Bellini
Program Director/96.5 WKLH
Milwaukee's Home of Classic Rock

Paul Rodgers was interviewed by cable channel CLTV yesterday.  You can now view tonight's show "on demand" on comcast for the next week.

Just go to http://cltv.trb.com/

In stores this week is a new DVD that takes viewers back to the making of Queen’s fourth album, A Night at the Opera. It features new interviews with the band and archival interviews with Freddie Mercury. Even though 2006 marks 15 years since Mercury’s passing, it’s things like this that keep his memory alive. Roger Taylor says that’s a big part of their current U-S tour as well. “He's so much part of us anyway it would be ridiculous to pretend he wasn't. Yeah we actually have him playing piano and singing and we play along with him and it's uncanny. It actually feels like he is there when we do it.”

VH-1 MUSIC FIRST

CHATTANOOGA PULSE
New Music
by John M. James
March 22, 2006

With over a dozen titles in its “Classic Albums: The Making Of” DVD series, Eagle Vision has created the ultimate behind-the-scenes experience with the musicians themselves, with producers and other flies on the studio wall, dissecting and illuminating the journey that created iconic rock albums, from Lou Reed’s Transformer to Cream’s Disraeli Gears. This week the imprint released a new volume, peeling back the secrets of a five-star perfect pick – Queen’s A Night At The Opera from 1975. Already a force with the success of “Killer Queen” the year before, the band’s new sessions relished in the relaxed atmosphere of unlimited studio time and the dumping a dishonest manager – deftly stabbing him in the heart with the first song on the album, “Death On Two Legs.”With Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991, and John Deacon MIA from the music industry in 1992, the story is told song by song by guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mixed with rare video footage, other anecdotes and analysis comes from Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman, photographer Mick Rock, various music journalists, and visionary producer Roy Thomas Baker, who breakdowns some of the album’s most amazing vocal arrangements track-by-track at the mixing board with the original master tapes. A handful of star fans also appear, with Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople, and Joe Perry of Aerosmith showing their love and admiration. Highlights include Taylor behind the kit for a drummer’s explanation of “I’m In Love With My Car,” and May sitting down with a variety of acoustic guitars and a vintage ukulele banjo to discuss the Dixieland jazz influence in “Good Company” and his science fiction folk fantasy of “’39.” In a similarity exclusively perhaps with only the Beatles, Queen pushed recording technology of its time to its limits and used the studio as a creative instrument, all the while encouraging the songwriting contributions of each band member and his uniquely identifiable individual style, evident in Mercury’s campy romanticism of “Lazing On a Sunny Afternoon” and Deacon’s chart-topping “You’re My Best Friend,” flawlessly sung and played on a 12-string guitar by May.

Better than any VH1 special, this rock documentary is a deeply satisfying look at when rock reached high-art heights, with the whole world stopping what it was doing to listen to “Bohemian Rhapsody” when it crossed their FM dial… Another in depth DVD worth searching for was recently released by Chrome Dreams Media, in Syd Barrett Under Review: An Independent Critical Analysis. Not particularly authorized by members of Barrett’s family, Pink Floyd, or any of the record companies involved, the legendary tale of acid rock’s original lost boy is told by a host of music writers from the early days of Melody Maker to the current staffs of Uncut and Mojo, mixed with rare black and white footage, live performances, and early interviews. From Pink Floyd’s debut album, Piper At the Gates of Dawn (originally meant to be titled Projection) to his solo albums, Barrett’s talent and psyche are examined by this host of storytellers, each reaching into the mystery of his collapse and eventual seclusion…

PIONEER PRESS
Entetainment
Posted on Wed, Mar. 22, 2006
BEST BETS: MARCH 23-29ROCK: QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS

Sunday: British rockers Queen return to the States for the band's first proper domestic tour since 1982 with an unlikely replacement for the late vocalist Freddie Mercury — Paul Rodgers, formerly of Free and Bad Company. Drummer Roger Taylor recently defended the choice to a reporter, saying: "Paul is one of the best blues singers in the world. He gives 'We Will Rock You' a completely new take. It's edgier." The set list looks heavy on Queen superhits, with a few nods to Rodgers' past ("Feel Like Makin' Love") as well as a "Bohemian Rhapsody" duet with Mercury contributing via tape. 7:30 p.m.; Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; $200-$39.50; 651-989-5151.

Regarding the proposed TV spot on CLTV, this was done this afternoon with Paul Rodgers, presumably for airing in current affairs or entertainment news slots on CTLTV. The interview airs later tonight in a special weeknight feature called "Metromix"and tomorrow morning on WGN TV morning news. (23 March)This is a strictly cable channel. 

www.cltv.com

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
Mar. 22, 2006 12:00 AM The legendary rock band Queen is touring for the first time since before the 1991 death of singer Freddie Mercury. Paul Rodgers, who has fronted Bad Company and Free, is handling vocals. They'll perform such hits as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Bad Company's Feel Like Makin' Love on March 31 at Glendale Arena. Some tour details:
• The pairing has not produced any new music, but a new Rodgers song called Take Love is featured in the show.
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• Original Queen bassist John Deacon retired.
• Mercury makes an appearance in a video that opens Bohemian Rhapsody.Win two tickets and backstage passes by answering this question: Queen did the soundtrack for the 1980 film Flash Gordon. What other movie did the band provide the soundtrack for? E-mail answers to entertainment@arizonarepublic.com by 9 tonight. Include daytime phone number. We'll do a random drawing from the correct entries and announce the winner in Saturday's Arizona Living. Show details: (623) 772-3800, www.glendalearenaaz.com.

- Larry Rodgers

Click image for larger
Bill Wippert/Buffalo News
Guitarist Brian May has been with Queen since the start.

THE BUFFALO NEWS
By SHANNON GAWEL
NeXt Correspondent
3/22/2006

During the Queen with Paul Rodgers concert on St. Patrick's Day, the music was pounding, the stage lights were blinding, and there likely was no one in HSBC Arena who would rather be anywhere else. A good, old-fashioned rock concert. With a wide assortment of songs, opening with "Tie Your Mother Down," and closing with "We Are the Champions," the concert showcased the band's passion for music and Paul Rodgers' energetic stage presence. Not only did they play a variety of songs, but Rodgers had a variety of clothing (he changed five times!) They also played four songs from Paul Rodgers' former bands, like "All Right Now" from Free and "Bad Company" from Bad Company.

Though they picked songs that were in Paul Rodgers' voice capacity, he sometimes got drowned out by the music. Other than that, he did his own thing, and did the songs justice. Of course, when it came time to do "Bohemian Rhapsody," they let late lead singer Freddie Mercury take over. The three big screens surrounding the stage showed Mercury singing and playing piano. Paul Rodgers came in at the end, with the hard rock part of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

More of the harder-rock Queen songs seemed to suit him better, like "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Under Pressure." They had another guitarist besides Brian May, a bassist (because John Deacon, the original Queen bassist, decided to stay retired), and a piano player, all of whom were very talented musicians.The most memorable thing about the concert was guitarist Brian May's solo. He took a little time out of the concert and just played. The guitar was practically singing, and there was a huge disco ball going around. He completely captivated the audience, taking them somewhere far away for those few minutes, and not many musicians could do that. Roger Taylor, the drummer, also took a solo, right before he started singing "I'm in love with my car," a song he wrote himself.Aside from the astounding music, the stage lights were fantastic and intense. The lights flashed to the rhythm of the music, and the pyro-technology at this concert was not something you usually see much anymore. Other eye-catching aspects of the concert included the fog machines and the moment when Paul Rodgers rose from under the stage, playing "Bad Company" on the piano.Although the arena wasn't as packed as it could have been, it was a relief to see a multitude of ages at the concert. It was just disappointing that one of the most original rock bands ever didn't get more of an audience. That doesn't mean, though, that the people who did show up to support the band weren't a great audience. Everyone knew the words and practically drowned out Brian May when he sang "Love of my Life."This concert was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When Freddie Mercury died in 1991, most fans would never expect Queen to tour again. Queen could never replace him and didn't try to. This was just a little jam session with Paul Rodgers at a benefit that turned into a world tour. Concertgoers left with their ears ringing, their hearts pounding, and a reminder that music never dies.

Shannon Gawel is a sophomore at Frontier.

CREWE CHRONICLE FOLLOWING the success of the hugely popular 20th Century Musicals tour, a new show paying tribute to the best in rock and pop musicals appears at the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe next week.Called 20th Century Rock & Pop Musicals, it sees stars of some of the West End's greatest shows belting out hit songs from musicals such as The Rocky Horror Show, Little Shop of Horrors, We Will Rock You, Grease and many more, on Friday, March 31.This high-octane, action-packed rock and pop production is packed with terrific numbers including We Are The Champions and Greased Lightning.It features a full supporting company of dancers, singers and a band of rock musicians bidding to make it a night to remember.

* For tickets, priced £13.50, phone the box office on 01270 537333.

Hair Band (Guitar Rock)
NEW STATION!!! Hair Band is raw guitar star rock!!! It's crude, lewd, and brewed by some of the loudest and hairiest bands of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. It's recomended you always play Hair Band at a volume of eleven. If it's too loud you're too old! Grab your air guitar, get ready for the groupies, and join our Hair Band.... I Love The 70s (70s Pop)

Take a fun filled musical journey through the music of the 70s. Some people call it retro, but the music of that decade still has a powerful influence over many of today's artists who bend their tunes to the beat of delicious pop music. If you love the 70s like we do, jump on board.

Get all the 70s coverage you can handle in the VH1.com's I Love The 70s mini-site: fun facts, photos, episode index, and more.

Jeff Scott Soto will participate as a "guest of honor" in the upcoming Sky Academy concerts featuring former SCORPIONS guitar legend Uli Jon Roth. Other musicians expected to take part in the event include Don Dokken (DOKKEN), Eric Singer (KISS, ALICE COOPER), Jon Levin (DOKKEN), Tony Franklin (WHITESNAKE, THE FIRM, BLUE MURDER), Jürgen Rosenthal (SCORPIONS), Francis Buchholz (SCORPIONS), Roy Z (BRUCE DICKINSON, HALFORD), Jeff Kollman (COSMOSQUAD, JKB, GLENN HUGHES), Andy Aledort (Guitar World, Guitar For The Practicing Musician), Phil Woodward, Joe Stump (REIGN OF TERROR, OBSESSION) and Stuart Smith.

"The concerts will feature Uli and his all-star band as well as include many special guest artists," states production manager Jeff Agins. "The dates are May 24, May 26 and May 27 at the Freud Theater on the campus of UCLA. This should be the concert of the year for melodic rock fans. Some of the guests that have shown interest have never played in the States before and will be an excellent opportunity to see this type of music without having to travel to Europe and Japan."

THE JERUSALEM POST
Arts and Culture
Mar. 21, 2006 9:08
News of the Muse
By VIVA SARAH PRESS

While the real Queen is on tour in North America at the moment, Israel's Shlichei Hablues are to perform a tribute to the British rockers on March 25 at Club Tzora.Shlichei Hablues - the pioneers of Israel's cover bands, will reinterpret Queen's classic songs including "Love of my life," "I want to break free," "We will Rock you," "We are the champions, "Somebody to love," and "Bohemiam Rhapsody," among others. The local show is set to run two hours. Doors open at 9pm, tickets cost NIS 50-60.

For more information: (052) 566-5600 or www.clubtzora.com. Club Tzora is located between the Northern and Southern entrances to Beit Shemesh on Kibbutz Tzora.

Click for larger | Photo/Submitted
Queen + Paul Rodgers visited
The Arena at Gwnnett last
Tuesday night

FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS PLAY THE ARENA AT GWINNETT
Sunday 12 March 2006-03-20
Columnist Ira Miller
On the town Queen + Paul Rodgers visited The Arena at Gwinnett last Tuesday night.It turned out to be one of the more interesting experiences in recent rock history.

Like The Door of the 21st Century, who took the remaining members of the Doors and inserted Ian Astbury of the Cult in place of the tragically lost Jim Morrison, Queen has been touring with Paul Rodgers in place of the late Freddie Mercury.

Unlike Astbury, who practically channels Morrison during the Doors shows, Rodgers doesn’t even attempt to be Mercury.Rodgers and Mercury do have more than one would think in common.They have the same swagger and confidence.  However, where Mercury had a hint of insecurity in his confidence, Rodgers is all bravado and showman.Rodgers hits all the notes that Mercury hit, but not quite as high, and at the same time remaining Paul Rodgers in every way.However, the highlight of the show was seeing Brian May play live.May plays the guitar the way an expert marksman would shoot a rifle, taking out one incredible riff at a time.I had no idea how unique his playing style was until I saw him live.He hits every note with melodic precision, and then without warning he would switch from rifle to machine gun and absolutely blow the crowd awayAs impressive as Mercury’s writings and singing was, it turns out that the styling of May’s guitar is as equally defining as the heart of Queen.Rodger Taylor’s casual drumming style is equally as unique and it was great to see the two Queen veterans back in the limelight.The 22 song set list was a perfect mix and consisted of about 70 percent Queen – 30 percent Paul Rodgers material.Even though it was a Queen show, the Georgia crowd went twice as wild every time they slipped into a Bad Company great like “Feel Like Makin’ Love” or the Free classic “All Right Now”, which was sandwiched between “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” for the encore.)“Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Tie Your Mother Down” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” were some of the show’s highlights.Brian May came out and sang a couple of tunes solo and Taylor stepped out from behind the drum kit to lead “Radio Ga Ga.”The show closed with a touching video tribute to Freddie Mercury featuring live footage of him singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” and segued into Paul Rodgers who proved that he can deliver the goods on the song as well.Queen’s choice in venue was just icing on the cake, as the Arena offers big shows with a more intimate feel and incredible sound to boot.It will be interesting to see if the band decides to write together and we can see what happens when operatic rock and roll meets the dirty South.It was a great evening that was definitely worth a night on the town.. . . If you missed Queen + Paul Rodgers you can still catch them on their new DVD “Return of the Champions” – also on CD.It’s almost as good as being there.

--

-PITTSBUGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
QUEEN PROVE IT'S ROCK 'N' ROLL ROYALTY
By Regis Behe
Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Give Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor credit: Instead of selecting a Freddie Mercury clone, they hired a guy who brings an entirely different dimension to the band.Last night at Mellon Arena, Paul Rodgers -- of Free and Bad Company fame -- showed what an inspired choice it was to move away from Mercury's fey, operatic presence to a guy who embodies the essence of ballsy rock 'n' roll.Starting with "Tie Your Mother Down" it was evident that Rodgers -- who is arguably one of the Top 5 rock singers on the planet -- was capable of taking a Queen song and transforming it into a creation that was rougher at the edges, less theatrical, more rock 'n' roll than fantastic. "Fat Bottomed Girls" and the encores "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" seemed especially suitable to Rodgers' prodigious talents; "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was reworked into a more muscular, less countrified romp. Somewhat unexpectedly, "Under Pressure" was one of night's more transcendent moments.The Bad Company songs laced throughout the set, especially "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," were less bombastic than Queen's material, but nevertheless entertaining blasts of nostalgia, showcasing Rodgers' charismatic presence.Less successful were the instances May and Taylor tried to sing leads. May's vocal on "Love of My Life" was heartfelt but shaky, and Taylor's attempts at "I'm in Love With My Car" and "Radio Ga Ga" felt flat -- until Rodgers rode in to save the day.The strangest moment of evening was "Bohemian Rhapsody," a mash of video clips of Mercury spliced with live performances. It seemed alternately creepy and majestic, with Rodgers' vocals in the third movement of the song offsetting the ineffable strangeness of hearing Mercury's disembodied vocals blasting through arena.

--

-CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
The Pop Ten
Tuesday, March 21, 2006

A new Vendetta,' Oscar winners on DVD and the next Da Vinci Code' make this week's list:- V for Vendetta': Natalie Portman stars in this adaptation of a graphic novel about a revolt in a totalitarian England.- Capote': Find out why Philip Seymour Hoffman walked away with the Oscar when "Capote" hits DVD shelves today.- The Squid and the Whale': Find out why Jeff Daniels should have walked away with the Oscar when "The Squid and the Whale" comes to DVD today.- Labyrinth,' Kate Mosse: Many are calling this highbrow thriller about another quest for the Holy Grail the next "Da Vinci Code." In stores now.- She's the Man': Amanda Bynes stars in this high-school-set take on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."- Paradise Now': The controversial Palestinian film, an Oscar nominee about suicide bombers, lands on DVD shelves today.- Rip it Up and Start Again,' Simon Reynolds: The famed music writer delves into the 1978-84 post-punk era, which is all the rage again with new bands such as Arctic Monkeys. In stores now.- Heist': NBC's latest drama is an adrenaline-packed cops-and-robbers tale. 10 p.m. Wednesday. WKYC Channel 3.- James Blunt: The voice behind "You're Beautiful" comes to the Lakewood Civic Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Sold out.

- Queen: Queen without Freddie Mercury? Judge for yourself when Paul Rodgers fronts the glammy rock legends, 7:30 tonight at The Q. $39.50-$79.50.

In 1975, Queen released what can only be described as one of the finest albums ever written. A Night At The Opera, Queens fourth studio album, was a cross pollination of musical genres that pushed all existing boundaries on what was considered the norm for a contemporary album and would catapult Queen into superstardom.'Queen: The Making Of A Night At The Opera' tells the track by track story of the album through new interviews with Brian May, Roger Taylor and producer Roy Thomas Baker along with archive interviews with Freddie Mercury and contributions from photographer Mick Rock, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and Ian Hunter from Mott The Hoople amongst others. Illustrated by classic live footage, much of it from the Hyde Park free concert in 1976, and in depth studio analysis the film gives an intimate portrait of the making of a true classic album and is a worthy addition to our acclaimed and highly successful Classic Albums series.

CLICK HERE TO BUY FROM AMAZON

There are over 50 minutes of bonus footage including the following: Additional interviews and analysis of the tracks / Exclusive acoustic performances of '39' and 'Love Of My Life' by Brian May / Previously unreleased full live performance of 'Sweet Lady' from the Hyde Park free concert in 1976.Bonus Footage:
Party Of The First Part - How the album got its title by Roger Taylor.
'39 - Full new acoustic performance by Brian May.
Half A Sonic Volcano - Roger Taylor gives his drum kit a work out.
Sweet Lady - Brian May introduces the full live performance from the Hyde Park free concert in 1976.
The Prophet's Song - A more in depth analysis by Brian May and Roy Thomas Baker intercut with live footage from the Hyde Park free concert.
Love Of My Life - Full track intercutting between a new acoustic performance by Brian May and a stadium performance by Brian and Freddie.
Bohemian Rhapsody - Kenny Everett talks about the first time he heard the song and Brian May, Roger Taylor and Roy Thomas Baker go into more detail about the construction of the song illustrated by clips from the video.
God Save The Queen - Brian May brings A Night At The Opera to a close.This Special Edition includes a second bonus DVD disc which has the entire original studio album remixed into Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound as well as Dolby Digital Stero, with the original videos for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'You're My Best Friend', newly created visuals for all the other tracks and a commentary on each track made up from archive and new interviews with all four members of the band. The two disc set is packaged in a double amaray case inside a slipcase.

The title is being simultaneously released on DVD and UMD for the PSP.

New album inspired by Queen:At War With the Mystics
Flaming LipsAudio CD (April 3, 2006)

Number of Discs:1
Label: Warner Bros
ASIN: B000EGDNCW
Catalogue Number: 9362499662

From Gigwise.com
by Chris Taylor on 3/19/2006
Bohemian Rhapsody Inspires Flaming Lips LP
Group dig song's 'ridiculouness'...

The Flaming Lips’ new album has been inspired by an unusual source – Queen’s epic hit Bohemian Rhapsody.Frontman Wayne Coyne has revealed the playful American band have recorded their own version of the camp track, and the song’s unabashed “ridiculousness” set the tone for their upcoming LP ‘At War With The Mystics’.

He explains to the Observer Music Monthly, “Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the most popular songs of all time, and it’s one of the weirdest too. We recorded a cover of it last April and after spending five days deconstructing it we said to ourselves, ‘Why are we holding back?’ Queen clearly never thought they were being too silly, and it takes balls to do that. On our new album you can see us not stopping ourselves. Are you really afraid that someone is going to tell you that you are being ridiculous? The world is full of stupid things that are wonderful.”

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
Jon Bream, Star Tribune

Paul Rodgers is comfortable on Queen's throne, but knows he can't take the place of Freddie Mercury.Paul Rodgers wants to make it perfectly clear: He is not replacing the late Freddie Mercury in Queen. That's why the tour featuring two classic Brit-rock names is billed as Queen + Paul Rodgers, and not only features such Queen classics as "We Are the Champions" and "Tie Your Mother Down," but also Rodgers' hits with Bad Company ("Feel Like Makin' Love") and Free ("All Right Now")."The question for me was not 'Can I replace Freddie?' -- whom I think is irreplaceable -- but 'Would I like to sing these great songs with great musicians?' " Rodgers said. "And I came up with a definite 'Yes.'"Last year's tours of Europe and Japan were "absolutely fabulous -- musically, spiritually, audience-wise, the energy, everything," he said. So they decided to continue with a 23-city U.S. trek that comes to St. Paul next Sunday.The obvious question is: How does the earnest, working-class Rodgers compare with Mercury, one of rock's most flamboyant and dynamic showmen, who died of AIDS in 1991 at 45? Mercury had a mustache, Rodgers a goatee. Both had hairy chests, but while Mercury removed his shirt, Rodgers -- thank you -- keeps his on."He was a really great all-around frontman in every respect," Rodgers, 56, said by phone from his place in British Columbia. "The fans don't expect me to be Freddie, nor do my fans expect [Queen guitarist] Brian May to be Jimmy Page or Mick Ralphs," his guitarists with the Firm and Bad Company, respectively.The fans have been willing to cut Rodgers some slack. He vividly remembers an early gig last year in Italy where "the audience knew the songs better than I did. They knew every breath. And it was a little bit overpowering. They were actually louder than the band. And we are loud."Rodgers didn't really know Mercury, although he met him once when Queen was "auditioning" Rodgers' manager, the legendary Peter Grant. "We said, 'Hello, how's it going, etc?' They informed me that they were big fans of Free."Rodgers admits that while he admired Queen on the radio, especially the vocal harmonies, he didn't always rush out to buy the group's new albums.Made-for-TV marriage His more recent connection with Queen began in 2004 when May, who'd played on a 1994 Rodgers solo album, performed with the singer at a 50th anniversary celebration for the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Soon thereafter at the televised U.K. Music Hall of Fame ceremonies, "Queen played my songs with me and I played their songs with them," Rodgers said. "I suppose it was the perfect match that neither of us was particularly looking for."He said it took only three songs for him, May and drummer Roger Taylor to click. He thought maybe they would "get together, write some songs and perhaps do a couple of shows for fun in London." Instead, the project mushroomed into Queen's first proper U.S. trek since 1982. (Original bassist John Deacon stepped out of the picture shortly after Mercury's death but reportedly approves of the tour -- and enjoys receiving Queen royalties.)Queen + Rodgers is commanding as much as $200 a ticket -- more than U2 charged last year. "I do think it is value for the money," said Rodgers, touting the tour's light show.To prep for this gig, he did "deep study in high earnest" not only to learn lyrics, but also the arrangements and style of more than 40 numbers. The songs, some of which have a wide vocal range, don't intimidate Rodgers. He tries to give them his own style.In concert, he shares one selection, "Bohemian Rhapsody," with Mercury, via film clips from Queen's heyday -- which gets the crowd hyped up and also avoids challenging Rodgers' somewhat limited range."That is the time when we pay respect to Freddie," he said. "We feel Freddie's presence." New recordings? Touring now is "less boozy" than back in the day, said Rodgers, who last gigged in arenas in the mid-1980s with the Firm. "I gave up drinking 10, 15 years ago. I'm much, much happier for it. When I look back, there was a lot of numbing of sensations because the road itself was a dreary, grueling affair."While the current concert tour (and live CD and DVD) has been satisfying, rumors circulate about new Queen recordings. "Brian has mentioned it a couple of times, but we've been so busy getting the show together," Rodgers said. "There's always the potential, I guess."But don't let the potential distort the picture. "I haven't joined Queen," he declared emphatically. "I'm not sure how long this will last. It's sort of taken wing on its own. I do have solo commitments that I have put on hold that I can't really leave indefinitely."In other words, Queen can't tie this frontman down just yet.

Queen + Paul Rodgers
When: 7:30 p.m. next Sun.
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Kellogg Blvd. & W. 7th St., St. Paul.
Tickets: $39.50-$200, 651-989-5151.
Web: www.queenpluspaul rodgers.com
Jon Bream • 612-673-1719

Given that I was an easily excitable lad of 14 in November 1978, when Queen released its seventh album, the full-color, fold-out poster that came with "Jazz" was no small part of its appeal, since it depicted 50 naked female bicyclists cued up at the starting line in a raunchy, distaff version of the Tour de France.My mom confiscated the poster the day I bought the album, and it wasn't long before controversy prompted the English rockers to pull it from subsequent vinyl pressings. Nevertheless, "Jazz" remains a visceral and thrilling effort, and all the more so for its hints of forbidden pleasures."What is the deal with that guy?" Mom asked one day as she overheard Freddie Mercury yelping, "I'll pull you and I'll pill you / I'll Cruella-De-Vil you / And to thrill you, I'll use any device!" I had no idea then and I haven't really figured it out now, but it sure is a kick.The strangest, most absurdly ambitious and most unlikely band in the classic-rock pantheon, Queen traces its roots to a group called Smile, typical of the blues-based, proto-heavy-metal rockers proliferating in the wake of psychedelia. When their singer quit in 1971, Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor formed a new band with operatic baritone Freddie Mercury and melodic bassist John Deacon, and over the course of their first three albums, they established Queen as flirtatiously ambisexual hard-rockers bridging the gap between metal and the glam movement.The group began to show the breadth of its musical vision and perfect its style of symphonic rock with "A Night at the Opera" -- which featured the studio masterpiece "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- and "A Day at the Races," recorded at the same time but released a year apart in late '75 and '76. The band then proceeded to score its biggest commercial success to date with "News of the World," which yielded two smash hits in '77 with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions."Some bands would have been daunted in crafting a follow-up, but Queen spent the months between July and October '78 shuttling between studios in Montreux, Switzerland, and Nice, France, blissfully ignoring the outside world while writing and recording with Roy Thomas Baker, who had earlier produced "Bohemian Rhapsody."In the interim after "News of the World," punk had exploded, and suddenly rock superstars were being excoriated for wretched excess and clueless conservatism. Some responded by paring back and punching up their sounds, a la the Rolling Stones on "Some Girls," Pink Floyd on "Animals" or Yes on "Going for the One." But Queen remained as unapologetically over-the-top as ever, from the incredibly lush sounds of "Jazz" to the inner gatefold sleeve depicting the musicians lounging around the studio amid an array of 14 guitars, a grand piano, two giant drum sets and a massive gong (though the front cover art, inspired by some graffiti Taylor saw on the Berlin Wall, was unusually minimalist for the group).A genre-hopping tour of diverse musical styles -- including almost everything but jazz, oddly enough -- the album opens with Mercury singing nonsensical Arabic lyrics over the Middle Eastern-flavored "Mustapha." (The vocalist had been born as Farrokh Bulsara to Indian Parsi parents in Zanzibar.) Next comes the first of the disc's two hits on a double A-side single, "Fat Bottomed Girls," a loving homage to zaftig ladies penned by May and inspired by risque memories of his baby-sitter ("She was such a naughty nanny / You big woman you made a bad boy out of me").The album's other hit was, of course, "Bicycle Race," a tour de force of layered backing vocals, intertwining guitar riffs and celebratory silliness ("Get on your bikes and ride!") which inspired that notorious poster and the naked cyclists who rode across the stage on tour. (I still don't think Mom knows my high school pal Luigi DePinto and I snuck into New York from Hoboken to see that show at Madison Square Garden.)Elsewhere, Queen flirts with old-time vaudeville ("Dreamers Ball"); sexy disco/funk ("Fun It" and "More of That Jazz," which predict later efforts such as "The Game" and the "Flash Gordon" soundtrack); heartfelt Beatles-esque balladry ("Jealousy," "Leaving Home Ain't Easy," "In Only Seven Days"); heavy metal ("Dead on Time," "Stone Cold Crazy," "If You Can't Beat Them"), and defiant, anthemic rockers heralding its status as arena champions ("We'll give you crazy performance / We'll give you grounds for divorce / We'll give you piece de resistance / And a tour de force, of course!" Mercury sings in "Let Me Entertain You," while "Don't Stop Me Now" finds him proclaiming, "I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies!").Predictably, English critics obsessed with punk panned "Jazz" upon its release. "If you have deaf relatives, you would buy this low-class replica of Gilbert and Sullivan as a Christmas present," wrote the New Musical Express, though in retrospect, you could argue that by adhering to its own weirdly distinctive and diverse vision, Queen made more of a "punk" statement than many dedicated followers of fashion.What ultimately keeps me coming back to the album, however, is that ambiguous sexual energy running through all 13 tracks; the fact that each of them boasts more hooks than some bands have on an entire album, and the inviting sonic density of it all, painstakingly crafted via countless overdubs in the days before computers and Pro Tools."Just thinking of the hours and hours of careful, loving embroidery that went into that ... I don't know how we did it all, frankly," May told me recently. "The great, grand plan of it all was simply stupendous." Almost as stupendous, in fact, as 50 naked female bicyclists.

IN CONCERT

Brian May and Roger Taylor perform with the former vocalist of Free and Bad Company as "Queen + Paul Rodgers" at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont. Tickets are $35-$200, through Ticket-master, (312) 559-1212; www.ticketmaster.com.

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