Queen as a legacy act

I know what you are saying, but I still maintain even stating something is better is still a subjective thing; I mean, how does one define what 'better' actually is with regards to a band's output over the years? 'Better' to you and I could be 'not too great' to someone else.

As for the reviews? Balanced or not (normally not with Queen, let's be honest) they are still the mere opinions of so-called music experts: I have never had any faith or trust in any review of anything, unless it truly is an impartial, unbiased review - which is very rare (especially regarding Queen).

Saying all that, I, personally, prefer much of the 70's output too - although there are moments from Innuendo (namely, Innuendo, Slightly Mad and The Show Must Go On) which I feel are as strong and original as anything they did in the earlier days.

And of course you are entirely correct. There is no absolute right answer.
I think the most telling thing however is that Innuendo always comes across as an album that MOST Queen fans are very very happy with and that suggests that there is a signature sound to it that represents the gut feeling of what a Queen album is. I think they got pretty close to it with Innuendo and it does give more than a nod and a wink to the heyday of the mid 70's. If that is any sort of conclusion I'm happy with it

I would agree with you that, yes, the band have a definite 'signature sound' and that those albums many of us fans love the most are those where that particular, unique Queen sound is very present and strong.

Innuendo really was a return to form. It is an album that fills me with both joy and melancholy: the joy because here are the band still proving they have got it, still creating mini masterpieces and still able to surprise even the diehard fans; the sadness because this return to form came right at the very end of their majestic career and that they were back on the up again after a run of very mediocre, painting by numbers, albums. But, on a positive note, at least they bowed out with fucking style.

Really? Other than Innuendo, their later stuff is not a patch on the first 5 albums.

Yeah. I definitely think they did good individual songs later in their career rather than good complete albums, but I don't see the best tracks as being any weaker than those from early in their career.

You may prefer the 80's but they weren't 'better'

I never said they were. I just said I think their peaks in the 80s were as good as their peaks in the 70s, even if there were fewer of them.

I think your sentence could be construed as that. I cant agree though. I don't think there is much at all that comes even close to the 73-77 period.
Innuendo / was it all worth it / princes.... but not a whole lot else could get near it even.
But hey its not a competition. I just don't hear a lot of artistic merit in the later albums although I do like them a great deal.

I know what you are saying, but I still maintain even stating something is better is still a subjective thing; I mean, how does one define what 'better' actually is with regards to a band's output over the years? 'Better' to you and I could be 'not too great' to someone else.

As for the reviews? Balanced or not (normally not with Queen, let's be honest) they are still the mere opinions of so-called music experts: I have never had any faith or trust in any review of anything, unless it truly is an impartial, unbiased review - which is very rare (especially regarding Queen).

Saying all that, I, personally, prefer much of the 70's output too - although there are moments from Innuendo (namely, Innuendo, Slightly Mad and The Show Must Go On) which I feel are as strong and original as anything they did in the earlier days.

And of course you are entirely correct. There is no absolute right answer.
I think the most telling thing however is that Innuendo always comes across as an album that MOST Queen fans are very very happy with and that suggests that there is a signature sound to it that represents the gut feeling of what a Queen album is. I think they got pretty close to it with Innuendo and it does give more than a nod and a wink to the heyday of the mid 70's. If that is any sort of conclusion I'm happy with it

I would agree with you that, yes, the band have a definite 'signature sound' and that those albums many of us fans love the most are those where that particular, unique Queen sound is very present and strong.

Innuendo really was a return to form. It is an album that fills me with both joy and melancholy: the joy because here are the band still proving they have got it, still creating mini masterpieces and still able to surprise even the diehard fans; the sadness because this return to form came right at the very end of their majestic career and that they were back on the up again after a run of very mediocre, painting by numbers, albums. But, on a positive note, at least they bowed out with fucking style.

Tue but I do wonder how much of that came from them being aware of their mortality and a realisation of their legacy (horrible word) that pushed them into what THEY also hear as a more definitive Queen album.
Even the artwork has a classical Queen era slant. I'm sure its not all just coincidental down to the lead single being 6 minutes long. Bloody good though

Tue but I do wonder how much of that came from them being aware of their mortality and a realisation of their legacy (horrible word) that pushed them into what THEY also hear as a more definitive Queen album.
Even the artwork has a classical Queen era slant. I'm sure its not all just coincidental down to the lead single being 6 minutes long. Bloody good though

Totally concur and have stated as much elsewhere on here; I definitely believe that because of what was happening to Freddie they all found that closeness and magic once more - something they had lost for much of the 80s I feel. His illness not only made them closer again (backs against the wall, us versus them mentality) but also - as you rightly state - made them aware of their own mortality and also placed more importance on those last recordings simply because they knew that time was running out and because they probably then did think about their legacy more than they had ever done before.

It's a strange thing really: the fact that they had this return to form, which then makes one wonder how much more they could have done had Freddie not been ill; but then, if he had not been ill I very much doubt they would have made an album like Innuendo anyway.

correct and that is the crux. Without the emotional drag and finite timeline they may well have done nothing or something more akin to the fairly directionless previous couple of albums. I'm with you I just cant imagine they would have turned out an opus