Friday, October 6, 2017

Queen stream unreleased versions of We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions



Queen are streaming previously unreleased alternate versions of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” from the upcoming November 17 release of a 40th anniversary box set edition of their 1977 album classic “News Of The World.”

Both versions are included on a disc billed as the “Raw Sessions”, which presents recently unearthed out-takes and rarities from the band's archives.

The alternate take on “We Will Rock You” features a radically different approach to the guitar solo, plus the band’s original studio banter recorded immediately prior to the master take - which reveals that the much-speculated noise at the beginning of the record is actually an echo of guitarist Brian May’s count-in to the song.

The unreleased “We Are The Champions” delivers many unfamiliar instrumental elements, including guitar parts and two more choruses while presenting – for the first time – the worldwide hit in its originally recorded length. Fans will hear the song’s originally-recorded ending in its entirety versus the familiar, edited original album version that is known for its unresolved cliff-hanger closing.

The 40th anniversary reissue presents Bob Ludwig’s 2011 remaster of the album alongside two discs of bonus tracks, a DVD of a new one-hour documentary, and a pure analogue re-cut of the original vinyl LP direct from the unmastered analogue master mix tapes.

View the full track listing for the 40th anniversary box set here.

The group’s best-selling studio record, “News Of The World” peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 on its way to worldwide sales of 6 million copies, including 4 million in the States alone.

Queen and Adam Lambert have been performing tracks from the 1977 album on their 2017 world tour, which will resume when a fall European run opens in Prague, Czech Republic on November 1.




See also:

VIDEO: Queen preview News Of The World 40th anniversary box set
Queen to release News Of The World 40th anniversary box set
VIDEO: Queen and Adam Lambert launch North American tour in Phoenix
VIDEO: Queen and Adam Lambert perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Search Queen at hennemusic