Queen: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Queen fused Hendrix-worshipping hard rock, multi-tracked vocal grandeur and West End theatricality into something no one else in 1970s Britain was attempting. This mix traces the guitar heroes and music-hall camp behind them, the London studios and scenes that built them, and the arena bands who still work from their blueprint.

The Kynda mix for Queen

• Key Influence · Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967). Brian May and Freddie Mercury were both Hendrix obsessives — Mercury reportedly saw him live repeatedly in London and sketched him constantly as an art student, while May's entire conception of the electric guitar as an orchestral, feedback-shaped voice descends from this record. Queen's live sets included Hendrix material, and May's homemade Red Special was built to chase exactly the singing sustain Hendrix pulled from a Strat and a stack of Marshalls.
• Influencia Obscura · Irish Tour '74 by Rory Gallagher (1974). Brian May has repeatedly credited Gallagher as the source of his tone: as a teenager he approached Gallagher after a Marquee show in London to ask how he got that sound, and was told about the Dallas Rangemaster treble booster into an overdriven Vox AC30. That rig became May's lifelong setup. The most distinctive guitar sound in stadium rock is, by May's own account, borrowed from an Irish blues player most Queen fans never hear named.
• Local Roots · All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople (1972). Queen's breakthrough came as support act on Mott the Hoople's 1973 UK tour and their 1974 American dates — the grind that taught them to win hostile arena crowds. Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs's band shared Queen's glam-era London circuit and their taste for grandiose, piano-led rock with a theatrical lead singer. Mott drummer Dale Griffin later worked with Queen's circle, and the two camps stayed close.
• Beyond the Medium · A Night at the Opera by Marx Brothers (1935). Queen named two albums after Marx Brothers films after watching them during the Sheer Heart Attack period, and Groucho Marx later invited the band to visit him in Los Angeles in 1977, where they reportedly performed '39' for him in his living room. The anarchic, high-low collision of the film — grand opera sabotaged by vaudeville — is precisely the aesthetic logic of Queen's most famous record.
• Peer · Kimono My House by Sparks (1974). Queen and Sparks were the two British-charting acts of 1974 doing operatic falsetto, arch wit and baroque arrangement over hard rock. Ron and Russell Mael were so aligned with Queen's orbit that they reportedly approached Brian May about joining Sparks before Queen broke through; May declined. The bands shared producer Muff Winwood's label world, UK TV slots and an audience that couldn't quite file either of them.
• From the Canon · Sheer Heart Attack by Queen (1974). The pivot record. Made partly while Brian May was hospitalised with hepatitis and then an ulcer, it abandoned the fantasy sprawl of Queen II for compression: 'Killer Queen' proved Mercury could write a witty, harpsichord-flecked character sketch that hit the charts, while 'Brighton Rock' showcased May's tape-delay guitar orchestra. Everything Queen later became in miniature, and the album that made them a going concern.
• Key Collaborator · The Cars (1978). Roy Thomas Baker co-produced Queen's first four albums and engineered the 180-plus vocal overdubs of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at Rockfield and Sarm East, famously holding the tape up to the light as the oxide wore thin. He took that layered, hyper-clean studio craft to Boston for the Cars' debut, where the same stacked harmonies and glassy separation turned new wave into radio pop — Baker's method heard outside Queen's context.
• Legacy · Origin of Symmetry by Muse (2001). Matt Bellamy's falsetto, the church organ, the operatic bombast and the arena-scaled piano balladry all descend openly from Queen; Bellamy has acknowledged the debt repeatedly, and Muse covered Queen material live. 'Micro Cuttings' and 'Megalomania' take the Queen II idea of a rock band as a cathedral choir and push it into the 21st century with Mercury's theatrical self-seriousness intact.

What influenced Queen

• Led Zeppelin. The article names Queen among bands influenced by Led Zeppelin. (also via Led Zeppelin II) “Led Zeppelin have influenced hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple , [ 191 ] Black Sabbath , [ 192 ] Rush , [ 193 ] Queen , [ 194 ] Scorpions , [ 195 ] Aerosmith” (Wikipedia)
• Irish Tour '74 by Rory Gallagher (1974). Irish Tour '74 (Rory Gallagher) — ghost for Queen “A number of musicians in the world of rock and blues cite Gallagher as an influence, both for his musicianship and character, including Brian May (Queen), Johnny Marr (the Smiths), Slash (Guns N' Roses), the Edge (U2), Glenn Tipton (Juda…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) — titan for Queen “On 4 November, they played in front of The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret during the Royal Variety Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin (1969). Led Zeppelin II (Led Zeppelin) — titan for Queen “Led Zeppelin have influenced hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rush, Queen, Scorpions, Aerosmith, the Black Crowes, and Megadeth as well as progressive metal bands like Tool and Dream Theater.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Metropolis by Fritz Lang (1927). Queen's Radio Ga Ga video uses imagery and clips from Metropolis. “Queen 's 1984 music video for song " Radio Ga Ga " uses imagery and clips from the movie.” (Wikipedia)
• A Night at the Opera by Marx Brothers (1935). A Night at the Opera (Marx Brothers) — culture for Queen “Rock band Queen named two of their albums after Marx Brothers films: A Night at the Opera (1975) and A Day at the Races (1976), in a direct acknowledgment of their admiration for the comedians' work.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• A Quick One, While He's Away by The Who (1966). A Quick One, While He's Away (The Who) — ghost for Queen “An early influence on Queen, guitarist Brian May referred to the Who as being "among our favourite groups".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967). Are You Experienced (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) — titan for Queen (musicbrainz.org)
• Cabaret by Bob Fosse (1972). Cabaret (Bob Fosse) — culture for Queen (themoviedb.org)
• Fred Astaire (1899). Queen referenced Astaire in their song Man on the Prowl.

Peers and kindred spirits

• David Bowie (1947). Bowie collaborated with Queen on 'Under Pressure'. (also via Under Pressure, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Hunky Dory) “Bowie paired with Queen in 1981 for a one-off single release, " Under Pressure ".” (Wikipedia)
• Mick Rock (1948). Mick Rock's photography appeared on the cover of Queen's Queen II. (via Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack) “His photos are on the album covers of Lou Reed's "Transformer" and "Coney Island Baby"; Iggy Pop & The Stooges' "Raw Power"; Queen's "Queen II" and "Sheer Heart Attack"; The Ramones' "End of the Century" and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n R…” (Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY))
• Who's Next by The Who (1971). Who's Next (The Who) — geography for Queen “An early influence on Queen, guitarist Brian May referred to the Who as being "among our favourite groups".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) by David Bowie (1980). Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (David Bowie) — collaborator for Queen “He achieved eleven UK number-one albums, including Aladdin Sane (1973) and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980), and had UK or US number-one singles with "Space Oddity" (which reached number-one in the UK on reissue in 1975), "Fame",…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Hunky Dory by David Bowie. Hunky Dory (David Bowie) — geography for Queen “He achieved eleven UK number-one albums, including Aladdin Sane (1973) and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980), and had UK or US number-one singles with "Space Oddity" (which reached number-one in the UK on reissue in 1975), "Fame",…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople (1972). All the Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople) — geography for Queen “They were primarily supported on the 1974 tour by the band Queen.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (1973). Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John) — peer for Queen “In April 1992 John appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, performing "The Show Must Go On" with the remaining members of Queen, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses and Queen's remaining mem…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy (1976). Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy) — peer for Queen “Matters came to a head during a gig on New Year's Eve 1973 at Queen's University Belfast, where he walked off stage halfway through the show and had to be persuaded to finish the set.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Journey. A Night at the Opera (Queen) — collaborator for Journey (via A Night at the Opera) “Herbie Herbert, the band's manager, hired Roy Thomas Baker as producer to add a layered sound approach similar to that of Baker's previously produced band, Queen.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Carmen by Montserrat Caballé (1983). Carmen (Montserrat Caballé) — collaborator for Queen “Returning to the stage, he delivered the cognac to Caballé with the words "Ecco, Signora!" Whispering "Grazie, grazie!", she turned her back on the audience, drained the glass and continued in her role: "Abtreten die Leut!" ("Send everyo…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Kimono My House by Sparks (1974). Kimono My House (Sparks) — peer for Queen (musicbrainz.org)
• The Cars by The Cars (1978). The Cars (The Cars) — collaborator for Queen (musicbrainz.org)
• Beyoncé. Queen — beyonce covered for Beyoncé · hand-labeled by Tony Brancato, 2022

Who Queen influenced

• Lady Gaga (1986). Gaga incorporated Queen’s style into her songs. (also via A Night at the Opera) “Gaga began to incorporate pop melodies and the glam rock style of David Bowie and Queen into her songs.” (Wikipedia)
• The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance (2006). The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance) — legacy for Queen “That same year, My Chemical Romance collaborated with the Used for a cover of the Queen and David Bowie song, "Under Pressure", which was released as a benefit single for tsunami relief on iTunes and other Internet outlets.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Miguel (1985). Miguel names Queen as an influence. “Miguel cites musicians Prince , David Bowie , Jimi Hendrix , Freddie Mercury , Phil Collins , Donny Hathaway , the Notorious B.I.G. , Kanye West , Saul Williams , Queen , Usher and Pharrell Williams as influences” (Wikipedia)
• Origin of Symmetry by Muse (2001). Origin of Symmetry (Muse) — legacy for Queen “the causes and the crimes relate; What goddess was provok'd, and whence her hate; For what offence the Queen of Heav'n began To persecute so brave, so just a man; [...] —Virgil (c.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jeff Buckley (1966). Buckley was introduced to Queen early in life. “his stepfather introduced him to Led Zeppelin , Queen , Jimi Hendrix , the Who , and Pink Floyd at an early age” (Wikipedia)
• The Fame. The Fame (Lady Gaga) — legacy for Queen “He said they began dating in May 2006, and claimed he was the first person to call her "Lady Gaga", which was derived from the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Radiohead (1985). Queen is listed among Radiohead's earliest influences.