Music Reviews

Brian May wrote this for the late Elvis Presley. Sure, why not?This is a band that has almost completely run out of ideas. A simple acoustic campfire ditty with a noodley lead accompaniment, the song is trying to evoke a seaside, Leon Redbone sound with Freddie Mercury crooning along.Meh. Grade: Continue Reading

John Deacon. I really shouldn’t have to say anything more. This is a crappy list song. I hate list songs. In the list he is on vacation and meets a woman who he then can’t find and then does…It’s like a shitty movie, Summer Lovers or something. It makes Friday Continue Reading

Opening like the introduction of a second act of a Rawk Show, Dead on Time is the song you play for people who THINK they Queen but only know the hits.A blues breaker unequaled in the band’s repertoire, I played this track for my lead guitarist to show him…well, to Continue Reading

Just look at those titles. The first thing that comes to mind, for me, is, hmmm, I think these guys have run out of ideas and are just sitting in the studio, tossing out random phrases and writing songs about them.Hey, what about a song about being jealous?You know, if Continue Reading

Dumbest song in the catalog or the most fun?I particularly love the bike bell battle followed by the descending quarter solo guitar battle.And the song lends itself perfectly to mashup with eminem 30 years later.It’s goofy, it’s piffle and it’s a blast.Credit Freddie and the ensuing all female naked bike Continue Reading

Freddie at his most androgynously treacly. He was always cheeky this qy, hedging his bets and keeping American audiences from running away from him and his co-horts. Jealousy sounds like an old song from Queen II but it quickly turns into a super ballad that has a toe in Day Continue Reading

Drop D tuning, baby. When I ask my band to learn this song (we never ended up covering it) the guitarists so loved the tuning that they went a wrote the music for a song that would become one our biggest fan favorites, Age of Consent.Probably the last time Brian Continue Reading

I bought Jazz one summer in Maine and made my father come in and listen to this track with me. First off, I loved sharing music with my dad. One of my best memories of him is him sitting in my room, listening to the Doors’ Greatest Hits with me Continue Reading

Freddie Mercury on piano. A dash of Roger gently swishing his drums. Deacon on a jazzy sounding bass. Imagine a late night bar or strip joint.In another era, this could have been a standard. If Freddie wasn’t so flamboyant chances are Sinatra might have recorded it. Or Tom Waits!Why it Continue Reading

And then this comes on and all is right with the world.It’s Late is Brian’s attempt to write a three act play. It works on so many levels. It’s a killer 70s rock track, complete with heavy, grinding riffage and guttural vocalizing by Freddie.Brian employs the finger tapping technique that Continue Reading