Freddie Mercury's 60th birthday celebrated with CD/DVD release this year

Michael Allred · 07-22-2006, 02:45 PM

Quote:

PRESS RELEASE:
Celebrating Freddie Mercury’s 60th Birthday

September 5, 2006:

2 DVD Set “Lover of Life, Singer of Songs”.
CD “The Very Best of Freddie Mercury”.
“Freddie Mercury. A life, in his own Words”, print and audio book. Freddie’s story, told by himself.
Proud Galleries Photographic Exhibition – 8th September to 22nd October, 2006.
ITV and BBC Radio 2 Tributes.

And, of course, a party!

Had singer Freddie Mercury survived the fearsome onset of the HIV/Aids virus which overtook many of his generation, September 5 of this year would have seen Freddie reach the age of 60.

No doubt Freddie would have thrown an elaborate birthday party, something he approached with zeal every year, many of which have become legend: the black and white cross-dressing Munich event; the hat party at home at Garden Lodge.

“Freddie always loved a party,” says Peter Freestone, his personal assistant for 12 years. “So much so, that he would often arrange one, and then think of an excuse for having it.”

This year there will be a party: Tuesday, September 5, fans, friends, and family will celebrate with a birthday and special fundraising performance of the musical We Will Rock You. The evening’s performance will feature guest appearances, script changes, and birthday presents, the presents subsequently to be auctioned in aid of The Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up by the remaining members of Queen and manager Jim Beach, to fight AIDS worldwide.

The party will not be the only way in which Freddie will be remembered:

September 4th Parlophone will release a CD and special edition package of ‘The Very Best of Freddie Mercury’, with simultaneous release of a 2 DVD box set, ‘Lover of Life, Singer of Songs’, all of Freddie’s solo videos and his story told by close friends.

The Official 60th Anniversary Photographic Exhibition, showcasing rare images of Freddie from both public and private collections, will take place at Proud Central, 5 Buckingham Street, WC2N (www.proud.co.uk) from 8th September-22nd October 2006.

Publication of the print and audio book, “I’m Mr Mercury”, Freddie’s life, told in his own words.

As far as I know, no tracklisting has been officially announced for the "best of" CD yet. No word yet if the CD/DVD will get a US release either.

Michael Allred · 07-23-2006, 02:26 PM

from http://www.queenworld.com/artman/pub...icle_426.shtml

Quote:

The press release about the fabulous Freddie releases coming soon...

The Very Best of Freddie Mercury Solo.
2 CD Set - 60th Anniversary Special Edition
For Release September 4, 2006

While Freddie Mercury dedicated the major part of his creative energies to the all-consuming project that was Queen, such was his appetite for music that not all of it could be fulfilled within the parameters of Queen. At these times Freddie ventured off into the uncharted new world of solo projects.

This special edition, released September 4, 2006 to celebrate his 60th anniversary, The Very Best of Freddie Mercury Solo, which includes a bonus CD of rare or unheard tracks, highlights those periods when Freddie channelled his inexhaustible love of music into new musical encounters, some intensely personal projects, others providing the excitement of collaborations with writers and performers who fired his imagination.

While most people would think Freddie’s solo career began in 1984 with his Mr. Bad Guy album, it in fact began much earlier - back in 1973, with his cover versions of the Beach Boys’ I Can Hear Music and Goffin-King’s Goin’ Back, released as the A and B sides of his first solo single, released under the name of Larry Lurex. Since the single disappeared without trace, it is not surprising few are aware of this inauspicious start to his solo career. Both are included here.

A number of tracks here come from the official first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, recorded in 1983/84 in Munich during a period when Freddie was heavily into the club scene in the city. Freddie’s love of the dance music he was surrounded by at the time shows through in tracks such as Love Kills, I Was Born To Love You and Living On My Own (which, remixed in 1994, gave Freddie a posthumous No.1 hit, an Ivor Novello award, and the only No.1 of his solo career).

Freddie’s love of theatre, and great admiration for his first pop idol, Cliff Richard, accounts for the track Time, the title song of Dave Clark’s successful West End musical in which Cliff starred (the show, coincidentally, played at the Dominion Theatre, now the home to Queen’s own smash hit musical, We Will Rock You).

One of the most musically fulfilling periods of Freddie’s life was his musical love affair with Spanish opera diva, Montserrat Caballe. From this unlikely, but magical union, came the tracks Barcelona, which Freddie wrote for Montserrat’s home city and which became the theme for the Olympics, and the high drama of Guide Me Home, and How Can I Go On.

Although Freddie only ever released one true solo album - the Barcelona album excepted - there are reports that he had plans, and, indeed, had started work on a ‘covers’ album. This is widely considered to be the origin of one of his most popular singles, his version of The Platters’ classic The Great Pretender, released first by Freddie in 1987 (when it reached No.4) and subsequently reissued in 1993.

While CD1, with a few exceptions, features mostly versions as originally recorded, the second CD of the set is a feast of rarities and new and unheard remixes. Over half of the tracks featured are 2006 mixes.

In recognition of Freddie’s own passion for new musical adventures and his love of the club music scene, for this release a number of Freddie’s own best loved tracks were handed over to some of today’s most highly regarded up and coming international remixers: Pixel82, The Glimmers, George Demure, Sunshine People, Rank 1, Star Rider, No More Brothers and The Egg, all given an open brief to take Freddie’s original and rework it in their own unique and unpredictable sound and style.

On a more retrospective level, a vocal and piano version of Your Kind of Lover and Freddie’s a cappella delivery of Let’s Turn It On, were selected to give an informal insight into Freddie at work and underline the fact that as well as a unique writer, Freddie was also one of the finest vocalists we will ever hear. As Brian May has written:” Freddie sang with a joy and spontaneity that came from plucking his own inspiration from the air, or his own heart. It is hard to find a parallel anywhere for this man who combined composing with such outstanding performance.”

CD 1 ends with a stunningly moving version of Mercury’s Guide Me Home performed by Swiss jazz pianist and Blue Note artist Thierry Lang, a native of Freddie’s final home city of Montreux, and specially arranged and recorded by Lang as his own tribute to Freddie.

Track listing CD1:
1. In My Defence (2000 Remix)
2. The Great Pretender (Original Version from 1987)
3. Living On My Own (1993 No More Brothers Radio Mix)
4. Made In Heaven (Mr Bad Guy Album Version from 1985)
5. Love Kills (Original Version from 1984)
6. There Must Be More To Life Than This (Mr Bad Guy Album Version from 1985)
7. Guide Me Home (Barcelona Album Version from 1988)
8. How Can I Go On? (Barcelona Album Version from 1988)
9. Foolin’ Around (Steve Brown Version)
10. Time (Original Version from 1986)
11. Barcelona (Barcelona Album Version from 1988)
12. Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (Mr Bad Guy Album Version from 1985)
13. I Was Born To Love You (Mr Bad Guy Album Version from 1985)
14. The Golden Boy (Barcelona Album Version from 1988)
15. Mr Bad Guy (Mr Bad Guy Album Version from 1985)
16. The Great Pretender (Malouf Mix)
17 .Love Kills (Star Rider Remix)
18. I Can Hear Music (Original Version from 1973)
19. Goin’ Back (Original Version from 1973)
20. Guide Me Home (Thierry Lang)

Track listing CD 2:
1. Love Kills (Sunshine People Radio mix) 3.18
2. Made In Heaven (Extended Version) 4.50
3. Living On My Own (Egg vocal Mix) 5.40
4. Love Kills (Rank 1 Remix) 7.26
5. Mr Bad Guy (Bad Circulation mix) 3.24
6. I Was Born To Love You (George Demure remix) 4.00
7. My Love Is Dangerous 6.29
8. Love Making Love (Demo) 3.36
9. Love KIlls (Pixel82 remix) 6.12
10. I Was Born To Love You (Extended Version) 7.06
11. Foolin' Around (Early Version) 4.14
12. Living On My Own (No More Brothers Extended Mix) 5.17
13. Love Kills (Glimmers re-edit) 7.23
14. Your Kind Of Lover (V & P version) 3.38
15. Let's Turn It On (Acapella) 3.05

As part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations, EMI will also release the 2-DVD set, Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs.

The Official 60th Anniversary Photographic Exhibition, showcasing rare images of Freddie from both public and private collections, will take place at proud Central, 5 Buckingham Street, WC2N (www.proud.co.uk) from 8th September-22nd October 2006.

In addition, EMI Music will publish the print and audio book “Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words”.

Tim L · 07-23-2006, 05:11 PM

If there is new stuff on here as opposed to the box set which I a;ready own- I will pick this up.
Tim

Michael Allred · 07-23-2006, 05:44 PM

Tim, virtually ALL of disc 2 is new stuff though the 2 disc set is apparently a limited edition.

Dave Mack · 09-05-2006, 02:42 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury

Happy Birthday, Fred! RIP!

http://www.amazon.com/Freddy-Mercury...toys-and-games Get your own Fred!

My 2 disc CD set shipped from Amazon UK...

http://www.swiss-riviera.com/freddie-memorial/

**HTF Ads**

EricSchulz · 09-05-2006, 05:20 PM

Dave:
Post a quick review when you get it...mostly interested in the new mixes here.

Dave Mack · 09-05-2006, 05:23 PM

Sure thing, Eric!
I am happy to finally have decent versions of "Goin' back", "I can hear music" and "Love kills" finally.

Tim L · 09-06-2006, 05:35 PM

I ordered this from Cd Universe-hope it comes in soon- I guess Hollywood is waiting until October to release the cd and DVD..oh well.
Tim