Having generated a media firestorm back in the summer when band members Brian May and Roger Taylor first leaked news of a rediscovered Queen song featuring Freddie Mercury being considered for possible release, the highly anticipated ‘lost’ track, “Face It Alone,” has now be released worldwide.
The track’s existence was first revealed by May and Taylor in a BBC radio interview at their appearance at this year’s Royal Jubilee concert at which they performed the opening with their regular singer Adam Lambert, with Roger Taylor describing it as “a little gem from Freddie that we’d kind of forgotten about,” with Brian May saying “it’s beautiful, it’s touching.”
The track’s arrival as a single leads into the November 18 release of a new revisiting of the band’s 13th album, The Miracle, the band’s penultimate to be released in Freddie Mercury’s lifetime, which now becomes available in a lavish 8-disc Queen The Miracle Collector’s Edition box set format.
Among its contents, the expanded set includes The Miracle Sessions: an hour-plus disc of further previously unreleased recordings, including six unpublished songs. Just as tantalising for fans, the audio includes the band’s candid spoken exchanges on the studio floor in London and Montreux, giving the most revealing window yet into the four members’ creative process and the joy, in-jokes and banter on their return to working together.
“Face It Alone” was originally recorded during the band’s historic 1988 sessions for that album, a prolific period which saw the band lay down around 30 tracks, many of which were never released, but remained among those that didn’t make the final album cut. It was rediscovered when the band’s production and archive team returned to those sessions to work on The Miracle box set reissue.
“We’d kind of forgotten about this track,” admits Roger Taylor, “but there it was, this little gem. It’s wonderful, a real discovery. It’s a very passionate piece.”
The single will be the first new song featuring Freddie Mercury released in over 8 years. On 2014’s Queen Forever album the band included three previously unheard tracks with Mercury, including “Let Me in Your Heart Again,” “Love Kills” and “There Must Be More to Life Than This.”
Speaking of the rediscovered track, Brian May says: “I’m happy that our team were able to find this track. After all these years, it’s great to hear all four of us … yes, Deacy is there too … working in the studio on a great song idea which never quite got completed … until now!”
Queen The Miracle Collector’s Edition Content listing:
VINYL LP: The Miracle
Long Lost Original LP Cut
The Miracle as never heard before. Sourced from a master tape from March 1989, the Long Lost Cut reinstates “Too Much Love Will Kill You” as it was originally intended, in the exact position on Side One allotted in 1989, nestled between “I Want It All” and “The Invisible Man.” The updated LP sleeve presents the album with a gatefold cover for the first time in its history.
CD 1: THE MIRACLE
The album as originally released on CD, remastered by Bob Ludwig in 2011 from the original first-generation master mixes.
CD 2: THE MIRACLE SESSIONS
A fascinating window into the band’s creative process featuring much sought-after original takes, demos and early versions, including the new single “Face It Alone,” among six previously unheard tracks. Just as revealing – and sure to be prized by the Queen hardcore – are the spoken exchanges between the four members at the Townhouse, Olympic and Mountain Studios, giving listeners a unique snapshot of their friendship and working dynamic.
CD 3: ALTERNATIVE MIRACLE
Recreates the proposed follow-up to the album, Alternative Miracle. Originally considered at the time, this compilation of extra tracks from The Miracle, B-sides, extended versions and single versions was cancelled due to a heavy release schedule.
CD 4: MIRACU-MENTALS
Instrumentals and backing tracks of the ten songs that make up The Miracle.
CD 5, THE MIRACLE RADIO INTERVIEWS
The band discuss, in their own words, the creative process behind the album. The first interview, Queen for an Hour, was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on May 29, 1989. Host Mike Read speaks with the band for what would be their final group interview. In this interview, Freddie suggests for the first time that his touring days are over. The second interview presents Roger Taylor and Brian May talking with host Bob Coburn and taking live telephone calls on the popular US radio programme Rockline.
BLU-RAY / DVD: The Miracle Videos
The Miracle Videos includes the five promotional music videos and bonus content on both Blu-ray and DVD formats.
“I Want It All”
“Breakthru”
“The Invisible Man”
“Scandal”
“The Miracle”
Plus:
The Miracle Interviews:
Interviews with Roger, Brian and John on the set of the “Breakthru” film shoot in June 1989, by Gavin Taylor.
John Deacon has given no further interviews since that day.
The Making of the Miracle Videos:
This feature contains behind the scenes footage of “I Want It All,” “Scandal,” “The Miracle” and “Breakthru” videos.
The Making of the Miracle Album Cover:
Queen’s graphic designer Richard Gray talks about and demonstrates how he made the ground-breaking The Miracle album cover.
THE MIRACLE
COLLECTOR’S EDITION – 2022
Executive Producers: Brian May and Roger Taylor
All tracks written by Queen
Except: “Too Much Love Will Kill You” (May, Musker, Lamers),
“My Melancholy Blues” (Mercury), and “You Know You Belong To Me” (May)
Content supervised by Justin Shirley-Smith, Kris Fredriksson and Greg Brooks.
Audio compilation and restoration Kris Fredriksson
Project managed by Emma Donoghue
In an always fascinating and sometimes amusing read, The Miracle Collector’s Editionhardback art book also looks back across two pages on how critics of the time responded to The Miracle on its original release.
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