[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Lord Fickle wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Furthering the Soul Brother / Under Pressure speculation, I suppose it could be possible that Soul Brother was written first, and that it inspired the song Under Pressure to then be written...? Unlikely, but not impossible.[/QUOTE]
True, but how does that explain the "Flash Gordon" references?
"Because he's the saviour of the universe" = Flash Gordon.
So "Soul Brother" references BOTH "Flash Gordon" and "Under Pressure", (both released AFTER "The Game"), surely this is too much of a coincidence?
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[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Chaka wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]John S Stuart wrote: [/QUOTENAME]From the rumours I've heard:
Crazy Little Thing Called Love, rumored piano version, 1979
Victory, Queen version from The Game sessions, 1980
Magic Is Loose, Queen version from The Game sessions, 1980
[/QUOTE]
...since that seems to be cut-and-pasted from my "unreleased songs" post, I feel obligated to stick my head in here and say no, I do not have any evidence that any of these tracks actually exist, that list was simply a compilation of speculation from this board and other corners of the Queen internet community that I'd noted and kept track of. I do hope I hadn't misled anyone into thinking that I had or had heard these pieces but I thought I was clear that that portion of the list was made up of "rumored" bits and not "confirmed" ones.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for clearing that up Chaka.
Can I assure you that the above "rumour-list" was not cut and pasted, but like your own notes was taken from various sources.
If however, it was your notes which I originally copied this information from, then I apologise for not citing you as source.
Usually, I do not accept singularly sourced material, so I must have secondary confirmation, or I would not have said so. For example, the idea of a "Crazy Little Thing... piano demo" stems from a Freddie Mercury interview, and the Michael Jackson "Victory" collaboration, I thought was common knowledge.
Finally, as you can see, I did not use these notes in my opening thread, and I have made clear that these are only rumoured versions in any case.
Again, I apologise for any offence, and I am quite happy for others to take the credit they so richly deserve, but honestly, in this case, I did not know that those "rumours" came specifically from you, and any omission of credit was not deliberate.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love, rumored piano version, 1979
Victory, Queen version from The Game sessions, 1980
Magic Is Loose, Queen version from The Game sessions, 1980
[/QUOTE]
...since that seems to be cut-and-pasted from my "unreleased songs" post, I feel obligated to stick my head in here and say no, I do not have any evidence that any of these tracks actually exist, that list was simply a compilation of speculation from this board and other corners of the Queen internet community that I'd noted and kept track of. I do hope I hadn't misled anyone into thinking that I had or had heard these pieces but I thought I was clear that that portion of the list was made up of "rumored" bits and not "confirmed" ones.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for clearing that up Chaka.
Can I assure you that the above "rumour-list" was not cut and pasted, but like your own notes was taken from various sources.
If however, it was your notes which I originally copied this information from, then I apologise for not citing you as source.
Usually, I do not accept singularly sourced material, so I must have secondary confirmation, or I would not have said so. For example, the idea of a "Crazy Little Thing... piano demo" stems from a Freddie Mercury interview, and the Michael Jackson "Victory" collaboration, I thought was common knowledge.
Finally, as you can see, I did not use these notes in my opening thread, and I have made clear that these are only rumoured versions in any case.
Again, I apologise for any offence, and I am quite happy for others to take the credit they so richly deserve, but honestly, in this case, I did not know that those "rumours" came specifically from you, and any omission of credit was not deliberate.
I thought that 'Victory' was recorded by Michael and Freddie in 1983? At least, that was the timeframe I gathered. Maybe I'm wrong.
And what exactly did Freddie say about a piano version of 'Crazy'? Like, was the guitar part played on the piano, or would it sound more like the live versions? I find THAT intriguing!
And what exactly did Freddie say about a piano version of 'Crazy'? Like, was the guitar part played on the piano, or would it sound more like the live versions? I find THAT intriguing!
no offense taken at all John, I was not the original "source" of those rumors so to speak after all, as you mentioned the Crazy Little Thing idea came from a Freddie interview and the idea of Victory probably came from Ron B's queenpicturehall
"an unreleased Queen song from the early 80's. Never finished and some time later re-worked with just Freddie and Michael Jackson. A few good takes should exist of this song."
I just wanted to verify that I was not, in any case, implying that I had any substantial evidence of these tracks existing, lest I be accused of "misleading" the Queenzone community. I have no problem at all with my "rumor list" being used in further discussions on this board, especially in the unlikely event that someone actually can confirm the existance (or lack thereof) of one or two of them, I'm as eager to know the truth as anyone else!
"an unreleased Queen song from the early 80's. Never finished and some time later re-worked with just Freddie and Michael Jackson. A few good takes should exist of this song."
I just wanted to verify that I was not, in any case, implying that I had any substantial evidence of these tracks existing, lest I be accused of "misleading" the Queenzone community. I have no problem at all with my "rumor list" being used in further discussions on this board, especially in the unlikely event that someone actually can confirm the existance (or lack thereof) of one or two of them, I'm as eager to know the truth as anyone else!
> For example, the idea of a "Crazy Little Thing... piano demo" stems from a Freddie Mercury interview
The interview in question was badly misunderstood. Fred mentioned having composed CLTCL in a bath, then mentioned dragging a piano to his bedside but he was then speaking about something completely different. He didn't at any moment say or imply that there was a version of CLTCL on piano, let alone that he had composed it in one (although I know you're not saying so, but just for the record).
> and the Michael Jackson "Victory" collaboration, I thought was common knowledge.
Indeed Fred mentioned in his famous '84 interview in Munich that Victory was written by both. So in case it's from Game sessions then it means that Fred & Jacko had more than one studio meeting, which is not impossible.
The interview in question was badly misunderstood. Fred mentioned having composed CLTCL in a bath, then mentioned dragging a piano to his bedside but he was then speaking about something completely different. He didn't at any moment say or imply that there was a version of CLTCL on piano, let alone that he had composed it in one (although I know you're not saying so, but just for the record).
> and the Michael Jackson "Victory" collaboration, I thought was common knowledge.
Indeed Fred mentioned in his famous '84 interview in Munich that Victory was written by both. So in case it's from Game sessions then it means that Fred & Jacko had more than one studio meeting, which is not impossible.
Chaka: No problems at all Sir, and I think that if ever your "rumour list" needed discussion, then this is the very thread to do it in. I do not think that anyone is willing misleading the Queenzone community - provided we have made it perfectly clear that we are NOT talking in absolutes - and that is why none of this later information has appeared in the opening post.
Seb: The Freddie Interview. I always "read" this as Freddie saying he composed the song outside the studio, and took the demo into the studio at a later date. I also believe he said that he was a poor guitarist (I paraphrase) and that both he and Mack, via multi-tracks, were able to lay down the basic backing track without Brian, and that Freddie loved the look on Brian's face when he played the studio tape back to him. Consequently, all Brian had to do, was add the Telecaster solo to round the track off.
If, the above is true, does it suggest both a home demo, and non-Brian studio versions, may still exist?
Seb: How do you explain the "Flash Gordon" references? "Because he's the saviour of the universe" = Flash Gordon. So "Soul Brother" references BOTH "Flash Gordon" and "Under Pressure", (both released AFTER "The Game"), surely this is too much of a coincidence?
Lester: You are correct about a 1983 "birth", but we are speculating on a 1980 "conception". I know this is not a satisfactory answer, but without any other reliable sources, it is the best I can offer. Sorry.
If I repeat what I said earlier in the thread, there are some things which Queenzone does well,
which we seem to overlook for spamming and other negatives - which is a shame really, because at the end of the day, this is the sort of meaty discussion I really enjoy, as I think you guys are very well informed, and from that, we all learn from each other.
Seb: The Freddie Interview. I always "read" this as Freddie saying he composed the song outside the studio, and took the demo into the studio at a later date. I also believe he said that he was a poor guitarist (I paraphrase) and that both he and Mack, via multi-tracks, were able to lay down the basic backing track without Brian, and that Freddie loved the look on Brian's face when he played the studio tape back to him. Consequently, all Brian had to do, was add the Telecaster solo to round the track off.
If, the above is true, does it suggest both a home demo, and non-Brian studio versions, may still exist?
Seb: How do you explain the "Flash Gordon" references? "Because he's the saviour of the universe" = Flash Gordon. So "Soul Brother" references BOTH "Flash Gordon" and "Under Pressure", (both released AFTER "The Game"), surely this is too much of a coincidence?
Lester: You are correct about a 1983 "birth", but we are speculating on a 1980 "conception". I know this is not a satisfactory answer, but without any other reliable sources, it is the best I can offer. Sorry.
If I repeat what I said earlier in the thread, there are some things which Queenzone does well,
which we seem to overlook for spamming and other negatives - which is a shame really, because at the end of the day, this is the sort of meaty discussion I really enjoy, as I think you guys are very well informed, and from that, we all learn from each other.
As I said before, I too *think* Soul Brother is from 1981. To be fair - and not intending to be against you whatsoever - the Flash project, as far as I'm concerned, was conceived parallel to The Game, not entirely "after". But yes, we'd both overlooked that before and indeed I stand corrected. It all means that once again Dr May's memory is rather odd - and that, in my book, weakens the "absolute" value of other of his statements like when he said that the three of them did the "very very frightening me" soprano, or when he said John came up with the UP bass riff.
The famous confusing quote about Crazy is:
"I wrote it in the bath. I actually dragged an upright piano to my bedside once. I've been known to scribble lyrics in the middle of the night without putting the light on"
As cleared before here (not by me) Fred mentioned having composed the track in the bath and then he moved on and told about other songwriting experiences but he didn't mean or imply that he had written it in upright piano.
I'd appreciate if you've got any exact transcription of "your" version of the story (no offence implied, just a request in order to get to a clearer outcome), since "mine" is completely different.
The entire multi-track exercise to get the acoustic part done and Brian's surprise look sounds utterly absurd to me considering that:
- Listening to the DTS mixes, it's more than obvious that the acoustic is just one take, not a combination of those
- Fred wasn't a lousy guitarist, he always said that sort of jokingly and (personal opinion here) perhaps to avoid fans getting too high expectations. But a six-chord song wasn't an Everest for him, he could easily record it without much trouble. The piano intro of Two Legs is another story.
- Roger said when interviewd for In The Studio (easy to get for most of us at a hub or wherever) that Fred came up with the song, and showed it to John and himself, they then recorded it in the studio in a half an hour session. No home demos were mentioned at all, the story - as Roger told it - is that they went straight to the backing track and that's one of the reasons it sounded fresh (the other being, they were bladdered). I * think * he confirms part of that in the GVH Audio Commentary.
- Brian had already seen and listened Fred playing guitar loads of times. He even told later on how Fred used to play Ogre Battle quite fastly.
The famous confusing quote about Crazy is:
"I wrote it in the bath. I actually dragged an upright piano to my bedside once. I've been known to scribble lyrics in the middle of the night without putting the light on"
As cleared before here (not by me) Fred mentioned having composed the track in the bath and then he moved on and told about other songwriting experiences but he didn't mean or imply that he had written it in upright piano.
I'd appreciate if you've got any exact transcription of "your" version of the story (no offence implied, just a request in order to get to a clearer outcome), since "mine" is completely different.
The entire multi-track exercise to get the acoustic part done and Brian's surprise look sounds utterly absurd to me considering that:
- Listening to the DTS mixes, it's more than obvious that the acoustic is just one take, not a combination of those
- Fred wasn't a lousy guitarist, he always said that sort of jokingly and (personal opinion here) perhaps to avoid fans getting too high expectations. But a six-chord song wasn't an Everest for him, he could easily record it without much trouble. The piano intro of Two Legs is another story.
- Roger said when interviewd for In The Studio (easy to get for most of us at a hub or wherever) that Fred came up with the song, and showed it to John and himself, they then recorded it in the studio in a half an hour session. No home demos were mentioned at all, the story - as Roger told it - is that they went straight to the backing track and that's one of the reasons it sounded fresh (the other being, they were bladdered). I * think * he confirms part of that in the GVH Audio Commentary.
- Brian had already seen and listened Fred playing guitar loads of times. He even told later on how Fred used to play Ogre Battle quite fastly.
Honestly, I highly doubt that Freddie would downplay his guitar expertise to prevent fans's hopes from getting too high. That doesn't click right with me. I personally think that Freddie knew, in his mind, what he wanted to play on guitar, but figured that there were already three more adept guitarists who could play it technically better, so why should he play guitar?
There's a quote on your website where John mentioned in 1982 that all of them played guitar on the album (Hot Space). I'm of the belief that Freddie only played guitar on 'Crazy' and nothing else, and that John's quote meant that they all HAVE played guitar on their albums. No doubt that some kind of mention would've been made over the years of Freddie playing guitar on any track other than 'Crazy'.
Regardless - I'm getting off track. It's very possible that he did record a home demo of just him on guitar and vocals, probably just for a reference. He may have also brought the demo in for the others to listen to, or, failing that, he just happened to remember everything very well - just because Roger didn't mention it in an interview doesn't mean it didn't happen. We don't know for sure, and with the apparent lock-lip manner in which the archives and any information contained within is run, we won't know for a while.
That was a good point you brought up about the Flash Gordon album being recorded concurrently with The Game, Sebastian - that had completely escaped my memory.
There's a quote on your website where John mentioned in 1982 that all of them played guitar on the album (Hot Space). I'm of the belief that Freddie only played guitar on 'Crazy' and nothing else, and that John's quote meant that they all HAVE played guitar on their albums. No doubt that some kind of mention would've been made over the years of Freddie playing guitar on any track other than 'Crazy'.
Regardless - I'm getting off track. It's very possible that he did record a home demo of just him on guitar and vocals, probably just for a reference. He may have also brought the demo in for the others to listen to, or, failing that, he just happened to remember everything very well - just because Roger didn't mention it in an interview doesn't mean it didn't happen. We don't know for sure, and with the apparent lock-lip manner in which the archives and any information contained within is run, we won't know for a while.
That was a good point you brought up about the Flash Gordon album being recorded concurrently with The Game, Sebastian - that had completely escaped my memory.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Sebastian wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
I'd appreciate if you've got any exact transcription of "your" version of the story (no offence implied, just a request in order to get to a clearer outcome), since "mine" is completely different.[/QUOTE]
Seb: There are a few versions of this same story, especially contemporary radio interviews, but at hand though:
"Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography", Lesley Ann Jones, Coronet (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 1997. (Pages 230 - 231).
"Mack described how his collaboration with Queen came about by accident, when he turned up at the studio at the same time as Freddie, who expressed surprise because he had not know the producer was available. Freddie had a new song he wanted to work on there and then, 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', and suggested they get to work on it right away. Freddie was also to play rhythm guitar for the first time on a Queen track. He told Mack: "I can't play guitar, but it won't matter".
To Mack Freddie seemed anxious to get the track down BEFORE BRIAN ARRIVED to do his guitar solos: "Freddie was looking for a different sound. I just put some Rock 'n Roll echoes on it, and it sounded great".(Pages 230 - 231. My emphisis in caps).
While on this theme ("The Game" recordings), it is worthwhile reading Jackson's following paragraph:
"It was this approach for the entire 'The Game' album. As Brian explained:
We approached it from a different angle, with the idea of ruthlessly pruning it down to a coherent album rather than letting our flights of fancy leading us off into different areas. the impitus came largely from Freddie, who said that he thought we'd been diversifying so much that people didn't know what we were about any more. If there's a theme to the album, it's rhythm and sparseness - never two notes played if one would do, which is a hard discipline for us, because we tend to be quite over the top in the way we work".
(Page 231).
"That was breaking new ground for us, because for the first time we went into a recording studio without a deadline, purely with the intention of puting some tracks down as they came out", said Brian at the time".
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was one of them, another was "Save Me".
(Page 231).
As for further collaborative evidence, you will need to give me more time to trawl through my Queen library and hours of contemporary recorded interviews, but it does raise some points worth considering:
If Freddie and Mack did record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" without Brian, do those non-Brian versions still exist?
(Also, a similar thing happened during the recording of the LP "Sheer Heart Attack" - the band did all they could in the studio without Brian as he lay in hospital suffering from Hepatitis. When he recovered, he returned to the studio to overdub his guitar parts only. Therefore, does non-Brian versions of "Sheer Heart Attack" tracks still exist?).
I'd appreciate if you've got any exact transcription of "your" version of the story (no offence implied, just a request in order to get to a clearer outcome), since "mine" is completely different.[/QUOTE]
Seb: There are a few versions of this same story, especially contemporary radio interviews, but at hand though:
"Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography", Lesley Ann Jones, Coronet (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 1997. (Pages 230 - 231).
"Mack described how his collaboration with Queen came about by accident, when he turned up at the studio at the same time as Freddie, who expressed surprise because he had not know the producer was available. Freddie had a new song he wanted to work on there and then, 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', and suggested they get to work on it right away. Freddie was also to play rhythm guitar for the first time on a Queen track. He told Mack: "I can't play guitar, but it won't matter".
To Mack Freddie seemed anxious to get the track down BEFORE BRIAN ARRIVED to do his guitar solos: "Freddie was looking for a different sound. I just put some Rock 'n Roll echoes on it, and it sounded great".(Pages 230 - 231. My emphisis in caps).
While on this theme ("The Game" recordings), it is worthwhile reading Jackson's following paragraph:
"It was this approach for the entire 'The Game' album. As Brian explained:
We approached it from a different angle, with the idea of ruthlessly pruning it down to a coherent album rather than letting our flights of fancy leading us off into different areas. the impitus came largely from Freddie, who said that he thought we'd been diversifying so much that people didn't know what we were about any more. If there's a theme to the album, it's rhythm and sparseness - never two notes played if one would do, which is a hard discipline for us, because we tend to be quite over the top in the way we work".
(Page 231).
"That was breaking new ground for us, because for the first time we went into a recording studio without a deadline, purely with the intention of puting some tracks down as they came out", said Brian at the time".
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was one of them, another was "Save Me".
(Page 231).
As for further collaborative evidence, you will need to give me more time to trawl through my Queen library and hours of contemporary recorded interviews, but it does raise some points worth considering:
If Freddie and Mack did record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" without Brian, do those non-Brian versions still exist?
(Also, a similar thing happened during the recording of the LP "Sheer Heart Attack" - the band did all they could in the studio without Brian as he lay in hospital suffering from Hepatitis. When he recovered, he returned to the studio to overdub his guitar parts only. Therefore, does non-Brian versions of "Sheer Heart Attack" tracks still exist?).
Sebastian, why do I have to feeling you never believe Brian's, or anyone elses quotes if it's reacting against your believings, or when it's against Freddie's qualities.
Like when Brian said he came up with the Borhap solo.
Like when Brian said he came up with the Borhap solo.
> There are a few versions of this same story
Agreed
> "Freddie was looking for a different sound. I just put some Rock 'n Roll echoes on it, and it sounded great".(Pages 230 - 231).
Thanks a lot for that quote
> If Freddie and Mack did record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" without Brian, do those non-Brian versions still exist?
Indeed they do since as Brian confirmed several times, when he came it was almost completely done. I guess (rather than know) that the pre-Brian version would lack guitar solo and some of the backing harmonies.
> Hepatitis. When he recovered, he returned to the studio to overdub his guitar parts only.
And the vocals
> Therefore, does non-Brian versions of "Sheer Heart Attack" tracks still exist?).
Not of all of them, but yes, theoretically, there must be pre-Brian versions of Killer Queen and some others. Brian said he didn't know Flick Of The Wrist until he got to record his guitar and voice in there, so there you go.
> Sebastian, why do I have to feeling you never believe Brian's
It's not that. I apologise if anybody gets that feeling as well. What I mean is that Brian's memory is definitely not perfect, since as proved several times, he misremembers stuff. Like saying Soul Brother is from The Game, Master Stroke from Opera/Races and recorded at Wessex, etc. I don't mean he's a liar whatsoever, but I mean that his testimony is not always absolutely right. In many ways a fan or a Queen expert is a way more reliable source. Note that Brian didn't even remember Freddie and himself had used Steinway pianos.
> or anyone elses quotes if it's reacting against your believings
Again, I don't mean that. I'm not meaning to manipulate information, in any way, I just look for the "truth", and in the case of CLTCL, the "truth" seems to be clear to me: it wasn't composed on piano, and there is no piano version. I may be wrong of course.
> or when it's against Freddie's qualities.
I'm not meaning Fred was Satriani or anything, but he was definitely better than he said (and in this case Brian said the same).
> Like when Brian said he came up with the Borhap solo.
Bo Rhap is one of the songs with most contradictions. But that's another matter.
Agreed
> "Freddie was looking for a different sound. I just put some Rock 'n Roll echoes on it, and it sounded great".(Pages 230 - 231).
Thanks a lot for that quote
> If Freddie and Mack did record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" without Brian, do those non-Brian versions still exist?
Indeed they do since as Brian confirmed several times, when he came it was almost completely done. I guess (rather than know) that the pre-Brian version would lack guitar solo and some of the backing harmonies.
> Hepatitis. When he recovered, he returned to the studio to overdub his guitar parts only.
And the vocals
> Therefore, does non-Brian versions of "Sheer Heart Attack" tracks still exist?).
Not of all of them, but yes, theoretically, there must be pre-Brian versions of Killer Queen and some others. Brian said he didn't know Flick Of The Wrist until he got to record his guitar and voice in there, so there you go.
> Sebastian, why do I have to feeling you never believe Brian's
It's not that. I apologise if anybody gets that feeling as well. What I mean is that Brian's memory is definitely not perfect, since as proved several times, he misremembers stuff. Like saying Soul Brother is from The Game, Master Stroke from Opera/Races and recorded at Wessex, etc. I don't mean he's a liar whatsoever, but I mean that his testimony is not always absolutely right. In many ways a fan or a Queen expert is a way more reliable source. Note that Brian didn't even remember Freddie and himself had used Steinway pianos.
> or anyone elses quotes if it's reacting against your believings
Again, I don't mean that. I'm not meaning to manipulate information, in any way, I just look for the "truth", and in the case of CLTCL, the "truth" seems to be clear to me: it wasn't composed on piano, and there is no piano version. I may be wrong of course.
> or when it's against Freddie's qualities.
I'm not meaning Fred was Satriani or anything, but he was definitely better than he said (and in this case Brian said the same).
> Like when Brian said he came up with the Borhap solo.
Bo Rhap is one of the songs with most contradictions. But that's another matter.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Sebastian wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
>"Freddie was looking for a different sound. I just put some Rock 'n Roll echoes on it, and it sounded great".(Pages 230 - 231).
Thanks a lot for that quote
> If Freddie and Mack did record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" without Brian, do those non-Brian versions still exist?
Indeed they do since as Brian confirmed several times, when he came it was almost completely done. I guess (rather than know) that the pre-Brian version would lack guitar solo and some of the backing harmonies.
matter.[/QUOTE]
Seb: If you knew this "all-along" (as Brian confirmed several times... it was almost completely done), why did you earlier write:
"The entire multi-track exercise to get the acoustic part done and Brian's surprise look sounds utterly absurd to me considering that:
- Listening to the DTS mixes, it's more than obvious that the acoustic is just one take, not a combination of those".
I just find it odd that on one hand you seem to disagree, but then again, on the other you do.
As I said, I am no studio expert, and I know little about multi-tracking, but it is theoretically possible (is it not), for Freddie to lay down the one acoustic guitar track, and for Mack to double-track and multi-track this solo to create a much bigger sound, without Freddie having to repeat the exercise. (I know this could be done by phasing - or echo - as Mack calls it).
Surely this also ties in with the Freddie story that he "could not wait to see Brian's face", because the song was all but completed without him? I think Freddie would have received a great kick out of this.
>"Freddie was looking for a different sound. I just put some Rock 'n Roll echoes on it, and it sounded great".(Pages 230 - 231).
Thanks a lot for that quote
> If Freddie and Mack did record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" without Brian, do those non-Brian versions still exist?
Indeed they do since as Brian confirmed several times, when he came it was almost completely done. I guess (rather than know) that the pre-Brian version would lack guitar solo and some of the backing harmonies.
matter.[/QUOTE]
Seb: If you knew this "all-along" (as Brian confirmed several times... it was almost completely done), why did you earlier write:
"The entire multi-track exercise to get the acoustic part done and Brian's surprise look sounds utterly absurd to me considering that:
- Listening to the DTS mixes, it's more than obvious that the acoustic is just one take, not a combination of those".
I just find it odd that on one hand you seem to disagree, but then again, on the other you do.
As I said, I am no studio expert, and I know little about multi-tracking, but it is theoretically possible (is it not), for Freddie to lay down the one acoustic guitar track, and for Mack to double-track and multi-track this solo to create a much bigger sound, without Freddie having to repeat the exercise. (I know this could be done by phasing - or echo - as Mack calls it).
Surely this also ties in with the Freddie story that he "could not wait to see Brian's face", because the song was all but completed without him? I think Freddie would have received a great kick out of this.
It's a matter of terminology, and I clearly misunderstood you. When you'd said "multi-track" I'd read it as in "Freddie recording several times the guitar parts until he and Mack compiled a track out of that", in a similar way to the copy/paste exercise Roy and Brian did for Love Of My Life's harp. And that's what I disagreed with, since I'd thought you were implying that Fred hadn't been able to record his guitar "live", which, as I said, would be absurd considering the two points previously explained.
But if you mean "multi-track" in the sense of a stereo mix of the single take (which is something quite different and reminds me of the good old times of this forum when you and I entered into an exhausting row because I had a similar confusion) then of course I agree, indeed the way Reinhold Mack amplified and mixed Fred's guitar is highly proffessional and effective, you can notice in the DTS mixes that he put nice EQ gimmicks and spread the guitar part in various tracks (like Roy did for John's bass in early 70s). Probably two mics had been placed next to the acoustic guitar to get different signals.
But if you mean "multi-track" in the sense of a stereo mix of the single take (which is something quite different and reminds me of the good old times of this forum when you and I entered into an exhausting row because I had a similar confusion) then of course I agree, indeed the way Reinhold Mack amplified and mixed Fred's guitar is highly proffessional and effective, you can notice in the DTS mixes that he put nice EQ gimmicks and spread the guitar part in various tracks (like Roy did for John's bass in early 70s). Probably two mics had been placed next to the acoustic guitar to get different signals.
Here is some information I received from Greg Brooks a few months ago about another version of Crazy Little Thing Called Love. He sent this to many collectors about a promo recording for sale:
Dear Serious Queen Collectors, Fans & Experts.
I have been approached by a person selling a very interesting promo tape containing what I think is an original recording studio 'monitor mix' of Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. That is what this mostly is, in my opinion.
I have heard it and it is genuine. It is NOT the familiar master mix, though it is close to that, but it is very intriguing. The bass gtr parts are different, and vocal harmonies, etc.
These kinds of recordings are very rare. This one has cropped up on a Dina Carroll promo cassette, so clearly the Queen recording should have been wiped off in order to accommodate 'Crazy', but never was.
This is NOT a TDK or Sony or BASF cassette, or anything like that. As far as I can tell, it is a genuine A & M promo item, and it may well be a complete one-off. The mix is certainly not the familiar master.
Now then, because we at QPL could re-create this mix if we wanted to, by going back to the multi-track master tape, we have no interest in it. But I would suggest that you serious collectors (those of you that love acetates and demo's and the like) should check this out. I have heard the mix down the phone twice now, so I assure you this is not a waste of time.
Could you please contact (name withheld for posting purposes) directly if you're interested in making him a serious offer. No time wasters please.
Those of you with web sites... Could you please spread the word far and wide. This would be much appreciated.
Hope you're all well.
Best regards
GB
The box is clear has A&M cover internally with dina carroll "SO CLOSE"(LP VERSION) 4:52 although there is no trace of this on tape the tape is 5:02 long in length 5secs leader ,5 secs out hand written in pencil Queen crazy little Reh 3.30 thurs
the tape is clear showing no manufactures marks at all.
there is label DINA CARROLL on one side in same type set as tape insert other side if tape is blank tapes condition was unplayed square peice of felt tape sits on when played had no signs of tape oxides has only been played 5-6 times by myself.
Dear Serious Queen Collectors, Fans & Experts.
I have been approached by a person selling a very interesting promo tape containing what I think is an original recording studio 'monitor mix' of Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. That is what this mostly is, in my opinion.
I have heard it and it is genuine. It is NOT the familiar master mix, though it is close to that, but it is very intriguing. The bass gtr parts are different, and vocal harmonies, etc.
These kinds of recordings are very rare. This one has cropped up on a Dina Carroll promo cassette, so clearly the Queen recording should have been wiped off in order to accommodate 'Crazy', but never was.
This is NOT a TDK or Sony or BASF cassette, or anything like that. As far as I can tell, it is a genuine A & M promo item, and it may well be a complete one-off. The mix is certainly not the familiar master.
Now then, because we at QPL could re-create this mix if we wanted to, by going back to the multi-track master tape, we have no interest in it. But I would suggest that you serious collectors (those of you that love acetates and demo's and the like) should check this out. I have heard the mix down the phone twice now, so I assure you this is not a waste of time.
Could you please contact (name withheld for posting purposes) directly if you're interested in making him a serious offer. No time wasters please.
Those of you with web sites... Could you please spread the word far and wide. This would be much appreciated.
Hope you're all well.
Best regards
GB
The box is clear has A&M cover internally with dina carroll "SO CLOSE"(LP VERSION) 4:52 although there is no trace of this on tape the tape is 5:02 long in length 5secs leader ,5 secs out hand written in pencil Queen crazy little Reh 3.30 thurs
the tape is clear showing no manufactures marks at all.
there is label DINA CARROLL on one side in same type set as tape insert other side if tape is blank tapes condition was unplayed square peice of felt tape sits on when played had no signs of tape oxides has only been played 5-6 times by myself.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Adam Unger (QueenVault.com) wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Here is some information I received from Greg Brooks a few months ago about another version of Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
[/QUOTE]
You will find that tape discussed here Adam:
http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/forumnew/forum_topic_view.aspx?Q=581579
[/QUOTE]
You will find that tape discussed here Adam:
http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/forumnew/forum_topic_view.aspx?Q=581579