Over the past week, Real Gone has been running a poll covering Queen’s seventies output. We knew the idea would get people talking, since Queen are one of the few bands that could be considered a global phenomenon. We had no idea when it began whether the well known hits would dominate, or whether the long-standing fans would speak out for some of those lesser heard album cuts. [Full results here.]
Almost 1,300 votes were cast, and one thing is clear. People still absolutely adore ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It’s so entrenched within the Queen legacy, it’s become almost unavoidable. Although there’s a vast amount of great material recorded by the band between 1973-78, it was guaranteed a high placing, but it secured the top spot within hours and then held onto a fairly commanding lead. It’s easy to dismiss the song as overplayed, but if we are able to step aside from that fact for a moment, it’s still a fantastically crafted piece of music, unlike anything in rock music before, and – a couple of other Queen numbers aside – still stands out from so much since.
Elsewhere, the choral waltz of ‘Somebody to Love’ and joie de vivre of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ rated highly among you all – and rightly so, too – and the gorgeous ‘Spread Your Wings’ cracked the top ten; a result that does John Deacon proudly. Many of his songs are wonderful…and this is one of the best. Perhaps the only (slight) surprise in the top half of the chart is the presence of the bombastically brilliant ‘March of the Black Queen’ – a tune that captures Freddie’s flights of fancy in a very direct manner.
You can view the full results here. Below, we present a gallery of clips of songs you voted as Queen’s 70s best. To everyone who took part in out bit of fun…we thank you!
Bohemian Rhapsody (live in Houston, 1977)
Somebody To Love (live at Earls Court, 1977)
Don’t Stop Me Now (live at Hammersmith Odeon, 1979)
Killer Queen (live in Japan, 1979)
Love of My Life (live in Houston, 1977)
March of the Black Queen (excerpt, live at Hyde Park, 1976)
’39 (live at Earls Court, 1977)
We Are The Champions (live in Houston, 1977)
We Will Rock You (live in Houston, 1977)
Spread Your Wings (live in Paris, 1979)