Queen will release Queen I, a six-CD + one-LP collector’s edition box set devoted to their self-titled debut album, on Friday, and it’s just another way the band is celebrating their legacy.
In an interview with MOJO, guitarist Brian May says their legacy is “absolutely” important to them, noting, “The passion is still there. We still get angry if things aren’t right, and it’s still fun.”
He adds, “When I pop off from this planet, I would like to know that I’ve done my best on anything that I ever touched.”
He also shares that while bassist John Deacon hasn’t played with the band since 1997, he is still very much a part of decisions that are made with regard to Queen.
“John still has a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ say. We get messages that he’s happy with what we’re doing, but he doesn’t want the stress of being involved creatively, and we respect that,” May says. “Freddie (Mercury) we can’t talk to, sadly. But the four of us worked as a team for so long that Roger (Taylor) and I have a pretty good idea what our fellow Queen members would be saying.”
He adds, “This thing is longer that anybody’s marriage.”
And it sounds like fans can expect Queen to revisit at least one more album in their catalog.
“I certainly think Queen II deserves that treatment,” May says. “There are many layers on that record and there wasn’t really the technology to make that heard.”
He adds, “I think we’ll stop there, though. By Sheer Heart Attack we had everything under our fingers.”
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