Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose names the “greatest band” of all time
For Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose, many important bands have come and gone in his lifetime, but one act has remained omnipresent. In his mind, there is no other group on the planet that comes close to matching the brilliance of Queen, who are untouchable from his perspective and “the greatest” for a plethora of reasons.
Despite their lofty levels of success, Queen are still a divisive band. However, regarding numbers, their popularity is unquestionable. It’s estimated that Queen have sold close to 300 million records since releasing their first record in 1973. Furthermore, in 2023, the band received the Brit Billion Award by the BPI after their songs were streamed over a billion times in the UK alone, showing they remain immensely popular even today.
While they’ve never been able to replace the magnificence of the late Freddie Mercury, the work created by the original line-up of Queen will almost certainly remain popular until the end of time. Every generation finds a way to connect to their output and continually finds a way to stay relevant.
Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1989, before the birth of streaming services or even the iPod, Rose revealed Queen’s second album, the aptly titled Queen II, was a touring essential. He explained: “I’ve still got my favorites and things, like the Pistols, ELO and Queen. The two records I always buy if there’s a cassette deck around and I don’t have the tapes in my bag are Never Mind the Bollocks and Queen II.”
Queen II was less theatrical than the British group became in their later years, and the album sits on the hard rock spectrum of their back catalogue. However, Rose believes they were the best band to ever do it due to the varied nature of their material and their ability to successfully turn their hand to a range of genres.
Almost 30 years later, in 2018, Rose once again discussed his love of the four-piece and explained why they are his favourite of all time. Speaking to Atlas Magazine, he divulged: “For me, it’s easy – Queen is the greatest band and Freddie is the greatest frontman of all time. The band are the greatest because they embraced so many different styles”.
Rose continued: “If I hadn’t had Freddie Mercury’s lyrics to hold on to as a kid I don’t know where I would be. It taught me about all forms of music… it would open my mind. I never really had a bigger teacher in my whole life.”
Queen has been a constant in Rose’s life since adolescence, and until he draws his final breath, they are almost certainly destined to play a significant function in his existence. Without having Mercury to look up to, perhaps, he’d have never pursued a music career, and Guns N’ Roses would never have completed their ascend from the club circuit to Glastonbury headliners.
