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 Band
May 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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brian May, founder, member and lead guitarist with the rock band Queen, and co-creator of the international rock theatrical, We Will Rock You, is also a PhD physicist specializing in Zodiacal dust, a passionate campaigner for animal rights, and a lifelong 3-D photography enthusiast. Most recently, he has become a successful publisher, dedicated to sharing his collection of Victorian stereo photographs with the world through the books released by the London Stereoscopic Company (a recreation of the company originally founded in 1854). Brian is currently committed to touring with Queen for much of the year, with Adam Lambert as lead vocalist, and also composes, records and performs with singer Kerry Ellis, a founding star of We Will Rock You, and successful West End and Broadway performer. Brian’s latest ventures include creating 3-D, 360-degree virtual reality movies, including a soon-to-be-released Virtual Reality film clip of Queen and Adam Lambert’s recent performance in Barcelona – the piece playfully entitled “VR the Champions”!
ABOUT THE IMPRINT AND THE HISTORY OF THE LONDON STEREOSCOPIC COMPANY:
In 1854 ‘The London Stereoscope Company’ was born. Its business was selling stereo views and viewers to the public, and they were leaders in a huge boom – a craze which swept England, Europe, and eventually the United States, of stereo photographs of every conceivable subject, which, viewed by means of a stereoscope, presented scenes in life-like three dimensions. In a world which had never experienced television, film or the internet, this was a major sensation.
While studying Astronomy at Imperial College, Brian May became a regular viewer at Christie’s photographic auctions, at the time a rich source of long forgotten stereo views from the 1850s onwards which were turning up in people’s attics. In 2008 Brian realized his dream of recreating The London Stereoscopic Company, its aim to bring the magic of true stereoscopy to the modern world. In order to share Victorian 3-D, Brian designed his own OWL stereoscope, which is now produced in large quantities. The OWL has become a new standard around the world in stereoscopic viewing. The London Stereoscopic Company is now restoring and republishing Victorian classic cards, as well as original stereoscopic works on other subjects. The LSC completed the picture by entering into book publishing, each new work accompanied by an OWL stereoscope included in the package. The first four titles are A Village Lost and Found (based on a celebrated series by TR Williams made around 1853), Diableries (the entire genre of 1860s French Devilments brought together for the first time), The Poor Man’s Picture Gallery (exploring for the first time the connections between stereo views and paintings from the Pre-Raphaelite era) and Crinoline (a compelling, visually striking 3-D account of fashion’s most celebrated yet also most disastrous garment). The London Stereoscopic Company is the ONLY publisher in the world dedicated exclusively to publishing stereoscopic works.
BRIAN MAY’S OWL:
Brian has created the definitive high-quality modern-day stereoscope; reminiscent of an Owl, he named it just that. Every book the LSC publishes comes with an Owl, and the illustrations in the book, reproduced by the highest resolution printing technology available will, through this device, delight you all just as they did in Victorian times.
Brian May Queen, Brian May Book, Brian May Guitar, Brian May Guitarist, Brian May Today, Brian May Zodiac
