Over the last year, every time I saw a trailer for the film Bohemian Rhapsody, I had one thought: “Please don’t suck.” I hadn’t realized that, decades after Queen was a staple of my high school and college years, and long after charismatic lead singer Freddie Mercury had left the stage, that I still loved their music and cared that their legacy be treated with respect.
MARTIN POPOFF podcast excerpt: "A good, accessible LP that many Queen fans -- including myself -- love would be 'News of the World.' Massive album; it's got the songs people know, including 'We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You,' but it also has one of their heaviest songs, 'Sheer Heart Attack.' And some great, passionate songs."When I saw the movie, I was not only relieved, I was exhilarated. Bohemian Rhapsody is everything I want to see when I put down $12 to see a film in a real movie theater. It is big, loud, bombastic and emotional. Or, as my 22-year-old son said afterward, “After seeing that movie, why would anyone listen to music that isn’t by Queen?” So today, we’re going to deep-dive into the Queen catalogue of 15 original studio releases. Our guide is rock critic and historian Martin Popoff, author of Queen: Album By Album. In the book, he engages a number of experienced fellow writers, including Stephen Dalton and former Mr. Media guest Richie Unterberger, plus musicians Darius Rocker of Hootie and the Blowfish, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, and Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles and Wings. It’s quite a conversation.
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