Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody-The Original Soundtrack
Hollywood
by David Chiu
(Promo pic by Hollywood Records)
The soundtrack to the upcoming and highly-anticipated Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t so much a comprehensive Queen’s greatest hits album (there are plenty of those available), but rather a broad overview documenting key moments in the band’s career. Yes, the band’s beloved songs are on there: “Killer Queen,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody to Love,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “Another One Bites the Dust”. But there are some unique surprises, providing incentives for the die-hard fans. For instance, the members of the pre-Queen band Smile—Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Tim Staffell—reunited to re-record the power rock/ballad “Doing All Right,” a song that appeared on Queen’s 1973 debut record. Surviving Queen members May and Taylor also revisits“Don’t Stop Me Now” with Mercury’s original vocals, casting the 1978 song in a new light as if it was performed live today. The new movie mix of the anthem “We Will Rock You” combines the original studio version from News of the World with a live performance of the song. The biggest highlight, however, is the inclusion of several songs from the band’s memorable performance of Live Aid from 1985 that had never seen a commercial release on an album other than from the Queen Rock Montreal DVD release; more than 30 years later, that set still remains electrifying. Other live tracks on Bohemian Rhapsody include Love of My Life, Now I’m Here, and Fat Bottomed Girls – on the soundtrack are featured to highlight Queen’s reputation as a reliable stage act. This set concludes with the haunting and empowering track “The Show Must Goes On,” from Innuendo, the last Queen studio album released during Mercury’s lifetime, providing an fitting epitaph of sorts. As mentioned, there are numerous Queen compilations out there that offer more hits, but this soundtrack nevertheless provides a well-rounded overview of this band’s larger-than-life career.
NewBeats 