Queen's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, sees the band move away from the fantasy inspired themes of Queen II. Instead, Queen deliver a thirteen-track album that is more accessible to the masses, featuring well crafted rock and pop songs, suitable for the top 40. The album is recorded at Trident, Wessex, Rockfield and Air Studios with the band and Roy Thomas Baker handling production duties along with Mike Stone's engineering. Sheer Heart Attack was released in the UK on November 4, 1974 by EMI, just missing the top spot, peaking at #2 and going Platinum. Released on November 12, 1974 by Elektra, the album was a success in the United States as well, reaching #12 in the charts and Gold sales status.

Killer Queen, released in October 1974 in both the UK and US, continued the momentum for the band. The radio-friendly single became their first hit in the US, giving Queen valuable airplay. Meanwhile, in the UK, the single hit #2 and obtained a Silver sales award. No follow-up single was released in America, whereas Now I'm Here was released as a second single in the UK, reaching #12.

The 1977 album track from News Of The World, also entitled Sheer Heart Attack, was started during these sessions, but was left unfinished at the time. Four tracks would be revisited for Queen's fifth BBC session. Little has been divulged of what other outtakes or unreleased songs were recorded during sessions for this album. In 1990, Metallica released a cover of Stone Cold Crazy, which won a Grammy Award.

… no synthesizers.

Brighton Rock (Album Version) 5:10
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 1

Brighton Rock (The eYe Version) 0:13
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Queen: The eYe
From the Electronic Arts videogame, Queen: The eYe. This edit for the videogame is the first 13 seconds of the album version, featuring just some of the carnival sound effects at the beginning of the track.

Brighton Rock (Early Demo a.k.a. Brighton Fuck) 4:07
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 19th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. The demo has no Carousel intro, few vocals, different/unfinished lyrics, and an extended guitar solo. The working title for the track at this point was "Brighton Fuck".

Official Queen Archivist Greg Brooks on the Brighton Rock sessions: 'Brighton Rock' was actually conceived for Queen II, but was not finished then and so was revisited at Wessex and Rockfield studios for Queen's third LP. The numerous 'rehearsal' takes in the vaults are testament to the painstaking work which went into every note and word of the track. Brian is on record as saying that when a band member gave over a song to Freddie, he truly gave it new dimensions, depth and life which would not otherwise have been realised. 'Brighton Rock' is top of the list in this respect. 'Happy Little Fuck' was the working title of this song. It was further referred to as 'Happy Little Day', 'Blackpool Rock', 'Bognor Ballad', 'Southend Sea Scout', 'Skiffle Rock' and 'Herne Bay'. Session engineer Mike Stone is the likely culprit of some of the titles, though like most other bands, Queen frequently employed working titles during the song development process. - Record Collector, June 2002


Killer Queen (Album Version) 3:00
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 2

Killer Queen (Greatest Video Hits 1 Surround Mix) 3:06
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD
A new 96/24 DTS 5.1 surround mix of Killer Queen 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.

Killer Queen (US Greatest Hits Video Version) 2:51
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: US Hollywood Records Greatest Hits VHS
The 1992 companion VHS to Hollywood Records' Queen Greatest Hits featured many videos with some minor audio edits. Killer Queen from that VHS fades-out roughly 9 seconds earlier than the album version.

Killer Queen (Video CD Version) 2:56
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. Killer Queen had the first three finger clicks edited off and an early fade at the end.

Killer Queen (Days Of Our Lives Video Version) 2:43
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Days Of Our Lives DVD, Days Of Our Lives Blu-Ray
The excellent 2011 DVD/Blu-Ray documentary release Days Of Our Lives featured bonus material that included additional videos. Killer Queen was one of the featured videos. This version was edited quite a bit at the end, removing most of the guitar outro.

Killer Queen (Live at Earls Court, 1977) - Absolute Greatest Streaming Video Version 2:16
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK 2009 Absolute Greatest Streaming Video
This performance from Earls Court was made available as a bonus streaming video for 2009's Absolute Greatest. It is similar to the Live Killers version; it is the first part of a medley, causing the track to abruptly end.


Tenement Funster (Album Version) 2:56
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 3

Tenement Funster (Single Version) 2:56
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: UK Queen's First EP 7" vinyl, UK Queen's First EP 3" CD single, UK The Singles Collection Volume 1, US Queen's First EP CD single
This single version fades out with the piano intro to Flick Of The Wrist.

Tenement Funster (Japan 3" CD Single Version) 2:58
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: Japan Queen's First EP 3" CD single
A completely stand-alone version of the track, featuring no part of Flick of the Wrist (the two tracks segue together on the album). This Japanese exclusive single version ends on the fading guitar chord at the end of the song (where Flick of the Wrist would normally be starting). This is a really nice version and worth having just to hear the track stand out on its own.

Tenement Funster (BBC Session 5) 3:00
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: UK/US 2011 Sheer Heart Attack Deluxe CD, On Air
Queen's fifth BBC Radio session was recorded on October 16, 1974 at Maida Vale 4 Studio in London. The session was produced by Jeff Griffin and engineered by Chris Lycett. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on the Bob Harris program on November 4, 1974. Like all of the BBC Session 5 tracks, the band used the album backing track as a starting point. Roger recorded a new vocal performance for this session that is slightly different but similar to the album version. The track ends properly without the Flick Of The Wrist cross-fade, just like the Japanese 3" CD Single Version.

Tenement Funster (BBC Session 5 with DJ Chatter) 3:16
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Bob Harris comments on how unique it is to hear Queen without Freddie Mercury lead vocal and encourages everyone to see them live.

Tenement Funster (Instrumental Demo) 3:05
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at both the 2004 UK and Dutch Fan Club Conventions. This is an instrumental demo that has a similar performance to the final backing track used on the album version. The song ends with the piano intro to Flick Of The Wrist.


Flick Of The Wrist (Album Version) 3:22
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 4

Flick Of The Wrist (Single Version) 3:21
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Killer Queen 7" vinyl, Japan Killer Queen 3" CD single, UK The Singles Collection Volume 1
A stand-alone version that starts with a slightly shortened piano opening. Track ends with the "baby you've been had" lyrics and a drawn out guitar chord.

Flick Of The Wrist (US Single Version) 3:10
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: US Killer Queen 7" vinyl
This single version starts similarly to the other versions, just with no piano intro. The end fades into the intro of Lily of the Valley. Probably the worst of the Flick of the Wrist edits.

Flick Of The Wrist (Japan Single Version) 3:08
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Japan Killer Queen 7" vinyl
The Japanese 7" version of Flick Of The Wrist is a unique edit from Elektra and is not the same as the US single version. The initial piano intro is edited off the beginning, leaving the track to start - with the guitar squeal (just like the 16 Best version). The track ends abruptly with the guitar squeal after "baby you've been had..." Special thanks to Queen collector Craig Piper for finding this edit.

Flick Of The Wrist (Dutch Single Version) 3:23
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Dutch Killer Queen 7" vinyl
A true stand-alone version that has the complete piano opening. The track ends with the "baby you've been had" lyrics and a drawn out guitar chord.

Flick Of The Wrist (UK 3" CD Single Version) 3:19
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Killer Queen 3" CD single
This mix starts from the last chord of Tenement Funster. The end of the track fades with the "all this time honey..." lyrics.

Flick Of The Wrist (16 Best Version) 3:04
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Japan 16 Best cassette
16 Best, a rare Japanese Queen compilation cassette, features this edit. This edits off the segue from Tenement Funster and retains the segue to Lily Of The Valley, the next song. The time noted is based on the 2011 Sheer Heart Attack remaster's track separation point (after the last "All this time, honey..."). This edit cuts off the piano intro and starts with the first guitar squeal.

Flick Of The Wrist (BBC Session 5) 3:26
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK/US 2011 Sheer Heart Attack Deluxe CD, On Air
Queen's fifth BBC Radio session was recorded on October 16, 1974 at Maida Vale 4 Studio in London. The session was produced by Jeff Griffin and engineered by Chris Lycett. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on the Bob Harris program on November 4, 1974. Like all of the BBC Session 5 tracks, the band used the album backing track as a starting point. Freddie provides a new vocal track and Brian adds some extra guitar. This is a good version of the song, but Freddie's vocal performance isn't as strong as the proper album version.

Flick Of The Wrist (BBC Session 5 with DJ Chatter) 3:31
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Bob Harris comments on how much of a pleasure it is to have Queen on the program.

Flick Of The Wrist (Instrumental Demo with Backing Vocals) 3:17
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 19th International UK Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. The performance is similar to the take used on the final album version.


Lily Of The Valley (Album Version) 1:43
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 5

Lily Of The Valley (Single Version) 1:40
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Now I'm Here 7" vinyl, UK The Singles Collection Volume 1, Forever, Forever Deluxe Edition
This single version starts with the fading last guitar chord of Flick Of The Wrist.

Lily Of The Valley (US Single Version) 1:35
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: US Keep Yourself Alive 7" vinyl (1975)
This version from the Elektra 7" release features a complete stand-alone version of the track with no segue from Flick Of The Wrist.

Lily Of The Valley (Digital Master Sampler Edit 1:46)
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Digital Master Sampler
The Digital Master Sampler version of Lily Of The Valley fades in with the "baby you've been had" lyrics from Flick of the Wrist and the ending rumble of In The Lap of the Gods (which preceded it in the Master Sampler track listing). A very weird edit.


Now I'm Here (Album Version) 4:13
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 6

Now I'm Here (US Greatest Hits Video Version) 3:57
Written by Brian May
Appears on: US Hollywood Records Greatest Hits VHS
The 1992 companion VHS to Hollywood Records' Queen Greatest Hits featured many videos with some minor audio edits. Now I'm Here from that VHS fades-out roughly 16 seconds earlier than the album version, directly after "go, go, go little queenie".

Now I'm Here (Rocks Video Version) 3:59
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Rocks VHS
The 1998 Rocks VHS video compilation features an edit of Now I'm Here that ends about 14 seconds early than the album version. The lyric "go, go, go little queenie", along with a bit of the guitar are all the remains of the end.

Now I'm Here (BBC Session 5) 4:18
Written by Brian May
Appears on: On Air
Queen's fifth BBC Radio session was recorded on October 16, 1974 at Maida Vale 4 Studio in London. The session was produced by Jeff Griffin and engineered by Chris Lycett. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on the Bob Harris program on November 4, 1974. Like all of the BBC Session 5 tracks, the band used the album backing track as a starting point. Freddie provides a new vocal track and Brian adds some extra guitar during the solo.

Now I'm Here (BBC Session 5 with DJ Chatter) 4:25
Written by Brian May
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Bob Harris comments that this is the first of four songs being played that evening.

Now I'm Here (Alternative Version - Trident Reel To Reel Tape) 4:17
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Trident 10" Reel To Reel Tape
In February 2012, a Scotch 10" Reel To Reel master recording of Sheer Heart Attack was auctioned in the UK. The tape was sourced from Trident Studios and came directly from a colleague of John Reid. The tape features 6 tracks ("Lap Of The Gods - Part 2", "Brighton Rock", "Killer Queen" "Now I'm Here", "Dear Friends", and "She Makes Me"). All of the tracks but two are the album version. This version of Now I'm Here is the album version with an interesting addition; Engineer Mike Stone audibly calls out "Let's have some rock n' roll" before the guitars kick in.

Now I'm Here (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1979) 6:59
Written by Brian May
Appears on: The Concert for the People of Kampuchea
Paul McCartney organized a series of concerts at the end of 1979 to raise money for Cambodia. These concerts included acts such as Queen, The Who, and The Clash. Queen's concert was recorded in December 1979 and their live version of Now I'm Here was featured on The Concert for the People of Kampuchea LP. This performance is similar to other Now I'm Here performances of this period. Freddie does some vocal exercises with the audience in the middle of the track.

Now I'm Here (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1979) - Absolute Greatest Streaming Version 6:49
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK 2009 Absolute Greatest Streaming Video
Recorded live from the Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, this version differs greatly from the live performance given just 4 years earlier. This performance has Freddie doing a long vocal multiplex solo with himself and some more instrumental parts from the band. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Live Killers version.


In The Lap Of The Gods (Album Version) 3:22
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 7

In The Lap Of The Gods (Hollywood Remaster Error) 3:20
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack Hollywood Remaster - Early Pressing (1991)
A minor remaster error (or an alternative mixing) of this track was released with the initial Hollywood Records Sheer Heart Attack longbox CD shipments in 1991. The error was corrected for later shipments. This one is pretty hard to find now, for it was corrected quickly. The error occurs at 0:22 into the track with some of the backing "oooh oooh" vocals omitted.


Stone Cold Crazy (Album Version) 2:14
Written by Queen
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 8

Stone Cold Crazy (Rocks Video Version) 2:13
Written by Queen
Appears on: Queen Rocks VHS
The audio from the Rocks Video Version is the exact same as the album version, except Freddie is overdubbed at the beginning of track introducing the song from a live performance (possibly the Rainbow performance).

Stone Cold Crazy (BBC Session 5) 2:17
Written by Queen
Appears on: On Air
Queen's fifth BBC Radio session was recorded on October 16, 1974 at Maida Vale 4 Studio in London. The session was produced by Jeff Griffin and engineered by Chris Lycett. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on the Bob Harris program on November 4, 1974. Like all of the BBC Session 5 tracks, the band used the album backing track as a starting point. Freddie provides a new vocal performance for this recording.

Stone Cold Crazy (BBC Session 5 with DJ Chatter) 2:18
Written by Queen
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Bob Harris comments that this is the best thing he's heard in a long time.

Stone Cold Crazy (Michael Wagener Remix - Version 1) 2:16
Written by Queen
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack Hollywood Remaster (1991) (Early Pressing), Encino Man soundtrack, Hollywood Records Stone Cold Crazy 3 track Promo CD
The First Wagener Remix appeared on early pressings of Hollywood's 1991 Sheer Heart Attack remaster and on the Encino Man Soundtrack. This first remix sounds noisier overall. The vocals are processed, and the drums/guitars are mixed differently. The remix also ends with laughter at the end. Also, the line "I ran right outta juice" is mixed to the right channel in the First Remix, whereas the Second Remix has it in the center channel.

Stone Cold Crazy (Michael Wagener Remix - Version 2) 2:14
Written by Queen
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack Hollywood Remaster (1991), Encino Man soundtrack, Hollywood Records Stone Cold Crazy 3 track Promo CD
The second Wagener remix sounds much closer to the proper Queen version and there is no laughter at the end. Not as exciting as the first mix.

Stone Cold Crazy (Re-Produced By Trent Reznor) 3:49
Written by Queen
Appears on: Hollywood Records Stone Cold Crazy 3 track Promo CD, Hollywood Records Freakshow Promo Sampler CD, BASIC Queen Bootlegs promo CD
An awesome remix done by Reznor, mixing the Queen sound with the Nine Inch Nails industrial sound. This remix includes studio sound bites from the band at the beginning and end of the track, including Freddie saying, "That should have been a good take" at the end. Definitely worth finding; one of the best Queen remixes ever.


Dear Friends (Album Version) 1:07
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 9


Misfire (Album Version) 1:49
Written by John Deacon
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 10


Bring Back That Leroy Brown (Album Version) 2:15
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 11

Bring Back That Leroy Brown (A Cappella Mix 2011) 2:18
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK/US 2011 Sheer Heart Attack Deluxe CD
Mixed from the original multitrack, the A Cappella Mix of Bring Back That Leroy Brown is almost exclusively a vocal version of the track. Some piano, drums, bass, and guitar appear here and there, but this is all about spotlighting the vocal tracks. An interesting listen to hear the work that went into the vocals.

Bring Back That Leroy Brown (The eYe Version) 0:24
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen: The eYe
From the Electronic Arts videogame, Queen: The eYe. This edit is simply the first 24 seconds of the album track.


She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettoes) (Album Version) 4:09
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 12

Official Queen Archivist Greg Brooks on the She Makes Me sessions: As far as its history goes, the song title never deviated, and only a few pieces of out-takes survive in the archive. It's entirely feasible that the remnants left over are the result of pilfering here and there, during the original sessions, for pieces which ultimately went on to make up the master. This was common practice, and numerous tapes were left with the words 'Removed to reel 3' or 'removed to master', and the like. And no, none of the out-takes feature Freddie taking lead vocal. - Record Collector, June 2002


In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited (Album Version) 3:42
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Sheer Heart Attack, Track 13

In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited (Digital Master Sampler Edit) 3:38
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Digital Master Sampler
The final exploding effect is somewhat cut from the track as it is edited into the beginning of Lily of the Valley (which is the next track on the Sampler Disc). Lily of the Valley fades in at the end of the track.

In The Lap Of The Gods - Part 2 (Alternative Version - Trident Reel To Reel Tape) 3:46
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Trident 10" Reel To Reel Tape
In February 2012, a Scotch 10" Reel To Reel master recording of Sheer Heart Attack was auctioned in the UK. The tape was sourced from Trident Studios and came directly from a colleague of John Reid. The tape features 6 tracks ("Lap Of The Gods - Part 2", "Brighton Rock", "Killer Queen" "Now I'm Here", "Dear Friends", and "She Makes Me"). All of the tracks but two are the album version. This version of In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited is labeled as "In The Lap Of The Gods - Part 2" on the tape box. Instead of ending with the large explosion, the track continues with the band playing to a rough end. Roy Thomas Baker can be heard bantering at the end.

In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited (The eYe Version) 0:30
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen: The eYe
From the Electronic Arts videogame, Queen: The eYe. A very nice snippet from the album version for use in the videogame. The track begins at "I can see what you want me to be...", and goes through to the chorus. The backing instrumentation fades out before the vocal, leaving Freddie to sing a capella for the final few seconds.

In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited (Early Instrumental Take) 3:04
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at both the 2004 UK and Dutch Fan Club Conventions. This is a full instrumental take that is similar to the performance of the final album version. There are a few added piano bits to finish the take.