Just when I thought the Sutcliffe book couldn’t be topped in terms of distilling the Queen history down to a single publication, along comes this ultimate box set of artifacts and reproductions from their 40-year career. (In Sutcliffe’s defence, however, even he couldn’t compete with the private collections of Brian and Roger.)
The tactile quality of this book reminded me of my kid’s books on dragonology, piratology, Greek mythology, UFOlogy, and the myriad other esoteric themes that have been packaged up in book form to cater to a sensory-deprived readership who seem to be acquiring their knowledge through digital means only.
While she and I have had lengthy discussions about bands from my era — The Who, Rainbow, Zeppelin, Meat Loaf, Floyd, Boston, etc. — she admits her musical taste is due to her dad’s influence. His Queen CD collection — primarily his Greatest Hits disc — piqued her interest in the band and she began scoping out their other tunes on YouTube. The GH disc, as she discovered, is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the appeal of the band’s oeuvre goes.
Her own Queen collection now includes her first book, the 40 Years of Queen box set that she is holding here. It’s the same collectible I picked up about a month before she emailed me to say she found it at a local bookstore for cheap. The fact that it features reproductions of actual Queen paraphernalia is something that she values more than just a book with photos and text . . . she’s also a designer who finds inspiration in posters, tickets, backstage passes, and such.
When I asked her what her favourite Queen song currently is, I was surprised when she responded with Fight From the Inside, a tune she even nominated for her high school’s grad song. Coincidentally, this was the song that drew me into the world of Queen back in 1977-78 when I heard it on my friend’s dad’s 8-track player.
It would seem that this particular Roger song is responsible for at least two Queen adherents.
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