Daily Pieces – Day 2

Teo Torriatte – a rare performance of 1993 by Brian May As a music geek, I absolutely adore hearing different versions of the same song, because I think it gives us a different insight into its meaning, especially when sung by its original creator. Thus, it is fascinating to hear the Cross version of “Heaven For Everyone,” with Roger Taylor on vocal: I think intuitively … Continue reading Daily Pieces – Day 2

For Freddie (2021)

Recently, while staying with my family in Moscow, I came across a pile of rock-related books that I adored as a teen. The majority of them was about Beatles, my first music love – a book of their lyrics, Russian translations of their biographies, and magazines featuring a story about, say, Paul McCartney (at that time, I thought of him as an old man – … Continue reading For Freddie (2021)

Sheer Heart Attack

Sheer Heart Attack captivated me many years ago, even though back then I understood very little, both literally and figuratively. I remember being mesmerized by the unusual tone of “In the Lap of the Gods,” loving “Tenement Funster,” being scared by the aggressiveness of “Flick of the Wrist” – again, completely missing out the lyrics but sensing the mood from the harsh riffs, Freddie’s voice, … Continue reading Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

I needed to listen to something fresh and young, something that would alleviate that sickening feeling from not-so-happy news from around the world and from the cold breath of the pandemic winter. While revisiting my “tiny essays” format, I thought of Queen’s first album – again, a memorable item in my cassette collection, often played in my youth, and then somehow left out of my … Continue reading Queen

It’s Been A Long Hard Year

I will not be the first to say how prophetically the Queen’s music video “Thank God It’s Christmas” is perceived today, now seen through the veil of lockdowns and hardships, with the world shrinking to the small and intimate space of our houses. Here we are, in December 2020, approaching Christmas, back in lockdown. Our little neighborhood is now all illuminated by festive lights, and … Continue reading It’s Been A Long Hard Year