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The Great Pretender 3:29
Written by Ram
Appears on: UK
The Great Pretender 7" vinyl, UK
The Great Pretender 7" picture disc, UK
The Great Pretender 12" vinyl, UK
The Great Pretender 7" vinyl (1993), UK
The Great Pretender CD single (1993), The
Solo Collection, Lover
Of Life Singer Of Songs, Lover
Of Life Singer Of Songs (Limited Edition), Solo
A cover of The Platters' hit and a very good one at that. There was no
solo album released to accompany this, though he had started working on
one which eventually was overtaken by the Barcelona project.
The Great Pretender (Extended Version) 5:54
Written by Ram
Appears on: UK
The Great Pretender 12" vinyl, The
Solo Collection
Not bad, but the original mix is far better. The opening is drawn out,
but the really significant changes come around the four-minute mark, where
the song doubles back on itself and repeats the ending. The song loses
its momentum there, and suffers for it, but regains its footing at the
end.
The Great Pretender (Brian Malouf Mix) 3:39
Written by Ram
Appears on: US
The Great Pretender CD, UK
The Great Pretender CD single (1993), Remixes
CD, The
Solo Collection, Lover
Of Life Singer Of Songs, Lover
Of Life Singer Of Songs (Limited Edition), US
The Great Pretender promo CD
Another truly great Malouf remix, this version could very well top the
original. The backing is all new, with fifties-style piano and rhythm
guitar, along with Freddie's original backing vocals, giving the song
a greater feel for the period it was written in. This is remixing at its
finest.
The Great Pretender (Instrumental Version) 3:26
Written by Ram
Appears on: The
Solo Collection
This is the full backing track, complete with harmonies. Without Freddie's
vocal, it lacks the punch of the standard version, but you get hear everything
going on in the background.
The Great Pretender (Film Mix) 3:20
Written by Ram
Appears on: US
The Great Pretender promo CD
The Great Pretender was used in the 1992 Robert De Niro film Night And
The City. The Film Mix appears on the 1992 Hollywood Records promo CD
with the Brian Malouf Mix. The Film Mix is an interesting remix of the
song. It's base is the original single release version from 1987, but
sped up; which accounts for the shorter running time. Additionally, there
are some added synth string bits throughout the entire song. Finally,
at 0:51 there is an additional vocal overdub of Freddie at the line "real
shame." This would be a good mix if it weren't sped up.
The Great Pretender (Extended Video Version)
5:54
Written by Ram
Apepars on: The
Solo Collection, Lover Of Life Singer Of Songs DVD
The Extended Video Version uses the audio from the Extended Version and
has soundbites from the making of the video in the mix. The video itself
is entertaining to watch, but the audio doesn't stand up on it's own due
to the soundbites.
The Great Pretender (Original Demo) 3:04
Written by Ram
Appears on: The
Solo Collection
Freddie more or less had the song down in this demo. The backing has piano
rather than synthesizers and a finishes nicely after the vocal.
Exercises In Free Love 3:56
Written by Mercury/Moran
Appears on: UK
The Great Pretender 7" vinyl, UK
The Great Pretender 7" picture disc, UK
The Great Pretender 12" vinyl, UK
The Great Pretender CD single (1993), The
Solo Collection, The
Freddie Mercury Album, UK
Barcelona 7" vinyl, UK
Barcelona 12" vinyl, UK
Barcelona 12" picture disc, UK
Barcelona CD single, UK
Barcelona 7" vinyl (1992), UK
Barcelona CD single (1992), US
The Great Pretender CD
A haunting and sweet track, with no lyrics, but Freddie in excellent voice
hitting the high notes, this was recorded during "The Great Pretender"
sessions in anticipation of Freddie meeting opera diva Montserrat Caballe.
When he played it for her, it more or less kicked off the entire Barcelona
project. This piece would eventually be given proper lyrics and become
the track "Ensueno." All in all, a real treat and a strong track that
more than stands on its own.
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