QUEEN STUDIO EXPERIENCE – MONTREUX
Freddie Mercury and Queen on Lake Geneva
His bronze statue on the shore of Lake Geneva in triumphant pose draws fans from around the world. Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant lead singer and lyricist of Queen died in November of 1991, silencing one of the most unique voices in Rock and Roll and a larger than life personality, a symbol of the rocking 1970s and 80s. Queen was not the first rock band attracted to the charms of the Swiss Riviera of Lake Geneva. The Mountain Studios on the upper floor of the Casino Barrière, in Montreux was designed by American recording studio designer Tom Hidley, when the casino was rebuilt after a notorious 1971 fire during a performance in the original casino’s theater commemorated in the “Deep Purple” song “Smoke on the Water”. The little studio tucked into the corner of a gambling house in Switzerland was the recording choice for some of the music world’s biggest names, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Iggy Pop, and The Rolling Stones.
Freddie Mercury and Queen came to Montreux in July of 1978 to record their seventh album, ”Jazz”. At the height of their popularity, the band members discovered an escape from the glaring attention of the press where they could write their music and record albums in a state of relative tranquility. Mercury took an apartment on the hillside overlooking the lake and the group bought the studio in 1979 recording seven albums there, until their last, “Made in Heaven” not released until after Freddie Mercury’s death from the complications of Aids. And a quarter century on, Queen is discovering a resurgence of popularity with their songs performed for American Idol tv commercials and a new rock musical on the road.
The newly opened “Queen - The Studio Experience” is located in the former recording studio space of the original Mountain Studios in the Casino Barrière. The exhibit, beyond the Flash Gordon pinball machine at the entrance includes a room of photos, documents, and memorabilia from the personal collection of Queen. The more flashy exhibits are some of the band’s instruments and just a few of Freddie Mercury’s signature outrageous performing outfits. Some of the more touching, are hand-written lyrics of Freddie Mercury’s final songs. Interactive video and listening stations allow an immersion in the music and the story of those who worked with the group.
From the exhibition room a curtained hallway leads to the cozy recording studio control room essentially unchanged since Queen recorded there, with the fixtures and tape decks remaining as Queen would have worked with them. The sound recording console has been replaced by a look-alike reproduction of the original, with eight operating level sliders allowing a visitor to sit at in the recording engineer’s seat and re-mix a Queen song, bringing up the voice, lowering the bass or blowing out the drums. In the “Made in Heaven” room a fan can stand in the exact spot where Freddie Mercury recorded his last album at the microphone. After a visit to the rock n roll shrine, the visitor is invited to sign “the wall” a Plexiglas covered photograph of Freddie Mercury and the band, and snap a selfie to send to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, supporting Aids research.
Visiting the Queen Experience Montreux
The Queen Studio Experience at the Casino Barrière de Montreux is open from 10:30 am to 10 pm Entrance to the exhibit is free, like an all access backstage pass! Just go in the main door of the casino and turn to the left. The Queen studio is located on the mezzanine level above the gambling tables on the floor below. The casino is along the lake shore in the eastern end of the village, a two minute walk from the Freddie Mercury statue on the market square. © Bargain
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