There goes my baby She knows how to Rock n' roll She drives me crazy She gives me hot and cold fever Then she leaves me in a cool cool sweat

Pick of the Week

“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen (1980)

He was born to be a showman. With his flamboyant charismatic presence, the soaring, brilliant, multi-octave voice of Freddie Mercury is easily worthy of being called one of the top male voices in rock ever.

His lives on in videos, DVDs, records, CDs, Mp3s and millions of people’s memories all over the world.

Born Farrokh Bulsara he was born in Zanzibar, Tasmania and was raised in India till he was a teen. In Bombay he had already started playing piano when he entered St. Peter’s British-style boarding school at age 8. Soon to be called Freddie, he formed his first band when he was 12 and did Cliff Richard and Little Richard tunes.

After school he returned to the family home in Zanzibar only to leave again for England due to the Zanzibar revolution that saw thousands of Arabs and Indians killed. In Felltham, Middlesex he enrolled in Islesworth Polytechnic where he studied, what else, art. His diploma in Arts and Graphics was later put to good use when he designed the ‘Queen’ logo.

After kicking around with a few bands he teamed up with Brian May and Rodger Taylor who were a bit nervous about the name “Queen”, but reluctantly agreed. It was about this time that Freddei changed his surname from Balsara to Mercury.

Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe with whom Mercury recorded an album, said of him, “The difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice. His technique was astonishing. No problem of tempo, he sung with an incisive sense of rhythm, his vocal placement was very good and he was able to glide effortlessly from a register to another. He also had a great musicality. His phrasing was subtle, delicate and sweet or energetic and slamming. He was able to find the right colouring or expressive nuance for each word.”

Oh I was born 6-gun in my hand Behind a gun I'll make my final stand That's why they call me Bad company

Double Shot for a Monday

“Alright Now”, Free (1970)

“Bad Company”, Bad Company (1974)

I thought we needed 2 shots to get us going this morning - Paul Rodgers at two stages of his career: Early on with ‘Free’, and later in his career with ‘Bad Company’. His voice is still awesome.

Written by Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the word ‘quintessential’ comes to mind when I think of “Alright Now”. It was an anthem waving in an era of mainstream rock and roll - testosterone-rich hard-driving power chord magic. Paul Rodger’s voice was the envy of any teenage boy in the ‘70’s; versatile, powerful, and with a remarkable range. Released in 1970, “Alright Now” went to number 2 on the British Pop charts, and number 1 in many countries. By 2006 it had been played more than 3 million times on U.S. radio alone.