Forever


Back Sleeve


CD

There Must Be More To Life Than This

There Must Be More To Life Than This featuring Michael Jackson (William Orbit Mix) 3:27
Written by Freddie Mercury
Performers: Queen (Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon) + Michael Jackson
Appears on:
Forever, Forever Deluxe Edition
After years of rumors, false starts, and red tape with the Michael Jackson estate, the Queen/Michael Jackson version of There Must Be More To Life Than This finally appeared on the 2014 compilation album "Forever". The Jackson estate approved the William Orbit Mix for release over the Chris Thomas/Queen produced version. The William Orbit Mix is sourced from Jackson's 1983 vocal take in Encino while Mercury/Deacon/Taylor's backing tracks are from either the 1981 Hot Space sessions or the 1983 The Works sessions. Orbit states that Brian May never played on the track (at least on the master tapes he had access to), so a new performance by Brian was recorded by Orbit in 2014. Orbit was given full creative freedom on his mix by the band, so additional programming and keyboards were added by him as well. The final product has received mixed reviews from Queen fans. The production and mixing of Freddie's vocal versus Jackson's vocal are the main source of contention. The first verse is sung by Freddie, the second verse is sung by Jackson, and the third verse is a duet between the two of them

There Must Be More To Life Than This featuring Michael Jackson (Queen Mix)
Written by Freddie Mercury
Performers: Queen (Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon) + Michael Jackson
Appears on:
Unreleased
In 2011, Queen signed with Universal Music, first under the Island Records label and then later under the Virgin EMI label. Universal wanted a new compilation album called Queen Forever for a Christmas release in 2011; their one mandate was for a Queen/Michael Jackson version of There Must Be More To Life Than This. This release did not happen at the time because rights were not granted by the Jackson estate. Roughly a year later, Brian May and Roger Taylor were finally able to work with the 1983 master tapes that were recorded by Freddie and Michael. On July 28, 2013, Brian May announced on his website the he, Roger, and producer Chris Thomas finished a track "with two great singers". Over a year later, a new compilation album entitled Queen Forever was announced for release in November 2014. A Queen version of There Must Be More To Life Than This featuring Michael Jackson was confirmed for inclusion on the CD. The version that was released for Queen Forever was not the Queen/Chris Thomas produced version, but a different version produced by William Orbit.

Victory

Victory
Written by Michael Jackson
Performers: Queen (Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon) + Michael Jackson (maybe)
Appears on:
Unreleased
Confirmed to exist by Queen Archivist Greg Brooks at the 16th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. Greg Brooks confirmed that Queen sang backing vocals. It is unknown if Michael sang lead vocals. A Queen version was later attempted during The Works sessions.