Radical video filmed the rhapsody star

On Bohe­mian Rhapsody’s release on ­November 1975, promotional ­videos weren’t yet a part of the mechanics of the music industry.

A scene from Queen's video of Bohemian Rhapsody.

It begins with three long-haired figures in silhouette before, 16 seconds in, a light is flicked on to reveal another face positioned ­beneath his bandmates.

All four are singing in harmony, but it’s the extraordinary vocal and piano talent of the man at the bottom that becomes the focus for its six-minute ­duration. His name was Freddie Mercury.

This is the opening to Bohe­mian Rhapsody, the music video to the song by British rock band Queen that this week reached one billion views on YouTube, making it the first pre-1990s video to surpass that milestone on the streaming platform.

While that number doesn’t match contemporary multi-­billion achievers such as fellow Brits Ed Sheeran and Mark Ronson, the quartet were global trendsetters more than four decades ago. On its release in ­November 1975, promotional ­videos were not yet a part of the mechanics of the music industry.

As Queen established, though, prerecording a quality music video meant the performers were not required in person on weekly television shows such as BBC’s Top of the Pops, thereby freeing up their touring schedule.

 

Filmed in three hours by director Bruce Gowers at a cost of £4500, Bohemian Rhapsody was also edited in just five hours.

All of its special effects — including the striking image of Mercury’s cascading face as he sang the line “Galileo Figaro mag­nifico” — were achieved during the ­recording, rather than in the editing suite, through clever use of visual feedback.

Gowers had previously filmed a Queen concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre, an experience he drew on for the extended performance elements of the video, filmed at its rehearsal space, wherein each member is playing their instruments as the song reaches its dramatic ­crescendo.

All of which is considered par for the course now, 44 years later, of course. Back then, though, it was ­revolutionary. Following its success, other artists and record labels were quick to realise the value of promotional videos as a marketing strategy. From that point, they ­became standard practice within the music industry, a trend heightened after the 1981 launch of US video channel MTV — and which continues today with YouTube.

While Mercury died in 1991, aged 45, the on-screen portrayal of his life and musical talents by actor Rami Malek in last year’s film Bohemian Rhapsody — which became the highest-grossing music biopic in history — has resulted in a global surge of interest in the group.

Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor will bring the band’s music to ­Australia in February for a seven-date stadium tour. American Adam Lambert will be on ­vocals.