Reviews

The history of such a colorful, successful rock band as the British supergroup Queen (``Bohemian Rhapsody'') is a story worth reading--but not as written by these amateur authors, the manager of the Queen Fan Club and the ``archetypal `superfan,' '' respectively. Beginning with the birth of each band member, the book takes readers on a 45-year trek that ends with the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury in 1991. Unfortunately, the authors include everything , burying fascinating anecdotes (a tea party with Groucho Marx in 1977; the 1978 filming of 65 naked women on bicycles in Wimbledon Stadium to promote ``Fat Bottomed Girls'' and ``Bicycle Race'') under endless details. Few readers will want to know the musicians' high school grades or where the band changed planes on the way to a concert. On the other hand, they will want to learn more about the enigmatic Mercury, whose flamboyant camp act transformed four heavy metal musicians into skilled performance artists with worldwide popularity. Given the authors credentials, it isn't suprising that there is a certain bias--``the only thing the press concentrated on when writing up news of the opening of the world's biggest ever rock festival, was the `near riot' . . .'' The book does contain an impressive 35-page discography/videography, useful for music collectors--in 1991, Queen became the second most collectible band after the Beatles. Photos. (Aug.)

This is the kind of plodding, detail-oriented, homogenized narrative you would expect from the band's international fan club president and de facto discographer, positions held by authors Gunn and Jenkins, respectively. Mostly uninspired, this first significant Queen biography to be written under the aegis of the band could have benefited from more guidance. Until Freddie Murcury's AIDS-related death in 1991, Queen had literally conquered the world in terms of concert attendance, album sales, and artistic innovation during the group's 20-year career. Unfortunately, the narrative lacks the band's energy and sags under the weight of a this-is-the-band and, especially with regard to record chart activity, day-by-day approach. Still, anyone who can remember where he or she was upon first hearing "Bohemian Rhapsody" will probably love this work. Recommended where pop-music biographies are in demand.-Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., Tex.