When Worlds Collide
Happy birthday, John, and happy anniversary too.
It may have escaped your attention unless you’re an avid user of social media, but Queen’s bassist extraordinaire John Deacon celebrated his 70th birthday on August 19 this year. Congratulations, John, from all of us at BP – but if such a celebration wasn’t significant enough on its own, 2021 is also the 50th anniversary of the classic Queen lineup’s formation, the 40th anniversary of the release of Greatest Hits, and the 35th anniversary of The Magic Tour, Freddie Mercury’s final live run with the band.
Queen as a unit was formed in 1970, and the first show advertised as Queen also took place that year, but it wasn’t until the bass chair was filled by Deacon in February 1971 that the band began to progress into the juggernaut it became. What a half-century it has been: despite not being a public face within the band since 1997, Deacon remains involved in the business and accounting side of the band’s operation.
While he may have retired from public life, the legacy that Deacon has left for those of us of a bass-playing persuasion is immense. Looking from the outside, it would be fair to say that he possessed the traits of many a classic bass player – laid back, a little shy, quiet, letting the bigger egos get the persona of the band across. But in Deacon’s case, these characteristics were almost extreme, with Brian May remarking, “We just knew he was the right one, even though he was so quiet. He hardly spoke to us at all”.
It was perhaps Deacon’s placid exterior that allowed the fiery personalities of the other three members to project themselves onto the world stage with such force. “I used to keep out of it. The three of them used to argue like mad all the time, but I just didn’t want to get involved with arguments”, he once mused. That said, he could stand his ground during a heated exchange – particularly during the recording of many of Queen’s studio albums.
The group first played together at Surrey College on July 2, 1971, but Deacon admitted later that it wasn’t until the Sheer Heart Attack album three years later that he truly believed in what the band were trying to achieve. As he said: “I started doing a masters degree [while] playing in Queen. The band took off so I went with it, and at least the management guaranteed to pay us £20 a week, so it was worth having a go. Then suddenly it takes over your life...”
How much input Deacon had into the arrangements and material that made up the first album is up for discussion: perhaps only the remaining band members could answer that question. Much of the material had already been written and arranged by the time he joined Queen, but he brought a solidity and tightness to the band, along with a refined melodic ear that would reveal itself over time.
Queen insisted on doing things properly, with no half measures, refusing to play live on a constant basis. For this reason, they were able to hone their performance away from prying eyes, never unleashing the full ‘Mercury Magic’ until the time was right. This also afforded Deacon the time to develop a solid working relationship with Taylor, which in turn allowed them to create one of the most formidable rhythm sections ever.
Not only did Deacon develop as a bassist as the Queen story unfolded, his background in electronics also benefited the band in several ways, not least in utilising a discarded amplifier and speaker. After a little wizardry this became the ‘Deacy Amp’, a piece of equipment that created some of May’s signature guitar effects and tones.
When asked by an interviewer in the mid-Seventies whether he would join another band if Queen split up, Deacon replied: “I wouldn’t personally join another group or write a solo album, because it’s very difficult for one individual to live up to, or come close to, what the group has.”
Despite Deacon’s reluctance to stand in the glare of the public eye, here at Bass Player, his talents and accomplishments are still celebrated to the maximum. Rock on, Deacy.