Queen

Queen is one of the most successful rock bands of all time, whose popularity exploded again in 2018 thanks to the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody.

Queen formed in 1970 and eventually found its permanent lineup with singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon, and drummer Roger Taylor. Their debut album, "Queen," was released in 1973, generating initial interest. This promise was fulfilled a year later with "Queen II," which charted for the first time in the UK. In the years that followed, the quartet quickly increased its popularity with the albums "Sheer Heart Attack" (1974), "A Night At The Opera" (1975), "A Day At The Races" (1976), "News Of The World" (1977), "Jazz" (1978), and "The Game" (1980).

A Day at the Races, in particular, proved to be a crucial album in the band's development. Despite its epic length, the single "Bohemian Rhapsody" became a global hit, thanks in part to its groundbreaking music video. The album's colorful sound was striking. Although Queen was essentially a rock band, they effortlessly branched out into vaudeville, pop, progressive rock, blues, funk, disco, and electropop.

In the latter half of the 1970s and early 1980s, Queen was an absolute top band, touring worldwide to sold-out stadiums. Freddie Mercury was unparalleled as a charismatic frontman. Just as their success was beginning to wane, Queen stole the show in 1985 at the massively watched Live Aid festival. The world tour that followed was a resounding success and resulted in the live album Queen At Wembley.

In 1991, the impressive Innuendo was released during a period of speculation about the singer's health. Freddie Mercury died on November 24 of that year from complications related to AIDS. Initially, this marked the inevitable end of the band, although the lovingly compiled posthumous album Made In Heaven was released in 1995. In the years that followed, the name was kept alive thanks to musicals, compilations like Queen Rocks and Queen Forever, and live albums like Live At The Rainbow '74 and A Night At The Odeon – Hammersmith 1975.

In 2005, Queen returned to the tour, featuring Paul Rodgers, known for his work on Free and Bad Company. They even recorded a new album with him: The Cosmos Rocks. After his departure in 2009, Paul Rodgers was replaced by American Idol finalist Adam Lambert, with whom they primarily performed live. Although the band never really went away, Queen's popularity received an unprecedented boost in 2018 thanks to the film Bohemian Rhapsody – starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. The eponymous soundtrack shot to the top of the album charts worldwide. The film's greatest achievement, however, was undoubtedly the creation of a whole new generation of Queen fans.

At Platenzaak.nl we have a huge selection of Queen CDs and LPs, including exclusive editions.