Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury (56 page)

BOOK: Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury
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Discography

In 2011, as part of their fortieth-anniversary celebrations, Queen released remastered, expanded, and repackaged versions of all fifteen of their studio albums. Visit
www.queenonline.com
.

QUEEN ALBUMS

Dates given in parentheses are US releases.

Queen
, 13 July 1973 (4 September 1973)

Queen II
, 8 March 1974 (9 April 1974)

Sheer Heart Attack
, 8 November 1974 (12 November 1974)

A Night at the Opera
, 21 November 1975 (2 December 1975)

A Day at the Races
, 10 December 1976 (18 December 1976)

News of the World
, 28 October 1977 (1 November 1977)

Jazz
, 10 November 1978 (14 November 1978)

Live Killers
, 22 June 1979 (26 June 1979)

The Game
, 30 June 1980 (30 June 1980)

Flash Gordon
, 8 December 1980 (27 January 1981)

Greatest Hits
, 2 November 1981 (3 November 1981)

Hot Space
, 21 May 1982 (25 May 1982)

The Works
, 27 February 1984 (28 February 1984)

The Complete Works
, 2 December 1985: limited-edition boxed set containing all of Queen’s albums to date except
Greatest Hits
, and including a special album,
Complete Vision
, featuring singles and B-sides otherwise unavailable at that time (no simultaneous release in US).

A Kind of Magic
, 2 June 1986 (3 June 1986)

Live Magic
, 1 December 1986 (not released in US)

The Miracle
, 22 May 1989 (6 June 1989)

Queen at the Beeb
, 4 December 1989: rereleased May 1997 as a double album, remastered, featuring every song Queen ever recorded for the BBC (no simultaneous release in US)

Innuendo
, 4 February 1991 (5 February 1991)

Greatest Hits II
, 28 October 1991 (not released in US)

Classic Queen
, 3 March 1992 (US only)

Live at Wembley ’86
, 26 May 1992 (2 June 1992)

Box of Tricks
, 26 May 1992 (not released in US at the time). Includes
The 12″ Collection

Greatest Hits
, (different track listing, 15 September 1992: US only)

Made in Heaven
, 6 November 1995 (7 November 1995)

RECOMMENDED

The Platinum Collection: Greatest Hits I, II, & III
, November 2000

Absolute Greatest
, November 2009

Deep Cuts, Volume I (73–76)
, March 2011

The Singles Collection Volume I
, December 2008

The Singles Collection Volume II
, June 2009

The Singles Collection Volume III
, October 2010

FREDDIE MERCURY SOLO RELEASES
Albums

Mr. Bad Guy
, 29 April 1985 (7 May 1985)

With Montserrat Caballé: Barcelona
, 10 October 1988 (released posthumously in US, 14 July 1992), and rereleased in UK, 10 August 1992

The Freddie Mercury Album
, 16 November 1992 (released in the US as
The Great Pretender
, 24 November 1992)

Freddie Mercury Remixes
, various territories (not US) 1993

RECOMMENDED

The Solo Collection Box Set
, 23 October 2000

A complete overview of Freddie’s career. One of the most extensive boxed sets Queen Productions have ever produced, this collection also includes exclusive bonus tracks and remixes; instrumentals; the “Rarities,” or
Mr. Bad Guy
sessions, Barcelona sessions, and other sessions; and the unique recorded interviews with Freddie by David Wigg. There are also many rarely, seen photographs, drawings, and writings by Freddie, and a comprehensive text.

Lover of Life, Singer of Songs: The Very Best of Freddie Mercury
, 5 September 2006

A two-disc compilation released to mark what would have been his sixtieth birthday, this is a genuine celebration of the man and his music. It’s all here.

SINGLES

As Larry Lurex: “I Can Hear Music,”
29 June 1973

FREDDIE MERCURY

“Love Kills,”
10 September 1984 (11 September 1984)

“I Was Born to Love You,”
9 April 1985 (23 April 1985)

“Made in Heaven,”
1 July 1985 (not released in US)

“Living on My Own,”
2 September 1985 (2 July 1985)

“Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow,”
18 November 1985 (not released in US)

From Dave Clark’s musical
Time
:

“Time,”
the title theme, 6 May 1986 (not released in US)

“The Great Pretender,”
23 February 1987 (3 March 1987)

FROM
BARCELONA
, WITH MONTSERR AT CABALLÉ

“Barcelona,”
26 October 1987

“The Golden Boy,”
24 October 1988

“How Can I Go On?,”
23 January 1989

POSTHUMOUS SOLO SINGLE RELEASES

“Barcelona,”
rereleased 27 July 1992

“How Can I Go On?,”
rereleased October 1992

“In My Defense,”
30 November 1992

“The Great Pretender,”
rereleased 25 January 1993 (12 November 1992)

“Living on My Own,”
rereleased 19 July 1993

This rerelease of “Living on My Own” was Freddie’s biggest-selling hit single ever. It topped the chart on 8 August 1993—the first time any solo single by any member of Queen had reached Number One.

For much more information than there could be room for here regarding singles, boxed sets, bootlegs, unofficial releases, tribute albums, Queen + Paul Rodgers releases, and more, visit:
www.queenpedia.com/index.php?title=Discography
.

Select Bibliography

Blake, Mark,
Is This the Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen
, Aurum Press Ltd.: London, 2010.

Brooks, Greg & Lupton, Simon (compilers/editors),
Freddie Mercury: His Life In His Own Words
, Omnibus Press: London, 2008.

Cann, Kevin,
David Bowie: Any Day Now: The London Years
, Adelita Ltd.: London, 2010.

Courauld, Pari,
A Persian Childhood
, Rubicon Press: London, 1990.

Dean, Ken,
Queen: A Visual Documentary
, Omnibus Press: London, 1986.

Evans, David & Minns, David,
Freddie Mercury: More of the Real Life
, Britannia Press Publishing: Culver City, 1995.

Freestone, Peter with Evans, David,
Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best
, Omnibus Press: London, 2001.

Geldof, Bob,
Is That It?
, Sidgwick & Jackson: London, 1986.

Gunn, Jacky & Jenkins, Jim,
Queen: As It Began
, Sidgwick & Jackson: London, 1992.

Hodkinson, Mark,
Queen: The Early Years
, Omnibus Press: London, 1995.

Hogan, Peter K.,
The Complete Guide to the Music of Queen
, Omnibus Press: London, 1994.

Hutton, Jim with Wapshott, Tim,
Mercury and Me
, Bloomsbury: London, 1994.

Kent, Nick,
Apathy for the Devil
, Faber: London, 2010.

Norman, Jeremy,
No Make-up: Straight Tales from a Queer Life
, Elliot & Thompson Ltd., 2006.

Norman, Philip,
Sir Elton: The Definitive Biography of Elton John
, Pan Books: London, 2002.

O’Regan, Denis,
Queen: The Full Picture
, Bloomsbury: London, 1995.

Palmer, Robert,
Dancing in the Street: A Rock and Roll History
, BBC Books: London, 1996.

Rider, Stephen,
These Are the Days of Our Lives
, Castle Communications: London, 1991.

Rock, Mick,
Mick Rock, A Photographic Record 1969–1980
, Pinewood Studios: Century 22nd Ltd., 1995.

Sheriff, Abdul & Ferguson, Ed,
Zanzibar Under Colonial Rule
, James Currey Ltd.: Oxford, 1991.

Shilts, Randy,
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
, Penguin Books: London, 1987.

Sky, Rick,
The Show Must Go On
, Fontana Press: London, 1992.

Smith, Pete,
Live Aid
, Penn & Ink Ltd.: Vancouver, WA, 2012.

Southall, Brian,
The Rise and Fall of EMI Records
, Omnibus Press, London 2009.

St. Michael, Mick,
Queen in Their Own Words
, Omnibus Press: London, 1992.

Index

“FM” in the index indicates Freddie Mercury.

A

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome),
212
,
223
–24,
228
,
285

See also
health of FM

Alaska (disco),
259

albums.
See
songs

Allen, Frank,
136
,
147

Anthony, John,
97
,
98
,
101

Anvil Club,
154
–55

apartheid,
14
,
15
,
197
,
251
,
261

Appleton, Mike,
24
–25,
111
–12

Arden, Don,
130

Arnold, Thor,
191
–92

As It Began
,
174

Atkinson, Gordon,
292
,
305
,
307

Austin, Mary “Old Faithful”

acknowledgment of FM’s homosexuality,
90
–92

background,
84
–85

children,
92

dating FM,
85
–86

demeanor,
83
,
84

friendship with Brian May,
85

living with FM,
89

in love with FM,
89
–90

marriage,
86
–87

mother figure for FM,
87
–88,
234
–35

moving into Garden Lodge,
310
–11

platonic friendship with FM,
92
–94,
162

sexual relationship with FM,
86
,
87
–88,
89

similarities with FM,
86

B

Baker, Roy Thomas,
101
,
127
,
158

Ballet for Life,
318

Bananarama,
11

Barra da Tijuca Rockodromo,
256
–57

Bason, Oswal D.,
41

Bastin, Tony,
187
,
188
,
280

Bavaria (restaurant),
233

Beach, Henry James “Jim,”
16
,
129
,
164
,
204
,
302
,
308
–10,
315
–16

Beck, Jeff,
243
,
244

Bharucha, Gita (later Choksi),
45
–46,
48
–49,
311
–12

birthdays of FM

fortieth at Garden Lodge,
281

forty-fifth at Garden Lodge,
303

forty-first at Pike’s,
292
–93

forty-fourth at Garden Lodge,
300

thirty-eighth at Xenon,
252
–53

thirty-fifth at the Berkshire Place Hotel,
210

thirty-ninth at Henderson’s,
266
–67

thirty-second in St. Paul de Vence,
168

thirty-seventh at Stone Canyon Road,
243
–44

twenty-ninth at Sarm Studios,
135
–36

Blow Up Club,
121

“Bohemian Rhapsody”

airplay by Kenny Everett,
142
–43

blue vinyl edition,
168
–69

creation of,
133
–36

fear it would flop,
140
–41

FM’s coming-out song,
143
–44

meaning of,
145
–46,
147

singing live,
23
,
180

success of,
143
,
152
,
164
,
312
–13

video,
148
–51

Bonham, John,
191

Bono,
21

Bowie, David,
19
,
208
–9,
308

Brainsby, Tony,
28
,
107
,
114
–17,
151
,
170

Branche, Derrick,
43
,
45

Branson, Richard,
159

British Musicians’ Union,
251
,
253

Brookwood Civil and Military Cemetery,
311

Brown, Pete,
164
–65

Brown’s,
314

Budapest

East-West relations,
275

gig at Népstadion,
274
,
275
–77

“God Save the Queen,”
277

Hungarian Embassy,
275

logistics,
274
–75

overwhelming demand,
274

“Presidential” suite,
275
–76

“Tavasi Szél Vizet Áraszt,”
276

Bulsara, Bomi (father of FM),
24
,
30
,
31
,
42
–43,
280
,
305

Bulsara, Farrokh.
See
Mercury, Freddie

Bulsara, Jer (mother of FM),
24
,
30
,
63
,
279
,
280
,
305

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