Smile (Band)
Smile was a London rock band, which later became the band Queen emerged. Founded in 1968 by guitarist Brian May and in 1970 merged into the group Queen, were next to Tim May Staffell as singer and bassist, and later, drummer Roger Taylor, members of the band. Short term also included keyboardist Chris Smith to this formation.
Band History
In 1968 founded guitarist Brian May, a student of London's Imperial College ( s), along with bassist Tim Staffell a band. With an advert on the notice board of the college they were looking for a " Ginger Baker / Mitch Mitchell -like " Drummer, whereupon the medical student Roger Taylor announced and got the job. They named the band now Smile and were taken in 1969 by Mercury Records, which allowed them to gain experience with a recording studio in Trident Studios that year. Staffell visited at this time the Ealing Art College (s) with Freddie Bulsara (later known as Freddie Mercury ) and introduced him to the band. Bulsara was a big fan of Smile.
The Staffell logo designed by the band, showing a smiling mouth, similar to the trademark to be used later by the Rolling Stones. However, instead of out stretched tongue, it includes a teeth pointing grin.
The largest public appearance of the band was on February 27, 1969 in the Royal Albert Hall instead of the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child. Smile performed as a trio, preceded by the keyboardist Chris Smith had been fired, according to Staffell day. Smith, however, claimed to have gone of his own accord because he wanted to try other styles.
Shortly after they had been discovered at a concert in April by an A & R employees, they received from Mercury Records, a commitment to a unique studio recording. They then took in June 1969 in the Trident studios the songs Earth ( Staffell ), Step on Me ( May ) and Doin ' All Right ( May / Staffell ) on. Producer was John Anthony. A promo single with the tracks Earth and Step on Me was released in August in the United States.
Mercury Records picked the band in September of the year include three additional songs: April Lady ( Stanley Lucas), Blag ( Taylor) and Polar Bear, ( May ). The images produced by Fritz Fryer, former guitarist of the Four Pennies, found this time held in the De Lane Lea Studios. These songs were released on the mini album Gettin 'Smile until the year 1982.
When Tim Staffell 1970 finally left the group to join the band Humpy Bong (s), Smile were practically dissolved. May and Taylor joined with lead singer Bulsara united in a common band. In the following period - after the band's name was changed to the proposal Bulsaras in Queensland - to put a group with various bass players, but all of them did not fit into the band. In 1971, finally, the classic line-up of Queen was complete with John Deacon, which should have lasted until the 1991 death of Freddie Mercury.
For her debut album Queen of the Smile song Doing All Right ( May / Staffell ) took on new. The book " Queen: The Early Years ," according to Tim Staffell was very well come to terms with the royalties from the sale of the album.
The song Earth was two years after the departure Staffells part of the suite Nova Solis on the eponymous debut album by Morgan Fisher Morgan band, whose lead singer was Staffell.
On 22 December 1992, there were at the Marquee Club, a reunion of Smile when Roger Taylor's band The Cross occurred and May and Staffell added came to play the songs Earth and If I Were a Carpenter. In addition, the album appeared in 2003 Staffell Amigo contains new recordings of Earth and Doin ' Alright, where Brian May has taken the guitar parts and the vocals.
Discography
Single
- Earth / Step on Me (7 " ): A 1969 published in the USA promo single.
Compilations
- Gettin 'Smile (LP ): A in Japan on September 23, 1982 -released by Mercury Records Compilation of recorded six Smile songs. The shell contains inaccurate information about lyrics and authors. This publication was used for all subsequent bootlegs as the source.
- Ghost of a Smile ( CD ): A in the Netherlands by Pseudonym Records -released 1997 compilation of the six recorded Smile songs. All pieces were remastered and the booklet contains detailed notes by Tim Staffell. The cover also shows a revised version of the Smile of Staffell logos. In addition there are two versions on the album by Eddie Howells single The Man from Manhattan, the Freddie Mercury in 1975 produced and whose only reference to Smile is the fact that Brian May plays guitar on this track and is involved in the backing vocals.
There are also numerous bootlegs that contain Smile songs, for example Queen: Pre Ordained or queen in Nuce.
Songs
The following songs have been confirmed as part of the repertoire of the members of the band:
- Earth ( Staffell )
- Step on Me ( Staffell / May ); originally from Mays and Staffells band in 1984.
- Doin ' Alright ( Staffell / May )
- Blag ( Taylor)
- Polar Bear ( May )
- Silver Salmon ( Staffell )
- See What a Fool I've Been ( May, based on the song That's How I Feel by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee )
- If I Were a Carpenter ( Tim Hardin ); a cover, which was usually played at live appearances.
- Mony Mony ( Tommy James & the Shondells )
- April Lady ( Lucas); a song, which was given to the band by Mercury Records during their second recording session.
The following songs were re-recorded by Queen early seventies: Doin ' Alright (Album Queen), Polar Bear and Silver Salmon (both not officially released ) and See What a Fool I've Been (B- side of the single Seven Seas of Rhye ).
The Queen precursor Album Pre Ordained Queen is not an official album, so it is called Pre Ordained ( Previously Ordained ), but published under the name of Queen, containing mostly Smile songs.