Queen Revisits the Recording of 1973 Debut in Episode 2 of ‘Queen: The Greatest’
The second installment of the band’s new YouTube series explores the chaos at London’s Trident Studios.
Queen’s multi-part web series The Greatest has returned with a new episode in honor of the band’s 1973 self-titled debut, which was recently remixed, remastered, and expanded. Episode 2 is out now on YouTube.
The first episode recalls Queen recording demos at De Lane Lea Studios. Episode 2 delves into the recording of their self-titled debut. By the Spring of 1972, the band had signed a management deal with Trident, who in turn gave the band access to their London studios. However, as Brian May and Roger Taylor explain, the only sessions afforded to them were in the middle of the night.
“It was very tough because we never knew when we were going to get back in there,” says May of the chaotic process. “Tapes got jumbled up and lost, and there was a discontinuity. Sometimes we had to have a different engineer who didn’t realise what we’d done before. It was really a mess. It was a hodgepodge, difficult to hold it together. They were tough times.”
Queen’s vision for their debut clashed with the desires of Trident. Though the band was dissatisfied with the record’s sound, it was eventually released on July 13, 1973. The album received a muted critical response—“a tsunami of nothing” per Taylor—but word of mouth and tireless gigging eventually sent the record up the charts. “Once we had that first album out, we had an audience who understood us and were really behind us,” says May. “There’s suddenly momentum coming in from outside. And that’s incredibly helpful. That gives you the energy you need.”
The freshly remastered and expanded version of Queen I presents the album as it was meant to be heard and captures the young band’s energy and creative prowess. “Essentially,” explains Taylor, “we’ve made the actual album sound the way we wanted it to sound. Using the techniques we have now, the overall sound is better, the mixes are better.” Adds May, “It’s been amazing to go back into those tapes and build them, to rebuild them, so they have the sounds that we had in our heads at the time. And this is all four of us. It’s not just me or just Roger.”’
