Queen
Queen was a British rock band (1972-1991), led by flamboyant gay singer Freddie Mercury. The other members were Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).
Queen were well known for their eccentric and bombastic sound, which made them very popular during live concerts. They scored a long string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the classics "Bohemian Rhapsody", "You're My Best Friend", "Bicycle Race", "We Will Rock You", "We're The Champions", "Another One Bits The Dust", "Under Pressure", "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want To Break Free".
References
IT: Over the last 10 years of rock music has anybody really surprised you like Hendrix for example?
Z: No, Hendrix didn't surprise me, but I heard some things that I've liked. Actually I get more surprises listening to a 'Queen' album than I get out of Jimi Hendrix's albums.
IT: From the music?
Z: From the production. It's very good production. Some of the things that they're doing mix-wise on these albums are very difficult.
IT: Do you think that it's peculiarly English sound?
Z: I'd say if I heard that album and nobody told me what it was – I'd say it was an English album. I don't know why I'd say that but it has that kind of sound.
(Quoted from an interview with Zappa for It Magazine, Zappa, nr. 7, 1977)
In Phi Zappa Crappa Interview: Zappa claimed he liked Queen. Zappa played their first hit single, Killer Queen (1973) during the "Star Special" on BBC Radio 1 in 1980, where he was a guest DJ. In an interview Zappa claimed that he admired the sound of Brian May's guitar.
FZ praised "Bohemian Rhapsody" in a 1975-76 interview, and during a 1979-80 press conference (Copenhagen?) he said he listened to a lot of Queen tapes Moon Zappa gave him.
Brian May is one of the interviewees in Ein Leben Als Extravaganza - Das Genie Frank Zappa.
