I found this as an mp3 on someone's drive a few years ago and it's been a fairly consistent joy ever since. Everything that's great musically about Queen. Everything that's great vocally about George Michael. I had no idea where it was from until I found this on YouTube - the Freddy Mercury Tribute at Wembley back in...1990?
According to a comment on the page, George has said this is his best ever performance. I can believe it. Maybe that's why he plays so seldom. Or maybe he's just rich and lazy. (Maybe I'm envious.)
Check out Brian May's expression at 3:58 - that is one happy man.
Posted on 04/23/2008
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My Trusted MOGs
No guilt here Jonh !!! Not one ounce !!! Have you heard GM's Songs from the Last Century... some really good covers on there.
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Wow...just wow...
Not judging you here...have your cake and eat it too says I.
My Trusted MOGs
In high school back in the mid to late 80's Queen's Greatest Hits on cassette was played over and over cruising around.
But, I will meet you a queen cover and raise you a foo fighter. (i really do like the george michael/queen song but i have sick and twisted fantasies about taylor hawkins.)
brian may also looks pleased as punch in this one.
My Trusted MOGs
duh
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thill, it was a thrill. Jonh, non-guilty pleasures like your offering above are almost as good as guilty pleasures, but do you find as you begin to approach middle age that you're less and less capable of feeling guilt about these things?
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Jonh - Bob St. John cleaned up the track a bit that Gary Cherone sang on - "Hammer to Fall" at my studio in Boston, before the master tapes were sent back to London to mix. A&M had locked the studio out at the time for a new imprint that Nuno Bettencourt was working on for same - that never quite got of the ground unfortunately - some great work was done over the summer and fall that year ... and they just had Gary come in for the punch-ins.
On the dates: Freddie died in 1991, and the concert was recorded on 20 April 1992 ... and either that summer or fall they cleaned up the tracks a bit... and I'm not sure when the release was ...
My Trusted MOGs
Hmm that is not a guilty pleasure. I adore George Michael and I always have and people who want to laugh then just go ahead and laugh at me. 2 of my favorite songs by George Michael is Careless Whisper and Everything She Wants. Okay so sue me if I adore Wham! I have EVERYTHING they have done and the videos. Yes and they are all corny and lovable and I love it!
Wham/George Michael - Careless Whisper
Wham - Everything She Wants
And, I cried when I found out George Michael was gay but then I realized that he had to do what he had to do to make his music and get heard.
In listening to this clip he can tell he is singing with all his heart and soul and he is feeling everything that he is saying. That is what I adore about George Michael because he eloquently expresses, feels and relays that passion to verse. That is to me why he has universal appeal. He is true to his art.
I love Queen too so don't get me started on my childhood memories listening to Queen!! ;)
Thank you for sharing.
My Trusted MOGs
The Freddy Mercury Tribute at Wembley took place on April 20, 1992. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Freddie_Mercury_Tribute_Concert
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Here's as good as place as any to postulate over the existence of a Freddie Mercury/George Michael video...
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Hmmmm...
I dunno, Jonh. On the one hand, Brian May is about tied for 1st place on the list of all-time greatest guitarists (the criteria being taste, originality, technique, and expressiveness), and from what I gather one of the nicest guys you could ever meet (I believe it was Rod Stewart who said of him, "My gardener has a bigger ego than he does!"), so anything that makes him smile makes me smile.
Freddie Mercury, however, was probably the greatest rock vocalist of all time, and the second greatest frontman (behind Axl Rose), so seeing anyone try to fill his shoes is a bit difficult. And George Michael would not have been my choice for a number of reasons - his voice is nowhere near the task, he doesn't really show a sense of the theatrical, he traded on a false image of heterosexuality (whereas Freddie Mercury was unapologetically, flamboyantly gay from the beginning - extremely bold in the early 70's), and he's basically a trend-driven wuss.
On balance, I have to give it a thumbs-down. With tremendous respect for you, Jonh, and for the sharing of guilty pleasures in general.
This does, however, raise the question: who would be a good choice, if you had to make one? No one's going to rival his voice, and you can't capture his daring retroactively, so the issue is absurdity. I nominate David St. Hubbins. Seriously.
My Trusted MOGs
"Maybe that's why he plays so seldom. Or maybe he's just rich and lazy." -- Or maybe, George fell asleep at the wheel again...