Billy Squier

Emotions In Motion 5:00
Appears on: Emotions In Motion LP

One of Billy Squier's best. The track itself is very bass and dance heavy, but still manages to keep somewhat of a rock feel. Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor provide backing vocals. Freddie's vocals are particularly recognizable in the background, while Roger singles the chorus with Billy. Recorded in January 1982, Munich, during the Hot Space sessions.

Emotions In Motion (Single Edit) 3:47
Appears on: Emotions In Motion 7" vinyl

An effective single edit, removing over a minute of the album version. The count-in is gone as are some instrumental bits. The largest edit removes the last minute of the song with a fade-out.

Lady With A Tenor Sax (Work In Progress) 4:02
Appears on: Freddie Mercury Solo Collection

This is a great track. The version on Squire's album Enough Is Enough has no Freddie vocals at all, even though he co-wrote it. The story goes that after they both recorded vocals, it was mutually decided that Billy's would be finished for the album. Well, here are Freddie's, which sounds more or less complete (the end of the second verse features some Freddie scat, but who cares?). It sounds like there was some mixing at the end (you'd have to hear the original to notice), probably to give the work-in-progress version a proper ending. No complaints here.

Love Is The Hero (12" Version) 5:22
Appears on: Love Is The Hero 12" vinyl, Freddie Mercury Solo Collection

This is the other Freddie song from Squire's Enough Is Enough album. The 12" Version features a great performance of the chorus, done solo by Freddie on piano (this is absent on the album). His vocals are heard as backing throughout the rest of the song, where he arguably outdoes Billy. This song, and this version, is definitely worth having.

Love Is The Hero (Reach For The Sky Extended Version) 5:15
Appears on: Reach For The Sky Compilation CD

This version, which appears on Billy Squire's collection Reach For The Sky, is slightly edited. Part of the bridge between the intro to the first verse is cut. Thankfully, all of Freddie's performance is intact. The Reach For The Sky collection also features the other three Queen-related tracks: (Another) 1984, Lady With A Tenor Sax and Emotions In Motions.

The Cross

Heaven For Everyone (Freddie Mercury Vocals) 4:54
Appears on: UK Shove It CD album, UK Shove It vinyl album, The Solo Collection

Two versions of this song were recorded for The Cross album Shove It. Freddie's vocals seem more suited to this song than Roger's (which are also pretty good), which is probably one of the reasons it was dusted off for Queen's Made In Heaven album. If this version sounds familiar, that's why. Roger sings the intro, middle-eight and outro, absent from the Queen version.

Eddie Howell

The Man From Manhattan 3:22
Appears on: The Solo Collection, Ghost Of A Smile, The Man From Manhattan CD

Man From Manhattan was recorded in Mid-January, 1976, just before the band flew to New York (where, incidentally, they guested on Ian Hunter's "You Nearly Did Me In"). This track sounds extremely Queen-like, and it should. Freddie produced, played piano, and provided backing vocals. To add to the Queen sound, Brian May played guitar and also provided backing vocals. A fantastic song, borrowing a lot musically from Killer Queen.

The Man From Manhattan (Back Again) 4:56
Appears on: Ghost Of A Smile, The Man From Manhattan CD

This is a dodgy re-cutting of the song. Now we get some backwards bits added. Stick the original version.

Man From Manhattan (Radio Version) 3:27
Appears on: UK Man From Manhattan CD single (1995)

A rather pointless edit/mix that appears on the CD single from 1995. The intro is very slightly different and a repeated section at 3 minutes.

Man From Manhattan (2018 Radio Mix) 3:55
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single

A new version of Man From Manhattan, produced by Mike Moran, features a brand new arrangement by the Pirate Swing Band while still retaining the original performances by Eddie Howell, Freddie Mercury, and Brian May, with some extra keyboard by Moran.

Man From Manhattan (2018 Extended Mix) 5:36
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single


Man From Manhattan (2018 Karaoke Mix) 3:54
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single

An instrumental version of the 2018 Radio Mix.

Ian Hunter

You Nearly Did Me In 5:46
Appears on: All-American Alien Boy (1976)

A great song from the former lead singer to Mott The Hoople. This track features Freddie, Brian, and Roger singing backing vocals. Appears on Hunter's All American Boy album, which was rereleased in 1996. Worth finding just for this song alone.

You Nearly Did Me In (Once Bitten Twice Shy Edit) 3:31

Appears on: Once Bitten Twice Shy compilation

A major edit, removing over two minutes of the song. Most notably the piano intro is gone along with the final three verses.

Jo Dare

Hold On 3:38
Appears on: The Solo Collection, Zabou Soundtrack

Unless you're into Queen trivia, you probably don't know that Jo Dare is dressed as the sexy cat-woman in Freddie's "Living On My Own" video. She matches Freddie's vocal acrobatics wonderfully on this song. This is a keeper.

Michael Jackson

State Of Shock (Demo) 4:43
Appears on: Unreleased

Here's a somewhat unpolished track, but still a strong effort. Because of commitments with Queen, Freddie never got around to finishing this with Jackson. He gave Michael his blessing to go on without him, so the song with recorded finally with Mick Jagger and The Jacksons, and released. This demo isn't radically different from the finished version.

There Must Be More To Life Than This (Demo) 2:04
Appears on: Unreleased

There Must Be More To Life Than This is a Freddie Mercury penned track that was first attempted during the Hot Space sessions in 1981. In the summer of 1983, the track was revisited by Freddie and Michael Jackson during their recording session at the Jackson residence in Encino, California. Three tracks were attempted that day, There Must Be More To Life Than This, State Of Shock, and Victory. A demo cassette was leaked from the Mercury/Jackson sessions containing this demo of There Must Be More To Life Than This and State Of Shock. This demo features Michael singing vocals to Freddie's piano backing. You hear Freddie prompt Michael to ad-lib at one point. A Queen + Michael Jackson version of this track was later completed in 2014 using some studio wizardry for the compilation album Queen Forever

Victory (Demo)
Appears on: Unreleased

The only track from the Freddie/Michael collaboration to have yet been leaked, this is a version of the track may have been recorded later by The Jacksons. A Queen version was attempted in 1983 for The Works sessions.

Peter Straker

Freddie Mercury co-produced Peter Straker's album This One's One Me with Roy Thomas Baker at Wessex and Sarm Studios in London. The album was released by EMI in 1977 in the UK.

Ada 0:36
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 1


I've Been To Hell & Back 2:56
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 2


I've Been To Hell & Back (Single Version) 3:01
Appears on: Jackie 7" promo
The album version of I've Been To Hell & Back segues into the next track, The Day The Talkies Came. This single version adds two lines from The Day The Talkies Came before fading out.

The Day The Talkies Came 4:33
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 3


Heart Be Still 4:06
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 4

Alabama Song 4:04
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 5


Ragtime Piano Joe 3:42
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 6


Jackie 3:15
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 7


Jackie (Single Version) 3:17
Appears on: Jackie 7" promo
This single version of Jackie is a stand-alone, complete version, whereas the album version harshy ends going into The Annual Penguin Show.

The Annual Penguin Show 4:39
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 8


The Saddest Clown 4:20
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 9


Vamp 5:20
Appears on: This One's On Me, Track 10


Roger Taylor

Killing Time (Album Version) 4:58
Appears on: Strange Frontier

Killing Time is an album track from Roger Taylor's 1984 album Strange Frontier. Freddie appears, uncredited, on backing vocals.

Stuart Leathem

Little Freddie Goes To School 5:22
Appears on: Little Freddie Goes To School digital download

Little Freddie Goes To School is a song written and performed by Stuart Leathem featuring Esther Trousdale. The song depicts young Freddie on his way to school in India and transforming into the rock icon he would become. The track was released on download digital formats only on September 7, 2015 with proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. The song features samples of When This Tired Old Body Wants To Sing, The Golden Boy, and Let's Turn It On.

Little Freddie Goes To School (Radio Mix) 4:39
Appears on: Little Freddie Goes To School digital download

The radio mix edits multiple parts of the introduction by a little less than a minute.

Little Freddie Goes To School (2021 Mix) 5:22
Appears on: Little Freddie Goes To School (2021 Mix) digital download

In 2021, Stuart Leathem, with engineer Myles Clarke, reworked, re-recorded, and rearranged Little Freddie Goes to School with what they feel is the definitive version. This new version was released in December 2021 as a three track digital download single.

Little Freddie Goes To School (2021 Single Mix) 3:37
Appears on: Little Freddie Goes To School (2021 Mix) digital download


Little Freddie Goes To School (2021 Instrumental Mix) 5:52
Appears on: Little Freddie Goes To School (2021 Mix) digital download