Brian May, the guitarist for legendary rock band Queen has revealed that the band are working on a brand new album, featuring vocalist Freddie Mercury. Yes, that’s right, the late, great Freddie Mercury. Apparently, the almighty vocalist recorded a bunch of previously unreleased songs, which are now being sorted through by May and drummer Roger Taylor.
Speaking with the Daily Star, the renowned guitarist said that he and Taylor are “going through some old drawers” and added, “The songs are there – it’s just a question of finding time to get the right production.”
May also revealed that not only does Queen have enough unheard Mercury material to release a new album, but also to create a sequel to their highly successful 2002 musical, ‘We Will Rock You.’ “As well as seeing what we can unearth, we want to do a new musical to follow, ‘We Will Rock You’.”
Meanwhile, Paul Rodgers, who fronted Bad Company, as well as Queen in 2004 and 2009, says that contrary to his previous statements, he is warming to the idea of reuniting with Queen for the opening of the London Olympics in 2012. Rodgers told Billboard, “I would be open to something like that, I must say.”
Rodgers left the band to focus on his solo career, but reflects fondly on his time with Queen. “We did great; I think we did fantastically well. We were up against potential disaster, really, and I think we really pulled it off. Toured the world a couple of times. Made a brand-new studio album.” He added, “I just didn’t want to do it forever – but for something like that would be ideal.”
Of course, Freddy Mercury will always remain Queen’s most loved singer. His incredible stage presence, made him arguably the most gifted live performer that rock has ever seen, and his incredible mind helped him to compose some of the most amazing pieces of music ever written. To this day, Queen’s anthem ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is the song most likely to appear on iPod’s in the UK, with over 40% of all music fans carrying the track on their MP3 players. The nearest competition was Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ with a 33% presence. Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean,’ REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ and tracks by the Beatles, U2 and Coldplay also made the shortlist.
Would you be interested in hearing the new Queen album?