A Day At The Races


Back Sleeve


2004 Japan CD


Queen's fifth studio album, A Day At The Races, conceptually is a companion piece to their previous hit LP, A Night At The Opera. Unlike their previous albums, A Day At The Races was produced entirely by the band and engineered by Mike Stone at Wessex Studios, The Manor and Sarm East. The album was released on December 10, 1976 by EMI in the UK, reaching #1 and going Platinum, just like its predecessor. Released on December 14, 1976 by Elektra, the album wasn't as successful in the US but still reached a respectable #5 and also went Platinum.

For the album's first single, Freddie again delivers an epic masterpiece that draws more from Aretha Franklin and gospel than it does from opera. Somebody To Love was released on November 12, 1976 in the UK and December 10, 1976 in the US. The track peaked at #2 on the UK chart and #13 in the US. Brian May's Tie Your Mother Down followed in March 1977, reaching a modest #31 in the UK and a somewhat disappointing #49 in the US. In the same month, an exclusive single was released in Japan, a single edit of Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together), which featured Japanese lyrics. Queen's First E.P., headed by Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, followed in May, reaching #17 in the UK.

No Synths!


Tie Your Mother Down (Album Version) 4:46
Written by Brian May
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 1

Tie Your Mother Down (Single Version) 3:45
Written by Brian May
Appears on: US & UK Tie Your Mother Down 7" vinyl, Japan Somebody To Love 3" CD single, UK Somebody To Love 3" CD single, Classic Queen, Queen Rocks, UK The Singles Collection Volume 1
The exact same as the album version, just without the album's instrumental intro.

Tie Your Mother Down (Air Guitar Version) 4:00
Written by Brian May
Appears on: The Best Air Guitar Album In The World... Ever!, Jewels II
This is from Brian May's Air Guitar compilation albums. The track starts with the foot-stomp/clap and guitar solo of We Will Rock You. The rest of this version is exactly the same as the single mix.

Tie Your Mother Down (Greatest Flix Video Version) 3:33
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Greatest Flix
The Greatest Flix video version edits about 12 seconds out of the Single Version. The intro guitar is removed, so the track starts with drums. The end of the track is edited slightly, but also features an extra guitar chord.

Tie Your Mother Down (Video CD Version) 3:31
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK Greatest Flix I & II VCD
The Queen promo videos were released digitally for the first time in 1994 on video CD format. The two disc set featured Queen's most popular videos, some of which were minorly edited. On this video CD Somebody To Love and Tie Your Mother Down are cross-faded into each other and are one continuous file when ripped. Somebody To Love ends about 12 second early, fading out as Tie Your Mother Down blasts its ways in. The ending is faded slightly, removing the final couple of seconds from the song.

Tie Your Mother Down (Greatest Video Hits 1 Surround Mix) 3:46
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD
A new 96/24 DTS 5.1 surround mix of Tie Your Mother Down was made for the 2002 Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD. Most of the new mixes on this DVD (including this one) were produced and engineered by Justin Shirley-Smith with additional engineering and Pro Tools HD by Kris Fredriksson. The mixes were done at Sphere Studios, London. A few seconds of silence are added to the beginning of the track for the video title card on the DVD. This version does run slightly fast when comparing to other versions.

Tie Your Mother Down (Greatest Video Hits 1 Video Version) 3:41
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD
The video version from the Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD runs slightly fast when compared to other versions.

Tie Your Mother Down (1998 Karaoke Version) 3:39
Written by Brian May
Appears on: 1988 Greatest Karaoke Hits
The 1998 Karaoke Version is a nice instrumental version, however an incomplete one. The track is based off of the single version, but misses about 7 seconds of the guitar intro at the beginning. This version instead starts with the drum/cymbal crash.

Tie Your Mother Down (2004 Karaoke Version) 3:44
Written by Brian May
Appears on: 2004 Greatest Karaoke Hits
The 2004 Karaoke Version improves upon the earlier 1998 release. This version is a complete instrumental version of the song.

Tie Your Mother Down (Backing Track Mix 2011) 3:48
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK/US 2011 A Day At The Races Deluxe CD
This instrumental mix of Tie Your Mother Down was created from the original multitrack. Backing vocals are still in place to go along with the instrumental backing track. The song begins and ends with a little bit of studio banter.

Tie Your Mother Down (Demo with Guide Vocal) 4:00
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 2006 Dutch Fan Club Convention. From the A Day At The Races sessions, this version features Brian's guide vocal. The backing track is similar to the final version.

Tie Your Mother Down (Early Take - Wessex Sound Studios Reel To Reel Tape) 5:46
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Wessex Sound Studios 10" Reel To Reel Tape
This early take from a 10" Wessex Reel To Reel master tape features different outro vocals that do not appear on the final album cut. There are points that Freddie's final vocals do not appear, and there are moments where Brian and Roger sing on this take. The 10" tape itself lists six tracks (Intro, Tie Your Mother Down, You Take My Breath Away, Drowse, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, and Teo Torriatte). The time listed here includes the album intro.

Tie Your Mother Down (Matt Wallace Remix) 3:44
Written by Brian May
Appears on: A Day At The Races Hollywood Remaster (1991)
Matt Wallace (producer for Maroon 5 and Faith No More) remixed Tie Your Mother Down for Hollywood Records' 1991 re-release of A Day At The Races. Some minor effects are added to Freddie's lead vocal and some lead guitar are removed, which creates a very good and original mix.

Tie Your Mother Down (Re-Produced by Trent Reznor) 4:49
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Withdrawn Hollywood Records Promo CD
This withdrawn/unreleased remix by Trent Reznor is fantastic; possibly superior to his Stone Cold Crazy remix. This remix has a much more methodical, slower tempo, and has that classic Nine Inch Nails instrumental sound.

Tie Your Mother Down (The eYe Version) 0:39
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Queen: The eYe
From the Electronic Arts videogame, Queen: The eYe. This is the instrumental intro to the album version.

Tie Your Mother Down (Live from Rock In Rio, 1985) - Absolute Greatest Streaming Video Version 3:45
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK 2009 Absolute Greatest Streaming Video
A great live version from Queen's 1985 Rock In Rio concert.


You Take My Breath Away (Album Version) 5:04
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 2

You Take My Breath Away (Digital Master Sampler Edit a.k.a. Forever Edit) 4:38
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Digital Master Sampler, Forever Deluxe Edition
This edit first appeared on the Digital Master Sampler and later on the Deluxe Edition of Forever. The edit removes the vocal outro to the album version of the track.

You Take My Breath Away (Alternative Version - Wessex Sound Studios Reel To Reel Tape) 5:06
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Wessex Sound Studios 10" Reel To Reel Tape
This alternative take from a 10" Wessex Reel To Reel master tape features alternative backing vocals that do not appear on the final album cut. The 10" tape itself lists six tracks (Intro, Tie Your Mother Down, You Take My Breath Away, Drowse, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, and Teo Torriatte).

You Take My Breath Away (Intro Demo)
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 19th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. Freddie Mercury is on piano and vocal with just Mike Stone producing him in the studio.

You Take My Breath Away (The eYe Version) 3:52
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen: The eYe
From the Electronic Arts videogame, Queen: The eYe. An almost complete instrumental version. This is Freddie's piano backing track taken from the album version. Very nicely done and a really good alternative version.

You Take My Breath Away (Live In Hyde Park, 1976) 3:07
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK/US 2011 A Day At The Races Deluxe CD
This is the first live performance of You Take My Breath Away, debuting at the legendary Hyde Park concert in September 1976. This great live performance is just Freddie on vocals and piano.

You Take My Breath Away (Live at Earls Court, 1977) - iTunes Video Version 3:04
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK 2011 A Day At The Races Deluxe iTunes Download
This is a great performance of You Take My Breath Away from Queen's 1977 Earls Court concert. This is similar to the Hyde Park performance, again featuring just Freddie on stage providing piano and vocals. Fantastic.

You Take My Breath Away (Live at Earls Court, 1977) - Absolute Greatest Streaming Video Version 3:16
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK 2009 Absolute Greatest Streaming Video
This version adds Freddie's spoken intro to the song, which isn't present on the iTunes Video Version. It ends at roughly the same point as the iTunes version, just cutting away some of the crowd reaction.

Long Away (Album Version) 3:35
Written by Brian May
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 3

Long Away (Instrumental Take) 3:30
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Unreleased
An instrumental take of Long Away debuted at the 2005 UK fan club convention. The backing track is very similar to the final version.


The Millionaire Waltz (Album Version) 4:54
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 4

The Millionaire Waltz (Live from The Summit, Houston, 1977) - Absolute Greatest Streaming Video Version 3:38
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK 2009 Absolute Greatest Streaming Video
A really nice live version from the 1977 Houston concert. A good live representation of this complex song.

You and I (Album Version) 3:25
Written by John Deacon
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 5

You And I (Instrumental Take with Backing Vocals) 3:34
Written by John Deacon
Appears on: Unreleased
An instrumental take that included some backing vocals was played at the 2005 UK Fan Club Convention. The take is a bit longer than the album version due to a lack of a fade-out. The band keep playing to the end of the track.

Somebody To Love (Album Version) 4:56
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 6

Somebody To Love (Forever Edit a.k.a. US Greatest Hits Video Version) 4:53
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: US Hollywood Records Greatest Hits VHS, Forever, Forever Deluxe Edition
The Somebody To Love was edited the same way for two seperate Queen releases. The edit first appeared on Hollywood Records 1992 VHS edition of Greatest Hits. The edit was done again 22 years later for the compilation album "Forever". The edit itself is a very simple one; omitting the final piano note.

Somebody To Love (Greatest Video Hits 1 Surround Mix) 5:09
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD
A new 96/24 DTS 5.1 surround mix of Somebody To Love was made for the 2002 Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD. Most of the new mixes on this DVD (including this one) were produced and engineered by Justin Shirley-Smith with additional engineering and Pro Tools HD by Kris Fredriksson. The mixes were done at Sphere Studios, London. A few seconds of silence are added to the beginning of the track for the video title card on the DVD. The track ends the same as the video version, adding the crowd cheering at the end.

Somebody To Love (Greatest Video Hits 1 Video Version) 5:01
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1
The Somebody To Love video version removes the initial piano note and has an added live ending with crowd cheering.

Somebody To Love (Greatest Flix Video Version) 4:43
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Flix
The Greatest Flix video version fades into the next song (Tie Your Mother Down) before the song ends properly.

Somebody To Love (Video CD Version) 4:44
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Greatest Flix I & II VCD
The Queen promo videos were released digitally for the first time in 1994 on video CD format. The two disc set featured Queen's most popular videos, some of which were minorly edited. On this video CD Somebody To Love and Tie Your Mother Down are cross-faded into each other and are one continuous file when ripped. Somebody To Love ends about 12 second early, fading out as Tie Your Mother Down blasts its ways in.

Somebody To Love (Jewels Video Version) 5:03
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Jewels DVD, UK 2011 A Day At The Races Deluxe iTunes Download
The Somebody To Love Jewels Video Version keeps the initial piano note and has an added live ending with crowd cheering. The only difference with the Greatest Video Hits 1 version is the inclusion of the first piano note.

Somebody To Love (Days Of Our Lives Video Version) 4:55
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Days Of Our Lives Blu-Ray, Days Of Our Lives DVD
The excellent 2011 DVD/Blu-Ray documentary release Days Of Our Lives featured bonus material that included additional videos. Somebody To Love was one of the featured videos. This version is just like the album version, except the opening piano note is removed.

Somebody To Love (1998 Karaoke Version) 4:52
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: 1998 Greatest Karaoke Hits
An incomplete instrumental version. The track fades out early at the end.

Somebody To Love (2004 Karaoke Version) 5:00
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: 2004 Greatest Karaoke Hits
The 2004 Karaoke Version is an almost complete instrumental version. This version does not fade early like the 1998 version. It does not, however, include the final piano note.

Somebody To Love (Karaoke Video Version) 4:47
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Karaoke Hits DVD
This version is very similar to the Greatest Karaoke Hits CD version, except this video version fades out earlier.

Somebody To Love (Vocal Out-takes) 1:22
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
These tracks premiered at the 19th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. These out-takes feature a chorus bridge excerpt and a chorus intro excerpt. The source is from unused sections 2 and 3 from the multitrack master.

Somebody To Love (Randy Badazz Remix) 5:00
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: A Day At The Races Hollywood Remaster (1991)
Randy "Badazz" Alpert (nephew of Herb Albert and co-writter of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize") remixed Somebody To Love for Hollywood Records' 1991 re-release of A Day At The Races. Randy's remix is very similar to the album mix. Lead vocals, keyboards, and backing vocals are phased at different parts of the song. Some added percussion is thrown in here and there. Not a very special remix which actually takes away from the song's gospel feel.


White Man (Album Version) 4:59
Written by Brian May
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 7

Good Old-Fashioned Lover-Boy (Album Version) 2:53
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 8

Good Old-Fashioned Lover-Boy (Top of the Pops Version) 2:52
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD, UK/US 2011 A Day At The Races Deluxe CD
A new studio take of Good Old-Fashioned Lover-Boy was recorded and mimed for a July 1977 episode of Top Of The Pops. This is a great up-tempo alternative version. Roger sings Mike Stone's part and Brian debuts a new guitar solo. Also of note, the track is in mono.

Official Queen Archivist Greg Brooks on the Good Old-Fashioned Lover-Boy sessions: The song did feature in Queen's live shows, but few recordings seem to have survived. Archive alternatives are limited to a few takes which falter or break down early. Nothing of any substance lurks unreleased, though the backing track, again, sounds absurdly alien without the familiar Mercurial tones. - Record Collector, June 2002


Drowse (Album Version) 3:43
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 9

Drowse (Forever Edit) 3:38
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: Forever, Forever Deluxe Edition
Both editions of the 2014 compilation CD "Forever" contain this edit of Drowse. This version fades out 5 seconds earlier than the album version.


Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (Album Version) 5:51
Written by Brian May
Appears on: A Day At The Races, Track 10

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (Single Version) 5:02
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Japan Teo Torriatte 7" vinyl
The single version of Teo Torriatte is the same as the album version, just without the album outro section. Some of the outro can be detected as the single version fades to silence at the end.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (2001 Japan Greatest Hits Edit) 5:05
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Japan Greatest Hits 2001 Remaster
Again, just like the album and single version, just fading out at a different point in the song. More of the outro is included here as opposed to the single version.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (2011 Japan Greatest Hits Edit) 5:07
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Japan Greatest Hits 2011 Remaster
This appears on the exclusive Japanese Greatest Hits re-release from 2011. Bob Ludwig has of course remastered this track as long as the rest of the album; it is unknown who did the edit however. This edit is very similar to the 2001 Greatest Hits Edit, but fades out at a slightly different point.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (Alternative Take - Wessex Sound Studios Reel To Reel Tape)
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Wessex Sound Studios 10" Reel To Reel Tape
This alternative take from a 10" Wessex Reel To Reel master tape features different background vocals that do not appear on the final album cut. The 10" tape itself lists six tracks (Intro, Tie Your Mother Down, You Take My Breath Away, Drowse, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, and Teo Torriatte). The track/album outro is not included on this tape.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (High Definition Mix 2005) 5:52
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Jewels II, Japan 2008 In Vision
A new mix of the album version by Brian May. Astonishingly clear with many background elements brought to the front. It is very neat to compare this to the original. Guaranteed you'll hear new things that you didn't before. Highly recommended.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (High Definition Mix 2005 - Promo Edit) 4:43
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Japan Teo Torriatte CD promo single
This is the same great High Definition Mix that appears on Jewels II, except that it fades out before the instrumental outro begins. I prefer this to the actual full-length mix.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (High Definition Mix 2005 - 2011 Edit) 4:49
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK/US 2011 A Day At The Races Deluxe CD
This version of the HD Mix appears exclusively on the 2011 A Day At The Races remaster. The track is virtually identical to the promo single edit; the outro ends with the full piano note and does not fadeout. As a result, this version is a full standalone version of the HD Mix without the album outro.

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (High Definition Mix 2005 - Days Of Our Lives Video Version) 5:30
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Japan Days Of Our Lives Blu-Ray, Japan Days Of Our Lives DVD
This version of the HD Mix appears exclusively as a video on the Japanese release of Days Of Our Lives. The song fades out about 20 seconds earlier than the album version. Cheering crowd noises have been mixed over the fade-out point as well.