Queen Discussion Thread

Save Me

Written by: Brian May

Musicians:
Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals
Brian May - acoustic and electric guitars, piano, backing vocals, synthesizer
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals




- Not released in the US but it was released in a few countries as a single - Ireland #8, Italy #10, Germany #42, Japan #96, Netherlands #5, Norway #7, and the UK #11. I don't understand how it didn't get a release in the US but I digress.

- Played live from 1979-1982 and then dropped. Brian recorded a version with Kerry Ellis for her Anthems album and played it on that tour as well.

- A perfect power ballad whereupon in concert Brian would open on piano and then in the middle section Freddie would jump on piano while Brian played the Old Lady.

QUOTES:
- "We actually wrote very separately in those days and we never really talked about what the songs meant. I think we were quite shy about what we were trying to say in them. We tend to talk about things more now…I wrote Save Mee to cut a long story short – I wrote it about a friend, someone who was going through a bad time, and I imagined myself in their shoes, kind of telling the story. Someone
whose relationship is totally fucked up and how sad that person was.” – Brian May – In the Studio

ALTERNATE VERSIONS:
SINGLE VERSION

- NOT essential. Released 6 months prior to the album the mix was somewhat different with some different phasings in the vocals.

BRIAN MAY + KERRY ELLIS

- Interesting rearrangement. A bit more polished...which is not quite a good thing. It is a great version, but it lacks the soul of Freddie imo.

OFFICIALLY RELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:

ROCK MONTREAL VERSION


ON FIRE AT THE BOWL VERSION
NO YT VIDS

- BOTH are phenenomenal live performances. Freddie, I miss you.

UNRELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:

QUEEN LIVE IN HAMMERSMITH - 1979

- ESSENTIAL
- Despite Brian's minor fuck up during the last solo, I think this is my favorite live performance of the song.

QUEEN LIVE IN ARGENTINA - 1981

- Interesting as Freddie's mic short circuits and Freddie has to use John's and then the piano mic only and he doesn't miss a beat...

QUEEN LIVE IN STOCKHOLM - 1982

- AUDIO only
- ESSENTIAL ESSENTIAL! If just for the comedy. Freddie banters with the audience, and then starts singing, but Brian doesn't start the piano..it's...amusing

BRIAN MAY + KERRY ELLIS - BBC 2010

- LOVE the intro! Better than Kerry's studio version I believe.

PERSONAL NOTES:
- One of my favorite Queen songs of ALL time. It is up there with White Queen in my rotating top 5. Just so emotive and powerful. This was my biggest disappointment with the QAL set list. I thought Adam would have handled this track brilliantly!

That ends The Game but we have a B-Side and Demo here still so we move on that B-Side, Roger's A Human Body

Indeed...I love that Stockholm one though too...

FREDDIE (singing): It started off so well...
*silence*
FREDDIE: It didn't start off so fucking well now did it!

A Human Body

Wow! Really different sound coming from RT and lyrically, more mellowed RT compared to his previous compositions. Agreed with your assessment re: Coming Soon vs AHB .... funny how RT was complaining about John's songs veering from Queen rock sound to pop and for BM/FM to choose CS over AHB from A vs B side respectively ... too melodic? :D How did John vote?

ETA: Just reviewed the track list from this album.
JMO, maybe they're right ... Tracks #s 1, 8, 12 (kind of giving the same vibe as AHB ?).
Hey, what do I know? Not much ;D

THE GAME (1980)

1. Play The Game
2. Dragon Attack
3. Another One Bites The Dust
4. Need Your Loving Tonight
5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
6. Rock It (Prime Jive)
7. Don't Try Suicide
8. Sail Away Sweet Sister
9. Coming Soon
10. Save Me

BONUS:
11. A Human Body

Sandbox

Written by: ? (Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/John Deacon)

Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - piano, shouting
Roger Taylor - drums, percussion
John Deacon - bass guitar




- A demo from The Game Sessions

- Brian is seemingly absent from this session as there is no guitar on it, just an upbeat piano/bass/drums jam

- While there are no lyrics there is an occasional stab of shouts by Freddie

PERSONAL NOTES:
- While not a true song, it is interesting to see the boys just cut loose once in a while.

That ends The Game However, it does not end 1980 studio work from the band. For in 1980, the band released TWO albums. The second being the soundtrack to Flash Gordon. We start there next....