A thoughtfully curated and gloriously illustrated retrospective of the band’s studio releases, Queen , comes just in time for the 45th anniversary of their debut LP and biopic. Formed in 1970, Queen went on to become one of the most popular—and most successful—rock bands of all time. Even following the untimely death of beloved and magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury , and nearly 50 years after their formation, interest in the band has continued, evidenced by scores of reissues, arena tours with surviving members, and a feature-film biopic. In this new installment in Voyageur Press’s Album by Album series, rock journo Martin Popoff convenes a cast of 19 Queen experts and superfans to discuss all 15 of the band’s studio albums (including their soundtrack for the 1980 film Flash Gordon). Panelists include Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, and record industry figures. The results are freewheeling discussions delving into the individual songs, the circumstances that surrounded the recording of each album, the band and contemporary rock contexts into which they were released, and more. The engaging text of this beautifully designed book is illustrated throughout with rare live performance and candid offstage photography , as well as scads of rare Queen ephemera . The Album by Album series is a unique approach to the rock bio, injecting the varied voices of several contributors. The results have even the most diehard fans rushing back to their MP3 players (or turntables) to confirm the details and opinions expressed! Popoff both loves and knows the material and chronicles a recording career through an ongoing conversation between the author and a cast of interesting characters, including rock critics, producers and musicians. ― Shepherd Express It’s fascinating to read the back and forth...and it strikes a good balance for both the casual and die hard fan. And as with any good book of this type, makes the reader want to go back and revisit (or visit for the first time) many of the non-hits.― HoustonPress.com a fine approach to a musical biography of a band rather than an individual, as it allows for a broader scope of discussion among the members themselves, their contemporaries and musical progeny, as well as rock journalists― Spectrum Culture Martin Popoff has been described as the world’s most famous heavy-metal journalist, though he has covered plenty of Punk and New Wave albums in his career of 7,000-plus album reviews. He has penned many books on various bands, genres of rock, and record collecting, including Voyageur Press’ Rush: The Illustrated History ; Metallica: The Complete Illustrated History ; The Art of Metal ; and The Big Book of Hair Metal . He has also worked on film documentaries about Rush and ZZ Top. Popoff lives in Toronto. Queen Album by Album By Martin Popoff, Chris Caffery, Ralph Chapman, Stephen Dalton, Dave Ellefson, Jim Jenkins, Hansi Kursch, Reinhold Mack, Roger Manning Jr., Paul Mccartney, Ian Mosley, Patrick Myers, Daniel Nester, Nina Noir, John Norum, Darius Rucker, Derek Shulman, Dee Snider, Richie Unterberger, Jeb Wright The Quarto Group Copyright © 2018 Martin Popoff All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7603-6283-9 Contents INTRODUCTION, 6, DISCOGRAPHIC NOTES, 7, 1. QUEEN, 8, 2. II, 24, 3. SHEER HEART ATTACK, 36, 4. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, 52, 5. A DAY AT THE RACES, 68, 6. NEWS OF THE WORLD, 86, 7. JAZZ, 100, 8. THE GAME, 114, 9. FLASH GORDON, 128, 10. HOT SPACE, 136, 11. THE WORKS, 150, 12. A KIND OF MAGIC, 164, 13. THE MIRACLE, 176, 14. INNUENDO, 188, 15. MADE IN HEAVEN, 198, ABOUT THE AUTHOR, 212, ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS, 212, AUTHOR BIBLIOGRAPHY, 216, IMAGE CREDITS, 219, INDEX, 220, CHAPTER 1 QUEEN WITH DEREK SHULMAN, DEE SNIDER, AND RICHIE UNTERBERGER The path to Queen's monumental first album was traveled swiftly and with flair. A brief review of the facts is in order. In 1968, with their eyes on promising futures, Brian May had completed an honors-level Bachelor of Science in Physics, and Roger Taylor had switched from dentistry to biology, also completing a BSc. Meanwhile, Farrokh "Freddie Mercury" Bulsara's pathway to rock 'n' roll royalty was a bit more colorful. Born in present-day Tanzania, Freddie spent much of his childhood in India before the family returned to Africa. Eventually, however, the family fled the Zanzibar Revolution to Britain, where Freddie obtained an art and graphic design diploma and set about making a go of it in music, singing with the likes of Wreckage and the unfortunately named Sour Milk Tea. Around the same time, Brian, Roger, and a bassist/vocalist named Tim Staffell saw some promise as Smile, recording a couple of demos before Staffell was off to join folkies Humpy Bong. Freddie convinced Brian and Roger not to give up, and the three convened as Queen, with Bulsara (soon to become Freddie Mercury) inspired by a line from the band's soon-to-be-classic "My Fairy K