The Braid's 1996 cover of Bohemian Rhapsody is one of my personal favourites. It's sung in a vocal style from the other end of the spectrum to Freddie Mercury's, but that's the beauty of cover versions...
The story of the Braid's version began back in 1995 in the mind of San Francisco musician Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), who had the idea of revamping Queens classic pop opera with a 1990's R&B sound. Good fortune and the incredible inbreeding of the San Francisco music scene led him to the two women who were the Braids: Zo Ellis and Caitlin Cornwell. The rest, as they say, is history.
With its sparse insistant beat, intricate musical fills and some irresistable diva-esque vocals, what could have been a laughable remake of a beloved rock favorite became an delightful and original worldwide smash. "Caitlin is the only singer I can think of who has enough power and nuance in her voice to do Freddie Mercury justice", Jenkins says. "When Mojo Magazine asked me to list the top ten singers of all time, it was easy for me to put Caitlin and Freddie Mercury on the list together".
The Braids Bohemian Rhapsody sold over 300,000 records around the world in 1996, a remarkable figure for a single from the soundtrack to a little-seen film (High School High). The single went gold in Norway, silver in France, and platinum in New Zealand, and was a chart success just about everywhere, from Holland, Norway and Italy to Sweden, Canada and Japan.
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