To rejoice the fiftieth anniversary of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen has launched a particular, five-part new installment of their sequence The Best exploring the musical evolution that led to one in every of their most iconic songs.
The primary episode, “The Path to Bohemian Rhapsody,” premieres at this time, October 31, on Queen’s official YouTube channel. The sequence joins previous episodes of Brian Might and Roger Taylor’s sequence overlaying their origins, their well-known Reside Help present and extra—like different installments within the sequence, it options unique interviews with Might and Taylor.
Whereas “Bohemian Rhapsody” shocked the music trade with its inventive and technical complexity, as Might and Taylor inform it, the track represented a pure development reasonably than a radical departure. “It didn’t feel that way from the inside,” Might defined. “You’ve only got to look at the first album, with ‘My Fairy King’.”
Might identifies “My Fairy King,” a monitor off Queen’s 1973 debut, as an early indicator of the path Freddie Mercury’s songwriting would take—piano-based with advanced temper adjustments and fantasy-minded lyrics. Taylor additionally factors to “March of the Black Queen” from 1974’s Queen II as an much more direct precursor. “It’s a lot more complicated in many ways than ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’” Taylor mentioned, highlighting the monitor’s quite a few sections and elaborate vocal preparations.
Lastly, the founding guitarists cited “The Fairy Feller’s Masterstroke,” one other Queen II monitor that includes intricate contrapuntal components and six-part harmonies, as an early ancestor to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “It’s incredibly complicated,” Taylor famous. “It’s a nice, interesting track in its eccentric over-elaboration.”
May mused on Mercury’s unpredictable inventive course of, sharing: “You didn’t know where Freddie was coming from. He comes in and goes ‘there’s this bit, and there’s another bit we’ll do, and there’s the operatic section.’ You either dive in, and the whole Queen machine swings into action.”
The “Bohemian Rhapsody”-focused sequence continues weekly all through November. Along with the commemorative sequence, the band will reissue the monitor as 7”, 12” and cassette single. They’ve additionally shared a brand new vinyl version of The Evening At The Opera, the 1975 album “Bohemian Rhapsody” appeared on.
Order Bohemian Rhapsody right here and A Evening on the Opera right here.
