IT'S been half a century to the month that bassist John Deacon joined vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, and drummer Roger Taylor to complete the lineup of the iconic British rock band we've come to know as Queen.
Looking back at its illustrious history, prominent individuals in Malaysia's entertainment industry and fans have paid tribute to the band that has thundered its way into the hearts of many.
The best days of music
Veteran musician Datuk Freddie Fernandez, who is president of the Malaysian Artistes’ Association (Karyawan), recounted his younger days in his jam band The Revolvers in the late 1970s and early '80s, where the group performed rock hits of the day, especially the London-quartet's staple hit 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
Fernandez, who was the vocalist and keyboardist of the band, said the hit song was considered one of the band's signature pieces, which was part of The Revolvers' extensive repertoire of rock and dance music of the day.
"The audience would be fascinated (by our cover of 'Bohemian Rhapsody') as many haven't heard the song. It was a work of art with so much character and contained many difficult parts as it had so many sections," Fernandez told The Vibes when contacted recently, adding Queen was one of his most favourite bands.
The 68-year-old explains that certain parts of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' contained four separate and intricate vocal harmonies but The Revolvers managed to somewhat master its delivery of the track, but only after a "very challenging" fortnight of rigorous practice.
"People still talk about us playing this song almost 40 years later and they are still asking about it, which shows its impact," he said. His setlist would also include numbers from the likes of another rock heavyweight, Deep Purple, and more.
"They were a big influence on many bands and music at the time, and it's purely because of their musicianship and composition. When it came to (Queen singer) Freddie's vocals, it was outstanding. We have yet to hear another singer like him."
Fernandez says when 'Bohemian Rhapsody' launched in 1975, radio stations in Malaysia barely gave it any airplay due to its lengthy runtime of just below six minutes. But this did not hinder him – and those from his generation – from appreciating the band's albums.
On the impact of Queen on local musicians of the '70s and '80s era, Fernandez noted that the likes of Amy of Search appeared to fashion himself very much like Mercury in his early days of performing. The 'Isabella' singer would "straddle around the stage with a microphone attached to a bottomless stand."
"Thinking about Queen brings us back to a time when music was really performed live. There was not much technology to assist (musicians) and they needed to practice their instruments to be good at what they did," Fernandez said.
"It was musicianship at its best and those were the best days of music as far as I'm concerned."
To recap, the "official" days of Queen's formation depended on who one asked, as the seminal iteration of Queen began performing shows in early 1970. But in October that year, Deacon went to watch a performance by the band which had not quite settled with a permanent bassist at the time. Several months later in 1971, Deacon met May and Taylor – who both before played in a band called Smile – and on March 1 that year, he was absorbed to become the fourth and final member of the band.
According to the band's official website, this was due to Deacon being a "brilliant" bass player. He was quiet and did not attempt to upstage others, especially the larger-than-life Mercury.
In July 1973, Queen launched their debut self-titled album to critical acclaim, some two years after Deacon completed the line-up. And the rest, as they say, was history, as the band went to produce a lengthy list of hits and chart-topping albums. Their sophomore album 'Queen II' was released in 1974, alongside the follow-up album 'Sheer Heart Attack' the same year.
The band's fourth full-length release, 'Night at the Opera', featured the infamous 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The 1977 album 'News of The World' contained 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions', which would later become sports anthems.
In the '80s, Queen grew to be known for their hits 'Another One Bites the Dust', 'I Want to Break Free', 'Radio Ga Ga', and more.
Throughout their career, Queen was estimated to have sold between 170 million to 300 million records, making them one of the highest-selling bands of all time. Among other achievements, the Band had been inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, some 20 years after Mercury's death in 1991.
Not just a rock band
Another veteran artiste, Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohamed, also known as Zainalabidin, said Queen had struck a chord with his previous band Headwind, which – apart from 'Bohemian Rhapsody' – also belted out some of the UK band's hits such as 'Radio Gaga', 'Bicycle Race', and 'We Are The Champions'.
And like Queen, Zainal said Headwind had strived to be an "adventurous" and "unique" band in pushing the envelope of music and being a progenitor of style.
"We (Headwind) never followed what they were doing but we covered their songs in our style. For us, Queen is not just a rock band as it is very unusual from other rock bands," he told The Vibes.
"There was the classical in Queen, there was also pop. Queen was a genre by itself. When we look at 'Bohemian Rhapsody', no other band was doing that at the time. You can call it opera rock, or classical rock, but to Headwind, it (Queen) is its own genre."
Zainal said Headwind's spin on Queen's songs had drawn audiences to watch his band.
Elaborating on the impact of Queen and its artistry, Zainal notes its members were individually brilliant, but the creative genius comes at a cost.
"Mentally, they are not stable. Creative people in general are not stable. They have a temper and can be selfish in ideas, yet they are persistent," he said.
"And to them, it doesn't matter if people like or didn't like their art, but they get what they want and they will go for it (their goals). They are selfish in a positive way."
Zainal said, for example, when he released his hit song 'Hijau' in 1991, the musical flavour of the day was rock and dangdut, which were popular genres. And naysayers believed his song would not take off.
"Other genres were dominant, and here we had 'Hijau' which talked about the environment. Radio deejays had in mind that it was not going to go very well. But I was being selfish, I was overconfident as an artist and we go for it. My concept and policy are don't play what they want to hear, but what you can give best."
This policy, he notes, was a leaf taken out of Queen's uncompromising stance on their creative freedom. Zainal added that Queen was also quite a rebellious group, which added to their appeal.
"When we see the name Queen on stage, it suggests something negative like they were so against the Queen. And we think, how can the UK have two Queens? It shows they have an attitude," he said.
"They gave us the strength to be different and go against the grain, but in a positive way. Because of that, we become different. We want to be different and brave. It's not because people like it, its because we would still do it whether you like it or not."
Zainal added that other artistes in Malaysia, especially those who are aspiring musicians, could learn from Queen's originality.
"Malaysians should be yourselves, don't be wannabes, and be proud of who you are. Don't just do Malay music, we are a multiracial country so you must do things to cater to the Malay, Indian, Chinese, and even the Eurasians."
An experience like no other
It was sometime in the early 1980s when seasoned radio personality Patrick Teoh stepped off a plane in Auckland, New Zealand, and came across a poster promoting a concert by Queen in the city that very night.
"I asked my friend if he wanted to watch Queen and he said okay. I doubted that we would get the tickets because it was the same night as the day we arrived," Patrick recollected.
"When we got to the hotel, we asked the receptionist whether it was possible to get the tickets. I can't remember how we got the tickets, but we got them anyway.
Teoh, who is also Petra Group vice-president (special projects) and Petra Media executive director, said when he and his friend reached the stadium venue for the concert, they were seated the furthest from the stage.
"Freddie Mercury looked like an ant (on stage). Those days the technology was not so good, and so you don't get giant screens and so on. But it was after all a Queen concert and we were sitting on top of the stadium freezing because it was winter," he said.
Asked whether it was an extraordinary experience, Teoh said: "It sort of felt like that because I was in New Zealand for the first time, and being there on the first night sitting in the stadium and watching a live rock concert was quite an experience."
Teoh, however, admits he was not Queen's most ardent fan when the band was active, but when the biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' – starring Rami Malek – immortalised Queen on the big screen in 2018, it reinvigorated his interest in their music.
"I enjoyed it tremendously, and afterwards I listened to Queen music a little bit more," he said, adding that he once hosted a radio show on Business FM (BFM 89.9) featuring two hours of Queen's discography.
Being a radio personality back in the 1980s, Teoh giggled at how Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) had censored a part of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
"But then again, RTM had issues with a lot of things such as 'Puff The Magic Dragon' by The Beatles. They wanted to ban that because they thought the words meant 'Puff The Magic Drags In'," Teoh said, alluding to what officials thought were related to narcotics.
"But they were not clever enough to read what 'Yellow Submarine' was about."
Malaysian Fan Club
While Teoh sees himself as a "normal" listener of Queen, others such as 54-year-old Eleanor A. Campbell has taken her devotion to the band to another level by forming her fan club.
Since 2011, Campbell has been running The Freddie Mercury/Queen Fan Club of Malaysia, which connects members through its Facebook page.
"I loved listening to Queen since I was a teenager and always thought that no other band could compare or come up to their standard. Their music and songs then and now were always the best to me," she said when contacted.
"No other frontman can come close, to this day, to their lead singer. Freddie Mercury was, and still is, the greatest singer the world has ever had or heard, and the best showman and entertainer."
Campbell said she was one of Queen's biggest fans, which prompted her to start the club in Malaysia. But the membership was still small to warrant gatherings.
"I get many likes from fans from all over the world, too. Indonesia has many fans and I have got in touch with them and others from around the world. I am quite happy maintaining this fan club on Facebook and will continue to do so."
Although she has nothing planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Queen, Campbell said she will listen to a few of her favourite songs "in a small way". Her favourite song is 'Somebody To Love'.
"I hope, (I will be) keeping their memory and their music alive from our country and thereby forming a part of a network of fans around the world." – The Vibes, March 14, 2021
