Roger talking to Phil Sutcliffe about Freddie and Brian, 1976
Queen in concert during The Magic Tour at the Råsunda Football Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden – June 7, 1986 Photo by Ilpo Musto
All at their peak hotness and peak performance.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Record Mirror- 08-25-1984
Ministry Of Works
Did you know that Freddie Mercury wants to make a reggae record? And that Roger Taylor would be selling flowers if he wasn’t in Queen? Read on for more fascinating facts
MAYHEM IN Munich! Freddie Mercury is cavorting with a scantily dressed transvestite and it’s only three in the afternoon. Are you man or woman enough to read on? Then swallow your vitamin pills and follow me.
Queen are limbering up for their forthcoming tour in Germany and to celebrate another single rising majestically up the charts, they’re holding a little press bash in Munich’s P1 club. A place even more decadent than the South Finchley Whiskey A Go Go.
The ghost of Adolf Hitler probably wanders around here on dark nights, as The Fuhrer used to store his paintings and other plunder in the club and the building next door. Unfortunately there’s nothing left around today.
Instead, the club has gems of another kind. A selection of Queen’s videos including the notorious ‘Body Language’ — and champagne and wine flowing like Niagara Falls.
The cabaret is Freddie’s own idea: a group of well passed it drag artists, so outrageous in G strings and lingerie that they make Divine seem as tame as Marjorie Proops. Freddie’s more than willing to join in when one of the girls does a rendition of 'I Want To Break Free’, but the rest of the members of Queen look on shyly from the comforts of the bar. Everybody, but everybody is here to witness the event, including a film crew from the US air force, tramping around in full combat gear making a nuisance of themselves.
Freddie’s doing well considering he’s in quite a lot of pain. He remains tight lipped about the full details but he injured his leg after an incident in a club. A physiotherapist has been pummelling at it nearly every day.
“This c+ + + kicked me,” says Fred. “I’m hoping my knee will be ready in time for the tour, but it’s still giving me a lot of trouble. It might mean I will have to cut down on some of my more elaborate gorgeous stage moves.”
FRED’S ALSO been hobbling around a Munich recording studio putting the finishing touches to his first ever solo album which should be out in January. Gadzooks, could this be the start of a split with Queen? Is it true Limahl’s going to take over?
“Not at all. I’ve wanted to do a solo album for a long time and the rest of the band have encouraged me to do it. Some of them are even featured doing a few bits and pieces to help me out.
"There are a lot of musical territories I wanted to explore, which I couldn’t really do with Queen. I wanted to cover such things as reggae rhythms and I’ve done a couple of tracks with a symphony orchestra. It will have a very rich sound.”
Fred’s also done some work with Michael Jackson, but he still doesn’t know when this is going to see the light of day. They’ve done a selection of tracks together in Michael’s home studio. For a while, Fred was even in the running to do 'State Of Shock’.
“I was out of town at the time so Mick did it instead,” he says. “I don’t mind at all. I’d like to release something with Michael because he is a really marvellous person to work with. It’s all a question of time because we never seem to be together at the right time. Just think, I could have been on 'Thriller’. Think of the royalties I’ve missed out on.
"Michael has been a friend of ours for a long time. He’s been to our shows and enjoyed them. We make a great team.”
One of Fred’s songs 'Love Kills’, is being used on the soundtrack of the reactivated 'Metropolis’ film and he hopes to make a 20 minute video using four or five of his own songs.Freddie and all the members of Queen have a long standing appreciation of 'Metropolis’, which originally came out in 1927. Their stage set, in the shape of a futuristic city, has been inspired by it.The lighting rig measures 74ft by 50ft and the original design was so heavy they had to change it because it was in danger of bringing theatre roofs down. What a way to go, crushed by your own equipment.
AFTER THE European tour. Queen will be taking the whole shebang down to South America, headlining a 10 day festival in Rio. The place they will be playing is an amphitheatre down by the sea that can seat 300,000 people a night. It all makes Castle Donington seem like just another night at the Marquee. A local radio station in Rio held a survey to see who the most popular bands were and then some local promoters went out and booked them for the extravaganza. Naturally, Queen came out top.
Queen will also be doing some shows in South Africa. This is more than just a little bit controversial. Especially with the memory of Nelson Mandela still very warm.
“We’ve thought about the morals of it a lot and it’s something we’ve decided to do,” says Brian May. “This band is not political, we are not out to make statements, we play to entertain anybody who comes to listen. The show will be in Botswana in front of a mixed audience.”
The band wanted to play Russia but the authorities objected. This situation might change now though, considering that Iron Maiden have been let into Poland to wreak havoc. *
“The Russians still think we’re very decadent,” confides Roger Taylor. “We want to play China as well, and Korea. John and I spent a holiday in Korea and it’s a fascinating place. They’re finishing work on the Olympic stadium for the next games!
Perhaps the Ruskies heard about Roger’s high living on Ibiza. He’s bought a house there and enjoys powerboat racing. Play time is over for the time being, though. After their two year break. Queen have been working more than 12 hours a day rehearsing.
"It’s strange how rusty we are, and so we’re trying to blow the cobwebs away,” continues Roger. “It’s taking a lot of work. Usually we rehearse until about nine and then we eat together and decide what we’re going to do in the evenings. The clubs here are really fun. Something to cater for every taste or perversion.
"On the tour we’ll be playing a lot of the old material and we’ll be giving the audience what they want. A lot of the music I hear in the charts today doesn’t interest me. I just can’t see how anybody can get excited over Spandau Ballet. It doesn’t send shivers up my spine. I like listening to Bruce Springsteen.”
They might be old stagers, but Roger claims that tickets for Queen’s British shows sold oul in three hours flat and they could have easily played another 12 nights here.
“We still have the rock and roil gypsy mentality,” he says. “Even after 12 years without a line-up change we still really enjoy the buzz from playing live and the fact that we have hit singles. Some bands in our position might take it all in their stride, but we’re still like kids, we get very excited.
"You’ve got to have a laugh haven’t you? If Queen wasn’t any fun, then I’d jack it all in and go and sell flowers.”
Robin Smith
“Actually, I’ve been playing some blues lately. I’ve done a couple of tracks and I usually end up singing and not screaming; it’s in the range where I can put some passion into it. The funny thing is, I actually can scream. I just did this track for Scotty Moore on a Sun Records tribute. It starts off very quiet and then the guy screams because he’s totally pissed off … I did a version of that and I screamed it. The problem is that I can’t do it all night.”
(Brian May)
I really hope Brian includes this as a bonus track on his re-releases. I love it so much and I can’t find it anywhere but YouTube.
I just discovered another performance of that gorgeous slowed down/acoustic version Hammer to Fall, this one’s from Paris, June ‘98 and it’s INCREDIBLE quality and I am just in complete awe.
Pls everybody come cry about this with me:
Idk where to even start…this is just indescribably beautiful from start to finish: the absolutely INCREDIBLE phrasing he does here, the vocals in general, the fact that he says “Gimme ‘Deacy’“ at 6:25 mins, the cute way he speaks French, the fact that he dedicated this “to absent friends” again…..
Oh. My. God. He is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen . 😍😍😍😍😍
Masterlist.
These links will take you to every story tagged to that person so you can scroll to your heart’s content! (Browser compatible only).
Eggsy Unwin (Taron Egerton)
Mad Teddy (Taron Egerton)
Dennis Severs (Taron Egerton)
Eddie the Eagle (Taron Egerton)
Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)
Dwight (Austin Amelio)
Star-Lord (Christ Pratt)
Owen Grady (Chris Pratt)
Nick Clark (Frank Dillane)
Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford)
Robb Stark (Richard Madden)
David Budd (Richard Madden)
Four/Billy (Ben Hardy)
Peter Beale (Ben Hardy)
Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee)
Samuel Castell (Gwilym Lee)
Grigor Dymov (Gwilym Lee)
UMMM???? HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS BEFORE???
It’s only a small portion of the song (about 1 minute) but !!!! Long Away!!! performed live!!!!
And there’s actually a second video of Brian singing the full song with Taylor Hawkins but the audio is absolutely atrocious:
I’ve never thought to look for videos of current!Bri singing this song but yall Long Away is my favorite Queen song of all time and we have audio of Brian singing it live and I am losing my shit right now!!!
One of Brian’s many tributes to Freddie; this is my favorite.
Could i get 16. "Is that my sweater?" With Roger Taylor please and thank you.
Took my time with this one but I hope you like it.
Remember I got this promt list from the talented @afictionaladventure16
16. Is that my sweater?
You were pissed and honestly you had the right to be, you had asked your boss for permission to leave the office early because you had to pick someone at the airport, being the asshole he is, he said yes at the begging and when you were about to leave, he arrived to your desk and asked you to stay a bit longer.
“This is one of our most important clients, y/n” he said crossing his arms “if you walk through that door now, don't bother coming anymore”
You were shocked, you had asked for his permission and now he's threatening you with firing you?
“I think i´ll stay a bit longer, but remember I have to go to the airport” you quietly remind him, scared of the man.
And you really had to go to the airport, your boyfriend, Roger, was finally coming home after a 3 months tour, saying you missed him was an understatement.
You remained in your desk a few minutes, playing with your fingers and drinking some awful coffee, you were unhappy and the current situation made you feel worse, you´re man is finally coming home and you´re stuck in front of a pile of papers you haven’t read in a job that pays you a fraction of what you deserved, but you can quit, you don't want to use Roger´s money, you wanted to have yours even though this job barely gives you money.
You were consumed in your thoughts when you looked at the clock, 9 pm, Roger must have arrived a few minutes, you had to call him.
The phone ringed a few times and that soft yet rough voice you love so much finally answered.
“My love” he said “Is everything alright?” he asked worried, he was definitely waiting for you to be standing in the airport, you hate letting him down, it broke your heart.
“Rog, ´m stuck at work” you said in a whisper “I don't know when i'll get home, ´m sorry” you said with your voice breaking a little.
“The asshole is giving you a hard time?” and all you can answer was a soft ´hmp´ but Roger knew perfectly what it meant.”You know what i'm about to say, don't you?”
You knew indeed, Roger always said that you should quit, look for a new job where your talent and skills are appreciated.
“I can't Rog, you know I hate giving up” you couldn't see him but you were sure he was smiling, remembering all the times you´ve worked hard to get what you want, you always get what you want, except when it comes to your job, of course.
“y/n, my love, you know I live for you” he started to say softly, he always did that when he's being all soft with you but doesn't want the guys to find out he can be soft, “I'll be more than happy to provide you” and you knew he meant it.
“How are you going to get home?” You change quickly the subject and hear Roger giggle, you may get what you want, but you hate talking about something you don't want to.
“Chrissie is here, I may ruin their mood, but they´ll take me there” he said laughing, he loves annoying Brian.
“I´m sorry love, don´t wait for me, go to sleep” I said still sad.
“Think about what I told you, you deserve better” he said softly, I knew he was being serious.
After the phone call ended you remained on your chair.
Every moment of anger, stress or anxiety produced by your job or your boss played in your head and Roger´s word became clearer with every second and before realizing what you were doing, your coat was on and you were picking up your purse.
“I'm going sir.” you said knocking on his door. “Have a good night” you said sarcastically
“Are you sure? you´ll be fired miss y/l/n” he said looking at you with his glasses resting on his nose.
“Oh don´t bother firing me, I quit” you said stepping out of the office, finally proud of yourself, you laughed as you ran to the car, excited to see Roger and nervous about the future.
The car ride was loud, Queen's latest album was blasting and you were screaming the lyrics at the top of your lungs, you were euphoric and you loved the feeling.
When you arrived home you noticed all the lights were off, Roger´s shoes were at the door, he was home, finally.
You carefully walked to your room.
If you were happy a few minutes ago, now you were out of your mind, Roger´s hair all tangled covered his face, his bare chest was softly illuminated by the moon light and small snores were coming out of his mouth.
This is where you belong,
You walked to stand by his side, smiling at the view, when you noticed a pink sleeve coming out of the bed, you tried to pull it out slowly but Roger woke up.
“Is that my sweater?” was the first thing you attempted to say when you pulled out the baby pink sweater, it was your favorite, you used it all the time.
“It smells like you, love” he said, pouting and making some cute grabby hands trying to reach for it, still in his sleep.”I wanted to hold you, but the only thing I could find was your sweater”
Saying your heart melted was and understatement, Roger was the one, you knew it, you could feel it in every inch of your body.
“Maybe a kiss will be better?” you asked, taking your clothes off.
“We are about to find out gorgeous” he said sitting on the edge of the bed and holding your wait. You straddle him, the fun thing about it is that nothing felt sexual, just pure love, you missed the feeling of his skin against yours, his hands running through your hair and his lips on yours.
“I quitted” you told him, putting your head on the crook of his neck.
“I knew it” he said smiling and you looked up at him, questioning. “You know what's best for you and I think my words remind you of it” he said proudly.
Indeed, his words were the reason why you decided on it.
“And… I know you hate being unemployed and you want your own money and blah, blah... “ he said giggling making his nose look all cute, you left a kiss in it and smiled at him, “That's why I spoke with John Reid, the accounting crew may need your help, Reid was more than happy to accept the offer”
Your eyes were flooded and your smile was making your cheeks hurt, no words came out of your mouth except a soft “thanks” and you threw yourself at Roger’s arms.
“You can tour with me around the world, I promise you’ll have the life you’ve always wanted” he said laying you down and leaving a trail of kisses on your jawline.
“You are what i’ve always wanted” you said kissing his gorgeous pink lips “Go back to sleep so we can cuddle” you told him caressing his nape.
“Your wishes are my commands” he said laying on his back and holding you close, your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeats and feeling his hand smoothly running up and down your arm, you were happy.
“I love you” you said leaving a kiss right above his heart.
“I love you even more, princess” he kissed the top of your head.
Rebound (Roger Taylor x Reader)
Hello everybody! I’m here with a Roger Taylor one shot, yayyy!!
I want to know if you would like to be in a pemanent tag list and if you like this part, imma write a second one about their relationship.
Warnings: mentions of cheating and alcohol, nothing serious.
Having a broken heart sucks but you’re better than that, or at least that’s what you keep on remind yourself, your boyfriend, Mark, cheated on you last week, your heart was obviously broken but what hurt you the most was with who he cheated on you, your best friend thought it would be fun to shag your boyfriend.
However, your heart stopped feeling empty when you were around your brothers, well brothers from another mother, the guys that knew exactly how to put a smile on your face but they loved you like a little sister and you knew they’d probably kill him, that’s why it remained a secret.
The guys invited you to a club tonight and of course you said yes, you loved clubbing with them.
You didn’t like one night stands but you thought it will work tonight to keep your mind off of Mark, that means you’ll have to use an extra hour to get ready, just in case.
The guys were already outside of your flat, as soon as you stepped out, Roger started honking, Freddie started cheering and Brian and John clapped their souls out, you started modeling to their vans, waving for hips and blowing kisses, they made you happy.
“We look stupid at your side, y/n” Roger said after greeting you. ”You’re a god damned model”
“Keep those compliments to your girlfriend, Taylor” you said winking, you have never said it out loud but you didn’t like Roger’s girlfriend, Mila, she gave you some ugly vibes and it makes you worried. “Where are the girls?” You said, all of them had girlfriends and you loved them all, except Roger’s but that’s a secret.
“They are going to Mila’s house, they’ll meet us there.” Brian said. “Ready to go crazy?”
“‘Course love” I said winking. “As always”
“Darling, you’re dressed to kill.” Freddie sassily said. “Where’s your man?” Oh, there’s the question, ‘Helter Skelter’ began playing on the radio and it was the perfect way to end the conversation.
“Damn, turn it up!” you screamed, partly because of the question.
All of you started singing (Screaming), your cheeks were hurting from smiling and your heart felt full and happy.
When you arrived at the club, music blasted and people were grinding against each other, it was a weird atmosphere but the guys were with you, that made you feel safe.
The girls were already there, you went to say hi, but surprisingly, not really, Mila completely ignored you, apparently she didn’t like you either.
The couples went to the dance floor after taking a couple of shots, Deacy saw you pouting and drinking shot after shot, he offered you his hand smiling, you looked at Veronica, his girlfriend, she nodded.
You took Deacy’s hand and went to the dance floor, he was a great bassist, an awesome friend and an incredible dancer, he was smooth and unstoppable.
You danced with him song after song and you enjoyed it so much you forgot about the other guys.
You looked at them, Fred, Brian and the girls except Mila were talking and drinking. Roger was pouting and playing with his glass of SoCo.
“Deacs, what happened with Rog?” You asked and stopped dancing.
“Wanna go with him?” He asked you and you nodded giving John a peck on his cheek as a thank you.
You walked slowly until you were standing in front of him, he lifted his head, his blue eyes were sad and his smile looked forced.
“May I?” You asked him softly, he nodded and you sat by his side, he put his head on your shoulder and you caressed his hair softly. “What happened, love?”
“Look at the bar, love” He said, closing his eyes.
Mila was there, shoving her tongue down a man’s throat, why are you not surprised?
“Wanna go out for a bit, Rog?” You asked, looking softly at Rog, he nodded and took him outside, you sat on a bench.
“I don’t understand, y/n” he said looking at you. “What am I doing wrong?”
“You’re not doing anything wrong, Rog.” You told him. “I know what you’re going through”
“No you don’t, y/n, no man could ever cheat on you, you’re bloody perfect” he told you, frustrated and raising his voice a bit.
“Actually… “ You started saying, scared of saying something wrong. “Mark did, with my best friend, ex best friend i guess”
“What?” He said, now angry at your confession. “I’ll fucking kill him”
“Rog, stop, this isn’t about me-” You tried to say.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” He asked with a pout.
“I don’t want your pity, and I knew you and the guys would probably kill him, so…” you answered laughing trying to lighten up the mood. “So yeah, i know what you’re going through”
I patted his knee “Let’s go inside, let’s prove her you’re more than this”
He took your hand and walked inside with you.
“Wanna dance?” He asked you.
“I’d love to” He took you to the dancing floor and placed his hands on your waist, Twist and Shout started playing and you screamed in joy.
“This is your favorite, darling” you nodded and put your head on his chest.
His hands on your waist swayed it to the rhythm of The Beatles.
“I’ve always liked dancing with you.” Roger said and smiled.
“You hate dancing, Rog, stop jo-” You started saying but Mila pushed you aside, Rog quickly grabbed your waist to avoid you getting hurt.
“Why are you dancing with my boyfriend, y/n?” she said, getting close to you, trying to intimidate you.
“I’m not your boyfriend anymore, Mila.” Roger said and gestured to you to go and sit with the rest of the guys who had already noticed what was happening.
“Guess who’s a cheating asshole?” I asked while sitting next to Brian and Chrissie.
“Everyone knows the answer, darling.” Freddie said, and laughed. “Cheers” he said sarcastically and drowned a shot.
Roger came back and sat next to me, his head was again on my shoulder and stole Deacy’s beer.
“I guess we’re the singles of the group” He said laughing and the guys turned to look at you both.
“y/n is single?” John asked and you closed your eyes and sighed
“Mark cheated on me, last week, but please, let’s not talk about it” You said and stole Roger’s beer (Deacy’s).
“Guess we should date now” Roger said giggling and his breath tickled your neck.
“Yeah” you laughed and looked down at him. “I guess we should”
After that night at the bar, your relationship with Roger grew stronger, your ex’s were forgotten and you went out with Rog and the guys (Sometimes only with Roger) every sunday, after 4 months of a heartbreak, your heart felt stronger and happier.
Today you were planning a picnic to celebrate Valentine’s day.
The guys couldn’t make it because they were spending the evening with their girls, it was only Roger and you.
You baked a pie, packed some beers and a bottle of wine, Roger found a perfect spot to see the sunset, he was going to pick you up and take you there, you were wearing a sundress and some stilettos that you loved, it was soft but pretty, definitely something you would wear.
Roger honked and you went to meet him, you could see he was wearing a white shirt and a pair of old jeans, he looked perfect, that’s something a friend would say to another without developing feelings, right?
“You gonna stare at me the whole day or are you coming?” He said opening the car door for you.
“I was waiting for you to open my door, like a gentleman” you said sitting and dropping the picnic basket in the back seat
“Shall we?” He said pointing his head to the road
“We shall” you said patting his knee an giggling
The car ride was fun, as always, we were singing (screaming) every song on the radio, Roger rolled down the windows and our hair was messier than ever, you felt free and alive, it’s funny how you always get to feel like that when you are around him.
Roger took your hand and put it under his on the gear stick.
You looked at him and smiled, you felt something new in your heart, love? maybe, but you were sure Roger would take care of your heart.
—
That’s pretty much it haha, I really hope you like it, if you do, don’t forget to ask for the second part!
I really loved this one and im so excited to continue writting it.
Don’t forget to repost, like and share!
Celebration night
Okay, I finally wrote something and I actually loved how this turned out. It’s fluffy and I love it.
I hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to share it. If you want to be on the tag list let me know.
Oh and don’t forget there’s a prompt list, I’m taking requests so feel free to ask for smn.
(I know I have a couple of requests, I’m trying to work on them but I finishing uni and I’m still quite busy)
After weeks of hard work, the guys finally finished recording and the new album was being well received, I’m extremely proud of them cause I’ve seen how hard they’ve worked and how much effort they put into it.
Chrissie, Brian’s girlfriend, Mary, Freddie’s girlfriend and Veronica, Deacy’s wife, and I, we decided to throw a celebration party for the guys. It wasn’t a big reunion like Freddie’s favourites, but we planned on wearing fancy dresses and a gourmet menu.
My garden was the right place to do it so we decided to decorate it with some fairy lights and roses. I love planning things with the girls because they have great taste and we have so much fun working together.
Besides, the girls were happy doing it to have a special moment with their boyfriends while I just wanted to give my best friend, Roger, a nice relaxing moment, yes, he is my best friend and I love him, as friends, do friends love each other the way I love Roger? Do friends treat each other the way Roger and I do?
The girls always tease me about dating Roger and how cowards we are and I knew the guys tease Roger too cause “He’s not brave enough to accept his feelings and confess them to me” well, I guess our friends know our feelings better than us.
However, the special night has come and the girls and I were so nervous yet so excited. The food looked delicious and a fancy restaurant had nothing on our cooking skills, cocktails were almost ready and the garden was beautifully decorated, the guys were about to arrive, so we decided to go and get ready.
If we were getting fancy food and the garden looked like it was brought out of a Disney movie, we definitely had to look like princesses. Chrissie helped me find a beautiful black dress, it was so smooth and it fitted me perfectly, my makeup was soft and barely visible but it really made me feel different.
We get ready so fast we actually thought about breaking the world record, the girls looked so pretty we almost start crying about how good we felt and how beautiful we are, and I mentally laughed about it cause if I were alone I would never feel this pretty, but the girls made me feel like that and I’m actually simpin for this confident version of me.
The doorbell rang and brought us back from our daydreaming, saying we were scared was an understatement, we were really nervous and not because of how would the boys react cause, let's be honest, we’re wearing fancy dresses and looking like proper goddesses, they’d love it, we just wanted everything to go as we planned.
As soon as we opened the door, Freddie, Brian and John came running to hug their wives while Roger was looking at me shyly.
“Hey” I said softly, trying to keep my voice as normal as possible.
“You look gorgeous” He said, not even a hello, oh well I can’t complain. “Can I hug you?”
What? My legs were shaking and I needed that hug as soon as possible, I only attempted to nod slowly.
He put his firm hands on my waist and brought me close to his body, his scent was so strong I felt I was getting high on it, and I love that feeling.
“You look great Roger” I said, hiding my face on his neck. He really did look good, an opened white shirt revealing his smooth chest and a pair of leather pants and I’ll just say… his butt looked pretty nice.
“Really? I’m just wearing the first thing I saw in my closet.” He said, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.
“That’s not true y/n, he spent hours planning his outfit.” Freddie said teasingly while winking. “He said he wanted to impress you.”
Roger was blushing and he let go from the hug.
“Oh it's alright, I hope my dress impresses him too, cause he certainly impressed me.” I said and went to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of wine. “Want some?”
The girls were looking at me with a knowing smirk and the guys were teasing Roger while he was trying to cover up his reddened cheeks.
The rest of the guys looked really nice too, wearing their fancy suits and while a wide smile plastered on their faces.
“Before you start getting drunk, my dear y/n, we had some words prepared for you” Mary started saying, taking the bottle out of my hands.
We had some words prepared? Really?
“Yeah! Our gorgeous y/n prepared them, right?” Veronica looked at me while giggling and I couldn’t be more confused. Did I write a speech and I completely forgot about it? Roger’s giggles brought me back.
“Oh yeah right!” I said, trying to look confident “It’s quite short, though.”
“Oh stop it, y/n!” Freddie said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Stop being so modest, you give great speeches.”
Yes! Only when I’m extremely drunk.
“Alright boys, we know you’ve worked really hard this last month and we are so proud you’re achieving your dreams.” I started saying, trying to look at each one of them but not being able, my eyes were focused on Roger and how good he looked smiling at me like that. “You are an inspiration and I’ll dare to say, you are our idols, but you are also the loves of our lives… and our best friends.” I quickly added to avoid misunderstandings, but oh how I wish I hadn’t. “You’ve given everything to us, and the least we could do was try to give you something else too, so this is just a small celebration party for you guys.”
Chrissie was pouring the wine on our glasses and we were ready for the toast.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses for Queen!” I said lifting my glass happily.
As soon as the guys lifted it, I looked at Roger who was already smiling at me, I smiled back when he winked at me, oh how much I want to kiss those lips.
“Okay guys, you can get going to the garden, we’ll get the food.” Mary said while pushing Freddie out of the room, the guys followed him but Roger seemed a bit hesitant about going with them.
“Can I have a word with y/n?” He asked shyly, it’s funny how he always seemed so comfortable and confident but when it comes to me he’s so shy and soft.
“Sure Rog, just give us a second while we finish preparing the dishes.” Chrissie said and hurried working on the dish.
My stomach was feeling funny and my legs were shaking, was something wrong? Did I say something inappropriate? My mind was racing. The feeling of Mary’s hand on my shoulder scared me a bit.
“Alright Rog, she’s all yours.” Mary said, grabbing two dishes and going out of the kitchen, the girls followed her but first they winked at me.
I turned to look at Roger, he was already smiling at me. He walked to me, getting closer and closer every time he put his hand on my waist and smiled.
“Hey.” He seemed more confident than a few minutes ago but his voice was still a bit shaky.
“Hey, are you excited?” I asked hoping my voice seemed a bit normal.
“About the dinner or the album?” Geez, he looked so cute when he’s confused, he looked like a puppy.
“Both” I said laughing, I could help but caress his face, my fingers went from his forehead to his cheek and then to his hair. My fingers tangled in it and I could feel his eyes staring at my lips.
“Yeah, mostly about tonight.” He tried to stop looking at my lips, but I saw his tongue poking out of his lips and wetted them. “I wanted to thank you, and tell you how beautiful you look today.”
I could help but blush, his blue eyes were now staring at my eyes.
“Oh it’s nothing, we’re proud and you’ve done so much for us, is the least we can do.” I don’t know where this is going but I’m feeling the famous butterflies.
“Ca- Can I do something else for you?” He said putting his other hand on my cheek and rubbing it with his thumb.
Do you guys know how to breath? Because suddenly I forgot.
I nodded slowly and smiled.
“Can I kiss you?” He whispered and I felt his breath so close to my face, his scent filling my nostrils, I put my hand on his neck and smiled.
“Yes, please.”
As soon as I finished talking, Roger lips attacked mine, my body felt numb and my head was spinning, I tangled my fingers on his hair and he hugged me by the waist. My lips were trying to follow his pace, our noses were brushing each other and our chests were so close I’m sure he felt my heart beating out of my chest.
I didn’t want to break the kiss but I was nearly out of breath, my forehead was resting on his and our eyes were still closed, his hands there caressing my back. We were smiling so much our cheeks started to hurt.
“You make me so very happy.” God his voice was so soft and sweet.
“You make me really happy too, Rog” Now our noses were touching each other, his was so soft and pointy, my heart was definitely beating faster now. “Let 's go eat.”
He took my hand and led me to the garden. The guys were focused on their conversation but as soon as Brian saw us he cleared his throat, ending the conversation. They were smiling at us and the guys started whistling when they saw our hands.
Roger opened my chair and I gave him a little kiss on his lips, the girls screamed when they saw it and I started clapping.
We avoided looking at them and started drinking wine, Roger’s hand was now on my thigh tracing circles with his thumb.
“Anything you want to share with us?” Freddie said leaning on the table and placing his head on his hands.
“Well, I just want to say that I hope that kiss means you’re my girlfriend now.” He said, grabbing a piece of food on his fork and leadingit to his mouth, trying to look smooth and charming. “Oh it does, love.” He said and I brought his face close to mine and started kissing him again.
Our friends were cheering in the back and now his lips tasted like wine, I was slowly melting in his arms and I’ve never been happier.
Tag list: @jennyggggrrr
QUEEN: “A GREAT TRAIL OF CONSEQUENCES” MAR DEL PLATA (¾/1981) AND ROSARIO (3/6/1981) CONCERTS’S REVIEW- “PELO” MAGAZINE
Queen’s tour left a trail of consequences in various fields: in the organization of shows, in the press, in the musicians and, of course, in the public. Everyone, in time, will get a benefit. But these performances are granting a credit that many Argentines are unaware of: Queen, particularly and at their expense, invited a significant number of journalists from around the world. The results of those visits are already appearing: two weeks ago, Melody Maker, the most important music publication in England, dedicated two spectacular pages to Queen’s performance in Argentina. In that article, they praise the warmth of the local audience, the organization enjoyed by the members of Queen and the whole show; and they emphasize the opening of a great market for international rock.
It’s good that Argentina comes into existence. And it’s very good that it does it through its creative people: the rock public. Because these people are not exclusively public, they are also the ones who support our own music. They are the ones who go to the mass concerts. They are the ones who in those concerts, and in those of Queen, make the sign of Peace and practice Peace. They are the ones who go in pairs and not in gangs. They are, in other words, those who seek beauty and art through music. And all that is very good to know in the world.
In this same series of notes, you will find one that refers to the dinner “Pelo” shared with the four Queen members.
There we told Brian May that “Queen will never have an idea of how much they helped the Argentine people and Argentine rock music with their performances.
Brian May replied that he had the feeling that he was doing more than just playing on stage and that this particularly moved him and made him very happy, especially as a human being. And he was serious. Beyond the judgment that everyone can have about Queen’s music and their spectacle, one thing is rigorously certain: they gave themselves totally to give us their good vibes. Probably because we received them the same way.
MAR DEL PLATA-ROSARIO
Arrival: The group and all their entourage arrived at the Mar del Plata airport six hours before the recital. A large number of the audience concentrated in the hall and the adjacencies of the place hoping to get closer to the musicians. The departure to the hotel was a movie, with patrol cars and motorists sounding their sirens, crossing the city at high speed, while a group of fans on motorcycles tried unsuccessfully to approach the cars of the musicians.
Security: Despite the deployment of the first moment, there were serious security problems at the Mar del Plata stadium.
During the concert a large number of people entered the forbidden places, trying to get to the stage. After this, the four musicians had a meeting alone. The subsequent proposal was very clear: if they didn’t have the necessary guarantees, there wouldn’t be a show in Rosario.
Show: The performance in Mar del Plata was the poorest of the whole tour. The band was very much in front of the obvious security problems and also had to endure inconveniences up and down the stage.
Brian May had his black night.First he broke a string on his guitar and when he changed it, he realized that the other one wasn’t working well either. He ended up giving up his solo.
Friends: Roger Taylor and Brian May are the only ones in the band who have an extramusical relationship. With the photographer Neal Preston they form an inseparable trio. The others; each one attend their own lives, but is not true that there are strains or that they don’t talk to each other, as some rumors suggested.(🙄🤨😕❓❓❓❗❗❗)
Help: Charming, friendly, were the indispensable helpers of the musicians and the constant and safe contact with the press. The interpreters (Alejandra, Patricia, Liliana and Jorge) worked very hard, but they were always willing to give a hand to whoever needed it.
Professionals:The professionalism with which the band moved at all times was absolutely overwhelming. Something very difficult to achieve for part of the local organizers, accustomed to the "elasticity” of our environment. But soon they had to get ready to follow the rigorous and punctual rhythm of the band’s activities.
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MAR DEL PLATA-ROSARIO
Rehearsals: The expertise shown by the musicians in each of the sound checks was surprising. They arrive separately, and each one tests their instrument and voices. Then the four come up and briefly play a song. The sonidist usually asks for brief interventions and then quickly adjusts the sound.
Change: After the tension experienced in Mar del Plata, all changed in Rosario. The security worked perfectly and the band gave one of the best shows of the tour. Despite a persistent drizzle the audience (thirty thousand people) was receptive and created the right framework for Queen to make a brilliant concert.
Gesture: It was unusual because Mercury is the least demonstrative and reserved of the band. It happened that at the end of the show in Rosario, Mercury received a floral arrangement in his dressing room. Outside, a group of female cops stood guard, when unexpectedly Mercury appeared waving the flowers. The basket flew through the air and after a brief struggle ended up in the hands of a proud law enforcement officer to the annoyance of her coworkers.
Film: During each of the concerts the filming of “Queen On Tourne” continued, for which eight cameras were used. The film will be completed with images of the São Paulo and Rio concerts in Brazil. Of course there will also be scenes from the U.S. and Japan tours.
Press: The comments in the newspapers of the inland were of different caliber and level. The Mar del Plata press was the least competent: the newspapers used the concert with a ridiculously sensationalistic tone and lacking real information. They stressed that “John Deacon is an excellent drummer” and “Roger Taylor is a great bassist”.(🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄)
Repertoire: The show was the same in all the shows. After the first performance in Buenos Aires they added “Somebody to love” and “Fat Bottomed Girls”. In the farewell concert in Buenos Aires there was another change: they added one more song, the show started with an ardent version of “The Jailhouse Rock ”.
Prices: All the members of the band and their assistants were surprised at the prices of things. The musicians complained about how expensive everything is in relation to Europe and the United States, and recommended the staff to measure themselves in their expenses. The most affected was the official photographer, Neal Preston, who had to buy film stuff. He was very surprised with the very high prices of photographic stuff in Argentina.
Comments: On the way back to Buenos Aires, all the members of the band agreed that the Argentine public was one of the best audiences they had faced. They even pointed out that some organizational mistakes (due to lack of experience in this type of events) had been overcome with the will of the organizers, and that the enormous affection of the people had ended up minimizing any problem.
Tension: Some moments of tension were experienced before the beginning of the last concert in Velez. With the capacity of the stadium totally full, and a large amount of public struggling to enter, there were moments of nervousness. It was necessary to help many people with symptoms of choking and light-headedness due to the enormous pressure on the bleachers. Even the police had to cut the wire to help the people with those problems.
Farewell: The last dinner on the seaside was highly emotional. The whole band was visibly moved by what had happened a few hours earlier. All atendants ate and, for the first time, drank abundantly. Everyone had a sense of relief after the preliminary nervousness. May, Deacon, Mercury and Taylor agreed that the Argentine tour was a milestone in Queen’s career.
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THE MEETING OF “PELO” WITH QUEEN: “ A NIGHT AT THE VILLA”
The meeting of our photographers and editors with the members of Queen took place on the night before their farewell performance in Argentina. It was in a countryhouse in the west of the City. There they met some people related to the tour, the promoters, the members of Queen with their families and part of the staff of the band. Of course the excuse was a succulent barbecue and several dozen “empanadas”.(1)
(1) Type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Latin American and Filipino cultures. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, and literally translates as “enbreaded”, that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.
In a cozy atmosphere, far from the persecusion of photographers, fan groups and stage nervousness, Brian, Roger, Freddie and John received the edition of “Pelo”, published the day before, with the “Pelo” coverage of their debut in the country. On that night in the Villa they commented on a variety of issues related to the performances of Queen in Argentina, but the big expectation was centered in the farewell performance that the band would give the next day at the Velez Sarsfield Stadium. By that time it was already known that the tickets were totally sold out and the members of the band themselves supposed that a very emotional concert was going to take place, on the part of the public and tense on the part of Queen.
Little Prank: When a good time had passed after dinner, several of the musicians and those close to the band were prowling around the swimming pool. The command came to us right away: they wanted to celebrate the meeting by throwing Jim Beach into the icy waters of the pool. But Beach detected the tidal wave, and quickly put himself in the least compromised position possible, while smiling timidly at his malicious companions.
Fervor: May and Deacon commented on the immense affection that the fans demonstrated to them at every step and in every one of the places they’d been. Brian was very surprised and commented on why they had arrived more than an hour late to the barbecue: due to the siege of the hotel where they were staying.
Weather: Although the dinner was held outdoors, and the night was too cool (almost freezing), the members of Queen were very friendly and willing to have a good time. Avoiding the cold, which for them is very natural, they did everything possible to behave like “one more of the house” and leave aside that they are stars.
Anecdotes: During the meeting, each of the musicians took the opportunity to tell their experiences and “adventures” of their stay in Argentina. May told us about his walks through the Rosedal* and the “safaris” to go shopping in Florida*; Deacon about his long walks through the city with his wife and children, including a visit to the zoo that we shared; and Taylor jokingly referred to his visit to Ital Park* with his girlfriend Dominique.
Curiosity: Before dinner began, Queen’s musicians wanted to satisfy a curiosity that gnawed at them: they wanted to see how and where the barbecue was made. They had already tasted the roast meats and wanted to see a “ argentinian grill” in person.
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MARADONA
After the meal, in a separate room there was a high voltage conversation between Freddie Mercury, Daniel Ripoll* and Juan Manuel Cibeira*. It started when Freddie, enthusiastically, commented that he had the idea of appearing at their farewell concert in a Flash Gordon’s T-shirt and invite Maradona to the stage (for whom some members of the band have admiration).
Once there they would exchange t-shirts: Maradona would keep Flash’s and Freddie Mercury’s the national team one. Mercury thought all this was nice and a kind of homage to the famous Argentine football. Like others, he asked us what we thought of the idea:
Pelo: We honestly think it has nothing to do with it. We don’t understand why you want to do that.
Freddie: Music is fun and so is football, why can’t they be together? Pelo: In Argentina the rock public is not the same as football, have different goals and unshared tastes.
Freddie: If people, by what they showed, love Queen and, as far as we know, love Maradona, I’m going to try and unite those two feelings. It’s that simple. Anyway, it won’t be a show for the press. It’s for people.
Pelo: It’s true. We know that people love Queen. As for Maradona, never showed that he liked this kind of music or that support the rock public.
Freddie: However, I think it’s going to work out well. I like the idea.
Pelo: We believe that with time it will be interpreted as a demagogic gesture. But if your purpose is to join forces and not separate them, we wish you luck.
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PHOTOS IN THIS ARTICLE
May with his son in his arms, descends from the plane in Mar del Plata.
Prenter and Mercury cut their hair before travelling to Mar del Plata.
May arrives at the Mar del Plata stadium besieged by the local television.
Freddie Mercury and his custody waiting for the sound check.
Roger Taylor and his assistant exchanging ideas about the stadium.
The sound check was an example of professionalism and speed.
Rigorously guarded, Queen enters the stadium in Mar del Plata.
Brian May had his black night, the guitar failed during his solo.😢😢
Mercury was incomprehensibly attacked by a section of the public.😔😔
In eight of these trucks the transfer of all the equipment took place.
In Rosario, security was reinforced to avoid new incidents.
The engineer James Khalaf is responsible for Queen’s sound.
In the sound check the band showed a better mood.
More than thirty thousand people attended the show in Rosario Central Stadium.
This time Mercury was able to establish a communication with the audience.
In piano and guitar Brian May made a very good performance.😊😁
Encouraged by the public, Queen made a very hot show.
In Rosario Mercury gave one of the best performances of the tour.
Phil Sims (press) and Paul Prenter (manager) commenting on the edition.
Brian May with his family, always tried to speak to us in Spanish.
John Deacon was excited to have appeared on the cover of “Pelo”.
During dinner, Mercury commented some aspects of the performances.
Roger Taylor, out of the scene is always with his girlfriend.
With Brian May we remembered that first meeting in New Orleans.
Phil Sims had countless attentions for our journalists.
Dominique (Taylor’s girlfriend), Roger and Paul Prenter reading Pelo.
Mercury showed us that his problems with the press no longer exist.
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*ARGENTINIAN PEOPLE AND PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE:
-Daniel Ripoll: Journalist. Founder, director and editor of the specialized magazine “Pelo”.
-Juan Manuel Cibeira: Journalist and Writer. Chief Editor of the magazine. -Florida Street: Popular shopping street in Downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. A pedestrian street since 1971, some stretches have been pedestrianized since 1913.
-“Rosedal”: Traditional park located in the Palermo neighborhood in the city of Buenos Aires.
-Ital Park: Theme Park in Argentina. It became a landmark of Buenos Aires in its 30 years of existence (1960-1990).
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Other ‘Queen in Argentina 1981′ related articles:
https://melisa-may-taylor72.tumblr.com/post/187358426974/queen-in-argentina-pelo-magazine-march (part 1)
https://melisa-may-taylor72.tumblr.com/post/187381102064/queen-in-argentina-pelo-magazine-march-1981 (part 2)
https://melisa-may-taylor72.tumblr.com/post/187406747789/queen-in-argentina-pelo-magazine-march-1981 (part 3)
https://melisa-may-taylor72.tumblr.com/post/187449982999/queen-in-argentina-pelo-magazine-march-1981 (part 4)
https://melisa-may-taylor72.tumblr.com/post/187473196124/queen-in-argentina-pelo-magazine-march-1981 (part 5)
I’ll Love Her Still: Part 12 (Brian May x Female!Reader)
Whaaaaat, I ACTUALLY UPDATED THIS FIC??? IN UNDER TWO MONTHS TIME??? UNREAL. But seriously y’all, thank you so much for your patience, there’s only a couple more parts to this fic left and I’ll be sad to say goodbye but excited to start on other projects!
TAGLIST: @alittlepeoplemagic, @brianmayscurls, @chlobo6, @d-illo, @delilahmay39, @kenzie-belle, @kiwithekiwi, @lizzybeth1986, @moreinfinite, @readinghorn, @rogerscupboard, @thelegumemother
TRIGGERS: MASSIVE massive sad boi hours. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
😭😭😭
QUEEN BEFORE QUEEN
THE 1960s RECORDINGS
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PART 1:
BRIAN MAY, 1984 & THE LEFT HANDED MARRIAGE
JOHN S. STUART AND ANDY DAVIS DIG DEEP TO UNCOVER THE PREVIOUSLY UNDOCUMENTED AUDIO LEGACY OF ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST CHERISHED BANDS.
This month the beginning and end of Queen come together like the cosy ending of a contrived Hollywood drama. While fans wait with bated breath for the band’s final album, “Made In Heaven" — completed by Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor with the aid of Freddie Mercury’s last demos — author Mark Hodkinson launches a new book in which, in greater detail than has ever been attempted before, delves into the pre-fame histories of Queen’s musical antecedents.
With previously unpublished photographs of Roger Taylor’s the Reaction, John Deacon’s the Opposítion and even more impressively, Freddie Mercury’s Sour Milk Sea, ‘Queen The Early Years’ is a treat fans have waited too long to read. Coincidentally, six months ago, we commissioned Queen historian, John S. Stuart, to research the definitive article on the band’s pre-fame recordings, and as you’ll see, the results complement Hodkinson’s broader picture with hitherto undocumented details of Queen’s 60s recordings.
We’ve touched on Larry Lurex and Smile before, of course, but the vinyl output of those two acts barely scratches the surface, so to speak: literally hours and hours of privately- recorded material of Freddie, Brian, John and Roger survive to this day — as evidenced by the recent discovery of the Reaction’s ‘In The Midnight Hour’ acetate ( see RC 191). So, while the rest of the world comes to terms with the fact that Queen’s recording career is effectively at an end, we unravel the untold history of four individuals’ first tentative steps in front of the microphone, beginning with the 1960′s exploits of Brian May. Next month, we’ll embrace Smile, and John, Roger and Freddie’s hidden amateur recordings; but first, 1984 and the Left Handed Marriage.
1984
Around late August, or early September 1963, as the Beatles celebrated the birth of Beatlemania with sessions for their “With The Beatles” LP at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in North London, another rock legend was developing just around the geographical corner. In a semi-detached house in Feltham, Middlesex, electronics engineer Harold May began an 18-month task, helping his sixteen-year-…[ ]
[ ]…old son, Brian, to construct the world’s most famous home-made guitar, the ‘Red Special’. In the mean time, Brian would have to be content with thrashing away at the small Spanish acoustic his parents had bought him for his seventh birthday. (Brian evidently mislaid this childhood guitar shortly afterwards; and didn’t see it again until 1991, when at a ‘reunion’ of former members of 1984, his schoolfriend and first musical collaborator, Dave Dilloway, returned it to him. Brian was so thrilled, that he featured the guitar in the video for Queen’s “Headlong" single).
By 1964, Brian and Dave Dilloway were already recording amateur duets together, and by linking up their two reel-to-reel tape docks, they discovered that they could lay down guitars on one machine, and perhaps bass, percussion and sometimes vocals on the other. Although the technique was crude, and despite the occasional disaster, the effect was often surprisingly good. One of the earliest tapes from these primitive recording sessions survives to this day, and features Brian belting out Bo Diddley’s eponymous R&B standard, “Bo Diddley”.
“This is a mono quarter-inch, reel-to-reel I found buried among various other oddments from the era”, recalls Dave Dilloway. “It certanly dates from before the formation of 1984. It was recorded in Brian’s back room in Feltham, with Brian on lead vocals and guitar, and myself on bass and drums. The track is basic, but Brian’s vocals are clear and recognisable. The guitar playing is fairly basic as well, but competent, without any real solos as such”.
“ This is the only tape in my collection of those double-track recordings. I’m unsure whether Brian himself has retained the tapes we made at the time, but I believe he usually ended up with the finished versions, so he may still heve them somewhere.”
The duo also recorded four-track instrumental cover versions of several Shadows tunes — “Apache”, “FBI”, “Wonderful Land” and "The Rise And Fall Of Fingel Blunt” — as well as “Rambunkshush”, which they learned from the Shadows’ American counterparts, The Ventures. Also on the same tape is their reading of Chet Atkins’ “Windy And Warm”.
Yet another reel reveals an attempt at Cliff Richard’s “Bachelor Boy”, on which Brian, once again, takes the lead vocal. Dave Dilloway’s theory is probably correctt; May is known to have a meticulously catalogued personal collection of Queen (and pre-Queen) recordings and memorabilia, which almost certanlly contains unfathomable reels of similar early material.
In the autumn of 1964, Brian and Dave formed a rapidly-evolving band, through which many schoolmates passed, but which eventually settled with a line-up of bassist John ‘Jag’ Garnham, drummer Richard Thompson, and harmonica-playing vocalist Tim Staffell. After rejecting names such as the Mind Boggles and Bob Chappy & the Beetles, the quintet named themselves after George Orwell’s futuristic novel ‘1984’. Their look was far from sci-fi, however, and they happily adopted the classic, clean-cut beat- group look of the day: jackets, or in Brian’s case a cardigan, and narrow trousers; and beat boots. Tim Staffell even acquired that year’s fashion accessory, a pork-pie hat.
The band rehearsed regularly at Chase Bridge Primary School Hall in Twickenham (located next to the rugby ground), and on the 28th October 1964, gave their first public performance at the nearby St. Mary’s Church Hall. It is believed that either one of the rehearsals, or the gig itself, was recorded, but unfortunately, no tape of this debut, performance has survived the years. Although 1984 recorded almost all of their live concerts for their own critical appraisal, to save on the expense of new tape they often wiped over old reels once they’d listened to them. Nevertheless, evidence of Brian May playing live does survive from this period, and the earliest example dates from an unknown gig (Shepperton Rowing Club is the favoured consensus), recorded in late 1965. This wasn’t a 1984 performance, but rather an ad-hoc trio comprising Brian May on bass and vocals, Pete ‘Woolly’ Hammerton (a school friend of Brian’s) on guitar and vocals, and 1984’s Richard Thompson on drums. The tape reveals the trio turning in versions of Martha & the Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street", the Beatles’ “Eight Days A Week”, “I’m Taking Her Home” — a song by the group Woolly later joined, the Others — and a brave attempt at the Who’s “My Generation”.
The Others comprised older boys from Hampton School, who in October 1964 had issued a single of their abrasive reading of Bo Diddley’s “Oh Yeah", backed by “I’m Taking Her Home", on Fontana (TF 501). “That was good!“ claims singer, Tim Staffell. “I’ve still got that record buried somewhere deep in my mind — I remember the singer, Paul Stewart’s voice and the quality of the guitar sound. The Others were a pretty significant influence. Maybe not in terms of the music, more in the sense that they were already doing it, which proved it was possible.”
As evidenced by the photograph included in this feature, the Others clearly had attitude, something which 1984, or Tim Staffell at least, could only aspire to “If I had tried to push 1984 in any direction,“ reveals Tim, “then that would have been it. Without hearing any of these tapes of our band — and I didn’t even know they existed! — l’d say we probably sounded a lot safer than the Others. Mind you, they were different to us. Their guitar style was very much inspired by American R&B, whereas Brian’s never was. Brian was a unique guitar player: he was able to extemporise a much more original way than most guitar players could. I hope he’ll forgive me for saying so, but I never perceived him as having the dangerous image which was necessary at the time — the cardigan says it all!.
LIGHTWEIGHT
“In retrospect, 1984 was lightweight, a bit fluffy” concedes Tim. “It was impossible not to be naively ambitious — that was part and parcel of it — and the primary motivation to do it was what we saw in the media as the end results of success. But I guess we were realistic about it — we were at school, after all. Also there was a good deal of pressure in the 60s from our parents, and the conservative generation, to conform.”
Although a version of “I’m Taking Her Home” by 1984 was captured live on the Shepperton tape, and Brian occasionally guested with the Others on stage, it’s worth stating once and for all that — despite the persistent rumours — he definitely doesn’t feature on “Oh Yeah”. In fact, Pete ‘Woolly’ Hammerton doesn’t even play on the record — he only joined the band formally later on.
In the autumn of 1965, leaving Hampton Grammar with no fewer than four 'A’ Levels and ten ‘O’ levels, Brian enrolled at Imperial College in Kensington, London, to read physics and infra-red astronomy. Before breaking up for the Christmas holidays that year, he played the first in a series of gigs with 1984 at the college, a tradition he continued later with Smile, and in their formative days with Queen. Although the exact date of the event has long since been forgotten, a very poor- quality tape still exists of 1984‘s college debut. The set was a typical one, comprising the group’s broad blend of pop, R&B and soul covers, and included the following songs: “Cool Jerk" (originally by the Capitols), ‘Respect" (Otis Redding), “My Girl” (the Temptations), “Shake" (Sam Cooke), “Stepping Stone" (the Monkees), “You Keep Me Hanging On" (the Supremes), “Whatcha Gonna Do Ahout it" ( Small Faces), “Substitute” (the Who), “How Can It Be” (the B-side of the Birds’ final single, “No Good Without You Baby”), “Dancing In The Street", “Dream" (Everly Brothers) and the Small Faces’ “Sha La La La Lee”.
“Our repertoire was a little too eclectic to have developed into any particular style” reckons Tim Staffell. “But the Small Faces were quite influential. When we were at school, the songs were dredged from all sorts of areas. I’d always liked rhythm’n’blues. Brian’s input would have been Beatles-orientated, Dave’s as well. Richard Thompson would have been more into R&B, and Jag didn’t really have an agenda as far as songs were concerned. Because of the nature of the material we covered, our approach to the gigs was almost schoollboy cabaret. 1984 was not a dangerous, moody rock band! Which may have something to do with the way Queen evolved.“
1984 oponed 1966 with a couple of gigs at the Thames Rowing CIub in Putney; and once again, a tape recorder was set up to document the group’s progress. Two reels from January that year exist: the first is dated the 15th, and features “Im A Loser” (the Beatles), “I Wish You Would” ( the Yardbirds), “I Feel Fine" (the Beatles), “Little Egypt" (the Coasters), “Lucille” (Little Richard), “Too Much Monkey Business” (Chuck Berry), “I Got My Mojo Working” (Muddy Waters), "WalkingThe Dog” ( Rufus Thomas) and “Heart Full Of Soul” (the Yardbirds).
The second, dated two weeks later (29th January), demonstrates the great variety and confidence of a band which consistently renewed its repertoire. The show began with Jimmy Reed’s “Bright Lights, Big City", moving into the Cookies’ “Chains" (popularised by the Beatles), “Walking The Dog", “Lucille", “Our Little Rendezvous" (Chuck Berry), “Jack O’ Diamonds" (Blind Lemon… (cont)
(cont) Jefferson, popularised by Lonnie Donegan), “I’ve Got My Mojo Working”, “Little Egypt" and Bo Diddley’s “I’m A Man”. The band’s finale was a versión of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Bye Bye Bird”.
For an amateur band with little real pretension towards stardom, or even a serious attempt at securing a recording contract, a staggering amount of live 1984 material has been preserved on tape. Dave Dilloway, for instance, is the guardian of a seven-inch reel-to-reel, which he says reveals either a very long performance or a compilation of various unknown dates.
Either way, the tape is divided into five distinct sections, which might make tedious reading, but is an invaluable reference: 1) “Route 66", (unknown instrumental), “I’m Taking Her Home", “Too Much Monkey Business’, “Yesterday" (featuring Brian May on lead vocals), “Walking The Dog", and “ Lucille"; 2) “Little Rendezvous", “Keep On Running”, “I Feel Fine”, “Walking The Dog”, “Jack O’ Diamonds”, “High Heeled Sneakers", “I Want To Hold Your Hand", “I Got My Mojo Working*, and “I Should Have Known Better”; 3) “Little Rendezvous", “Jump Back Baby Jump Back", “I Feel Fine”, “Bye Bye Bird", “Little Egypt", “Crazy House". “Lucille”, “Oh Yeah”, “Heatwave”, “Too Much Monkey Business", “I Should Have Known Better", and “I Got My Mojo Working"; 4) “My Generation", “Little Egypt", “Dancing In The Street", “Whatcha Gonna Do About It", “I’m A Man", “Heatwave", “Lucille", and “Bye Bye Bird"; and 5) “Heart Full Of Soul", “Too Much Monkey Business”, “Something’s Got A Hold On Me", “Keep On Running", “My Generation", “Tired Of Waiting”, “Bright Lights. Big City" and “Happy Hendrick’s Polka".
“These are all domestic quality, single microphone recordings of early-era 1984", reveals Dave Dilloway. “It’s mostly bluesy material, with some soul and Beatles songs. While the quality is basic, the sound is intelligible, although there isn’t a large amount of identifiable Brian guitarwork. That came later in the band’s history, when we included covers of Crearn and Hendrix. Brian’s solo vocals on 'Yesterday’ (on the first segment) are quite clear, however.“
For much of 1966, the band carried on in a similar vein — Brian’s and the others’ college work permitting, of course. For Brian May and his unsigned, Twickenham-based covers band, the highlight of the following year, 1967, was undoubtedly the gig he secured via through his contacts at the college — supporting Jimi Hendrix at Imperial. The date was 13th May, the day after the release of Hendrix’s debut, “Are You Experienced”. Brian May idolised Hendrix to such an extent that he’d been nicknamed “Brimi" — a combination of the two guitarists’ names—so although 1984 had seen him perform before, it goes without saying they were thrilled when backstage, they actually bumped into the ascending star as they filed past his dressing-room. It’s a familar story, but it’s one worth repeating: Jimi enquired memorably, “Which way’s the stage, man?*.
BLOSSOMED
1984’s act had certainly blossomed by this point. Their attire was now obligatory Swinging London — or Swinging Middlesex — fare: frilly shirts, Regency jackets, striped hipsters secured with a white belt, and hairtyles extending inexorably over the ears, and indeed the eyes. “Somewhere along the line, there was an external influence there", says Tim Staffell. “There was someone calling the shots. I don’t think all that was self-motivated. It’s something I’ve never been comfortable with, which explains why I split away from it early on — certainly from Smile onwards — because it was going that way; as indeed it ended up with Queen. It’s fair enough, but that sort of flamboyance is just not me. I look fairly uncomfortable in the picture of the band from that period. My idea of a rock musician is one with hair down his back, a dirty pair of Levi’s on, looking at the floor, thoroughly unconcerned with the visual and external trappings, playing the most extraordinary virtuoso guitar. That was my attitude.“
Back in February 1967, Brian’s local paper, the ‘Middlesex Chronicle’ caught up with the band, and captured Tim Staffell in an equally decisive mood; although here, he was more enthusiastic about the latest trend. "Psychodelic music is certainly here to stay”~he claimed. ”It makes more of music than mere sound, it makes it a whole and complete art form.“ Dave Dilloway, who also handled the group’s light show, added: “We use everything in our act, including things like shaving foam, and plastic bricks we throw around”.
The ‘Chronicle’ was obviously impressed, and its reporter had this to say about a performance by what it called “one of the most foward-looking groups today”. “Standards, like ‘Heatwave’ receive a very original treatment, mostly due to the sounds that Brian coaxes out of his guitar. Jazz chords and electronic sounds add feeling and nuance to numbers that are often churned out wholesale. Using two bass drums for a fuller sound, Richard’s drumming, combined with the full bass riffs of Dave and the steady (rhythm guitar) work of John, provides a firm basis for experiments in sound — an opportunity which is not wasted.“
“To be quite honest with you, there’s more substance in the literary content there, than in the musical,” laughs Tim Staffell. “If someone genuinely thought that, then I’m surprised! Brian might have used a fuzz-box. but generally, it was au naturel. I remember in the Smile days, somebody wrote about ‘humming chords of wonder’, referring to my bass playing. The reality of it was that sometimes I did try and play chords on the bass guitar, which might have come out as a deep-throated roar, but actually sounded like a load of crap!”
“We did use to tickle about with a few lights, suggests Dave Dilloway, “but being a local band, money was tight and there wasn’t a fortune to spend on the band.“ As to 1984’s psychodelic sound, Dave adds: “Brian did use a bit of fuzz, yes, and Pink Floyd influences and a bit of screaming guitar. He’d actually built a fuzz box into his guitar, which was fairly unique for the day, but typical Brian. If you look carefully at recent pictures of his “Red Special” you can see the fuzz switch taped over.”
In September 1967, no doubt boosted by their praise — sincere or not — in the local press, the continuing evidence of their performance tapes and their recent Hendrix support slot, 1984 entered the local beats of a battle-of-the-bands competition at the Top…[ ]
…[ ] Rank Club in Croydon, just south of London. Effectively a promotion for Scotch tape, entrance to the contest could only be secured via a demo recorded on a Scotch reel. 1984’s effort duly arrived in the form of a two-track master, featuring covers of Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar?“ and the Everly Brothers’ “Crying ln The Rain” (on stage, both tracks were usually enhanced by characteristic Brian May guitar solos, but conservatism prevailed, and they were absent in this instance). A copy of this recording still survives, carefully guarded by the custodian of the 1984 archive. “This tape is a quarter-inch, mono reel-to-reel,“ recalIs Dave Dilloway. “Tim took lead vocals on 'Ain’t That Peculiar?’, and Tim and Brian duetted on ’Crying ln The Rain’. Brian’s vocal style and tone can be clearly discerned, if one knows his voice. The songs were recorded in single takes, using a single microphone fed directly to the recorder. There was no mix facility so it has a ‘live’ feel, a very good clean sound”.
The mix was achieved using the old fashioned technique of microphone position and relative volume levels of the amplified Instruments. “As far as I am aware, only the one (master) copy of this tape exists.”
As has been well-documented, after two sets at the competition (one of which saw Brian, Dave, John Garnham and drummer Richard Thompson acting as the back-up band for a singer called Lisa Perez), 1984 won the contest, and walked away with a reel of blank tape (Scotch, of course) and an album each on the CBS label. (Tim took the top prize, Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds Of Silence”, Brian had to make do with a Barbra Streisand LP, and Dave Dilloway became the proud owner of an album by Irish bandleader Tommy Makem!). More importantly, their demo tape was forwarded to the CBS A&R department for the national showdown, although, clearly, they didn’t win.
True to form, 1984’s performance that evening was committed to tape — for an unpublished review by ‘Melody’ Maker, no less — but was probably erased shortly afterwards. The twenty-minute set consisted of the Everlys’ “So Sad”, Hendrix’s “Stone Free”, Buddy Knox’s “She’s Gone" and Eddie Floyd’s “Knock On Wood". After the gig, the band were invited by a visiting promotor to participate in the all-night gala event which has since gone down as one of the key gigs of the London underground scene: Christmas On Earth Continued, at London’s Olympia Theatre, on December 23rd 1967. 1984 was the lowest profile act at this decidedly high-profile event, and after Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Pink Floyd, the Herd, and Tyrannosaurus Rex had all taken to the stage, they only got to perform their humble set of covers at 5 o’clock in the morning. When Brian finally plugged in his ‘Red Special’, 1984 played a thirty-minute set to a very small, and less than enthusiastic, audience.
Also from 1967, and of far more interest, is 1984′s professionally-recorded Thames Television demo tape. During his first-year of study at Twickenham Technical College, Dave Dilloway had made friends with a number of technicians, or trainee technicians, at the Teddington-based ITV company which served the London area. The station had recently invested in new recording equipment, and rather than hire professional musicians at the usual union rate, in a set up similar to the first Queen sessions at the De Lane Lea studios, 1984 were let loose in the studio to record at their leisure. Dave Dilloway’s carefully preserved tape still plays perfectly, and includes the following songs: “Hold On I’m Corning”, “Knock On Wood“, “NSU", *How Can It Be”, two early run-throughs of the original May/ Staffell composition “Step On Me” (which eventually became the B- side to Smile’s “Earth"), “Purple Haze", “Our Love Is Driftin* ”, and medleys of “Remember”/”Sweet Wine" and “Get Out My Life Woman”/ ”Satisfaction". The session ended with a run-through of “My Girl”.
AMALGAM
"What an extraordinary amalgam!” declares Tim Staffell today. “There’s Tamla, Cream, Hendrix, Lee Dorsey . . ‘Our Love Is Driftin’ we’d have heard by Paul Butterfield. I’d forgotten there was such a large soul component in 1984!“.
Dave Dilloway has the technical details: “This tape is the most recent, best and most representative of 1984 that I’m aware of. It is mono, but since it was made on good quality TV studio equipment and was carried out along the lines of a proper studio recording, with separately-mixed microphones for each source, it is remarkably good quality for its age. The material, except for ‘Step On Me’, is aII cover versions, but as it dates from the late 1984 era, Brian’s playing is more prominent and effective, with his own style starting to show through. All the performances are competent — particularly Tim’s vocals and Brian’s guitar; although the mix is a little heavy on John’s rhythm guitar for some reason, probably the ‘ear’ of the recording engineer at the time. All tracks were laid down in one take, i.e., no overdubbing at all, so the sound is predominantly simple, as per our live versions.”
And that was 1984′s swansong. In the spring of 1968, shortly afler the Thames recording, mainly due to the pressures of infrequent meetings and university studies — coupled with increasing musical differences — 1984 scaled down their operations drastically. Brian May left the band, and Tim Staffell took over on lead guitar for a while. A little later, Tim himself quit, leaving Dave Dilloway, John Garnham and Richard Thompson to rebuild the group, which soldiered on into the 70′s, content merely to play for fun. They all conceded that 1984 had been a good, solid, and popular local band, but that it didn’t have the necessary spark or originality to transform into a great one.
The Left Handed Marriage
ln the summer of 1965, in another corner of Hampton Grammar School, Brian May’s old friend Bill Richards (who had been a fleeting, early member of 1984 before it acquired its futuristic name), and his colleagues Jenny Hill (née Rusbridge), Henry Deval and Terry Goulds, formed a folk-rock band called the Left-Handed Marriage, named after an archaic form of marrying beneath oneself. By January 1967, the quartet had progressed to the point where they had issued their own privately-pressed album, “On The Right Side Of The Left Handed Marriage", which ran to just fifty copies (and, incidentally, has since acquired cult status among collectors, with a £600 price tag to match).
Although naturally familiar with the album, Brian May as yet had not been involved with the band. That changed in March 1967, after Bill signed a twelve-month contract with EMI’s music publishing company Ardmore & Beechwood — a deal secured through the efforts of Brian Henderson, a former member of Edinburgh beat outfit the Mark Five, and more recently, the bassist in Patrick Campbell- Lyons’ 60′s psychodelic band, Nirvana. Bill approached Brian to help him create a “fuller" sound for the Left Handed Marriage, with a request to provide guitar and backing vocals on some recording sessions.
On the understanding that the project wouldn’t interfere with his commitment to 1984, Brian agreed. On 4th April 1967, he joined Jenny, Henry, Terry and Bill in AMC Sound, an amateur studio in Manor Road, Twickenham, to record four songs: “Give Me Time” (later changed to “I Need Time"), “She Was Once My Friend”, “Sugar Lump Girl” and “Yours Sincerely” (which was basically “Give Me Time" backwards, with new lyrics pinched from the Russian author Pushkin).
The songs were all cleanly-recorded, melodic atempts at 1967 pop (despite the Left Handed Marriage’s later classification, there’s little actual folk music in evidence). “She Was Once My Friend" is the pick of the bunch, thanks to its Kinks-like structure — complete with Bill Richard’s/ Ray Davies-soundalike vocal and, albeit way down in the mix, flashes of that distinctive Brian May 'Red Special’ guitar sound. Acetates of the AMC EP were cut, and the idea had been to release the songs as a commercial EP. Instead, the set merely became the Left Handed Marriage’s first demo for their publishers, although it did lead to the offer to record at a more professional session — at EMI’s prestigious Abbey Road studios.
The Abbey Road session took place on 28th June 1967, when Left Handed Marriage were joined by Brian and 1984′s Dave Dilloway, who was drafted in to play bass. Two further tracks were cut: the reworked “I Need Time",…[ ]
…[ ] and a new song called “Appointment". At this stage, there was more talk of issuing a record, this time a single, and a release date of August was even discussed. This never materialised either, and again 7″ acetates are all that remain.
Although Ardmore & Beechwood were pleased with the results, they still thought the Left Handed Marriage could improve their sound even further, and on 31st July 1967, they booked the band into another studio, this time Regent Sound in central London. As Dave Dilloway was not available, another friend, John Frankel, was called upon to play bass and piano. The eight-track Regent Sound machine was something of a technological marvel, and the session was flawlessly recorded, resulting in new versions of “I Need Time”, “She Was Once My Friend" (which also remixed and edited for the abandoned single), and “Appointment”.
Despite the studio quality of the tape, Ardmore & Beechwood failed to place the songs with a record label, and like so many groups before and since, the Left Handed Marriage quietly disappeared from view. It was left to frontman Bill Richards belatedly to issue the fruits of this last session, when in February 1993, he tagged the three Regent Sound recordings — the final mix of “I Need Time”, the abridged version of “She Was Once A Friend Of Mine” and the final mix of “Appointment” — onto the end of “Crazy Chain”, a CD recorded by the reformed Left Handed Marriage, which itself was prompted by collector’s interest in the group’s original 1967 LP, “The Right Hand Side Of…” . Most of the master tapes for the LHM recordings featuring Brian May have Iong since disappeared along with the Regent Sound studio, and (with the exception of “She Was Once My Friend”) the Richards/May collaborations on the CD were digitally remastered from acetates.
RECORD COLLECTOR Nº 195, NOVEMBER 1995
➡NEXT: ROGER TAYLOR’S REACTION
You won't hear anything cuter than this today.
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