Here we go again with more.., this time with Queen.
When the group "Smile" was dissolved in March 1970 after the abandonment of one of its founders, the singer and bassist: Tim Staffell; to join the group "Humpy Bong".He was replaced, immediately, by a friend and follower of the band: Farrokh Bulsara, as known as: Freddie Mercury who along with the guitarist Brian May and the drummer Roger Taylor, formed the band: "Queen".
The group performed their first concert at Truro City Hall in Truro, London on June 27, 1970; period in which the bassist position was occupied by different musicians. the definitive formation would be complete, almost a year later, in February of 1971 with the incorporation of the bassist: John Deacon.
At the end of that year, in December, in De Lane Lea Studios, London; Queen recorded a demo tape with five of the songs that would later be included in her first LP: "Keep Yourself Alive"; "The Night Comes Down"; "Great King Rat"; "Jesus" & "Liar".
With this tape, the group kept, for months, the hope that soon they could be hired, but nobody, except for Chrysalis Records, was interested in them. There was no final agreement because the band considered that the conditions were not good.But luck changed to better, when after the concert that the group gave at the Forest Hill in London, on March 24, 1972, Barry Sheffield, owner of Trident studios, offered them their facilities, to record their first studio album. But as the group's economy was not all much good, they were allowed to do it for free, with some conditions, by example they only were allowed to use the studios while were not busy, this meant, recording in the night or early morning, at weekend and in non-regular sessions.
Queen began recording in the early summer of 1972, in June, produced by Roy thomas Baker and John Anthony. Bit.ly/72QQ1 Months later, in November, the band already had enough songs to assemble an album. With this provisional setlist:
Side A: (20:05)
1. Keep Yourself Alive.(Alternate). (4:00)
2.The Night Comes Down (Alternate unreleased version).(2:51)
3. Great King Rat.(3:42)
4.Mad The Swine. (Remixed).(3:21)
5.My Fairy King.(4:05)
Side B:(19:50)
1.Jesus.(3:44)
2.Liar.(6:23)
3.Doin´all right.(4:09)
4.Modern Times of Rock N´Roll.(1:48)
5.Rock N´Roll Medley (Unreleased).(3:44)
Four songs by Freddie Mercury, another four by Brian May, one of them rescued from the days of "Smile": "Doing All right"; one by Roger Taylor: "Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll"; and the last theme, that closed the album, a Rock medley.
The result was shown by Trident to various record companies, it was not until March of 1973, when a young executive of EMI: Roy Featherstone, convinced to his company that it was worthwhile to get the services of Queen. After signing with them, they went back to review the master tapes and to remount the album eliminating some songs as: “Mad The Swine”,because this tune did not have an adequate rhythmic base, whose tempo also did not fit well in the album; was changed by "Son and Daughter"; and also “Rock N´Roll Medley" was replaced, the rights that had to be paid advised to make it; an instrumental in progress version of: "Seven Seas of Rhye", from the preliminar sessions for the second album,was placed in its place.
Also the title of the disc was modified, of the two existing options: "“Fax,Pix & Info” by the drummer Roger Taylor to: “Deary Me” by Mr.Mercury, to the definitive: “Queen I ” "Queen".
The photographer Douglas Puddifoot offered the only professional photos of the band taken in concert at the Marquee club on December 20, 1972, along with others in Freddie's apartment, some of them latter were included in a collage in the album. The cover photo was taken from the Marquee´s concert, in white and black, later manipulated and colored with a red filter Here it is shown the original.
Finally the lp was first released in the United Kingdom and Europe on July 6 and a week later by Elektra Records in the United States. With a good reception by critics and the public in general, over the years, this first work of Queen entered the list of the 100 best lp's in history, in 54th place.
Photo: Original cover with the photo taken at Marquee´s concert. December 20.1972. Without any manipulation.
Ok.., enjoy it. See you soon.
