Queen - Queen (1973)

"Keep Yourself Alive" by Queen


It is very important that listeners not confuse Duran Duran's drummer Roger Taylor with Queen's drummer Roger Taylor.

The origins of Queen start with guitarist Brian May and bassist Tim Staffell. Both were members of the band 1984 in the late sixties that drew some success by recording a demo and opening for legendary acts Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Tyrannosaurus and Pink Floyd. The two dropped from the band in order to pursue further education at Imperial College and Ealing Art College respectively, but decided to form there own band while there. They recruited drummer Roger Taylor (not to be confused with the drumming Roger Taylor of Duran Duran) to round out the trio. Together, they formed Smile in 1968 and earned a record deal with Mercury Records a year later. Their single "Earth" reached no chart positions and Smile was promptly dropped from the label. At the same time, the band Humpy Bong recruited Tim Staffell as their bassist spelling the end of Smile. The band had a big fan, however. Farrokh "Freddie" Bulsara, an immigrant from British Zanzibar who went to boarding school in India, was a pianist and vocalist in and out of bands. He was a friend of Staffell's at Ealing and formed a close relationship with the band. After Staffell's departure, he, May, and Taylor recruited bassist John Deacon to reform as Queen.

Bulsara led the band with an air of the theatrical as Freddie Mercury, a last name he derived from one of his own songs. His influence extended over both their stage performances and songs as he'd provide a bulk of their material in the early years. Queen quickly caught the attention of Trident Studios producers Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony (who had previously produced Smile's work). The studio connected, with some difficulty, the band with EMI Records and a strong record deal signed with the bad label experience they had with Mercury Records.

Their debut record Queen was recorded during the downtime hours of Trident when the studios were not in use. They already had a solid backlog of live songs to record and did the bulk of recording in mid to late 1972. Their first single "Keep Yourself Alive" was released by July 1973 with the delay due to the search for a record label. The album featured several songs that dated back to the pre-Queen Smile-era ("Keep Yourself Alive", Staffell's "Doing Alright") and Mercury's eccentric fantasy-laden epics ("My Fairy Queen", "Great King Rat"). The band's sound had a strong taste of the contemporary progressive rock and heavy metal movements (with traces of the popular glam and fledgling punk movements). The songs stood apart at the time because of the caliber of the musicianship amongst the members, Mercury's powerful vocals and unique arrangements, and the band's harmonies. The album was well-received by critics and noted for its Led Zeppelin-influenced rock and roll and Brian May's incredible riffs throughout. Certified gold, the album was a promising debut.

Here is the discography surrounding Queen's debut album:

Thames Television Studios Demo Tape (1967 demo by 1984)

Live at the Liverpool Sink Club (1967 live recording by Ibex)
Earth (1969 demo as Smile)
Gettin' Smile (compilation as Smile)
Ghost of a Smile (compilation as Smile)
In the Beginning (1971 demo)
I Can Hear Music (1973 single by Larry Lurex)
Keep Yourself Alive (1973 single)

Liar (1973 single)
Queen
Queen Will Be Crowned (1973 live recording)
At the Beeb (1973 live recording)
BBC Sessions (1973-74 sessions)

"Liar" by Queen


"Doing Alright" by Queen


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Duran Duran - Duran Duran (1981)

"Careless Memories" by Duran Duran


The Nice's album, despite not selling well, did have a recognizable album cover where the band were without clothes and wrapped in cellophane. Gered Mankowitz is responsible for that picture and many others. He is one of the most prolific and prominent rock photographers today. Although it might be one of his less recognizable pieces, Mankowitz also took the cover photo for Duran Duran's breakout single "Girls on Film".

Nick Rhodes and John Taylor formed Duran Duran in 1978 in Birmingham. Starting work for the Rum Runner night club, they eventually became the house band while they were also busting tables and doing dishes. The group went through several lineup changes (foregoing two vocalists, a bassist, and a drum machine) before coming together: Nick Rhodes (keyboards), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar), Roger Taylor (drums), and Simon Le Bon (vocals). Despite the same last names, none of the Taylors are related. By the turn of the decade, Duran Duran began receiving press as one of the leading New Romantic bands (a branch of late '70s New Wave). The band's connection with Rum Runner proved to be a good one as the owners became Duran Duran's original management and booked the group's first demo recordings. While touring in the late eighties, their marketability was noticed by several record companies resulting in a bidding war. Duran Duran would sign with EMI in patriotic reverence to The Beatles's original label (despite getting an unfair deal).

Their debut album Duran Duran came out in June of 1981 and was produced by Colin Thurston, a man largely credited with developing the classic "eighties sound". The album was accompanied by three singles "Planet Earth", "Careless Memories", and "Girls on Film". Of the three, "Girls on Film" hit highest on the UK charts at #5. It also gained a certain notoriety for its music video that portrayed sexual fetishes and was intended only to be played on pay TV channels. A heavily edited version brought the band to prominence in the United States as it breached the rotation of music videos on the burgeoning MTV.

Duran Duran quickly became the "prettiest boys in rock" around the time when exposure was at an all time high. MTV had recently gotten off the ground and Duran Duran were one of the first bands to take advantage of the new outlet to American audiences. All five members had photogenic features and worked with stylists to develop their own unique look. Musically, they also remixed their own songs, creating "night versions" in the studio that were more instrumental and dance friendly. In a quickly changing musical landscape and industry, Duran Duran were one of the first bands to exemplify the change and reap a surreal global popularity that would only keep growing.

Here is the discography surrounding Duran Duran's debut album:

Planet Earth (1981 single)
Careless Memories (1981 single)
Duran Duran
Girls on Film (1981 single)
Nite Romantics (1981 Japanese Remix EP)
Live at Club Paradise (1981 live bootleg)

"Girls on Film" by Duran Duran


"Tel Aviv" by Duran Duran


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!