UCR’s 10 Most Popular 2018 Articles
As opposed to the biggest stories of 2018, the most popular articles of the past year have been our features. These are the pieces that allowed us to go in depth on a particular subject rather than covering the classic rock news of the day.
But they share one thing in common: Queen topped both lists. In fact, three of our four most-read stories of the year were dedicated to the band. Our Worst to Best category, where we rank every song or album by a particular act, resulted in six of the remaining seven entries on the list, with the Beatles, as a group and solo, being responsible for two of those six. Another Beatles story, about John Lennon's dissatisfaction with his former band's material, served as the 10th. Check them all out below.
Freddie Mercury's Sexuality Remained a Mystery Even to His Bandmates
Freddie Mercury was famously private about his life, and for a time even the other members of Queen weren't sure about whether he was gay or bisexual. Brian May, his roommate on the road in the band's early days, recalled that the singer had many girlfriends, but that eventually changed, and Mercury only came out to his bandmates "years after it was obvious."
How Come Freddie Mercury Never Fixed His Teeth?
Born with four extra incisors that caused a prominent overbite, Mercury was embarrassed by his teeth. But even though he had the financial means to get them fixed, he never did because he felt it would negatively impact his ability to sing. Opinions from experts differ on whether it would have hurt or even helped his voice.
All 227 Beatles Songs Ranked
We took the daunting task of ranking all the songs the Beatles recorded in their career. In addition to the tracks found on their 12 albums and numerous singles and b-sides, we also included the demos and unreleased material that were included on the Anthology series.
'Bohemian Rhapsody': Fact vs. Fiction
Although Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody movie earned plaudits for Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury, it, as is often the case with biopics, wasn't the most accurate retelling of the band's story. We looked at some key plot points and characters -- and Mercury's facial hair -- and discussed how the movie's storyline differed from previously reported accounts.
All 167 Rush Songs Ranked
With 19 albums spanning 40 years, Rush continually challenged themselves musically. As our countdown shows, not every attempt was successful -- Geddy Lee's rapping on "Roll the Bones," anyone?-- but for every experiment that didn't work out, there was a "Tom Sawyer" or "Limelight" that earned them one of the most dedicated fanbases in all of rock history.
Beatles Solo Albums Ranked
In addition to counting down every track the Beatles recorded as a group, we also looked at the music they've made on their own. This includes everything from George Harrison's Wonderwall Music in 1968 up to Paul McCartney's 2018 effort Egypt Station, we listened to all 63 solo records. Yes, even Ringo Starr's disco and Christmas albums.
All 92 Led Zeppelin Songs Ranked
Even when you add the material cut for the BBC, Led Zeppelin's recorded output only consists of 92 tracks. But even with so few tracks compared to many of their fellow classic rock legends, their influence remains undimmed.
20 Beatles Songs That John Lennon Hated
It's possible that the Beatles' harshest critic was one of their own. We found 20 times John Lennon publicly slammed one of their cuts. And his contempt wasn't just reserved for Paul McCartney's bounciest ditties, either. Some of his own classics, such as "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Across the Universe," met his wrath.
All 167 Pink Floyd Songs Ranked
Although the bulk of our favorite Pink Floyd songs come from the era between The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, our ranking of the group's catalog features plenty of tunes from their earlier days -- including some of Syd Barrett's -- in its upper reaches.
All 183 Yes Songs Ranked
As with Pink Floyd above, Yes' best works came from their most popular '70s albums (all three tracks on Close to the Edge are in the Top 10). But you can also find that deep cuts from throughout their history hit every bit as hard, and even a few songs from Fragile that are in the bottom half.