Oxymoron (band)

He was playing on the following tour through Europe ("Spirit of the Streets" - with Pistol Grip and the Beltones) as well, which was to be the last one so far. As part of the Jubilee celebrations Brian May performed a guitar solo of God Save the Queen, as featured on Queen's A Night at the Opera, from the roof of Buckingham Palace. Davey, actually the driver, offered to do the job and saved the day. The launch of the musical coincided with the Queen's Golden Jubilee. But the guitarist who was finally found there left again while the "Chaos across the Nation" US-Tour was going on, leaving the band stranded overseas.. It has since been staged in Barcelona, Spain; Melbourne, Australia; Cologne, Germany; and Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. In the meantime the headquarters had been moved to Berlin, where everybody lived now. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Unfortunately Martin, an original member, had left the band having offspring, and so Chrissy once again stepped in temporarily. In 2002, a musical or "rock theatrical" based on the songs of Queen, entitled We Will Rock You, opened at the Dominion Theatre in the West End of London. Europe- and especially Germany - was recently toured as well, with a different line-up though. The song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released after appearing in Wayne's World, and subsequently topped the US billboard chart. Six weeks on the road from coast to coast, this "Pure Punk" tour was played side by side with Dead Empty, The Boils and The Forgotten. Several other films featured their songs, including Iron Eagle, Wayne's World, Small Soldiers, Super Size Me, A Knight's Tale, The Girl Next Door, and Shaun of the Dead. So they withdrew for a couple of months in order to work on it, and recorded what was going to be called "Feed the breed" in the summer of 2001 (which is available in Europe since november already and will be out on GMM Records in the USA this april), just before returning to the States again. Queen contributed music directly to the movies Flash Gordon and Highlander (the original film directed by Russell Mulcahy).

But the time was also right for the OXY's to put out a "real" new album as well. It is unknown whether or not Mercury was aware he had AIDS at this time. In the fall of 2000 the compilation "Best before 2000" was released by Knock Out Records (and Cyclone Records in the States) because of the demand for the sold out 7"es and rare material - including all the singles and stuff from various comps. Ironically, the band were to hardly meet for another 3 years, during which time Freddie Mercury did some solo work and Roger Taylor did some work with The Cross. Chrissy left the band after the tour to have more time for his own project and fortunately Morpheus showed up. I mean, how can you split up when you have an audience like this, I mean, really! We're not that stupid!". This seven weeks coast-to-coast affair in the company of the Dropkick Murphys (with whom another split-single had been done) and the Ducky Boys turned out to be a great success and should become one of the best things they had done so far. I mean, really, look at this! (cheers).

As a four-piece again the Oxy's set out in '99 on a full scale attack on various countries of Europe, playing more gigs than ever before as well as touring the whole USA. "...and earlier on, there were rumours of us splitting up, but I mean, fuck 'em!. So without further ado Chrissy stepped in, who temporarily had been a second guitarist and used to play bass on the first US tour already. At the Knebworth concert held with some 120,000 in attendence on August 9th that same year, Freddie makes the following statement:. And last but not least Arne left the band just weeks before the recording sessions for the "Westworld" mini-album were supposed to be. What do you think?" Audience: "No!" Freddie: "Forget those rumors, we're gonna stay together 'till we fucking well die, I'm sure!". Besides Sucker had to go to hospital for a while due to a nervous damage and everything slowed down. the rumors are that we're gonna split up.

1998 didn't mean it good with the Oxy's and they had to take few blows, because some tours planned for a long time were cancelled just weeks before or had be called off for some reasons. A memorable and prophetic moment occurred when Freddie Mercury told the audience: "There's been a lot of rumors lately about a certain band called Queen.. The most exciting tour however was to come in summer of '97, when they had the chance to play in Japan for almost three weeks (along with the Discocks), and certainly went for it. The Wembley concert, part of a UK tour in 1986, attracted 150,000 people over two nights. Roughly one year later their second long-player "The Pack is back" was consequently released by Knock Out, and it smoothed the way for the band when they hit the road in various countries of Europe again. Queen embarked upon many popular tours, with memorable shows (including the historic Live Aid concert) held at Wembley Stadium in England, and at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, although only the group's final tour, in support of the album "A Kind of Magic", ever actually made any money. Mosch from Knock Out Records had become an ever-present companion of the band, who was running his label for some years already and had done much good for the streetpunk scene with his publications, so they decided to sign to him. This resulted in a stunning moment at Live Aid at which almost 100,000 people at Wembley Stadium clapped their hands over their head in unison to "Radio Ga-Ga.".

This was a chaotic two odd weeks affair along the East Coast together with Braindance and the Casualties, which went down very well for them after all. Beginning with "News Of The World" in 1977, Queen began to write songs with the specific purpose of involving the crowd, like "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions," and tailored some songs, like "Radio Ga Ga" to involve claps. In the spring of 1996 the "Crisis Identity" single was released on Arne's and his wife's short-lived label Rough Beat Records, followed by the band's first trip to the USA. Mercury immersed himself in the crowd's adulation and thrived off their excitement, a trait for which many, including Kurt Cobain (in his suicide note), have expressed admiration. Thus they played a lot at the Oi! festivals that were taking place again more and more often in the meantime, with the likes of Cock Sparrer, Angelic Upstarts, Major Accident, Test Tube Babies etc. The energy with which they performed, the excitement, enthusiasm and pure adrenaline Freddie Mercury brought with his vocal performance, was so natural and so genuine that the audience almost always joined in and sang. Since OXYMORON always were a mixed band and stood for unity between the tribes both punks and skins attended their shows from the very beginning. Along with their contemporaries KISS, they changed live concerts forever from the staid, stodgy events that had prevailed since the time of the Beatles, where performers would merely stand around and play their instruments.

With their pal Arne joining in a few weeks later and taking over the bass, they seized the opportunity and started gigging abroad, too, as well as in Germany, where they had been touring twice in the company of Braindance (with whom a split-single was released at the same time, named "Mohican Melodies"). Queen's live performances were truly groundbreaking, employing massive lighting rigs, pyrotechnics, and other special effects to make their shows into engaging theatrical events. The response and reviews Oxymoron received for this album were more than anyone ever had expected and lots of fanzines and indie music mags became attentive all over the place. True to form, Taylor and May are in constant communication with fans, collectors and industry experts to find out where demand lies for future releases and where the industry and new technology is headed. The band paid the studio from their own money that they somehow managed to raise, but it was well worth it. The Queen camp continues to work on future concert releases, at least one more video collection (Volume 3) and the rest of album catalogue in the DVD-Audio format. "Fuck the Nineties - Here's our Noize", as it was eventually called, had to be recorded as a three-piece because Filzlaus left after one tour and couldn't be replaced immediately. Brian May has said he would like to see the entire Queen catalogue reproduced in this format, as it is closer to what the band envisaged for their work years ago.

This single finally came out in early '94 and was subsequently reissued by Bob Burridge from Helen Of Oi! Records, who had picked it up and apparently liked it since he offered the band a record deal for a full-length album as well. Known for their densely layered arrangments and backing, this medium seems tailor-made for Queen's music. Practising in a mouldy former beer cellar which they called the Oxyfactory the time was right in the summer of '93 for recording their debut-ep "Beware, poisonous!" which they produced and released off their own bat (on the provisional "Oxyfactory Records" label, that never put out any further records). So far, two of Queen's most acclaimed albums, A Night At The Opera and The Game, have been fully remixed into DTS Surround on DVD-Audio albums. After this show they got offered some gigs as support for more established acts all over Germany. DVD releases of their famous 1986 Wembley concert (titled Live At Wembley Stadium) and 1982 Milton Keynes concert, and two Greatest Video Hits (Volumes 1 and 2, spanning the '70s and '80s) have seen the band's music remixed into 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. Originally coming from Erlangen / Nuernberg - Germany their first real appearance was at the annual punk festival in their home town along with other local bands. Under the supervision of Brian May and Roger Taylor, numerous restoration projects have been underway involving Queen's lengthy audio and video catalogue.

Mostly influenced by early Eighties' punk and Oi! stuff it was quite obvious what it would sound like in general, but it was a long way until they finally made it on stage. Queen is credited by artists like Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Trent Reznor, George Michael, Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Darkness as having a major influence on their sound. The main intention behind it all was to have a laugh and to get the kind of music across they were into, and since the early Nineties didn't seem to have a lot of punk let alone skinhead bands being around anymore they felt an urge to get out and do it themselves to keep it going. Queen is noted in particular for its musical eclecticism and groundbreaking live shows. Formed by Sucker and his drumming cousin Bjoern and completed by their mates Martin on the guitar and Filzlaus on the bass the original line-up needed a couple of years and various efforts to see the light of the day under the name OXYMORON. Queen is remembered for its never-seen-before theatrics, showmanship, camp and bombast so much that critics have since classified the band as a major player in the evolution of rock music.
Oxymoron was called into being in late 1992 actually, although the roots of the band go back further to the fall of 1989. The tour which will lead the band through Spain, Holland, Germany, England, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Sweden will feature both classic Queen tracks as well as material from Paul Rodgers.

Please format this article according to the guidelines laid out at Wikipedia:How to edit a page, then remove this notice. In the meantime dates for the ?2005 Queen + Paul Rodgers? tour have been announced. This music article needs to be wikified. At the end of 2004, it was announced that Queen will reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free, Bad Company, and The Firm) who will be singing in Freddie Mercury's place, as frontman, but will not be in the band as Brian May has announced recently to the Queen fan club, that Paul Rodgers will be "featured with" Queen, not replacing the late Freddie Mercury. For help, see How to Edit a Page and the Style and How-to Directory. The album is entitled "Dragon Attack" after one of Queen's earlier recordings. After the article has been cleaned up, you may remove this message. A tribute album has appeared, but not with musicians of note.

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality. The band still appears from time to time, minus bassist John Deacon (whose few public appearances are normally to pour cold water on any rumours of a Queen get-together involving him) making "Queen & ..." projects with various guest musicians, something which Deacon is said to generally support. Queen never actually disbanded, although their last album of original material (not including compilations) was released in 1995, titled Made In Heaven, put out four years after Freddie Mercury's death, and constructed from Freddie's final recording sessions in 1991, plus material leftover from their previous studio albums. Musicians such as Annie Lennox, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Elton John, George Michael, David Bowie, Metallica and Liza Minnelli (along with the three surviving members of Queen) perfomed most of Queen's major hits. On April 20, 1992, the public shared in the mourning of Mercury's passing at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held at London's Wembley Stadium in Mercury's honor.

His funeral services were private, held in accordance with the Zoroastrian religious faith of his family. Within 24 hours of the announcement, Mercury was dead at the age of 45. On November 23, 1991, in a prepared statement made on his deathbed, Freddie Mercury finally acknowledged he had AIDS. Highlights of the album were the epic title track, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir"; the hard-rocking, rollicking powerhouse "Headlong"; and the anthems "The Show Must Go On" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives".

Although his health began to deteriorate, Mercury was courageous in handling his contributions. That album became Innuendo. Mercury flatly denied these rumors, but knowing the actual truth as his other bandmates did, they decided to make an album free of conflict and differences. Even tabloids worldwide got in on the news.

In 1991, rumors started spreading that Freddie Mercury was suffering from AIDS. This record continued the direction of A Kind of Magic with a polished pop-rock sound and hits like "Invisible Man", "The Miracle" and "Breakthru". After working in various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury´s collaboration with Montserrat Caballé, "Barcelona") the band released The Miracle in 1989. It sold out within 2 hours, and over 120,000 fans packed the park to get a glimpse of Queen one last time live.

They couldn't book Wembley for a third night because it was already booked, but they managed to get Knebworth Park. On this tour, Queen performed for the last time together. It is rumored that Freddie contracted AIDS that year as well. Freddie teased the capacity crowd of 89,000 that Queen might be breaking up, only to tell the crowd that it was just a silly rumor, and that Queen would be together until "we fucking well die, I'm sure!" much to the delight of the crowd.

Later that year, Queen went on a sold-out final tour, known as The Magic Tour, in support of their 1986 release, "A Kind Of Magic", which culminated at Wembley Stadium in London and resulted in the triumphant live double album, "Queen Live At Wembley Stadium", which has become for many fans and critics, Queen's ultimate live document, (released both on CD and also as a live concert film on DVD), and live recording and film of Queen at their transcendent pinnacle. This album was very successful, producing a string of hits including the title track "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants To Live Forever?" and "Friends Will Be Friends". In early 1986 Queen recorded the album "A Kind of Magic", inspired by the 1986 Russell Mulcahy film Highlander. It was used in the film "Iron Eagle".

Revitalised by the reponse to Live Aid and the resulting increase in record sales, Queen ended 1985 by releasing the single "One Vision", an uptempo guitar-based song credited, unusally for this period, to the four members of the band. In the eyes of critics and fans alike, the group stole the show at the worldwide extravaganza, performing some of their greatest hits and wowing audiences with their energy and superb musicianry and showmanship. Then came 1985, and the benefit concert Live Aid, which Queen were invited to perform at. This led to the members of Queen branching off onto solo projects during this period.

In 1984, Queen successfully bridged the gap between hard rock and pop with the album The Works, which included the incredibly successful glitzy rock anthem "Radio Ga-Ga," the gorgeous pop of "I Want to Break Free," (a song that would become an anthem of the supressed left-wing of Brazil and later Coca-Cola "C2" Commercials), the heavy, hard-rock live favorites "Hammer to Fall" (a poetic commentary on the Cold War) and "Tear It Up." Despite these hit singles and live barn-burners, the album failed to sell well, contributing to tensions within the band. The album was especially disappointing to the hard-rock faithful that followed them through the 70s since their first album and their breakthrough success "Sheer Heart Attack." Nonetheless, the album included "Under Pressure," the only real highlight, and "Body Language," a single that only gained attention in the U.S., netting a surprise number 11 hit. The result was the 1982 album Hot Space, an album which, either fairly or not, has been almost unanimously regarded by critics and die-hard, loyal fans alike as being one of their worst. The response to "Another One Bites the Dust" was overwhelming, so the band decided to do an entire album of disco/funk influenced songs.

The group also released a widely successful greatest hits CD, their first, which showcased their rock highlights during the first phase of their career. The memorable riff showed up for Vanilla Ice's hit, "Ice, Ice Baby, prompting a lawsuite over the use of the sample. The single netted a number one in Britain and a well-remembered rock anthem, a fan-favorite of both Queen and Bowie legionnaires. 1981 saw Queen collaborate with David Bowie for the single "Under Pressure".

The album sold poorly, but served as a showcase for Queen in a different light. 1980 also saw them do the innovative and critically-acclaimed soundtrack for the movie Flash Gordon. The album also featured two of Queen's greatest ballads; "Play the Game" and the fan-favorite "Save Me," both of which were hits in Britain and well-remembered by rock fans in the States. It stayed at number one for four weeks in the United States, and the album went four times platinum States-side.

It combined Queen's rock sensibilities with a funky minimalism that resulted in a discofied rock classic. The album featured the "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" single, as well as the monster hit "Another One Bites the Dust" a track that was released in 1981 after Michael Jackson suggested it would make a great single. The album turned out to be their highest selling non-greatest hits. Queen kicked off the 1980s with the hugely successful album, The Game.

They also released the very successful single, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," a song done in the style of Elvis Presley; the single made the top 10 in most countries and was the band's first number one single in the U.S. The album, entitled Live Killers, went platinum (twice in the U.S.) in most developed countries. They did, however, release their first-ever live album, in response to the exorbitant amounts of money Queen bootlegs were fetching. All band members, especially Mercury, noted frustration and disappointment with the album, and as a result, took a break from the breakneck schedule of one or more albums a year, and focused during the year of 1979 totally on a new album to come out in 1980.

Fan response was lukewarm to Jazz and for the first time Queen's sales saw a bit of a dip. The album cover was inspired by a painting on the Berlin wall. Important tracks of the album were "Dead on Time", "Let Me Entertain You" or "Mustapha", a song by Freddie, which had a very Arabian sound combined with heavy rock guitar. In 1978 the band released the Jazz album, including the hit singles "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race", being a double-A-side single. This album produced the anthemic "We Will Rock You" and the famous rock ballad "We Are The Champions", as well as the punchy, near-punk sound of "Sheer Heart Attack" (not to be confused with the album of the same name released three years earlier) - and possibly an influence on Queens Of The Stone Age's "Feelgood Hit of the Summer" which features an alarmingly similar guitar riff.

This album had more of a sonic punch to it, as well as songs that were tailor-made to be performed (and subsequently have their greatest effect) live. 1977 saw the release of News of the World, an album that was critically panned at the time but has gained recognition over time. charts. "Tie Your Mother Down" was a typical Queen hard-rocker that produced a very recognizable riff and displayed Queen's trademark sense of humor. singles chart and number 2 on the U.K.

Staying true to their guitar-driven style, it was filled with Brian May's virtuoso harmony, and it went to number 11 on the U.S. The standout tracks were "Somebody to Love" and "Tie Your Mother Down." "Somebody" was an incredible rock ballad, on which Freddie Mercury mulitracked his voice to make a 100-voice gospel choir. Although it was by both fans' and critics' standards superb, it was unable to eclipse its predecessor, and thus as a result has been somewhat underrated. The album was done very much in the vein of Opera musically as well.

Plans were made to eventually release the two together as a package, but those plans never came to fruition. The cover was the same as Opera's, only with the colors inverted. Back in the studio and unable to really top A Night At The Opera in sales or quality, Queen recorded what essentially was a companion album, A Day At The Races, also in keeping with the Marx Brothers' movie theme for the title. It was official; Queen had hit the popular music scene.

The album was a smash in Britain, and went three times platinum in the United States. "I'm In Love With My Car" was a hard-rock tune, written and sung by drummer Roger Taylor, which is currently being used in Jaguar Car commercials. charts), a sweet, pure pop gem that was unlike anything Queen had ever done to that point. The album also featured "You're My Best Friend" (which peaked at 14 on the U.S.

Considered by many to be their greatest effort (some call it Queen's Led Zeppelin IV), this is the album that featured the huge worldwide hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody." "Bohemian Rhapsody" was number one in the UK for nine weeks, breaking the record set by Paul Anka's "Diana." It reached number 9 in the U.S.; when it was rereleased in 1992, it reached number one in the UK again, and hit number 2 in America. If Sheer Heart Attack's blend of eclectic styles and heavy-metal was considered to be gamut-running, their 1975 effort A Night at the Opera was all-encompassing. It combined campy, vaudeville British music hall with Led Zeppelin-like sound and Brian May's virtuosity on the guitar. charts.

The standout track was "Killer Queen" a British Top Ten and which got as high as number 11 on the U.S. Considered one of their greatest efforts, Queen made a surprisingly cohesive album with a wide variety of different types of music; British music hall to heavy metal tunes like "Stone Cold Crazy" (which Metallica would later cover and earn a Grammy for) and "Now I'm Here" (a live concert favorite); ballads ("Lily of the Valley"), ragtime ("Bring Back That Leroy Brown"), even Caribbean ("Misfire"). The album was huge in the UK and throughout Europe; it went gold in the United States. Later that same year, Sheer Heart Attack was released.

The album was highly experimental, so it garnered little mainstream attention, but the single got them on to the charts in Britain. 1974 saw two releases; the first being of Queen II, which had the hit "Seven Seas of Rhye" on it. It drew little attention, but succeeded in giving the band an FM radio anthem "Keep Yourself Alive." In hindsight, it's considered to be a strong first album. In 1973 Queen released their first album, a self-titled effort.

It was not until 1972 that they found John Deacon and started to rehearse for the first album, Queen. One of the first was Barry Mitchell. Freddie quickly stepped in for Tim and they started to search for a bass player. At some point Tim Staffell decided Smile was not going anywhere and he decided to join a band called Humpy Bong.

Still, he was very eager to share his ideas in which musical direction Smile should develop. At that time Freddie was a singer in other bands, such as Wreckage and Ibex. Freddie was Tim's roommate in Ealing Arts College and followed Smile's rehearsals and concerts closely. Brian May and Roger Taylor were playing on a band called Smile with bass player/singer Tim Staffell.

Most of the group's albums contained at least one song written by each member, and though Mercury penned a lot of Queen's hits, he was by no means the dominant songwriter; indeed, the group considered themselves creative equals, and quiet bassist John Deacon wrote one of their biggest hits, "Another One Bites the Dust." In their later years, two or three or even all four band members commonly contributed to individual songs; after arguments over the attribution of these cooperative efforts, the band agreed to simply credit "Queen" rather than single members (from The Miracle onwards). Though Freddie Mercury's personality always dominated in the press, all four members of the group actually wrote huge hits:. In 1971 John Deacon completed the lineup as bass guitarist. After the group's bassist and lead singer Tim Staffell departed in the spring of 1970, May and Taylor took on vocalist Freddie Mercury in April 1970 to form Queen.

The beginnings of Queen can be traced to 1968, when Brian May and Roger Taylor formed the trio Smile, at Imperial College, London, where they were both students. Their official crest, seen pictured, includes the zodiac signs of all four members. Queen are widely recognised as pioneers of heavy metal, glam rock, and stadium rock. The group is well known for its sports anthems and classic rock radio staples, particularly the hits "We Are the Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody;" the band promoted the latter, first released in 1975, with one of the earliest successful music videos, and later re-released it for the soundtrack album from the movie Wayne's World.

Queen is a British rock band which was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition (2004). 1-3 (2001). Platinum Collection, Vols.

Greatest Hits III (1999). The Crown Jewels (1998). Queen Rocks (1997). 1-2 (1995).

Greatest Hits, Vols. At the BBC (1995). Greatest Hits [Parlophone] (1994). Greatest Hits [Hollywood] (1992).

Classic Queen (1992). II (1991). Greatest Hits, Vol. Queen at the Beeb (1989).