Another One Bites the Dust

Mick Doobie

Mick Doobie

Resist We Much
Shameful. Admittedly I kind of tuned out at News of The World...well actually Jazz was a pretty good album. But Another One Bites the Dust has to be the worst of the worst for Queen. I mean I get it, Disco was in vogue, and I reckon it's important to be relevant with the times. But it's horrible, Another One Bites the Dust. I was about 17 and the band I was in we toyed with the song. I was the singer, imagine me trying to sing Freddie Mercury. Perhaps that skewed my opinion of the song. But it's horrendous. Sure, I may have found myself throughout the years tapping my foot along with the song a couple of times. It was probably their only number one, and made them like a trillion dollars, so what do I know. But in my opnionion it was just awful, and shameful for a band of that caliber. Shameful, and awful.

Discuss.
 
I just checked the date of that album. It was released June 1980. Wasn't disco dead by then, considered a joke? What the hell? But a trillion dollars, what are you gonna do?....have some damn self respect? >:(

Shameful.
 
Wasn't their only number one.

Was just a song to do something different than before.

Actually written by the bass player and not the usual.

Music had changed from the big production stuff and was post punk moving into new wave. Disco was still there and coming to an end. People associate it to Freddie in the gay clubs but it had nothing to do with him.

You do not understand Mick that in America even when your kind of music is out of fashion and you arent main stream that your fan base can still by you stuff and you are still a millionaire.

In the rest of the world it isnt like that. If music changes and you do not, then you starve. You are irrelevant. You are nobody. Your record sales are zero in the few thousands and your earnings are minus heading for bankruptcy.

Every band has to change their music to suit what is relevant. Their rock type music was not in 1978, 1979, 1980 in the UK. So the old leaning towards what we called 'Prog Rock' type of stuff had to go.

I remember Queen even played lots of small venues at that time. 3500 seaters because there was nowhere bigger for them to play. Not big money touring either.

The NEC in Birmingham opened in 1980 and Queen packed that out at 14,500 seats for a few nights. They had the big stadium set up in its infancy and then off they went to them. 250,000 in South America.
 
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Is there a way to edit the title of this thread? I accidently wrote Another On Bites the Dust. Somebody might miss out on this engaging conversation.
 
I gotta take the dog to the vet, Orson. I'll be back with a strong rebuttal, because that's the way I roll. >:(

Just kidding. I'll be back.
 
Yeah, she's alright. Just a check-up. Sweet, intelligent, 5 month old pain in the ass.

I haven't forgotten, though. I have a response to your post. I'm just gathering myself in an effort to first get hold of my temper. After dinner settles a nice slice of lemon pudding cake just might do the trick. Pudding cake...just thinking those words sends a tsunami of tranquility over me, so much so that I almost feel like I could relax real hard right now. Almost.
 
Mick Doobie said:
Yeah, she's alright. Just a check-up. Sweet, intelligent, 5 month old pain in the ass.

I haven't forgotten, though. I have a response to your post. I'm just gathering myself in an effort to first get hold of my temper. After dinner settles a nice slice of lemon pudding cake just might do the trick. Pudding cake...just thinking those words sends a tsunami of tranquility over me, so much so that I almost feel like I could relax real hard right now. Almost.
Click to expand...
Ooooooh ....... :eek: It's :spank: time.
 
Why you.

See, you're antagonizing me. Then when you gets what you gets you pretend you can't imagine the why fors. But as the old saying goes, lemon pudding cake soothes the savage beast. Temptation will not win the day.

Just don't go getting my thread locked, dag dogit. Please, I mean.
 
I always liked Another One Bites the Dust - not the usual Queen of the time, but it's remained popular for a very long time and when it comes up in quizzes - everyone recognises the song from the first bass riff. Disco was still popular here in the mid 80s as the new synth pop took over - but it's come back loads of times. Lots of the old Disco bands are out on the road again - and the stats for the big disco hits show there's still loads of activity.
 
Alright, i've nixed my initial response, jokey but maybe a little ranty too...all in fun.

As I said, I get trying to be part of the happening scene, staying relevant, maybe get some airplay. A lot of artists wrote/recorded/released a disco number, or two. With varying success. When I say success i'm not talking commercial success, but success in both maintaining their dignity and staying somewhat true to their overall catalogue. You don't have to recreate yourself to a near parody in an effort to stay relevant......and maintain cash flow. I think that is what is sometimes referred to as selling out.

The song structure, if you were not particularly fond of disco and were trying to illustrate how simple it is to write a disco song, this might be the result. It's like they weren't even trying. I like some of Deacon's stuff. I think the first I ever heard on the radio was You're My Best Friend(maybe it was Killer Queen?). I think at that point my older brother had already purchased A night at the Opera. Side note: Obviously Deacon wrote that on keys. I can't decide whether the bass in that song is indicative of a song written by a bass player or it sounds like since the bass player is playing the keys the guitar player took over duties on the bass. Maybe May did play bass on the song, don't know. Anyway. Deacon had some decent contributions to their catalogue, Misfire(not necessarily on its own but in context of the album),....In Only Seven Days is really good. Although i'm sure it didn't hurt Deacon's bank account and got some folks booty shaking, Another One Bites the Dust isn't exactly a high water mark for Queen, or Deacon. Of course that album also had Crazy Little Thing Called Love, so. I can't imagine anyone enjoying that song as a pure listen. But that's just me.
 
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I remember back when I was maybe in the 8th-9th grade: My older brother always seemed to get the cool t-shirts. Bands, cartoon characters smoking joints, Panama Jack, etc. I scored a Queen t-shirt. Awesome. But the more I looked at it, the lettering was a bit artsy fartsy and the back side of the n had a curve in it and looked kind of like an R. Mind you this was back 77-78 and Queen wasn't as widely known as they would become. Fuck it, I liked Queen, it was a cool t-shirt, and I was going to wear it. For the most part it was just a t-shirt and nobody paid attention one way or the other. But occasionally I would catch shit for that t-shirt, a near fisticuffs, so I decided the confusion and bullshit was more than I wanted to deal with, the t-shirt was retired. I mostly stuck to plain colored Ts, with a pocket, they had to at least have a pocket, damn it.
 
Unless you're in The Beach Boys, the law requires black t-shirts and dark jeans for all rock bands.
 
But there is an American market and a UK or rest of the world market. So songs get released in different countries differently.

We had...... Your my best friend and Find somebody to love...........76

Good old fashioned lover boy and We are the champions...........77

Spread your wings and.............Bicycle race......................................78

Dont stop me now and Crazy little thing called love....................79

Save me............Play the game and Flash ...................................80
 
My exposure, mostly through albums, I didn't follow singles: Night at the Opera, an older brother purchase '75. I think shortly after I purchased the Sheer Heart Attack album, same year. Good album. I purchased A Day at the Races when it was released. It had some good stuff on it, but I didn't think it was as good as the 2 before. Some of it i've grown to love more now than then....have you ever heard Somebody to Love isolated tracks? Very impressive, excellent song. A friend purchased News of the World, wasn't my bag and I took a pass. I purchased Queen 2. Wow, incredible album. Older older brother purchased Jazz when it was released. That was a good album, had some good stuff on it. Can't put my finger on it, but that album also seemed to signal a shift. Queen's coming of age album? I mean, I liked the album, some of a lot, but it seemed less Queen than what came before? I can't articulate or even pinpoint what it was about that album that seemed to signal my own exit.

After that they went off my radar. I was only exposed to subsequent releases through radio play. From what I have heard, it wasn't for me, wasn't impressed. We toyed with Another One Bites the Dust, but I just felt it was silly, vocals too high anyway. We included Crazy Little Thing Called Love in the set list, if silly was the most redeeming factor, it otherwise bored me to tears. I was embarrassed, although the teen girls who attended our shows seemed to really enjoy it. That's not saying much, eh? Who hasn't looked at the setlist mid performance and thought, "Oh man, not that song, again", only to have the dance floor flooded soon after the count-off.

anyway
 
BTW, here in the US Queen only two number 1 singles. Another One Bites the Dust, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. :facepalm:
 
Actually I had all their albums on vinyl. The originals and sold them with lots of others about 2 years ago maybe 3.

Queen was Freddy and other 3. Not what they are now the Brian and Roger ego band. Besides which since Brian has his new job of lecturing us all on how to live our lives, it has turned me right off. His guitar playing hasn't changed since 1975 which I find boring now as well. I was once their biggest fan.
 
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