'Made in Heaven' timeline

I remember thinking that when BM played it at the FM concert. Like, dude, too soon!

YDFM has all the hall marks of a song I'd hate but it's probably my favourite on that album. Something weirdly nostalgic and European about it. It's cosy.

I'd like to hear the completely different 'other' version of Love kills, the one Morodor presumably wrote for Freddie to sing.

missing one part of the timeline: November 24th, 1991: Freddie Dies

These timelines only cover recordings, not other events. Of course, we could also add, say, the day each of David Richard's great-grandparents was born (without them, there would've been no 'Made in Heaven' as we know it).

For what it's worth, I seem to remember a lot of press coverage in the year before the release, and various snippets in Fan Club Magazines. Around 1993-1994 it still seemed to be thought by fans that there would be an EP, but not a whole LP. We all knew that Too Much Love Will Kill You would be on the album, and there seemed to be the idea that there were 4 songs recorded after Innuendo that might qualify for the release. Of course now we know that A Winter's Tale, You Don't Fool Me and Mother Love were the only songs with enough vocal in them recorded post-Innuendo, since Let Me Live was done in the 1980s, as was Beautiful Day.

It wasn't until a bit later on that it was made known that the album would be called Made In Heaven, and would include the two tracks from Mr Bad Guy, the B-side My Life Has Been Saved, and Heaven For Everyone, so it's either possible that the band knew all along they'd be including these tracks at Freddie's request and they remained tight lipped on it, or they decided later in the recording process that they wanted to make an album and so needed to include reworkings of older songs.

This is a 24 year old memory so I could have it totally wrong and I no longer have the Fan Club magazines which refer to this.

You are correct with the "4 tracks" memory, that was stated somewhere because for a long time i assumed You Don't Fool Me might have been two different unfinished songs that were joined together.

Here's what they wrote to the fan club:

Roger (October 1991): 'Aside from 4 new Queen tracks recorded earlier in Montreux there is Greatest Hits II coming out this month.'

Roger (October 1993): 'This is Roger Taylor writing in behalf of myself and John Deacon. We are in the studio finishing (or starting to refinish) the Queen album. We have started work without Brian because of uncertainty regarding his future commitments - he is currently touring in North America. We expect some involvement from him in the new year. After 2 weeks we have assembled the basic material and worked on some of it. It is sounding magnificent; the work is going swimmingly; the majority of the material will be an epitaph to Freddie and the work he did with us at the end of his life.'

John (26th February 1994): 'Roger and I spent several weeks in the studio last year working on various Queen tracks. We played along with some of them, adding improved bass and drums to the songs.'

Brian (June 1994): 'For the past four months or so (I can't believe how fast the time goes...), I've shelved any thoughts about solo work, and it's been my turn to delve into those last Queen tracks which we started with Freddie nearly three years ago. Of course the remaining new material is very precious stuff, and in my mind the most important consideration is that this final collection must be worthy of the name Queen, so I've been delving very deep. I'm now very excited about how it's turning out, but only when I'm sure that Freddie is coming across in full glory, in the way he would wish, will I begin to feel happy. Anyway you can be sure that John, Roger and I will have put in the maximum amount of living care (and the usual arguments!) by the time this thing hits the shops! I'm particularly proud of ... that would spoil the surprises, wouldn't it?! Next week we'll be meeting to make plans for the next few months.'

Roger (September 1994): 'John, Brian and myself are continuing work on the Queen album which bodes very well for keeping busy in '95. It's sounding good - honest guv.'

Brian (18th January 1995): 'Most of these last few months I've been staring at a computer screen trying to push the Queen tracks (from the legendary Last Album) from good towards great. Also Roger, John and I have actually spent a few days recording live all together at my messy home in the country - which was very enjoyable.'

John (9th March 1995): 'The recording and mixing of Queen material is progressing and I hope we will be able to release the end results this year. I am sure that everybody will have varied and different comments and opinions on the finished work. It has not been easy as even Roger, Brian and myself see things differently and coming to agreement between us takes time! Anyway, we will do our best as that is all we can do and I hope you feel that it was worth all the work to release a final Queen album!!'

Brian (3rd July 1995): 'What was that about "pain being so close to pleasure"? Hmmm. As I write, we have only a few weeks to deliver all the finished mixed tracks, and all the artwork, if we are to meet the deadline for a Christmas onslought! It feels a bit like the old days, but of course we're all very different in our ways now. I remember us working flat out in three different studios to deliver A Night at the Opera in 1976 [sic]. At the moment work is going on in London, and at Roger's Mill, and at my own studio in sunny Surrey ...... we may even make it! For me, I can hardly believe that most of the last 18 months or so of my life have gone into this - "what, just for a few 4-minute songs??!!!" Well, they're pretty precious songs, and I keep remembering this is really the last chance I'll ever have to work with Freddie's wonderful voice. Let's hope you all like this stuff!'

Roger (September 1995): 'The time has come to put to bed this last studio album from Queen, a difficult child indeed! Made in Heaven was a long process of thought, effort and care. In content of songs, emotion and above all, in power and quality of performance from Freddie, the work is strong indeed. Boy, could that one sing! Some of the songs have never been heard before, including the last lyric and performance of our singer, others you might recognize but in totally different form and hopefully now improved. It will be interesting and probably pitifully predictable to see what our generous and giving press have to say about the work, using their normal benchmarks of quality of performance and true musicality - not. Permit me to preempt them by saying at this early stage f**k you - forever and ever! What actually matters is what you the people who actually listen, actually allow yourselves to be moved a little and actually let the music into your lives - think of the album. I hope you like it!?'

Jer & Bomi (4th December 1995): 'I hope you all have enjoyed Queen's New Album and Video. It must have been difficult for Brian, Roger, John to finish this album without Freddie. They have worked so hard. We thank you boys. It brought back all lovely memories.'

Ah yes I remember all this now. Sebastian, do you have any fan club letters from Freddie talking about post-Innuendo tracks or did he not mention them?

His last letter was in November 1990, and it mentions 'Innuendo' (the album). He never wrote to the fan club after that - or, if he did, it wasn't published :(

BTW, Roger mentioned 'four tracks', and it's been suggested that 'Lost Opportunity' was one of them. Of course, by the time he wrote the letter, it'd already been released as a B-Side, but it wouldn't be the first or last time there's a 'bastard' on an album ('Crazy Little Thing', 'Save Me', 'Under Pressure').

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]

Here's what they wrote to the fan club:

Roger (September 1995): 'The time has come to put to bed this last studio album from Queen, a difficult child indeed! Made in Heaven was a long process of thought, effort and care. In content of songs, emotion and above all, in power and quality of performance from Freddie, the work is strong indeed. Boy, could that one sing! Some of the songs have never been heard before, including the last lyric and performance of our singer, others you might recognize but in totally different form and hopefully now improved. It will be interesting and probably pitifully predictable to see what our generous and giving press have to say about the work, using their normal benchmarks of quality of performance and true musicality - not. Permit me to preempt them by saying at this early stage f**k you - forever and ever! What actually matters is what you the people who actually listen, actually allow yourselves to be moved a little and actually let the music into your lives - think of the album. I hope you like it!?'[/QUOTE]

What a wonderful read all that was. I genuinely enjoy seeing their differences in personality even through just text. This last one is just classic Roger.

It was great to revisit those letters from long gone days. Now I remember that in the early days post Freddie, John and Roger were much much closer and both were the remaining Queen, while Brian kept going on with his solo stuff somewhere else.

They did a great Job on this album....no classics, but it's consistent....I think No One but You would of been a perfect song for MIH. If Brian written it earlier...

Is it correct that recording sessions at Mountain Studios for the album were only in January - May 1991 and all other post-Freddie recordings were made in London and Surrey only ?

Yes, as far as it's been documented, Brian returned to the studios to do some stuff for his solo album but that was it. As soon as his and Roger's home studios were ready, they sold Mountain to David. It makes sense: they'd bought Mountain in 1979 for three reasons:

- To have a band investment.
- To use them whenever they felt like it.
- To have other acts record there.

By 1993:

- Brian, in particular, wanted to leave Queen behind.
- Home studios supplied that need/desire much more comfortably.
- Top acts had home studios too, it wasn't too profitable anymore.