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Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography

The remarkable life of the Queen legend

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Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography

By: Lesley-Ann Jones
Narrated by: Hugh Lee, Jane Collingwood, Kevin Shenn, Kristopher Milnes, Lesley-Ann Jones
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The authoritative portrait of one of Britain's greatest music icons: the late Freddie Mercury.

'Exactly the sort of tribute Mercury himself would have wanted' - SPECTATOR

This is the definitive biography of Freddie Mercury. Written by an award-winning rock journalist, Lesley-Ann Jones toured widely with Queen forming lasting friendships with the band. Now, having secured access to the remaining band members and those who were closest to Freddie, from childhood to death, Lesley-Ann has written the most in depth account of one of music's best loved and most complex figures. Meticulously researched, sympathetic, unsensational, the book will focus on the period in the 1980s when Queen began to fragment, before their Live Aid performance put them back in the frame. In her journey to understand the man behind the legend, Lesley-Ann Jones has travelled from London to Zanzibar to India. Packed with exclusive interviews and told with the invaluable perspective that the twenty years since Mercury's death presents, Freddie Mercury is the most up to date portrait of a legendary man.

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Acclaim for Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography:

'No one has captured better than Lesley-Ann Jones the magical, enchanting dualism of Freddie Mercury' - THE TIMES
'Truly definitive, truly Freddie, an energetic, entertaining and essential account' - SIR TIM RICE

'This book grabs you with its opening, then builds. Insight and anecdote in perfect harmony' - SIMON NAPIER-BELL

'At last a massive tribute to a massive talent' - STEVE HARLEY, COCKNEY REBEL©2011 Lesley-Ann Jones Entertainment & Celebrities Instruction & Technique Music Biography Celebrity Royalty
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Critic reviews

No one has captured better than Lesley-Ann Jones the magical, enchanting dualism of Freddie Mercury.
Lesley-Ann Jones asserts that Freddie Mercury's was a "big, extravagant, multifaceted life", and the rock journalist has certainly done a sterling job of documenting it here.
'A timely update coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Queen and the 20 years since their frontman's death'.
Exactly the sort of tribute Mercury himself would have wanted ... full of perceptive and moving insights.
Rock journalist Lesley-Ann Jones is lucky enough to have known the man. She toured widely with Queen and formed lasting friendships with the band. It took a while for everyone to open up, but she eventually gained access to Freddie's colleagues and friends, and so we have this thoroughly researched portrait of the man behind the rock legend.
All stars
Most relevant

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would if the person was more interested in the music and groups of the time.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Freddie's childhood was the most interesting.
I got bored with the details of all the music and other bands.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I did not like the voices used especially that of "Freddie's mother" she sounded as if she was permanently crying and it was irritating and whiny.

Was Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography worth the listening time?

Yes.

Not enough about Freddie

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Very well paced and incredibly interesting. As a mega Queen fan I was optimistic about this book and thankfully I haven't been disappointed. Must listen for any Queen/Freddie Mercury fan!

Incredible book, Queen fans will approve.

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Entertaining stories about Freddie Mercury as an icon of the rock lifestyle of the 1980s. But is this really Freddie Mercury the person and musician? Probably not, he is observed from a distance. As a viewpoint of the music press, though, it is a warm portrait of an extraordinarily talented star.

Rock lifestyle stories

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The main narrator makes this book an interesting listen but it's let down by the other voices who imitate members of the band and also people who had been interviewed by the author.



The imitated American accents are an insult to the ear and sound like chalk on a blackboard.



Also, the author has tried to cleverly shoehorn in Queen song titles into sentences but it is also an irritant



On the whole , it's full of interesting trivia but you're better off reading the book rather than listening to it.

Interesting book but irritating listen

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Loved this book from start to finish .
I hope that it will be updated at some point to include the success of the film Bohemian Rhapsody , as I appreciate at the time of writing Rami Malek was not cast to play Freddie .Also how Adam Lambert has performed with Queen , giving new life to the legacy & bringing the Magic of Queens music to a new generation .
However the history of Queen & Freddie Mercury is so well documented
here , I preferred this book to the recently published Somebody to Love , although I enjoyed that immensely too .

It’s a kind of magic

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