Roger Taylor admitted his Queen bandmate Freddie Mercury sang like a “manic goat” and revealed how “terrible” the frontman sounded when they first got together.
The drummer, 75, explained how the late singer’s famous operatic voice left his mother horrified when the band started.
Roger said Freddie, who died in 1991 of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS, “turned out to be wonderful,” but the distinctive vibrato for which he is known required some adjustments.
Speaking at the launch of the band’s remastered self-titled debut album, originally released in 1973, he said: “I don’t think you realize how terrible it sounded before.”
—I mean she looked like a manic goat. His vibrato sounded extraordinary. My mother’s face when she saw him…’
Roger Taylor admitted his Queen bandmate Freddie Mercury sang like a “manic goat” and revealed how “terrible” the frontman sounded (pictured left with Brain May in 2023).
The drummer, 75, explained how the late singer (pictured in 1985) left his mother horrified when the band started.
Roger added: “It turned out to be our wonderful Freddie, who we will never forget. He became this colossal force that could reach the back of any concert or stadium in Argentina. He reached everyone.”
Although Queen broke up after Freddie’s death at the age of 45, Roger and Brian May continued to tour under the band’s name, with lead vocalist Adam Lambert.
The special launch event at London’s Ham Yard Hotel celebrated the release of the expanded, mastered and newly mixed edition of Queen’s iconic self-titled debut album.
Matt Everitt hosted the evening which included a Q&A session with Brian and Roger, followed by a playing of the album.
The band has completely reworked their debut album, more than 50 years after its original release.
The mammoth six-CD release includes a rearranged track listing, alternate takes, demo versions and live recording, especially from their first concert in 1970.
talking to guitar.comBrian admitted that the album is now in a better state than upon its initial release in 1973.
He said: “I’m not saying the original version was bad, it just wasn’t what we dreamed of.” Freddie and John were also always aware of something in our past that couldn’t seem to be fixed.
Roger said that, fortunately, Freddie “turned out to be wonderful”, but the distinctive vibrato he is known for required some adjustments (LR Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger, John Deacon)
—I mean she looked like a manic goat. His vibrato sounded extraordinary. My mother’s face when she saw it…’ he explained (in the 2019 photo)
‘Each instrument has been re-examined from the bottom up. The guitars were originally recorded very dry, so we’ve fixed that.
“I remember my dad saying, ‘There’s no atmosphere, Brian. “I don’t feel like I’m in the room with you playing next to me.”
“But we were not in a position to enforce the law and we felt that if we stepped out of line we would miss the opportunity completely.”
May also insisted that the reworked album is not a remaster.
“This is a new 2024 reconstruction of Queen’s entire debut album,” the guitarist wrote on his official website.
‘All performances are exactly as they originally appeared in 1973, but each instrument has been revised to produce the ‘live’ ambient sounds we would have liked to use originally.
“The result is Queen as it would have sounded with today’s knowledge and technology: a first.”
After the special launch event at London’s Ham Yard Hotel, Tigerlily Roger did the Can-Can in Soho with her daughters Tigerlily (centre), Rory (right) and Lola (left).
Speaking at a press conference to launch the album, the band revealed that every drum beat had been increased, because they hated the kit originally used by Roger while recording the album in the early ’70s.
“The performances are exactly what they were,” he explained. “They haven’t been replaced, they haven’t been added, but we’ve just changed the sound, really, just to make it sound better, like it should have sounded.”
Heading out after the launch party on Monday night, Roger did the Can-Can in Soho with his daughters Tigerlily, Rory and Lola.
The family enjoyed a night out in London, and Tigerlily, 30, shared on Instagram the moment they decided to go out and dance in the street.
The model showed off her long legs as she threw them into the air, with Roger also giving it his all.
Rory, 38, struggled to keep up, while Lola, 24, laughed in the short clip.
Tigerlily captioned the post: ‘Da da daaaa da da da daaaa BDE big idiot energy. Last night I toured Soho with these monsters.
He added of his sister Rory: ‘I can’t. The lack of coordination and the look of confusion.’
Tigerlily is the daughter of Roger and his ex-wife Debbie, who were together for 15 years before separating in 2004.
The exes also share daughter Lola and son Rufus, 33, who is a touring drummer for Queen + Adam Lambert’s stage shows.
Roger is also the father of a son, Felix, 44, and a daughter, Rory, who is a GP, and whom he shares with Dominique Beyrand.