Track List:

1. I Want It All (4.07)
2. Sheer Heart Attack (3.27)
3. Another One Bites The Dust (3.26)
4. Save Me (4.11)
5. We Will Rock You (2.02)
6. We Are The Champions (3.40)
7. Tie Your Mother Down (3.46)
8. Get Down, Make Love (4.10)
9. Keep Yourself Alive (3.48)
10. One Vision (3.45)
11. It's Late (6.17)

With some help, I have compiled a short list of the other projects some of these varied musicians have been involved in.

The Songs:
(KEY: v=vocal; lg=lead guitar; rg=rhythm guitar; b=bass; d=drums; k=keyboard/piano; bgv=background vocal)

I Want It All
v Robin McAuley; lg Chris Impellitteri; rg Bob Kulick; k Edward Harris Roth; b Ricky Phillips; d Jay Schellen
Well, it starts with a fair a capella rendition of the chorus...but is then destroyed by the overplaying of Impellitteri. Of course, his overplaying is second only to Malmsteen's. Impellitteri, however, does manage to redeem himself in the second half of his lead with a nice melodic arpeggio section (not the cheesy sweep arpeggios, but normal ones like other people play).
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Sheer Heart Attack
v James LaBrie; lg/rg Marty Friedman; b Tony Franklin; d Carmine Appice
This song is quite well-done; much like on its original album, it neither particularly stands out nor sucks. The rhythm section (Franklin & Appice) is tight, and Friedman's lead work is tasty. His solo is longer than the original, and worth it. His rhythm guitar is spot-on, but mixed in a little low.
I would have liked to hear Green Day play this song.

Another One Bites The Dust
v Adam; lg & rg John Petrucci; b Rudy Sarzo; d Tommy Aldridge
Adam's vocal is adequate; in places he even sounds a little like Freddie. Sarzo has just about the worst bass tone ever heard in a song, but his playing is good. Petrucci should stick to progressive metal; not only is his lead playing all over the vocals, but he can't funk, not even a little bit. Someone needs to revoke his wah-wah pedal.
I would have liked to hear Dag, The Meters, or P-Funk play this song.

Save Me
v Jeff Scott Soto; lg Bruce Kulick; rg Bob Kulick; k Michael Sherwood; b Ricky Phillips; d Eric Singer
This is the best remake on the whole album. Soto's vocal is emotional (a little raspy at times, but it works very well.. Phillips & Singer are a solid rhythm combination. Bruce Kulick's acoustic guitar work is exquisite (dare I say even a little better than Brian!); his solo is absolutely beautiful & well-interpreted...and about twice as long as the original. Anyone familiar with the original can tell where Bruce is playing (mostly) note-for-note (but in his own style) and where he is departing.

We Will Rock You
v Paul Shortino; lg Bob Kulick; d Jay Schellen; bgv Matt Laurent & Nick Dio
You'd think this would be a pretty difficult song to wreck. However, Shortino is a poor singer -- far too raspy and with a limited range. His rhythmic variations in the lyrical lines are unwelcome and badly done. Kulick, on the other hand, does a perfect imitation of the original guitar outro, complete with a nice bit of tasteful double-tracking at a crucial point in the lead.

We Are The Champions
v Paul Shortino; lg Robby Krieger; rg Bob Kulick; k Michael Sherwood; b Tony Franklin; d Carmine Appice; bgv Matt Laurent & Nick Dio
Shortino continues his poor singing. This time, though, he is covered up a little more by the "band", especially Krieger's stunning lead lines which, while slightly imitative of the original, are expansive and different than Brian May's well-known licks. As in Save Me, Sherwood plays exactly the correct piano part, which is very important for this song.
I would have liked to hear Liza Minelli reprise her vocal from the Mercury Tribute Concert For Life.
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Tie Your Mother Down
v Lemmy Kilmister; lg Ted Nugent; rg Lemmy Kilmister & Bob Kulick; b Rudy Sarzo; d Tommy Aldridge
Unless you're really into Motorhead & therefore are really enamored of Lemmy's style of singing, his voice begins to grate on your ears after the first chorus. Nugent overplays a bit, but he does it well, so it's not as obvious as the other overplayers. Lemmy updates the lyrics, interpreting them in a more violent (and, frankly, amusing) style than the original. Here's some examples:

Get Down, Make Love
v Glenn Hughes; lg Jake E. Lee; rg Bob Kulick; b Tony Franklin; d Carmine Appice
The original version of this song was pretty psychedelic (especially live), and these players stay true to that nature. Lee does some amazing guitar work here (note: he does *not* use tremolo systems on his guitars). Franklin, likewise, is performing in tip-top fashion(that sound 6 seconds into the song is him on his fretless bass). Hughes' vocal is strong.
I would have liked to hear a group like Enigma interpret this song.

Keep Yourself Alive
v Mark Boals; lg & rg Yngwie Malmsteen; b Rudy Sarzo; d Tommy Aldridge
Malmsteen needs to have all his guitars taken away from him. It's amazing this song even made it on to the album. It is, after all, a TRIBUTE album, not a worship-me-I'm-a-speed-metal-dude album. Malmsteen ignores the signature rhythmic lick, the little musical thing that *everyone* recognizes immediately as being from Keep Yourself Alive. I suppose he could have played it, but it surely would have got in the way of his masturbatory acrobatics in the lead guitar department. Boals' vocals are sub-standard.
If you can, program your cd player to skip this song. Always. Listen to Get Down, Make Love again.
I would have liked to hear Extreme play this song.

One Vision
v James LaBrie; lg Bruce Bouillet; rg Bruce Bouillet & Bob Kulick; b Ricky Phillips; d Jay Schellen
Schellen is the stand-out on this tune. He plays around with the rhythm just a bit (when it doesn't hurt) and pounds through his little solo section with style. Neither Bouillet nor Kulick quite get hold of the original's rhythmic idiosyncracies, a testament to Brian May's style & playing.

It's Late
v John Bush; lg1 & rg Scott Ian; lg2 Zachary Throne; b Joey Vera; d Jason Ian; bgv Scott Ian, Jason Ian, Joey Vera & Zachary Throne
This song is performed almost exactly note-for-note, and well done while they're at it. Anthrax does some of the best cover tunes of any mainstream metal band; they do no less in their treatment of this, my all-time favorite Queen song. Scott Ian & Throne aren't quite up to the original's lead antics, but they do well. It's Scott Ian's rhythm playing that really makes the song, especially in the bridge, which grinds, grinds, grinds along wonderfully. Bush's vocal is all right, but a bit strained in places. He wisely avoids one of Freddie Mercury's screams. The backing vocal crew does admirably as well, producing a very Queen-like choir.

Bands I would have liked to be included: Metallica (Stone Cold Crazy -- sure, you've all heard it 20 times, but doesn't it ROCK!?); Nine Inch Nails (Trent proved his mettle with his cover of Get Down, Make Love), The Pursuit of Happiness (would've been perfect for If You Can't Beat Them), Matthew Sweet (doing Jealousy, I'm In Love With My Car, or You & I), a really heavy band like Corrosion of Conformity or Prong (doing Dead On Time), Kenny Wayne Shepherd or Bonnie Raitt (for Sleeping On The Sidewalk), Paul McCartney (who else could pull off The Millionaire Waltz with a straight face?), Oasis (face it, they could cover *anybody*), maybe even Julian Bream (a superb British classical guitarist...for an instrumental version of Love Of My Life).

e-mail me any commments/corrections. Especially if you know what bands some of these musicians have previously played in.

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Innuendo