| Is This The Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen |
|
Is This The Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen  A new Queen Book out now!!!! April 2011 Update..... IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? The Untold Story of Queen By Mark Blake Queen remains unquestionably one of the most popular bands on the planet. With sales second only to the Beatles, they have sold over 300 million albums globally. Yet the full story of their extraordinary success has never been told-until now. Delving beyond Queen's public persona and mega-success, IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?: The Untold Story of Queen will shed light on the four wildly diverging personalities of the band members, particularly lead singer Freddie Mercury. Acclaimed music writer Mark Blake draws on earlier personal interviews with the band as well as almost 100 brand-new eye-witness testimonies with record producers, personal assistants, ex-band members and friends to present a detailed picture of the band's rise from suburbia to worldwide stardom. It all began with Farrokh Bulsara, a young man who embraced the music and fashions of Swinging London, and formed a rock band with a dentistry student/part-time drummer by the name of Roger Taylor and a would-be physicist/aspiring guitar hero named Brian May. When Farrokh Bulsara changed his name to Freddie Mercury, Queen was born. Mercury's flamboyant presence on stage and lifestyle choices off stage attracted attention from the tabloid press, but music critics ridiculed the band. It was not until 1975 that the band's single-mindedness and sheer ambition paid off-Queen's six-minute operatic single "Bohemian Rhapsody" became a Number 1 hit, changing their lives and the public's attitude toward them forever. From then on, Queen's story was one of constant musical and stylistic reinvention. Their astonishing transition from a heavy rock band to a pop group brought new audiences and life to the music. Their stadium shows were legendary. The Queen story spans four decades incorporating fame, money, sex, and rock'n'roll and hypnotizing a fan base ranging from screaming females, to committed rock fans, to casual record buyers, to contemporary artists such as Lady Gaga (who took her name from Queen's "Radio Ga Ga"), Axl Rose, Katy Perry, Dave Grohl, and Mika, among others. Mercury's untimely death from AIDS in 1991 robbed Queen of their lead singer, but the surviving band members have found fresh ways to keep their music alive. Queen's phenomenal sales have continued, their stage show We Will Rock You has broken box-office records, and their songs are a staple for American Idol contestants. Brian May and Roger Taylor also recently resurrected the Queen band for a new studio album and several tours. IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?: The Untold Story of Queen reveals-for the first time-how the band became champions of the world. We dare you to read this fascinating look at Queen and not go buy an album. Mark Blake is the author of Comfortable Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd. He lives in London. April 1, 2011 $25.00 Hardcover Music/Biography 384 pages ISBN 978-0-306-81959-9 ****************************************************** Despite the death of their exuberant frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991,
Queen remain one of the most popular bands on the planet, with 300
million global album sales and a musical stage show that has been seen
in nearly 20 cities around the world.
Yet the full story of their extraordinary success has never been told, until now. Freddie Mercury begun his life as Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, before being schooled in India and arriving in West London as a shy teenager obsessed with art and pop music. By 1970 he had talked his way into forming a rock band with a dentistry student and part-time drummer named Roger Taylor and a would-be physicist and aspiring guitar hero named Brian May. When Farrokh Bulsara changed his name to Freddie Mercury, Queen was born. Derided by critics, but adored by fans, the band s single-mindedness and sheer ambition paid off, and in 1975, Queen s six-minute operatic single Bohemian Rhapsody became a Number 1 hit, changing their lives forever. From then on, Queen s story was one of constant musical and stylistic re-invention, as the progressive rock of the early 70s mutated into stadium anthems, romantic ballads and pure pop, with a side order of jazz, gospel and heavy metal. Queen performed their pyrotechnic shows in vast arenas where their charismatic lead singer, dressed in leotard, black leather or regal crown and ermine, at last found a stage large enough for his vaudevillian performance. Then, in 1985, when their career seemed to have peaked, Queen s incredible performance at Live Aid stole the show and reminded a global television audience of why they were one of the greatest live acts of all time. Mercury's untimely death from AIDS robbed Queen of their lead singer, while forcing its surviving band members to find new ways to keep their music alive. Since then, Queen's phenomenal sales have continued, turning them into one of the world's biggest selling acts (second only to the Beatles), their stage-show We Will Rock You has broken box-office records, while Brian May and Roger Taylor recently resurrected the Queen brand for a new studio album and several tours with former Free and Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers. On the eve of Queen's 40th anniversary, Mojo and Q journalist Mark Blake has drawn on his own earlier interviews with the band, and conducted almost 100 brand new interviews with record producers, ex-band members, personal assistants and schoolfriends, including many of Freddie Mercury's earliest associates in England, to produce a fascinating and complete account of the band's rise from suburbia to worldwide superstardom. Whether you're a fan of the Queen of 'Seven Seas Of Rhye' or prefer 'Radio Ga Ga', Is This The Real Life?: The Untold Story Of Queen tells you for the first time how they became champions of the world. available from amazon.com |
|
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 June 2011 ) |