I've been on a Queen kick lately. I'm pretty bemused by the constant sightings of Mssrs. May and Taylor in my Yahoo/AP feed, and a thread at a great hoops site I frequent got me listening to a few discs of theirs that I haven't pulled out since last summer. Queen itself doesn't need any more exposure, John Deacon won't even pick up a bass guitar these days because his bank account is so stacked, so I thought I'd post a few tracks from an album that took a healthy chunk out of my bank account while in high school.

Smile is the band that Brian May (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) both had a go with before Queen got together. Both May and Taylor sang, but the primary vox-man was a gent named Tim Staffel, a fine singer and solid bass man. All the hallmarks of Queen's prime are included in their recorded output: the creamy falsetto-driven harmonies, the soaring guitar leads, and goofball lyrics. They recorded six songs, including one ("Doin' Alright") that made it to a Queen album. The Cream ripoff "Blag" was the genesis for May's "Brighton Rock" solo, which I use to this day in lieu of Cialis.

I bought a bootleg of their 1969 EP (released in the US by the Mercury label, 'natch) for ninety gotdamn bucks back in my senior year of high school, easily the most I've ever paid for a disc (the Faces and/or Bill Monroe box sets come in second, my Zeppelin/Nuggets sets were gifts).

"Polar Bear" used to remind me of Jeff Buckley. Of course, I was 17 back then, and looking for anything that reminded me of Jeff Buckley (a frustration that would later manifest in my overuse of white v-neck t-shirts).

"Step On Me" swings like Queen does, which is quite the achievment. Also, it reminds me of Jodie Sweeten.

(If anyone gets that, hit yourself)

"Earth" is simply included for a Brian May guitar solo that usually forces me to cross my legs.


May, Taylor, Staffel. Three of these men are cold. Two of them are millionaires.
- posted by kellydwyer @ 5:24 AM