Last night, Express.co.uk attended the launch of Queen I, the remastered, restored and expanded edition of the band’s 1973 debut album, which is released today.
Sir Brian May and Roger Taylor participated in a live Q&A on stage, sharing memories of their pre-fame struggles to record their first LP.
Thinking back over 50 years ago, the rock legends reflected on how Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, went from amateur vocalist to iconic frontman in this period.
Sir Brian said: “Freddie was in a real transitional phase because when we first started with Freddie – and Roger will agree – he charged around a lot and screamed a lot, shouted and made a huge impression on people.
“But people were quite taken aback because it was kind of an unbridled force. He didn’t have the measure of his instrument.”
Sir Brian continued: “As soon as he’s in the studio, he hears his voice coming back from the speakers and goes, ‘Oh I don’t like that, I’ll do it again, that’s not what I want’. In a very short time, he’s tailored his performance to the way he wants it, and he became an expert vocalist very quickly, I would say.”
Meanwhile, Roger didn’t hold back on what he really thought of Freddie’s vocals at first.
The Queen drummer said bluntly: “Absolutely and I don’t think he realised how dreadful he sounded before! He really was like some manic goat. It was just extraordinary with his vibrato. Anyway, he turned out to be our beautiful, wonderful Freddie, who we’ll never forget. He found his voice and found the means to use it and became a colossal force as our frontman. Prophetic really. A great musician and writer.”
Queen I is out now.