QUEEN BEAT THE BEATLES & DAVID BOWIE TO TOP ABSOLUTE RADIO ICON POLL

Credit: Absolute Radio

Queen have hit the No. 1 spot in a new poll from Absolute Radio, which saw listeners choose the legendary band as their ultimate music icon from the last five decades.

A panel of experts led by Absolute Radio’s Head of Music and Mercury Prize judge James Curran chose a shortlist of bands which listeners then voted for online. The bands spanned the last fifty years, and the top 100 countdown took place on air yesterday (6 May).

Queen were No. 1, followed by David Bowie at No.2 and the Beatles at No. 3. The top five was rounded out by Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

The top 10 included eight British bands, and two bands - Oasis and the Foo Fighters - were the most recent bands to make it in there.

James Curran said, "The poll was all about celebrating the iconic artists that feature on our playlists across our network of decade stations. Queen have yet again proved themselves as one of the UK’s most iconic bands by topping this poll of absolute music greats."

Countdown: 5 - 1

1. Queen
2. David Bowie
3. Beatles
4. 4Pink Floyd
5. 5Led Zeppelin

Katy Perry Unveils New Fragrance, "Killer Queen"

Credit: ABC News

One of Katy Perry's biggest musical idols was the late Freddie Mercury of the legendary rock group Queen.  Now, that band, and one of its songs, has provided inspiration for her brand-new fragrance.

After teasing on Thursday via Twitter that she had "something very exciting to reveal," Katy announced that she'd been working on her third fragrance for "over a year," and had just attended the "elegant unveiling" of the perfume, called Killer Queen.  Including a picture of the new perfume bottle, she added, "Can't wait to share the royal juice!"  The bottle looks like a multi-faceted jewel, topped by a golden crown.

"Killer Queen" is a song by the band Queen. It appeared on their 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack.  Katy's previous fragrances, Meow and Purr, were cat-themed.

Queen guitarist Brian May has said that after years of avoiding making a biopic about the band, following Freddie Mercury's death, the project is now going ahead.

Credit: Daily Record

Speaking to Daily Record, he said: "It is a project which is taking up a lot of time even though it is in the preparatory stages. It is a bit early to say how we feel about it.

"Obviously, we go into it with a great amount of enthusiasm but also a certain amount of caution because Freddie's legacy is very precious and we have a great responsibility not to mess it up."

"It is more about Freddie than it is about us and that is deliberately so."

"We have resisted making this film for a long time and it is only now we feel we have the right people that we have given it the OK."

Speaking about the possibility of Baron Cohen being cast as Mercury, he said: "Sacha does seem perfect."

"If it hadn't been for Sacha pushing and pushing, we wouldn't be at this point. We didn't choose him."

"He chose us. He is passionate about playing Freddie. For years, he's been saying he is going to do it."

Psy Says He Cried Hard when Queen′s Brian May Gave Him an Offer

Credit: Yahoo News

Psy will be realizing the dream of his life as he plans to participate in the upcoming album of none other than the legendary band Queen′s Brian May.

The singer first announced the exciting news on the April 22 broadcast of MBC FM4U′s Bae Chul Soo′s Music Camp.

He said during the live broadcast this day that he was most influenced by Queen, and added, "This is the first time I′m saying this, but guitarist Brian May will be releasing a remake album and he asked me to participate in the remake of a song."

He then added, "I cried so hard at the thought that such things are possible. I realized that dreams can come true."

Psy has often said he is a big fan of Queen in various interviews, and this day also he chose to play Queen′s Love of My Life when asked by Bae Chul Soo to play a song.

On his own song, he voiced some expectations toward the possibility of his new song Gentleman′s topping the Billboard.

When asked by Bae Chul Soo whether he thought the song would make it, Psy said, "I′m actually a bit expectant because the YouTube views are so high. I′m working hard on promoting because the song has slipped on the iTunes charts."

Gentleman debuted at no. 12 on Billboard′s Hot 100, and its music video shot through 200 million views in just nine days since it was released.

In the meantime, Psy will leave the country on April 25 to promote his song overseas.

What is Your Favorite Performance From The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert?

Michael Putland, Getty Images

By Ken Kelley

On April 20, 1992, musicians from virtually every genre banded together at London’s Wembley Stadium to pay tribute to Queen‘s Freddie Mercury. The one-of-a-kind entertainer and vocalist passed away on Nov. 24, 1991 from bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS, and his former bandmates brought together his many friends and admirers to honor his legacy, and raise money for AIDS-related charities.

While many of the acts appearing on stage performed a generous helping of their own original material, the sparks flew when Queen’s three surviving members joined with the guests to perform some of the band’s best-loved songs. Here is our list of the Top 10 Queen Performances from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

10

'Radio Gaga'

Queen and Paul Young

The various eras of Queen were on display throughout the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. And while many understandably favor the group's biggest hits, this gem from Queen's 1984 record 'The Works' stands out as a highlight. While Paul Young doesn't quite have the vocal chops to match Freddie's vocals on this song, there is something about watching 100,000 people all clap in absolute unison that sends a chill up our spines, thus beginning our list of the Top 10 Queen Performances from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

9

'Hammer To Fall'

Queen, Gary Cherone and Tony Iommi

While Extreme might have been pegged as a power ballad band for their 1990 mega-hit 'More Than Words,' future Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone cuts loose in delivering a great vocal performance on 'Hammer To Fall.' Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi seems more than content to play the sideman in the song, faithfully playing rhythm guitar before he too spreads his wings to take the song's final guitar solo. Cherone's hip-swaying can be a little much to take but given the size of the audience that he was performing in front of, it is understandable for that enthusiasm to manifest itself in unexpected ways.

8

'Innuendo / Crazy Little Thing Called Love'

Queen and Robert Plant

Considering that Robert Plant had lived through the death of a band mate with John Bonham's passing, it is somewhat fitting that Queen would ask Plant to tackle the song 'Innuendo.' 1991's 'Innuendo' full-length was, sadly, to be Freddie Mercury's final album with Queen. Plant's vocal performance on the song is appropriately passionate before Plant and the members of Queen playfully launch into 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love,' eliciting a wild response from the audience.

7

'We Will Rock You'

Queen and Axl Rose

Many frontmen have a natural sort of charisma that ultimately draw people into the band. Freddie Mercury was one of those frontmen. Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose is another. What you see is largely what you get with the song but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There is nothing in the way of surprise moments to be found in the all too short video. Rose more than capably commands attention on the legendary song while the sing-along from the audience during the chorus is an absolute thing of beauty, closing out the first half of our list of the Top 10 Queen Performances from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in style.

6

'Stone Cold Crazy'

Queen, James Hetfield, Tony Iommi

It should serve as little surprise that Metallica's James Hetfield would have elected or been asked to sing this heavy-hitting track from Queen's 1974 record 'Sheer Heart Attack.' Metallica had previously covered the song on 'Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary'. While it is a little strange to see Hetfield perform without having a guitar strapped around his neck, his on-stage enthusiasm is contagious as evidenced by the brief interaction between he and Queen drummer Roger Taylor at approximately two minutes in the video.

5

'Tie Your Mother Down'

Queen, Joe Elliott and Slash

Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash lend some extra rock muscle to this essential Queen song. While Brian May could have capably handled vocal duties for the whole song, bringing Elliott out and complementing that with guitar work from Slash just makes a good thing even better as the crowd roars along its approval.

4

'Someone To Love'

Queen and George Michael

Forget 'Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go),' George Michael proves himself a more than worthy vocalist to honor Freddie Mercury with his performance on 'Somebody To Love.' Fleshed out by a gospel-influenced chorus who help to provide an upbeat slant to the song, Michael has little difficulty in delivering a solid take on Mercury's varied range of vocals contained in the song.

3

'Under Pressure'

Queen, David Bowie and Annie Lennox

Originally released on Queen's 1982 album 'Hot Space' as a duet with the legendary David Bowie, 'Under Pressure' was performed by Bowie and Eurythmics' Annie Lennox during the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Although Lennox's performance is a little on the melodramatic side at times, Bowie's steady, calm demeanor helps keep the performance in balance.

2

'The Show Must Go On'

Queen, Elton John and Tony Iommi

Passion. That is the first word that comes to mind when watching Elton John's electrifying performance of 'The Show Must Go On.' Arguably the most appropriately performed song during the whole concert, the fact that the original version of the song was found on Queen's final studio album with Mercury, mortality isn't something that people are willing to contemplate in such an open forum. But with John at the helm of the song, fans could take both solace and encouragement that the show does go on for the rest of us, even if Freddie would no longer be a playing a role in the show.

1

'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Queen, Elton John and Axl Rose

Despite having been originally released in 1975, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' had become a hit all over again thanks to famous scene contained in the 1992 movie 'Wayne's World'. This performance, which tops our list of the Top 10 Queen Performances from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, starts out with Elton John doing an amazing job handling the first half of the song before Axl Rose bursts onto the stage to sing the very rocking second half. After the pre-recorded mid-section of the song, Rose's energy lends an extra urgency to the song before ending with John and Rose arm-in-arm. This track is arguably one of the best representations of exactly what Queen stood for musically, expertly delivered by musical legends in their own right.

What is Your Favorite Performance From The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert?

Did we miss your favorite moment from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert? Let us know in your comments below!

21 YEARS AGO: FREDDIE MERCURY TRIBUTE CONCERT DAZZLES LONDON

Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock

The death of Queen singer Freddie Mercury due to AIDS-related complications on Nov. 24, 1991, left his legions of fans and fellow members of rock’s ruling aristocracy thoroughly shell-shocked.

But over the ensuing months, the surviving members of Queen put all of their considerable resources towards organizing a massive concert at London’s Wembley Arena that would feature some of the era’s biggest superstars, performing together to honor Freddie’s larger-than-life memory and immortal influence.

A concert fit for a king…or a Queen, as circumstances would have it.

So on April 20, 1992, there were 75,000 fans gathered at Wembley, while an estimated 2 billion more tuned in via TV or radio (no, there was no Internet back then!), to pay tribute to this rock and roll monarch – a tribute which began with a jaw-dropping selection of world-conquering bands performing mini-sets, including Extreme, Def Leppard, Guns n’ Roses, Metallica and even Spinal Tap!

But to everyone’s amazement, these were merely the opening acts before Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor took the stage to revisit some of Queen’s best-loved songs alongside legendary classic rock peers like Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi, Robert Plant, David Bowie, Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson and Elton John – not to mention numerous pop stars, to boot.

By the time the remarkable event culminated, hours later, with all of the stars assembled on stage to the strains of ‘God Save the Queen’ (Queen’s traditional, show-ending background music), it’s fair to say that all those who attended or watched remotely had been treated to something much bigger than a star-studded rock show.

Indeed, what came to be known as “A Concert for Life: The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness” raised generous donations for AIDS research and incalculable awareness about the disease across the globe.

At the same time, Freddie’s public send-off doubled as much needed musical therapy for millions of Queen and rock fans, in general – many of them members of an entire generation that came of age under the shadow of AIDS, and, in Freddie, found a fallen champion to rally behind.

Queen Guitarist Dr. Brian May Speaks Out Against Animal Suffering At Imperial College London

Credit: Looktothestars

The BUAV has welcomed support from Imperial College London graduate and Queen guitarist Dr Brian May, following its release of disturbing evidence of terrible animal suffering, poor practice and wrongdoing at one of the University’s animal research laboratories.

Dr Brian May said, "I am shocked and saddened to see these revelations. And ashamed that it could have taken place in the University of my own training, in which I have had so much pride. I can only fully support the work of BUAV and the RSPCA in conducting a full inquiry. And I hope the result will be that this appalling cruelty will never be allowed to happen again.

“Research on animals is an outdated concept – unethical, and unsupportable now that it is known that it yields false results. There is now, in every case, a better alternative.

“Experimentation on animals must now come to an end, and I urge Imperial College to use this opportunity to put all cruelty in the past, by eliminating animal experimentation, and thereby set an example to the world.”

Dr May’s call follows a BUAV investigation in which an investigator worked for seven months at Imperial College and documented a catalogue of shortcomings and wrongdoing by staff and researchers that caused even more distress and suffering to the animals in its care than was allowed in the experiments.

Findings included: breaches in and lack of knowledge of UK Home Office project licences; a failure to provide adequate anaesthesia and pain relief; incompetence and neglect and highly disturbing methods used to kill animals.

The UK Government and research industry repeatedly claim that the UK has some of the highest welfare standards in the world for animals in laboratories, yet huge secrecy surrounds animal research. This BUAV investigation has shown the reality of these welfare claims at one of the UK’s leading universities, with breaches of the regulatory regime and inappropriate licensing and enforcement by the Home Office.

Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of the BUAV stated: “We welcome the support from eminent scientist, rock-guitarist and Save Me wildlife campaigner Dr Brian May who has spoken out against the shocking revelations uncovered by the BUAV during our investigation at Imperial College London. Please join Brian in supporting our call for an urgent independent inquiry.”

The BUAV is urging the UK Government to revoke the Establishment Licence of Imperial College London and set up an inquiry, wholly independent of the Home Office, into the concerns they raise.

Sign the BUAV’s petition  on Change.org calling for an end to animal experiments at Imperial College London.