Queen fans: listen up. The band’s guitarist, Brian May, has made it official that the band will release an album of previously unreleased songs sung by late frontman Freddie Mercury. And he’s announced a title for the project, too.
May says that the compilation of the band’s unreleased material will be called Queen Forever and will include tracks where Mercury is singing, along with the rest of the band. The tracks have never been released, giving longtime fans a glimpse into some of the demos and other “lost” tracks from the hit rock/glam band. Mercury was best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the band, and for his impressively large vocal range. In 1991, Mercury passed away at the age of 45 from pneumonia and complications stemming from HIV, but in the years since, his fan base has continued to grow.
According to May, the compilation will include some of Mercury’s 1983 demos, which he’s been working on with Queen drummer Roger Taylor. In addition to that, it will include lost tracks and songs in which Mercury collaborated with David Bowie, Andy Gibb and Rod Stewart. Mercury described some of the tracks in an interview earlier this month.
“Most of it comes from the ’80s when we were in full flight. So it’s is quite emotional. It is the big, big ballads and the big, big epic sound. It wouldn’t have been if we hadn’t have done this restoration job. We had to start from scratch, because we only had scraps. But knowing how it would have happened if we had finished it, I can sit there and make it happen with modern technology.”
There’s no word on exactly when Queen Forever will be released, but May has said that it will be coming sometime later this year. Queen is spending the summer touring with “American Idol” finalist Adam Lambert, who will be fronting the band.