Latest on MJJC

Queen

It has to be natural. You can’t go to school and ask, “How do I work an audience?” You can’t learn it like that; you just have to have the gift to start with. It’s spontaneous. I think a front man in a group has to make sure that he is stronger than the audience, because sometimes the audience can overtake you, and then you’ve had it. You’ve built them up, so you have to control them.
Freddie Mercury
🌹

I´ve read that there was a hole in the fence and many drunk persons came that way so it wasn´t Queen´s fans who started to throw things.
 
"So all you people give freely
Make welcome inside your homes"

"All prime ministers and majesty around the world
Open your eyes look, touch and feel
Rule with your heart, live with your conscience"

I´ve already posted The Miracle and some lyrics from it
"The one thing we're all waiting for, is peace on earth and an end to war,
It's a miracle we need, the miracle, the miracle,
Peace on earth and end to war today,"
 
Queen had just finished their album "The Miracle"
"But even before the records were in shops Freddie wanted to push on with recording new material.Queen were dazed by Freddie´s eagerness to return to the stresses of the studio but they all said yes." Jim Hutton
Freddie hadn´t told them about his disease yet but the other members could see he was seriously ill.
Then Freddie confirmed it.
Freddie was determined to continue working on music with Queen for as long as he could, saying that he would "keep working until I fucking drop"
 

Brian May and Roger Taylor haven´t stopped touring, they are on a tour now with Adam Lampert and they have also played on the Queens platinum concert.
This is from last month
 
75Happy birthday Brian May, 75 years today.
He´s busy touring and a few days ago he did this acceptance speech
Brian May acceptance - Doctorate of Science, honoris causa - Hull University 14/07/022
 

Roger Taylor wrote the song and then he went on vacation. When Freddie heard it he wanted to make some changes and took the opportunity to do it when Roger was away. When Roger came back he liked Freddie's version and they recorded it.
It was first written for the movie "Highlander" I'm not sure if Roger's original version was used there.
 
Freddie had the Phrase "i'm going slightly mad" on his brain. Then he had another through -the -night session with his friend Peter Straker. Straker used to come to Garden Lodge for dinner quite often and they often stayed up the whole night singing, laughing..
In this case Freddie explained for his friend what kind of things he wanted to say in the song.
The inspiration for it was the master of camp one-liners ,Noël Coward.
The master-stroke was "I think I´m a banana tree".Once that came out there was no stopping Freddie and Straker-they were then in full flow.
I went to bed to fall asleep listening to their laughter wafting upstairs. Jim Hutton



First there is making of "Slightly Mad" and in the end there is the finished video.
I know I've seen more footage with the penguins , they didn't walk in the direction they should..
I watched the video a lot when I was really sick in corona with high fever and felt it could have been written for me.

Freddie was very weak but you can see he knew what he wanted.
He didn't only have plans for the video , one of the days they were filming was Valentine's day and he planned a surprise for his boyfriend; a beautiful oil painting Jim had seen in Sotheby's auction catalogue.
Freddie got help from the other people who lived in garden Lodge with that.
When Jim came to watch one day when they worked on the video he first didn't recognise Freddie with all the make up and the wig.Jim wrote "In quiet moments Freddie took himself off to be with the penguins and give them water."
After the video was finished Freddie bought a flat in Montreux .He knew exactly how he wanted it decorated and chose everything himself.
I admire that he chose to live as long as he could.
 
After more than 30 years it´s finished, it´s released today.
 
Today it is World AIDS Day, so many lives have been lost
 
This was the last video Freddie participated in. His PA Freestone asked him "why are you doing this, you know your*e not going to look your best.Freddie said he didn't want to be a caricature in his last video(The video before this was I'm going slightly mad) .They used black and white to try to hide Freddie was so ill
But I want to show you the west coat he used.It was a Christmas present from his chefs boyfriend.His chef - he did other things too-took photos of Freddie's cats and then it was painted on the waist coat.
The waist coat are now for sale together with over 1500 items from his former home Garden Lodge It's have been exhibitions with some things in some other places for example New York and now a final exhibition. Among the things for sale are handwritten lyrics for some of Queen' hits.
"As Sotheby’s London hosts Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own this summer, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the private realm of a global icon through a series of six auctions in September, preceded by a public exhibition unlike anything that has been seen before." His former girlfriend and later friend Mary Austin inherited 50% of Freddie's fortune and Garden Lodge and more than 30 years later she sells most of his things.She said when they lived together he once gave her a ring, but then he avoided talk of any wedding.But he made sure she was supported for her whole life.Freddie told friends in New York that Mary had given up her own happiness to help him.I'm not sure what it meant but she was there by his side in public contexts but in the background was his boyfriend.During that time it wasn´t a good time to be gay but it was ok to be bisexual.But Freddie couldn't praise his boyfriends in public, it could give him and Queen some problems.
 
I was never a huge Queen fan growing up, aside from the songs they contributed to the original Highlander film. My older cousin loved the band, but after I stopped living with him I just didn't experience Queen very much overall.

When I first heard about the "Bohemian Rhapsody" movie, I was skeptical to say the least. By that point I was an adult, and I'd learned that Freddie Mercury was homosexual. As a committed Christian, I don't condone that behavior, but I also don't fear or hate others who practice it. My main worry in this regard was how much they were going to focus on it, especially in today's culture where being anything anything other than a straight white male gets you praised like you're the second coming of Jesus. I had some idea that there was a lot more to Freddie than his sex life, or at the very least I hoped so...and when I finally saw the movie, I wasn't too bothered with it in general. Rami Malek embodied Freddie excellently, and he completely deserved all the awards he got as a result.
 
www.theguardian.com

Sony Music reportedly in talks to buy Queen’s music catalogue for $1bn

Publisher said to be working with another investor in sale that would be largest of its kind, according to Bloomberg
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

"Sony Music is in talks to buy Queen’s music catalogue, which includes songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Radio Gaga, in a potential $1bn (£800m) deal, according to Bloomberg.

Sony is said to be working with another investor on the transaction that would be the largest sale of its kind and include merchandising and other business opportunities, according to the Bloomberg report, which said talks were continuing and might not result in a deal.

Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the estate of Freddie Mercury are equal shareholders in Queen Productions Ltd, which reported revenues of $52m in the year ended September 2022, according to company filings.

In recent years there has been a frenzy to acquire music catalogues, which have attracted billions of dollars in investments from specialist investment funds and private equity companies such as KKR and Blackstone, competing for deals against traditional music companies.

Songwriting catalogues are seen as attractive investments because they can be used for decades in films, played on the radio or used for advertisements – all producing royalties for the owners of the rights.

Bruce Springsteen’s back catalogue was sold to Sony in 2021 for an estimated $500m, while Neil Young and Bob Dylan have struck deals in the hundreds of millions. In 2022 Warner Music acquired David Bowie’s songbook for about $250m.

This year, Sony acquired a 50% interest in Michael Jackson’s music catalogue from the late singer’s estate for at least $600m, Billboard reported."
 
www.forbes.com

Queen Makes History As They Sell Their Catalog For More Than $1 Billion

Queen has sold the rights to their catalog for more than $1 billion, the first such sale to hit that number.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com

"Queen’s catalog of hits and bestselling albums has been purchased for an eye-popping sum—one that appears to be historic. According to HitsDailyDouble, the rights to the band’s music have been acquired for well north of $1 billion.

Sony Music is the company that agreed to pay that figure, which also includes other rights connected to the rockers. According to Variety, the deal doesn’t feature monies connected to live performances, as the group is still performing. For years now, Queen has been touring, with Adam Lambert filling in for Freddie Mercury.

This acquisition appears to be the largest purchase for a single artist’s catalog in history. There has never been a $1 billion-plus sale—at least not one that the public is aware of. Now, that threshold has been crossed, and it may have expensive repercussions in the future of the music industry.

The figure that’s being reported isn’t an even $1 billion, though. It’s actually £1 billion, which means in USD, the deal was much more expensive. The rights cost more than $1.2 billion after the exchange rate is taken into account.

Several companies have been angling to get their hands on Queen’s catalog for some time now. There was apparently something of a bidding war for the rights to the smashes the group created during their time together, though there aren’t many companies that could gather the funds necessary to compete for the honor.

According to Variety, there was another firm that was still part of the discussion recently. That unnamed company reportedly could not bid above $900 million, so it seems that the race wasn’t actually that close."


www.nme.com

Queen sell music catalogue to Sony Music for over $1billion

Sony Music has reportedly acquired Queen's music catalogue for over $1billion, making it the biggest acquisition of its kind.
www.nme.com www.nme.com

"Per a report from Variety, sources with information on the deal have confirmed that Sony is now in the process of acquiring Queen’s back catalogue, along with merchandising and other business opportunities. Per Variety, the only aspect of the band’s revenue not included in the deal will be from live performances.

Variety‘s sources claim the deal has been closed for USD$1.27billion (£1billion), making it the biggest acquisition of its kind ever. Back in 2021, Bruce Springsteen sold his back catalogue to Sony for an estimated $500 million (£393 million). In 2022, Sony acquired all of Bob Dylan’s back catalogue in deal. Sony had also acquired a 50 per cent interest in Michael Jackson‘s music catalogue for roughly $600 million (£471 million).

The logistics of Queen’s deal remains somewhat complicated, seeing as Disney currently owns the band’s recording rights in the US and Canada per a deal that was struck sometime in the ’90s. Universal Music Group are also serving as the band’s worldwide distributor, and will remain to do so for the next handful of years until that existing contract expires."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top