Press Coverage

Excellent article today – here’s a taster:

NEWSWEEK
23 August 2017 By Jeff Perlah

EXTRACT:

It’s a project that was “in the back of my mind for a while because I had all these 3-D pictures that I’d taken over the years,” Queen guitarist Brian May tells me in a posh Manhattan hotel suite. He grabs a strawberry from the coffee table and continues. “I was thinking, Does it constitute some kind of history, or is it just snaps?”

The former is certainly the case in his new book, Queen in 3-D, [AMAZON] which captures the thrilling history of his band with over 300 previously unseen stereoscopic photographs. (Stereoscopic, or 3-D, photography re-creates the illusion of depth by utilizing the binocularity of our vision.) The impressive book includes his own reflective narrative (May didn’t need a ghostwriter), and comes with an OWL 3-D viewer, which brings out the full effect of these images.

The cover photo, and many of the images within, focuses on Queen’s iconic lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991 after battling AIDS. Mercury’s vocals—sometimes operatic (Queen’s mix of rock and opera is groundbreaking), other times roaring with rock fury—and his theatrical stage persona made him one of music’s most beloved frontmen.

How did the idea for Queen in 3-D come about?

BRIAN: It was in the back of my mind for a while because I had all these 3-D pictures that I’d taken over the years…. What happened was, my team kind of caught hold of the idea and they said, ‘Look, you should take this seriously’ And I have an archive—this sounds very swank, doesn’t it—and an amazing guy looks after my stereoscopic collection [of photography], curates it and researches it. He said, “Look, if you just let me go through your house and we’ll see what we have.”

So he ransacked the entire place and found all kinds of stuff that I had no idea I still had, including some bits of film that were processed but not mounted. And in one of those rolls we found this portrait of Freddy [Mercury], which is on page—I can’t remember. This lovely one of him. And we gradually found more and more stuff. Then we thought, Not only is there enough for a book, there’s probably too much, so we’re going to have to get really selective.

What came up for you while putting it all together?

BRIAN: Seeing these pictures—the essence of the 3-D picture is it’s much more than a snap, it’s almost like a tableau that you could walk into and see the things that you were seeing at the time—and all sorts of memories came out.

How did the process of creating the book go?

You get to the hard part where you really have to shape the book, and I started scratching my head about which dates were which and what came in what order. And there’s a great joyful process of discovery in writing a book. You have all this stuff and it’s like nearly a book, and then there’s this very hard piece where it’s the journey from nearly a book to a book…. Then I thought, Ah, I’m done now. But actually no, because you’ve got to sell the thing.

READ MORE HERE…. NEWSWEEK

 

LA WEEKLY
17 August 2017 by LA Weekly

thu 8/24

You can fill a small library with books about Queen. But “Queen in 3-D”, which Brian May signs tonight (24 Aug), is not only the first book written by an actual member but the first to feature images of the band in 3-D.

Published by May’s London Stereoscopic Company, and accompanied by a nifty, yellow “OWL” stereoscope viewer, the 300-plus photographs were taken mostly by the legendary guitarist using a stereo camera and have never been seen.

May traces the band’s entire existence with Freddie Mercury, as well as with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert, and captures everything from the group recording, touring, shooting videos and at awards shows to Mercury drinking wine in the back of a limo and sitting under a hair dryer at a Paris salon.

Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; Thu., Aug. 24, 6 p.m.;
“Queen in 3-D” $60.
(310) 659-3110, booksoup.com. —Siran Babayan

STEREO WORLD
July/Aug 2017 p18, 19
A Truly Deep Rock History
Review by John Dennis

Not too many years ago, the thought of reviewing the glossy history of a rock band in Stereo World would have been simply bizarre. But when the band in question is Queen and the author is Brian May and the glossy images are overwhelmingly stereos, it’s a different story. Queen in 3-D from the London Stereoscopic Company follows the band’s story from 1973 to the present, lavishly illustrated with the author’s stereography on nearly every one of the 256 pages.

It remains a matter of amazement, despite being aware of the fact for so many years, that a key member of one of the world’s most popular rock bands is a dedicated stereo photographer, collector, researcher and publisher. Far beyond albums or radio play or digital downloads, Queen’s music has become delightfully inescapable. From movies to television to sports events to stage musicals to commercials and even illicit uses in political campaigns, some of Queen’s iconic hits can be heard frequently – often when you least expect. (Queen’s “Brighton Rock” enlivens the sound track of the 2017 film Baby Driver.) But to a select percentage of listeners, enjoying the music is accompanied by thoughts of Brian May’s articles, books and presentations delving into various aspects of stereography.

“Self-portrait and still life (!) using long cable release.  Frankfurt, January, 1979.”  What does a 3·D obsessed rock star do between concerts in his hotel room?  Here the author tries a newly purchased cable release on (probably an Iloca stereo camera.

While some of the above include a passing mention of Queen, the full fusion of 3-D with the story of the band would wait for the author’s amazing collection of personal stereos to be assembled, sorted, scanned and prepared for publication. Even a quick browse through the book reveals how much that involved. While at the most, the images are only 44 years old rather than the 150 or so years for those in the previous LSC books, many were taken under harsh concert lighting, backstage, in cluttered dressing rooms, inside vehicles etc. This makes a few less than ideal 3-D, but they nevertheless contribute to a personal snapshot element in a unique collection of images that no other rock band is likely to have.

Many Queen fans should be familiar with stereoscopic imaging, as the website BRIAN’S SOAPBOX regularly includes his work along with links to the latest publications from The London Stereoscopic company. Those who buy Queen in 3-D will find full instructions on how the stereos in the book were photographed using stereo cameras, beam splitters or the “rocking” technique (also known as weight-shift or cha-cha, but in this context, “rocking” seems an ideal term).

The above chapter is preceded by “In the Beginning,” in which the author’s interest in 3-D is traced from age 12 at the moment he slid a hippopotamus view into a mail order Weetabix (Vistascreen) viewer and was hooked for life. That exact view, from the Weetabix Animal Cards series, is reproduced along with the back of the card. Figuring out what was required, he was soon taking his own sequential stereos with a little plastic 127 camera-just the right format for contact print pairs to fit in a Weetabix viewer. Better yet, three of the small views he produced in 1959 are included along with a 2016 digitally aligned and colorized version of a shot of a young Brian May on his bike.

The coverage of early Queen albums, besides stereos of the band members, includes interesting shots of instruments, mixing boards, etc. Several of the best images are from the group’s many international tours, featuring both exteriors and interiors of venues and including set-up shots and “after” shots of littered floors.

An especially interesting one of the latter reveals Frankfurt’s historic Festhalle in February, 1979 taken, according to Brian, from Hitler’s balcony. A 1977 sequential pair of the stage being assembled in Madison Square Garden gives a great 3-D impression of the size of the place. People moving between the exposures make it possible, from the caption, to “see who’s working!”

Several pages and 15 stereos are devoted to what happens to be my own favorite Queen song, “Radio Ga Ga,” taken during the making of the video based on the famous 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis. The text reveals that on the recording, the onitial pronunciation of the title is “Radio Ca Ca”- easily heard when you know to listen for it. A set of views from the “Radio Ga Ga” shoot, along with two previous Queen 3-D card sets, is available at http://shop.londonstereo.com/BOOK-Q3-D.html

Queen in 3-D
by Brian May, The London
Stereoscopic Company 2017.
ISBN” 978-0-9574246-9-5. Hardbound,
9×2” slipcase and OWL viewer.

SUBSCRIBE TO STEREO WORLD

 

WJBD RADIO
7/31/2017

Shelter Harbor Press  Queen in 3-D, the previously reported book featuring three-dimensional images of Queen from throughout the band’s career taken by guitarist Brian May with stereoscopic cameras, will be published in the U.S. on August 24. On the same day, May will make a special in-store signing appearance at Book Soup in West Hollywood, California.

The event will start at 6 p.m. PT, and fans must have a copy of Queen in 3-D [from Book Soup] in order to attend.

The book includes more than 300 previously unseen photos of Queen spanning from the early 1970s until the present-day lineup with guest singer Adam Lambert. Queen in 3-D also features May’s candid recollections about his famous band, and is the first book ever written by a member of the group.

The publication, which took May more than three years to complete, comes packaged with a specially designed stereoscopic viewer that will make the 3-D images jump off the page.

You can check out a video of May unwrapping and flipping through the book, which also shows you how to use the stereoscopic viewer, at his official YouTube channel. For more information about the book, visit Queenin3-D.com.

Brian currently is winding down Queen + Adam Lambert’s summer tour, which comes to a close on Saturday, August 5, in Houston. Here are all of the band’s remaining U.S. dates:

7/31 — Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
8/2 — Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
8/4 — Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
8/5 — Houston, TX, Toyota Center

ENGLISH TRANSLATION  italian news article following “Queen in 3-D” book launch
– translation credit: Barbara Mucci

REPUBBLICA.it (original in Italian)
BRIAN MAY, THIS BIO UNLOCKS QUEEN SECRETS “I FOUND SOME PEACE THROUGH THESE MEMORIES
24 May 2017 by Deborah Ameri

The guitarist launched his book Queen in 3-D, in London, full of unpublished stereoscopic pictures telling the most intimate moments of Freddie Mercury and the other members of the band: “A journey not anguishing at all” on Manchester drama [Manchester MEN arena bomb attack]: “No one will stop us because life has to go on”

LONDON – On the small stage of the Century Club in London, Brian May asked for a minute’s silence. Almost dressed in mourning, in black dress except for his white clogs, for a moment he forgot the book he was there to launch and heartily addressed to those attending: “I’m very affected by what happened in Manchester last night. I was thinking of canceling this event but I would have played into the hands of the terrorists who want to stop our lives. Well, they will not succeed”. Then, he attacked politics and the government: “I see people, mostly politicians, who condemn extremism and then the next day they agree to bomb this or that country. As a nation and as people, we are part of the escalating violence in the world. I wish our way of life could change completely and also our priorities could change. Let’s dedicate this minute’s silence to Manchester’s victims and kids those parents who still don’t know if their children are alive”. It was the day after the terrorist attack at Ariana Grande’s concert. The guitarist and founder of Queen was genuinely upset. Especially because he will be playing at the Manchester Arena with the band and the new frontman Adam Lambert in December. “No one will stop us because life has to go on“, he declared.

Then, he shook off all the bitterness to go back to being a rockstar. And launching Queen in 3-D, the first biography about Queen written by a member of the band (in stores on 25th May in the UK, published by EarBooks, and in Italy on 29th September, by Edel Italy).

This is not an ordinary biography, but a story behind the scenes of fifty years of career through May’s memories and more than three hundred unpublished stereoscopic pictures. Stereoscopy is the Victorian ancestor of virtual reality, and May has always been passionate since, at 12, he discovered these three-dimensional images in a biscuit pack. Since then, he has never gone anywhere without one of his stereoscopic cameras. The resulting images seemed out of focus, sometimes insignificant. However, you just need to look at them through the 3-D OWL stereoscope (patented by May and included in the package) to bring them to life, letting those who look at them to being totally engrossed into that image together with those people. The result is an extraordinary journey into the most intimate moments in Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Brian May’s lives.

“The most extraordinary moment was when I discovered a photo of Freddie in makeup in the dressing room. I didn’t know that I had it”, said an excited May to Repubblica.it. “He’s completely unaware of being photographed and seems in a world of his own. It’s one of the most beautiful memories that came out while I was writing the book and digging into the archive of my photos“.

There are so many memories like that in the book. Mercury at a salon, under a dryer that seemed to swallow him up (“Here he doesn’t look like the rockstar that everybody knows”), while he was listlessly playing tennis (“He only undertook sports he was good at. He was a table tennis dynamo”), Taylor while playing May’s guitar (“He was good, but luckily for us, he played drums”), Deacon, who, reluctantly, had make-up done for a show. And also air travels, line flying at first and then private, when success had become global; bored selfie in hotel rooms; Freddie on stage, sweaty and excited, in his leotards; behind the scenes of Radio Ga Ga and It’s a Hard Life videos (“We all hated it to death. Freddie only was enthusiastic about it”); the first concert at Madison Square Garden in New York (“I booked two seats on the Concorde for my parents and set them at the Plaza Hotel. For the first time my father, who wanted me to be a scientist, was proud of me”).

And finally, the last show at Wembley Stadium, before Mercury’s death. “At the time, we thought it was really over”, May admitted. “Then came Adam Lambert (who has been performing with the band since 2011). He’s very creative and passionate. We have a lot of fun on tour. It’s clear he’s not an impersonation of Freddie. He’s just himself”.

In the book, May chose to skip the excesses that have been attributed to Queen over the years (“No, you will not find any debauchery”), and in return he mentioned his depression that has been gripping him from the Eighties. Today, he says, he’s better, thanks also to mindfulness and physical activity. “But this trip down memory lane has not been anguishing“, he assured. “It’s quite exciting and also enlightening. I feel lucky, proud, and grateful to have lived those moments, and I realised that sharing these memories with others it’s like I’d found some kind of peace”.

STEREOSCOPIC MASTERPIECE CAPTURES THE HISTORY OF QUEEN THROUGH MAY’S LENSES

Book Features Over 300 Unseen 3-D Photographs Providing Intimate Glimpse into Life of Iconic Rock BandMay Currently on North American Tour with Queen and Adam Lambert

LOS ANGELES—July 12, 2017—Queen in 3-D, a stereoscopic masterpiece by iconic guitarist and songwriter Brian May, is the first history of any rock group created in 3-D and written by a band member. Queen in 3D features over 300 previously unseen 3-D photographs, capturing the history of Queen from the early 1970s to present day. The book has a lenticular 3-D front cover and exclusive Brian May patent OWL 3-D viewer.  It will be released by the London Stereoscopic Company in the U.S. on August 24, 2017.  www.queenin3-D.com

“The whole process of writing this new kind of book was almost subconscious. As I looked at the 3-D photos, memories were triggered and the stories poured out. It’s the 3-D element that makes it so evocative. I believe each image will draw readers in deeper, like me, inviting them to immerse themselves in a scene, to share a previously unseen Queen moment,” said May.

The 3-D illustrations were all captured with May’s stereoscopic cameras.  From an early age he traveled with a 3-D camera, allowing him to capture rare behind-the-scene moments on Queen Tours and during recordings. Some of the photographs had not even been fully processed until the book was in the making. Initially thought by May to be a quick job, this project turned into a labor of love which spanned three years. Each time the book seemed to be close to completion, more 3-D photos were found in forgotten hiding places, prompting further memories and filling in the story. Queen in 3-D eventually became a compelling set of snapshots of May’s life and the life of Queen, over more than 50 years.

Published as a lavish, high quality coffee table book by May’s own London Stereoscopic Company, Queen in 3-D reveals the band’s history through his eyes and reflective narrative.   The book is illustrated with around 360 photographs, mostly accessible in 3-D using the OWL viewer supplied. May’s recollections about himself and fellow band members Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, are shared for the first time. Images were taken on stage and behind the scenes, including informal shots taken on the road and during leisure time. Mercury, shy and fiercely protective of his privacy, interacted playfully and comfortably with May’s camera.  Queen in 3-D shares rare glimpses of this consummate showman as viewed by his band mate and close friend. Current fans of the band will also enjoy the modern sections, including on and off stage moments with Adam Lambert.

This is an important book, not only capturing the very essence of one of the world’s all-time greatest bands, but also exploring the culture, politics and atmosphere of the many territories where Queen performed. Brian has created a text that chronicles changes in the music industry alongside major changes in the history of the world.

“Queen in 3-D”  (USA): published by London Stereoscopic Company

Shelter Harbor Press; Box edition (August 24, 2017).
Language: English
ISBN-10: 095742468X
ISBN-13: 978-0957424685
Available  at all good bookstores and online resellers.  AMAZON LINK

SKIP to below images to see PRESS COVERAGE…

Check out brochure from Distibutor, Shelter Harbor Press

Click above for larger image

Some of the Press Coverage:

ABC NEWS – Queen guitarist Brian May to release 3-D book about the band
12 July 2017

ANTIMUSIC
– Queen’s Brian May ‘Queen in 3-D’ Book Release Announced
12 July 2017

DAILY MAIL
– Queen guitarist Brian May to release 3-D book about the band
12 July 2017

EXCLAIM!
Brian May Is Releasing 3D Photo Book About Queen
12 July 2017

HOT PRESS
Queen guitarist Brian May is releasing a 3-D photo book titled ‘Queen in 3-D’
12 July 2017

ROLLING STONE
Brian May Unveils Queen History in Expansive 3-D Photo Book
12 July 2017

THE SPOKESMAN – REVIEW
Queen guitarist Brian May to release 3-D book about the band
12 July 2017

STAR TRIBUNE
Queen guitarist Brian May to release 3-D book about the band
12 July 2017

WASHINGTON POST
Queen guitarist Brian May to release 3-D book about the band
12 July 2017

YAHOO MUSIC
Brian May Unveils Queen History in Expansive 3-D Photo Book
12 July 2017

Lomography UK‏  have spoken to Brian May about his stereo photography, his work with The Londin Stereoscopic Company and his new book Queen in 3D! http://bit.ly/2sFiWLw 

Stereo Photography: An Interview with Brian May
2017-07-04
LOMOGRAPHY UK

“Brian May is famous for being the legendary guitarist and songwriter with rock group Queen. But dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that Brian is fanatical about stereo photography. He talked to us about his passion for this medium and shared some photographs from his new book “Queen in 3-D,” an intimate journey of stereoscopic photographs taken by Brian and his friends capturing some rare, behind-the-scene moments of recording sessions and tours with the legendary rock band.”

READ MORE HERE: https://www.lomography.com/magazine/330101-stereo-photography-an-interview-with-brian-may

Brian May Talks Summer Tour, Queen Biopic, ‘We Will Rock You’ Legacy
Rolling Stone –  7 July 2017

EXTRACT:
QUESTION: Beyond the film, what are you working on?

BRIAN MAY: Well, I’ve just spent three years writing a book, which is called Queen in 3-D. It’s based around these stereoscopic images that I took all those years while we were on the road. I’m quite excited to have that coming out next month.

It started off as a picture book but it’s ended up as something close to a biography. It’s a set of snapshots of us standing offstage, and public and private moments. And none of this stuff has ever been seen before. People will be able to see it on the tour. I think it’ll be too heavy to actually take out there, but they’ll be able to see it when we play in the local arena.

When did you start taking those stereoscopic photos?

I started taking stereoscopic photos when I was 12 years old because I figured out how it was done. I was collecting little stereo cards from cereal packages. There photo cards looked very flat, but when you put it in the viewer, suddenly you could walk through this window into a virtual-reality world. And I was captivated. I thought from that point on, I don’t want to take flat pictures: I want to take stereoscopic, 3-D pictures. So it’s been a kind of obsession all my life. All through those Queen tours, I always carried a stereo camera. Looking at these, you really feel like you’re there. You feel like you could touch Freddie and you’re at those places.

More in Rolling Stone magazine now on sale.

 

NME ran a feature in their Father’s Day Issue, 23 June 2017 of

“THINGS WE LIKE”, which included a recommendation of “Queen in 3-D”.

 

 

The new July 2017 issue of “Amateur Photographer” carries a 4-page story on “Queen in 3-D”, also featured on the cover.

Amateur Photographer : www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Exclusive Interview
Brian May
The Queen Guitarist on his love of stereography

“Mention Brian May, and all kinds of images come to mind: a virtuoso guitarist, whose riffs and solos define classic Queen as much as Freddie Mercury’s stage presence and soaring vocals, a polymath physicist and astronomer, a pugnacious animal rights activist.

He’s also been passionately interested in 3-D and stereoscopic photography since childhood; indeed, AP readers may recall how he resurrected the London Stereoscopic Company (LSC) and designed the innovative Owl viewer. The latest book venture with the LSC is Queen in 3-D, a collection of stereo photographs taken by Brian and other photographers that chronicle the band’s career – from rehearsals for the first album, right through to contemporary arena tours with singer Adam Lambert. It’s also the first book about Queen to be written by a living band member.”

Although he is not known for suffering journalist fools gladly (especially when they go off topic and seek salacious stories), Brian couldn’t have been more welcoming to myself and videographer Dan Laughton at the recent book launch – despite a promotional schedule which would frazzle somebody half his age. ‘Ah, you’re from AP!’ he enthused after the introductions. ‘I know the magazine well and used to read it.’

Cereal thriller

By way of background to the new book, Brian explained that while photography was in his family, he discovered stereoscopic photography entirely on his own. ‘My interest in photography came from my dad who was a very good photographer, and processed all his stuff. He taught me how to develop and print black & white film in a little darkroom in a spare bedroom.’

When it came to 3-D images, the eureka moment came when the 12-year-old Brian sent off for a 3-D viewer after seeing a promotional offer in a Weetabix packet. ‘When the viewer came and I put in the picture card of a hippo, it was a magic moment – instead of two little flat pictures of the animal, I’m looking out on a scene which looks “real”. The hippo was so in my face, I could almost smell his breath… I felt this is how photography should be, and wondered why people were satisfied with flat pictures. I’ve never changed my mind.’

He soon progressed beyond gifts in cereal packets and started creating his own stereo pictures using a VP Twin pocket camera. ‘It wasn’t a stereoscopic camera, so I’d take one picture for the left eye and then move to the right for the right eye. I’d then print out the pictures and stick them on cards, getting my parents involved.’

Time moved on, and Brian went up to study mathematics and physics at Imperial College, London, before taking his chances on a full-time musical career with Queen. With the band touring incessantly, he eschewed the usual hedonistic distractions of 70s rock musicians in order to feed his obsession with all things stereoscopic. He explains, ‘I had the opportunity to travel the world and meet people with a similar passion, in Europe, Japan and particularly America. I sought out collectors and dealers, and became part of that community, which I still feel part of. I was young and had energy… we’d get up, go up a tower or something to see what the city looked like, then I would go and find the photo people. I remember this place called Bell Park Photo in Chicago – the guy had been there for many years, right through the 1950s boom in stereo cameras. He took a liking to me as he could see how keen I was, and would bring me all these cameras and the gear that went with them.’

 

One of May’s greatest finds during his early years on the road was a Taxiphote auto-changing viewer for 3-D glass slides, dating from around 1909 and picked up for a song at a photo market. ‘I also got a Stereo Realist camera in the USA, the meat and potatoes of stereoscopic photography during the 1950s, featuring two lenses and viewfinder – a beautiful system.’

Labour of love

Brian took numerous stereo photos of the band relaxing and working during the Freddie Mercury years, and these form the backbone of Queen in 3-D, along with pictures of live performances taken by gig photographers using his cameras. So how did the book take shape, and why now?

‘I’d helped revitalise the London Stereoscopic Company – which was selling many thousands of viewers in the 1850s – and we’d already published four books of vintage images. So I thought it would be nice this time to do a book with relatively modern 3-D pictures – not just for Queen fans, but for anyone interested in that period of history, and in stereoscopy for its own sake. I had no idea how many pictures of the band I had, and it turned out to be a major task. I am monstrously geeky, however, so the idea of spending 50-100 hours removing bits of dust from an old photograph is not foreign to me. Together with Denis Pellerin, my collaborator and archivist, we did all the work of transferring the images from 35mm and other media into the digital domain, then cleaning them up. As it’s stereoscopic photography, we also had to align and adjust the convergence to ensure the pictures can be properly enjoyed, and don’t give you headaches.’

Brian is 70 this year and still exploring and enjoying stereoscopic photography. ‘Every day of my life, I find something new in stereoscopy and we have the whole virtual-reality thing going on now, which is magic. We are designed with two eyes, not one, for a reason – the experience you get from stereoscopy is 1,000 times more real than what yo get with just looking with one eye at the universe. It’s a never-ending journey of discovery.’

Website: www.amateurphotographer.co.uk