| Hrek : OMG! 3 Freddie Mercury/Michael Jackson duets to be released soon! |
OMG! 3 Freddie Mercury/Michael Jackson duets to be released soon!
Back in the early 1980s, Freddie Mercury (the late lead singer of the infamous band, Queen) collaborated and recorded three rough demos with Michael Jackson at the Gloved One's home studio in Encino, CA. . . .
OMG! 3 Freddie Mercury/Michael Jackson duets to be released soon!
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The songs in question ("Victory," "State of Shock" and "There Must Be More to Life than This") were sadly left unfinished, as both men had their own tours/albums to keep them busy. (Two of the tracks did eventually see the light of day, though not as originally intended: "State of Shock" was instead recorded with Mick Jagger, released on the Jacksons' Victory album; and "…More to Life than This" ended up as a Freddie-only track on his album Mr. Bad Guy.)
For decades, these demos have been collecting dust in some mysterious musical vault, leaving fans of both artists wondering if they’d ever get an official release. And now, almost thirty years after the fact, it seems that hope is finally on the horizon.
In a recent interview with a Belgian magazine, Roger Taylor (drummer and occasional lead vocalist for Queen) happily stated, “We are now working on some never-before-released songs that Freddie made with Michael in the early 80s. I’m not allowed to say too much about it, but they sound incredible!”
As some may already know, the two legendary singers were fans of one another, and despite having personalities as different as night and day, they were friends. In a 1983 cover story on Michael Jackson for Rolling Stone magazine, journalist Gerri Hirshey was lucky enough to witness (and record) a surreal back-stage meeting between the two, at a Queen concert in L.A.:
[. . .]
Michael is politely trying to sidestep an inquiring young woman decked out with the latest video equipment. She blocks the corridor leading to the warren of dressing rooms beneath the L.A. Forum.
“Can I tell my viewers that Michael Jackson is a Queen fan?”
“I’m a Freddie Mercury fan,” he says, slipping past her into a long room crowded with Queen band members, wives, roadies and friends. A burly man with the look of a linebacker is putting lead singer Freddie Mercury through a set of stretching exercises that will propel his road-weary muscles through the final show of the group’s recent U.S. tour. The band is merry.
Michael is shy, standing quietly at the door until Freddie spots him. [. . .] Freddie bounded over like a dizzy Rottweiler and damn near crushed tiny Mike in a hug. They fell against a big trunk that opened, releasing a terrifying avalanche of Freddie’s industrial-strength jockstraps. Michael’s jaw dropped.
“Ooooooooh, Freddie. What are those?”
A gold football helmet fell out and came to rest on the mountain of cups.
“Rock & roll’s a man’s job, little brother,” Freddie thundered. Michael smiled and wanted to know if his host had really spent his last birthday hanging naked from a chandelier. The skier blushed.
[. . .]
Freddie invited Michael [to the concert]. He has been calling all week, mainly about the possibility of their working together. They’ve decided to try it on the Jacksons’ upcoming album. [. . .] The two have been friendly since Michael listened to the material Queen had recorded for The Game and insisted that the single had to be “Another One Bites the Dust.”
“Now, he listens to me, right Freddie?”
“Righto, little brother.”
Michael Jackson: Life in the Magical Kingdom
Rolling Stone; February 17, 1983
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