The Making of 'Made In Heaven'

So does anyone know for sure if what Wikipedia has listed on 'Made In Heaven' is accurate?

I'm really curious as to how some of these songs came about, and was just wondering if what is listed on that site is the real behind-the-scenes info (it's Wikipedia, so you never know...)

Let Me Live... originally recorded (obviously 'partially') in 1983/84 with Rod Stewart??  Really?

And Made In Heaven sold TWENTY MILLION copies??  So it's the highest selling Queen (non-Greatest Hits) album then?

If it's on Wikipedia it must be true.

MiH was a huge hit, and deservedly so. Definitely in the top 5 of their best albums IMO.

I read somewhere that it was indeed going to be a duet with Queen and Rod Stewart, but Queen dropped that idea.

Let Me Live was a duet with Rod Stewart, it was originally called 'Another Little Piece Of My Heart' and only had the Freddie Lyric, Roger's and Brian's vocals wern't written until the recording for the MIH album.

As for the 20 million copies, I can't imagine that being true, but again, it could be possible.

Bet Rog took over Rod's vocals....dunno, just a guess. ;)

What I would like to know is this — were 'Born to Love You' and 'Made Heaven' purposely omitted from The Freddie Mercury Album / Great Pretender Album, because there were plans afoot even at that early stage to re-record those tracks under the Queen banner?

Perhaps Freddie himself suggested that those two songs could be reworked as a part of a posthumous project. Who knows?

It is Queen's best-selling studio album, yes. I don't know what the article on Wikipedia says, but as far as sales go it's accurate. It kinda makes the people saying that MIH is not a true Queen album seem retarded.

V.

Wikipedia (or PRICKIPEDIA as I call those f*ckheads) is talking BULLSH*T! Those f*ckheads are packed with inaccuracies and removed alot of sources and articles I submitted (all of which my sources were TRUE for the record). Once I told the mods (who removed my painstaking research and articles claiming they were not reliable) there to f*ck off and die, I got banned for life (but I don't give a f*ck as I know the truth much to their high and mighty knowing dismay).

Made in Heaven was not Queen's best selling studio album, here in the US anyway (that honor belongs to The Game and News Of the World (both at 4 million copies Stateside)). Made in Heaven barely went Gold in the States (500,000 copies sold in the US) and peaked at #56 (which I remember as the album came out the same day as the final studio album from Alice in Chains with original singer Layne Staley and the "long-awaited" Cypress Hill album (which my other best friend Chuck bought while I was buying Queen's Made in Heaven) came out that day (as did the expanded version of Who's Next by The Who (which I also bought the week it came out)). Made in Heaven had little to no airplay on regular rock radio and VH1 and MTV did sh*t to promote it (here in the States anyhow)!

I, on the other hand, did promote Made in Heaven on my college radio shows (which were on the cable TV radio station (where I was allowed to play over 20 minute tunes, rare live concerts, making of album documentaries with interviews (which I would credit the interviewers like Redbeard, Bob Coburn, Jim Ladd and so on for interviewing the bands) and entire albums (I did play all of Made in Heaven on one 3 hour show I had) and the FM station my college in Brockton, Massachusetts also had) as I played "Heaven For Everyone", the title cut, "I Was Born to Love You" and "Mother Love" constantly on my radio shows (much to my Alanis Morissette, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Wu Tang Clan and Cypress Hill loving colleagues' dismay as I played metal and classic rock on my shows (at a time neither classic rock nor metal was cool to like)).

malicedoom wrote: So does anyone know for sure if what Wikipedia has listed on 'Made In Heaven' is accurate?

I'm really curious as to how some of these songs came about, and was just wondering if what is listed on that site is the real behind-the-scenes info (it's Wikipedia, so you never know...)

Let Me Live... originally recorded (obviously 'partially') in 1983/84 with Rod Stewart??  Really?

And Made In Heaven sold TWENTY MILLION copies??  So it's the highest selling Queen (non-Greatest Hits) album then?

"It's a Beautiful Day" was started in 1980 but completed in 1994/95 (the original idea is being reissued on The Game reissue).

"Let Me Live" started in 1983 but not finished until 1995 when Roger and Brian added lyrics and verses.

The title cut and "I Was Born to Love You" were originally on Mr Bad Guy but Queen rightfully, in my view, re-recorded those tunes and turned the former into a power ballad and the latter into a kickass hard rocker.

"Heaven For Everyone" was started during The Cross recording sessions for Shove It. Freddie's vocals were then used for Queen's re-recording in 1995.

"Too Much Love Will Kill You" we do know was started for The Miracle sessions but left off of the album and finished on Made in Heaven.

"My Life Has Been Saved" (a John Deacon penned tune) was originally recorded for The Miracle album and issued as flipside to "Scandal".

We know "Mother Love" was the last vocal Freddie ever recorded before his death and last tune he co-wrote with Brian. "A Winter's Tale" (Freddie's last proper song he wrote before he passed away) and "You Don't Fool Me" were recorded after Innuendo was finished.

> Too Much Love Will Kill You" we do know was started for The Miracle  sessions but left off of the album and finished on Made in Heaven.

Not it wasn't. The version intended for The Miracle is the same as the one on MIH. They didn't re-do it as it was perfect the way it was in '89.

> "A Winter's Tale" (Freddie's last proper song he wrote before he passed away) and "You  Don't Fool Me" were recorded after Innuendo was finished.

According to Jim's book, AWT was recorded in 1990 which, unless he meant December, was *during* Innuendo sessions, not *after*. Although, of course, it's also possible that Fred did the basic framework first and then some corrections later on.

And You Don't Fool Me wasn't really a song...it was merely scraps of Freddie vocals put together by David Richards and brought to the rest of the band long after Freddie had passed.

NOTWMEDDLE wrote:

Made in Heaven was not Queen's best selling studio album, here in the US anyway (that honor belongs to The Game and News Of the World (both at 4 million copies Stateside)). Made in Heaven barely went Gold in the States (500,000 copies sold in the US) and peaked at #56 
----

Ah, yes... I forgot about that unwritten rule, which states that "if it didn't happen in the US it didn't happen at all". 

Give me a break! We're talking about worldwide sales here.

V.

bambams-paradise wrote: And You Don't Fool Me wasn't really a song...it was merely scraps of Freddie vocals put together by David Richards and brought to the rest of the band long after Freddie had passed.
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But was it a Fred thing, a Fred/Rog thing or a Fred/John thing?

FFS.. why is this whole thing in the 'serious discussion' thread. I remember the same talk from 10-15 years ago....

FFS, then simply don't read the thread. Or are you physically incapable of doing so?