Queen may have just reissued their 1974 album Queen II, but Brian May has revealed that the band are involved in a legal tussle with the relatives of the man who created its iconic cover shot: Mick Rock.
Rock, one of the greatest photographers of his time, created a series of unforgettable images for the rock stars of the day, including Syd Barrett, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. One of those was the Queen II cover; this features the four band members looking up at the camera, with Freddie at the front, arms crossed. The shot was later recreated in the Bohemian Rhapsody video and ten years later for the promo for One Vision.
However, The Sun reports that May has let on that Rock’s relatives are suing the band. Their contention is that the late photographer – he died in 2021 – wasn’t properly recompensed for his work with Queen.
Article continues below“His family is suing us at the moment for vast amounts of money,” the guitarist said.
“Mick was a lovely guy, very ambitious, quite money oriented. We paid him very, very well for what he did for us. His dependents became incredibly greedy and decided that everything was his idea, and we owed him millions and millions, not just in the UK, but all around the world.
“So they’re suing us all around. So it’s a little hard for me to be objective about the thing. I’m sorry he’s not around because I know if he was around, we’d go, ‘Oh, come on, we’ll settle this’. We’d shake hands and it would be done tomorrow.”
In another interview promoting the Queen II reissue, May also said that another big Queen tour is out of the question at the moment. Talking to the Daily Express, the guitarist said: “(I) have loved touring over the years, and I'm very grateful for it. It's been a fantastic thread to our lives. But at the moment, although I love playing live, I don't feel that I want to be away for months on end at this point in my life, it may change. I'm not saying I'm retiring. I'm just saying right now, I don't feel like I want to.”
However, Roger Taylor sounds still up for it. Talking to the same outlet, Taylor said: “I don’t feel similarly. I always love touring and was always happy to do it. I love my grandchildren, but I don’t want to give up my life in order to be with them. I’m very lucky. I have a lovely house, but I don’t want to be in it all the time. I’m still in the world and like to get about. So I would certainly not be averse to playing again.”
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