The Friday Mixtape: 6/4/10 — Queen Edition

Last year I reviewed the phenomenal book Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. Although I spent a couple of hours reading it before my review, there wasn’t enough time to read every single word — so the book currently sits on my nightstand, and when I get a chance, I read a few pages before turning out the light.

Apart from the usual songs, it’s been a while since I really delved into my Queen collection — as I said in my review, my days of obsessive fandom were in my early teens — and reading the book has really revived my interest in the band. I’ve gone back to my old CDs and listened to a lot of the “deep cuts” from the album, with tremendous enjoyment.

As has also been mentioned, the band has now released eight “greatest hits” compilations, and none of them really bring anything new to the table. So enjoy this week’s mixtape: a collection of some (but not all!) of my favorite underrated Queen songs, mainly from their ’70s albums (and a few more recent). Enjoy!

The Night Comes Down from Queen (1973)

White Queen (As It Began) (BBC) original version from Queen II (1974), but this version was recorded at Langham Studio on 4/3/74, broadcast on BBC Radio One on 4/15/74. Notable is the piano part, absent from the original.

Brighton Rock from Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

Bring Back That Leroy Brown from Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

Dear Friends from Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

You Take My Breath Away from A Day at the Races (1976)

Long Away from A Day at the Races (1976)

Sheer Heart Attack inexplicably from News of the World (1977)

All Dead, All Dead from News of the World (1977)

It’s Late from News of the World (1977)

Dead on Time from Jazz (1978)

Dreamer’s Ball (live) from Live Killers (1979)

The Wedding March from Flash Gordon (1980)

I Go Crazy, B-side to “Radio Ga Ga” from The Works (1984)