Queen were the most ambitious band in rock, and Freddie Mercury was the most electrifying frontman who ever lived. Brian May's layered guitar orchestrations, Roger Taylor's powerful drumming, John Deacon's melodic bass, and Mercury's four octave voice created a sound that was simultaneously operatic, heavy, and pop. They sounded like a band that refused to accept that there were limits to what rock music could contain.\n\n"Bohemian Rhapsody" shouldn't work. a six minute suite that moves from ballad to opera to hard rock. but it became one of the most beloved songs ever recorded. Their range was absurd: "We Will Rock You" is a stadium chant, "Somebody to Love" is gospel rock, "Another One Bites the Dust" is disco funk, and "Stone Cold Crazy" anticipated thrash metal. Mercury's death from AIDS in 1991 robbed music of its greatest natural performer.
Key Albums
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is the centerpiece, but every track is ambitious and fully realized.
"We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." Two of the most ubiquitous rock songs ever written.
Their most progressive and heavy album. The "Black Side" is proto metal grandeur.
Why They Matter
Queen proved there were no limits to what a rock band could attempt. Mercury's voice and stage presence set a standard that nobody has reached since, and their songs have become part of the global cultural vocabulary in a way that transcends genre, generation, and geography.