COLEGIUL NAIONAL MIHAIL SADOVEANU PACANI

LUCRARE PENTRU OBINEREA ATESTATULUI

DE COMPETEN LINGVISTIC LA LIMBA
ENGLEZ

Profesor ndrumtor,
Roxana-Brndua Atudorei
Candidat,
Turcu Mioara-Andreea
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.Argument...................................................
..................................3
II.Introduction...............................................
................................4
III.Where it all
started.........................................................
....5
IV.20 years of Queen6
1.The ones who have created the legendary
music
A. Freddie Mercury
B. Brian May.7
C. Roger
Taylor8
D. John
Deacon.........................................................
....................9

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2.The first
decade10
3. The last
decade.11
4. When the band comes to an end
12
V. The show must go on
14
VI. Conclusions.15
VII.Bibliography..16

I. ARGUMENT

I chose to talk about this subject because it has

had a major impact on my lifestyle. Also, I wanted
to get new information about Queen- the band.
The first time when I heard the music created by
this rock legend was when I was in my mothers
womb. My father was a huge Queen fan, and
because of this, he was determined to listen to
them anytime he had the chance together with
my mother, of course. Then, after I was born, I
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grew up with their songs, and thanks to my dad,

this changed my outlook on music. Now I realize
that real quality work really is the one in which the
artist gets involved body and soul in order to
transmit an idea that he really believes in, and not
just create a song with money as the only the
interest in mind.
I would like to thank my dad, through this piece of
work, for the fact that he got me familiarized with
one of the best rock bands in the world. I know
that, with his help, we will rock you!

II. INTRODUCTION

It is impossible for any man, in this world, to have

never listenedto a song of Queen, let alonenot hear
about this band.

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This rock legend was started in the early 70s and,

unfortunately, it met its end only after almost 20
years, when the vocalist Freddie Mercury died from
a ruthless disease. Even if the other members have
tried to continue what they started 2 decades ago,
they never had the same success.
The music created by Queen is defined as being
one rich in ideas, in impeccable melodic lines and
in strong emotions. Most of the times, it induces
feelings of joy to the one who is listening to it,
giving, also, shivers down the spine, a sign that it is
music of quality. However, there are times when it
is making the audience sad, because people know
that they will not have the chance to enjoy other
masterpieces, since Freddie Mercury is no longer
alive.
This piece of work contains information about the
history of the band Queen and some details about
its members and the repertory that delighted the
whole world. By these things that have been write
here, we offer a tribute to the one that it has been
a really rock legend.

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III. WHERE IT ALL STARTED

In 1968, Astronomy student and guitarist Brian May (b. 19 July

1947, Hampton, Middlesex, England) and bass player Tim Staffell,
both students at Imperial College, decided they wanted to form a
group. Brian placed an advertisement on the college notice board
for a Ginger Baker type drummer, and a young dental student
called Roger Taylor (b. Roger Meddows-Taylor, 26 July 1949, Kings
Lynn, Norfolk, England) auditioned and got the job. They called
the group Smile.
Smile were signed to Mercury Records in 1969, and had their first
experience recording at Trident Studios that year. Tim Staffell was
at Ealing College of Art with Freddie Mercury (then Freddie
Bulsara) (b. Farrokh Bulsara, 5 September 1946, Zanzibar, Africa,
d. 24 November 1991, London, England), and introduced him to
the band. Freddie soon became a keen fan. Sadly, in 1970,
Smile decided to call it a day, as nothing seemed to be
happening for them. Tim went off and joined a band called
Humpty Bong (featuring former Bee Gees drummer Colin
Petersen).
Freddie left his band Wreckage and joined up with Brian and
Roger - it had all begun. Freddie changed his name by deed poll to
Mercury, changed the band's name to Queen, and John
Deacon (b. 19 August 1951, Oadby, Leicestershire, England) was
asked to audition as their bass player (they had had three
temporary ones so far in their short history). In February
1971, John Deacon was taken on as the fourth member of Queen.
The band rehearsed tirelessly and played several small gigs at
Imperial College. Then they were offered the chance to 'test' a
new recording studio called De Lane Lea. In return for trying out

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the new equipment, they could also make free demo tapes. They
did. No one was interested!
They signed a recording contract and publishing and
management agreements with Trident in 1972, and during that
year were paid just 60 per week. Queen were given the down
time (out of hours studio time) at Trident Studios, where they
began work on their first album.

IV. 20 YEARS OF QUEEN

1.The ones who have created the legendary
music

A. FREDDIE MERCURY

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HIS REAL NAME: Farookh Bulsara

WHEN AND WHERE HE WAS BORN: September 5, 1946, in
Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa
WHEN AND WHERE HE DIED:November 24, 1991, in London,
England
INSTRUMENTS THAT HE PLAYED:Vocals, piano, guitar,
keyboards

B. BRIAN MAY

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WHEN AND WHERE HE WAS BORN:July 19, 1947, Twickenham,

England
INSTRUMENTS THAT HE PLAYED: Guitars, keyboards, vocals

C. ROGER TAYLOR

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WHEN AND WHERE HE WAS BORN: July 26, 1949, King's Lynn,
Norfolk, England
INSTRUMENTS THAT HE PLAYED: Drums, percussion,
keyboards, vocals

D. JOHN DEACON
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WHEN AND WHERE HE WAS BORN: August 19, 1951, in

Leicester, England
INSTRUMENTS THAT HE PLAYED: Bass guitar, double bass,
keyboards

2.THE FIRST DECADE

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Queen formed in 1971 and in 1973 signed their first recording

contract for EMI. That year they released their first album, QUEEN.
The same year saw their first major UK tour, and in 1974 they
released QUEEN II as well as making their first UK headlining tour.
They made their first US tour, and in November released SHEER
HEART ATTACK which was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
1975 saw their new release, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, and
significantly the single Bohemian Rhapsody. At 5 55 it should
have been too long for successful radio play but it became one of
the greatest singles of all time, staying at No. 1 in the UK chart for
nine weeks. The video, directed by Bruce Gowers, is credited with
being the first genuine promotional video. The song has regularly
featured in all major pop polls and was recently named again as
the best single of all time. The success of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
was equally stunning, giving the band their first platinum album.
In 1976 they toured the US and Japan and by spring all four
albums resided in the UK Top Twenty. Later that year they
released A DAY AT THE RACES, and gave a free concert in Hyde
Park to an estimated crowd of 200,000 fans. The album was a
huge success, advance orders alone amounting to over 500,000.
The following year saw two major US tours, the bands sixth
album, NEWS OF THE WORLD and the legendary double A side
single, WE WILL ROCK YOU and WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.
1978s JAZZ, included another huge hit single in Bicycle Race and
Queen toured the US and Canada. They spent much of 1979
touring in Europe and Japan, as well as releasing their first live
album, LIVE KILLERS. They were also approached to write the
score for a forthcoming feature film, FLASH GORDON. Before that
they released THE GAME in 1980 which went five times platinum
in Canada alone! Another One Bites The Dust became the bands
biggest selling American single. Later that year the soundtrack for
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FLASH GORDON was released and by the end of the year Queen
had sold over 45,000,000 albums worldwide.

3.THE LAST DECADE

In 1981 they toured the Far East and were the first band to make
a stadium tour of South America. They played to 131,000 people
in Sao Paolo, the largest paying audience for any band anywhere
in the world. GREATEST HITS, GREATEST FLIX and GREATEST PIX
were released simultaneously later in the year and Greatest Hits
has rarely been out of the UK album charts since. Greatest Flix
was the first collection of promo-videos released commercially by
any band. Next year saw the release of the bands twelfth album,
HOT SPACE whilst they were in the middle of a European tour.
1984 saw THE WORKS and the single Radio Ga Ga became a
worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in 19 countries. Another huge hit
was I Want To Break Free, featuring one of their most famous
videos, all dressed in drag. In 1985 they were the headlining act
at Rock in Rio, the biggest festival to be held anywhere in the
world. They again made history that year with the show-stealing
performance at Live Aid from Wembley Stadium, which proved to
be a turning point for the band, One Vision being the first post
Live Aid release.
1986 saw their 14th album, A KIND OF MAGIC, which was the
soundtrack to the Russel Mulcahy film, Highlander. The title track
became another worldwide smash and the album entered the UK
charts at No. 1; later in the year the 2nd live album, LIVE MAGIC,
went into the charts at No. 3. Between 1988 and 1991 Queen
released three more albums, THE MIRACLE in 1989 and in 1991
INNUENDO and GREATEST HITS TWO. All three entered the UK
charts at No. 1, as did the single Innuendo.
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4. WHEN THE BAND COMES TO AN END

On November 23rd, Freddie announced to the world that he had

AIDS. Just the next day, his fight was over, and he died peacefully
at his home surrounded by friends and family. The world was in
shock. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those
closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he
really was. Fans from all over the world sent flowers and cards,
and many even traveled to London to be at Freddie's house. A
cremation service was held three days after his death, with family
and close friends in attendance. The service was conducted in the
Zoroastrian faith that Freddie's parents followed.As a tribute
Bohemian Rhapsody /These Are The Days Of Our Lives was
released as a double A-sided single to raise funds for the Terence
Higgins Trust. It entered the UK chart at No. 1, where it stayed for
five weeks, raising over 1,000,000 for the charity and Queen
became the first band to have the same single top the UK charts
twice.
In December of that year Queen had 10 albums in the UK Top
100. In 1992 Freddie was awarded posthumously the BRITs
Outstanding Contribution to British Music and Days Of Our Lives
won Best Single. On 20th April many of the worlds top stars

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joined Brian, Roger and John on stage at Wembley for an

emotional tribute to Freddie.
In 1995 the tracks that Queen had begun in 1991 were completed
by Brian, Roger and John and the long-awaited MADE IN HEAVEN
was released worldwide. It was the end of an era. Since then the
phenomenon of Queen has remained, however, with continuing
sales for their recorded output on CD and video. A ballet of their
music by famous French choreographer Maurice Bejart was
premiered at the National Theatre in Paris in 1997 and in May
2002 the hit musical We Will Rock You opened to sell-out
audiences in Londons West End and continues to play to packed
houses and standing ovations every night. Queens first DVD
Greatest Video Hits Vol.1 was released at the end of October
2002, and yet another piece of Queen product entered the UK
charts at number 1. October 2002 also saw Queen receive their
own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, joining The
Beatles as only one of a handful of non-US bands to receive the
much coveted honour. In 2004 they were inducted into the Rock
and Roll Walk of Fame, and in the UK were voted by the public into
the first UK Music Hall of Fame.

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V. THE SHOW MUST GO ON

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Queen's last album featuring Mercury, titled Made in Heaven,

was finally released in 1995, four years after his death. Featuring
tracks such as "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Heaven for
Everyone", it was constructed from Mercury's final recordings in
1991, material left over from their previous studio albums and reworked material from May, Taylor, and Mercury's solo albums.
Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were
completed at the band's studio in Montreux, Switzerland. The
album reached No. 1 on the UK charts immediately following its
release, and has sold 20 million copies worldwide.
On 25 November 1996, a statue of Mercury was unveiled in
Montreux overlooking Lake Geneva, almost five years to the day
since his death.It was the end of an era. Since then, the
phenomenon of Queen has remained, however, with continuing
sales for their recorded output on CD and video. A ballet of their
music by famous French choreographer, Maurice Bejart, was
premiered at the National Theatre in Paris in 1997 and in May
2002, the hit musical We Will Rock You opened to sell-out
audiences in Londons West End and continues to play to packed
houses and standing ovations every night.
Queens first DVD Greatest Video Hits Vol.1 was released at the
end of October 2002, and yet another piece of Queen product
entered the UK charts at number 1. October 2002 also saw Queen
receive their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los
Angeles, joining The Beatles as only one of a handful of non-US
bands to receive the much coveted honour. In 2004, they were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Walk of Fame, and in the UK were
voted by the public into the first UK Music Hall of Fame. Queens
musical has since opened in Australia, Spain, Las Vegas,USA,
Russia, Germany and in Japan. Brian and Roger continue to be
ambassadors for Nelson Mandelas 46664 HIV/AIDS awareness
campaign and they played a second benefit concert for 46664 in
Fancourt, South Africa. Brian and Roger took Queen back onto the
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touring circuit for the first time since 1986 in 2005 and 2008,
joined by former Free/Bad Company singer, songwriter and
musicial Paul Rodgers playing concerts across the UK and
throughout Europe.

VI. CONCLUSIONS

After we have perused a little part of Queens

history, we can conclude with the fact that this
band, consisting of 4 extraordinary men, one of
whom died too soon, is hard to compete with. It
has changed the mentality of millions of people
and it has offered songs for the soul for the ones
who probably couldnt find consolation in anything
else.
It is clear that this band created successful
melodies, this fact being proved by the huge
crowds of people who took part in their concerts,
willing to listen live to some of the greatest
masterpieces of the rock industry.
It is important to not forget about these men who
made a change, who found their sense of living
and who left the world a little bit better than the
way they had found it.
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V. Bibliography
http://www.queenpedia.com/index.php?
title=Band_History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)
http://www.queenonline.com/

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