'Becoming Queen' Tells Tale of Two Bands

Posted on Nov 5th 2009 2:30PM by Scott Tomford
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As the rumors of a Queen-themed edition of 'Rock Band' start kicking into high gear, there's never been a better time to revisit the work of Freddie Mercury and company. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is as ubiquitous as ever and Mercury's death from AIDS still stands as one of the most heartbreaking losses in music history, but there's a generation of fans who don't know how the band came to be the legends they are today. Do the names Smile or Ibex / Wreckage ring a bell? If you don't know them, you don't truly know Queen.

The documentary 'Becoming Queen' begins with members of the English rock band, Brian May and Roger Taylor, meeting in grammar school and ends with their frontman's tragic death in 1991. In between the band's rise and fall is the fantastic tale of two bands-- Smile (who didn't want Mercury as its singer) and Ibex / Wreckage (who did) --who came together to form Queen. Before you see them become video game characters, you ought to check out 'Becoming Queen' after the jump, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms.