Divine Inspiration: the band Brian May used as a model for Queen
After rock ‘n’ roll consolidated its position as the primary force in popular music in the 1960s, guitarists began to emerge in all different shapes and sizes. Players of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton’s class proved themselves as eminent forces in blues-derived electric guitar during the psychedelic wave. Meanwhile, the Bert Jansch and James Taylors of the world made crucial steps in the acoustic realm, laying the foundations for the singer-songwriter wave. Brian May, the masterful guitarist of Queen, learned from them all.
In the mid-to-late 1960s, just before he joined Queen, May found himself at a fork in the road. On the one hand, he had a deep, burning passion for rock music and was a dab hand on the six-string; on the other, he had a more academic passion for physics and astronomy. After completing his BSc in physics in 1968, May decided to gamble on his abilities as a guitarist and, fortunately, never looked back.
The 21-year-old had played the guitar for several years but became increasingly passionate during his time at university. Coinciding with the psychedelic era, as pioneered by Cream, The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, May became particularly enamoured with the instrumental and compositional nuances of Hendrix, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page during this period.
The last three on the above list comprise the Holy Trinity of British electric guitar talent. The trio were undoubtedly among the country’s finest, and all were alumni of The Yardbirds. Of the three, May’s apical guitar hero was Beck. “Jeff is one of those people who makes me not want to play guitar because I just watch him,” May once humbly admitted. “He’s incredible!”
Beck is among the most cherished of the guitarist’s guitarists. His work never quite broke through to the commercial accessibility of Page’s work with Led Zeppelin or Clapton’s with Cream and Derek and the Dominoes. May appreciates Beck’s explorative approach, adherence to jazz and blues traditions and his artistic dignity. When it came to shaping his own career as a pop-rock guitarist and songwriter, May turned to Mr Page.
While Queen eventually embraced disco and funk influences in their power pop classics like ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and ‘A Kind of Magic’, they set out as a hard rock group. When Queen formed in 1970, they heard Led Zeppelin’s first two albums of the previous year and felt inspired and dejected in equal measure. “Those guys were not far ahead of us in age,” May told Total Guitar in 2023, “but the first time we heard Zeppelin, we thought, ‘Oh, my God, this is where we’re trying to get to, and they’re already there!’”
As the 1970s dawned, Led Zeppelin continued to evolve their sound. Led Zeppelin III and IV broadened the band’s approach with instrumental complexities, which had them associated with both the hard rock and prog-rock movements. “There were times when we felt like we’d missed the boat,” May continued. “Like we wouldn’t be able to get our stuff out there. But our vision was slightly different from Zeppelin, musically.”
Keeping a steady eye on Led Zeppelin’s impressive path through rock ‘n’ roll, Queen saw the opportunity to differentiate themselves somewhat. With Freddie Mercury’s flamboyant stage presence and nuanced lyrical themes, Queen bridged the gap between hard rock and the budding glam-rock wave. “It’s more harmonic and melodic, I suppose,” May said of Queen’s early style. “But I would never be ashamed to say that Zeppelin were a huge influence on us, not just musically, but also in the way they handled themselves in the business, without compromising.”
Although Queen created a personality of their own with crucial early hits like ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ and ‘Killer Queen’, they still used successful British groups like Led Zeppelin as a blueprint for success. “The way they handled their image, the integrity, the way they built their stage show – so many things. I suppose between Zeppelin and The Beatles and The Who, you would see where we came from. That was the kind of platform that we bounced off,” May concluded.
As a 2007 PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College might let on, May has a decent head on his shoulders. He and his band understood the importance of creative nuance. If Queen were to prosper, they had to separate themselves from the pack, which included glam stars like T. Rex and David Bowie and hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who. Fortunately, May could lean on his many influences to bring something new to contemporary rock guitar and with a singer like Mercury front and centre, standing out was never too tall an order.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.