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Queen As It Began: Authorised and Revised Edition
The original edition of this revered and authorised Queen biography explored every aspect of the legendary group’s career from inception to 1992. Newly revised and updated with cooperation and insight from Brian May and Roger Taylor – and drawing on exclusive interviews with the bandmembers – this book completes the story of the Mercury era and the immediate years after his death. With numerous extra photographs and a new Foreword from Brian May, Queen – As It Revised and Authorised is an informative and authoritative portrait of Queen’s most fundamental period.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published June 9, 2022
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August 28, 20238/28 things are getting ridiculous. It seems that one of Queen’s all-time greatest songs written by Dr grandpa Brian May, Fat Bottom Girls, is being removed from their greatest hits lists because of various nonsensical current movements. When will people stop attacking other people simply because whah whah whah that hurts my feelings? Put you big boy/girl/they panties on and just leave the music alone. Leave our books alone. Leave my freedom of speech alone. Because the last time I checked the Constitution was for EVERYONE
As far as I'm concerned this book should qualify for my royal reads project. Hands down this band has had more impact on me in an emotional capacity than even Bowie or the Beatles. I STILL cry every time I watch their Live Aid performance. Queen was music for the masses. Respect and love to these men. Always
As far as I'm concerned this book should qualify for my royal reads project. Hands down this band has had more impact on me in an emotional capacity than even Bowie or the Beatles. I STILL cry every time I watch their Live Aid performance. Queen was music for the masses. Respect and love to these men. Always
May 12, 2022
[2.5/5] This is a 2022 revised and updated version of the book, which was originally published in 1992. As the only "official" biography of my favourite band it's a book that I've long wanted to read. It turns out that it wasn't really worth the wait.
This is a dry book with very little personality. It's full of facts and figures and focuses more than anything on Queen's achievements. It doesn't talk much about who the band members were as people and it certainly doesn't talk about the music or how it was made. The most we tend to get is, "the band went into the studio and recorded their fifth album" or similar. There is no discussion of the song writing, the musicianship, the studio craft (something which the band famously pushed to its limits) or where the ideas came from. Nothing is said about the recording sessions themselves or what went on.
Instead we are largely told about sales, chart positions and how big the crowds were at each gig. I will say that the book is full of information if you don't know much about the band and it does document Queen's rise to success with some detail. The early years are given quite a bit of focus and the background of each band member told quite nicely.
But the way this book is written it almost comes across as the band got together, demanded success from everyone they met and were granted it. It doesn't ever tell us HOW or WHY they achieved it. While it's thorough, it's also extremely impersonal. It doesn't properly touch on Freddie being ill until after he dies, which comes as quite a shock in the narrative as you read because it presents everything as being good until it happens. This approach would have made some sense with the original 1992 printing, but the decades since have revealed so much more information to us and it's odd that the update to the book doesn't amend things here.
Overall, not worth the read unless you are completely new to the band and want to learn the basics. I was also extremely disappointed at the shoddy quality of the book itself, as several pages inside were not properly bound and just fell out loose.
This is a dry book with very little personality. It's full of facts and figures and focuses more than anything on Queen's achievements. It doesn't talk much about who the band members were as people and it certainly doesn't talk about the music or how it was made. The most we tend to get is, "the band went into the studio and recorded their fifth album" or similar. There is no discussion of the song writing, the musicianship, the studio craft (something which the band famously pushed to its limits) or where the ideas came from. Nothing is said about the recording sessions themselves or what went on.
Instead we are largely told about sales, chart positions and how big the crowds were at each gig. I will say that the book is full of information if you don't know much about the band and it does document Queen's rise to success with some detail. The early years are given quite a bit of focus and the background of each band member told quite nicely.
But the way this book is written it almost comes across as the band got together, demanded success from everyone they met and were granted it. It doesn't ever tell us HOW or WHY they achieved it. While it's thorough, it's also extremely impersonal. It doesn't properly touch on Freddie being ill until after he dies, which comes as quite a shock in the narrative as you read because it presents everything as being good until it happens. This approach would have made some sense with the original 1992 printing, but the decades since have revealed so much more information to us and it's odd that the update to the book doesn't amend things here.
Overall, not worth the read unless you are completely new to the band and want to learn the basics. I was also extremely disappointed at the shoddy quality of the book itself, as several pages inside were not properly bound and just fell out loose.
May 29, 2023
While I overall liked the book, it is a bit of a mixed bag.
If you're looking for details regarding the recording process of the albums or any background of the songs, this is the wrong place.
The book offers a for the most part well put together history of Queen starting with each member's childhood and early work as well as numbers and dates of all releases and tours, peppered with some great little stories and asides. There is also a bit of information about the private life's (mostly marriage, childbirth and divorce related things) without being intrusive. It also covers the solo efforts of each band member as well as charity work.
It falls a bit short regarding Freddie Mercuries last years and illness, and while I take it as respectful handling of a private man's affairs, it is a bit confusing considering the information given by band members and friends in other places.
The book clearly represents it's origin, written from the perspective of the band's long running fan club, and while not being a the definitive history of Queen covering every last bit of information, it does it's job well enough.
I think if you're new to Queen, this would be a good starting point. For someone following the band for decades it offers little new information, and sometimes you're even tempted to say 'yeah, I know, and you forgot to mention x, y an z'. That doesnt make it a bad book, it just means it won't make everybody happy. I for my part enjoyed it as concise rundown of events freshening up my memory and telling me a few funny stories I hadn't known.
If you're looking for details regarding the recording process of the albums or any background of the songs, this is the wrong place.
The book offers a for the most part well put together history of Queen starting with each member's childhood and early work as well as numbers and dates of all releases and tours, peppered with some great little stories and asides. There is also a bit of information about the private life's (mostly marriage, childbirth and divorce related things) without being intrusive. It also covers the solo efforts of each band member as well as charity work.
It falls a bit short regarding Freddie Mercuries last years and illness, and while I take it as respectful handling of a private man's affairs, it is a bit confusing considering the information given by band members and friends in other places.
The book clearly represents it's origin, written from the perspective of the band's long running fan club, and while not being a the definitive history of Queen covering every last bit of information, it does it's job well enough.
I think if you're new to Queen, this would be a good starting point. For someone following the band for decades it offers little new information, and sometimes you're even tempted to say 'yeah, I know, and you forgot to mention x, y an z'. That doesnt make it a bad book, it just means it won't make everybody happy. I for my part enjoyed it as concise rundown of events freshening up my memory and telling me a few funny stories I hadn't known.
March 29, 2025
Thanks to Edelweiss and Omnibus Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I grew up with Queen’s music because my older brothers and sisters were into them. I have no idea why, and I’m embarrassed now, but Fat Bottom Girls was always my favorite from my siblings’ collection. I was 18 and heading home for Thanksgiving when I remember Freddie Mercury announcing he had HIV/AIDS. The next day, he was gone.
As much as I love Queen, I never did any reading about the band’s personal life or a deep dive into the making of their music. This authorized biography was first released in 1992 and was updated in 2022.
If you are looking for the juicy personal stuff, this book is not for you. What is there is a brief description of the band’s upbringings, the book is almost exclusively about the professional part of the band: the history of their discography, the chart positions of each single, the awards the band received. Even the description of their albums’ creation is relatively brief; it may be mentioned that they made an album, and the book mentions how many days they were in the studio, but there’s no dissecting of the songs and how or why they were written.
There is a little talk about the band members’ personal lives, like when John Deacon’s kids were born, or when Freddie got involved with someone, but it’s clear that this is not a gossip book. Even Freddie’s illness is not given much space.
I still do recommend this book for Queen fans or those interested in rock n’ roll history because their impact cannot be denied. They were the beginning of arena rock and could also fill stadiums. I would have loved to see them live.
I grew up with Queen’s music because my older brothers and sisters were into them. I have no idea why, and I’m embarrassed now, but Fat Bottom Girls was always my favorite from my siblings’ collection. I was 18 and heading home for Thanksgiving when I remember Freddie Mercury announcing he had HIV/AIDS. The next day, he was gone.
As much as I love Queen, I never did any reading about the band’s personal life or a deep dive into the making of their music. This authorized biography was first released in 1992 and was updated in 2022.
If you are looking for the juicy personal stuff, this book is not for you. What is there is a brief description of the band’s upbringings, the book is almost exclusively about the professional part of the band: the history of their discography, the chart positions of each single, the awards the band received. Even the description of their albums’ creation is relatively brief; it may be mentioned that they made an album, and the book mentions how many days they were in the studio, but there’s no dissecting of the songs and how or why they were written.
There is a little talk about the band members’ personal lives, like when John Deacon’s kids were born, or when Freddie got involved with someone, but it’s clear that this is not a gossip book. Even Freddie’s illness is not given much space.
I still do recommend this book for Queen fans or those interested in rock n’ roll history because their impact cannot be denied. They were the beginning of arena rock and could also fill stadiums. I would have loved to see them live.
January 5, 2024
If you would like to read thousands of facts and events related to Queen and its members, all written out one after the other and given equal time and importance, this is the book for you. If you were hoping for any insights about the music or even just a bit of narrative technique to make it into a good read, you’re probably better off with another Queen book.
December 14, 2023
This is the third book about musicians in my readership, and the first one that gave so much joy.
I do not know what kind of magic works here, but the story from Jackie and Jim is emotionally different from standard biographies, or rather, I know, the magic of love. The biographer should be neutral, refrain from emotional assessments and talk about his character as impartially as possible. Fans talk about those they love and the question of evaluation is not in front of them - loved ones cannot be wrong. Would you say that this is to the detriment of objectivity? My answer is: if you want the bare facts, open Wikipedia. We all still miss love like hell, and when you meet such a stream of it, you just rejoice.
The title of the book is "How it began", but it tells about the entire history of the band, including the time after the death of Freddie Mercury, and it seems to me that it's not about the acquaintance of the performers and/or the beginning of concert activity, but it's about the origin of the phenomenon of Queen, with these incredible brightness of their shows, which have become a byword the language of parties, and the most expensive video clips, with Freddie's endless outrage on the one hand and the highest professionalism, self-demanding, efficiency and perfectionism, intelligent restraint and respect for each other, Brian May's desire to study, after all, is on the other side.
And what is the story of Brian's band, created by him after Freddie's death, which - attention - worked as an opening act for Joe Cocker on a South American tour. You can imagine such a lack of arrogance and snobbery. such an obsession with music for the sake of music? By 1992, this man no longer needed to prove anything to anyone, he was a living legend, received all imaginable awards from the music world and earned as much as he could not spend in a hundred lifetimes. And they don't scratch around cities and towns, squeezing everything out of the brand (by the way, numerous clones touring Russia put a price tag of not three hundred rubles per ticket, but from one and a half to ten thousand). They are doing something of their own. As for me, it is worthy of respect.
Such moments from the history of the band, tinged not with the gray-yellow spirit of scandals-intrigue-investigation, but with attention, care, tenderness, make her listening a joyful journey in good company.
We are the champions — my friend
Ты помнишь, как все начиналось?
Все было впервые и вновь.
"Ходили в филармонию на Queen, получили столько удовольствия," - недавно написала мне подруга, и в первую секунду я оторопела: как? Но тотчас поняла, что свято место пусто не бывает, и музыка легендарной группы взывает (sorry за пафосность) к исполнению, и наверняка найдутся те, кто продолжит играть ее. Разве не Квины объяснили миру, что The Show Must Go On? Да я и сама после этого сообщения подруги на час залипла на их роликах. Это феномен Queen, и это то, что не позволяет пропустить новую книгу о них, на сей раз "Queen: как это начиналось".
И на сей раз написанная не критиками, музыковедами, патентованными биографами, а преданными многолетними поклонниками. Джекки Смит три десятка лет возглавляет фан-клуб группы (вошедший в Книгу рекордов Гиннесса), Джим Дженкинс не состоит в фанатских сообществах, но известен как один из главных экспертов по творчеству Queen, именно он писал аннотации на виниловых альбомах Greatest Hits. И вот, что я вам скажу: в моем читательском активе это уже третья книга о музыкантах, и первая, которая подарила столько радости.
Я не знаю, какая магия здесь работает, но история от Джекки и Джима эмоциональным наполнением отличается от стандартных биографий, вернее - знаю, магия любви. Биограф должен быть нейтральным, воздерживаться от эмоциональных оценок и рассказывать о своем персонаже максимально беспристрастно. Фанаты говорят о тех, кого любят и вопрос оценки перед ними не стоит - любимые не могут быть неправы. Вы скажете, что это во вред объективности? Я отвечу: хотите голых фактов - откройте Википедию. Всем нам по-прежнему чертовски не хватает любви, и когда встречаешь такой ее поток, то просто радуешься.
В заглавии книги "Как это начиналось", но рассказывает она обо всей истории группы, включая время после смерти Фредди Меркьюри, и мне кажется, что дело не в знакомстве исполнителей и/или начале концертной деятельности, но речь именно о зарождение феномена Queen, с этими их невероятной яркости шоу, со ставшими притчей во языцех вечеринками, и самыми дорогими видеоклипами, с бесконечным эпатажем Фредди с одной стороны и высочайшим профессионализмом, требовательностью к себе, работоспособностью и перфекционизмом, интеллигентной сдержанностью и уважением друг к другу, стремлением Брайана Мэя к учебе в конце-то концов - с другой.
А чего стоит история группы Брайана, созданной им после смерти Фредди, которая - внимание - работала на разогреве у Джо Кокера в южноамериканском туре. Вы можете представить себе такое отсутствие заносчивости и снобизма. такую одержимость музыкой ради музыки? Этому человеку к 1992 уже никому ничего не нужно было доказывать, он был живой легендой, получил все мыслимые награды музыкального мира и заработал столько, сколько за сто жизней не потратить. И они не чешут по городам и весям, выжимая все из бренда (к слову, многочисленные клоны, гастролирующие по России, ценник ставят не триста рублей за билет, а от полутора до десяти тысяч). Они делают что-то свое. Как по мне, достойно уважения.
Такие моменты из истории группы, подкрашенные не серо-желтым духом скандалов-интриг-расследованием, но вниманием, заботой, нежностью делают ее прослушивание радостным странствием в хорошей компании. Говорю "прослушивание", потому что на Литресе появилась аудиоверсия, которую читает Игорь Князев
I do not know what kind of magic works here, but the story from Jackie and Jim is emotionally different from standard biographies, or rather, I know, the magic of love. The biographer should be neutral, refrain from emotional assessments and talk about his character as impartially as possible. Fans talk about those they love and the question of evaluation is not in front of them - loved ones cannot be wrong. Would you say that this is to the detriment of objectivity? My answer is: if you want the bare facts, open Wikipedia. We all still miss love like hell, and when you meet such a stream of it, you just rejoice.
The title of the book is "How it began", but it tells about the entire history of the band, including the time after the death of Freddie Mercury, and it seems to me that it's not about the acquaintance of the performers and/or the beginning of concert activity, but it's about the origin of the phenomenon of Queen, with these incredible brightness of their shows, which have become a byword the language of parties, and the most expensive video clips, with Freddie's endless outrage on the one hand and the highest professionalism, self-demanding, efficiency and perfectionism, intelligent restraint and respect for each other, Brian May's desire to study, after all, is on the other side.
And what is the story of Brian's band, created by him after Freddie's death, which - attention - worked as an opening act for Joe Cocker on a South American tour. You can imagine such a lack of arrogance and snobbery. such an obsession with music for the sake of music? By 1992, this man no longer needed to prove anything to anyone, he was a living legend, received all imaginable awards from the music world and earned as much as he could not spend in a hundred lifetimes. And they don't scratch around cities and towns, squeezing everything out of the brand (by the way, numerous clones touring Russia put a price tag of not three hundred rubles per ticket, but from one and a half to ten thousand). They are doing something of their own. As for me, it is worthy of respect.
Such moments from the history of the band, tinged not with the gray-yellow spirit of scandals-intrigue-investigation, but with attention, care, tenderness, make her listening a joyful journey in good company.
We are the champions — my friend
Ты помнишь, как все начиналось?
Все было впервые и вновь.
"Ходили в филармонию на Queen, получили столько удовольствия," - недавно написала мне подруга, и в первую секунду я оторопела: как? Но тотчас поняла, что свято место пусто не бывает, и музыка легендарной группы взывает (sorry за пафосность) к исполнению, и наверняка найдутся те, кто продолжит играть ее. Разве не Квины объяснили миру, что The Show Must Go On? Да я и сама после этого сообщения подруги на час залипла на их роликах. Это феномен Queen, и это то, что не позволяет пропустить новую книгу о них, на сей раз "Queen: как это начиналось".
И на сей раз написанная не критиками, музыковедами, патентованными биографами, а преданными многолетними поклонниками. Джекки Смит три десятка лет возглавляет фан-клуб группы (вошедший в Книгу рекордов Гиннесса), Джим Дженкинс не состоит в фанатских сообществах, но известен как один из главных экспертов по творчеству Queen, именно он писал аннотации на виниловых альбомах Greatest Hits. И вот, что я вам скажу: в моем читательском активе это уже третья книга о музыкантах, и первая, которая подарила столько радости.
Я не знаю, какая магия здесь работает, но история от Джекки и Джима эмоциональным наполнением отличается от стандартных биографий, вернее - знаю, магия любви. Биограф должен быть нейтральным, воздерживаться от эмоциональных оценок и рассказывать о своем персонаже максимально беспристрастно. Фанаты говорят о тех, кого любят и вопрос оценки перед ними не стоит - любимые не могут быть неправы. Вы скажете, что это во вред объективности? Я отвечу: хотите голых фактов - откройте Википедию. Всем нам по-прежнему чертовски не хватает любви, и когда встречаешь такой ее поток, то просто радуешься.
В заглавии книги "Как это начиналось", но рассказывает она обо всей истории группы, включая время после смерти Фредди Меркьюри, и мне кажется, что дело не в знакомстве исполнителей и/или начале концертной деятельности, но речь именно о зарождение феномена Queen, с этими их невероятной яркости шоу, со ставшими притчей во языцех вечеринками, и самыми дорогими видеоклипами, с бесконечным эпатажем Фредди с одной стороны и высочайшим профессионализмом, требовательностью к себе, работоспособностью и перфекционизмом, интеллигентной сдержанностью и уважением друг к другу, стремлением Брайана Мэя к учебе в конце-то концов - с другой.
А чего стоит история группы Брайана, созданной им после смерти Фредди, которая - внимание - работала на разогреве у Джо Кокера в южноамериканском туре. Вы можете представить себе такое отсутствие заносчивости и снобизма. такую одержимость музыкой ради музыки? Этому человеку к 1992 уже никому ничего не нужно было доказывать, он был живой легендой, получил все мыслимые награды музыкального мира и заработал столько, сколько за сто жизней не потратить. И они не чешут по городам и весям, выжимая все из бренда (к слову, многочисленные клоны, гастролирующие по России, ценник ставят не триста рублей за билет, а от полутора до десяти тысяч). Они делают что-то свое. Как по мне, достойно уважения.
Такие моменты из истории группы, подкрашенные не серо-желтым духом скандалов-интриг-расследованием, но вниманием, заботой, нежностью делают ее прослушивание радостным странствием в хорошей компании. Говорю "прослушивание", потому что на Литресе появилась аудиоверсия, которую читает Игорь Князев
July 6, 2024
Normalerweise lesen 13-jährige keine Biografien, aber diese war echt gut. Man kann echt viele background Infos bekommen und sie waren einfach zu lesen. Ich fand es cool, dass man viel über die Entstehung von Smile und Queen erfährt. Außerdem mochte ich es, dass man auch viel über die Kindheit von den Band Mitgliedern erfährt. Ich finde es cool, wenn Sie mehr über Queen nach Freddies Tod geschrieben hätten, zum Beispiel in Bohemian Rhapsody Film oder Tribute Koncert.
September 16, 2023
This is the perfect book for anyone who loves rock ,being the perfect guide to the experience of growing into an international rock legend.
In my opinion, one of its few downsizes is the lack of more in-depth looks into the band members as individual characters,thus failing the opportunity of showing in a more enlightening way their creative inspiration .
In my opinion, one of its few downsizes is the lack of more in-depth looks into the band members as individual characters,thus failing the opportunity of showing in a more enlightening way their creative inspiration .
October 31, 2024
As a massive queen fan I learnt quite a lot that I didn’t know, but also I felt the book missed out some interesting stories that people might not necessarily already know which is a shame. Also quite a few major incidents were just glossed over whereas I was hoping for more details. Good book though
October 23, 2022
“One by one, only the good die young.”
Queen: As It Began was a fascinating insight into the legacy of Queen, covering everything from their tumultuous relationship with the press to Freddie’s untimely demise. Packed full of unknown facts and tidbits, this is a must read for any Queen fans! 👑
Queen: As It Began was a fascinating insight into the legacy of Queen, covering everything from their tumultuous relationship with the press to Freddie’s untimely demise. Packed full of unknown facts and tidbits, this is a must read for any Queen fans! 👑
October 26, 2025
Rather rushed at parts but you get the story! Not a fan of Queen though I appreciate them and I still believe Bohemian Rhapsody is the greatest song ever written (Not my fave song of course) I am old enough to remember it being number one forever!! Anyway it's worth a read.
March 27, 2024
This is a fine, informative history of the entire band, Queen. It is not only about Freddy Mercury. It is a tasteful tribute of the band and it's magnificent lead Singer.
September 9, 2025
I was really expecting something different than what I got out of this. Still good though
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews