Editing Queen (band) (section)

==Music style and influences==
[[File:Queen And Adam Lambert - The O2 - Tuesday 12th December 2017 QueenO2121217-28 (39066620425).jpg|thumb|left|Brian May playing his custom-made [[Red Special]] at [[The O2 Arena|the O<sub>2</sub> Arena]] in London in 2017. He has used this guitar almost exclusively since the band's advent in the early 1970s.]]
Queen drew artistic influence from British rock acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, such as [[the Beatles]], [[the Kinks]], [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[the Who]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[Slade]], [[Deep Purple]], [[David Bowie]], [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], and [[Yes (band)|Yes]],<ref>Queen's influences;
<br />{{*}}{{cite news|title=Rock Chronicles. 1980s: Queen|publisher=ultimate-guitar.com|date=3 July 2011|url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/rock_chronicles/rock_chronicles_1980s_queen.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017060143/http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/rock_chronicles/rock_chronicles_1980s_queen.html|archive-date=17 October 2014}}
<br />{{*}}{{cite web | url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/video-queens-brian-may-picks-his-favourite-riffs-227563 | title=VIDEO: Queen's Brian May picks his favourite riffs | publisher=[[MusicRadar]] | first=Chris | last=Vinnicombe | date=24 November 2009 | access-date=27 December 2015 | archive-date=4 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060807/http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/video-queens-brian-may-picks-his-favourite-riffs-227563 | url-status=live }}
<br />{{*}}{{cite news | url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/steve-hackett-talks-wolflight-phrasing-and-the-nylon-knack-620021 | title=Steve Hackett talks Wolflight, phrasing and the nylon knack | newspaper=[[MusicRadar]] | first=Matt | last=Frost | date=29 April 2015 | access-date=9 October 2015 | archive-date=30 May 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530062816/https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/steve-hackett-talks-wolflight-phrasing-and-the-nylon-knack-620021 | url-status=live }}
<br />{{*}}{{cite web | url= http://www.insideoutmusic.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=458 | title= Steve Hackett | publisher= [[Inside Out Music]] | date= 2015 | access-date= 23 August 2015 | archive-date= 5 September 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150905061934/http://www.insideoutmusic.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=458 | url-status= dead }}
<br />{{*}}{{cite web | url= http://dmme.net/interviews/hackett.html | title= Interview with Steve Hackett | publisher= dmme.net | date= January 2001 | access-date= 23 August 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150928235530/http://dmme.net/interviews/hackett.html | archive-date= 28 September 2015 | url-status= dead }}
<br />{{*}}{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-day-at-the-races-19770224 | title=A Day At The Races | magazine=Rolling Stone | first=Dave | last=Marsh | date=24 February 1977 | access-date=9 October 2015 | archive-date=7 October 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007220754/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-day-at-the-races-19770224 | url-status=dead }}</ref> with Mercury also inspired by the [[rock and roll]] singers [[Little Richard]],{{sfn|Hodkinson|2004|p=61}} [[Elvis Presley]]<ref name="chilton">{{cite web|title=Freddie Mercury's Influences: From David Bowie To Pavarotti And Beyond|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/freddie-mercury-influences/|first=Martin|last=Chilton|date=1 October 2019|access-date=29 October 2019|work=udiscovermusic.com|archive-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029165305/https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/freddie-mercury-influences/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[gospel music|gospel]] singer [[Aretha Franklin]].{{sfn|Purvis|2006|p=251}} On the Beatles, Brian May stated they "built our bible as far as musical composition, arrangement and production went. ''[[The Beatles (album)|The White Album]]'' is a complete catalogue of how you should use a studio to build songs."<ref>{{cite news |title=Brian May Says Queen Were 'Always on the Verge of Splitting Up' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-may-queen-split-up/ |first=Martin |last=Kielty |date=12 June 2019 |access-date=7 September 2019 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |archive-date=8 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908191943/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-may-queen-split-up/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mercury said, "[[John Lennon]] was larger than life, and an absolute genius. Even at a very early stage when they were the Beatles, I always preferred John Lennon's things. I don't know why. He just had that magic."<ref name="chilton"/> May and Mercury were influenced by [[Jimi Hendrix]], with Mercury saying "he really had everything any rock 'n' roll star should have",{{sfn|Blake|2010|p=25}} and May saying "Jimi is, of course, my number one. And I've always said that [...] I never stop learning from Jimi."<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/queens_brian_may_shares_honest_opinion_on_jimi_hendrix__jimmy_page_after_triumphing_over_both_in_greatest_guitarist_vote.html | title= Queen's Brian May Shares Honest Opinion on Jimi Hendrix & Jimmy Page After Triumphing Over Both in Greatest Guitarist Vote | work= Ultimate Guitar | date= 9 July 2020 | access-date= 21 September 2020 | archive-date= 30 August 2020 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200830220832/https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/queens_brian_may_shares_honest_opinion_on_jimi_hendrix__jimmy_page_after_triumphing_over_both_in_greatest_guitarist_vote.html | url-status= live }}</ref> Mercury's thesis for his Ealing College diploma was on Hendrix, and Mercury and Taylor closed their Kensington Market stall on 18 September 1970 to commemorate his death.{{sfn|Blake|2010|pp=71,99–100}}

At their outset in the early 1970s, Queen's music has been characterised as "Led Zeppelin meets Yes" due to its combination of "acoustic/electric guitar extremes and fantasy-inspired multi-part song epics".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.popmatters.com/feature/142525-in-the-lap-of-the-gods-the-first-five-queen-albums/ | title=In the Lap of the Gods: The First Five Queen Albums | work=[[PopMatters]] | first=Aj | last=Ramirez | date=8 June 2011 | access-date=16 October 2015 | archive-date=24 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924101047/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/142525-in-the-lap-of-the-gods-the-first-five-queen-albums/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Although Mercury stated [[Robert Plant]] as his favourite singer and Led Zeppelin as "the greatest" rock band, he also said Queen "have more in common with [[Liza Minnelli]] than Led Zeppelin. We're more in the showbiz tradition than the rock'n'roll tradition".<ref name="chilton"/> In his book on ''Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal'', [[Eddie Trunk]] described Queen as "a [[hard rock]] band at the core but one with a high level of majesty and theatricality that delivered a little something for everyone", as well as observing that the band "sounded British".<ref name="trunk">{{cite book |last=Trunk |first=Eddie |title=Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal |date=2011 |publisher=Abrams |isbn=978-0810998315 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29LC-5_oIt0C&q=eddie+trunk%27s+essential+hard+rock+and+heavy+metal+robert+plant+queen&pg=PT531 |access-date=4 January 2019 |archive-date=5 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305150817/https://books.google.com/books?id=29LC-5_oIt0C&q=eddie+trunk%27s+essential+hard+rock+and+heavy+metal+robert+plant+queen&pg=PT531#v=snippet&q=eddie%20trunk's%20essential%20hard%20rock%20and%20heavy%20metal%20robert%20plant%20queen&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Rob Halford]] of [[Judas Priest]] commented, "It's rare that you struggle to label a band. If you're a [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band you're meant to look and sound like a heavy metal band but you can't really call Queen anything. They could be a pop band one day or the band that wrote 'Bicycle Race' the next and a full-blown metal band the next. In terms of the depth of the musical landscape that they covered, it was very similar to some extent to the Beatles."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/19365-rob-halford-judas-priest-favourite-albums?page=13|title=The Essence And The Purity: Rob Halford Of Judas Priest's Favourite LPs|first=Alex|last=Macrow|publisher=The Quietus|date=2 December 2015|access-date=20 August 2019|archive-date=5 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305150837/https://thequietus.com/articles/19365-rob-halford-judas-priest-favourite-albums?page=13|url-status=live}}</ref> While stating they were influenced by various artists and genres, Joe Bosso of ''[[Guitar World]]'' magazine writes, "Queen seemed to occupy their own lane."<ref>{{cite news |title=Queen's Brian May on Freddie Mercury's guitar skills, Bohemian Rhapsody actors and the most difficult song to play live |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/queens-brian-may-sounds-off-about-freddie-mercurys-guitar-skills-bohemian-rhapsody-actors-and-the-most-difficult-song-to-play-live |access-date=11 June 2021 |magazine=Guitar World |archive-date=4 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904175622/https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/queens-brian-may-sounds-off-about-freddie-mercurys-guitar-skills-bohemian-rhapsody-actors-and-the-most-difficult-song-to-play-live |url-status=live }}</ref>

Queen composed music that drew inspiration from many different genres of music, often with a tongue-in-cheek attitude.<ref>{{cite news |last=Masters |first=Tim |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8304176.stm |title=Queen star May hails Muse album |work=BBC News |date=13 October 2009 |access-date=4 August 2011 |archive-date=13 July 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713062416/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8304176.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The music styles and genres they have been associated with include [[progressive rock]] (also known as symphonic rock),<ref name="allmusic"/> [[art rock]],<ref name="Erlewine Queen II"/><ref name="marsh 1977"/> [[glam rock]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Queen join rock royalty |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1230959.stm |date=20 March 2001 |access-date=14 December 2019 |agency=BBC |archive-date=25 November 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021125184719/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1230959.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[arena rock]],<ref name="allmusic" /> heavy metal,<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/queen-mn0000858827/biography |title=Queen biography |work=AllMusic |access-date=13 August 2020 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907050815/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/queen-mn0000858827/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> [[operatic pop]],<ref name="allmusic"/> [[pop rock]],<ref name="allmusic"/> [[psychedelic rock]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Scoppa|first=Bud|date=6 December 1973|title=Sheer Heart Attack|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=186|url=http://rollingstone.com/artists/queen/albums/album/115705/review/5944434/sheer_heart_attack|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070630010010/http://www.queencuttings.com/cod/ClassicRock_oct2006.html|archive-date=30 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[baroque pop]],<ref name="gilmore">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/queens-tragic-rhapsody-234996/|title=Queen's Tragic Rhapsody|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|last=Gilmore|first=Mikal|date=7 July 2014|access-date=6 January 2019|archive-date=14 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114013215/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/queens-tragic-rhapsody-234996/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[rockabilly]].<ref name="gilmore"/> Queen also wrote songs that were inspired by musical styles not typically associated with rock groups, such as opera,<ref name="a night at the opera">{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-night-at-the-opera-mw0000391519 | title=A Night at the Opera | website=AllMusic | first=Stephen Thomas | last=Erlewine | access-date=28 December 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102000314/http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-night-at-the-opera-mw0000391519 | archive-date=2 January 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[music hall]],<ref name="a night at the opera"/> [[folk music]],<ref name="a day at the races">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-day-at-the-races-mw0000182727|title=A Day at the Races|website=AllMusic|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|access-date=28 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219024501/http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-day-at-the-races-mw0000182727|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> gospel,<ref>{{cite book|last=Knowles|first=Christopher|title=The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll|year=2010|page=[https://archive.org/details/secrethistoryofr00know/page/162 162]|publisher=Viva Editions|isbn=978-1573444057|url=https://archive.org/details/secrethistoryofr00know/page/162}}</ref> [[ragtime]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Blake|first1=Mark|title=Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen|date=2011|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=978-1845137137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VyBp_VEiIVYC&q=ragtime+queen+freddie+mercury&pg=PT200|access-date=28 December 2015|archive-date=5 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305150658/https://books.google.com/books?id=VyBp_VEiIVYC&q=ragtime+queen+freddie+mercury&pg=PT200#v=snippet&q=ragtime%20queen%20freddie%20mercury&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and dance/[[disco]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Prato|first=Greg|title=''Hot Space''|website=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r687305|pure_url=yes}}}}{{dead link|date=November 2019}}</ref> Their 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust" became a major hit single in the [[funk rock]] genre.<ref>{{cite book|first= Nicholas |last= Schaffner |title= The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave |year= 1982 |page= 254 |location= New York |publisher= McGraw-Hill}}</ref> Known for their [[stadium anthem|anthemic]] songs which are a staple of sports arenas and stadiums the world over,<ref>{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury's isolated vocals from 'We Are The Champions' prove he was one of the finest tenors in history |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/freddie-mercury-vocals-we-are-the-champions-queen-greatest/ |access-date=16 November 2023 |agency=Classic FM |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001215401/https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/freddie-mercury-vocals-we-are-the-champions-queen-greatest/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Was there ever a time when We Will Rock You did not exist?|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 August 2007|access-date=16 November 2023|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/aug/16/2|archive-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330052147/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/aug/16/2|url-status=live}}</ref> several Queen songs were written with audience participation in mind, such as "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".<ref>{{cite web |author=LG |url=http://queen.musichall.cz/en/albums/news-of-the-world.html |title=Queen – Royal Legend: Detailed information about albums: News Of The World |publisher=Queen.musichall.cz |date=6 October 1977 |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718181158/http://queen.musichall.cz/en/albums/news-of-the-world.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Similarly, "Radio Ga Ga" became a live favourite for the band because it would have "crowds clapping like they were at a [[Nuremberg Rally|Nuremberg rally]]".<ref>{{cite book|last=Simpson|first=Paul|title=The Rough Guide to Cult Pop|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetocult00simp/page/153 153]|publisher=Rough Guides Ltd|isbn=978-1843532293|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetocult00simp/page/153}}</ref>

{{Listen
| filename     = Queen - News Of The World - We Will Rock You.ogg
| title        = "We Will Rock You"
| description  = A sample of "[[We Will Rock You]]". The stamping and clapping effects were created by the band [[overdubbing]] sounds of themselves stamping and clapping many times, and adding delay effects to create a sound that seemed many people were participating.
}}

In 1963, the teenage Brian May and his father [[Experimental musical instrument|custom-built]] his signature guitar [[Red Special]], which was purposely designed to [[feedback]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPD7_hQk7hk  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/cPD7_hQk7hk| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Brian May Interview, The Music Biz (1992) |publisher=YouTube |date=16 July 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McNamee |first=David |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/09/hey-sound-homemade-guitars |title=Hey, what's that sound: Homemade guitars |newspaper=Guardian |date=11 August 2010 |location=London |access-date=16 December 2016 |archive-date=30 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330161424/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/09/hey-sound-homemade-guitars |url-status=live }}</ref> May has used [[Vox (company)|Vox]] [[Vox AC30|AC30]] amplifiers almost exclusively since a meeting with [[Rory Gallagher]] at a gig in London during the late 1960s or early 1970s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pro's Reply: Brian May|date=August 1975|work=[[Guitar Player]]|page=154}}  (repr. January 2014)</ref> He also uses a [[sixpence (British coin)|sixpence]] as a plectrum.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brian May explains why he uses a sixpence as a pick |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/brian-may-explains-why-he-uses-a-sixpence-as-a-pick |access-date=25 December 2021 |work=Guitar World |archive-date=25 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225225122/https://www.guitarworld.com/news/brian-may-explains-why-he-uses-a-sixpence-as-a-pick |url-status=live }}</ref> Sonic experimentation figured heavily in Queen's songs. A distinctive characteristic of Queen's music are the [[vocal harmonies]] which are usually composed of the voices of May, Mercury, and Taylor best heard on the studio albums ''A Night at the Opera'' and ''A Day at the Races''. Some of the development of this sound is attributed to the producer [[Roy Thomas Baker]] and engineer [[Mike Stone (record producer)|Mike Stone]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/roy-thomas-baker-p53682|title=Roy Thomas Baker|access-date=12 July 2010|website=AllMusic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108031747/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/roy-thomas-baker-p53682|archive-date=8 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p128992/credits|pure_url=yes}}|title=Mike "Clay" Stone, credits|access-date=12 July 2010|publisher=AllMusic.com}}{{dead link|date=November 2019}}</ref> Queen were also known for [[multitrack recording|multi-tracking]] voices to imitate the sound of a large choir through [[Overdubbing|overdub]]s. For instance, according to Brian May, there are over 180 vocal overdubs in "Bohemian Rhapsody".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Black|first=Johnny|date=February–March 2002|title=The Greatest Songs Ever! Bohemian Rhapsody|periodical=Blender|url=http://blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=256|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070202165358/http://blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=256|archive-date=2 February 2007}}</ref> The band's vocal structures have been compared with [[the Beach Boys]].<ref name="marsh 1977">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-day-at-the-races-19770224|title=A Day At The Races|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Dave|last=Marsh|date=24 February 1977|access-date=9 October 2015|archive-date=7 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007220754/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-day-at-the-races-19770224|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/queen-the-first-five-albums|title=Queen – The First Five Albums|work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=David|last=Cavanagh|date=11 March 2011|access-date=16 October 2015|archive-date=11 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711030814/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/queen-the-first-five-albums|url-status=dead}}</ref>