by Georg Purvis
Bonus track on CD: ‘Gun (alternate version)’ (1’33)
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars, keyboard programming), Phillipa Davies (flute), Rolf Wilson (first violin), Dave Lee (solo horn), Emily May (vocal on ‘Apparition’), The London Musicians Orchestra (strings), Michael Reed (conductor, orchestrations)
Recorded: Allerton Hill, Surrey, January–March 1999 (orchestra recorded at CTS Studios, Watford)
Producers: Brian May and Justin Shirley-Smith
Shortly after the Another World tour concluded in November 1998, Brian was approached by French film director Alexandre Aja, renowned for the 1997 indie film Over The Rainbow and at that time working on his second film. “Gilbert Marouani, a friend, asks if he can propose the film to Brian May,” Aja wrote in the liner notes to the Furia soundtrack. “A joke? No, I think he’s serious. Two months later, I meet Brian in a Paris hotel room, we speak of music, of George Orwell, and of the cinema. I am very tense; he has come to see a first edit. One and a half hours later, silence. I think he was moved. The next day, he calls me, worked all night through; he had written the main theme of the film.”
Brian had never worked on a film soundtrack entirely by himself; there had been some confusion between the Queen guitarist and an Australian musician with the same name who wrote the soundtracks to nearly fifty films including Mad Max and Dr Giggles, but Furia became the first soundtrack credited to ‘our’ Brian. Adapted from Julio Cortazar’s story ‘Graffiti’ (the same author who had written ‘Blow-Up’, later turned into a film by Michelangelo Antonioni), the film tells a story of individual liberties being suppressed and young French rebels sneaking out into the night to challenge the patrols.
In a 2001 interview for the Fan Club Convention, Jacky Smith asked Brian about Furia. “Very happy to say that you will be able to see Furia, the film which I did the music for last year,” he replied. “Be warned. It’s a very serious film – a very heavy film, and not for those who have a weak stomach. I really mean that, you know, it is not a kind of happy movie, and there’s some stuff in there which I still find very hard to watch. So don’t bring your kids, folks, and don’t come unless you’ve got a strong supply of optimism inside you, ’cause it takes some watching. It is a film about hope and freedom and a few other things besides but it’s tough going in the middle. And I hope you enjoy the music! I certainly enjoyed doing it. It was a kind of formative period for me, but not an easy period, but I kind of poured my feelings into it. Quite proud of it as a soundtrack.”
“Basically, I keep busy,” Brian said in March 2001 in an interview with Launch.com. “I did a film soundtrack that went out in Europe and [is] just out in England called Furia, and it’s kind of an artsy film. I doubt if it will see much general release in the States, because it’s in the French language, but it’s something that I’m very proud of. It’s the first full soundtrack that I’ve done. I’ve done loads of bits and pieces for films, including Highlander and Flash and all those things, but this was a complete soundtrack.”
As with the Flash Gordon soundtrack, the music for Furia serves as a backdrop to the film, except for the final track, a gorgeous, acoustic-based ballad titled ‘Dream Of Thee’. Otherwise, the music features only minimal instrumentation, and is based almost entirely on the main theme (much as most of Brian’s contributions to Flash Gordon featured repeated motifs from ‘Flash’s Theme’). It’s not an album to listen to without some prior knowledge of the movie, but it does remain Brian’s last true solo release, and therefore deserves a listen.
FREDDIE MERCURY
THE SOLO COLLECTION
Parlophone 5279640, October 2000
Disc One, Mr Bad Guy: ‘Let’s Turn It On’ (3’42), ‘Made In Heaven’ (4’06), ‘I Was Born To Love You’ (3’39), ‘Foolin’ Around’ (3’29), ‘Your Kind Of Lover’ (3’33), ‘Mr Bad Guy’ (4’10), ‘Man Made Paradize’ (4’09), ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ (3’01), ‘Living On My Own’ (3’23), ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ (3’43), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ (3’47)
Disc Two, Barcelona: ‘Barcelona’ (5’39), ‘La Japonaise’ (4’49), ‘The Fallen Priest’ (5’46), ‘Ensueño’ (4’21), ‘The Golden Boy’ (6’04), ‘Guide Me Home’ (2’50), ‘How Can I Go On’ (3’51), ‘Overture Picante’ (6’39)
Disc Three, The Great Pretender: ‘The Great Pretender (Brian Malouf mix)’ (3’39), ‘Foolin’ Around (Steve Brown mix)’ (3’36), ‘Time (Nile Rodgers mix)’ (3’50), ‘Your Kind Of Lover (Steve Brown mix)’ (3’59), ‘Exercises In Free Love’ (3’57), ‘In My Defence (Ron Nevison mix)’ (3’52), ‘Mr Bad Guy (Brian Malouf mix)’ (4’01), ‘Let’s Turn It On (Jeff Lord-Alge mix)’ (3’46), ‘Living On My Own (remix)’ (3’39), ‘My Love Is Dangerous (Jeff Lord-Alge mix)’ (3’40), ‘Love Kills (Richard Wolf mix)’ (3’28)
Disc Four, The Singles 1973–1985: ‘I Can Hear Music’ (3’30), ‘Goin’ Back’ (3’34), ‘Love Kills’ (4’31), ‘Love Kills (extended version)’ (5’22), ‘I Was Born To Love You (extended version)’ (7’06), ‘Stop All The Fighting’ (3’19), ‘Stop All The Fighting (extended version)’ (6’37), ‘Made In Heaven (extended version)’ (4’50), ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’ (3’27), ‘She Blows Hot And Cold (extended version)’ (5’51), ‘Living On My Own (extended version)’ (6’39), ‘My Love Is Dangerous (extended version)’ (6’29), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (extended version)’ (5’32), ‘Let’s Turn It On (extended version)’ (5’09)
Disc Five, The Singles 1986–1993: ‘Time’ (3’59), ‘Time (extended version)’ (4’37), ‘Time (instrumental version)’ (3’23), ‘In My Defence’ (3’58), ‘The Great Pretender’ (3’29), ‘The Great Pretender (extended version)’ (5’55), ‘Exercises In Free Love’ (4’00), ‘Barcelona (edit)’ (4’28), ‘Barcelona (extended version)’ (7’08), ‘How Can I Go On’ (4’02), ‘Living On My Own (No More Brothers extended remix)’ (5’16), ‘Living On My Own (radio mix)’ (3’39), ‘Living On My Own (club mix)’ (4’27), ‘Living On My Own (Underground Solutions mix)’ (5’46)
Disc Six, Instrumentals: Barcelona’ (4’27), ‘La Japonaise’ (4’47), ‘The Fallen Priest’ (5’50), ‘Ensueño’ (4’00), ‘The Golden Boy’ (6’05), ‘Guide Me Home’ (2’38), ‘How Can I Go On’ (3’59), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ (4’04), ‘Made In Heaven’ (4’17), ‘Mr Bad Guy’ (4’14), ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ (3’09), ‘In My Defence’ (3’56), ‘The Great Pretender’ (3’27)
Disc Seven, Rarities (Mr Bad Guy sessions): Let’s Turn It On (a cappella)’ (3’05), ‘Made In Heaven (alternate)’ (4’28), ‘I Was Born To Love You (vocal & piano)’ (2’58), ‘Foolin’ Around (early)’ (4’14), ‘Foolin’ Around (unreleased extended version)’ (5’38), ‘Foolin’ Around (instrumental)’ (3’40), ‘Your Kind Of Lover (early)’ (4’47), ‘Your Kind Of Lover (vocal & piano)’ (3’38), ‘Mr Bad Guy (orchestra outtakes)’ (0’36), ‘Mr Bad Guy (early)’ (3’29), ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This (piano outtakes)’ (2’49), ‘Living On My Own (early/ later)’ (4’30), ‘Love Is Dangerous (early)’ (2’12), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (early)’ (2’18), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (2nd early)’ (1’04), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (3rd early)’ (3’26), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (live take)’ (4’22), ‘She Blows Hot And Cold (alternate take featuring Brian May)’ (4’36), ‘Gazelle (demo)’ (1’21), ‘Money Can’t Buy Happiness (demo)’ (2’37), ‘Love Makin’ Love (demo)’ (3’36), ‘God Is Heavy (demo)’ (1’23), ‘New York (demo)’ (2’13)
Disc Eight, Rarities (Barcelona sessions): ‘The Duet (“The Fallen Priest”) (extract from Garden Lodge)’ (3’04), ‘Idea (“Barcelona”) (extract from Garden Lodge)’ (1’13), ‘Idea (“Barcelona”) (2nd extract from Garden Lodge)’ (1’05), ‘Barcelona (early version)’ (4’22), ‘Barcelona (Freddie’s vocal slave)’ (4’31), ‘Barcelona (later version)’ (4’26), ‘La Japonaise (demo vocal)’ (4’41), ‘La Japonaise (a capella)’ (4’18), ‘Rachmaninov’s Revenge (“The F
allen Priest”) (early version)’ (4’47), ‘Rachmaninov’s Revenge (“The Fallen Priest”) (demo vocal)’ (5’52), ‘Ensueño (live takes)’ (5’36), ‘The Golden Boy (early version)’ (3’55), ‘The Golden Boy (2nd early version)’ (2’57), ‘The Golden Boy (a capella)’ (5’12), ‘Guide Me Home / How Can I Go On (alternate version)’ (6’54), ‘How Can I Go On (outtake)’ (1’31), ‘How Can I Go On (alternate piano version)’ (3’46), ““When this old tired body wants to sing” (late night jam)’ (2’42)
Disc Nine, Rarities (other sessions): ‘Rain (Wreckage)’ (3’52), ‘Green (Wreckage)’ (3’15), ‘The Man From Manhattan (Eddie Howell)’ (3’22), ‘Love Is The Hero (Billy Squier)’ (5’22), ‘Lady With A Tenor Sax (Billy Squier)’ (4’02), ‘Hold On (with Jo Dare)’ (3’39), ‘Heaven For Everyone (The Cross)’ (4’48), ‘Love Kills (rock mix)’ (4’28), ‘Love Kills (instrumental)’ (4’27), ‘The Great Pretender (demo)’ (3’05), ‘Holding On (demo)’ (4’12), ‘It’s So You (demo)’ (2’40), ‘I Can’t Dance / Keep Smilin’ (demo)’ (3’43), ‘Horns Of Doom (demo)’ (4’17), ‘Yellow Breezes (demo)’ (5’26), ‘Have A Nice Day (demo)’ (0’46)
Disc Ten, The David Wigg Interviews: London 1979 (The Crazy Tour) (8’08), Munich 1984 (Part 1: The Works Tour) (11’24), Munich 1984 (Part 2: Going Solo) (7’35), London 1985 (Week of Live Aid) (6’42), London 1986 (The Magic Tour) (10’33), Ibiza 1987 (Part 1: Freddie’s 41st Birthday) (9’52), Ibiza 1987 (Part 2: Montserrat Caballé) (8’18), Ibiza 1987 (Part 3: The Great Pretender) (10’25)
Disc Eleven, The Video Collection (DVD): see Part Six
Disc Twelve, The Untold Story (DVD): see Part Six
Bonus disc (three-disc set only): ‘I Can Hear Music’ (3’30), ‘Love Kills’ (4’31), ‘The Great Pretender’ (3’28), ‘Living On My Own (1993 radio mix)’ (3’39), ‘In My Defence (2000 remix)’ (3’55), ‘Time (2000 remix)’ (4’02), ‘Love Kills (rock mix)’ (4’27)
What better way to commemorate Freddie Mercury than with this gargantuan box set collecting a generous portion of his recorded material – both released and previously unreleased – and concentrating mostly on his brief solo career? Aimed at the die-hard fans who have ample disposable income (initial prices averaged upwards of £150 in the UK, close to $200 in the US), The Solo Collection is not for the faint-hearted. With nearly ten hours of music and spoken word divided among ten discs, as well as a further three hours on two DVDs, there is enough material here to keep listeners busy for a long time.
Rumours of a box set started to formulate around 1996, when it was reported that John Deacon had remixed ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ for a planned box set; ultimately, this might have been wishful thinking, for that song never surfaced, nor did confirmation of John’s involvement. However, something was going on behind the scenes, and avid readers of Record Collector were given hints that that something would be spectacular. No one was ready, however, for The Solo Collection’s emergence in the autumn of 2000. Not only did it contain Freddie’s two solo albums (Mr Bad Guy and Barcelona), but also the remix album The Great Pretender, a disc of instrumentals, two full discs of singles and their variations, two discs of rarities from his two solo albums, a third disc of miscellaneous rarities, and an interview disc with David Wigg (evidently the only journalist Freddie ever trusted).
Lovingly compiled by Justin Shirley-Smith and assembled, researched and copiously annotated by Greg Brooks, The Solo Collection was intended to be the final, definitive release of Freddie’s solo career, with all the loose ends tied up. (It was this project that also sparked rumours, later confirmed, that a similar project was in store for Queen.) There’s little to complain about here: each disc is uncluttered, with accompanying notes about each album, previously unreleased song and ‘variation’ to serve as an example of how meticulous Freddie was. A lengthy essay and beautiful images by a handful of Freddie’s favourite photographers (including some early experimental sessions with Mick Rock), most accompanied by an explanation or anecdote by Brian May, make up the bulk of the extensive book, while the obligatory lyrics are also tucked neatly at the back.
It’s inevitable that, in a collection of such uncompromising size, a few tracks would be missed or not included. Major criticism over the lack of any of Freddie’s 1983 collaboration with Michael Jackson (which included ‘State Of Shock’, ‘Victory’ and ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’) or his appearance at the Time musical in 1988 was aimed at the set, though the official reason is simple enough: the people who own those tracks were not willing to let them go. Additionally, why only ‘Rain’ from Wreckage’s 1969 Liverpool gig was included instead of the full set is curious; again, the official reason is more of a deflection than anything concrete, with the vague explanation being that the sound quality for the remainder of the live set was below average. (As explained in the song entry for ‘Rain’, having heard the full set I can confirm that the quality is no worse than what is presented here.) Several auxiliary songs were also omitted, including single versions of ‘Living On My Own’, ‘Mr Bad Guy’, ‘The Fallen Priest’ and ‘The Golden Boy’, along with various reissue and extended variations of certain tracks, but these exclusions (or oversights) hardly detract from the listening experience.
Simply said, The Solo Collection is worth the price; for those more fiscally restricted, the three-disc Solo set is more affordable, containing Mr Bad Guy, Barcelona and a bonus disc running under a half hour of various songs from the many rarities discs on the ten-disc collection. But the more expansive (and expensive) set is recommended, and is the only place to go for everything that Freddie Mercury was and shall remain.
FREDDIE MERCURY
LOVER OF LIFE, SINGER OF SONGS:
THE VERY BEST OF FREDDIE MERCURY
Parlophone 00946 367169 2 3 (single disc edition),
September 2006 [6]
Parlophone 00946 371824 2 0 (double disc edition),
September 2006 [6]
Hollywood Records D000007802, September 2006
Single disc edition: ‘In My Defence’ (3’55), ‘The Great Pretender’ (3’28), ‘Living On My Own’ (1993 No More Brothers radio mix) (3’39), ‘Made In Heaven’ (4’06), ‘Love Kills’ (4’30), ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ (3’01), ‘Guide Me Home’ (2’50), ‘How Can I Go On’ (3’52), ‘Foolin’ Around’ (3’37), ‘Time’ (4’00), ‘Barcelona’ (5’40), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ (3’48), ‘I Was Born To Love You’ (3’40), ‘The Golden Boy’ (6’07), ‘Mr Bad Guy’ (4’12), ‘The Great Pretender’ (1992 Brian Malouf remix) (3’40), ‘Love Kills’ (Star Rider remix) (3’40), ‘I Can Hear Music’ (3’29), ‘Goin’ Back’ (3’35), ‘Guide Me Home’ (Thierry Lang piano version) (4’19)
Double disc edition, second disc: ‘Love Kills’ (Sunshine People radio mix) (3’17), ‘Made In Heaven’ (extended version) (4’50), ‘Living On My Own’ (The Egg remix) (5’38), ‘Love Kills’ (Rank 1 remix) (7’19), ‘Mr Bad Guy’ (Bad Circulation version) (3’26), ‘I Was Born To Love You (George Demure Almost Vocal mix) (4’02), ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ (extended version) (6’29), ‘Love Makin’ Love’ (demo) (3’38), ‘Love Kills’ (Pixel82 remix) (6’14), ‘I Was Born To Love You’ (extended version) (7’06), ‘Foolin’ Around’ (early version) (4’16), ‘Living On My Own’ (No More Brothers extended mix) (5’16), ‘Love Kills’ (More Oder Rework by The Glimmers) (6’53), ‘Your Kind Of Lover’ (vocal & piano version) (3’38), ‘Let’s Turn It On’ (a cappella) (3’04)
With what would have been Freddie’s sixtieth birthday looming, and the music-buying industry’s appreciation of rounded numbers signifying important events, Freddie’s estate and Queen Productions put together the first-ever single-disc compilation album of Freddie’s untouched solo material. There had been The Freddie Mercury Album and The Great Pretender back in 1992, of course, but those discs were predominantly remixes, and weren’t a true assessment of Freddie’s output. Solo, the three-disc companion piece to The Solo Collection, was a step towards presenti
ng his original visions, but that was designed as a catch-all for fans not willing – or able – to splurge on the more expansive box set.
Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs comes closest to maintaining Freddie’s original vision, mixing the best of his solo albums with the hit singles, and a few choice remixes thrown in for good measure. There’s the odd misstep – two versions of ‘The Great Pretender’ on the same disc is overkill, as well as the superfluous remixes of ‘Living On My Own’ and ‘Love Kills’ – and the closing ‘Guide Me Home’, as performed by Thierry Lang, is a questionable inclusion on a disc that should feature Freddie’s original songs, and not songs interpreted by others – no matter how good a performance it may be. But these are small, niggling complaints, and the disc is a superb cross-section of a solo career that Freddie only reluctantly agreed to, instead of bursting at the seams to assert his popularity outside of Queen.
The real problem comes on the double-disc editions, where a second disc of material is presented, with motives that are unclear. In a move similar to that right after Freddie died, the compilers packed the second disc full of remixes, all of them supremely uninteresting or insistently annoying, begging the question, why did anyone bother? Did the average – or even die-hard – Freddie fan really need four further remixes (in addition to the one on the first disc) of ‘Love Kills’, or two more ‘Living On My Own’ remixes – none of them, it must be said, the original extended remixes, but remixes of remixes? The selections from The Solo Collection – extended versions of ‘Made In Heaven’, ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ and ‘I Was Born To Love You’, the demo of ‘Love Makin’ Love’, and the alternate versions of ‘Foolin’ Around’, ‘Your Kind Of Lover’ and ‘Let’s Turn It On’ – are nice, if superfluous, and the “Bad Circulation” remix of ‘Mr. Bad Guy’ features some alternate, unfinalized lyrics, making for pleasant but inessential listening. But when faced with the option of packing the second disc full of something interesting, what fans are instead offered is another crass attempt to further the notion that Freddie’s dance-oriented excursions were his true passion, and that any of his songs from Mr. Bad Guy could be given anonymous club beats and be worthy of release on a related album.
