Reaction, Opposition Queen/Roger Taylor’s & John Deacon’s Pre Queen rarities

A super rare studio album released on the eve of QUEEN is now available. The star of this film is neither Freddie Mercury nor Brian May. Roger Taylor and John Deacon. This is a collection of valuable records from the local band THE REACTION, which Roger joined at the age of 15, and THE OPPOSITION, which John joined at the age of 14. Although both bands were semi-professional bands that did not leave behind any official records, that did not mean they did not record. Dreaming of the future, each of them played their own sounds in the studio and recorded them on acetate records. This work has been carefully digitized from such an acetate disc by overseas core enthusiasts. It is a recording CD of all the sounds that are said to exist. The contents of this work can be broadly classified into four categories. Let’s introduce each one individually. [October 1966: JOHNNY QUALETHE & THE REACTION (4 songs)] The first thing that appears is the studio recording of THE REACTION in which 17-year-old Roger participated. It was recorded as Johnny Quayle’s backing band. Johnny was also a member of THE REACTION when Roger joined in 1965, but left later that year. After that, Nolly Paramor, a producer at EMI, approached Johnny about releasing an EP, and Johnny asked his old club THE REACTION to back him up. The acetate that recorded such a session is so wonderful that it is unbelievable that it is valuable. Acetate is extremely brittle compared to vinyl chloride, and can no longer be played after just a few plays, but the sound is incredibly beautiful. Of course, the sound production is straight from the 1960s, but the state of preservation of the sound is at a level that would be hard to tell even if it was a mass-produced commercial LP. Scratches and noise have been carefully removed through meticulous mastering, allowing you to enjoy the most precious recordings with the finest sound. Johnny Quayle, not Roger, sings in the four songs drawn with that sound. All of his songs are covers, and he sings the repertoire of Louis Prima, THE UNDERTAKERS, Shelby Smith, and James Brown in a sweet voice reminiscent of Elvis. Roger, who plays the backing role, hits powerful and diverse phrases. In the chorus that appears in the interval, that beautiful voice clearly shows its face. [November 1966: THE REACTION (2 songs)] The following month, recording as THE REACTION was also realized. Here, Roger is the lead vocalist, not Johnny. The sound here is also the best, and you can enjoy that beautiful voice. What’s more, the inside is Roger’s own. The songs are covers, of course, and Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour” has a sudden intense drum solo, and James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good)” has a soulful and varied singing style. cool. And the drums are great too. Although the saxophone and organ play an active role in this style, it is the drums that take center stage along with the vocals. It is a wonderful studio track that shows off the scales of his later years, with a variety of phrases that are full of singing spirit. [1967: THE REACTION (8 live songs)] The third song is also Roger’s THE REACTION. This is an audience recording at the club “FLAMINGO CLUB” in Redruth in 1967 (there is also a theory that it was July or October 1966). Although it was recorded on 4 tracks, the sound of this part is slightly inferior. The freshness of the master is good, but there is a distance between the recordings themselves, and the sound is difficult to grasp in detail. However, even among them, Roger’s singing voice that shines even more on stage can be clearly understood, and you can also hear the vivid drumming. By this time, the members had changed repeatedly and the trio formation became much simpler, and the group became even more of a leading role. This is an innocent yet passionate live take with a singing voice that seems to have taken over everything in the band. [1970: THE OPPOSITION (3 songs)] Finally, John Deacon finally appears. This is a studio recording of THE OPPOSITION, which he recorded at the age of 19. It was in 1970 that the band, then known as “ART”, had the opportunity to record. The year before John joined QUEEN. It is said that these three songs are all that John recorded before QUEEN. Such a studio recording is even more valuable than THE REACTION. This session was also created from an acetate board, but only two of them currently exist. As mentioned earlier, the acetate disc is a truly miraculous record because the number of plays is limited. Despite that miracle, the sound is also amazing because it is better than THE REACTION. This is a superb studio recording that can be recorded as is in the official archive work. The three songs you can listen to with that sound are also interesting. They play covers such as Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” and THE IDES OF MARCH’s “Vehicle”, the latter of which was written by Jim Peetrick. It’s Pete Rick who made “Eye of the Tiger” a hit with SURVIVOR. And the remaining “Transit 3” is a must-listen. Initially, they had only planned to record two songs, but when they went into the studio, the engineer said, “You can do three songs.” However, since they were not prepared in advance, they played an impromptu instrumental number. That is “Transit 3”. However, the result is very good. The melody is so well-structured that it’s hard to believe that it was improvised, and the structure is so elaborate that John’s bass has a pleasant groove and the line’s singing is wonderful. This is an excellent take that conveys in one shot that THE OPPOSITION was a band with extremely high potential. In QUEEN, Roger and John gave way to two charismatic artists. Of course, their musical sense was also proven in later masterpieces, but their talent was already shining before QUEEN. This is an extremely rare collection that allows you to experience this with wonderful sound. The fact that it remains is a miracle recording in itself, but the brilliance inside was beyond its rarity. A treasure board packed with such hidden treasures. Roger Taylor’s & John Deacon’s Pre – Queen rarities THE REACTION Acetate : Studio recording at Wadebridge Cinema in Cornwall, UK in October 1966 1. Buona Sera 2. Just A Little Bit 3. What’s On Your Mind 4. I’ll Go Crazy Johnny Quale – vocals Geoff Daniel – guitar Jim Craven – bass Roger Taylor – drums & backing vocals Mike Dudley – keyboards John Snell – saxophone Acetate : Studio recording at Wadebridge Cinema in Cornwall, UK on 23rd November 1966 5. In The Midnight Hour 6. I Got You (I Feel Good) Roger Taylor – vocals & drums Mike Dudley – keyboards Jim Craven – bass John Snell – saxophone Geoff Daniel – guitar Live 1967 Recorded live at Flamingo Club, Redruth, UK 1967 7. Game Of Love 8. Hey Mama (Keep Your Big Mount Shut) 9. Tell Me (Whatcha Gonna Do About It) 10. Slow Down 11. Respect 12. I Feel You (I Got You) 13. It’s Gonna Work Out Fine 14. Land Of 1,000 Dances