Roadhouse Magazine Issue 27

That’s when they found their sound, and with it, the opportunity to broadcast their music on a TV show called Top of the Pops in February 1974. They started to gain some traction in obtaining the large-scale publicity they needed to become commercially successful. Their big break didn’t come until they had the good fortune to snag a place as the opening act for Mott the Hoople, an English rock and roll group with an appreciable following in the UK. Next thing they knew, Mott the Hoople asked them to cross the Atlantic with them and perform in the United States. Of course, they said yes. However, the tour would be cut short when Brian May woke up gravely ill with acute Hepatitis B. May almost had to have his arm amputated, but luckily, after a long healing process, he overcame the illness. Despite the close call, the show had to go on. They kept themselves busy, and shortly after they released “ Sheer Heart Attack ” with their next big hit “ Killer Queen ” which was written by Freddie. Killer Queen was number two on the UK charts and became a hit in the US. However, they were penniless and in debt. The problem was that they were using a management company to sell their music to record companies. The production company was robbing them blind. They hired a new manager. But not just any manager — they hired Elton John’s manager, John Reid. They weren’t going to put up with previous management and refused to create any more music until they were able to eat the fruit of their labours. Reid could offer them that, and the band had a great relationship with him from then on. They were still in debt, and they were hiding behind their new album, “ A Night at the Opera. ” A lot was riding on the success of their third album. If the album flopped, the band might not have made it any further. Not to spoil the ending, but that’s not what happened. Songs like “ Bohemian Rhapsody ” and “ Love of My Life ” were big hits, and the album by far was Queen’s most expensive. They used six different studios to create “ Bohemian Rhapsody ” alone. The album, in general, took $500,000 dollars to produce and after the release of “ A Night at the Opera ,” the band was finally seeing the recognition they deserved and actually seeing some money in the bank. By the time the 80s rolled around, Queen was a household name. Then in 1981, they would be contacted by a country that was consumed by Queen fever. They never expected that call to come from South America. Apparently, the band was huge there, specifically in Argentina. They were asked to play at a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires. At first, the band was skeptical that they were popular enough to fill a soccer stadium. Plus, they were hesitant to visit a country that was still under a dictatorship. The next thing the band knew, they were flying to Buenos Aires and gave the biggest performance in their careers up until that point. They sang to a massive audience, as the entire stadium was filled with over 100,000 people. By the time they returned from their trip to South America, they were unstoppable. It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies though, and through their concerts in South America and their fame in the US was at its peak, Queen took a couple of hits from some records that didn’t sell as well as previous albums. Soon, the group found themselves in a rut. The group took a temporary hiatus. Each member took on their own projects, refreshing themselves until the band could reunite and start working again. 42 RHM Magazine - roadhouse.net.au IN BLACK & WHITE FREDDIE MERCURY “I am not going to be a star, I am going to be a legend.”