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