If you're someone who knows the lyrics to every one of their songs or merely just a casual fan of the band, you'll find something to love in Queen: Days Of Our Lives (Eagle Rock Entertainment). Told through present-day interviews, old interviews, and concert footage, the two-hour documentary is divided into two parts: 1970-1980 and 1980 to present day. The first part is a rags-to-riches story of how Queen became one of the world's biggest and most important bands. Except for a few upbeat and positive moments like the triumphant Live Aid performance and the band's final live shows at Wembley Stadium, the second part is a more somber affair as it deals the band falling out of favor with U.S. audiences and front man Freddie Mercury's gradual sickness and death. In addition to the documentary, the DVD also includes three deleted scenes totaling twenty minutes and seven new music videos.I first became a fan of Queen's music during the time when songs like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites The Dust" were popular. Although I went back and devoured their earlier offerings as I grew older, I didn't gain much of the band's history, so this documentary was particularly interesting for me. Some of my favorite parts were:
- the band's early, pre-Mercury days as Smile
- how they pioneered the art of multitracking during the recording of Queen II, and how the 16-track tape turned almost transparent because they had so many overdubs and layers on it
- they talked about hating doing Top Of The Pops, but the appearance caused their album to hit the Top 10
- Mercury making fun of Sid Vicious and how the band considered News Of The World their "punk" album
- Queen working on "Under Pressure" with Bowie (one of the top five songs ever recorded)
- and how MTV banned the video for "I Want To Break Free."
Queen: Days Of Our Lives will be released on January 31st, 2012.
