Queen: Album by Album

by Martin Popoff

A thoughtfully curated and gloriously illustrated retrospective of the band’s studio releases, Queen , comes just in time for the 45th anniversary of their debut LP and biopic.

Formed in 1970, Queen went on to become one of the most popular—and most successful—rock bands of all time. Even following the untimely death of beloved and magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury , and nearly 50 years after their formation, interest in the band has continued, evidenced by scores of reissues, arena tours with surviving members, and a feature-film biopic.

In this new installment in Voyageur Press’s Album by Album series, rock journo Martin Popoff convenes a cast of 19 Queen experts and superfans to discuss all 15 of the band’s studio albums (including their soundtrack for the 1980 film Flash Gordon). Panelists include Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, and record industry figures. The results are freewheeling discussions delving into the individual songs, the circumstances that surrounded the recording of each album, the band and contemporary rock contexts into which they were released, and more.

The engaging text of this beautifully designed book is illustrated throughout with rare live performance and candid offstage photography , as well as scads of rare Queen ephemera .

The Album by Album series is a unique approach to the rock bio, injecting the varied voices of several contributors. The results have even the most diehard fans rushing back to their MP3 players (or turntables) to confirm the details and opinions expressed!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Collections, Biography Memoir

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2018

About the author

At approximately 7900 (with over 7000 appearing in his books), Martin has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queen: Album by Album

This is an awesome retrospective book on Queen’s 15 studio albums where each album is discussed by a panel of nineteen comprised of Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, music industry people and superfans put together by author Martin Popoff. Filled with tons of great rare photos and artwork from live performances and candid shots of the band. “Just in time for the 45th anniversary of their debut LP and biopic.” This was really enjoyable to go through and check out all of the albums and read the comments from the various panel members while looking at all of the pictures from back then.

It’s making me want to go see the new movie now. Hard to believe it’s been nearly 50 years since the band was formed. It’s a great choice for any Queen fan, with all of the pictures and commentary of the music experts and fans mixed in. I think most rock fans of this era would love it.  My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Martin Popoff, and the publisher for my fair review.

Voyageur Press 224 pages
Pub: Nov 13th, 2018
 
My BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPERB!!!!
Any lover of Queen ( arent we all? ) will love this book that charts each album and includes interviews and insights and pics of the group and memorabillia relating to the time each album was out
Many outstanding pics of the group,some well known,some I had never seen
Loved this book and its easy narrative style,great book

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only time I ever saw Queen in concert was post-Freddie Mercury with young Adam Lambert filling in. They still put on an amazing show. Here, we are presented with a coffee table colorfully illustrated book that offers a retrospective through the eyes of nineteen other music industry types discussing Queen's various albums and influences. Not as interesting as the other album by album formats, but still worth a read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Queen fan and thoroughly enjoyed exploring this book. I especially loved the pictures, which included many I hadn't seen before.

[Karen Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just seen the film “Bohemian Rhapsody” this week, I was delighted to be invited to be among the first to read and review this retrospective book on Queen’s 15 studio albums. The book is arranged where each album is discussed by a panel of experts on Queen and rock music of the era, and even includes Sir Paul McCartney. The interview style lends itself to the feeling that you are involved in a conversation with Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, music industry people and superfans put together by author Martin Popoff. I loved the style and all the photographs and ticket stubs from concerts were so great to see. Having grown up on Queen, I could put myself back in time, where listening to the latest Queen album made for a great Saturday night.


This book is a great choice for any Queen fan, with all of the pictures and commentary of the music experts and fans. I want to go back and see the movie again now that I have read through this book. If you are a Queen fan, or simply a rock fan of the era, this one will be a hit. This book is such a great tribute to a groundbreaking band.

Thanks to #NetGalley, author Martin Popoff, and the publisher for an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars for this one!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really excellent rundown for one overwhelmed by Queen's incredible back catalogue. Lost a star for trash talking Hot Space and The Miracle.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every since my mate at school TJ Martin said he liked Queen back in the early 70's when they had just 1 album out Queen I have always been aware of their music although never a real fan. I think it was perhaps the older brother that swayed Tim but this was my first exposure to the band.
Rami Malek'sperformance in Bohemian Rhapsody has won many plaudits and awards and I feel this book has been released at a most opportune time. Queen are still massive and draw fans to their unique sound and genre spanning music.
Queen by Martin Popoff is a simple book. It follows the history of the band through the releasing of their albums. It reproduces pictures and memorabilia from the period and produces a wealth of images that chart the success of this four piece band.
Each track is spoken about and the author has approached the musicians' contempories for further insights into the albums, the sounds being aimed for and reflections on the time. In this way I have learned far more about balance of tracks, guitar riffs and the creativity of the varied members ofthe group. I am humbled in my ignorance into the skill and musicianship of the four individuals and the quality the brought as a band. Brian May it seemsdoesn't just play guitar and Roger Taylor isn't just a creative backing vocalist. John Deacon the one who walked away after Freddie's death even wrote some classic songs as well as producing that Queen sound following May's talented lead and innovative guitar sections.
Queen were part of my teenage awareness but music didn't hold me; I graviated to sport and books.
This though is the sought of book that would have enthused me and the comments by their peers and analysis of their music was a rich revelation to me. Too little too late; I recognised the guys could play and write and took popular music forward in a dynamic and bold way. They were not an overnight success but had something collectively they wanted to share in their music. My respect and understanding has grown for Queen. Not in a nerdy, fact knowing way but in my enhanced appreciation for the sound they made, their motivation and legacy.
This is a special book that has freed my mind and unblocked my ears; not Queen track will ever be the same. The quality of those that contributed to this book is unsurpassed in a whos who of knowledable experts and fans. It is a work of love and a fitting tribute to this glorious band.
I'm sure Tim Martin would love it even more than I can express but if his older brother comes round he'd better hid it or lose it. Any fan would feel their appreciation of Queen needed this fitting tribute, for anyone who loves their music this is a must have book.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fab.

[*Stani* · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong fan of Queen, I couldn't have been happier to be able to read this book. And what a read it was!

Not only I learned more in depth stories about this fascinating group of people, the pictures were amazing companion as well. Queen has always been my number one music group, since I was like 12 (I peaked early). And as a bookish child, I wasn't really into the rock 'n roll type of music, they somehow "spoke" to me. They captured the very essence of being different, odd even, and put it on a pedestal, turned into something to be celebrated and be proud of.

And nobody has done that at the time better than Freddie himself. The master of beautiful lyrics, gorgeous outfits and unbelievable vocal range.

This book is a stunning in depth study into a group that touched so many and is still relevant, celebrated and admired to this day.

5 out of 5 for any Queen fan.

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable trip down memory lane! Queen was a huge part of my youth, and I was fortunate enough to attend four of their concerts. This book is a digest of all of their albums. It includes fantastic photographs. Even better, the author interviews all kinds of Queen aficionado's and people involved in the music industry. They give insights into the band that I never knew before. I really appreciated the great amount of information contained in the book. If you're a Queen fan, you cannot go wrong with this book!

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]

i am a HUGE queen fan. between becoming obsessed with them as an eleven year old and seeing bohemian rhapsody for a third time the other day, they have grown to mean a lot to me. i used to read music books voraciously, but i've gone off them for a while. yet i picked this up because a) it was gifted to me and b) it's queen. why wouldn't i ?

this book was an interesting read. there were a lot of things i already knew, but there was also some new information that a superfan like myself enjoyed reading about. there was a lot of insight in terms of recording, production and technique - things that don't personally interest me that much, but would definitely be exciting to the more production-obsessed/technical ones among us. i liked the rare collectibles and photographs that decorated each page, and i definitely liked martin popoff's writing style (even if he doesn't like "these are the days of our lives"). i am often wary of music journalists, but when he compared queen ii to rush's caress of steel i thought he was spot on.

i just wish there was more detail to this book. some songs were barely touched on, and some things seemed brushed over. however, my main gripe is not giving john deacon as much recognition as he deserves. i am perhaps slightly biased, considering he's my favourite member of queen, but shhhh! even roger, who often fails to get the credit he's due, got a lot of praise and appreciation (another thing i enjoyed reading). but i feel like they could've written more about john. don't try telling me there's not much to write about him beyond the hits he wrote for the band. his bass solo on "dragon attack" was arguably the standout moment of the song and it didn't even get a mention. his skill on the millionaire waltz, the catchy tunes he wrote that weren't necessarily hits - i could go on. maybe i'm caring too much about this, but y'all are really sleeping on my mans john deacon. smh.

overall, it was an interesting book - it just lacked details in certain areas. would recommend to new fans and superfans alike.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking at the author's CV at the end here, you realise he must hate Queen, for he's written about a thousand books about far inferior bands before now. But you can also count them as dress rehearsals for a very good volume. It doesn't aim to correct the bodged history given by That Film, but it does give you an insight into every album Queen ever recorded, whether they were a quartet (which the text continues to call a trio, oddly) or a group sadly lacking the frontal lynch-pin. The structure is a two-page summary of each album, then interviews with three or four semi-relevant people about the merits or otherwise of what's on each. Reading it digitally you'd wish the contributor guide was first and not last, for these people meant nothing to me, Paul McCartney aside. As an interested observer as opposed to uber-fan, you can scoff at the bias of the book – it lauds albums whose "deep cuts" (as we're supposed to call them now, as opposed to 'filler') have never been heard, calls 'Radio Ga-Ga' "dated", and creams itself over 'Under Pressure', mostly because it was sold with a pile of dung as company. Still, for a commendable-and-then-some visual element, and for a reasoned, fan/industry-eye view of the complete oeuvre, it's certainly well worth the price of admission. Which, for people in the UK at time of writing, is only £10, for this publisher seems to make great books and then consign them to the shelves of The Works where everything is instantly heavily reduced. I'd never seen a book in their stock at half price before I'd had a chance to read the e-arc before now. So if you can get this for a tenner, it's very much a must-read, and even if you can't it's well worth consideration. The show is still going on, and we're still very much interested.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was growing up, my mother taught me all about music, from Mozart to Nirvana. Since I first learned about Queen, it has always fascinated me. Freddie has always been my favorite artist. When I saw this book on Netgalley I immediately wished for it, knowing for sure I was definitely not going to get it. Then one day, out of the blue, I got an email stating my wish had been granted. I think I have rarely been happier. This book is a perfect compilation of all Queen’s albums, with a beautiful addition of wonderful pictures and insightful comments. Before I go into the actual review, I think it’s worth mentioning I already bought a physical copy of this book for myself and others as Christmas gifts for some of my friends. This book has a beautiful collection of Queen’s pictures, recollecting astonishing moments. Even if just for the pictures I think it’s worth to have a copy of this book.
Now moving on into the structure of the book. What is so special about Queen? What exactly made them the legends they are today? By analyzing their albums one by one we are able to get a clear picture of the timeline and everything in their lives that might have affected their melodies and lyrics.
I get very emotional when it comes to Queen. I can be listening to a song and start crying for Freddie (who, mind you, died five years before I was even born). So, when it comes to Queen, I am not the most objective person in the world. Nevertheless, would this book have been filled with useless praise, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as much as I did. The objectivity of it was not only refreshing but even necessary.
This book is simply perfect, it is exactly what it claims to be. I enjoyed the points of view of the commentators and the extra bits of anecdotes that they added to the stories. If you are a Queen fan, I think this is a book you will very much enjoy owning.
*Many, many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.*

[Cathy Geha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queen - Album by Album by Martin Popoff

The reason I requested to review this book was probably due to the new movie that came out about Freddy Mercury. I have always enjoyed the songs I have heard by him but have to admit that I had never heard of most of the songs in the albums discussed in this book. I know what songs I like but have never been able to tell you what the title is or who is singing it unless the group or artist is so big it would be impossible NOT to. I admit that I skimmed the book and picked and chose what I read of the interviews about each album and that the main attraction of the book were the photographs. I believe that people who love this group and know all of the songs and do not know the stories that go with them are those who will enjoy this book the most.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Voyageur Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This interesting book detailing and documenting the Queen discography is very interesting and a love letter to the super group. With it’s rare photos, detailed recording information and in-depth interviews make this a must for any fan of Queen. With the success of Bohemian Rhapsody hitting the screen, this should be a strong interest in their music which will keep even the passing fans interested.

A love letter to the albums of this super group that should do exceedingly well.

[Ann T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Quatro Publishing - Voyager Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

I loved reading and learning more about the records of this great great group. It was full of interesting facts on the albums and a peccadilloes accompliment to watching Bohemian Rhapsody.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a e book from net galley. I enjoyed reading it. It told how queens LP's were made. I like the authors style of writing in it.

[Keen Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Queen and have been since I was growing up, which is why I picked this up from the library on a whim in the first place. When I say Queen, I mean the version that existed up until Freddie Mercury passed away at the end of 1991.

The lay out and presentation of this book is easy on the eye, as well as reproduction of every album cover we get plenty photos of the band members, old tickets stubs, gig advertisements, many from their early period, and other related ephemera which adds a lot to the text. The cover says Queen but there is only a picture of Freddie Mercury?...leading some people (more cynical than myself) into suspecting that this is some attempt to ride on the coat tails of a certain film being released in the same year?...

This was a strange creature of a book, it has a very American emphasis about it, so we largely see Queen’s work through Americans eyes. To be honest I don’t have the slightest interest in what Dee Snider of Twisted Sister thinks about Queen, and I struggle to get excited about what a member of an all-American female Queen covers band or even the world’s top tribute Queen act has to say either.

Thankfully it’s not all bad and we get people like Paul McCartney and Dave Ellefson, who make for enjoyable company and we do get to hear from some of the people who were actually part of the creative process of some of the albums too, which provides some revealing and colourful insights.

I was expecting something with a bit more substance, something written mostly by music journalists. Too often in here, what tries to be a tribute, ends up descending into a long winded spiel that goes nowhere and too often the editing is non-existent, and it becomes far too baggy and rambling.

Overall I was disappointed by this, there were many times when this really annoyed me, particularly at the start, though it did improve as it went on, and there were moments when it was a pleasure to read, with some informative background information and other bits of interesting trivia, but too often there was just too much waffling, that could have been cut out.

[Patrick Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author is clearly not a big fan despite claiming to be. Many of the people interviewed have only passing knowledge (or just vicarious insights gleaned from watching the official Queen documentaries) so are just repeating well known trivia, or running their mouth about how they like this or that song. Mostly second rate journalists and ‘super fans’. The only good comments come from Paul McCartney and the Marillion guy. Typos galore. The book promises lively ‘panel‘ discussions when it’s obvious he’s interviewed everyone separately; there is no further discussion/disagreement/exploration among interviewees, they’re just replying to the author’s boring questions. The author openly only likes early Queen and is dismissive of their later work, which steers his fairly closed questioning of interviewees (eg if he doesn’t like it then they’re not allowed to either). He also thinks a song’s merit is proportional to its ‘heaviness’ and basically has no interest in the many other strings to Queen’s bow. Almost every paragraph of the book is the sound of someone who doesn’t know or care what they’re talking about. I’ve read a few books related to Queen and this is the worst. Bizarrely bad.

[Philip Haagensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Rob Halford, lead legend of Judas Priest, said it best: “The music that touches you in your youth is magnified as you get older. Each record can be a virtual time machine—all you need to hear is a second or two and you go back to that place and time when you first heard it. It’s a brilliant feeling when music touches you so profoundly and stays with you through time”.

This is Queen for me. I still can remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard each Queen single played on the radio. I’ve seen the original lineup live twice and each subsequent lineup (post Freddie and John) at least once. I’ve collected all the music and ephemera and will defend my position to anyone that they are the greatest rock band of all time. Subjective, I know, but sustainable.

So when I gush over this book, know that it is not light praise. Popoff certainly has the music credentials to offer up an album by album, song by song critique. But he doesn’t presume to know it all. Rather, he consults with musical and Queen Illuminati for their input on the band’s impressive oeuvre.

Each album is dissected and discussed in a plaintive, earnest fashion. And while individual opinions may vary on theme and relevance, all commentary hits the mark in some form. Popoff pulls stories from Queen’s musical peers such as Sir Paul McCartney, Darius Rucker, and Dee Snider. He queries superfans such as Jim Jenkins and Daniel Nester. And he gets in-the-studio anecdotes from the likes of Reinhold Mack, producer extraordinaire, on several Queen albums. In short, the list of contributors KNOW a thing or two about the band and it’s music. And they dive deeply into the output for relevant and insightful commentary.

Popoff himself is no slouch on credentials. Author of over 80 books focusing on music, he knows a thing or two about his subject matter. His writing style is full of metaphors and jaunty commentary. For instance when discussing one of my favorite Queen records, Jazz, he writes “...Jazz is not a
rich seven course meal that takes half the night, but rather a sumptuous buffet where partygoers pile their plates with a symphony of tastes --then
return to their tables for more loud chatter and salacious rumor". This being 100% accurate, please sit me at the glutton table, not the gourmand table.

Each chapter focuses on one of the 15 official band releases. In each case, as Halford asserts above, the discourse brings back a melange of memories. I grew up with this band. And each chapter respectfully (even when there is discord) addresses the music juxtaposed with what was going on in the band’s professional and personal careers. It’s an uncanny yet fascinating insight into Queen’s career, broken down into digestible bites of opinions sandwiched between first person accounts of band history.

Glorious in its scope and sumptuous in its details, it’s a must read for ANY Queen fan. You OWE it to yourself to put this one on your “must read” list. Not only does it have strong written content, the coffee table book is also chock full of band photos and rarities.

As Larry Lurex once sang, “...and I think I’m going back to the things I learned so well, in my youth...” The gent performing under that pseudonym would, I’m sure, heartily approve.

Get it now.

5 out of 5 stars. Higher if I could.

[Mindbait]

An interesting read. Popoff brings together Queen fans, members of tribute bands, contemporaries, one of their producers and even an ex-Beatle to go through the albums and songs of Queen.

Most of the people involved have a much different perspective of the band's oeuvre than I do. When I was a kid we had Queen's Greatest Hits 1, and eventually 2, which we took on road-trips. So many of these contributors have the idea of Queen as a big 70s rock/metal band with stacked vocals and overdubbed guitars, so they found things like "Another one bites the dust" or even "Crazy little thing called love" as abnormalities, and even the more stripped down rock of their 80s output to be odd; to me, it was always part of the Queen package. It was only later when my brother started buying all of their albums that I discovered the wealth of their back-catalogue.

As is always going to be the case with differing opinions around art, I don't entirely agree with many of the views here. They hold up "Queen" as a great starting point but view "Queen II" (one of my favourites) as a bit of a failure just because it had no 'hits'. I do agree though that the following album "Sheer Heart Attack" is a concise rock statement containing a brilliant range of material.

Likewise, I'm not a fan of them dismissing much of Queen's 80s-90s material while giving big ups to "the Works". I certainly don't dislike 'the Works', but I don't see it as being any greater an album than something like "The Miracle".
They are quite complimentary towards Innuendo, and (I thought, surprisingly) the posthumous "Made in Heaven" album.

There is at least some balance to the book, with Reinhold Mack, the producer of everything from "the Game" to "a Kind of Magic" offering some defence of that material.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recently given the opportunity to read and review three music books. The books are essentially the same, with different artists as the topics. The books cover three bands, album by album. But when I say bands, I’m talking of the some of the biggest bands the music industry has known – Queen, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden. As I’ve read all three books, I’ll review them on one review post, as what I’ve got to say applies really to all of them!

I asked to request these books as I love music, and Queen is one of my favourite all time bands! I thought the idea of going through these artists discography track by track, album by album was really original and it really appealed to me. The author has also drafted in some more rock gods and influences to talk about their memories of each band - I particularly liked Dee Snider’s memories of the early Queen concerts! – so you weren’t just getting the author’s viewpoint but the opinions of people who knew them and played with them!

The covers of each book are fabulously eye-catching and really draw you to the books. The books are also packed full of band photos and visual memorabilia, which is enough to keep any die-hard fan happy for hours! I thoroughly enjoyed each and every book, and whilst I didn’t really know any of the Iron Maiden tracks and only some of the Led Zeppelin ones, I loved reading all about them! After I finished each book, I wanted to go and raid my husband’s CD collection just to hear what I’d been reading about!

These books would definitely make a worthy addition to any Queen, Led Zeppelin or Iron Maiden fan’s bookcase! Would highly recommend!

[Henry Gee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely read, still less buy, books about rock musicians written by fans or journalists, even books about Queen, a band I've been fond of since I was eleven. I confess that I bought it by mistake, on eBay. I thought I was bidding on a book of Queen sheet music, as I was briefly in a Queen tribute band and needed to sort my Galileos from my Bismillahs (I bought that too, in the end). Still, it didn't cost much, and when it arrived, I read it. It's a series of transcribed interviews with various Queen fans, musicians and journalists conducted by rock journalist Popoff, each chapter analysing one of their many albums in chronological order from the self-titled debut in 1973 to their final record, Made In Heaven in 1995, released four years after Freddie Mercury's death. I was pleased to see that not everyone agreed with one another, nor did they have universal praise for everything Queen did. Hot Space came in for a critical panning, which one would expect, but to my surprise A Kind Of Magic came off worse. Reading this did make me realise that no Queen album can be seen as a coherent whole. This is perhaps a function of the band having four strong-minded songwriters with very different tastes. That they worked so long together and produced (in my opinion) some fantastic and enduring music is all the more mysterious.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been and still am a huge Queen fan since the first time I heard them in the seventies. I actually have all of their albums yes albums that was the way we bought and listened to music back then. They were also one of the few rock bands that my father would listen with me. He enjoyed their harmonies, and the said their music was more like rock opera. I was too young to understand, but as I got older I began to get what he was saying. I really that this book was going to be more, and that was my mistake. Other than the photos I really did not learn anything about the band or their music that I already did not know. I found at times the format of switching between different people to be irritating at times but that was just me, for it felt like their commentary was cut off here and there. Overall not bad the photos really help this book and if you did not grow up being a fan of them then this would be a good book for you. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched the movie bohemian Rhapsody and wanted to learn more about Queen. So I read Queen album by album.

I knew that Freddy Mercury and Brian May were in Queen. I was not aware that John Deacon played bass and Rodger Tayor played drums. I also had no idea that queen made some many albums.

Oh, and I also learned that Queen made the flash Gordon soundtrack. You see I watched the movie TED which has Sam Jones in it. Sam Jones played flash Gordon in the flash Gordon movie. I thought the Flash Gordon movie was some fictional thing that was made up by the people who made Ted. Its not.

I liked all the pictures of Queen in Album by album. It was interesting to read the commentary about all the different albums.

If you are a queen fan I think you enjoy reading Queen album by album.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in-depth look, album-by-album, of Queen's entire discography.

Packed with photos of the band, memorabilia, and gig posters, this should be on every Queen fan's TBR.

I really enjoyed the group interview style of the writing, and getting to read what famous musicians like Sir Paul McCartney and others had to say about Queen--well, it wasn't what I expected to find here, but I was delighted to read it just the same.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review consideration.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed retrospective of Queen: Album by Album. This book opened my eyes to aspects that I had not thought about as well as bringing back wonderful memories of one of the best bands the world will ever get to hear. Each album is discussed in detail, technical, emotional, and social aspects are broken down. Photos and memorabilia fit right along with the albums as they are being discussed. Anyone that has an interest in Queen will enjoy this book. Reading this book was like a guilty pleasure!!!

[Steve Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't buy this book. The images are great but there are mistakes in the text that will grate with fans. The only opinions in the book I valued were that of Jim Jenkins and Paul McCartney, and only the Beatle, not because of what he said but because he's a Beatle/legend. I also hate it when a book about Queen only shows a picture of Freddie Mercury on the cover. Queen were a band of four talented musicians who needed each other to succeed. Sure one can be more popular than the others but is not more important than the others.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful compendium of Queen albums, with discussion included by various knowledgable persons, some who knew Queen members and others who are very familiar with their work. Even if you aren’t interested in the details of each song, the gorgeous photos would be enough for any Queen fan.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Press for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting perspective on Queen and its fascinating frontman Freddie Mercury.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the way the author brought everything together. Loved the pictures especially, a lot of which were new to me. I’m not a music expert and this is the first book I’ve read on Queen, but I found it a great way to gain more insight into the band and their amazing albums. It definitely inspired me to start listening to their music again.