Back in July 1973, just one week before the album came out, the opening track, "Keep Yourself Alive," was released as a single. But with Queen being a new band struggling for any radio airtime, there was a danger the song would fail to make any impact at all. That was, until a BBC TV show offered a glimmer of hope that not only gave this first single valuable exposure, but would go on to kick start Queen's now legendary reputation for making music videos.
"I remember it very vividly. We had heard that The Old Grey Whistle Test wanted to play 'Keep Yourself Alive,'" explains Brian May of the seminal BBC TV show. "I remember going to my parents' house and it was going to come on the TV, so we're glued to The Old Grey Whistle Test. And suddenly you hear the riff and there's this little train going along. And we were mesmerized because somebody had put together a really nice video. They didn't have any footage of us, so they couldn't make a performance video, but they put together very nice little bits of animation, made it all work, and it was very exciting. And suddenly we're like, 'Oh, we're kind of on the scene now.' … And it really did make a difference. So massive thanks forever to The Old Grey Whistle Test team for doing that, taking that shot and putting us on there."
"It really went very well," picks up Roger Taylor. "I think it was [producer] Mike Appleton who chose that song for The Old Grey Whistle Test. He was a man of taste, actually. I think that was our first - well, I say 'TV appearance', but we weren't in it, you know. But the track was and the cartoon was."
To build on the momentum - and put faces to the name - Queen's management decided to shoot a short promotional film at the UK's Shepperton Studios. "I think that was Trident's idea," remembers Roger, "to show people what we were about."
Yet the result was a misfire, with all the grit and danger of Queen's live shows evaporating as the band squirmed through a performance of "Keep Yourself Alive" in a sterile TV studio.
"When we saw the finished result, we hated it," admits Brian. "Because somehow the whole thing had become so well-lit, it looked very clinical. It just didn't feel like rock 'n' roll at all. So, we kicked up a bit of a fuss, being the precocious boys we were, and said 'We don't like it, we need to do it again. And this time we want it lit the way we want it. Instead of a white stage, we'll have a black stage and lights which make us look like moody and serious rock musicians, rather than Top Of The Pops.'"
The second attempt was more in line with how Queen wanted to link their sound and vision.
Queen recorded the album with producer Roy Thomas Baker at Trident Studios; the project went on to reach the top 25 in the band’s native UK as the group introduced themselves to music fans around the world.
“Queen 1” is available in multiple packages, including a Collector’s Edition box set, a Vinyl LP Queen 2024 Mix plus 1 CD, 2CD Deluxe Edition, 1LP Picture Disc and Cassette formats.
Pick up some Queen for your collection here.
See also:
Queen stream remastered official video for 1973 classic Liar
Queen revisits The Night Comes Down on The Story Of Queen 1
Queen share second episode of The Story Of Queen 1 series
Queen release restored Keep Yourself Alive video
Search Queen at hennemusic
