OK since I am leaving on vacation tomorrow early morning, I figured I'd give you TWO songs today especially since one is really short. This will end the story of the proper first album, Queen. Upon my return I will delve into the miscellaneous tracks recorded at the same time but didn't make the album - including,
Mad The Swine (intended for the first album but remained unreleased til MUCH later),
Polar Bear (a Smile track, demoed by Queen which remains unreleased),
Silver Salmon (another demo from the time period),
Feelings (a demo which breaks off of Silver Salmon), and
Hangman The great white whale of Queen collectors - a song that was only performed live and while Queen Productions denied an existence of a studio version, one collector does have such an acetate...I don't know if I should do that all in one track since they aren't proper releases...or maybe Mad The Swine is...I'll have to decide...THEN we'll move on to Queen II!
But for today...1/2
JesusWritten by Freddie Mercury
Musicians:
Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano
Brian May - acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals
- Freddie explores Christianity here and doesn't comment on it one way or the other - merely tells a story of being a face in the crowd at the time. Still heavier lyrics than most rock bands of the time
- Performed live during the earliest era but dropped from the set early on. No live recordings of the song have survived...or at least they haven't leaked if they have.
- Great choir vocals (as you probably expect by now) But also a great rhythmic march of sorts. Slightly gospel-like but nowhere near where it would go with Freddie!
- This was definitely written while Barry Mitchell was still the bassist and was apparently more acoustic at the time.
The guitar work towards the end goes hand in hand with some power drumming....
ALTERNATIVE RELEASED VERSIONS:
DE LANE LEA DEMO- Released on the 2011 Island Records remastering of
Queen Deluxe Version.
- I prefer the demo! It's longer and features a much heavier Brian guitar as well as an extended solo. Any time you get more Brian, you'll get my approval!
UNRELEASED AND UNHEARD:
- Rumors of a "Heavy Version" exist but I have the feeling that is the De Lane Lea Demo.
PERSONAL NOTES:
- This track is a real theatrical rock song. It almost sounds as if it should have been in Jesus Christ Superstar...if JCS had a god on guitar
- It showcases Freddies interest in gospel-type tunes though, something he would later explore further.
OK now for the second! 2/2
Seven Seas Of Rhye...Written by Freddie Mercury
Musicians:
Freddie Mercury - piano
Brian May - guitars
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums
- I know what you're thinking. WHAT? There are lyrics...I heard Adam sing them! I've heard Queen sing them! Well yes...but you are referring the version from Queen II
This version was an instrumental that ended Queen I.
- The gist is that Freddie had half completed the song by the time they were recording it and thought it would be a neat idea if they ended the first album with the song and opened the second album with the full version as if it really was a continuous journey! It didn't quite work out that way as Seven Seas closed Queen II also
But the idea was cool.
- This version is a bit slower and very short and sweet like a teaser should be!
ALTERNATIVE RELEASED VERSIONS:
QUEEN II VERSION:SEE QUEEN II
PERSONAL NOTES:
- I'll get into more of a discussion in Queen II, but I would have liked to have seen the tune open II and them go through with the idea...then I could put QUeen adn Queen II in the CD changer and go right through
Up next? Well when I get back I think I will start off by giving
Mad The Swine a full entry. Whether the others get a full entry will depend on how I feel at the time. I may combine entries for the miscellaneous entries but some of them may deserve their own...we'll take it as it comes...but
Mad The Swine definitely gets it's own...
Are you sure it's not just the riff that Neil Fairclough put in his bass solo? 
