Queen: The Early Years [Paperback]

Mark Hodkinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997

Queen: The Early Years, the result of extensive research by the author, reveals how all four members of this stupendously successful group could have gone on to become successful in a myriad of other fields.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Omnibus Press; 2nd edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711960127
• ISBN-13: 978-0711960121
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,111,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For true fans......., December 11, 2001

By 

Rolltide (Columbia, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen: The Early Years (Paperback)

This is a good book, an interesting book about how queen came to be. Not a complete biography this book focuses primarily on the music careers of the four members prior to the formation of the band and then in the early period leading up to the first album.

The first three chapters are brief individual scetches about john, roger and then brian. Were they were born, how they grew up, their education and most significantly their musical development from the first time they picked up an instrument to their first garage band. The author then moves smoothly from brians early development to the seminal formation of smile which encompasses chapter 4. Chapter 5 introduces you to the early years of freddie mercury. "A messenger of the gods". Then to the incidents that lead to the formation and name of the band "queen". How regal it sounded!

As i said this is a very interesting book and you'll learn how a great rock band came to be but the details will only interest the most serious die hard queen fans. Only a real fan will want to know that john deacon's first band "the opposition" had to fire their bass player named clive because he simply wasn't god enough and it was that firing that moved john from lead quitar to bass. And how many people care that freddie played with a band from liverpool called ibex and then a jazzrock outfit called sour milk sea? You get to read how roger became something of a musical legend in his home county in cornwall and how flyers adverising smile and later queen concerts in cornwall would mention that the band "featured roger taylor the legendary drummer from cornwall". Plenty of little facts are thrown about concerning early gigs in the teenage years and how much or rather how little money was made in those days. Of course you read about the creation of the red special and brian's adventures into astronomy.

A good book like i said but the question is whether this volume provides that much more than a more complete biography of the band does. At (its price) it is hardly a bargain for a 200 page paperback with just 12 pages of B&W photos. That's why i give it just 4 stars. Still a good book. For a more complete biography i recommend "Queen as it began" which contains many more photos(some color), 50 more pages of text and a complete discography.

......................socks

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, A must for all Queen fanatics, August 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen: The Early Years (Paperback)

"Queen: The Early Years" details the lives of the four members of Queen before they were stars. It follows John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Brian May, and Freddie Mercury from their respective births and childhoods to the release that got them world-wide acclaim: Bohemian Rhapsody. Be warned though, if your not a die hard fan, I don't reccomend this book. It, at times, relies heavily on knowledge of the music business and English geography. Overall, it's a marvelous book which provides insight on what events formed Queen and it's four diverse personas. As the author says many times, "Your not going to see any of this in the authorized biography".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you're a Queen fan..., April 13, 2010

By 

kitjank "Guitar Goddess, artist, love of all ... (Hunt Valley, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Queen: The Early Years (Paperback)

...then you will enjoy this insight to the early years. If you're looking for a more in depth bio after they became the royalty of rock, then you might want to look elsewhere.

I've been a fan since 1980 and thought I knew pretty much everything. It was very interesting to read up on the pre-Queen era. I especially enjoyed reading up on Freddie and being able to see him evolve into the rock icon he became. It would have been nice if there were more photos, but over all I found this a nice addition to my collection.