From Queenpedia.com
The death of Freddie at the end of 1991 threw Queen into a tailspin, and each member reacted in his own way. John retreated to the normalcy and comfort of his family, spending time with his wife and children, most likely with a sigh of relief. Brian and Roger, however, remained committed to their music; the former finally completed his debut solo album, and went off on tour around the world to support it, remaining busy for an entire year. Roger, however, wasn't quite as eager as Brian to get back into music, spending a lot of his time contemplating his journey over his career while writing the occasional song or two. Finally, in 1993, Roger had written enough material to constitute the bulk of his third proper solo album, which he recorded at his home studio over the next few months. The material that he had written was far more introspective and lyrical than anything he had written on his first two solo albums or as the frontman of The Cross. There was the occasional moment of rock 'n' roll, but for the most part, the songs were quieter and more keyboard-dominated. Freddie, too, had been on the forefront of Roger's mind while he was writing the album, with many of the songs inspired by him, either in passing or full-force – specifically, the last two songs on the album, Dear Mr. Murdoch, written about Rupert Murdoch, owner of the British tabloid / rag The Sun, who had hounded Freddie during his dying days (it had even been written for a planned fourth Cross album), and Old Friends, a far gentler ode to remembering the fallen vocalist as his very best friend remembered him. Elsewhere, there were songs about pursuing happiness, overcoming loneliness, and a heartfelt dedication to his then-wife Debbie (Touch The Sky). The song that made the biggest impression, though, was Nazis 1994, written after a horrified Roger read reports of the uprise of Neo-Nazism in the early 1990s. The original words were "We gotta kick these fuckin' Nazis", though Parlophone balked at the bluntness and politely suggested that Roger tone down the sentiment; hence, the dreaded F-bomb became "stinkin'", which was far less effective. Having spent years essentially working in two bands, Roger was keen to work at his own pace and with his own musicians. Familiar face Joshua J. Macrae was back, this time on programming and co-production duties, while bassist Phil Chen (who had worked with Brian on his Star Fleet Project back in 1983) worked on a song. Otherwise, the musicians were all new to Roger, with one of them being guitar wizard Jason Falloon, whom Roger described as being "literally amazing and brilliant". Indeed, while Roger would play most of the instruments himself, including some rhythmic guitar parts, Falloon was present on every track, adding his lyrical touch to heighten the emotion that each arrangement needed. Roger, too, had become a little more relaxed, with his gravelly vocals now a little smoother; he sang in the upper part of his range, as that's where he felt the most comfortable, though he still explored the depths of his cords in songs like Nazis 1994 and Freedom Train, both of which featured a simmering, slow burn vocal delivery. His drumming had only improved over the years, too, though none of the material was particularly upbeat enough to show off his talents. (Though fans and appreciators of the album are lucky that Roger plays drums on every song, with live kits in place of drum machines.) Midway through the sessions, Roger's attention was brought to a Japanese musician named Yoshiki, who was keen to work with Roger on a few songs. The two met and got along well, and a collaboration was agreed to, though done cross-continental; Yoshiki sent Roger some music, which he then tweaked, and Roger sent back some lyrics, based upon conversations the two had had about racial and social issues in the world. The result was the sweeping Foreign Sand, a ballad that equaled the pomposity and grandeur of any of Freddie's or Brian's great epics over the years. This song, along with a new version of Final Destination, was recorded in Los Angeles, with completely different musicians than had been used on the other sessions. Upon its release, Happiness? didn't attract a whole lot of attention, though the controversial release of Nazis 1994 as the lead-off single did scrounge up some much-needed publicity. (The BBC banned it, though that didn't stop the single from hitting the Top 30 in the UK.) The album, released on what would have been Freddie's 48th birthday, spent one week in the UK charts, peaking at #22, while the singles from the album – Nazis 1994, Foreign Sand, and Happiness? – all performed respectably, reaching #22, #26, and #32, respectively. It was the first time that Roger found himself in favor with the UK singles buyers, and, as a result, he agreed to a brief but rewarding solo tour, the very first he ever embarked upon. It was inspiring to the drummer to still feel valid after all these years, and that there was some semblance of life beyond the looming shadow of Queen. Tracklists
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Information supplied by Fedepeti, 24 August 2004 Electronic Press KitSingles
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