Breaking: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is the BEST CLASSIC ROCK SONG EVER!!!

Filed in National by on December 4, 2008

Rock on!

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Jason330 is a deep cover double agent working for the GOP. Don't tell anybody.

Comments (41)

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  1. Joanne Christian says:

    This is fixed!! Queen is “too late” to be considered best classic rock!! I don’t even think Q102 played it back in the day…but I’m sure WAMS did. Nancy?

  2. jason330 says:

    All of my votes were for “Takin Care of Business.”

  3. pandora says:

    I’m with you, Joanne. Lot of youngsters around here. I love Queen, but… classic rock?

  4. Unstable Isotope says:

    Good choice but I voted for (I can’t get no) Satisfaction.

  5. Hot damn!

    Shoot, Aerosmith is considered classic rock now.

  6. Von Cracker says:

    Hell, I heard Bon Jovi on 102.9FM; so I guess everyone’s definition of classic rock differs.

    Anyway, we all know that Wish You Were Here is the best classic rock song ever!

  7. Blech…awful song, overrated band.

  8. Rebecca says:

    Love Queen but they don’t qualify as classic.

    Where is Chuck Berry? Now that is classic rock and roll. Johnny B. Good! Or Elvis’ Hard Hearted Woman, Soft Headed Man.

    OMG I am old.

  9. Joanne Christian says:

    Rebecca-You’re not old-you’re classic.

  10. RSmitty says:

    I heard from someone in the business (no, not DTR) many years ago, about a couple years after 98.1 switched formats into WOGL (?), that “oldies” (I think all you fogies are confusing classic with oldies) considers music at LEAST 20 years old. From what I understand that is still the industry standard: 20 years +.

    Yes, that means that Bohemian Rhapsody qualifies. It also means that most of the PALATABLE Aerosmith library qualifies. It also means that the breakout-era of grunge qualifies in a few, short years. GASP!

  11. Joanne Christian says:

    Same as a car huh? So Smitty-did you help stuff that ballot box?

  12. RSmitty says:

    No, Bohemian Rhapsody was too damned easy. Early on, I went for the underdog and supported FREEDOM ROCK, er, I mean Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” Once the bird flew, I then went for my personal favorite, John Entwistle (I am a base junkie), er I mean The Who.

    I think if the next go-around opens it up to best classic-rock bands, Queen won’t even make it to the finals. Although, I dispute Matthews’ criticism of them being overrated…to a point. Their early years were great. I think their attempts to morph into 80’s mainstream instead of sticking to what they knew is what killed them.

  13. jason330 says:

    I didn’t vote for that song once during the trials, but I know why many did.

    I think Queen became bigger than rock itself for a moment during Live Aid.

    That performance put then in a whole different category.

  14. JohnnyX says:

    I too was voting for The Who – Smitty I’m way with you on Entwistle and the bass.

    There’s a video on YouTube of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” with the bass track isolated – it’s even more impressive when you can hear precisely what he’s playing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfDE-ZvfOwU)

  15. Joanne Christian says:

    I’m sorry-but when I think of Queen, I think of every kid’s little league team jumping up and down, after winning a game. A happy thought yes, but CLASSIC ROCK?

  16. RSmitty says:

    I’ll have to check that vid out at home, much later. Can’t do much vid watching here at work and I consider that a good thing for me! 😀

    I can’t believe I misspelled bass. That is a sacrilege in my world.

    I think Queen became bigger than rock itself for a moment during Live Aid.
    Their final Wembley full-concert (shortly thereafter) was iconic, as well. Although Freddie Mercury waited until his final days to admit he had late-term AIDS (thanks to the gossip rags that basically forced him into admitting it), I believe that by the time that final concert happened, there was an understanding among many that was the end of them as a complete band. It simply added to the spectacular performance that it was.

  17. RSmitty says:

    Shoot, Johnny, since we’re talking about appreciating great bass (that’s great bass!…a classic Saturday Night Live reference to the Bass-o-matic 2000), may as well do that list, too! I’ll cap it at a top-two: Entwistle and Chris Squire (Yes).

  18. Bill Dunn says:

    I’ve been to see both Queen (w/ Freddie) and the Who (w/o Keith Moon) TWICE each and have owned albums from them both for ever and still think “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is the best.
    You know what they say about opinions…..

  19. RSmitty says:

    Yes, that your’s (Bill) is correct!!! 😀

  20. Von Cracker says:

    Entwistle might have been the best bassist of his time….revolutionary even…

    Given the limited choices, I chose Won’t Get Fooled Again….great song…overused on TV these days, but still holds up.

  21. RSmitty says:

    Entwistle was easily my jr high/high idol (as in school, not recreational activities…OK, fine, both). Overlooked, though, partially I think because of the concurrent existence of Entwistle, is Chris Squire of Yes. I have YesSongs, a live double-CD set from the 70’s that is classic-Yes. On it, if you listen carefully enough, you can hear Squire riffing off an Entwistle track. It’s a jam-session within Perpetual Change (I think) and he riffs the bass lines from Sparks (from Tommy).

  22. Von Cracker says:

    Squire is badass too! Completely forgot about him….Now I have the bass line of “Yours Is No Disgrace” in me head….thanks alot! 😉

  23. pandora says:

    At the risk of showing my age… I had front row seats for the Yes In the Round Philley Concert. Ha! Even at that young age my music was progressive! 😉

  24. RSmitty says:

    How about Squire’s lead-ins for Heart of the Sunrise, particularly live versions? I’ve tried to pull that one off before and managed to tangle (firguratively, of course) my fingers while trying to keep up the pace!

  25. Von Cracker says:

    Stop it!! 😉

    Yes was always a guilty pleasure to me…like most opera (progressive) rock. Styx, Queen, ELO would fall into the category too.

    But what’s in the head right now is Cream’s “Badge” and Jack Bruce.

    That’s the classic rock I heard as a child…thanks to my youngish parents and uncles.

  26. RSmitty says:

    I had front row seats for the Yes In the Round Philley Concert

    So did I (not front row), but that was for the tour that they mixed the new with the old members…heh…that could have been any year! It was, I think, around 1991 or something on the UNION tour. It was the mid-late 80’s line up, plus Bruford, Howe and Wakeman (who totally crushes Tony Kaye – an original, I know – and his toy Casio).

  27. pandora says:

    Could someone tell me why Lou Reed wasn’t up for a vote???

  28. RSmitty says:

    Sheesh…Jack Bruce! Of course! Now I have the “Badge” bass line in my head, too. Then to Crossroads. Sunshine of Your Love…

    Ungh. I think we could go for hours on this.

  29. pandora says:

    Nope, Smitty. I saw them in 1979 – 80 – can’t remember the exact month.

  30. Von Cracker says:

    It’s hypnotic….sorry!

  31. RSmitty says:

    I saw them in 1979 – 80 –

    GASP! Tell me that wasn’t the Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn version! (I am a camera, cam-er-a…)

    For the love of all things Buggles!

  32. Von Cracker says:

    Lou Reed plays bass? 😉

    Current guys, I nominate Flea, Tim Commerford (RATM), and the dude from Primus…

  33. pandora says:

    Nope! Anderson, Howe, Squire…

    Right before the trainwreck that was Horn.

    Psst… also saw Genesis with Gabriel. U2 at the Tower Theater, and Squeeze opening for Costello at the Tower, as well. Toss in King Crimson, Lori Anderson, Talking Heads, and Randy Newman! Gee, I’m feeling better about my age!

  34. RSmitty says:

    dude from Primus…
    Les Claypool?

    This is what I meant about us going on for hours. There will always be someone left out.

    Les Claypool was freaking awesome (I think he still is, too).
    My name is MUD…

    Roger Waters was decent, but the man’s a tool, so that hurts his value a bit in my eyes. John Paul Jones…complete oversight on my part…and it goes on and on…

    I still want to know if that concert Pandora saw was the Buggle…I mean the Horn/Downes version of Yes.

  35. RSmitty says:

    Psst… also saw Genesis with Gabriel

    I honestly long for a reunion of them with Gabriel and Hackett…a real one, not this one and done set of three songs crap. It’ll never happen, unless they become broke, but it’s one of my desires that carried over from youth.

  36. Von Cracker says:

    You’re right….on and on…

    I’ll make the effort to stop now! 😀

    And you’re right….Claypool and Primus….Wynona’s Big Brown B*!

  37. Rod says:

    I saw the Rolling Stones at the Spectrum in the early 70’s when I was a wee lad but Queen is much better and I’m glad Bohemian Rhapsody won.

  38. Joanne Christian says:

    Foghat!

  39. anon says:

    I had front row seats for the Yes In the Round Philley Concert.

    Hey, I was there too, also pretty close to the front row! … also, I saw Peter Gabriel at one of his first solo shows at Tower Theater.

    But you weren’t a real progressive fan unless you were at the free “UK” concert at Penns Landing (yes I was there too).

  40. pandora says:

    Missed that one, anon. I was GROUNDED!

  41. Bill Dunn says:

    I started with Foghat, Boston, James Gang, followed by Thin Lizzy and Queen at the old Philly Civic Center, then back to the Spectrum for Boston as the headliner and I was hooked. Over the next six or seven years came Petty & Rush and Elvis & Squeeze both at the Tower, Supertramp and Moody Blues at the Spectrum and Genesis and the Stones at JFK just to name a few. Bowie three times, Elvis three times, the Who twice, Petty, Joel, Foreigner, Elton, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, the Police… I just couldn’t stop…. Then I ran off and got married and things have been the same since….Women!!