Queen

     Queen are a British rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bass guitarist John Deacon joining the following year. Queen rose to prominence during the 1970s and have sold over 300 million albums worldwide.
     Queen’s excessive blend of metal and majesty was one of the biggest draws of the ’70s. In England, Queen is second only to the Beatles in terms of popularity and collectibility of their music. It took the band three weeks to record what is probably their most famous song, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” On Queen’s first American tour in 1974, they supported Mott the Hoople. Singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in 1991.
     The band is noted for their musical diversity, multi-layered arrangements, vocal harmonies, and incorporation of audience participation into their live performances. Their 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll.

Listen to, download, and burn Queen music now.

Tags: aid performance, audience participation, bass guitarist, bohemian rhapsody, collectibility, england queen, guitarist brian, guitarist john, industry poll, john deacon, live aid, live performances, mott the hoople, musical diversity, queen music, rock performance, roger taylor, singer freddie mercury, vocal harmonies

The Who

     The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. The band reached international success, became known for their energetic live performances, are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and ’70s, and recognized as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.
     From the early days of the British Invasion all the way to the ’80s, the Who broke new ground, equipment and ear drums. Former Small Faces drummer Kenny Jones joined the band in 1979, after the death of Keith Moon. The Who began their career under the moniker the High Numbers. The Who’s “Tommy” became a blockbuster rock opera, a movie and a hit Broadway show. The Who’s sound was unusual because drummer Keith Moon often played lead solos instead of guitarist Pete Townshend.
     The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering instrument destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten hit singles (including the celebrated “My Generation”) and top five albums, beginning in 1965 with “I Can’t Explain”. They first hit the top ten in the USA in 1967 with “I Can See for Miles”. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top five albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who’s Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You (1978) among others.

Listen to, download, and burn The Who music now.

Tags: bands of the 1960s, bassist john, blockbuster, british invasion, drummer keith moon, ear drums, guitarist pete townshend, international success, john entwistle, live at leeds, live performances, moniker, new ground, quadrophenia, rock and roll bands, rock opera, roger daltrey, small faces, the who, the who music