The solo Brian May thought matched ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’: “A favourite of mine”
Asking any artist to pick a favourite track from their discography is a tough ask, but for Brian May, it should be impossible. With a back catalogue packed with gold standard greatness as Queen constantly pushed their music into new and exciting places, how could he ever have a top choice? But while many would say ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is their undeniable best, May has a soft spot for another track, which he sees as being on the same level.
Even though Freddie Mercury was the face and voice of the band and is rightfully held up as one of history’s greatest frontmen, May was undeniably their secret weapon. He hit big, bold guitar riffs that gave their tracks that certain spark. May gave them the maximalist theatricality that the band became known for and continues to inspire new generations of players to embrace the same kind of all-out drama in their instrumentals.
Perhaps more than songs, Queen wrote full-scale productions. The title of their fourth album got it right, as a night out at one of their shows was more like A Night at the Opera. For May, his guitar playing was as much a part of the songwriting and storytelling as the lyricism and Mercury’s vocal performance, so his riffs and rhythms constantly elevated the atmosphere of the works. But that’s not possible without bold moves and bravery. May is rightfully celebrated for his adventurous compositions, especially on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as the band pushed the limits of what constitutes a rock hit to make a high-art odyssey of a song.
However, there’s another piece that May demands more praise for. “’Killer Queen’ has always been a favourite of mine,” May said, picking out the group’s 1974 track. Whereas ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ came later in their careers, ‘Killer Queen’ was their breakthrough hit that gave them chart success in both the UK and US. But still, it’s not a plain and straightforward rock song. Especially with May’s guitar playing, this early track proves that Queen were never going to do things the easy way or limit their musical adventuring.
“It was something a bit more complex, an adventure in putting guitar harmonies into the solo,” May explained. On the song, there is a multitracked guitar solo, meaning that the player painstakingly recorded layers upon layers for the track. He used what’s known as the bell effect to create a kind of harmony, giving the solo more texture than the average riff. It’s these little details and glimmers of effort that always made the band and May stand out.
“It was quite a step into the unknown, that solo, and it has a melody that I put in there which doesn’t appear anywhere else in the song,” he said, explaining how even at the start of their careers, he was willing to try something different. The rebellious, adventurous spirit captured in the piece would stay with the band throughout their career, especially when it came to making their later epic track.
“So in a sense, they’re quite comparable, that and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’“, May said, drawing a connection between the two tracks. These are the two that stand out as his favourite moments from the Queen catalogue.
