Pentatonix, Bohemian Rhapsody - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

[@martiwalsh2069]

Brian May posted this rendition by Pentatonix with a one-word comment, "Enjoy."

[@williamflouro6021]

Fredie was great, and he said: "Do what you want with my music, just don't make it boring." Brian May even added a link on his page, to check Pentatonix out. Thats pretty nice praise from an original Queen member....

[@dojoswitzer]

Queen praised Angelina Jordan’s reimagined rendition also.

[@minaolenella869]

Brian May actually shared it three times.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Brian May shares anything, it is publicity for Queen.

[@minaolenella869]

​@@ZENOBlAmusic since when does Queen need publicity from Pentatonix?

[@BaldusCattus]

Jeez, some of the... uncharitable comments in here. Y'know, just because someone makes a cover, it doesn't diminish the original. A bunch of you sound like you think Pentatonix rifled through your record collections, pulled out your vinyls and snapped them in half in front of your eyes.

[@theblackcat5416]

Best comment!!! Bunch of buzzkills, for sure! Open your minds people!

[@rog2224]

"A bunch of you sound like you think ..." Think is having to do far too much heavy lifting in that clause when trying to describe what's going on in their pointed heads.

[@NativeNewMexican]

I suppose some of the people react that way because the Pentatonix "mix" of the song is so inferior compared to their other covers. The Daft Punk cover, for example is INSANE good, but this is so unimpressive. No real new ideas introduced, just a knockoff that uses voice instead of instrumentals. It's fine, I suppose, but it's HORRIBLE compared to how much other Pentatonix covers really improve/twist the original. I love Pentatonix (preferably with the original artists) but this is one of their weaker productions. Hell, Wizard of Aahs is far more impressive to me. Just listen to 8:00 in the reaction... It's a typical barbershop quartet style harmony and so much less than what they are capable of. I know it's hard to improve on such a great original, but I think they _could_ have done it if they hadn't done such a "faithful" interpretation.

[@thechomiji]

@@NativeNewMexican "With the original artists" - I'm curious what you mean about this? Do you mean those rare occasions when Pentatonix works with an artist like, say, Dolly Parton? Or are you complaining about the _single_ personnel change that Pentatonix has had in their 13 years of existence - when Avi Kaplan left for his solo career and Matt Sallee came to replace him?

[@NativeNewMexican]

@@thechomiji Oh, I can see how that may have been confusing. Sorry about that. I meant with Avi. I just really loved their complementary voice tambres with Avi. Their new lineup is okay I suppose, but once Avi left I really haven't been impressed with anything they've done.

[@margretrosenberg420]

The beatboxer is Kevin Olusola (pronounced Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth syllable); if you're watching the video he's the black guy on the front left of the couch at the beginning and end of the video. Also if you're watching the video, this is one where you can occasionally see Kevin beatboxing while seated, which is when you can see that he has an entire drum kit; it's just invisible. Almost always when Kevin beatboxes in a seated position he's playing invisible drums while beatboxing. You know the sound is coming directly from him, but you can see him playing the drums - it quickly becomes surreal. This is one of the things I like most about Kevin, the way he can make me see the instruments that aren't there. Mitch, on the other hand, when he needs a guitar solo, doesn't summon an air guitar; he simply becomes the guitar.

[@daleenengelbrecht4861]

I love and will always love Pentatonix. They are GREAT. will always be a Pentaholic. Greetings from South Africa

[@pdxsk8nfool]

I think that not watching their video while reacting to this has lost you an element of the song/performance. Not just because of enjoyable production elements of the video but also because it allows you to see who is doing what and how as you hear the song.

[@lauriep2018]

I love Pentatonix! I’ve seen them in concert ten times. Fun fact, Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen, shared this on his Twitter commenting “Enjoy” They waited six years to cover this. FYI, Mitch isn’t actually using the megaphone for the guitar, it’s just a prop. He does it in concert without

[@danielcarter837]

This is my favorite version outside of the original Queen.

[@timnotbrianmay]

I think Pink's live version was better! Have you heard it?

[@rfiliagaful]

You'll find that Pentaholics get very defensive when others don't immediately see the value in their music. I absolutely love this group and rarely listen to any other groups. As for auto tuning, I believe that there has been some of that happening with newer songs they have produced, but this particular song was done fairly early in their career and no auto tune was used here. When PTX first came on the scene as contestants in The Sing Off one judge pointed out just once almost at the end of the competition that he had heard them be slightly off pitch for the first time, and this was never brought up again the remainder of the competition, which they did win. At least one of the members (Kevin) has perfect pitch and from all that I've heard, Mitch likely has a highly developed relative pitch, if not perfect pitch. This is one of the reasons they are so good at being so tight on pitch without auto tune. I think that it's important to be respectful to all groups though, and it's hard to see such negative comments from both non PTX fans accusing the group of things that aren't accurate and the Pentaholics being rude in their rebuttals. It would be so much better if we could all show respect for each of our opinions whether or not we agree. I personally don't understand how anyone can possibly dislike their music, but then my own son doesn't like them either, so I respect everyone's opinions. Thanks for trying out PTX. Maybe listening to one of their original songs will give you a better view of their music. Try Sing, Love Again, Love Me When I Don't, or Coffee in Bed.

[@martinconnelly1473]

They do a great job of replicating a song that makes use of instruments as well as voices. However there is a possibility that the Queen original will never be bettered, just copied and if not bettered but copied then, unless it is impossible to tell apart from the original, it must be a less good version to some degree. There are many examples of covers being considered better than the original, a recent example on this channel is Prince's Nothing Compares to You covered by Sinead O'Connor, but some are not better or worse, just different. I think this is an example that is not worse or better, just different and as such it is fair to have a preference amongst different versions. There are often different versions by the original artist and people will have a preference amongst those as well.

[@vodkaman1970]

This is nowhere near as bad as their cover of White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes for autotune, the original being an absolute masterpiece of vocal harmonies and the Pentatonix version being like a toy version made of shiny plastic and coated in sugar.

[@PtxXtp]

​@vodkaman1970 they didnt use that on white winter hymnal. They just have prettier voices and a much cleaner sound so if course it doesn't sound like the original.

[@rfiliagaful]

@@PtxXtp agreed. I believe there is no auto tune on this song and I'm my opinion is it's far better than the original. Then again, that's my opinion of most PTX covers (or as is commonly referred to as upgrades). So I'm very biased in this case.

[@minaolenella869]

​@@rfiliagafulthere is a lot of pitch correction in BR( they use Melodyne not autotune) Their sound mixer has talked a lot about it. On another hand,they have used far less pitch correction recent years compared to Avi's times. Their first original album is the most pitch correction heavy (and only one made primarily by pop producers)

[@helenabdulah7263]

Glad some non-trolls jumped on here...was about to remind them of PTXs 5 grammy nominations and 3 wins and their star on the Hollywood walk of fame! Apart from all their acclaim, they are a humble group of extremely talented individuals, who work so well together. They don't do videos of songs they can't reproduce live. Here, they are paying tribute to the original song. They are not Queen! They aren't trying to be! Freddie would've been proud!

[@vodkaman1970]

Saying you don't find Pentatonix's sound appealing does not make you a troll. It just means that you do not like that sound.

[@helenabdulah7263]

@@vodkaman1970 we are all entitled to our own opinions, I get that. However, I 'm talking about those people trying to disparage the group in favour of another. Not saying you can't prefer some other group. Honestly, I wish they would either go watch some live performances so they can see for themselves or just shut up (or both)!

[@vodkaman1970]

@@helenabdulah7263 I would have thought a music reaction channel is exactly the sort of place for people to say what they do and what they don't like, without people needing to feel offended about other people's opinions. We've all got different tastes and it's fine for people to say what does and doesn't appeal to them.

[@donny1960]

@@vodkaman1970 These comment are not made because fans are offended. They are defending the lies that are being told. The "soul-less Autotune Hacks" PTX are being called. Do or say whatever you like. But others will do the same. You seem to think your opinion has greater place here than those that disagree with you. It does not. Your comments can be "reacted" to the same as PTX performances. Comments can be more or less appealing to viewers. Also trying to dictate what people should or should not "feel" is always a red flag. Feel as you do. But other will do the same. And you may take offense. See how this all works?

[@minaolenella869]

​​@@vodkaman1970there is difference between opinion and lies. So many make up lies about group they dislike and hide behind "opinion" argument.

[@rogerdodger-789]

It really is easy to forget after a bit that there's no drums or guitar, they do such a lovely job with this. Thank you for doing it

[@margretrosenberg420]

#Pentatonix loves Queen, and they love "Bohemian Rhapsody," so they always wanted to cover this song, but they feared that they couldn't do it justice, so they decided to wait until they were sure they were ready. That took them five years, but it was worth the wait - they were definitely ready. During the "Bismillah" argument, note that Scott, whose range includes both bass and tenor registers, is actually singing along with both the high and low sides of the argument. Scott has said that this rapid switching is the hardest part of the song for him. Also note that every member of Pentatonix sang Freddie Mercury's part in this at one point or another, even Kevin, who was singing along with Mitch on that last "Any way the wind blows." Partly this is because Freddie's range was so huge that that's the easiest way to cover a Queen song, but I think it was also because everyone in Pentatonix wanted to be able to say that they sang Freddie Mercury's part in "Bohemian Rhapsody," and who can blame them? It's a reasonable thing to wish for. And when this official video was first released, Brian May posted a link to it on all his social media accounts with the comment: "Enjoy."

[@Contridiction-vp3fv]

A few things, the couch represents in the early days of PTX, they did not have money to shoot their video’s, so they just sat on a couch in someone living room to record.The movng couch represents their journey. Now, when Brian May (now Sir Dr. Brian May) saw this the day after it was released, he liked it so much he shared it on all of his social media, with just one word “Enjoy”. That is high praise from Sir Dr. May. They worked on this on and off for about 5 years, until they thought they had an arrangement that did justice to the original. Mitch does not use the megaphone in real life, it was just a prop so people had something to look at that would draw their eyes where the group wanted them. When you see the night sky that was to pay homage to Brian May, who is now an astrophysics. The 4 shooting stars pay homage to the original., band members. BTW, Queen has never been able to do this live completely. They way they layered in the video of themselves in the video, they just had to run off-stage, and show the opera part on a screen, then come back on screen and finish the song. PTX did it completely, and they do it live. At the end when they fall on the couch in a "cuddle pile", that is paying homage to the Sheer Heart Attack album cover. Live Version kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH6pgaalqsaoo5I&start_radio=1 Bohemian Rhapsody behind the scenes kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2nYmH2kfqySgs0

[@perrystevenson6364]

Pentatonix Bohemian Rhapsody Insights: So, some things to know about this cover and video: -It took PTX years to get the arrangement to where they felt they could do the original masterpiece justice. -The cover, and especially the video, was meant to be an homage to Queen. Some of the moments paying respect were: 1.The mono-recording of the line "easy come, easy go" followed by the panning of the voices from left to right on the line "little high, little low" (which is how the original was recorded), 2. Obviously the flashlights being used to mimic the lighting on the operatic part of the original video, 3. The four shooting stars to represent the four members of Queen, as well as acknowledge the fact that Dr. Brian May is an astrophysicist, 4. The overhead shot of them lying on the couch is to represent the Sheer Heart Attack album cover. 5. When Mitch lies down on the couch, singing "Too late, My time has come," they're referring to Freddie Mercury's death (the foreshadowing was, of course, unintentional on Freddie's part; there's no way he could have known about AIDS, thank goodness). The other four are walking next to the couch to serve as Mitch's pall bearers. The megaphone was just a prop. It is not needed to reproduce the electric guitar distortion. -PTX can, and does, perform this live with no backing track...something even Queen and the Great Freddie Mercury could not do. Freddy once said he didn't care what people did with his music as long as they "...don't make it boring, darling!", so I think he would absolutely approve. They were indeed on an actual road and luckily, there actually is a behind the scenes for the making of this one that you can watch! The link is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2nYmH2kfqySgs0 Also when Brian Mays heard it... he posted it on his web site with the word "ENJOY”. The overall video--with the "living room" and couch--is an homage to Pentatonix's own journey as a group. They lost their record deal right after winning the Sing Off and moving to LA, so they started putting out videos on KZbin, performing covers. They would sit on the couch in Kevin (beatboxer) and Avi's (bass) living room and just record themselves on Mitch's (counter tenor who took the lead on this song) iPad. Some of their earliest videos went viral and they eventually were able to secure a new deal, record an EP, go on tour, release chart-topping albums and win three Grammy awards...so they moved out of the living room and down this new, unknown road. At the end of the day, though, they're still the same choir-nerds they've always been; just happy to sit together on a couch and sing.

[@daleenengelbrecht4861]

@@perrystevenson6364 you are appreciated. Greetings from South Africa

[@vanessa4u4evr]

Interesting that you thought that something was vocally missing. Brian May, the astrophysicist, thought otherwise. He was SO impressed when he first heard it that he IMMEDIATELY posted it to his channel with one word to his followers. And that word was - ENJOY!!!

[@andymccabe6712]

Who cares.....it's just another opinion.... .....he doesn't get to be more right... because he's Brian May.....!!

[@christybebeau7180]

Remember, the queen intro vocals were all Freddie

[@dianecourtney2724]

Many people don’t know this

[@williamflouro6021]

Freddie did it with a lot of overlays, that could not be done live, although he did variations of it. I don't believe he could have done it acapella either. Fredie was great, and he said: "Do what you want with my music, just don't make it boring."

[@PtxXtp]

I.also like to point out that Mitch aline did what took queen 3 members to do. The lead solo, the high note and the guitar solos.

[@kaypease2260]

I really like your architectural analogy when it comes to comparing Queen to Pentatonix. I love both versions , but the way you described it helped me understand why some people might have a preference for one version over the other. Thank you for your thoughtful reaction! :)

[@lostwizard]

What's impressive about this one is that it's only five people doing it and they have done this arrangement live. As I understand it, the Queen version cannot be done completely live.

[@marykuettner752]

Yes, If you have seen Queen do it in concert it is quite different than the studio version. This is very impressive as Acapella.

[@margretrosenberg420]

I recommend Pentatonix's original song "Run To You," written by Avi (the bass) and Kevin (the beatboxer). It has no lead singer, no solos, not even any beatboxing; it's "just" glorious five part harmony throughout, and it contains the most beautiful harmonies I've ever heard from Pentatonix, which is saying a lot.

[@PtxXtp]

They don't just have some originals. They habe two full albums of originals plus others mixed throughout their eps of covers. They even have quite a few original Christmas songs too.

[@musicandsongideas]

Your perspective on songs is really fun to watch. Sometimes you put into words what I feel.

[@-R.Gray-]

Another impressive cover of the song is Marc Martel's solo version on vocals and piano. His voice is so much like Freddie that they used it in some scenes in the Bohemian Rhapsody movie.

[@pweiner7597]

Too bad you’re not watching them sing - it’s fantastic

[@cosmicdrift8311]

You made mention of how music can be written for voice or instruments. Check out PTX's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" - a song without words performed by a group without instruments. Precision and Passion are not mutually exclusive. Many people find PTX is able to invoke all sorts of emotions with their music, even bringing them to tears.

[@marablemorgan8292]

And the fact they're vocally so tight doesn't hurt!

[@seajaytea9340]

Thank you, Amy, for another spot on review. I would only add that their sound is so "clean" as to be sanitary. And Queen is always a bit "dirty." That's why we love the way Queen's music makes us feel!

[@dago87able]

Being that the case for me here also (I see it as just fun, light listening), I do think that “modern sounding” (technical, technological, precise…) doesn’t necessarily has to equate with shallow or heartless; there’s pretty modern sounding music with lots of depth, soul to it.

[@donny1960]

This group of commentators has determined that what you say is not true. Prejudice is everywhere. Talent is non-existent for these people.

[@kimbervoss3753]

I can't say which version is objectively better, but what I can say the brilliance in the pentatonix version lies not in the tone or style but in the arrangement, which took 5 years. I have listened to both versions repeatedly and what happens now whenever I hear the original, the flavor or flair of the pentatonix version pops through and makes quite a pleasing mashup in my head. That's a pretty amazing feat for a cover to be able to do that.

[@denisehaukkala9742]

Voiceplay is the only other major acapella group besides pentatonix that has tried to tackle all instrumental classical pieces in a cover. Dance of the sugar plum fairy being the first cover done acapella. VOICEPLAY just released a classical instrumental piece medley called Classical Chaos done in an impish Hall of the Mountain King character style. The arrangement and production is mind blowing.

[@belkyhernandez8281]

Pentatonix Daft Punk might be the epitome of tech precision. The video is good too. They were so precise in the video people at first didn't believe they were singing acapella. But then they performed the song in a bathroom or someone's dressing room or something and blew people away.

[@mikeconway9849]

Great reaction, Amy! There are some fantastic acapella groups on youtube. I have my favorite, but they all do amazing jobs.

[@tdratt]

I’ve got to go back and look at your first time listening to Bohemia Rhapsody

[@friotaiocht101]

Absolutely I said the same exact thing...

[@carltonfaller3986]

The most lasting image from my son's high school career was entering a gym where all the competitors from all the schools at the district Latin competition were assembled after a long day of ... Latin-ing, seemingly spontaneously broke out into Bohemian Rhapsody. Not just a few. The whole gym. In 2013. I knew my son had found the exact right sort of nerds.

[@OneSizeMagic]

Fascinating! I mean YOU ❤ not Pentatonix. I enyoed watching you without seeing the (impressive) musicvideo. Thank you for this experience and greetings from Germany 😊

[@joshuafreedman7703]

This rendition absolutely kicked ass! God! That was beautiful to listen to!

[@kruelton]

Excellent analogy... you're right on!!

[@MCP920]

I love it. I also enjoyed your review of it.

[@katherineeasteal662]

I'm glad that you're looking at Pentatonix. I'd love to see your reactions to their covers of Mad World, Mary Did You Know, Shallow and Kiss Of A Rose. Also of their originals such as Be My Eyes, Run To You and Thank You (made during the pandemic). An excellent cover of Bohemian Rhapsody is done by my favourite vocal group Forestella. Brilliance and passion. They're a South Korean crossover male quartet who can sing brilliantly basically anything. Also their covers of Hijo De La Luna, Inner Universe, Time In A Bottle and Nella Fantasia are all brilliant (as are their originals such as Snow Globe and White Night).

[@tonytjandra4798]

Find yourself understand and remember this : Breathing is the basis of life - and of singing. Every singer knows the importance of breath and breathing at the correct intervals while singing. This is precisely why yoga and pranayamas (breathing exercises), in particular, are effective warm-up routines for singers, especially Carnatic music vocalists, and can help improve their singing voice. Thank you.

[@elainedavis9053]

From the introduction of this group, it was clear that you were not a fan; in that the modernization of songs is not your thing; however, to say that PTX lacks character and passion shows a "musical intolerance" or maybe personifies a musical snob - This bias and maybe prejudice of thought prohibits the mind from expanding and perpetrates the bias that we have in all walks of life against anything or anybody who happens to be different. Just my Opinion.

[@vodkaman1970]

I'm happy to be called a musical snob if that means I'm someone who doesn't let others decide what I should like.

[@elainedavis9053]

@@vodkaman1970 Amazing - Glad you like it!!!

[@JohnCameron624]

@@vodkaman1970 My goodness... such hypocrisy. Are you not doing the same thing you are accusing others of? And.. a serial button-pusher. Nice revelation.

[@vodkaman1970]

@@JohnCameron624 Where's the hypocrisy? I'm not telling anyone else what they should or shouldn't like .I don't like the production values of Pentatonix and find the sound very sterile If you like it, that's fine with me, just don't try to tell me I'm wrong for not sharing your tastes.

[@minaolenella869]

​​@@vodkaman1970yes. But you also have not made an effort to find out WHY their production is this way and how else their production could be. Instead you comment after comment pushing YOUR opinion down others throat like it is the superior one. And cause you have not done your homework your opinion is full of misconceptions and biases. So yes, you are pretty hypocratic.

[@marablemorgan8292]

Remember, PTX doesn't do covers... They do upgrades!!!

[@johnhynes7784]

I believe this to be true. Freddie wrote and performed the song 'exercises in free love' to try to convince Monserrat to sing with him. If you want versatile, I would love your opinion.

[@marablemorgan8292]

Kevin is a magical beatboxer, beautiful tenor, cellist and graduated pre med from Yale!

[@susanstein6604]

Their live version is more passionate. They’ve had a chance to live with it.

[@martinaalderink7773]

i feel compelled to also mention the Muppet Show version....

[@stephencolbertcheese7354]

another classic 😛

[@dianecourtney2724]

My thoughts too 😂

[@timfeeley714-25]

The Transylvania Polka by The Count from Sesame Street is pretty good too!

[@colej.banning2419]

The pedant in me feels compelled to point out that the Muppets' version is from their KZbin channel, not The Muppet Show.

[@wesirvin5147]

Also yes

[@marykuettner752]

Freddy was very uneven if you went to his concerts. He wasn't on every night. His best nights the passion poured out of him. Sometimes though he was flat as hell. You never knew what you were going to get. He was very much a creature of emotion and of course as he was hiding his illness performances got much more uneven. Still breaks my heart to this day.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Perfection is not actually that good in music. The whole point and purpose of music and the art is to convey emotion. Freddie Mercury was a master at conveying emotion. For example this version of Bohemian Rhapsody from Pentatonix is full of autotune. Autotune sounds technically more perfect but ti removes soul and emotion from the voice. Anyway if you want to hear far more advanced technical singing then you can always look at opera. But this idea is even true in opera well. The best and most emotional and expressive versions are more prized than purely technical renditions.

[@marykuettner752]

@@ZENOBlAmusic yes and no. First of all PTX does this live and it sounds the same almost. This has some parts doubled but you can Google live performances and you can see this for yourself. That is because they are all highly trained just as opera singers are. Freddy with Queen gave some terrible performances that I wished I had skipped as well as some truly great ones but this particular song was very highly produced and never sounded like the record version people remember live. "Somebody to Love" and "Don't Stop Me Now" were probably two of his best live performance songs because they weren't as produced and of course "We Are the Champions" always got the crowd going.

[@sandrawalkerhaliburton1884]

Thanks for listening.

[@user-bareleg]

'The Prayer' would be one I think you would enjoy.

[@jamesashby4334]

This is best consumed with the official video

[@blueswannine8749]

Brian May said Queen acted the roles of the voices. I think that added a lot of drama to the song. I think the cover is missing that. I appreciate Pentatonix (and their not-so-secret weapon, Mitch).

[@Matriarch456]

Watching the video adds to the emotions i believe . But nobody can beat the Original. I do enjoy the Tribute of the ptx version. It's amazing what only 5 voices can do.

[@Anna-xx1lv]

Brian May himself gave PTX a shot out on his social media accounts after this release! Enough said. PTX in their video paid homage to many aspects of Queen! If you KNOW Queen and their members, you’ll catch them!

[@Walesbornandbred]

They sometimes play this, minus the vocals, in stadiums before pop concerts and everyone sings along. No one is ever going to forget Freddie. This version is nice but no heart.

[@dianecourtney2724]

Absolutely No Heart

[@davidmacfarlane1763]

Exactly! Dimash is the same. He can sound good, but with the Queen covers its got no substance. You listen once, then you are done.

[@danielcarter837]

I would disagree with the soulless part. There is plenty of passion in this especially when they do it live.

[@rmac1042]

It’s important to realize that this iteration of Pentatonix-the original band that won 2011’s edition of the Sing Off-had highly unusual aspects over other a cappella groups. PTX at this time had a true basso profundo AND a countertenor! Also they had-and have-a female voice, a mezzo soprano! Pentatonix were the progenitors of the new ensembles today! You should listen to their new work!

[@tahfaa66]

Just because you came around eventually, doesn’t mean you can negate what you said right off the bat when you had no integrity and thought what you were about to hear was garbage. Wow!

[@marablemorgan8292]

This was their homage to Queen!

[@RG-ih8yd]

Amazing... México present!!!...🎉🎉

[@miguelmory7472]

Good thing that your are the only one who thinks that way and not their 20 million fans.

[@andymccabe6712]

Er .....what about the other 6.8 billion inhabitants of the planet ......!?!?

[@marysweeney7370]

It was a good performance. I knew from the start that it could never compete because no one can compete with Freddy Mercury's voice, unless it is an imitation as a tribute group might do. A cover is not a tribute band imitation obviously It would be the same for some Beatles songs where John's or Paul's voice are inseparable from the song - like I can't imagine anyone else singing Strawberry Fields. I did appreciate Pentatonix's vocal renditions of some of the rock instruments.

[@Contridiction-vp3fv]

You mention the difference in a cover and a tribute, and I do totally agree with you in that. But I am going to repost what I just posted, to point out some times in this song that were designed from the beginning to be a tribute to Queen, and Bohemian Rhapsody. I wanted to just do the tribute parts, but that would left out only about 7 words LOL. This is just to point out things you have no way of knowing, unless you follow them, not to argue with what you said, because as I said I totally agree with you. @Contridiction-vp3fv 4 minutes ago A few things, the couch represents in the early days of PTX, they did not have money to shoot their video’s, so they just sat on a couch in someone living room to record.The movng couch represents their journey. Now, when Brian May (now Sir Dr. Brian May) saw this the day after it was released, he liked it so much he shared it on all of his social media, with just one word “Enjoy”. That is high praise from Sir Dr. May. They worked on this on and off for about 5 years, until they thought they had an arrangement that did justice to the original. Mitch does not use the megaphone in real life, it was just a prop so people had something to look at that would draw their eyes where the group wanted them. When you see the night sky that was to pay homage to Brian May, who is now an astrophysics. The 4 shooting stars pay homage to the original., band members. BTW, Queen has never been able to do this live completely. They way they layered in the video of themselves in the video, they just had to run off-stage, and show the opera part on a screen, then come back on screen and finish the song. PTX did it completely, and they do it live. At the end when they fall on the couch in a "cuddle pile", that is paying homage to the Sheer Heart Attack album cover.

[@CabinFever52]

You don't have the video? You've gotta watch the video.

[@sandrawalkerhaliburton1884]

The beat boxer is a musical genius. Kevin Olusola aka KO. just check out just one of his tracks

[@xheralt]

OP is clearly failing to recognize Pentatonix's strength, because she's too damn hung up on the Queen original "passion in the spaces between notes". Repeated that phrase over and over. Overanalytical ivory-tower artsy BS! So, PTX is wrong because they're not singing it like they're condemned prisoners about to be executed? PTX's strength is not Queens strength and vice versa. You shouldn't EXPECT it to be.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

She right Queen has soul, Pentatonix has autotune, this what she feels but does not know autotune.

[@vytriole]

@@ZENOBlAmusic I'd encourage you to listen to multiple live performances. Or to watch vocal coach reactions of their music. They don't do autotune.

[@shilohauraable]

Thank you for the reaction! Believe it or not, they've only gotten better! Speaking of their Christmas music, their recent release of O Holy Night is a vocal and visual masterpiece - Extremely award worthy! So is their recent live version of Seal's Kiss From A Rose 🌹! Originals? You'd love their more classical piece, Run To You! There's over 200 covers and originals to pick from! I'm subbing in hopes that you'll check them out! And PLEASE don't overlook their live concert videos! The ones from the Hollywood Bowl 2 years ago are awesome! 💖 BTW - You should check out metal singer, Dan Vasc! Although he loves metal, he just lives for ANY kind of music & it sometimes seems to possess him! I think you'd be VERY impressed with his video of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus"! He performs ALL the parts, from lowest lows to highest highs! Or "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera! Or "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar! The man is unbelievably awesome! 💖

[@NadineShon-lz8km]

Have you reacted to any of the Korean quartets? They are not a cappella but considered crossover. They usually have members with classical backgrounds but sing all genres when in quartet. Would love your reaction to Forestella. They have a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. They also have some classical covers out as well.

[@howardmarkert8150]

Another great cover of a Queen song is Dimash Quidaibergan's performance of "Show Must Go On" on the Chinese TV show "I am Singer" from 2017. Dimash identifies Freddy Mercury as one of his musical inspirations. Dimash was directly involved in the arrangement of the song for this performance. His background is classic Bel Canto opera and he was even offered a lead position at the Astana Opera in his native Kazakhstan.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Dimash has absolutely no background in bel canto. There is barely anyone alive that can even sing bel canto. He doesn't have any classical background either. He recently tried to sing classically and it was pretty disappointing. He is good technical pop singer but that is all. He could also never sing The Show Must Go On with any soul.

[@howardmarkert8150]

@@ZENOBlAmusic Maybe you are not familiar with Lawrence Brownlee; I am because I live in the city he is from and have heard him perform several times. As for your comments about DImash, to judge a singer based upon a single performance that you have seen as at least biased, and at worst elitist; get over yourself. I have watched videos by many professiona singers including opera singers and the consensus among their opinions is that Dimash sings more like a Bel Canto singer than any other classical style. As for his training you obviously know nothing about Dimash.

[@howardmarkert8150]

@@ZENOBlAmusic As for Queen's "Show Must Go On" Brian May of Queen was quoted as saying that "Freddy would be pleased with that performace".

[@veredwg]

OK so PTX DID have some classics - for their first - they wow the first Grammy - Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and may I suggest a new artist to your list, one that been around for many years and her voice and talent can't be denied - please react to - Barbra Streisand - "Woman in Love"

[@LucilleReacts]

I think if you asked an AI program to create an a capella performance of Bohemian Rhapsody, the machine would spit something like this out. While the performers are talented and capable, in their quest to recreate the sound, they neglected to add the heart and art of the original. It's cold and mechanical. I guess I'm an old lady yelling at clouds, but if you're going to remake a classic, you need to add something, not just copy. (See Whitney Houston or Janice Joplin)

[@flingonber]

I'm not a fan of the performance either, but recreating drums/bass/guitar like that a capella is DEFINITELY adding something and is pretty impressive. It's a gimmick, but it's an impressive gimmick.

[@LucilleReacts]

@@flingonber Respectfully, I disagree, and specifically for this reason. On A Night at the Opera, Freddie and Roger use their voices to simulate woodwind and brass instruments on the song Seaside Rendevous. Brian uses his guitar to create a dixieland jazz band on Good Company. So for me, a Queen fan who knows their catalog, this cover is a bad attempt at 3 Queen songs from the same album. Queen already did what they're doing, and it's right there on the same album.

[@donny1960]

Maybe your ears are "cold and mechanical". I heard the song. Done well. Sometimes the ear and the mind block out what you seem to think is missing. But everything is subjective. And it is very rare for a cover to meet the standards of the original. Especially such a classic song. I also have an issue when a reaction to something really becomes a comparison. That should be stated in the title. I would have skipped this "fest" of trivial subjectiveness. I have seen much better reactions and comments elsewhere. This all sound like AI ... all programmed to say same thing.

[@flingonber]

​@@LucilleReacts OK, well I think that's a pretty musically uneducated take on it, but old ladies yelling at the clouds gonna be old ladies yelling at the clouds.

[@LucilleReacts]

I see my comments have upset the High School Musicslcal/Glee crowd. Oh well. Truth hurts.

[@Merseyrock]

I liked this reaction, and can relate to the argument of the original vs 'a modern interpretation' of it. Yes...quite so. I, too, like this cover by Pentatonix, and was pleasantly surprised to find your review for it. A great a cappella group for sure! Today's asnswer to The Bobs, 20-30 years ago. There is another a cappella ensemble which I hope you'll find yourself intrigued by, at some point, to do a review on: Perpetuum Jazzile. They are from Slovenia or Sweden, I think (but have toured extensively abroad), and cover anything from the adult contemporary repertoire (ABBA, Bee Gees etc), through the Tropical sounds of Gloria Estefan's Conga, Toto's Africa, and Brazil, which they even sing in Portuguese!

[@garyhiggins5823]

Have you ever heard of The Nylons? (Canadian) Acapella, except that they do use real drum. (Guess beatboxing hadn't been invented yet in 1978) Couple of their best songs, one called 'Face in the Crowd' and my other fave is their cover of 'Happy Together'. Off to check out The Bobs!

[@Merseyrock]

@@garyhiggins5823 I hadn't. Thanks! for the reference. I liked the way they created a full tapestry of sound for the strings and wind, on 'Happy Together'; a fave of mine as well, from The Turtles, whom I got to see with Kaylan, Volman and Barbata still in the band.

[@margarethirsche126]

Thanks Freddie

[@PatrickBrown924]

My favourite cover of Bohemian Rhapsody is by Lake Street Dive, who prove it can be done with a four piece band, and retain the most important thing about Queen - their sense of the ridiculous.

[@busterandloulou]

There is a video of this song.

[@wmk3953]

Hmm, interesting - no need to feel that it is necessary to qualify everything to death. I would say- just react and folks will determine quickly if they agree with your perspective or find it contrived.

[@bernhardkrickl3567]

There is an a-capella Metal band from Germany called Van Canto. Please check out one of their songs, e.g. "Lost Forever". Actually, they do use real drums. They tried beat-boxing but it didn't work. Apart from that they regularly have five singers in various roles. Sometimes they have a guest singer or a guest instrumentalist, sometimes they do orchestral versions. They regularly have some covers on their albums, but most songs are originals.

[@DJ.Michelle]

Where's the video?

[@chrispeterson1989]

Acapella is fun

[@rog2224]

One of my favourite covers of Bo-Rap is by P!nk.

[@marknovaky]

We ALL Love Virgin, It is sweet, they changed their look a bit, but yes, this band has a man doing nothing but percussion.

[@Bonofox1]

😅👉👉If your students request PENTATONIX, they definitely know what is good!! You mentioned how freddie sang, Yes he was unique to the the way he wanted to interpret his song. PENTATONIX is NOT trying to imitate him but to pay TRIBUTE to his MASTERPIECE. PLUS they got the "seal of approval" from Brian May!!! Adam Lambert fronting Queen fir over 10 years and he doesn't sound like Freddie! Brian May and Roger Taylor LOVE him for that!! They say they didn't eant soneone trying to imitate Freddie but someone who could sing the songs. Adam does this extremely well. This is why mark martel is NOT the lead fir Queen, mark is a great singer but he sounds TOO MUCH like Freddie!

[@MetalSamurai99]

For a rock/metal a cappella covers, I’d have chosen Van Canto instead. Pentatonix sound overly produced to my ears, but that’s simply a stylistic choice as they’re more pop focused. Van Canto have loads of their own original songs, as well as covers of well known rock and metal songs, including many Amy has already heard (or surely will soon) that could be included next time covers are being listened to.

[@richardoldfield6714]

You should check our their version of 'Hallelujah'. It's the best one out there. Likewise their version of the 'The Sound of Silence'.

[@manlioyllades]

There's a great a capella version of 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' entire album by Vocomotion. You would love it.

[@keithmarshall3371]

Og3ne do an amazing home version of this in lockdown, well worth a listen.

[@ajjbs7580]

Talking about covers: Air singing Wayne's world! But also, I am thinking of the drunk Canadian guy, singing the whole song in the police car on pitch.

[@wmason1961]

10:36 yep, that's about when I started laughing too.

[@upness]

I’m with Amy on this Pentatonix cover. It’s a brilliant job, but somewhat anodyne compared to the original.

[@daleenengelbrecht4861]

Listen to their live version

[@vodkaman1970]

somewhat melodyne

[@EdHartouni]

not a strict cover (but maybe another genre of music... while not parody, an appropriation?) try the a cappella version Bohemian Gravity... kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKPNk6epjZynrcU for some fun (and an amazing amount of work that stays true to Queen's version musically, while lyrically somewhat arcane).

[@bluebell3720]

yes the songs are performed by ' Queen' but please give credit appropriately Bohemian Rhapsody written and composed by Freddie ( solo by Brian) ...not as passionate..in between..' I agree but you said Queen...this was Freddies song not a collab and it was only Freddie singing the layered harmonies in the intro

[@ChristineBeitton]

Wish I could see the video

[@unclejack123]

I believe you would also enjoy Voice Play's production and staging of "Classical Chaos" ..... just sayin'

[@jrdlabs]

Your analysis of this is spot on. Pentatonix are very talented. However, it must be pointed out that this recording, along with most recordings in more recent years, is electronically pitch corrected. That is what gives it that 'perfect' sound. If someone in the group is just a hair off, which is normal in any vocal performance, OK, we'll 'fix' it and make it perfect.. However, that 'perfect' sound is unnatural, as you can hear. Pitch correction sucks the character and soul out of the song. It sounds like some kind of voice keyboard or, maybe, an A.I. concoction. The frustrating thing is, these folks are so good that they actually CAN sing this stuff without technical assistance. The result may not be as 'perfect' but, at least, it would be real.

[@phillipevans9414]

Indeed, If you want perfection, do Engineering, because art is human creativity and expression, hence never "perfect". Amateurish music done with passion, is much prefered to this type of technical excersise. Cheers!

[@donny1960]

The engineer of this song has stated that there was no pitch correction. Just reverb. But you naysayers know it all.

[@phillipevans9414]

@@donny1960 . I wasn't agreeing with the accusation of using pitch correction...as a former semi-pro musician, whom has also done a decent amount of recording/production/mixing, I didn't hear that (and I usually can), I did hear some pretty extensive "gating" and "reverbs" etc, I was merely agreeing with the broader point that seeking techical perfection is, in my experience, counter to great art. Cheers!

[@jrdlabs]

@@donny1960 That's his/her story and their sticking to it. I'll tell you what: if any vocal group, ANY...can be this spot on key, to the point that it sounds, well, like this, I'll gladly eat the crow that you're serving up. I hear it. Others on this thread hear it, Amy hears it. There are others who have this same 'perfect' sound, as well. It strains credulity to think, it's only been in recent years, that vocal groups have the ability to sound like this without help. Listen to anything from decades ago, choirs, the Four Freshmen, the Mills Brothers, the Beach Boys, doesn't matter. None had this type of 'perfect pitch' thing going on because, there was no such thing as pitch correction. I stand by my statement that this has been pitch corrected. If I'm convinced otherwise, I'll gladly come back here and admit it. In fact, I actually hope I AM wrong!

[@scottrogers7242]

@@phillipevans9414 If I was looking for "holier than thou" speeches, I would have gone to church. Shut up!

[@marknovaky]

Virgin, it's that Black guy who NEVER sings, he is the voice box.

[@chrisbradley1192]

The version by Frank Sidebottom is the most entertaining cover.

[@AlbertoJorgeSoares]

All voices, yes. But I hear also... like a drum stick hitting on something to mark the rhythm, like a drums does.

[@yadiracamacho499]

That's the beatboxer

[@lmalb77]

Hard to believe but there is no drum, all vocal percussion

[@donny1960]

@@lmalb77 Well this whole experience lacks "Faith" and a reasonable response. This was NOT Queen. So is bad. Very common response. Coming from very common people.

[@scottrogers7242]

@@donny1960 You being the most common, and ignorant, of all. Keep your nasty comments to yourself.

[@vodkaman1970]

Yeah, I heard that, like the sound of the stick hitting the rim of the drum. I am not convinced that that sound is vocal. Some are clearly beatbox but not that.

[@smithpauld1501]

Nice job.

[@busterandloulou]

No instruments were played in the recording of this song.

[@Sony8773-k5e]

Ptx❤❤❤❤❤

[@basildavidson4597]

The Petersons do an amazing blue grass cover of this song

[@DavidLindes]

5:02/5:04 - huh. Did that go from your right ear to your left? For me, it's the other way around. :)

[@phillipevans9414]

It all depends on which way around you waer your headphones, hahaha. Cheers!

[@DanieleCanavesio]

Either she's wearing the headphones in reverse, or the video is flipped!

[@DavidLindes]

@@DanieleCanavesio I'm pretty sure the video isn't flipped. Note the play button in the background. :)

[@DavidLindes]

@@phillipevans9414 it does indeed...... it's actually one of the reasons I like wired headphones. The wire is, in my experience, always attached to the left (unless it's attached to both sides). :)

[@marablemorgan8292]

⚡⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥⚡⚡

[@madeletarocchioracoli2270]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏