A lot of folk who like Queen, have only listened to their Greatest Hits and other songs here and there. Due to this, many people do not realize that Queen had not just one singer performing lead vocals, but three; drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May both had numerous songs where they performed the lead vocal on.
Until their 1982 album "Hot Space", where Mercury sang lead on all tracks for the first time, each album Queen released had at least one song with May on lead vocals, and one sung by Taylor. Unlike Mercury, who sang compositions written by all four members of the band, Roger and Brian stuck to singing lead on their own songs.
Compared to May and Mercury, Taylor had a limited amount of songs where he took lead vocals. His voice, which he has described as having a "high, searing quality", is a perfect fit for the rebellious nature his songs tend to reflect.
Included below are all Queen songs in which Taylor sings lead vocals on.
All links are to youtube uploads of the songs.
Queen (1973)
Modern Times Rock'n'Roll
Typical of Roger, this song is a fast-paced, hard-hitting song.
Queen II: (1974)
Loser In The End
Serving as an intermediate between Brian's introspective "White Side" and Freddie's fantasy-themed "Black Side", "Loser In The End" was influenced heavily by The Who's music.
Sheer Heart Attack: (1974)
Tenement Funster
Somewhat of a glam-rock style song, it's widely considered as one of Roger's finest. The track leads seamlessly into the Mercury-penned "Flick Of The Wrist".
A Night At The Opera: (1975)
I'm In Love With My Car
"The Making Of, as featured on the Classic Albums' edition of the album, with humorous commentary by Brian and Roger.
Far and away Roger's most known song, it focuses on one of his passions in life - fast cars, and racing.
The song was popular in their live sets until the mid-eighties, and would later resurface in 2005 during Queen+Paul Rodgers' "Return Of The Champions" tour.
A Day At The Races (1976):
Drowse
A track without any input by Mercury.
Roger plays rhythm guitar on the track and does both lead and backing vocals, and May provides both acoustic and slide guitar.
News Of The World: (1977)
Fight From The Inside
(As written on Wikipedia smile
In addition to his usual drums, Taylor also plays rhythm and bass guitar, the latter borrowed from Deacon himself.
The track is built around a jangly guitar riff and is amongst the first in the Queen catalog to focus predominantly on the drums and bass, as opposed to the lead guitars. Lyrically, the song can be interpreted as an expression of scorn directed at punk rock fans which at the time had lambasted Queen .
Jazz: (1977)
Fun It
Taylor shares lead vocals with Freddie on this track and sings all backing vocals on this funk-influenced track.
More Of That Jazz
Another track in which Taylor sings all vocals and plays most of the instruments, the song is the finale of "Jazz" and samples all of the album's songs. Taylor hits some of his highest notes.
The Game:
Rock It (Prime Jive)
Freddie sings the introductory verse before Roger takes over on lead vocals.
Non-Album tracks:
A Human Body
Released as the B-side to 1980's "Play The Game".
Hijack My Heart
A very pop/synthesizer-influenced track, as would ring true of Roger's post-Queen releases, Hijack My Heart was released in 1989 as the B side to "The Invisible Man" and "Scandal".
It is the last song on which Taylor sings lead, to be released during Mercury's lifetime.
QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS:
During Q+PR's 2005 "Return Of The Champions" tour, which would find a release on CD/DVD, Taylor sang lead for several songs.
Say It's Not True
- Album version in which Taylor shares lead with May and Rodgers.
Written by Roger Taylor for Nelson Mandela's World Aids Day campaign in 2007. The song was initially released as a free digital download for World Aids Day.
It would be re-recorded for Q+PR's 2008 album "Cosmos Rocks" with all three men trading off lead vocals.
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
A very poignant version of the song that was sung as a duet by Roger and Brian, in front of a backdrop showing 1970's-era Queen in Japan.
Radio Ga Ga
Most likely the first time Roger sang lead on his most successful song.
[May's thread is forthcoming]
