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ROYAL MAIL ISSUE NEW SPECIAL STAMPS TO HONOR ROCK ROYALTY, QUEEN

Queen StampFrom the 9th of July, 2020, the Royal Mail will be issuing a series of thirteen commemorative stamps in order to celebrate one of the UK’s most influential rock groups of the last century, Queen. Eight of these stamps will feature images of their most iconic album covers, while the remaining five are proportionately smaller and feature a selection of their live performances.





But before we have a look at those, let us all take a quick trip down memory lane so we can remind ourselves about Queen’s rise to stardom. Or should I call them Smile instead? Keeping in mind that's what they were initially called way back in June, 1970, when they were hired to play their first gig at a charity event held at Truro City Hall, Cornwall. In fact, it was roughly when John Deacon joined the group a year or so later -- or to be more specific about it, the 2nd of July, 1971 -- that they changed their name to Queen and evolved into the four-piece band we all know and love.

Freddie StampSince then, Queen’s list of musical accomplishments have become the stuff of legend; and includes many platinum, multi-platinum, and gold albums, as well as numerous Ivor Novello and BRIT awards. Queen has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, become recipients of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and because of their 2018 biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, they’ve won countless Golden Globes and Oscars which has reinvigorated their core fan base.

In a recent interview he gave to the press, Brian May, Queen’s lead guitarist, said: "It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps. Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realize the position in which we are now held, and nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from the Royal Mail".

Queen will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2021, and now, they’ve become the third music group to have a commemorative stamp collection dedicated in their honor, following the likes of The Beatles (2007) and Pink Floyd (2016).

 
Album Covers (Stamp by Stamp)


Queen Stamps 1


A few years after they first formed, Queen began their rise to stardom by successfully accomplishing a number of notable firsts. Initially, they got their first top-ten hit with ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’, which was a part of their 1974 album, ‘Queen II’. And then in the said-same year, they also got their first global hit with ‘Killer Queen’, which was included on their next album, ‘Sheer Heart Attack’.


Queen Stamps 2


Throughout the rest of the decade, Queen managed to superbly spawn, shape, and sing a series of super songs which have since become the stuff of legend, such as their ground-breaking 1975 anthem, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which can be heard on their first number one album, A Night at the Opera’, along with ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions’, which were featured on their 1977 album, ‘News of the World’. 


Queen Stamps 3


At the start of the eighties, Queen produced two amazing albums which won them even more critical acclaim. The first one was ‘The Game’ (1980), which included their hit song, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, while the other one was ‘Greatest Hits’ (1981), which became the UK’s biggest selling album of all time.


Queen Stamps 4


Things began to turn somewhat reflective for Queen over the ensuing decade, starting off with their homage to the wireless radio, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, which was included on their 1984 album, ‘The Works’, as well as ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’, which was subsequently featured on Freddie’s final album while he was alive, ‘Innuendo’, released in 1991.


Queen Mini Stamps


To complete this stamp collection, the Royal Mail has produced a miniature-sheet that celebrates Queen’s live performances. This includes images of Freddie Mercury at Wembley Stadium (1986), Roger Taylor at Hyde Park (1976), John Deacon at Hammersmith Odeon (1975), Brian May in Budapest (1986), and as the centerpiece, the iconic photograph taken by Johnny Dewe Mathews at the group’s first-ever studio photoshoot in a Primrose Hill studio.

For further information, please feel free to check out the official Royal Mail Website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

ROYAL MAIL ISSUE NEW SPECIAL STAMPS TO HONOR ROCK ROYALTY, QUEEN ROYAL MAIL ISSUE NEW SPECIAL STAMPS TO HONOR ROCK ROYALTY, QUEEN Reviewed by David Andrews on July 09, 2020 Rating: 5

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