Brian May, the guitarist, was an integral part of Queen’s sound, even though Freddie Mercury’s commanding voice is usually the first thing that springs to mind when the band is mentioned. He and his father built their guitar, known as “The Red Special,” when he was still a youngster since they couldn’t buy one.
His skill and that unique guitar were the ideal mix to produce the instantly identifiable tone and timbre of his guitar playing. Throughout the years, he discussed other colleagues and even brought up a guitarist who, in his view, was not given enough credit.
The guitarist that Brian May said was underrated
As a British adolescent in the 1960s, Brian May was greatly impacted by The Beatles, the band that truly kicked off the well-known “British Invasion,” in which British bands dominated the music industry with their amazing melodies and compositions.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon are frequently the first people who spring to mind when someone discusses The Beatles since they are the most well-known and prolific songwriting duo in history. But in May, George Harrison—the “quiet Beatle”—is an underappreciated guitarist who merits greater acclaim than he currently receives.
In a 2022 interview, he expressed his admiration for The Beatles and said as much to Express UK. “The Beatles were our bible. Absolutely at every stage in their career and their music development, they were models. And they still are to me, I must say. I love all those albums. To me, they are the greatest. They are the pinnacle of writing, performance and ethos of rock music. They broke down so many barriers, they changed the world many times. I will always love The Beatles without any reservation.”
He added, “I feel like they’ve been underrepresented in the world as it is today. The kids today don’t know The Beatles as much as they ought to. The Beatles should be woven into people’s lives in the way Queen music is these days.”
“I’ve met Paul a few times, done a few things. He’s a great guy and an animal campaigner as I am. Yeah, I wish I saw more of him really but life doesn’t always let you do this stuff. Met Ringo a couple of times just briefly. Kinda just socially because Freddie was quite close to Ringo at one time. But I never had an in-depth conversation with him.”
“Never met (him), very sadly. I wish I had, I would have loved to have done. What a wonderful talent and a wonderful voice. Incredible. He played one of my guitars which is nice! I love George, I love his playing. I think he’s still underrated. Wonderful!”
May was sad about how the press treated Harrison in his final days and already thought he was underrated in early 00s
After years of fighting cancer, George Harrison died away too soon at the age of 2001, despite repeated attempts by the media to obtain a picture of him in the hospital. When George was still alive in 2001, the Queen guitarist bemoaned the way the media handled him in an interview with Guitarist Magazine. He claimed it brought to mind how poorly Freddie Mercury was handled in his last days when several individuals attempted to breach his privacy.
“I’ve been thinking about George a lot recently and I really wish him well. And just before you came I was thinking about how the press treated Freddie when he was ill. You know, he literally couldn’t step outside his door for photographers. They were even trying to get in the windows and there’s absolutely nothing you can do; you have no protection.”
He continued, “But I’ve only met George once. We played together at a Water Rats do, when Bert Weedon was King Rat. There was George, Joe Brown, Bert and me… what a precious moment. I had a blinding migraine, but the moment overcame the pain. I wish I’d had the balls to say what I really wanted to at the time. (So) I hold George in such reverence and I think he’s so underrated by the guitar community. Everyone raves about people who play fast, but if you look at the catalog of stuff he’s produced, it’s colossal.”
Lennon and McCartney always put their songs first, so there wasn’t much room for composition in The Beatles, but George showed throughout his solo career that he was an amazing songwriter. Before his death, he made several highly acclaimed albums and became the first Beatle to have a number-one hit following the band’s breakup.