You know who genuinely doesn’t get enough appreciation in this fandom?
I think most people by now know that he played with Queen in the 80s and wasn’t just brought in for the Q+AL concerts, but do you guys realize the full extent of everything this man has done for and with Queen?
First of all, he was actually the 3rd keyboard player that Queen tried out. Morgan Fisher toured with them for part of the Hot Space Tour, and Fred Mandel finished the tour and appeared on The Works album. Spike then came in and toured with Queen for The Works, provided extra keyboards for A Kind of Magic, and toured again for the Magic Tour.
On the tours he didn’t just provide keyboards though, he also sang backing vocals and played rhythm guitar during “Hammer to Fall”.
And because of the timing of when he joined Queen, that means he also performed with them during Live Aid. Though, because the cameras largely focused on Freddie, you can only see him in a few brief moments usually in the very back of the stage.
Spike also later played with Queen during the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, providing both keyboards and backing vocals again.
But his involvement doesn’t stop there.
He was part of The Cross with Roger, and in fact was the only member of The Cross recruited into the band as opposed to having auditioned for it. The Cross’s final album was largely written by Spike, as Roger was focused mostly on Queen projects again at the time.
Spike was also part of The Brian May Band for both of Brian’s solo tours (1992-93 and 1998), and he provided keyboards for “Slow Down” on the Another World album.
He formed the SAS Band in the mid-90s, which intentionally has a changing lineup of personnel - including, at various times, Roger and/or Brian. The SAS band also played at various Queen events, including Brian’s 50th birthday party in 1997, Queen’s Hollywood Walk of Fame after-party in 2002, and a fan club event held on the 10th anniversary of Freddie’s death, among others.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Spike was also one of the keyboard players for the London production of We Will Rock You (beginning when it first opened in 2002) and he was the creative director of Queen Extravaganza (Queen’s “official tribute band”). And of course, he didn’t just rejoin Queen for the Adam Lambert tours (of which he’s been a part of every single one), he also toured with Queen + Paul Rodgers in 2005, 2006, and 2008.
This guy has done almost everything for Queen for over 35 years and has performed with Roger and Brian individually, and the fact that he does not get more appreciation in this fandom is an absolute travesty.
Anyway go read this interview he did last summer with Rolling Stone because it’s absolutely wonderful.
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