Classic Rock - Queen

Classic Rock without the contribution of Queen would be like cake with no icing! A recent poll taken on the ICOM Celebration Series Facebook page indicates a preference for Queen amongst many other classic rock bands.

If classic rock is all about attitude, showmanship, and style, then one of the greatest classic rock bands of our time- Queen- headed by Freddie Mercury certainly epitomizes those attributes.

In 1971, four young university lads hailing from England, got together to form a band. Each of them had the same dream of being a rockstar and living the life of the rich and famous. Little did they know that they would one day become one of the world’s greatest rock bands. Queen with guitarist- Brian May, drummer- Roger Taylor, bassist John Deacon and the unforgettable Freddie Mercury on vocals have released 15 studio albums and their hits include among many others, 'We are the Champions', 'Another One Bites the Dust', 'Radio Ga Ga', etc. 

When Queen released “A Night at the Opera” in 1975 which featured the international hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, it topped the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks! The song was also ranked number one in several other territories and that gave Queen their very first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Following this feat was two of the most recognizable anthems in the rock world, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”. 

Queen’s album sales are estimated to be ranging from 150 million to 300 million albums, making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists. 

If you want to be convinced about their charisma, you need to watch any live DVD concert of Queen- (Live at Wembley Stadium or Hungarian Rhapsody - Queen Live in Budapest'86) is a good starting point. These two concerts are classic examples of dynamism and sheer style in performance! Queen certainly set the standard in stadium style concerts with their sold out shows that featured some remarkable staging and production standards for the 70s and 80s.

Watch the video of 'We are the Champions' Live at Wembley

The ICOM Tribute Band will perform 'We Are the Champions' on the 26 & 27 of April at Pentas 1, klpac! You don't want to miss that!

Researched & written by: Caitlynn Vidya Savari (BTP), Chloe Doyou (BTP)

Edited by: Vinay Prabhakar (Senior Faculty)