There are hundreds of reasons I could tell you why I love--idolize is perhaps a better word--Queen's music. I could start with the individuals in the group, not just hugely talented but also very well educated, proving you don't have to be too cool for school to rock. I could talk hours about the range and modulation of Freddie's voice...or the innovative sound of Brian's self-made 'Red Special' guitar...or the deceptively unassuming but penetrating sound of John's bass lines...or the richness of Roger's drumming. I could point out the techniques they employed that became so du jour in the 80s and 90s most people don't even attribute it to them (not to mention to have been the first band to ever make an actual music video versus promotional ones; stupid MTV should have aired Bohemian Rhapsody as their first video.). I could break each song down, note by note, strum by strum, beat by beat and show how, whether taken apart or put together, there is perfection in what they did.
Most of all, I could go on and on about a group that managed to equally indulge the talents of all of its members better than any before or after them, putting aside the petty differences that break others up and instead taking advantage of the extreme differences in personality that could have otherwise been a surefire recipe for disaster. It's because of that ability that you end up with one song being so richly complex and opulently created, based on the primary strengths of each member...
The Millionaire Waltz - Queen (lead vocals F. Mercury)
...and another stripped down to the bare bones of voice and stark single instruments with no fancy layers, using the second strings of talent in the group, as it were...
All Dead, All Dead* - Queen (lead vocals B. May)
and both be equally charming and musically complete.
*Yes, it really is about Brian's cat.
P.S. They weren't above sampling their own work, by the way. There's a clear nod in All Dead to Millionaire, and also to Killerqueen! Seeing how May wrote All Dead and Mercury wrote the other two, I am not sure if that was deliberate on May's part or if it just came through without him noticing--the two songs sampled are two of May's favorites.
