Queen Centraal #12 The Cosmos Rocks!

quote:

Op woensdag 27 augustus 2008 17:22 schreef Hankster het volgende:

[..]

Welk concert bedoel je?

quote:

Op woensdag 27 augustus 2008 17:25 schreef qu63 het volgende:

[..]

Ik gok het Tribute, voor de rest ben ik ze niet tegengekomen in het artikel.

Maar er waren meer artiesten die discutabel waren..

quote:

Op donderdag 28 augustus 2008 11:53 schreef qu63 het volgende:

[..]

Vond ie zelf ook, hij is van de dvd geknipt

quote:

We realiseren ons dat het voor de oudere Queenfans best gevoelig ligt, want zonder Freddie (en John!) geen Queen, maar we gunnen deze nieuwe band ook al het succes van de wereld.

quote:

Op donderdag 28 augustus 2008 16:13 schreef qu63 het volgende:

[..]

nouja, zo gaat het hier in deze reeks toch ook steeds?

quote:

_{Ik ben jarig vandaag!}

quote:

1. Cosmos Rocking - starts with a One Vision style intro then goes into a quo-esque rocker but with more chord variation (I think). Lots of fun, will probably open the shows. Love the bit when it goes something like - 'we got the whole house rocking... we got the whole world rocking... we got the universe rocking... we got the cosmos rocking!'. Definitely Queen - bigger and bigger.

2. Time to Shine - the weakest track on the album, based on this first listen. I can't remember much of it except it was quite slow but didn't seem to go anywhere. As it was slow and ballady it may be a grower rather than one that grabs you on first listen. My notes say 'excellent vocal'.

3. Still burnin' - kind of a more filled out It's Late. Based on an offbeat WWRY stomp stomp clap. Definitely retains that WWRY punchyness.

4. Small - Very Paul Rodgers, but high quality Paul. Arm wavy chorus, I could see it doing well as a single.

5. Warboys - Excellent drums, if you've heard the song before, it sounds like that, except better. Brian and Roger definitely add to the song. It gets very loud and crunchy, and I believe I heard a nuclear explosion in the middle

6. We Believe - One of the best songs on the album. It also sounds like the first true collaboration between all three musicians - I could imagine any of them writing it. Singalong chorus, very uplifting. I could see the US presidential candidates using it as their backing track when they walk to the podium to give a speech

7. Call Me - Another of the best songs on the album. Complete leftfield - country and western, what?! But when you get into it, suddenly you realise you're singing the chorus, and when I woke this morning the first coherant thought I had was singing this bloody chorus in my mind. Very catchy and single material, it'll infect the populace. Justin said it was a bit like Good Old Fashioned Loverboy or Lazying on a Sunday Afternoon - that kind of complete departure in the middle of the album, and I can see that.

8. Voodoo - this is Paul's down and dirty blues. At first I didn't like it but now I do. It's almost a pure blues track, and Brian obviously has fun doing a blues guitar solo, with all the textures and layers. Glad it's on the album.

9. Some Things That Glitter - Reminded me of Lap Of The Gods (not the reprise). Haven't figured it out yet, I'd need to hear again.

10. - C-Lebrity - Works well in context with the album, sounds so much better on a decent sound system. I think it'll work well live.

11. Through the Night - slow ballady type. Excellent guitar - reminiscent of Bijou - but I've written down 'background music'. Again might be a grower because it's not an immediate song.

12. Say It's Not True - very similar to the version you've all heard, but they have removed the vocal effects and the song's better for it.

13. Surf's Up... School's Out - the best track on the album, along with the Call Me and We Believe. At least, on first hearing. It grabs you with a thudding bass drum, gradually builds and then someone screams YEEEEEAAAAHHH! (Roger and Paul together?) and it rocks. But with more to it than a balls out rock song - interesting piano, loud and soft, parts where you've got this stomping beat and over it Paul grooving with the harmonica, etc. You want to dance and as a group we requested we hear it again at the end of the Q&A session.

14. Reprise - calms things down, kind of like a compressed MIH reprise.


So in summary: I loved it. There are nods to Queen and PR's past, and there are epics in there, but it is a new sound, and you need to either be prepared for that, or not be too bothered about hearing another 70s Queen album. I'd argue that, had Freddie lived, they'd have reinvented their sound somewhat anyway, as they were known to do through the 70s, 80s and 90s, so in that sense it might very well be the 'Queen sound'.

Paul dominates, as he should - there is no hint of him hiding in the background, pretending to fill in for someone else. He is unashamedly singing his heart out and leading each song and his voice is phenominal. Never heard him singing better. The blues enrich the album and make it quite heartfelt - the ballad moments are powerful and touching because of this.

Brian and Roger are playing extremely well. It's hard to match their age to their energy and power - when you compare the music to the Rolling Stones' latest, for instance, they sound as if they're 25 again.

To be honest I'd say the album is better than many queen albums (especially their 80s stuff - though I'm far more a fan of the singles Queen rather than their albums anyway). Consistently exciting and positive and fun. But it is a new sound and people might get caught out by that.

Interesting bits from the Q&A: Brian and Roger on their own don't work (always pulling in different directions), Paul would come in and allow them to gel; still arguments and so on in the studio; the future is uncertain, if this album does well they might record another; unsure about the identity of the next single (if there is one); often they use the first take because Paul just nails the vocal the first time.

quote:

Op zaterdag 6 september 2008 23:22 schreef qu63 het volgende:

[..]

En over 6 dagen al het eerste concert