And... Every time I think Brian May is overrated..

equalsql

I listen to this and bow my head in shame.
Feck, this is 1974 and what he's doing here is nothing short of mind-blowing!
Listen to the whole track and realise that no one was even close to where Brian was at the time.
Truly humbling!

ICBM

I think he's not rated as highly as he should be because he's overshadowed by Freddie (as anyone would be really), and because the band's music is so varied and not always obviously guitar-centred. Despite being able to really tear it up when he wants to and being very innovative as well as technically adept, I think his guitar playing still almost always serves the song - Brighton Rock is one of the few examples where it's more overt.

It also took me a long time to realise how strange and unique his tone is in the context of what's often only a three-piece band soundwise - that very reedy, quite nasal midrange with very little bottom end and the treble usually noticeably rolled off sits in the mix perfectly and gives a lot of space to the vocals, piano and drums - the bass is also almost always quite muted. It's almost a 'classical' type of orchestration - and almost all his parts were written in advance and not improvised too.

Unquestionably one of the all-time greats in my opinion.

Bellycaster

Brian May quoted many times that "I'm not Technically Gifted". True, he's not as Technically Gifted as Malmsteen or Dann Huff, but he is very self effacing and he is waaaay more gifted than he gives himself credit for. He was the reason I started playing Guitar and he's still one of my all time favourites.

FelineGuitars

This was my first Queen album and still blows my mind. 

maltingsaudio

Same here this was the track that got me into effects

Fretwired

Bellycaster said:

Brian May quoted many times that "I'm not Technically Gifted". True, he's not as Technically Gifted as Malmsteen or Dann Huff, but he is very self effacing and he is waaaay more gifted than he gives himself credit for. He was the reason I started playing Guitar and he's still one of my all time favourites.

But I'd rather listen to May than Malmsteen or Vai.

Bellycaster

Fretwired said:

Bellycaster said:

Brian May quoted many times that "I'm not Technically Gifted". True, he's not as Technically Gifted as Malmsteen or Dann Huff, but he is very self effacing and he is waaaay more gifted than he gives himself credit for. He was the reason I started playing Guitar and he's still one of my all time favourites.

But I'd rather listen to May than Malmsteen or Vai.

So would I. I am a bit of a Dan Huff fanboy though.

ICBM

I quite like Vai, but I would mostly still rather listen to May because it means I’m listening to Queen, and it’s the whole of the music I like rather than just the guitar playing.

I’m not so keen on his solo/side-project stuff though, I have to say.

lewism

As above, May is a great and Brighton Rock is a standout, but he needs to be within the context of Queen where it’s more about the song and the arrangement than the histrionics- I bought the “Starfleet” collaboration with EVH thing it would be fantastic. Was distinctly underwhelmed.

Grangousier

Y'know, I've never, ever thought Brian May was overrated. One thing, though, is that he's so idiosyncratic in his playing that I don't think his influence is as obvious as many guitarists, but it's enormous. Playing like him, though, would be too much like a copy thing (and when people do Brian May type stuff, it can come off like that - the Muse chap, for example), but I think a lot of people have aspired to his sound and expressiveness. 

Reverend

Saw one of those "brace yourself..." memes today suggesting that because of the film suddenly everyone was going to pretend to be Queen fans. 

Because, y'know, they weren't already one of the most beloved and popular rock bands of all time. 

EricTheWeary

When I went to see Queen Extravaganza that was one of the songs that had me jumping out of my seat although it seemed to barely get a ripple of recognition across the audience. For me they were a great rock band that became a slightly naff pop band. 

I think that slightly 'small' guitar sound has clear shades of ( Brian’s hero) Rory Gallagher in it. Brian is very clear that he went out and bought an AC30 and a treble booster because of Rory and took specific elements of his style as well. I guess a lot of rock guitarists had been pursuing the massive stack approach and Rory was showing that wasn't always needed.

maltingsaudio

ICBM said:

I quite like Vai, but I would mostly still rather listen to May because it means I’m listening to Queen, and it’s the whole of the music I like rather than just the guitar playing.

I’m not so keen on his solo/side-project stuff though, I have to say.

Back to the Light is one of my favourite albums with Ressurection and Driven by you the stand out tracks, however really not been taken by anything post Queen apart from this. Cosmos Rocks was dire!

vasselmeyer

He clearly has a unique voice and the combination of his tone, the composition of his parts and the phrasing of his solos is like no-one else.

People say he doesn't really imporvide but, oddly, one of my favourite Brian May recordings is the blues jams he did with Eddie Van Halen on the "Starfleet" mini-album. They're playing heavy call and response blues but with such unique styles and tones you can immediately hear which part is Eddie and which is Brian.

Here's a link to the jam on that album:

axisus

Amazing guitarist. Some incredible playing and solos, great originality as well. I remember an EVH interview where he sat trying to work out what Brian was doing on one of the News of the World tracks (I think it was It's late) as it was so 'different'. Just listen to the unique guitar orchestration on 'good company' as well. 

richardhomer

I’m not wild about the band - or his tone - but ive always thought of him as an Edge/George Harrison - the perfect guitarist for the band he was in.

Limehouse_Blues

I'm sure I've seen a Freddie Mercury interview late 70s where he refers to BM as the best guitarist in the world at the time. I don't know, these things are so subjective but he's always struck me as tasteful and musical. I think of him as a proto Satch.

Macca_25387

Sole reason i picked up a guitar. No one quite like him in my opinion. 

Moe_Zambeek

I like his playing and tone but to be honest I struggle to get through a whole Queen song without switching off. They just don’t do it for me at all. I can’t even say why. 

Funnily enough I feel the same about Rory Gallagher. 

The tone though..amazing.

bingefeller

I love his tone and his playing with Queen, especially on the Sheer Heart Attack album. 

For the later stuff, it's a bit hit and miss IMO, but some of his solos are cracking, such as the solos on The Miracle. 

horse

I heard this for the first time recently, and it reminded me of how Nuno was a big fan - to me this live track is almost an early blueprint for nuno's riffing style with extreme