#queen greatest hits

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today, on 13th January, 2017

Lord Snowdon, former husband to Princess Margaret and photographer,died at the age of 86

Brian May remembers

Sad to hear of the passing of Lord Snowdon. I can’t say I was his friend, though perhaps I would like to have been. We did spend a couple of days together as Queen (the rock group) and portrait photographer, and it was very memorable. I knew of Lord Snowdon from when I was quite small. As Anthony Armstrong Jones he had married the very glamorous Princess Margaret, in Westminster Abbey, in top level splendour, televised in colour (!) and celebrated throughout the land. Somehow it caught my imagination, gave me a thrill, to the point where I pasted a picture of the handsome couple in my personal photo album. It was a fairy-tale. Shy handsome commoner weds beautiful royal princess. Much later I realised that Tony Armstrong Jones, now Lord Snowdon, was a dedicated artist, a gentleman photographer in true Victorian style, and that his world had stayed quite separate from the Royal Family he had married into. I believe he had a Victorian sensibility in more than one way. A Gentleman, certainly, and a man of independent means, he did not need to take photographs to earn a living. It was his art. And in the details of his practice, too, he adhered to early traditions of photography. He believed that the essence of a sitter for a portrait was to be revealed only in natural light.

Well, this is what he told us, when the four of us found ourselves at his house, our mission being to find the elusive ‘Group Shot’ - a four-fold portrait of a Rock Band, for the cover of an album. Now this was around 1981, about 35 years ago. So the portrait of this session in my mind is a little faded. But Snowdon was a delightful, thoughtful, modest and gentle man, given to pausing to ponder, in his walking around the room, with a slight limp, a relic from a childhood illness, as he looked at us, planning his shoot.

I’m sure Roger has better recollections than I, but I seem to remember us sitting around a little awkwardly, sipping coffee, discussing what we were trying to achieve. I don’t believe we had any preconceptions at all … the four of us hadn’t had the chance to confer beforehand, and I think on this occasion we didn’t have a plan. We assumed that this accomplished photographer would bring a fresh approach. We’d done a lot of this kind of session, of course, over the years, notably with George Hurrell, iconic Hollywood portraitist, and Mick Rock, who had pulled off a very memorable diamond format four-shot on a black background, which not only graced the cover of our early album Queen II, but, brought to life, became the shot that everyone remembers from the Bohemian Rhapsody video some years later.

Snowdon told us that he didn’t want an overriding theme - he didn’t think we need to ‘try so hard’. He said he wanted us naturally filling the space, and he was absolutely insistent that the lighting would be natural too … only the daylight which pervaded his studio, again, Victorian style - more or less a glass-house. He would not use any artificial light. Now I may be wrong about this, but I seem to remember we talked so much and drank so much coffee, that time passed and the light started to fade. Anthony took some test shots on his large-format camera (no 35mm for him) and wasn’t happy. So he said something like … "I know what to do now, but we missed our slot. I’m not going to use studio lights - I want the quality of daylight in this shot. Can you come back tomorrow?” Strangely enough we could. And then it was all very quick. He took a few solo shots of us singly (I wonder where they are ?) And then went for the cover shot of the four of us. I think he only took a couple of dozen shots, very much like we’d seen Hurrell do. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he knew when it was in the bag - even though he couldn't verify that on the spot. The developing of the negative had to be done, and prints made, before anyone could see the result.

So we said our goodbyes and left - and … that was it. The picture we wanted arrived a couple of days later, and it was perfect for what we needed - nicely balanced in composition, with all of us looking quite decent; understated, a little formal, yet not stiff, and beautifully lit by Nature herself, with a little help from Lord Snowdon.

The album ? It was to become the biggest selling British album in History - Queen’s Greatest Hits.

We decided to mount the picture in an unusual way. Inspired by the first Superman Film, we skewed the photograph as if it were mounted flat on a piece of glass spinning through space. So our faces are distorted by perspective. Years later, for the re-issue for Universal Records, we decided to ‘undo’ that distortion, and on this cover you see Snowdon’s picture exactly as it was taken. Pure ! I like that version best. As Snowdon himself might have said … it wasn’t trying too hard.

You won’t find this stuff on Wikipedia, of course. In the anarchy of the Internet based information, anybody can contribute stuff as long as they are citing someone who said it previously ! So the entry as I just looked at it is a ripe mixture of fact and inaccuracies - they don’t even mention who took the cover photograph. Who will write history ? Well, certainly not me … with my memory weaving its own spells at this distance. But History was certainly made in those fleeting moments when we were privileged to enjoy the company of that fine gentleman, Snowdon

RIP

Bri - january 13, 2017

(source: brianmay.com)

#lord snodwon #photosession 1981 #1981 #queen greatest hits #freddie mercury #queen band #london #zanzibar #legend #queen #brian may #john deacon #freddiebulsara #roger taylor

[ashighastheskyy]

All tapes left in a car for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums. - Terry Pratchett 🎵

#terry pratchett #books #booklr #goodomens #good omens #gomens #vinyl records #vintage #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity #queen greatest hits #queen #queen band #neil geiman

[ultra-francesca-mercury]

On 19 October 1981, the video collection 'Greatest Flix' was released, accompanied by the book 'Greatest Pix'. It was the first time in history that a group or artist published a collection of music videos.

#greatest flix #queen #queen band #freddie mercury #queen greatest hits #queen greatest pix #greatest pix #almanaccomercury

[personmoss]

Move out of the way Aziraphale, I'm on my Crowley ark. 🐍🐍

I really hope my car won't just eat the disc and never return it.

#good omens #neil gaiman #ineffable partners #ineffable spouses #ineffeble husbands #crowly x aziraphale #crowley #queen band #queen greatest hits

[longliverockback]

Queen Greatest Hits I & II 1992 Hollywood ————————————————— Tracks CD One: Greatest Hits 01. Bohemian Rhapsody 02. Another One Bites the Dust 03. Killer Queen 04. Fat Bottomed Girls 05. Bicycle Race 06. You’re My Best Friend 07. Don’t Stop Me Now 08. Save Me 09. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 10. Somebody to Love 11. Now I’m Here 12. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy 13. Play the Game 14. Flash 15. Seven Seas of Rhye 16. We Will Rock You 17. We Are the Champions

Tracks CD Three: Greatest Hits II 01. A Kind of Magic 02. Under Pressure 03. Radio Ga Ga 04. I Want It All 05. I Want to Break Free 06. Innuendo 07. It’s a Hard Life 08. Breakthru 09. Who Wants to Live Forever 10. Headlong 11. The Miracle 12. I’m Going Slightly Mad 13. The Invisible Man 14. Hammer to Fall 15. Friends Will Be Friends 16. Show Must Go On 17. One Vision —————————————————

* Long Live Rock Archive

#Queen #Queen Band #John Deacon #Brian May #Freddie Mercury #Roger Taylor #Queen Greatest Hits #Queen Greatest Hits II #Greatest Hits I & II #Compilation #Pop #1992

[beagrimwood]

I am Newt. Queen’s Greatest Hits is my Dick Turpin.

I still drive a car with a cassette player, so because I am obviously very funny, I bought Queen’s Greatest Hits.

I had imagined that when people asked about it, I could tell them it was originally something else but became Queen after a couple of weeks and they’d be like “oh, a Good Omens joke! Amazing”.

The absolute dream would be someone getting in my car and making the joke themselves. “Ha, what was this cassette before it turned into Queen?”.

Unfortunately, a total of three people have been in my car in the past 6 months.

Of those three people, zero of them have asked about the cassette and in retrospect, why would they?

I have however, explained the joke to each of them anyway. None of them had read or seen Good Omens.

I am Newt. Queen’s Greatest Hits is my Dick Turpin.

On the plus side, I now know all the words to Killer Queen.

#good omens #neil gaiman #terry pratchett #ineffable fandom #contrived jokes which rely on specific knowledge are apparently not cool #they should be #queen greatest hits #cassette #am I doing tagging correctly? #dick turpin

[eldestnightwingsyndrome]

oh to be at an irish pub right now

#k rambles #bet it’s absolutely madness #queen elizabeth #greatest hits

[ballisterboldheart]

another Fun little detail <- not fun but playing into the themes of classism.

every other knight’s armor is shiny and new

but ballister’s armor has scuffs on the edges. chipping.

they literally never allowed him to forget he’s a pobre </3

#s.txt #there was a deeper analysis i wanted to do here but all i can think is #queen: i had some armor made for ballister because he's my chosen knight :) its just as beautiful as any other knight's armor #the director: [grabs a hammer] not when i'm done with it #nimona #quinn's greatest hits #1k

[solradguy]

Freddie Mercury on stage at The Coliseum, Oakland, California on December 16, 1978

Scan from Queen: Album by Album by Martin Popoff.

#queen #queen scans #my scans #freddie mercury #queen band #Meant to post this yesterday but I was distracted lol Remembered today because I had an intense debate over which leather jacket to wear #greatest hits

[dragoncharming]

dungeons and drag queens takes place post-acofaf. they’ve reconnected the realms, but done too good a job. now there are just portals everywhere for american music producers to just drive right into.

#dungeons and drag queens #dimension 20 #greatest hits

[alexisntedgy]

alison cooper my outwardly unhinged queen

“is it playing an april fools prank on a bunch of dead people, maybe?” “it isn’t not that”

*plays the piano with a taxidermy dog from over 100 years ago*

*to pat of all people* “so how did you die :p”

*uses a ghost to cheat at poker*

“julian you were in politics, you must know a few dirty tricks”

*gets dead ww2 officer to spy on houseguest*

*tries to fake a haunting in an actual haunted house because all her ghosts made a ghost-union and went on strike*

“accept you’re a better poet than you are a teacher and that is really saying something-”

“it’s hardly fair to single out kitty, is it-“ “is there something you’d like to share 👁️ 👁️”

“i’m just taking robin for a walk”

*watches a bunch of ghosts perform a panto of cinderella*

*does a handmade repair job on a painting of a deceased relative that’s over 100 years old*

she used julian’s drink mixing tips at an actual party????

“my great aunt died” “oh I’m sorry” “no it’s alright i never met her”

“they found a stuka divebomber in the woods 👀” (no they did not)

yea nothing will go wrong if I give a ghost internet access- ah he’s spent all my money on mobile game upgrades

“I’m just talking to one of the ghosts that live here”

“-nobody will let slip any detail about the little lad- damn it.” “so it’s a boy then?” “what?” “damn it-“

“WHO U GONNA CALL? 📞 👻”

#love u queen #bbc ghosts #ghosts #alison cooper #six idiots #greatest hits

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today - March 20, 1976 - Queen Story!

Queen arrived in Tokyo, Japan, to start their second japanese tour, 'A Night At The Opera'

#1976 #tokyo #japan 1976 #japan #a night at tbe opera album #a night at the opera tour #queen greatest hits #queen band #london #zanzibar #freddie mercury #legend #brian may #queen #john deacon #freddiebulsara #roger taylor

[ultra-francesca-mercury]

november 16, 2006

Queen's Greatest Hits is declared the most popular album of all time in Britain, with more than 5.5 million units sold. The Beatles come in second with Sgt. Pepper.

#queen #queen band #queen greatest hits #almanaccomercury #john deacon #freddie mercury #brian may #roger taylor

[testosteronetwunk]

#greatest hits #queen

[longliverockback]

Queen Greatest Hits 1992 Hollywood ————————————————— Tracks: 01. We Will Rock You 02. We Are the Champions 03. Another One Bites the Dust 04. Killer Queen 05. Somebody to Love 06. Fat Bottomed Girls 07. Bicycle Race 08. You’re My Best Friend 09. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 10. Now I’m Here 11. Play the Game 12. Seven Seas of Rhye 13. Body Language 14. Save Me 15. Don’t Stop Me Now 16. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy 14. I Want to Break Free —————————————————

* Long Live Rock Archive

#Queen #Queen Band #John Deacon #Brian May #Freddie Mercury #Roger Taylor #Queen Greatest Hits #Greatest Hits #LP #Pop #1992

[dumbbitchawards]

Reminder: this is the ONLY monarchical structure you should care about

#nothing but respect for MY royal family #my little pony #mlp #mlp g4 #princess celestia #princess luna #twilight sparkle #princess cadance #my little pony friendship is magic #mlp fim #uk politics #ukpol #british royal family #queen elizabeth #mine #dumbbitchawards #goose's greatest hits