Long Live Queen by Greg Prato – Book Review

Queen has never really gone out of style, but they have certainly seen a massive resurgence, and probably an influx of new fans due to the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. So what a great time for a new book about the band, Long Live Queen: Rock Royalty Discuss Freddie, Brian, John and Roger by Greg Prato.  Now, this is not a typical biography, or even a coffee table photo book. What makes this book different is that the entire book is a group of compiled quotes and interviews with other musicians and those in the music business, sharing their thoughts on the band. There are nine chapters, or acts, starting with Discovery, in which artists answer the question of when or how they first discovered the iconic band. Other chapters discuss whether those being interviewed ever saw the band in concert or met them, as well as their opinions on the best recording by the band. There is also a chapter that is comprised of quotes that don’t fit into other category as well as a section full of rare photographs.

The author quotes a wide variety of artists, including Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Boone, Bumblefoot, Les Claypool, George Clinton, Billy Corgan, members of Queen tribute bands, David Ellefson, Reverend Horton Heat, Steve Howe, Richard Marx, Dee Snider, Yoko Ono and many many others.

As is common in other books by this author, the book is solely comprised of these quotes, with the intro and perhaps a brief blurb at the beginning of the chapter being the only bit thrown in directly from Prato. Now, there were some quotes that seemed like they could maybe have made the cutting room floor, things like, “No, I never got to see them live but I watched Live Aid on TV.” That’s not an actual quote, just an example. For the most part though, it’s interesting to read how much influence the band has had on the world of music from the perspective of those within that same world.

If you are not quite sure how to read the book or where to start, the author does give a helpful hint in this introduction: “One last bit of advice before you begin…this book is not necessarily meant to be read linearly (in other words, from start to finish). But rather, I think it would be best served by putting on some classic Queen tunes to listen to, and reading various or random pages (or perhaps even selecting a single name, and seeing what they had to say in the book). “

Greg Prato is a New York-based journalist that has written for Rolling Stone, Classic Rock and Vintage Guitar and has written many other books that have been covered by Screamer, such as The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion, Overlooked/Underappreciated: 354 Recordings That Demand Your Attention, Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990s, Scott Weiland: Memories of a Rock Star, The Other Side of Rainbow and Shredders!: The Oral History of Speed Guitar( And More).

Check out some excerpts from the book at the links below.

Long Live Queen: Rock Royalty Discuss Freddie, Brian, John & Roger is available as a paperback version [222 pages, $12.99], a Kindle download [$7.99], and is free for Kindle Unlimited members.

Read excerpts here:

https://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/long-live-queen-an-excerpt

https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-i-learned-to-love-queen-by-soun…

Ordering info here: Paperback, Kindle, & Kindle Unlimited – http://a.co/d/562AqPb