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Various ArtistsKiller Queen: A Tribute To Queen FMR 'Killer Queen' smacks of being one those ideas that seemed like a good idea at the time, yet (with few exceptions) fails dismally. Although officially given some sort of royal blessing, I reckon if Queen Freddy was alive he'd have the majority of 'em in the Tower on charges of treason. The 16 classic Queen tracks on offer are sourced from 1974's 'Sheer Heart Attack' up to 1986's 'A Kind Of Magic' and, for my money, only five are outstanding. These include a superb version of Bohemian Rhapsody by American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis and the cast of 'We Will Rock You' and the reverential homage of the same track by The Flaming Lips. The rock out straight-from-the-Queen-songbook of Tie Your Mother Down by Shinedown impresses, as does a great Tex-Mex version of Sleeping On The Sidewalk by Los Lobos. Antigone Rising also let rip Brian May-style on Fat Bottomed Girls, and is an admirable closer. The rest just don't cut the mustard and there are two absolute shockers. The woeful attempt at We Are The Champions by Gavin DeGraw (whose Idol-like attempts to hit the big notes fail) should be avoided, and I like to know what was in the studio air-conditioning when Be Your Own Pet cut their crazed Bicycle Race. The jury is still out on Joss Stone's Under Pressure, which is a ball-tearer of a song, and the same applies for Rooney's attempt at Death On Two Legs. Musically it's spot on, but perhaps vocally they should have tried a swing style, disco, country - even rap. To try and compete vocally against Freddy Mercury is a no-win situation: the secret to doing a successful cover is to add something different, and when it comes to Queen that can only be in the musical arrangement. The long time Queen fan is likely to be disappointed in 'Killer Queen', nor is it likely to garner many new fans. Go out and buy 'Queen Greatest Hits' 1, 2 or 3 or any of the live albums and enjoy the real deal.  |
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