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Queen: The Early Years
This classic account of the birth of a legendary group is the truly authentic version of Queen's rise to stardom. Author Mark Hodkinson interviewed over 60 friends and colleagues of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon to piece together a fascinating jigsaw of anecdotes from the days when the future superstars were playing with bands like The Reaction, The Opposition, 1984 and Sour Milk. Intimate, suprising and meticulously researched, Queen: The Early Years is a riveting read accompanied by many previously unseen early photographs of the four band mambers.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 23, 2019
I really liked this one. It was a unique approach, one that's rarely seen when talking about such a huge phenomenon as Queen is. I enjoyed reading about the very beginning, of each member of the group, and all the various stages the band itself went through to become the entity such as we know it today.
The writing could have been better, the ideas and stages a bit more organized, but overall it was a nice read.
The writing could have been better, the ideas and stages a bit more organized, but overall it was a nice read.
July 12, 2013
My only complaint about this book has already been said: Hodkinson goes a little too in depth sometimes about previous band members and extraneous people involved in the Queen story. That said, I really thought this was a good read. There were lots of little facts I hadn't heard before, and the people Hodkinson interviewed had
funny/interesting commentary. I liked that he gave John just as much limelight as the others, and didn't forget about him later in the book. Most of all, I liked his writing style. He's eloquent where many biographers are cut-and-dry.
funny/interesting commentary. I liked that he gave John just as much limelight as the others, and didn't forget about him later in the book. Most of all, I liked his writing style. He's eloquent where many biographers are cut-and-dry.
August 10, 2016
As a die hard fan, I really loved how detailed the book was (and hooray, it wasn't all about Freddie Mercury as most of Queen biographies are!). The focus on the 'before-years' was also very refreshing and I enjoyed Hodkinson's style. However, how reliable the facts really are, I can't say. I have to doubt some of the stories and some any Queen fan would know to be false. However, I did like it. It was nice summer read and, as said, it was really nice to hear a little bit more about the rest of the bad as well.
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July 6, 2020As a contributor to the book (and one of Fred's associated in '69-'70) - I can attest that what Mark wrote was very thoroughly researched and accurate. There are people reviewing this book who weren't even born at the time who claim to know better than the author. Please ignore the comments made by these idiots. May I assure you I was quite amazed at how he'd managed to track people down - very ephemeral figures whose stories would otherwise have remained buried with them. I was there. I know. They weren't. and they don't.
March 13, 2019
A solid biography, to be completely honest. It suffers a bit from the sources not being particularly close to the band members, maybe especially in john's case, and it does tend to get a bit lost in listing random names associated with certain acts that never made it, but it's alright, certainly worth your time.
April 19, 2023
The first comprehensive biography of the supergroup Queen to focus on the band's formative years and the early lives of the four talented musicians who made up the band.
From Truro in Cornwall , and Oadby, Lecestershire to Zanzibar, we learn of the early lives Freddie Mercury, Brian May, roger Taylor and John Deacon.
While many of the details will only be of interest to die-hard Queen fans, the book also gives us a strong feel of the youth and music culture in England in the 1960s and early 70s.
The book takes us on a journey into the desperate days of pre-stardom when members of the quartet played in bands such as The Reaction, The Opposition 1984, , Sour Milk Sea , Wreckage and Smile Ghost of a Smile .
The book brings together hundreds of interviews including musicians such as Mike Bersin and Tim Staffell who worked with Freddie, Roger and Brian on the local music gig scenes in those heady days of the 60s and early 70s.
We can read of Brian's early love for sci fi which influenced so much of his own compositions such as we can clearly identify on the all time classic album A Night at the Opera.
more on Brian May can be found in "Queen" and I: Brian May Story , of Roger Taylor's gigs with school friends in Truro, Cornwall metamorphosing into several local bands, of the unassuming and quiet John Deacon from Oadby, Leicesterhsire, and of Freddie Mercury's childhood in Zanzibar and Poona in India. It is very interesting to read how Freddie (Born Farouk Bulsara) was brought up in the Zoroastrian religion and much of Queen's splendour and ceremony may have been due to Freddie's Zoroastrian upbringing.
We learn of all the early influences of the band and their first real taste of fame as the supporting act for Mott the Hoople, before the bands first hit Seven Seas of Rhye, their first album Queen and first tours.Of Freddie's flamboyant personality and dress from the beginning as well as his generosity. The bands relationships and Freddie's campness and discovery of his homosexuality.
Much of the book details Queen's musical influence y bands such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Cream, And Jimmi Hendrix (the idol of all the bands members in their youth).
A good introduction before reading this would be "Queen": As it Began
From Truro in Cornwall , and Oadby, Lecestershire to Zanzibar, we learn of the early lives Freddie Mercury, Brian May, roger Taylor and John Deacon.
While many of the details will only be of interest to die-hard Queen fans, the book also gives us a strong feel of the youth and music culture in England in the 1960s and early 70s.
The book takes us on a journey into the desperate days of pre-stardom when members of the quartet played in bands such as The Reaction, The Opposition 1984, , Sour Milk Sea , Wreckage and Smile Ghost of a Smile .
The book brings together hundreds of interviews including musicians such as Mike Bersin and Tim Staffell who worked with Freddie, Roger and Brian on the local music gig scenes in those heady days of the 60s and early 70s.
We can read of Brian's early love for sci fi which influenced so much of his own compositions such as we can clearly identify on the all time classic album A Night at the Opera.
more on Brian May can be found in "Queen" and I: Brian May Story , of Roger Taylor's gigs with school friends in Truro, Cornwall metamorphosing into several local bands, of the unassuming and quiet John Deacon from Oadby, Leicesterhsire, and of Freddie Mercury's childhood in Zanzibar and Poona in India. It is very interesting to read how Freddie (Born Farouk Bulsara) was brought up in the Zoroastrian religion and much of Queen's splendour and ceremony may have been due to Freddie's Zoroastrian upbringing.
We learn of all the early influences of the band and their first real taste of fame as the supporting act for Mott the Hoople, before the bands first hit Seven Seas of Rhye, their first album Queen and first tours.Of Freddie's flamboyant personality and dress from the beginning as well as his generosity. The bands relationships and Freddie's campness and discovery of his homosexuality.
Much of the book details Queen's musical influence y bands such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Cream, And Jimmi Hendrix (the idol of all the bands members in their youth).
A good introduction before reading this would be "Queen": As it Began
January 22, 2019
If you don't even like Queen, perhaps don't write a book about Queen. Between the foreword and the first page of Chapter 1 the writer had managed to insult the band and it's members around a dozen times, which is impressive only because it accounts for maybe three pages of writing. As a fan of the band, I didn't open a biography about their early years to see someone insistently tear them down. Would not recommend unless you actually do happen to dislike Queen and for some reason want to pay good money to wallow in it.
February 4, 2020
The very first impression I got from this book was that the author didn't particularly like Queen and that he really didn't like Freddie Mercury at all. Some of the basic facts were wrong which makes me question the reliability of the book.
March 22, 2023
I was just a little disappointed with this book. As an unauthorised biography it lacked substance and didn't really engage me regarding the early years of Queen and didn't add to my knowledge of them. Lots of technical stuff about contracts and vague anecdotes.
May 21, 2019
Good but...
My only complaint: tons of spelling and grammar errors. Otherwise it was a nice read about the early days of Queen.
My only complaint: tons of spelling and grammar errors. Otherwise it was a nice read about the early days of Queen.
January 2, 2020
Bókin leggur áherslu á uppruna og fyrstu ár Queen. Höfundurinn lagði mikið upp úr því að taka viðtal við fólk sem þekkti Freddie og félaga, fólk sem var í fyrstu hljómsveitunum þeirra.
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January 3, 2020I have read many books on just Freddie. It was my first on the total Queen group. It was nice to learn the early years about Brian, Roger and John.
July 8, 2024
There were so many names. Of many unknown people. For about a line.
July 21, 2024
also need a time machine to witness queen’s rise to stardom
June 11, 2016
This book has the feeling of reading the first part of a trilogy, which is a project the author should consider. It delivers what the title promises, the beginning and rise to fame of the band Queen. But like the band, I wish it had continued. It covers their childhoods, individual paths to meeting, developing their unique sound, and up until they record and achieve worldwide success with their first mega-hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody."
*
Each member is considered individually and written about equally, including the late, legendary and over-the-top vocalist Freddie Mercury. Their childhoods, influences, former bands, failures and successes are covered in detail and offers good insights for both dedicated and casual fans. What I found especially interesting were the career options for Brian May (guitar) and John Deacon (bass) who were torn between higher education (especially on May’s part) and music. Mercury and Roger Taylor (drums) were more invested from the start and surprisingly, Taylor more than Mercury for a rock and roll lifestyle.
*
The book is well written and researched. It has a very European tone, which is appropriate since Queen was a very European band. Much of their early success was in America and Japan, which is detailed, though it can arguably be said that aspect of their fame changed in the years following the end of this biography.
*
The only element that might be missing comes from the era of Queen’s formation. Biographies of earlier artists, such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles, take place in the formative years of rock and pop music. Their unwavering belief in spite of overwhelming odds, near poverty, grimy and sweaty clubs playing music hardly anyone else wanted to hear at the beginning of their careers is missing from Queen’s story. It’s not their fault or the writer’s. Times had changed, doors and minds had been opened, and the youthful musicians of the late 1960’s and early 70’s already knew the music was more than accepted and the dream of rock stardom was more than possible.
*
Still, there were no guarantees and the members of Queen forged ahead to become one of the greatest rock bands of all time. This entertaining book will tell you how they got there.
*
Each member is considered individually and written about equally, including the late, legendary and over-the-top vocalist Freddie Mercury. Their childhoods, influences, former bands, failures and successes are covered in detail and offers good insights for both dedicated and casual fans. What I found especially interesting were the career options for Brian May (guitar) and John Deacon (bass) who were torn between higher education (especially on May’s part) and music. Mercury and Roger Taylor (drums) were more invested from the start and surprisingly, Taylor more than Mercury for a rock and roll lifestyle.
*
The book is well written and researched. It has a very European tone, which is appropriate since Queen was a very European band. Much of their early success was in America and Japan, which is detailed, though it can arguably be said that aspect of their fame changed in the years following the end of this biography.
*
The only element that might be missing comes from the era of Queen’s formation. Biographies of earlier artists, such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles, take place in the formative years of rock and pop music. Their unwavering belief in spite of overwhelming odds, near poverty, grimy and sweaty clubs playing music hardly anyone else wanted to hear at the beginning of their careers is missing from Queen’s story. It’s not their fault or the writer’s. Times had changed, doors and minds had been opened, and the youthful musicians of the late 1960’s and early 70’s already knew the music was more than accepted and the dream of rock stardom was more than possible.
*
Still, there were no guarantees and the members of Queen forged ahead to become one of the greatest rock bands of all time. This entertaining book will tell you how they got there.
January 4, 2010
I really thought this book was pretty good. Hudkinson said he was going to focus on the early life of the band Queen, and he pretty much stuck to that. I thought he went into more detail with old bands members that Queen used to be part of then was necessary, but for what its' worth it was a good. I'm sure there are more books around that are better but this one is a pretty good bibliography in the early years of Freddy, Roger, Brian and John. I learned a lot of interesting things about the bands beginnings and the members of Queen. The biography was written in 95’ four years after Freddy died, but he only spoke about queen’s career until about their fourth album A Night at the Opera. I really sort of hope for more details about the creation of their albums and what not.
October 28, 2014
This book is very detailed. However, it gets A LOT of basic facts wrong, especially about Freddie Mercury's life. If I can pinpoint myriad examples, I don't trust it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews