Queen: The Complete Works

by Georg Purvis

  After a brief rest, the band flew to Sweden to begin their first European tour. Brian was hesitant to admit defeat after Mott The Hoople and Faces had performed poorly-received gigs there: “I’ve got a slight feeling that Europe is not as bad as people think. In Germany, tickets are selling well and we’re pretty confident.” Lynyrd Skynyrd supported them on this tour, which didn’t sit well with some of the band. “They were awful,” Roger cuttingly recalled thirty years later. “They were southern rednecks and they couldn’t believe it when they saw the four of us caked in make-up and dressed like women. They were outraged, confused and a little frightened, because four nancy boys were giving them a run for their money. In fact, there were actually people from their record company who would stand in the audience holding up banners that said things like ‘Shit’ and ‘Queen Suck’. Things could be unbelievably petty back then – they paid people to heckle us! God, Lynyrd Skynyrd. They were arseholes, frankly. When they played that song, ‘Free Bird’, it seemed to go on for hours. As I remember, they had three lead guitarists. Hmm, well we only seemed to need one. Absolute arseholes.”

  The tour took an unexpected turn when, following the third show in Lund, a selection of dates had to be cancelled due to the band’s equipment truck breaking down; it is not known what cities or countries the band was due to perform in. The truck was repaired in time for the Munich show, though another problem arose when the driver negotiated too small a bridge and became stuck. Frustrated, the band called Edwin Shirley Trucking as a replacement, and were so appreciative of the crew’s efforts that they employed them on every tour thereafter.

  Overall, Europe didn’t take kindly to Queen; Record Mirror reported that the audience, mostly American GIs, in Frankfurt were more responsive to Lynyrd Skynyrd than to the main act. “It was, said the tall and studious Brian May, like playing to a vacuum cleaner. ‘We were just pouring it out and [the audience] were sucking it in, with nothing coming back. I tell you, for the first time in many months I felt like I’d done a hard day’s work when I came off stage.’ May, along with the rest of the band, is sitting in the diner of Frankfurt’s Why Not club reflecting on Queen’s second date in Germany. The mood is not bad, but there’s an undercurrent of steely determination following the difficulties of that night’s gig ... None of the boys seem overly worried and the general feeling in their road party – and among the visiting journalists – is one of disdain for the Frankfurt crowd. A crowd of dopers into boogie rock is hardly likely to appreciate futuristic guitar pyrotechnics and 1975 flash a la Mercury. ‘Still,’ muses May, now installed at the night spot, ‘they could have returned something. The more an audience feed back, the better we play – naturally – but there I just felt like I was wasting my time.’”

  Dutch magazine Oor was slightly more positive: “On 8 December I decided to visit the ‘Big Music Day’ in The Hague. And I must say, I do not regret my decision ... But, it was possible to deliver an even more professional show, especially in terms of stage presentation. Queen gave away a rousing show. A truly royal spectacle, which amused me a lot. Carefully put together, the show was convincing almost in its entirety. It is a band full of ideas, both musically and visually. Singer Freddie Mercury moved across the stage as if he was The Queen herself. And surprisingly, on stage the band succeeded in putting across their often complex music very well ... A highly entertaining and varying evening of modern rock ‘n’ roll, on which I enjoyed myself a lot. Queen’s huge popularity in the UK is completely logical.”

  Consequently, the band wouldn’t return to Europe until May 1977, instead focusing on conquering America after an embarrassing false start.

  1975

  SHEER HEART ATTACK

  NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

  5 FEBRUARY TO 6 APRIL 1975

  Musicians: John Deacon (bass guitar, triangle on ‘Killer Queen’), Brian May (guitar, vocals, banjo on ‘Bring Back That Leroy Brown’), Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano, tambourine), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals)

  Repertoire: ‘Procession’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Ogre Battle’, ‘Father To Son’, ‘White Queen (As It Began)’, ‘Flick Of The Wrist’, ‘In The Lap Of The Gods’ / ‘Killer Queen’ / ‘The March Of The Black Queen’ / ‘Bring Back That Leroy Brown’, ‘Son And Daughter’, ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, ‘Seven Seas Of Rhye’, ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, ‘Liar’, ‘In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited’, ‘Big Spender’, ‘Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘God Save The Queen’

  Itinerary:

  February 5: Agora, Columbus, Ohio

  February 7: Palace Theater, Dayton, Ohio

  February 8: Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio (afternoon and evening shows)

  February 9: Morris Civic Auditorium, South Bend, Indiana

  February 10: Ford Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan

  February 11: Student Union Auditorium, Toledo, Ohio

  February 14: Palace Theater, Waterbury, Connecticut

  February 15: Orpheum Theater, Boston, Massachusetts (afternoon and evening shows)

  February 16: Avery Fisher Hall, New York, New York (afternoon and evening shows)

  February 17: War Memorial, Trenton, New Jersey

  February 19: Armory, Lewiston, New York

  February 21: Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey

  February 22: Farm Arena, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

  February 23: Erlinger Theater, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (afternoon and evening shows)

  February 24: Kennedy Center, Washington DC

  March 5: Mary E Sawyer Auditorium, La Crosse, Wisconsin

  March 6: Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin

  March 7: Uptown Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  March 8: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois

  March 9: Keil Auditorium, St Louis, Missouri

  March 10: Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana

  March 12: Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia

  March 13: Civic Auditorium, Charleston, South Carolina

  March 14: Marina, Miami, Florida

  March 18: St Bernard Civic Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana

  March 20: Municipal Hall, San Antonio, Texas

  March 23: McFarlin Auditorium, Dallas, Texas

  March 25: Municipal Theater, Tulsa, Oklahoma

  March 29: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California (afternoon and evening shows)

  March 30: Winterland, San Francisco, California

  April 2: Kindmens Fieldhouse, Edmonton, Alberta

  April 3: Corral, Calgary, Alberta

  April 6: venue unknown, Seattle, Washington

  With their sights set on conquering America on their own, Queen flew to the Beacon Theater in New York City on 31 January 1975 to tighten their set list for the upcoming tour. They had been given a six-week break, which was used to their advantage: US tours are generally longer than most tours, since there’s more ground to cover, and Queen’s two-month tour would involve thirty-eight shows at thirty different venues. To provide further promotion, the band would give at least two radio interviews in each city, which became a source of irritation among the band, especially Roger, who later commented that he was often hungover during the interviews, and his threshold for answering the same tedious questions was considerably lower than usual.

  Queen’s main support band for this tour was Kansas – the same band that had replaced them on the Mott The Hoople tour the previous year – though Mahogany Rush and Styx would occasionally fill in instead. Kansas lead singer Steve Walsh recalled years later in an interview with classicbands.com that Queen “were fantastic. Real nice people, except Freddie ... He was an asshole. But everybody else was great ... He was a prima donna. Diva, if you will. That word was not meant to be a compliment, although a lot of people consider it to be. That’s bullshit. That’s having an ego bigger than you are talented, bigger than you deserved. That’s what being a diva is. That’s what a prima donna is and that’s what Freddie was.”

  Unfortunately for Queen, the tou
r was marred by further health problems. Because of the demanding itinerary, Freddie’s voice gave out completely after the second show in Philadelphia. A throat specialist from the Philadelphia University Hospital was called, diagnosing two suspected throat nodules and recommending the vocalist refrain from singing, and even speaking, for three months. Not wanting to disappoint the band or the fans, Freddie decided to test out his voice on one more show (Washington DC), which didn’t see any drastic change for the better. The others hadn’t been informed of Freddie’s condition until before the Washington show, when they were told that it would be their last for at least three months. Freddie sought a second opinion, with a local specialist again called in; the vocalist was informed he had severe swelling but that nodules weren’t the cause and only one or two weeks’ rest was necessary. Relieved, Queen cancelled six concerts, recommencing the tour in Wisconsin on 5 March.

  The tour continued largely without incident, though Freddie still had problems with his voice; consequently, some dates were postponed to give him more time to relax, with the final show in Portland on 7 April being cancelled altogether. Not all problems were related to health: during the evening concert in Los Angeles, John split his trousers early in the show, which caused Freddie to exclaim, “Bass guitarist John Deacon, oh he’s there. He’s split his trousers! Have a look! A little nice bit of fun.” The embarrassed bassist was able to slink off and change during Brian’s guitar solo. On a more significant note, Brian and Roger witnessed Led Zeppelin’s epic 27 March concert at the Los Angeles Forum, and Brian later commented that his dream was to appear with them with Queen. “We thought if we played the Rainbow in London we’d made it,” Brian recalled. “Then we saw Zeppelin at the Forum and thought, ‘Jesus Christ, if we ever make this kind of thing’ ... Our manager was there and he said, ‘Couple of years’ time, you’ll be doing this’.” They would do so less than two years later.

  While the audience reception to the tour was wild, critical notices were decidedly mixed. The Boston Globe wrote that Queen’s nemeses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, were once again the opening act at the afternoon show at the Orpheum, but they declined to appear for the evening show. “Credit Mr May for Queen’s distinctively sophisticated electronic sound which explores new musical frontiers without resorting to the use of synthesizers. His carefully controlled echo effects provide a perfect background for the exaggerated histrionics of lead singer Freddie Mercury. Bedecked in a skin-tight white satin suit, fingernails painted black and flashing the toothiest grin you’ve ever seen, Mercury is very much the center of attention in Queen’s stage show. Prancing back and forth with both grace and a hint of naughtiness, he is in total command of his audience. And this audience loved every minute of it.” Another review was more constructive: “One of the group’s strong points – the dynamic interplay between and within songs and the juxtaposition of heavy, bashing numbers with lighter, relatively frail pop tunes – is, in its absence, one of the major complaints that can be leveled against Queen’s live show. Perhaps it was because their concert a week ago last Saturday at the Orpheum was their first appearance in Boston ... but one of the unsettling undercurrents which kept an immensely enjoyable concert from being categorized as great was a feeling that Queen was simply trying too hard ... Nevertheless, such complaining is virtual quibbling when considering just how far above the current standard of rock music Queen stands.”

  Lisa Robinson’s review of the New York show was more sarcastic in its tone: “Smoke is coming out at the audience and I turn to Lee Childers to ask what the name of this song is. ‘What’s the name of this? Are you kidding? “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, darling.’ Oh. It actually sounds like ‘Flick Of The Wrist’ or ‘Tenement Funster’ – one of those from Sheer Heart Attack that remind me of Bowie – but I could be wrong. Anyway, the sound is good – the entire stage production looked dramatically effective ... and Freddie Mercury’s stage presence is simply overwhelming ... All of a sudden it is apparent that the dry ice/smoke machine is not working properly. A mixture of smoke and dry ice comes rolling over the stage and nearly asphyxiates the front three rows, the rows I might add, in which all journalists have been placed. I think it is a riot. A boy in front of me puts up an umbrella. I also notice that a boy on the aisle to my left is totally nodded out; head slumped over the arm of the chair.”

  The New York Times was especially vicious of Queen’s popularity and headlining stature: “Its last time here, six months ago, it was at the bottom of the bill in a Broadway rock season. And yet it’s difficult to see why Queen deserves this fervor. The music, falling into the heavy metal variety, full of ponderous chord and dramatic pause, is scarcely superoriginal, and its instrumental technique has been heard before – Brian May, guitarist, is heavily into feedback, occasionally to the point of regurgitation. Even the singing and stage mannerisms of Freddie Mercury glitter in the reflections of others.” Chris Charlesworth wasn’t impressed either, and indicated the critical disconnect from fan appreciation: “Queen’s music, to me, was tedious, and their on-stage presence (an essential quality if you choose to run the heavy-rock-with-glitter-overtones race) was an almost laughably bizarre mish-mash of every other more successful band of their genre ... It is only fair to point out that my view of the concert appeared to be that of the minority and the majority went home satisfied.”

  SHEER HEART ATTACK JAPANESE TOUR

  19 APRIL TO 1 MAY 1975

  Musicians: John Deacon (bass guitar, triangle on ‘Killer Queen’), Brian May (guitar, vocals, banjo on ‘Bring Back That Leroy Brown’), Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano, tambourine), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals)

  Repertoire: ‘Procession’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Ogre Battle’, Father To Son’, ‘White Queen (As It Began)’, ‘Flick Of The Wrist’, ‘Hangman’, ‘Great King Rat’, ‘In The Lap Of The Gods’ / ‘Killer Queen’ / ‘The March Of The Black Queen’ / ‘Bring Back That Leroy Brown’, ‘Son And Daughter’, ‘Doing All Right’, ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, Seven Seas Of Rhye’, ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, ‘Liar’, ‘In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited’, ‘Big Spender’, ‘Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘See What A Fool I’ve Been’, ‘God Save The Queen’

  Itinerary:

  April 19: Budokan Hall, Tokyo

  April 22: Aichi Taiikukan, Nagoya

  April 23: Nokusai Taikan, Kobe

  April 25: Kyuden Taiikukan, Fukuoka

  April 28: Taiikukan, Okayama

  April 29: Yamaha Tsumagoi Hall, Shizuoka

  April 30: Bunkan Taiikukan, Yokohama

  May 1: Budokan Hall, Tokyo

  Following Queen’s successful North American tour, the band flew to Kawai in Hawaii for a short break before venturing to Japan. Arriving at Haneda Airport on 17 April, they were surprised to discover over 3000 screaming fans greeting them as they walked off the plane. They were then whisked off to a press reception and presented with awards for high record sales for Sheer Heart Attack and ‘Killer Queen’. Their reception was equated to the Beatlemania of a decade before, and would be reprised every time Queen visited the country. Roger later recalled with amusement that when he entered a store, the owner recognized him and repeated “Ah, you Queen!” while he took pictures of the bemused drummer for 10 minutes.

  The tour started on 19 April at the Budokan Arena, which was immediately sold out. The excitement of the 10,000-strong crowd was so great that, when the band appeared, a pack of fans rushed the stage and Freddie stopped the show to retain order. Luckily for the band, local promoters had employed sumo wrestlers as a means of security. The reception throughout the tour only intensified, and the band played off this energy by delivering not only a high octane set every night, but also delivering a few rarities: both ‘Great King Rat’ and ‘See What A Fool I’ve Been’ were rotated in periodically, while ‘Hangman’ was performed on the final night. Its appearance in the set was a raritiy these days, and Queen would return to it only once more: the following year, once again at the Budokan Arena. />
  John later commented that when the audiences were screaming during the band’s set, it seemed as if the arena walls were shaking, making for a scary yet exhilarating experience. Queen were touched at the warmth the locals exuded: Freddie, especially, fell in love with the country, and would make special trips there for shopping excursions or to just enjoy the culture and the people. Brian’s friend Chris Smith visited the guitarist after the tour, and found a dejected guitarist: “He said, ‘I was just in The Beatles. We got this amazing reception, even at the airport. Now I’ve gone from that to this,’” as he gestured at his bathroom wall covered in fungus. The band made a collective decision: Trident had to go, and a proposed return to North America in September was canceled, as was a US-only single release of a re-recorded ‘Keep Yourself Alive’. They would spend the better part of the summer and autumn battling their management while recording their fourth album.

  A NIGHT AT THE OPERA UK TOUR

  14 NOVEMBER TO 24 DECEMBER 1975

  Musicians: John Deacon (bass guitar, triangle on ‘Killer Queen’), Brian May (guitar, vocals, banjo on ‘Bring Back That Leroy Brown’), Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano, tambourine), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals)