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I have declared that the late front man of the legendary Queen, Freddie Mercury, is the rock voice of the 1970s. As I
stated on the Karen Carpenter tribute, Freddie's voice stands out above the many voices in the rock industry. He could belt
out songs like no one else at the height of Queens popularity. He was also, perhaps less known, the piano player for Queen,
and achieved this feat with great sound.
Freddie's ideals were also far ahead of the time, overdubbing his &
the other members voices to make Queen sound like an opera, & paving the way for many other bands to do the same, notably,
the band Asia. Of course, the finest example of this vocal arrangement can be heard on the classic, "Bohemian Rhapsody."
This song, was one of the original music video's conceived by Freddie, which would pave the way for MTV. Although
some would consider the three weeks it took to record the song, & some three months the entire album, excessive, I think
it is very innovative, and Freddie & the boys were geniuses for the whole concept.
Personally, I think that Freddie's
voice & ideals are far too often underrated by the critics. Far too many would rather focus on the fact that he was a
homosexual, than his musical genius. His voice & ideals will live on, and influence rock for generations to come. Some
could say that is vocal techniques are the foundation for many heavy metal bands of today. I sometimes try to picture Freddie
singing Iron Maiden tunes, & can imagine that he would do as good a job as Bruce "Air Raid Siren" Dickinson.
That may offend the masses of Queen fans out there, but I do not offer apologies for that statement. Freddie did pave the
way for many powerful heavy metal tenors.
Long live the voice & music of Freddie Mercury.
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