Adam Lambert
Appears on: The Original High
Adam Lambert released his third album, The Original High, in mid 2015 after a successful world tour with Queen. The album went to #3 in the US and #8 in the UK. The album is probably best known for the single "Ghost Town", which was performed live during some of the Queen + Adam Lambert shows (most notably in Rio). Brian contributes guitar to the track "Lucy", which features the Brian May style solo at 2:05.
Alice Cooper
Appears on: Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam DVD/CD
The Sunflower Jam is a charity founded by the wife of Deep Purple's Ian Paice. The Sunflower Superjam concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on September 16, 2012. Alice Cooper performed that evening and was joined on stage by Brian May for Alice's hit "School's Out".
Anita Dobson
Talking Of Love is a 1988 album by UK actress and singer Anita Dobson. Dobson, who is best known in her role in the UK series EastEnders, started a relationship with Brian May around this time (the two were later married). Brian produced the album (except for the last track, Anyone Can Fall In Love), wrote some tracks, sang backing vocals on some tracks, and played guitar on a few tracks as well. At least two of the tracks from the album got their start as Queen songs. Anita and Brian collaborated again a year later on the single In One Of My Weaker Moments.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK Talking Of Love 12" vinyl
Talking Of Love was written by Brian May, who also produced the song, played guitar, and provided backing vocals. It is unknown if this song was at any time considered for Queen. Talking Of Love is the first and title track to the album and was also released in different form as a single.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love 7" vinyl
This single edit of Talking Of Love edits the first 20 seconds from the beginning of the album track.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love 12" vinyl
The extended version of Talking Of Love appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl single. The extended version is significantly longer than the album version, adding more instrumental sections.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
The Last Time I Made Love is the second track from the Talking Of Love album. Brian May produced, played guitar, and sang background vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
You Can Stay The Night is the thrid track from the Talking Of Love album. Brian May produced and sang background vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK I Dream Of Christmas 12" vinyl
In 1984, both Roger Taylor and Brian May wrote Christmas songs for a potential Queen single release. Roger wrote Thank God It's Christmas and Brian wrote I Dream Of Christmas. Roger's track was the one chosen by the band to complete. Brian's track saw the light of day through Anita Dobson. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals. John Deacon appears playing bass guitar.
Appears on:UK I Dream Of Christmas 7" vinyl
The Single Edit of I Dream Of Christmas loses a full minute off of its run-time. The first 30 seconds are removed and an additional 30 seconds of instrumentation are taken from the middle of the track. The ending is also faded early. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals. John Deacon appears playing bass guitar.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK To Know Him Is To Love Him 7" vinyl
Funny Old Life Ain't It is the fifth track from the Talking Of Love album. Anita and Brian collaborated together writting the track. Brian also produced and sang background vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
Let Me In (Your Heart Again) is the sixth track from the Talking Of Love album. It has been confirmed by Queen Achivist Greg Brooks that this track was originally intended for Queen's The Works album. A full Queen studio version with Freddie on lead vocals does exist, presumably in completed and releasable state. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and provided backing vocals on Anita's version.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK To Know Him Is To Love Him 7" vinyl
To Know Him Is To Love Him was originally a hit single by The Teddy Bears written by Phil Spector. This cover version is the seventh track on Talking Of Love and was released as a single in the UK. Brian May played guitar, produced, and sang backing vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
Don't Fall In Love With Anybody Else is the eight track from Talking Of Love. Brian May produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
Anyone Can Fall In Love is the ninth track from Talking Of Love. This track was originally released as a single in 1986 and reached #4 in the UK singles chart. Anyone Can Fall In Love is a version of the EastEnders theme tune, with lyrics. This track was not produced by Brian May and does not feature any involvement from him. One of the producers of the track was Simon May, which may be the source of confusion.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love 7" vinyl
Sweet Talkin' is a non-album B-side available only on the Talking Of Love 7" vinyl. The track is very similar to the extended version of Talking Of Love; featuring different vocals by Anita at the beginning. Brian co-wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals.
Appears on:UK I Dream Of Christmas 7" vinyl
Silly Christmas appears exclusively as a B-side on the I Dream Of Christmas 7" vinyl release. Silly Christmas is similar to I Dream Of Christmas, except Anita sings the song as a child and there are some lyrical changes. Party sound effects are throughout the song and the chorus is sung by a group. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals. John Deacon appears playing bass guitar.
Appears on:UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 7" vinyl,UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 12" vinyl
In One Of My Weaker Moments was released only as a single in 1989. Brian May makes an appearance playing guitar.
Appears on:UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 12" vinyl
The Drama Mix of In One Of My Weaker Moments appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl release. The drama mix is an extended version, adding instrumental sections at the intro and in the middle. There is much more of Brian's guitar work featured in this mix.
Appears on:UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 7" vinyl,UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 12" vinyl
The instrumental version of In One Of My Weaker Moments appeared on both the 7" and 12" vinyl releases. This version is a true instrumental version and features no vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK Talking Of Love 12" vinyl
Talking Of Love was written by Brian May, who also produced the song, played guitar, and provided backing vocals. It is unknown if this song was at any time considered for Queen. Talking Of Love is the first and title track to the album and was also released in different form as a single.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love 7" vinyl
This single edit of Talking Of Love edits the first 20 seconds from the beginning of the album track.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love 12" vinyl
The extended version of Talking Of Love appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl single. The extended version is significantly longer than the album version, adding more instrumental sections.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
The Last Time I Made Love is the second track from the Talking Of Love album. Brian May produced, played guitar, and sang background vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
You Can Stay The Night is the thrid track from the Talking Of Love album. Brian May produced and sang background vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK I Dream Of Christmas 12" vinyl
In 1984, both Roger Taylor and Brian May wrote Christmas songs for a potential Queen single release. Roger wrote Thank God It's Christmas and Brian wrote I Dream Of Christmas. Roger's track was the one chosen by the band to complete. Brian's track saw the light of day through Anita Dobson. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals. John Deacon appears playing bass guitar.
Appears on:UK I Dream Of Christmas 7" vinyl
The Single Edit of I Dream Of Christmas loses a full minute off of its run-time. The first 30 seconds are removed and an additional 30 seconds of instrumentation are taken from the middle of the track. The ending is also faded early. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals. John Deacon appears playing bass guitar.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK To Know Him Is To Love Him 7" vinyl
Funny Old Life Ain't It is the fifth track from the Talking Of Love album. Anita and Brian collaborated together writting the track. Brian also produced and sang background vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
Let Me In (Your Heart Again) is the sixth track from the Talking Of Love album. It has been confirmed by Queen Achivist Greg Brooks that this track was originally intended for Queen's The Works album. A full Queen studio version with Freddie on lead vocals does exist, presumably in completed and releasable state. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and provided backing vocals on Anita's version.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love,UK To Know Him Is To Love Him 7" vinyl
To Know Him Is To Love Him was originally a hit single by The Teddy Bears written by Phil Spector. This cover version is the seventh track on Talking Of Love and was released as a single in the UK. Brian May played guitar, produced, and sang backing vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
Don't Fall In Love With Anybody Else is the eight track from Talking Of Love. Brian May produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love
Anyone Can Fall In Love is the ninth track from Talking Of Love. This track was originally released as a single in 1986 and reached #4 in the UK singles chart. Anyone Can Fall In Love is a version of the EastEnders theme tune, with lyrics. This track was not produced by Brian May and does not feature any involvement from him. One of the producers of the track was Simon May, which may be the source of confusion.
Appears on:UK Talking Of Love 7" vinyl
Sweet Talkin' is a non-album B-side available only on the Talking Of Love 7" vinyl. The track is very similar to the extended version of Talking Of Love; featuring different vocals by Anita at the beginning. Brian co-wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals.
Appears on:UK I Dream Of Christmas 7" vinyl
Silly Christmas appears exclusively as a B-side on the I Dream Of Christmas 7" vinyl release. Silly Christmas is similar to I Dream Of Christmas, except Anita sings the song as a child and there are some lyrical changes. Party sound effects are throughout the song and the chorus is sung by a group. Brian May wrote, produced, played guitar, and sang backing vocals. John Deacon appears playing bass guitar.
Appears on:UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 7" vinyl,UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 12" vinyl
In One Of My Weaker Moments was released only as a single in 1989. Brian May makes an appearance playing guitar.
Appears on:UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 12" vinyl
The Drama Mix of In One Of My Weaker Moments appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl release. The drama mix is an extended version, adding instrumental sections at the intro and in the middle. There is much more of Brian's guitar work featured in this mix.
Appears on:UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 7" vinyl,UK In One Of My Weaker Moments 12" vinyl
The instrumental version of In One Of My Weaker Moments appeared on both the 7" and 12" vinyl releases. This version is a true instrumental version and features no vocals.
Artists For Grenfell
Appears on: Bridge Over Troubled Water digital download
In 2017, Simon Cowell organized a charity single, a cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water, to support the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. Over 50 artists took part, including Brian May on guitar, Robbie Williams, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Nile Rodgers, Geri Halliwell, and Tony Hadley to name a few.
Artists United For Nature
Appears on:Germany Yes We Can 7" vinyl,Germany Yes We Can CD single,UK Earthrise: The Rainforest Single CD single
Yes We Can was a charity release from 1989 by the Artists United For Nature. The Artists United For Nature consisted of Brian May, Ian Anderson, Joe Cocker, Carol Decker, Harold Faltermeyer, Herbie Hancock, Tommy Johnson, Chaka Khan, Stevie Lange, Sandra, Michael McDonald, Richard Page, Maggie Reilly, Jennifer Rush, Chris Thompson, and Stefan Zauner. Brian, as usual, provides guitar.
Appears on:Germany Yes We Can 12" vinyl,Germany Yes We Can CD single,UK Earthrise: The Rainforest Single CD single
The Extended Version of Yes We Can was available on the CD single and 12" releases. At over a minute longer than the standard version, this extended version has additional instrumentation and an additional verse.
Appears on:Germany Yes We Can 12" vinyl,Germany Yes We Can CD single,UK Earthrise: The Rainforest Single CD single
The Instrumental Version of Yes We Can is simply the regular version without the vocals.
Bad News
Bad News were a satirical rock band in the same vain as Spinal Tap created for the UK Channel 4 TV program "The Comic Strip Presents." Their first album, 1987's Bad News, was produced by Queen guitarist Brian May. Listed below are all of the Brian produced tracks, which includes some non-album tracks. The dialogue-only tracks are present on the LP, but do not appear on the sleeve's tracklisting. The dialogue-only tracks are listed on future CD releases, but may be renamed or appear in a different context. Brian does play guitar on a few tracks, which are also listed below. There are further Bad News releases that are not listed due to lack of involvement by Brian.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Hey Hey Bad News is the first song on the Bad News LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Vim Is Angry is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP and is renamed "We Haven't Recorded Anything Yet" on the UK 2004 CD re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Warriors Of Genghis Khan is the second full song on the Bad News LP. Additionally, this track appears on the 1993 UK release "The Cash In Compilation."
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Excalibur is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD,UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 7" vinyl
Produced by Brian May, Bohemian Rhapsody is the thrid full song from the Bad News LP. This version of Bohemian Rhapsody is obviously a humorous take-off of the Queen classic. It has been rumored that John Deacon plays bass and sings backing vocals. However, there has been no proof to support that claim.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl
The Single Version of Bohemian Rhapsody appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl single. This version is essentially the album version but replaces the ending with the one from Take 1.
Appears on:UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Bohemian Rhapsody take 1 is a humourous "flase start" to the track, ending with a band argument.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Dividing Up The Spoils is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP and is renamed "The Contract" on the UK 2004 CD re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Introducing The Band is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 7" vinyl,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD,UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 12" vinyl
Produced by Brian May, Bad News is the fourth song from the Bad News LP. It is possible, but not confirmed that Brian plays guitar on this track as well.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Hey Mr. Bassman is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP. Also of note, Hey Mr. Drummer is added to the end of this track on the UK 2004 re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Hey Mr. Drummer is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP. Also of note, Hey Mr. Drummer is added to the end of Hey Mr. Bassman on the UK 2004 re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1988 Bootleg LP,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Masturbike is the fifth song from the Bad News LP. Also of note, this track appears on every Bad News LP release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Trousers is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP and is renamed "What Are We Going To Wear For Top Of The Pops" on the UK 2004 CD re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Drink Till I Die is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 7" vinyl,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 12" vinyl
Produced by Brian May, Cashing In On Christmas was a single release that did not appear on the original release of the Bad News album. Brian also played guitar on the track.
Appears on:UK 1988 Bootleg LP,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, the Dub version of Cashing In On Christmas is the single version with band dialogue "dubbed" over the song. Just like the single version, Brian provides some guitar.
Appears on:UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 12" vinyl
Appearing exclusively on the 1987 12" vinyl, the Let's Bank Mix has a longer outro and intro, more instrumental sections, and more guitar work from Brian. Just like the other two versions, Brian produced this track as well.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 7" vinyl,UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Life With Brian was a B-side to Bad News' Bohemian Rhapsody single. The track is mostly instrumental and features Brian on guitar as well.
Appears on:UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Maybe We Should Plug The Guitars In was originally part of Drink Till I Die on the original Bad News UK release. This was made a seperate track on The Cash In Compilation.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
This Roy Orbison cover was originally available only on the Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl and later appeared on re-releases and compilation CDs. Brian produced the track.
Appears on: All You Need Is Love CD single, Bandaged Together CD
Bandaged is an all-star collaboration from 2009 to raise money for BBC's Children In Need. This cover of the classic Beatles track features Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music), Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Brian May (Queen), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Sharon Corr (The Coors), and others. Most of the track was recorded in Abbey Road Studios. Brian May, of course, plays guitar on the track.
Appears on: All You Need Is Love CD single
The Pudsey Mix is available exclusively on CD single and iTunes download. As opposed to an edit, this is a remix of the track, featuring different vocalists performing different verses. Most notably, Midge Ure starts the song off, singing the first two verses. Part of Brian's guitar parts are omitted in favor of the orchesetra.
Appears on: All You Need Is Love CD single
The Chapel Edit is available exclusively on CD single and iTunes download. This edit removes the instrumental intro and fades out a bit earlier.
Appears on: Bandaged Together CD
The Goodnight Mix of All You Need Is Love omits the horn section at the beginning and overall has a shorter mix than the normal album/single version.
Appears on:US Signs Of Life LP,US Signs Of Life CD,US Signs Of Life re-release,US (Another) 1984 12" promo vinyl
Billy Squier's 1984 album Signs Of Life continued his string of success in the early 80s. The album went two times platinum in the US and its lead single Rock Me Tonight went to #15. The sixth track on the album, (Another) 1984, features Brian May on guitar. The track features lots of "futuristic" synthesizer effects, harmonies, and Orwellian overtones. Brian's guitar solo sounds more like early Queen as opposed to his guitar sound of the 80s.
Appears on:UK Headless Cross LP,UK Headless Cross CD,US Headless Cross CD
When Death Calls comes from Black Sabbath's 1989 album Headless Cross, which is the second album to feature Tony Martin on lead vocals. Brian shares guitar solo duties with Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. Also of note, Cozy Powell co-produced (with Iommi) and played drums on the album. Cozy later recorded and toured with Brian. Headless Cross is generally viewed positively by Sabbath fans.
Appears on: UK God Only Knows CD single, UK God Only Knows digital download
Brian Wilson, along with numerous other music legends and contemporary artists, recorded a cover version of God Only Knows to launch BBC Music. The track was released in October 2014 as a download and eventually as a CD single for the Children In Need Charity. A who's who of artists appear on the track including Elton John, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, and of course Brian May on guitar, to name a few. The single went to #20 on the UK charts.
Appears on: UK God Only Knows CD single
An instrumental version of God Only Knows appears exclusively on the CD single.
Appears on: God Only Knows BBC Music promo video
The excellent God Only Knows video was a striking way to promote BBC Music. The video features all the musicians from the recording in a well-done, visually impressive video. Brian May appears playing in front of a wall of "May" branded Vox AC30 amps. The video is longer than the single and instrumental versions, adding some orchestral warm up sounds at the beginning.
Appears on: Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam DVD/CD
The Sunflower Jam is a charity founded by the wife of Deep Purple's Ian Paice. The Sunflower Superjam concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on September 16, 2012. Bruce Dickinson performed two songs at the event, handling lead vocals. He was joined onstage by Brian May, John Paul Jones, Ian Paice, and Brian Auger to perform the Deep Purple classic Black Night.
Appears on: Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam DVD/CD
The Sunflower Jam is a charity founded by the wife of Deep Purple's Ian Paice. The Sunflower Superjam concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on September 16, 2012. The finale to the concert was an all-star performance of Smoke On The Water. Bruce Dickinson handled lead vocals and Brian May was on lead guitar.
Appears on: UK Guitar Zeus CD album, UK Ultimate Guitar Zeus CD, UK Nobody Knew CD single
Carmine Appice is recognized as one of the best hard rock drummers. Appice has appeared on albums by Rod Stewart, Paul Stanley, and Ted Nugent to name a few. Carmine's 1995 Guitar Zeus album included many guest guitarists, including Brian May. Brian appears on the album and single version of Nobody Knew (Black White House). The track is very heavy and showcases both Appice and May very well.
Appears on: UK Nobody Knew CD single
The Radio Version of Nobody Knew is obviously a little more radio friendly, cutting about a minute off of the running time. A large portion of the instrumental break is removed along with a verse of lyrics in middle and the "whole in the blue sky" lyrics at the end.
Appears on: Gems For Ruby
Catherine Porter's voice should be well known to Queen fans. Catherine sanging backing vocals for the Brian May Band during his Back To The Light tour. Later, Brian recruited her to sing backing vocals on the 1995 Queen track Let Me Live and on his 1998 solo album Another World. When the time came for Catherine to record her own album of cover songs, it was a natural for Brian to be involved. Somebody To Love is the second track on her 2009 album Gems For Ruby. Brian May, naturally, plays guitar on the track.
Appears on:Radio Voices
Chris Thompson is and English singer and guitarist who has had a successful solo career and was lead vocalist of Manfred Mann's Earth band. He has appeared on many Queen-related projects including singing backing vocals for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, The Brian May Band, and at the 46664 concert. He also appeared on The Stonk and on the Yes We Can charity single. A Shift In The Wind (Part 1 & 2) are from his 1985 solo album Radio Voices. Brian plays guitar on the track.
Appears on: Backtrack 1980-1994
The 2008 release Backtrack is a career retrospective of Chris Thompson. Included on this release is an edited version of A Shift In The Wind. This version is made up of mostly the first four and a half minutes of the song, minus the intro and outro. Brian plays guitar on the track.
Appears on:Claire CD
Claire Sweeney is an actress and singer from the UK. She is known for her role in Brookside and appearing in Celebrity Big Brother. In 2002, she released her album, Claire, which charted well in the UK. The album features original material as well as cover songs. One of the cover songs is Too Much Love Will Kill You, featuring Brian May and UK session player Phil Palmer on guitar.
Appears on:Party At The Palace CD, Party At The Palace DVD
Recorded live at Buckingham Palace June 3, 2002. A live version of the Cliff Richard hit. Brian May is featured on lead guitar.
Appears on: 21st Century Christmas/Move It 7" vinyl, 21st Century Christmas/Move It CD single, Two's Company - Duets
Legendary UK pop singer Cliff Richard released a new recording of his 1958 hit single Move It in 2006. This new version featured Brian May on guitar and Brian Bennett from The Shadows on drums. The single was released in December 2006 in an effort to be the #1 Christmas single. It reached #2 on the UK charts. The song was later included on the Cliff Richard Two's Company compilation CD.
Appears on: The Drums Are Back
Cozy Powell was a well-respected English drummer who worked with Rainbow, Jeff Beck, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and The Brian May Band. Somewhere In Time is from Cozy's 1992 album "The Drums Are Back." The track features Brian May on guitar and John Deacon on bass. This track was the inspiration for Nothin' But Blue on Brian's Back To The Light album. This is also the same track that appeared as Nothin' But Blue (Guitar Version) on the Back To The Light CD single.
Appears on: The Highland Road digital download single
The Highland Road is a digital only single from 2017 by Craig Weir & The Cabalistic Cavalry. The track starts with a somber piano backing as a poem is read by 21 different artists and personalities. When the poem ends, the music tempo picks up considerabily, becoming acoustic guitar, bagpipe and drum based. The uptempo part continues with lyrics and choruses that are obviously heavily influenced by Scottish folk. Brian reads a line of the poem at 1:54.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The Strat Pack was a concert held on September 24, 2004 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The concert opened with a performance by The Crickets. Sonny Curtis sings lead vocals. They were joined on stage by Brian May and Albert Lee. Brian plays guitar on this song (a Fender, not his red special) and sings backing vocals. This concert was released on DVD in 2005 and later on Blu-Ray format.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The second song performed by The Crickets, May, and Lee at the Strat Pack concert was Maybe Baby. Brian gets to sing lead vocals for The Crickets and play guitar (again, a Fender). Also of note, Brian did record a studio version of Maybe Baby in 1998 (see Another World).
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
Sonny Curtis takes lead vocals on this song. Brian plays Fender guitar and sings backing vocals.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
Sonny Curtis continues to sing lead vocals on this song. Brian plays Fender guitar and sings backing vocals.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
Ronnie Wood (The Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, The Rolling Stones) joins Brian May, Albert Lee, and The Crickets for this performance. Brian plays Fender guitar and sings lead vocals.
Appears on:UK Shove It, Track 7
Appears on:UK Cowboys and Indians 7" vinyl,UK Cowboys and Indians 12" vinyl,UK Cowboys and Indians promo CD
Brian May appears on this track, both on the album and the single, playing some great guitar. This was the lead-off single for the album, so it came out before the album did, making this version the Original. The differences to the album aren't huge, but you'll notice the beefier guitars. Roger sings "I want you to burn! Burn! Burn!" on this version, which is edited on the album (except the last "Burn!") for some reason. This version is also about ten seconds shorter, fading out earlier.
Appears on: Rockstar CD single, Rockstar iTunes single, Bad Intentions
This pop/rap/rock track by Dappy, of the group N-Dubz, features a closing guitar solo by Brian May. Dappy's vocals are autotuned, which is standard for the genre and may turn off some listeners. Brian recorded his parts in November 2011 and the track was released in mid-January 2012.
Appears on: Rockstar CD promo single, Rockstar iTunes single
The instrumental of Rockstar is a mix of the album/single version that omits the vocals. This is not available on the regular CD single; if you want this one, you need to download it or find a promo CD single.
Appears on: Rockstar CD promo single
A "clean" version of Rockstar is available on some promo CD singles. The song edits out the words "fuck" and "shit" from the performance.
Appears on: Bad Intentions - High Grade Edition
Brian May joined Dappy on Ferne Cotton's Radio 1 Lounge Session on February 27, 2012 for a live performance. The two are joined in the studio by live session musicians, which makes the song sound more "authentic" than the recorded version.
Appears on: Bad Intentions - High Grade Edition
Brian May joined Dappy on Ferne Cotton's Radio 1 Lounge Session on February 27, 2012 for a live performance. Brian and Dappy are joined by session musicians for a performance of the Queen classic We Will Rock You.
Appears on: 2009 Pyromania Deluxe Edition
Def Leppard performed at the L.A. Forum in September 1983 as part of their tour to promote their smash album Pyromania. They were joined onstage by Queen guitarist Brian May for a cover of the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song Travellin' Band. The concert has been heavily bootlegged for years. An edited version of the show (and this song) finally appeared on the 2009 Deluxe Edition release of Pyromania. The full version featured on bootlegs almost ten minutes in length.
Appears on: Tonight 7" vinyl, Tonight 12" vinyl, Tonight CD single
Def Leppard were a main act for the April 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. The band performed a three song set before the proper Queen set. One of the track they performed was Now I'm Here. Def Leppard were joined onstage by Brian May for the live performance. This performance is featured on the 1993 single Tonight.
Appears on:UK I Love You CD,UK I Love You - Special Edition CD
From the UK version of Diana Ross' 2006 album "I Love You." This is one of the most jarring and odd Queen covers that I have heard. The track starts with a horn section (that continues throughout the track) and features a different arrangement. Diana's vocals are good, but again are slightly odd for this song. Brian plays guitar throughout the track and performs a solo that is very different from the original. Note that the US version of "I Love You" does not feature this track.
Appears on: Going Down: The Songs Of Don Nix
Don Nix is a songwriter and musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He is known as being a key part of the Memphis sound at Stax Records. Going Down is his best known track, which was released in 1969 by the band Moloch. The song later was covered by The Who, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and numberous others. Don released a new version on his 2002 album Going Down: The Songs Of Don Nix. Brian May plays guitar on the track. There are other versions of this song, released on albums by Troy Turner and Leslie West. They seem to be possibly all recorded, in part, in the same sessions. The mixes are different for sure and different takes may have been used.
Appears on: Shampoohorn
From 2006, Brian May rumored on guitar for an unspecified track.
Appears on:The Solo Collection,Ghost Of A Smile, The Man From Manhattan CD
Man From Manhattan was recorded in Mid-January, 1976, just before the band flew to New York (where, incidentally, they guested on Ian Hunter's "You Nearly Did Me In"). This track sounds extremely Queen-like, and it should. Freddie produced, played piano, and provided backing vocals. To add to the Queen sound, Brian May played guitar and also provided backing vocals. A fantastic song, borrowing a lot musically from Killer Queen.
Appears on:Ghost Of A Smile, The Man From Manhattan CD
This is a dodgy re-cutting of the song. Now we get some backwards bits added. Stick the original version.
Appears on: UK Man From Manhattan CD single (1995)
A rather pointless edit/mix that appears on the CD single from 1995. The intro is very slightly different and a repeated section at 3 minutes.
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single
A new version of Man From Manhattan, produced by Mike Moran, features a brand new arrangement by the Pirate Swing Band while still retaining the original performances by Eddie Howell, Freddie Mercury, and Brian May, with some extra keyboard by Moran.
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single
An instrumental version of the 2018 Radio Mix.
Appears on: Song For Love 7" single, Song For Love 12" single, Song For Love CD single
Song For Love is a track from Extreme's 1990 top 10 album Extreme II - Pornograffiti. The single was not released until 1992, reaching #12 in the UK. The B-side of the single is a cover of Queen's Love Of My Life. The building blocks of this track were live recorded at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Further production work was put into the track. The audience noise removed and it features additional electric guitar by Brian May.
Appears on:Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack, Medium Rare, The Best Guitar Album In The World! III
A heavy, rip-roaring cover of the classic Pink Floyd track. Taylor Hawkins, not Dave Grohl provides lead vocals. Brian's guitar is throughout the track. Please note that the Foo Fighters originally performed this as a B-side without Brian May; this version is different from that B-side version. This can only be found on the 2000 Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack.
Appears on:One By One
From the Foo Fighter's 2002 album, One By One, Tired Of You features Brian's "Queen II-type" guitar sound by request of the Foos. The track is is quiet and somber with Brian's orchestral guitar in the background. One By One went on to be a big hit, although it was the band's least favorite album.
Appears on:The Solo Collection
This is actually the original version recorded by Freddie, with Brian on guitar. Because Freddie didn't want the other members to appear on the album, he asked Brian to do the guitar track with the intention of getting the session guitarist to redo it more or less the same way Brian did it. So the finished version has the session guitarist Paul Vincent copying this performance by Brian. The drums and piano aren't as punchy as the finished version, but this is still a must for Queen fans as Freddie and Brian seem to be having a lot of fun.
Appears on:Never Boring CD,Never Boring vinyl,Never Boring Box Set
The 2019 Freddie Mercury compilation Never Boring mostly consisted of new mixes of Freddie Mercury's solo work. The mixes preserved the performance and sounded more contemporary. She Blows Hot And Cold combines the performances of the original B-side with Brian May's guitar from the Alternative Version).
Appears on:UK Self! 7" vinyl,UK Self! 7" vinyl picture disc,UK Self! CD single, Big Bang
Fuzzbox were a UK all-girl rock band formed in Birmingham in 1985. Their 1989 album Big Bang was a change of direction for the band; their sound changed from rock to dance-oriented pop. Brian May plays guitar on the track Self!, which was also released as a single. The single reached as high as 24 in the UK charts.
Appears on:UK Self! 12" vinyl,US Self! 12" vinyl,UK Self! CD single
The Selfish Mix of Self! is a very long extended version. There are large sections off added backbeat/drum machine percussion in between the verses of the song. There doesn't seem to be any involvement from Brian on this extended "selfish" mix.
Appears on: Unreleased
Lady Of Leisure is an unreleased song by Gareth Marks, who happens to be a friend of Anita Dobson. A video was produced for it as well, but it too was not officially released at the time. The song is a fun, percussion-heavy funk-rock track. Brian plays guitar and also appears in the video. The video can now be found on Gareth Marks' website. Some sources have this track being recorded in 1989 and others have it as late as 1991.
Appears on: A Tribute To The Big Bopper
Gareth Marks played The Big Bopper in "Buddy - The Musical" at The Victoria Palace in London. He recorded two songs in tribute to the deceased singer. From the album "A Tribute To The Big Bopper", Go Bopper Go is faithful to the original and features Brian May on guitar. A video can be found on his website.
Appears on: A Tribute To The Big Bopper
Bopper's Boogie Woogie is another faithful tribute to The Big Bopper. Like Go Bopper Go, this track features Brian on guitar and appears on "A Tribute To The Big Bopper".
Appears on:Music For The Small Screen
Gordon Giltrap is a well regarded English guitarist and composer. Heartsong, originally released in 1977, was one of Giltrap's most well-known songs. Giltrap's 1995 album Music For The Small Screen features a re-recording of the classic track, this time featuring Brian May, Steve Howe, Midge Ure, Rick Wakeman and Neil Murray.
Appears on: Unreleased
Guns N' Roses 2008 album Chinese Democracy was on track to be one of rock n' roll's biggest unreleased projects. Axl Rose had fired all of the original band members and had slowly rebuilt the band from scratch. Long gone were Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, et. al. In their place were guitarists Buckethead, Ron Thal, Tommy Stinson (Replacements), Robin Finck (NIN), and others. During the process of recording the album, it seemed as though the band was a constant revolving door of musicians. In around 1999, Brian May was called on by Rose to contribute guitar on Catcher In The Rye. The demo, which is not that different from the final release, features Brian prominently. By the time the album was released in 2008, Brian's contributions were replaced. This track, among others, were leaked on the internet in the mid 2000's and gave a good view of where the project was headed.
Appears on:The Stonk 7" vinyl,The Stonk 12" vinyl,The Stonk CD single
Gareth Hale and Norman Pace are a UK comedy team best known for their sketch comedy television shows. In 1991, they released a charity single on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, and CD single to aid the British Charity, Comedy Relief. The single's main song, The Stonk, featured an all-star line-up. Brian May from Queen produced, played keyboards, and also played guitar. Roger Taylor, also from Queen, played drums. The rest of the line-up is as follows: Hale and Pace (lead vocals), Toni Iommi (guitars), Dave Gilmour (guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Rowan Atkinson (drums), Neil Murray (bass), Mike Moran (keyboards/backing vocals), Joe Griffiths (keyboards), Chris Thompson (backing vocals), Judie Tzuke (backing vocals), Maggie Ryder (backing vocals), Miriam Stockley (backing vocals), and Suzie O'List (backing vocals). The single reached number 1 in the UK in March 1991.
Appears on:The Stonk 12" vinyl,The Stonk CD single
The Extended Version of The Stonk differs a bit from the normal version. The "good evening, here is the six o' clock stonk" spoken intro is removed completely; a very long piano intro replaces it. There are many added instrumental bits, which, along with the intro, adds a lot to the running time. The last three verses, however, are removed.
Appears on: Into The Light, We Are The Champions 7" vinyl, We Are The Champions CD single
Hank Marvin is an English guitar player who was part of the legendary band The Shadows. The Shadows are best known for their instrumental hits Apache and FBI. Hank Marvin's 1992 solo album Into The Light features a guitar duet with Brian May, playing the classic Queen song We Are The Champions.
Appears on: We Are The Champions promo CD single
The promo edit is an excellent, shorter version of the lengthy Hank Marvin/Brian May version. A large chunk of the song is edited at the third verse, removing some of the extraneous guitar. The edit is unnoticeable and actually makes it more like the Queen version.
Appears on: Blast
Holly Johnson was the singer from Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This '80s pop-rock dance track from his 1989 album Blast will appeal to fans of the era, but maybe not rock purists. As an example of the genre, it's rather good, an upbeat, bouncy track. Brian's guitar solo fits quite well, too. This version goes by a few different subtitles, which all seem to sound the same.
Appears on: Love Train 12" vinyl
An extended mix of the track which breaks the backing the track down in places and rebuilding it, similar to most '80s extended mixes. If you like the original, you'll probably like this version. Brian's guitar work is included in this mix.
Appears on: Love Train Frankie Knuckles Remixes 12" vinyl, The People Want To Dance 12" vinyl
This version does not include Brian May, but is listed here for information purposes and to avoid confusion. A different extended mix, this one favoring the back beat rhythm percussion parts and strips most of the other backing out. The song is more laid back as a result, but loses Brian's guitar work.
Appears on: Love Train 12" vinyl
This version does not include Brian May, but is listed here for information purposes and to avoid confusion. This is an extended mix of the standard version, which retains most of the layers throughout and seems to favour the piano parts, as they feature more prominently here compared to the other mixes. There's no sign of Brian on this version, either.
Appears on: Love Train Frankie Knuckles Remixes 12" vinyl, The People Want To Dance 12" vinyl
This version does not include Brian May, but is listed here for information purposes and to avoid confusion. This is an edit of the Americanos Big Beat Version and also doesn't feature Brian.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 7" vinyl,Queen Greatest Video Hits II (Hidden Easter Egg Video)
Who Wants To Live Forever was re-recorded and released again in 1989 as a charity single for the British Bone Marrow Donor Appeal. Auditions were held for children to sing the lead vocals; Ian Meeson and Belinda Gillett were chosen. Brian May produces, plays guitar, and keyboards. Roger Taylor plays percussion, John Deacon is on bass, and Michael Kamen arranges. The track was recorded in June 1989 at Abbey Road Studios.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 7" vinyl,UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
The instrumental of the new Ian And Belinda version of Who Wants To Live Forever is simply the backing track with no lead vocals. This is a nice version to have, just to hear the new arrangement of the song.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
The Extended Version of the Ian and Belinda version of Who Wants To Live Forever features an excellent orchestral intro that unfortunately is missing from the proper version. This version appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl single.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
The demo version of Who Wants To Live Forever is a working version of the track. Brian wanted a guide vocal work off of the new version of the song. The most readily available child vocalist was none other than his daughter, Louisa May. The backing track is the keyboard synthesizer and some percussion.
Appears on:All-American Alien Boy (1976)
A great song from the former lead singer to Mott The Hoople. This track features Freddie, Brian, and Roger singing backing vocals. Appears on Hunter's All American Boy album, which was rereleased in 1996. Worth finding just for this song alone.
Appears on: Once Bitten Twice Shy compilation
A major edit, removing over two minutes of the song. Most notably the piano intro is gone along with the final three verses.
Appears on: Just Another Night: Live At The Astoria, London DVD
Ian Hunter's 2004 DVD Just Another Night is an excellent live concert, featuring songs spanning his whole career. It was recorded live on May 28, 2004 at The Astoria Theatre in London. All The Way From Memphis, which was covered by Brian on Another World, was a stand-out performance of the evening. Brian plays guitar and sings backing vocals, Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) and Ian sing lead vocals, and Mick Ralphs of Bad Company plays guitar as well.
Appears on: Millions Part 1
Jayce Lewis is a Welsh electro-rocker singer, songwriter and percussionist. His song, We Are One, incorporated the hammer on guitar riff from Brian May's song Cyborg. Brian's original guitar parts were sampled one this track.
Appears on: US Stay With Me Tonight LP, UK Stay With Me Tonight 7" vinyl
Jeffrey Osborne's second album from 1983 featured multiple hits and a platinum award. One of those hits was the funky Stay With Me Tonight (US 30/UK 18). Osborne's vocals are deep, different, and generally fairly good. Brian's guitar solo only lasts a few seconds and is not a major part of the song, but it is instantly recognizable. This version was used as the album mix for the original US vinyl release in 1983 and for the UK 7" single.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight LP, 1989 US Stay With Me Tonight CD LP
A longer version of Stay With Me Tonight was used in the European market for the album. The US album cut featured the 7" single edit used in Europe. Whenever the album was eventually released on CD and later digital markplaces, this version would be the one to appear on the album.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl 1, US Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl
The Extended Version of Stay With Me Tonight is just that, a longer version of the proper version. There is no heavy remixing or new twists, just more repetition. The remix was done by American producer and songwriter Bill Bottrell.
Appears on: US Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl, UK Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl 2
The Dub Version, as opposed to the Extended Mix, is more of a proper remix. The song structure has changed. A bit of the backing vocals introduces the track, which continues into a very repetitive, extended version of the backing track. There are a few bits of backing vocals and brief vocals from Jeffrey. This is best described as an extended, remixed, instrumental version. The remix was done by American producer and songwriter Bill Bottrell.
Appears on: UK You Should Be Mine 12" vinyl
The Froggy Mix is a fairly good remix of the proper version. The instruments, especially the rhythm and bass guitars at the opening are more prominent. This mix is preferable to the longer extended version.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight US Club Mix 12" vinyl
The Jeffrey Osborne Soul Mix appears on the B-side of a UK Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl single. The "Soul Mix" mixes four seperate songs into an eight and a half minute mash-up. This mix was also done by Froggy.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight US Club Mix 12" vinyl
This extended club mix, named the "US Club Mix", appears exclusively on a UK 12" vinyl release (catalogue number AMX 188). Judging by the track time on the label, it is a unique mix and not the Extended Remixed Version.
Appears on: Stay With Me Tonight
From the 1983 album Stay With Me Tonight, this track is similar in style to Stay With Me Tonight, but with a much faster, poppier, tempo. Brian, again, plays guitar on the track.
Appears on:Out Of My Hands
US pop singer Jennifer Rush is best known for her track The Power Of Love. Jennifer was also a part of the Artists United For Nature in 1989, along with Brian May. In 1995 Jennifer and Brian collaborated again on the classic Queen track Who Wants To Live Forever. Brian, of course, plays guitar, sings backing vocals, and even sings lead vocals for a verse.
Appears on:Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack
Someone To Die For is an excellent track that appears on the 2004 Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack. Jimmy Gnecco provides excellent lead vocals and Brian's guitar soars throughout the entire song. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden/Audioslave fame co-wrote the lyrics and Rick Rubin produced. Unfortunately, the song was completed just for addition on the soundtrack and was not actually used in the movie. Also of note, there is a demo version of this song featuring Chris Cornell's lead vocals (but no guitar from Brian).
Appears on: Unreleased
Jonathan Kelly is an Irish musician who has been performing and recording since the mid 60s; including being a member of Humpy Bong with former Smile member Tim Staffell. Kelly's song Fork In The Road, featuring Brian May, most likely was recorded in the early days of Queen, but some sources say it was recorded while he was still with Smile. The Fan Club Biography dates it to 1989. Regardless, Brian plays guitar on this still unreleased track.
Appears on: France Electric Rhumba 7" vinyl
Electric Rumba is a French-only 7" and 12" release by José Lucas. Brian is reported to play guitar on the track and is thanked on the back sleeve. Brian was asked about the track on his website and he responded, "No recollection - sorry. Does anyone have a copy?". A 12" was also released with remixes, but no information is known about them or Brian's involvement as of yet.
Appears on: France Electric Rhumba 12" vinyl
Appears on: France Electric Rhumba 12" vinyl
Appears on:Wonderland
Judie Tzuke is an English singer and songwriter best known for her hit Stay With Me Till Dawn. Judie's 1992 album Wonderland featured Brian May playing guitar on the track I Can Read Books. The album was later re-issued in 2001 on the Sanctuary label.
Appears on:US Born This Way CD,US Born This Way 2 CD Special Edition,UK Born This Way CD,UK Born This Way 2 CD Special Edition
From Lady Gaga's monster 2011 release, Born This Way, Yoü And I is a fantastic track; showing off all of Lady Gaga's writing and performing talents. Brian appears on the track with some great guitar work (although it is slightly buried in the mix). Queen's familiar stomp-stomp-clap from We Will Rock You is also sampled into the track. Also of note, Lady Gaga was joined by Brian at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards for a live performance of this song.
Note: Many versions of this song exist, incorporating different cities into the lyrics, presumably for local markets.
Appears on: Soundtrack
Leslie West is an American musician, best known for being a founding member of the band Mountain. His 2015 solo album, Soundtrack, features a cover of the Don Nix song Going Down. Brian plays guitar on the track. There are other versions of this song, released on albums by Don Nix and Troy Turner. They seem to be possibly all recorded, in part, in the same sessions. The mixes are different for sure and different takes may have been used.
Appears on: Gatecrashing LP, UK Blow The House Down 7" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl picture sleeve, UK Blow The House Down CD single
Living In A Box was a British trio whose second album, Gatecrashing, was released in June 1989. The second track, Blow The House Down, is a high-energy '80s pop-rocker (more pop than rock), with a lot of percussion and synths. Brian May's guitar solo is very recognizable here.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl picture sleeve, UK Blow The House Down CD single
This extended dance mix breaks down the the elements of the song down and layers each onto the percussion track as is it progresses. A showcase for each part, really. By easing into each part, the manic-ness of the original is restrained, resulting in a calmer mix, but one that lacks Brian's solo and has practically no guitars at all.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl picture sleeve, UK Blow The House Down CD single
Another dance mix that, like the Keith Cohen Mix, breaks the percussion and synth tracks down and lacks Brian's guitar work entirely.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down CD single
The Conversion Mix is closer to the original version of the song, rather than a dance mix, this track retains Brian's solo is all its glory and is more of a straightforward extended version. It features some nice instrumental sections throughout.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" promo vinyl
The House Mix appears only on a UK white label promo vinyl (cat #LIBXR 5). No further information on this version (or whether it features Brian).
Appears on:Puttin' On The Style
After lengthy absense, 50s "King of Skiffle" Lonnie Donegan returned with a new record, accompanied by some of the biggest names of the 60s and 70s. One of those names was Brian May. The track was recorded in Wessex Studios during the News Of The World sessions and released in 1978. The track sounds sound very much from the 50s, but is also a very fun track. Brian's guitar playing goes along nicely with the song and is instantly recognizable. Also of note, Elton John plays piano on this track.
Appears on: Puttin' On The Style 2007 Remaster
I'm Just A Rolling Stone was an unreleased track from Donegan's 1978 album Puttin' On The Style. Almost 30 years later, a remastered edition of the album was released, this time with bonus tracks. Donegan sings lead vocals, Brian plays guitar and provides background vocals. The rip-roaring piano track is by none other than Elton John. Although it is a bit lengthy, the performance from all three has a lot of passion.
Appears on: Unreleased
Brian May provided background vocals and wrote Let Your Heart Rule Your Head for Lonnie Donegan's 1988 album. The song was ultimately never used for the project. Brian later recorded a new version for his 1992 Back To The Light album.
Appears on: If We Believe CD single
Lynn Carey Saylor is an American writer, singer, piano player, and guitarist. The 2002 US If We Believe CD single was her first commercially available release; a portion of the sales went to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.. Lynn sings lead vocals, Brian May provides background vocals and guitar.
Appears on: You Like It Clean CD
In 2007, Lynn Carey Saylor released her first full album entitled You Like It Clean. If We Believe was included on this album, although it is a whole new version of the song. Lynn's lead vocal performance is difference, and the percussion has backing track has been changed. Brian's guitar performance is still here, unchanged.
Appears on: You Like It Clean CD
We Belong was originally a #5 US hit in 1985 for Pat Benetar. Lynn Carey Saylor recorded a cover version for her 2007 album You Like It Clean. Brian May helps out on backing and lead vocals (in places) and of course, plays guitar. Also of note, Danny Miranda and Spike Edney perform on the track. Original track writers Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro also provide backing vocals.
Appears on:UK A Time For Heroes 7" vinyl,US A Time For Heroes 12" vinyl,US A Time For Heroes CD single
A Time For Heroes served as the theme of the 1987 International Summer Special Olympics World Games. The original single and extended versions are instrumental and are performed by Tangerine Dream. The vocal version features Meat Loaf on lead vocals and Brian May on guitar.
Appears on:Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose CD
Twenty-nine years after the first Bat Out Of Hell, and thirteen years after Bat Out Of Hell II; Meat Loaf returned in 2006 with Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. Bad For Good was written by Jim Steinman to appear on the follow-up to the original Bat Out Of Hell album. Steinman ended up recording the track himself years later for his 1981 album also called Bad For Good. Brian's guitar is very obvious at the opening of the song, returns at 4:30 for a solo, and appears sporatically throughout. A highlight of the album.
Appears on:Hang Cool Teddy Bear CD
From Meat Loaf's 2010 album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, Love Is Not Real/Next Time You Stab Me In The Back is a track stacked with notable guest musicians. Brian May and Steve Vai share guitar duties, while Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters assists with background vocals (and has a co-writing credit on the track). The song is typical Meat Loaf, going through many shifts between a big over the top sound that are accentuated with quieter parts. As you would expect, Steve Vai and Brian May share thrashing guitar solos.
Appears on: 1998 The Very Best of Meat Loaf, Whistle Down The Wind
The 1961 film Whistle Down The Wind was adapted as a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman. A 1998 concept album featuring popular artists performing songs from the musical was released. The track A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste was performed by Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler. There are rumors that Brian played additional guitar on the final version of this song. Other sources state that he only was involved at the demo stage and never made it on the final version.
Appears on: Heaven And Hull
This is the live version taken from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. It appears on Mick Ronson's posthumous Heaven And Hull album.
Appears on: Constante Contradicci�n
Momo Cortés played the role of Galileo in the Spanish production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You. His 2007 album Constante Contradicci�n includes a Spanish lyric version of Too Much Love Will Kill You. Brian appears on the track playing guitar, providing a fresh guitar solo.
Appears on: Bad Magic
Mot�rhead's 22nd and last album "Bad Magic" was released in August 2015, four months before the death of frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Brian May provides a guitar solo for the track The Devil.
Appears on: Severino
A translation of this song from Portuguese to English shows that it appears to be about a vampire, or the vampire is a metaphor. Musically, it's a good Brazilian rock song, with a lot of flavour. Brian's guitar work is very recognizable and if you're after something a bit different from straightforward rock, you can't go wrong here.
Appears on:Muddy Water Blues
Ten Years after his first solo album, Cut Loose, Paul Rodgers' follow-up album Muddy Water Blues was released in 1993. The entire album is a tribute to the songs of Muddy Waters. The album features an incredible line-up of guest musicians including Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Steve Miller, Buddy Guy, and Slash to name a few. One of those guest musicians is Brian May, who plays guitar on the classic song I'm Ready.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. The setlist is made up of songs from his Muddy Waters tribute album and from his time with Free and Bad Company. Paul welcomes Brian onstage to play guitar as part of the set, starting with the blues standard Good Morning Little School Girl.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian plays guitar on I'm Ready, which he also did on Paul's 1993 album "Muddy Water Blues".
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian May continues to play in the set on the Free classic Little Bit Of Love. Queen + Paul Rodgers would play this track sporadically on their 2005 European Tour.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian plays guitar on the Free classic All Right Now.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian plays guitar on the Robert Johnson blues standard Crossroads. This song is best known for the version performed by Cream.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Paul's Montreux concert ended with an ensemble performance of Hoochie Coochie Man. Brian plays guitar.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The Strat Pack was a concert held on September 24, 2004 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Brian joined Paul Rodgers on stage to perform All Right Now. This performance was the catalyst for the formation of Queen + Paul Rodgers. Brian May plays guitar, this time his Red Special, not a Fender.
Appears on: Pavarotti & Friends
Performed at the Pavarotti & Friends concert in Modena, Italy on September 27, 1992. This is not a duet with Pavarotti (which would happen at a concert years later), but rather Brian performing on his own. At least some of this live performance is to a backing track.
Appears on:UK Stoking Up The Fires Of Hell 7" vinyl, Stand Up And Fight 2008 remaster, Satan's Serenade
Quartz was a UK metal band founded in 1974. The group's self-titled first album was produced by Black Sabbath founder and guitarist Tony Iommi. Quartz's 1980 single Stoking Up The Fires Of Hell featured a B-side called Circles. For the track Circles, recorded in 1977, Iommi enlisted some help from Sabbath bandmate Ozzy Osbourne for backing vocals and Queen guitarist Brian May for additional guitar. The song was later made available on the Stand Up And Fight 2004 remaster and the Satan's Serenade compilation album.
Appears on: La Vida En El Filo, Spain Como En Susurro 7" vinyl, Spain Como Un Susurro 12" vinyl
Ramoncín is a famous Spanish rock singer and songwriter, finding success in the late 70s an early 80s in Spain. His 1986 album La Vida En El Filo features Brian May playing guitar on the track Como Un Susurro.
Appears on: Over And Out
Over And Out is the first and only solo album by Status Quo guitarist, singer and songwriter Rick Parfitt. Rick passed away before the album could be finished, but it was completed posthumously by his producer and various collaborators. Brian May appears on the lead track, Twinkletoes, providing his signature guitar sound.
Appears on: Eternity CD single, Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits
Eternity is a single-only release from the former Take That member and hugely successful UK solo artist Robbie Williams. The song was an instant hit for Robbie Williams, topping the UK chart at number 1 in 2001. Brian May appears on the track playing guitar.
Appears on: Eternity promo CD single
This promo radio edit of Eternity omits two verses (from "I sing this summer..." through to "before you know it's come and gone too soon").
Appears on: UK Sailing 7" vinyl, UK Sailing 12" vinyl, UK Sailing CD single
Sailing was written by Gavin Sutherland and originally released on the 1972 album Lifeboat, by The Sutherland Brothers Band. Rod Stewart later recorded it, resulting in a number 1 UK hit. Steve Hackett, guitarist from Genesis, later recorded/produced the song in 1990 with help of some musician friends. This group was called Rock Against Repatriation and featured Hacket, Brian May, Phil Manzanera, Bonnie Tyler, and many others. The song served as a charity single and a protest song to stop the repatriation of the Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong. An entire album was planned, but the lack of success from the single brought the project to an end. Brian May provdes guitar.
Appears on: UK Sailing 7" vinyl, UK Sailing 12" vinyl, UK Sailing CD single
This is a proper instrumental version of the Sailing single (no vocals).
Appears on:UK Reaching Out CD single
Reaching Out was a charity single released in 1996 to aid the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre. Rock Therapy is made up of Brian May on guitar, Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones on drums, and Paul Rodgers from Free/Bad Company on lead vocals. Backing vocals are provided by Sam Brown, Andy Fairweather-Low, and Lulu. The song was later performed live by Queen + Paul Rodgers on their 2005 and 2006 tours.
Appears on:UK Reaching Out CD single
The Acoustic Version of Reaching Out retains Paul Rodgers' lead vocals, but removes Brian's lead guitar and Charlie Watts' drums. Paul is backed up by an acoustic guitar, player unknown. Backing vocals are also removed from this version.
Appears on:UK Reaching Out CD single
The Instrumental Version of Reaching Out takes out Paul Rodgers' lead vocals but retains the backing vocals and Brian's lead guitar.
Appears on: Rocky Horror Show selected highlights (1995 Cast)
Info coming soon.
Appears on: The Show Tour Program with CD-Rom
In 2002, The SAS Band released a live CD/DVD of their Shepherd's Bush Empire show in February 2000. The Tour Program included a CD-ROM that featured a bonus track from the Party In The Park concert in Hyde Park. Brian May plays guitar and is joined by numerous vocalists including Lionel Ritchie and Marti Pellow.
Appears on:The Adventures Of Pinocchio Soundtrack
The Adventures Of Pinocchio soundtrack album was released by Decca Records in 1996, featuring two songs by Brian May and Sissel. Sissel is a Norweigian soprano singer who is probably best known for singing the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics Hymn. This is a beautiful duet and worth seeking out as a Brian solo track. It's a full, proper song, where Il Colosso sort of depends on knowing the context of the movie. The song is similar in style to "Who Wants To Live Forever," though its far more upbeat.
Appears on:The Adventures Of Pinocchio Soundtrack
From the film, this marionette show has the hero battling Il Colosso (The Colossus) and winning. It features excerpts from famous operas and classical pieces. The singer is Brian, with his voice pitched higher to sound like a child (whom he credits as "Just William" on the album sleeve). The end features a segment of the song What Are We Made Of?
Appears on: S.O.L. - Some Other Language
S.O.L.'s only album, Some Other Language, is primarily the work of German artist Stefan Zauner and Armand Volker. Many other artists appear on the album including The Hooters, Curt Cress (who played drums on Freddie Mercury's Mr. Bad Guy album), and of course Brian May on guitar. Brian performs on the opening track of the album, Make My Dream Come True.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The Strat Pack was a concert held on September 24, 2004 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The concert ended with a performance from the entire cast of The Faces song Stay With Me. Brian May plays his Red Special guitar during this finale. This concert was released on DVD in 2005 and later on Blu-Ray format.
Appears on: Greenpeace - Alternative NRG
Soundgarden is an American rock band, best known for their tracks Black Hole Sun, Rusty Cage, and Outshined. They are credited with being one of the most influential bands of the Seattle grunge movement. Their song New Damage, a song criticizing right-wing government, was originally released on the 1991 album Badmotorfinger. The 1994 Greenpeace benefit album Alternative NRG was released by Hollywood Records in 1994. This album features a new version of New Damage with Brian May on guitar. The track was recorded in two separate locations. Brian May's part was in PIE Studio OD'S in Glen Cove, New York; Soundgarden was recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Seattle, Washington. The song was produced by Michael Beinhorn (who also produced Superunknown) and mixed by Chris Cornell in 1993. The main difference between this and the version of New Damage that appears on Badmotorfinger (besides the addition of Brian May in the newer version) is that the newer version is much, much heavier. May actually has a minimal part; you can only hear him if you really try. A special thanks toweb.stargate.net/soundgarden for additional information.
Appears on: Dedicated: A Salute To The 5 Royales
Steve Cropper is a legendary guitar player, best known for being a founding member of Booker T. and the MG's. Steve's main influence was Lowman Pauling of the 5 Royales. In 2011, Steve released a tribute album celebrating the work of the 5 Royales. Brian May appears on I Do, singing lead vocals and helping out on guitar.
Appears on:Don't Stop
1996's Don't Stop is an album of covers performed by Status Quo that was released for their 30th anniversary. Raining In My Heart was originally a Buddy Holly ballad. Brian plays guitar solos on the track.
Appears on: Symptomology/Shortcuts To Infinity
Stephen Kalinich and Jon Tiven (known on some releases as Yo Ma Ma) are a lo-fi rock/grunge duo. This track from the double album Symptonology/Shortcuts To Infinity, is upbeat, and a bit different from straightforward rock (typical of the lo-fi genre, with lots of distorted instrumentation and vocals). Brian's guitar work stands out and if you want something rough and rugged for a change of pace, this is a good place to start.
Appears on: Each Soul Has A Voice
Kalinich and Tiven's 2015 album Each Soul Has A Voice features Brian on guitar for the opening track Rude Awakenings.
Appears on:Red Light Fever
Taylor Hawkins is the drummer for Foo Fighters and former drummer for Alanis Morissette. Hawkins has formed a side band called Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. To date, they have released two albums. The second album, 2010's Red Light Fever, features tracks with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Way Down (and the CD as a whole) is a great blend of classic rock and modern rock styles. Brian co-wrote, provides guitar, and backing vocals on this track. The last chorus features Brian's vocals and sounds very "Queen-like."
Appears on:Red Light Fever
Don't Have To Speak is another great mid-tempo classic rock style song from Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. The track features Brian May on guitar from about 2:25 onwards.
Appears on:aMIGO
Earth seems to be a favorite song of Staffell's. Earth is featured in the original Smile recordings; he also recorded an acoustic version in 1972 with his post-Smile band, Morgan, for their epic suite Nova Solis. This version, recorded for his 2003 album, aMIGO, is heavier compared to the original Smile recording. Lead vocals are split between Tim and Brian (who also plays lead guitar). A few lyrics changes and updated backing harmonies make this a nice alternative to the original.
Appears on:aMIGO Special Edition
A "Special Edition" of Tim Staffell's aMIGO album was sold exclusively at the 18th International Queen Convention at Prestatyn Sands in May 2003. This CD is a rarity firstly due to its limited run of 200 and for the unique mix of Earth. Instead of Brian and Tim sharing lead vocals duties, Tim sings lead the whole way through.
Appears on:aMIGO
Doin' Alright is another Smile track that was re-recorded for Tim Staffell's solo album, aMIGO. This song was co-written by Brian, and was previously recorded by Queen for their first album (a BBC session also exists). This version, though, is significantly different from the previous renditions, featuring a much lighter feel through a very different arrangement. Brian shares the lead vocals again, as well as playing guitar.
Appears on:aMIGO Special Edition
Like Earth, there is a unique version of Doin' Alright on the "Special Edition" of aMIGO. Tim sings lead vocals for the entirety of the song.
Appears on: Iommi
Tony Iommi is the guitarist and founding member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. In 2000 he released his first full, true solo album entitled simply "Iommi". The album was 5 years in the making and features an impressive line-up of guest musicians (Henry Rollins, Dave Grohl, Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan, and others). Brian May plays guitar on two tracks, Flame On and Goodbye Lament. Flame On is a heavy track and features Ian Astbury of The Cult singing lead vocals.
Appears on: Iommi
Goodbye Lament is the third track from the Iommi album. It was released as a single in the US, reaching #10 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Brian May and Tony Iommi play guitar, Dave Grohl (from Foo Fighters/Nirvana) plays drums and sings lead vocals, and Laurence Cottle plays bass.
Appears on: Back Where I Belong CD, German If There Is A Heaven 7" vinyl, German If There Is A Heaven CD single
Back Where I Belong, released in 1992, is the first solo album from Black Sabbath replacement vocalist Tony Martin. The album featured guest musicians Zak Starkey, Neil Murray, and Brian May to name a few. Brian May provides guitar on track If There Is A Heaven., which was released as the album's first single.
Appears on: German If There Is A Heaven 7" vinyl, German If There Is A Heaven CD single
The single edit of If There Is A Heaven simply begins to fade out at around 3:40 to 3:47; the rest of the track is silent. This is a very straight forward early fade that cuts about a minute off of the album version.
Appears on: Whole Lotta Blues
Troy Turner is a Louisiana blues guitarist and vocalist. He covers Don Nix's track Going Down on his 2010 album Whole Lotta Blues. Brian May plays guitar on the track. There are other versions of this song, released on albums by Don Nix and Leslie West. They seem to be possibly all recorded, in part, in the same sessions. The mixes are different for sure and different takes may have been used.
Appears on: Whole Lotta Blues
Come To Your Senses is an unreleased Brian May track from the early 2000's. Troy Turner recorded a version of the song on his 2008 album Whole Lotta Blues. Brian does not appear on Troy's version of the song. The song was co-written by Jon Tiven, who produced the album.
Appears on: One Voice (from the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci") 12" vinyl, One Voice digital download
From the end credits of the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci", this track features Norah Jones, Aime Mann, Susanna Hoffs, Lydia Loveless, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder and Brian May. Dean Falcone, who wrote the film's score, also produced this track. Brian provides electric guitar, backing vocals and perhaps acoustic guitar. The song was released as a digital download and as a 12" vinyl for Record Store Day - April 16, 2016, with profits from the sale of the single going to benefit animal charities. Also of note, Brian May and Kerry Ellis later recorded a version of this song, which was released as a digital single and appeared on their album Golden Days.
Appears on: One Voice (from the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci") 12" vinyl, One Voice digital download
This stripped down version, features only acoustic guitar and some violin as the instrumentation; the vocal performances are the same. As a result of the stripped down direction of this version, the intro is removed, starting with just acoustic guitar here.
Appears on: One Voice (from the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci") 12" vinyl, One Voice digital download
A completely instrumental version, without vocals. This version is a few seconds longer; adding some additional instrumental bits.
Appears on: Birdland
2003 saw the first new release from The Yardbirds in over 35 years, an album called Birdland. Original Yardbirds Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty are joined by new members for the album. Birdland has seven new tracks and eight remakes of older Yardbirds tracks. The album has many guest musicians such as original Yardbird Jeff Beck, Slash from Guns n' Roses, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai to name a few. Brian May plays guitar on a new recording of the 1965 classic Yardbird song Mr. You're A Better Man Than I.
Appears on: Zu & Co
Zucchero is a successful Italian singer and performer who over the years has performed with Brian multiple times, including the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and the 46664 concert. 2004's Zu & Co release from Zucchero is essentially a duets album. The album is stacked with big name artists including Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Tom Jones, and Pavarotti to name a few. Brian plays guitar on the track Il Mare.
Appears on: Zu & Co. Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD
Zucchero's May 6, 2004 performance at The Royal Albert Hall was released on DVD in 2007. Many of the artists that appear on the Zu & Co album appear at this concert, performing with Zucchero. Brian plays guitar on the live performance of Il Mare.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Hey Hey Bad News is the first song on the Bad News LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Vim Is Angry is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP and is renamed "We Haven't Recorded Anything Yet" on the UK 2004 CD re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Warriors Of Genghis Khan is the second full song on the Bad News LP. Additionally, this track appears on the 1993 UK release "The Cash In Compilation."
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Excalibur is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD,UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 7" vinyl
Produced by Brian May, Bohemian Rhapsody is the thrid full song from the Bad News LP. This version of Bohemian Rhapsody is obviously a humorous take-off of the Queen classic. It has been rumored that John Deacon plays bass and sings backing vocals. However, there has been no proof to support that claim.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl
The Single Version of Bohemian Rhapsody appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl single. This version is essentially the album version but replaces the ending with the one from Take 1.
Appears on:UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Bohemian Rhapsody take 1 is a humourous "flase start" to the track, ending with a band argument.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Dividing Up The Spoils is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP and is renamed "The Contract" on the UK 2004 CD re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Introducing The Band is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 7" vinyl,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD,UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 12" vinyl
Produced by Brian May, Bad News is the fourth song from the Bad News LP. It is possible, but not confirmed that Brian plays guitar on this track as well.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Hey Mr. Bassman is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP. Also of note, Hey Mr. Drummer is added to the end of this track on the UK 2004 re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Hey Mr. Drummer is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP. Also of note, Hey Mr. Drummer is added to the end of Hey Mr. Bassman on the UK 2004 re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1988 Bootleg LP,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Masturbike is the fifth song from the Bad News LP. Also of note, this track appears on every Bad News LP release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Trousers is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP and is renamed "What Are We Going To Wear For Top Of The Pops" on the UK 2004 CD re-release.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bad News LP,UK 1987 Bad News CD,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Drink Till I Die is a dialogue-only track from the Bad News LP. This track is not listed on the original UK LP.
Appears on:UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 7" vinyl,US 1989 Bad News CD,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 12" vinyl
Produced by Brian May, Cashing In On Christmas was a single release that did not appear on the original release of the Bad News album. Brian also played guitar on the track.
Appears on:UK 1988 Bootleg LP,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, the Dub version of Cashing In On Christmas is the single version with band dialogue "dubbed" over the song. Just like the single version, Brian provides some guitar.
Appears on:UK 1987 Cashing In On Christmas 12" vinyl
Appearing exclusively on the 1987 12" vinyl, the Let's Bank Mix has a longer outro and intro, more instrumental sections, and more guitar work from Brian. Just like the other two versions, Brian produced this track as well.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 7" vinyl,UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
Produced by Brian May, Life With Brian was a B-side to Bad News' Bohemian Rhapsody single. The track is mostly instrumental and features Brian on guitar as well.
Appears on:UK 2004 Bad News CD
Produced by Brian May, Maybe We Should Plug The Guitars In was originally part of Drink Till I Die on the original Bad News UK release. This was made a seperate track on The Cash In Compilation.
Appears on:UK 1987 Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl,UK 2004 Bad News CD,UK 1993 The Cash In Compilation CD
This Roy Orbison cover was originally available only on the Bohemian Rhapsody 12" vinyl and later appeared on re-releases and compilation CDs. Brian produced the track.
Bandaged
Appears on: All You Need Is Love CD single, Bandaged Together CD
Bandaged is an all-star collaboration from 2009 to raise money for BBC's Children In Need. This cover of the classic Beatles track features Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music), Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Brian May (Queen), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Sharon Corr (The Coors), and others. Most of the track was recorded in Abbey Road Studios. Brian May, of course, plays guitar on the track.
Appears on: All You Need Is Love CD single
The Pudsey Mix is available exclusively on CD single and iTunes download. As opposed to an edit, this is a remix of the track, featuring different vocalists performing different verses. Most notably, Midge Ure starts the song off, singing the first two verses. Part of Brian's guitar parts are omitted in favor of the orchesetra.
Appears on: All You Need Is Love CD single
The Chapel Edit is available exclusively on CD single and iTunes download. This edit removes the instrumental intro and fades out a bit earlier.
Appears on: Bandaged Together CD
The Goodnight Mix of All You Need Is Love omits the horn section at the beginning and overall has a shorter mix than the normal album/single version.
Billy Squier
Appears on:US Signs Of Life LP,US Signs Of Life CD,US Signs Of Life re-release,US (Another) 1984 12" promo vinyl
Billy Squier's 1984 album Signs Of Life continued his string of success in the early 80s. The album went two times platinum in the US and its lead single Rock Me Tonight went to #15. The sixth track on the album, (Another) 1984, features Brian May on guitar. The track features lots of "futuristic" synthesizer effects, harmonies, and Orwellian overtones. Brian's guitar solo sounds more like early Queen as opposed to his guitar sound of the 80s.
Black Sabbath
Appears on:UK Headless Cross LP,UK Headless Cross CD,US Headless Cross CD
When Death Calls comes from Black Sabbath's 1989 album Headless Cross, which is the second album to feature Tony Martin on lead vocals. Brian shares guitar solo duties with Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. Also of note, Cozy Powell co-produced (with Iommi) and played drums on the album. Cozy later recorded and toured with Brian. Headless Cross is generally viewed positively by Sabbath fans.
Brian Wilson
Appears on: UK God Only Knows CD single, UK God Only Knows digital download
Brian Wilson, along with numerous other music legends and contemporary artists, recorded a cover version of God Only Knows to launch BBC Music. The track was released in October 2014 as a download and eventually as a CD single for the Children In Need Charity. A who's who of artists appear on the track including Elton John, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, and of course Brian May on guitar, to name a few. The single went to #20 on the UK charts.
Appears on: UK God Only Knows CD single
An instrumental version of God Only Knows appears exclusively on the CD single.
Appears on: God Only Knows BBC Music promo video
The excellent God Only Knows video was a striking way to promote BBC Music. The video features all the musicians from the recording in a well-done, visually impressive video. Brian May appears playing in front of a wall of "May" branded Vox AC30 amps. The video is longer than the single and instrumental versions, adding some orchestral warm up sounds at the beginning.
Bruce Dickinson
Appears on: Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam DVD/CD
The Sunflower Jam is a charity founded by the wife of Deep Purple's Ian Paice. The Sunflower Superjam concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on September 16, 2012. Bruce Dickinson performed two songs at the event, handling lead vocals. He was joined onstage by Brian May, John Paul Jones, Ian Paice, and Brian Auger to perform the Deep Purple classic Black Night.
Appears on: Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam DVD/CD
The Sunflower Jam is a charity founded by the wife of Deep Purple's Ian Paice. The Sunflower Superjam concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on September 16, 2012. The finale to the concert was an all-star performance of Smoke On The Water. Bruce Dickinson handled lead vocals and Brian May was on lead guitar.
Carmine Appice
Appears on: UK Guitar Zeus CD album, UK Ultimate Guitar Zeus CD, UK Nobody Knew CD single
Carmine Appice is recognized as one of the best hard rock drummers. Appice has appeared on albums by Rod Stewart, Paul Stanley, and Ted Nugent to name a few. Carmine's 1995 Guitar Zeus album included many guest guitarists, including Brian May. Brian appears on the album and single version of Nobody Knew (Black White House). The track is very heavy and showcases both Appice and May very well.
Appears on: UK Nobody Knew CD single
The Radio Version of Nobody Knew is obviously a little more radio friendly, cutting about a minute off of the running time. A large portion of the instrumental break is removed along with a verse of lyrics in middle and the "whole in the blue sky" lyrics at the end.
Catherine Porter
Appears on: Gems For Ruby
Catherine Porter's voice should be well known to Queen fans. Catherine sanging backing vocals for the Brian May Band during his Back To The Light tour. Later, Brian recruited her to sing backing vocals on the 1995 Queen track Let Me Live and on his 1998 solo album Another World. When the time came for Catherine to record her own album of cover songs, it was a natural for Brian to be involved. Somebody To Love is the second track on her 2009 album Gems For Ruby. Brian May, naturally, plays guitar on the track.
Chris Thompson
Appears on:Radio Voices
Chris Thompson is and English singer and guitarist who has had a successful solo career and was lead vocalist of Manfred Mann's Earth band. He has appeared on many Queen-related projects including singing backing vocals for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, The Brian May Band, and at the 46664 concert. He also appeared on The Stonk and on the Yes We Can charity single. A Shift In The Wind (Part 1 & 2) are from his 1985 solo album Radio Voices. Brian plays guitar on the track.
Appears on: Backtrack 1980-1994
The 2008 release Backtrack is a career retrospective of Chris Thompson. Included on this release is an edited version of A Shift In The Wind. This version is made up of mostly the first four and a half minutes of the song, minus the intro and outro. Brian plays guitar on the track.
Claire Sweeney
Appears on:Claire CD
Claire Sweeney is an actress and singer from the UK. She is known for her role in Brookside and appearing in Celebrity Big Brother. In 2002, she released her album, Claire, which charted well in the UK. The album features original material as well as cover songs. One of the cover songs is Too Much Love Will Kill You, featuring Brian May and UK session player Phil Palmer on guitar.
Cliff Richard
Appears on:Party At The Palace CD, Party At The Palace DVD
Recorded live at Buckingham Palace June 3, 2002. A live version of the Cliff Richard hit. Brian May is featured on lead guitar.
Appears on: 21st Century Christmas/Move It 7" vinyl, 21st Century Christmas/Move It CD single, Two's Company - Duets
Legendary UK pop singer Cliff Richard released a new recording of his 1958 hit single Move It in 2006. This new version featured Brian May on guitar and Brian Bennett from The Shadows on drums. The single was released in December 2006 in an effort to be the #1 Christmas single. It reached #2 on the UK charts. The song was later included on the Cliff Richard Two's Company compilation CD.
Cozy Powell
Appears on: The Drums Are Back
Cozy Powell was a well-respected English drummer who worked with Rainbow, Jeff Beck, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and The Brian May Band. Somewhere In Time is from Cozy's 1992 album "The Drums Are Back." The track features Brian May on guitar and John Deacon on bass. This track was the inspiration for Nothin' But Blue on Brian's Back To The Light album. This is also the same track that appeared as Nothin' But Blue (Guitar Version) on the Back To The Light CD single.
Craig Weir & The Cabalistic Cavalry
Appears on: The Highland Road digital download single
The Highland Road is a digital only single from 2017 by Craig Weir & The Cabalistic Cavalry. The track starts with a somber piano backing as a poem is read by 21 different artists and personalities. When the poem ends, the music tempo picks up considerabily, becoming acoustic guitar, bagpipe and drum based. The uptempo part continues with lyrics and choruses that are obviously heavily influenced by Scottish folk. Brian reads a line of the poem at 1:54.
The Crickets
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The Strat Pack was a concert held on September 24, 2004 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The concert opened with a performance by The Crickets. Sonny Curtis sings lead vocals. They were joined on stage by Brian May and Albert Lee. Brian plays guitar on this song (a Fender, not his red special) and sings backing vocals. This concert was released on DVD in 2005 and later on Blu-Ray format.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The second song performed by The Crickets, May, and Lee at the Strat Pack concert was Maybe Baby. Brian gets to sing lead vocals for The Crickets and play guitar (again, a Fender). Also of note, Brian did record a studio version of Maybe Baby in 1998 (see Another World).
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
Sonny Curtis takes lead vocals on this song. Brian plays Fender guitar and sings backing vocals.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
Sonny Curtis continues to sing lead vocals on this song. Brian plays Fender guitar and sings backing vocals.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
Ronnie Wood (The Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, The Rolling Stones) joins Brian May, Albert Lee, and The Crickets for this performance. Brian plays Fender guitar and sings lead vocals.
The Cross
Appears on:UK Shove It, Track 7
Appears on:UK Cowboys and Indians 7" vinyl,UK Cowboys and Indians 12" vinyl,UK Cowboys and Indians promo CD
Brian May appears on this track, both on the album and the single, playing some great guitar. This was the lead-off single for the album, so it came out before the album did, making this version the Original. The differences to the album aren't huge, but you'll notice the beefier guitars. Roger sings "I want you to burn! Burn! Burn!" on this version, which is edited on the album (except the last "Burn!") for some reason. This version is also about ten seconds shorter, fading out earlier.
D-Rok
Games Workshop, maker of tabletop Warhammer games, began to incorporate music as a companion piece to their games. They started a record company, Warhammer Records, in the early 90's. One of the bands signed to this label was UK hard rock band D-Rok. Their only album was 1991's Oblivion, which took some inspiration from Warhammer 40,000. Brian May had visited the Games Workshop store with his son, Jimmy May, and met the band. Upon meeting them, he offered to play on their album. Brian played guitar on two of their songs, Red Planet Blues and Get Out Of My Way. The second was released as a single and features two alternative mixes.
Appears on:Oblivion
Appears on:Oblivion
Appears on:Get Out Of My Way 12" vinyl,Get Out Of My Way CD single
The D-Mix would be best described as an extended remix of the album version of the song. It has been heavily remixed, featuring much more programmed purcussion bits.
Appears on:Get Out Of My Way 12" vinyl,Get Out Of My Way CD single
The Air Mix is essentially a single remix of the album version. The chanting opening on the album version has been shortened and mixed differently, making it more appropriate as a single release. The backbeat is remixed and a little poppier and more produced.
Appears on:Oblivion
Appears on:Oblivion
Appears on:Get Out Of My Way 12" vinyl,Get Out Of My Way CD single
The D-Mix would be best described as an extended remix of the album version of the song. It has been heavily remixed, featuring much more programmed purcussion bits.
Appears on:Get Out Of My Way 12" vinyl,Get Out Of My Way CD single
The Air Mix is essentially a single remix of the album version. The chanting opening on the album version has been shortened and mixed differently, making it more appropriate as a single release. The backbeat is remixed and a little poppier and more produced.
Dappy
Appears on: Rockstar CD single, Rockstar iTunes single, Bad Intentions
This pop/rap/rock track by Dappy, of the group N-Dubz, features a closing guitar solo by Brian May. Dappy's vocals are autotuned, which is standard for the genre and may turn off some listeners. Brian recorded his parts in November 2011 and the track was released in mid-January 2012.
Appears on: Rockstar CD promo single, Rockstar iTunes single
The instrumental of Rockstar is a mix of the album/single version that omits the vocals. This is not available on the regular CD single; if you want this one, you need to download it or find a promo CD single.
Appears on: Rockstar CD promo single
A "clean" version of Rockstar is available on some promo CD singles. The song edits out the words "fuck" and "shit" from the performance.
Appears on: Bad Intentions - High Grade Edition
Brian May joined Dappy on Ferne Cotton's Radio 1 Lounge Session on February 27, 2012 for a live performance. The two are joined in the studio by live session musicians, which makes the song sound more "authentic" than the recorded version.
Appears on: Bad Intentions - High Grade Edition
Brian May joined Dappy on Ferne Cotton's Radio 1 Lounge Session on February 27, 2012 for a live performance. Brian and Dappy are joined by session musicians for a performance of the Queen classic We Will Rock You.
Def Leppard
Appears on: 2009 Pyromania Deluxe Edition
Def Leppard performed at the L.A. Forum in September 1983 as part of their tour to promote their smash album Pyromania. They were joined onstage by Queen guitarist Brian May for a cover of the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song Travellin' Band. The concert has been heavily bootlegged for years. An edited version of the show (and this song) finally appeared on the 2009 Deluxe Edition release of Pyromania. The full version featured on bootlegs almost ten minutes in length.
Appears on: Tonight 7" vinyl, Tonight 12" vinyl, Tonight CD single
Def Leppard were a main act for the April 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. The band performed a three song set before the proper Queen set. One of the track they performed was Now I'm Here. Def Leppard were joined onstage by Brian May for the live performance. This performance is featured on the 1993 single Tonight.
Diana Ross
Appears on:UK I Love You CD,UK I Love You - Special Edition CD
From the UK version of Diana Ross' 2006 album "I Love You." This is one of the most jarring and odd Queen covers that I have heard. The track starts with a horn section (that continues throughout the track) and features a different arrangement. Diana's vocals are good, but again are slightly odd for this song. Brian plays guitar throughout the track and performs a solo that is very different from the original. Note that the US version of "I Love You" does not feature this track.
Don Nix
Appears on: Going Down: The Songs Of Don Nix
Don Nix is a songwriter and musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He is known as being a key part of the Memphis sound at Stax Records. Going Down is his best known track, which was released in 1969 by the band Moloch. The song later was covered by The Who, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and numberous others. Don released a new version on his 2002 album Going Down: The Songs Of Don Nix. Brian May plays guitar on the track. There are other versions of this song, released on albums by Troy Turner and Leslie West. They seem to be possibly all recorded, in part, in the same sessions. The mixes are different for sure and different takes may have been used.
Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa
Appears on: Shampoohorn
From 2006, Brian May rumored on guitar for an unspecified track.
Eddie Howell
Appears on:The Solo Collection,Ghost Of A Smile, The Man From Manhattan CD
Man From Manhattan was recorded in Mid-January, 1976, just before the band flew to New York (where, incidentally, they guested on Ian Hunter's "You Nearly Did Me In"). This track sounds extremely Queen-like, and it should. Freddie produced, played piano, and provided backing vocals. To add to the Queen sound, Brian May played guitar and also provided backing vocals. A fantastic song, borrowing a lot musically from Killer Queen.
Appears on:Ghost Of A Smile, The Man From Manhattan CD
This is a dodgy re-cutting of the song. Now we get some backwards bits added. Stick the original version.
Appears on: UK Man From Manhattan CD single (1995)
A rather pointless edit/mix that appears on the CD single from 1995. The intro is very slightly different and a repeated section at 3 minutes.
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single
A new version of Man From Manhattan, produced by Mike Moran, features a brand new arrangement by the Pirate Swing Band while still retaining the original performances by Eddie Howell, Freddie Mercury, and Brian May, with some extra keyboard by Moran.
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single
Appears on: Man From Manhattan 2018 CD single
An instrumental version of the 2018 Radio Mix.
Extreme
Appears on: Song For Love 7" single, Song For Love 12" single, Song For Love CD single
Song For Love is a track from Extreme's 1990 top 10 album Extreme II - Pornograffiti. The single was not released until 1992, reaching #12 in the UK. The B-side of the single is a cover of Queen's Love Of My Life. The building blocks of this track were live recorded at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Further production work was put into the track. The audience noise removed and it features additional electric guitar by Brian May.
Foo Fighters
Appears on:Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack, Medium Rare, The Best Guitar Album In The World! III
A heavy, rip-roaring cover of the classic Pink Floyd track. Taylor Hawkins, not Dave Grohl provides lead vocals. Brian's guitar is throughout the track. Please note that the Foo Fighters originally performed this as a B-side without Brian May; this version is different from that B-side version. This can only be found on the 2000 Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack.
Appears on:One By One
From the Foo Fighter's 2002 album, One By One, Tired Of You features Brian's "Queen II-type" guitar sound by request of the Foos. The track is is quiet and somber with Brian's orchestral guitar in the background. One By One went on to be a big hit, although it was the band's least favorite album.
Freddie Mercury
Appears on:The Solo Collection
This is actually the original version recorded by Freddie, with Brian on guitar. Because Freddie didn't want the other members to appear on the album, he asked Brian to do the guitar track with the intention of getting the session guitarist to redo it more or less the same way Brian did it. So the finished version has the session guitarist Paul Vincent copying this performance by Brian. The drums and piano aren't as punchy as the finished version, but this is still a must for Queen fans as Freddie and Brian seem to be having a lot of fun.
Appears on:Never Boring CD,Never Boring vinyl,Never Boring Box Set
The 2019 Freddie Mercury compilation Never Boring mostly consisted of new mixes of Freddie Mercury's solo work. The mixes preserved the performance and sounded more contemporary. She Blows Hot And Cold combines the performances of the original B-side with Brian May's guitar from the Alternative Version).
Fuzzbox
Appears on:UK Self! 7" vinyl,UK Self! 7" vinyl picture disc,UK Self! CD single, Big Bang
Fuzzbox were a UK all-girl rock band formed in Birmingham in 1985. Their 1989 album Big Bang was a change of direction for the band; their sound changed from rock to dance-oriented pop. Brian May plays guitar on the track Self!, which was also released as a single. The single reached as high as 24 in the UK charts.
Appears on:UK Self! 12" vinyl,US Self! 12" vinyl,UK Self! CD single
The Selfish Mix of Self! is a very long extended version. There are large sections off added backbeat/drum machine percussion in between the verses of the song. There doesn't seem to be any involvement from Brian on this extended "selfish" mix.
Gareth Marks
Appears on: Unreleased
Lady Of Leisure is an unreleased song by Gareth Marks, who happens to be a friend of Anita Dobson. A video was produced for it as well, but it too was not officially released at the time. The song is a fun, percussion-heavy funk-rock track. Brian plays guitar and also appears in the video. The video can now be found on Gareth Marks' website. Some sources have this track being recorded in 1989 and others have it as late as 1991.
Appears on: A Tribute To The Big Bopper
Gareth Marks played The Big Bopper in "Buddy - The Musical" at The Victoria Palace in London. He recorded two songs in tribute to the deceased singer. From the album "A Tribute To The Big Bopper", Go Bopper Go is faithful to the original and features Brian May on guitar. A video can be found on his website.
Appears on: A Tribute To The Big Bopper
Bopper's Boogie Woogie is another faithful tribute to The Big Bopper. Like Go Bopper Go, this track features Brian on guitar and appears on "A Tribute To The Big Bopper".
Gordon Giltrap
Appears on:Music For The Small Screen
Gordon Giltrap is a well regarded English guitarist and composer. Heartsong, originally released in 1977, was one of Giltrap's most well-known songs. Giltrap's 1995 album Music For The Small Screen features a re-recording of the classic track, this time featuring Brian May, Steve Howe, Midge Ure, Rick Wakeman and Neil Murray.
Guns n' Roses
Appears on: Unreleased
Guns N' Roses 2008 album Chinese Democracy was on track to be one of rock n' roll's biggest unreleased projects. Axl Rose had fired all of the original band members and had slowly rebuilt the band from scratch. Long gone were Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, et. al. In their place were guitarists Buckethead, Ron Thal, Tommy Stinson (Replacements), Robin Finck (NIN), and others. During the process of recording the album, it seemed as though the band was a constant revolving door of musicians. In around 1999, Brian May was called on by Rose to contribute guitar on Catcher In The Rye. The demo, which is not that different from the final release, features Brian prominently. By the time the album was released in 2008, Brian's contributions were replaced. This track, among others, were leaked on the internet in the mid 2000's and gave a good view of where the project was headed.
Hale And Pace
Appears on:The Stonk 7" vinyl,The Stonk 12" vinyl,The Stonk CD single
Gareth Hale and Norman Pace are a UK comedy team best known for their sketch comedy television shows. In 1991, they released a charity single on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, and CD single to aid the British Charity, Comedy Relief. The single's main song, The Stonk, featured an all-star line-up. Brian May from Queen produced, played keyboards, and also played guitar. Roger Taylor, also from Queen, played drums. The rest of the line-up is as follows: Hale and Pace (lead vocals), Toni Iommi (guitars), Dave Gilmour (guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Rowan Atkinson (drums), Neil Murray (bass), Mike Moran (keyboards/backing vocals), Joe Griffiths (keyboards), Chris Thompson (backing vocals), Judie Tzuke (backing vocals), Maggie Ryder (backing vocals), Miriam Stockley (backing vocals), and Suzie O'List (backing vocals). The single reached number 1 in the UK in March 1991.
Appears on:The Stonk 12" vinyl,The Stonk CD single
The Extended Version of The Stonk differs a bit from the normal version. The "good evening, here is the six o' clock stonk" spoken intro is removed completely; a very long piano intro replaces it. There are many added instrumental bits, which, along with the intro, adds a lot to the running time. The last three verses, however, are removed.
Hank Marvin
Appears on: Into The Light, We Are The Champions 7" vinyl, We Are The Champions CD single
Hank Marvin is an English guitar player who was part of the legendary band The Shadows. The Shadows are best known for their instrumental hits Apache and FBI. Hank Marvin's 1992 solo album Into The Light features a guitar duet with Brian May, playing the classic Queen song We Are The Champions.
Appears on: We Are The Champions promo CD single
The promo edit is an excellent, shorter version of the lengthy Hank Marvin/Brian May version. A large chunk of the song is edited at the third verse, removing some of the extraneous guitar. The edit is unnoticeable and actually makes it more like the Queen version.
Heavy Pettin'
Glasgow based Heavy Pettin' grew out of a band called Weeper. Weeper members Gary Moat (drums), Brian Waugh (bass), and Gordon Bonnar (guitars) were joined by Steve Hayman (vocals) and Punky Mendoza in 1981 to form Heavy Pettin'. Their first album, Lettin' Loose, was released in 1983 under the Polydor label. Their heavy style attracted Brian May and Mack to produce the album. Surprisingly, Brian did not play guitar on any tracks.
Appears on:Lettin Loose, In And Out Of Love 12" vinyl
Track 1 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:In And Out Of Love 7" vinyl
The single edit of In And Out Of Love appears exclusively on the 7" vinyl single. The edit effectively removes some of the instrumental portions of the song.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,In And Out Of Love 7" vinyl, In And Out Of Love 12" vinyl
Track 2 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 3 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,Love Times Love 7" vinyl,Love Times Love 12" vinyl,Love Times Love 7" picture disc
Track 4 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 5 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,Rock Me 7" vinyl,Rock Me 12" vinyl
Track 6 on the Lettin' Loose album..
Appears on:Rock Me 12" vinyl
The single edit of Rock Me appears only on the 12" vinyl single. It is a fairly major edit, removing some instrumental sections and four whole verses.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,Love Times Love 7" vinyl,Love Times Love 12" vinyl,Love Times Love 7" picture disc
Track 7 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 8 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 9 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose, In And Out Of Love 12" vinyl
Track 1 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:In And Out Of Love 7" vinyl
The single edit of In And Out Of Love appears exclusively on the 7" vinyl single. The edit effectively removes some of the instrumental portions of the song.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,In And Out Of Love 7" vinyl, In And Out Of Love 12" vinyl
Track 2 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 3 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,Love Times Love 7" vinyl,Love Times Love 12" vinyl,Love Times Love 7" picture disc
Track 4 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 5 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,Rock Me 7" vinyl,Rock Me 12" vinyl
Track 6 on the Lettin' Loose album..
Appears on:Rock Me 12" vinyl
The single edit of Rock Me appears only on the 12" vinyl single. It is a fairly major edit, removing some instrumental sections and four whole verses.
Appears on:Lettin Loose,Love Times Love 7" vinyl,Love Times Love 12" vinyl,Love Times Love 7" picture disc
Track 7 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 8 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Appears on:Lettin Loose
Track 9 on the Lettin' Loose album.
Holly Johnson
Appears on: Blast
Holly Johnson was the singer from Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This '80s pop-rock dance track from his 1989 album Blast will appeal to fans of the era, but maybe not rock purists. As an example of the genre, it's rather good, an upbeat, bouncy track. Brian's guitar solo fits quite well, too. This version goes by a few different subtitles, which all seem to sound the same.
Appears on: Love Train 12" vinyl
An extended mix of the track which breaks the backing the track down in places and rebuilding it, similar to most '80s extended mixes. If you like the original, you'll probably like this version. Brian's guitar work is included in this mix.
Appears on: Love Train Frankie Knuckles Remixes 12" vinyl, The People Want To Dance 12" vinyl
This version does not include Brian May, but is listed here for information purposes and to avoid confusion. A different extended mix, this one favoring the back beat rhythm percussion parts and strips most of the other backing out. The song is more laid back as a result, but loses Brian's guitar work.
Appears on: Love Train 12" vinyl
This version does not include Brian May, but is listed here for information purposes and to avoid confusion. This is an extended mix of the standard version, which retains most of the layers throughout and seems to favour the piano parts, as they feature more prominently here compared to the other mixes. There's no sign of Brian on this version, either.
Appears on: Love Train Frankie Knuckles Remixes 12" vinyl, The People Want To Dance 12" vinyl
This version does not include Brian May, but is listed here for information purposes and to avoid confusion. This is an edit of the Americanos Big Beat Version and also doesn't feature Brian.
Ian And Belinda
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 7" vinyl,Queen Greatest Video Hits II (Hidden Easter Egg Video)
Who Wants To Live Forever was re-recorded and released again in 1989 as a charity single for the British Bone Marrow Donor Appeal. Auditions were held for children to sing the lead vocals; Ian Meeson and Belinda Gillett were chosen. Brian May produces, plays guitar, and keyboards. Roger Taylor plays percussion, John Deacon is on bass, and Michael Kamen arranges. The track was recorded in June 1989 at Abbey Road Studios.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 7" vinyl,UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
The instrumental of the new Ian And Belinda version of Who Wants To Live Forever is simply the backing track with no lead vocals. This is a nice version to have, just to hear the new arrangement of the song.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
The Extended Version of the Ian and Belinda version of Who Wants To Live Forever features an excellent orchestral intro that unfortunately is missing from the proper version. This version appears exclusively on the 12" vinyl single.
Appears on:UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
The demo version of Who Wants To Live Forever is a working version of the track. Brian wanted a guide vocal work off of the new version of the song. The most readily available child vocalist was none other than his daughter, Louisa May. The backing track is the keyboard synthesizer and some percussion.
Ian Hunter
Appears on:All-American Alien Boy (1976)
A great song from the former lead singer to Mott The Hoople. This track features Freddie, Brian, and Roger singing backing vocals. Appears on Hunter's All American Boy album, which was rereleased in 1996. Worth finding just for this song alone.
Appears on: Once Bitten Twice Shy compilation
A major edit, removing over two minutes of the song. Most notably the piano intro is gone along with the final three verses.
Appears on: Just Another Night: Live At The Astoria, London DVD
Ian Hunter's 2004 DVD Just Another Night is an excellent live concert, featuring songs spanning his whole career. It was recorded live on May 28, 2004 at The Astoria Theatre in London. All The Way From Memphis, which was covered by Brian on Another World, was a stand-out performance of the evening. Brian plays guitar and sings backing vocals, Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) and Ian sing lead vocals, and Mick Ralphs of Bad Company plays guitar as well.
Jayce Lewis
Appears on: Millions Part 1
Jayce Lewis is a Welsh electro-rocker singer, songwriter and percussionist. His song, We Are One, incorporated the hammer on guitar riff from Brian May's song Cyborg. Brian's original guitar parts were sampled one this track.
Jeffrey Osborne
Appears on: US Stay With Me Tonight LP, UK Stay With Me Tonight 7" vinyl
Jeffrey Osborne's second album from 1983 featured multiple hits and a platinum award. One of those hits was the funky Stay With Me Tonight (US 30/UK 18). Osborne's vocals are deep, different, and generally fairly good. Brian's guitar solo only lasts a few seconds and is not a major part of the song, but it is instantly recognizable. This version was used as the album mix for the original US vinyl release in 1983 and for the UK 7" single.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight LP, 1989 US Stay With Me Tonight CD LP
A longer version of Stay With Me Tonight was used in the European market for the album. The US album cut featured the 7" single edit used in Europe. Whenever the album was eventually released on CD and later digital markplaces, this version would be the one to appear on the album.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl 1, US Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl
The Extended Version of Stay With Me Tonight is just that, a longer version of the proper version. There is no heavy remixing or new twists, just more repetition. The remix was done by American producer and songwriter Bill Bottrell.
Appears on: US Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl, UK Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl 2
The Dub Version, as opposed to the Extended Mix, is more of a proper remix. The song structure has changed. A bit of the backing vocals introduces the track, which continues into a very repetitive, extended version of the backing track. There are a few bits of backing vocals and brief vocals from Jeffrey. This is best described as an extended, remixed, instrumental version. The remix was done by American producer and songwriter Bill Bottrell.
Appears on: UK You Should Be Mine 12" vinyl
The Froggy Mix is a fairly good remix of the proper version. The instruments, especially the rhythm and bass guitars at the opening are more prominent. This mix is preferable to the longer extended version.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight US Club Mix 12" vinyl
The Jeffrey Osborne Soul Mix appears on the B-side of a UK Stay With Me Tonight 12" vinyl single. The "Soul Mix" mixes four seperate songs into an eight and a half minute mash-up. This mix was also done by Froggy.
Appears on: UK Stay With Me Tonight US Club Mix 12" vinyl
This extended club mix, named the "US Club Mix", appears exclusively on a UK 12" vinyl release (catalogue number AMX 188). Judging by the track time on the label, it is a unique mix and not the Extended Remixed Version.
Appears on: Stay With Me Tonight
From the 1983 album Stay With Me Tonight, this track is similar in style to Stay With Me Tonight, but with a much faster, poppier, tempo. Brian, again, plays guitar on the track.
Jennifer Rush
Appears on:Out Of My Hands
US pop singer Jennifer Rush is best known for her track The Power Of Love. Jennifer was also a part of the Artists United For Nature in 1989, along with Brian May. In 1995 Jennifer and Brian collaborated again on the classic Queen track Who Wants To Live Forever. Brian, of course, plays guitar, sings backing vocals, and even sings lead vocals for a verse.
Jerry Lee Lewis
From Jerry Lee Lewis' November 21, 1989 concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London (then named 'Labatt's Apollo'). The concert featured many guest musicians, including Brian May, Van Morrison and Dave Davies, to name a few. The concert was filmed and released on VHS under the title The Killer Live and later on DVD as Jerry Lee Lewis And Friends. Brian performs on eight tracks.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Appears on: The Killer Live VHS, Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends DVD
Live from the 1989 Hammersmith Odeon concert.
Jimmy Gnecco
Appears on:Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack
Someone To Die For is an excellent track that appears on the 2004 Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack. Jimmy Gnecco provides excellent lead vocals and Brian's guitar soars throughout the entire song. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden/Audioslave fame co-wrote the lyrics and Rick Rubin produced. Unfortunately, the song was completed just for addition on the soundtrack and was not actually used in the movie. Also of note, there is a demo version of this song featuring Chris Cornell's lead vocals (but no guitar from Brian).
Jonathan Kelly
Appears on: Unreleased
Jonathan Kelly is an Irish musician who has been performing and recording since the mid 60s; including being a member of Humpy Bong with former Smile member Tim Staffell. Kelly's song Fork In The Road, featuring Brian May, most likely was recorded in the early days of Queen, but some sources say it was recorded while he was still with Smile. The Fan Club Biography dates it to 1989. Regardless, Brian plays guitar on this still unreleased track.
José Lucas
Appears on: France Electric Rhumba 7" vinyl
Electric Rumba is a French-only 7" and 12" release by José Lucas. Brian is reported to play guitar on the track and is thanked on the back sleeve. Brian was asked about the track on his website and he responded, "No recollection - sorry. Does anyone have a copy?". A 12" was also released with remixes, but no information is known about them or Brian's involvement as of yet.
Appears on: France Electric Rhumba 12" vinyl
Appears on: France Electric Rhumba 12" vinyl
Judie Tzuke
Appears on:Wonderland
Judie Tzuke is an English singer and songwriter best known for her hit Stay With Me Till Dawn. Judie's 1992 album Wonderland featured Brian May playing guitar on the track I Can Read Books. The album was later re-issued in 2001 on the Sanctuary label.
Lady Ga Ga
Appears on:US Born This Way CD,US Born This Way 2 CD Special Edition,UK Born This Way CD,UK Born This Way 2 CD Special Edition
From Lady Gaga's monster 2011 release, Born This Way, Yoü And I is a fantastic track; showing off all of Lady Gaga's writing and performing talents. Brian appears on the track with some great guitar work (although it is slightly buried in the mix). Queen's familiar stomp-stomp-clap from We Will Rock You is also sampled into the track. Also of note, Lady Gaga was joined by Brian at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards for a live performance of this song.
Note: Many versions of this song exist, incorporating different cities into the lyrics, presumably for local markets.
The Left Handed Marriage
This background information is based off of the November, 1995article in Record Collector Magazine.
Bill Richards, a one time band-mate of Brian May, formed a band called The Left Handed Marriage. The band consisted of Bill Richards (guitar/vocals), Jenny Hill (vocals), Henry Deval (vocals), and Terry Goulds (flute/vocals). After two years of performing, the band released their first album pressing called On The Right Side Of The Left Handed Marraige in 1967. The pressingly was privately done and done in a very small number. In March 1967, Bill Richards signed a 1 year contract with EMI. Bill asked Brian May, then with 1984, for help. Brian was to provide guitar and backing vocals on some recording sessions to create a "fuller" sound for the band.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. This track is an early version of I Need Time. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: Abbey Road 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded June 29, 1967 at Abbey Road Studios. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass player Dave Dilloway, also from 1984.
Appears on: Abbey Road 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded June 29, 1967 at Abbey Road Studios. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass player Dave Dilloway, also from 1984.
Appears on: 1993 Crazy Chain CD
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This recording was finally released as one of the final three tracks on the reformed Left Handed Marriage's 1993 CD Crazy Chain. The master tape no longer exists, so the track was sourced from the 7" acetate.
Appears on: 1993 Crazy Chain CD
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This recording was finally released as one of the final three tracks on the reformed Left Handed Marriage's 1993 CD Crazy Chain. The master tape no longer exists, so the track was sourced from the 7" acetate.
Appears on: 1993 Crazy Chain CD
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This recording was finally released as one of the final three tracks on the reformed Left Handed Marriage's 1993 CD Crazy Chain. This track was sourced from the original master tape. Also of note, if you know Brian's guitar work with Smile, you'll recognize the intro to this track.
Appears on: Unreleased
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This is the full, unedited version from those sessions. It is unknown if this track still exists in any form.
Bill Richards, a one time band-mate of Brian May, formed a band called The Left Handed Marriage. The band consisted of Bill Richards (guitar/vocals), Jenny Hill (vocals), Henry Deval (vocals), and Terry Goulds (flute/vocals). After two years of performing, the band released their first album pressing called On The Right Side Of The Left Handed Marraige in 1967. The pressingly was privately done and done in a very small number. In March 1967, Bill Richards signed a 1 year contract with EMI. Bill asked Brian May, then with 1984, for help. Brian was to provide guitar and backing vocals on some recording sessions to create a "fuller" sound for the band.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. This track is an early version of I Need Time. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: AMC 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded April 4, 1967 at AMC Sound in Manor Road, Twickenham. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, and guest guiarist Brian May from 1984.
Appears on: Abbey Road 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded June 29, 1967 at Abbey Road Studios. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass player Dave Dilloway, also from 1984.
Appears on: Abbey Road 7" EP Acetate - Never professionally released
Recorded June 29, 1967 at Abbey Road Studios. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass player Dave Dilloway, also from 1984.
Appears on: 1993 Crazy Chain CD
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This recording was finally released as one of the final three tracks on the reformed Left Handed Marriage's 1993 CD Crazy Chain. The master tape no longer exists, so the track was sourced from the 7" acetate.
Appears on: 1993 Crazy Chain CD
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This recording was finally released as one of the final three tracks on the reformed Left Handed Marriage's 1993 CD Crazy Chain. The master tape no longer exists, so the track was sourced from the 7" acetate.
Appears on: 1993 Crazy Chain CD
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This recording was finally released as one of the final three tracks on the reformed Left Handed Marriage's 1993 CD Crazy Chain. This track was sourced from the original master tape. Also of note, if you know Brian's guitar work with Smile, you'll recognize the intro to this track.
Appears on: Unreleased
Recorded July 31, 1967 at Regent Sound, London. The band line-up included Jenny Hill, Henry Devel, Terry Goulds, Bill Richards, Peter Trout (drums), guest guiarist Brian May from 1984, and guest bass/piano player John Frankel. This is the full, unedited version from those sessions. It is unknown if this track still exists in any form.
Leslie West
Appears on: Soundtrack
Leslie West is an American musician, best known for being a founding member of the band Mountain. His 2015 solo album, Soundtrack, features a cover of the Don Nix song Going Down. Brian plays guitar on the track. There are other versions of this song, released on albums by Don Nix and Troy Turner. They seem to be possibly all recorded, in part, in the same sessions. The mixes are different for sure and different takes may have been used.
Living In A Box
Appears on: Gatecrashing LP, UK Blow The House Down 7" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl picture sleeve, UK Blow The House Down CD single
Living In A Box was a British trio whose second album, Gatecrashing, was released in June 1989. The second track, Blow The House Down, is a high-energy '80s pop-rocker (more pop than rock), with a lot of percussion and synths. Brian May's guitar solo is very recognizable here.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl picture sleeve, UK Blow The House Down CD single
This extended dance mix breaks down the the elements of the song down and layers each onto the percussion track as is it progresses. A showcase for each part, really. By easing into each part, the manic-ness of the original is restrained, resulting in a calmer mix, but one that lacks Brian's solo and has practically no guitars at all.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl picture sleeve, UK Blow The House Down CD single
Another dance mix that, like the Keith Cohen Mix, breaks the percussion and synth tracks down and lacks Brian's guitar work entirely.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" vinyl, UK Blow The House Down CD single
The Conversion Mix is closer to the original version of the song, rather than a dance mix, this track retains Brian's solo is all its glory and is more of a straightforward extended version. It features some nice instrumental sections throughout.
Appears on: UK Blow The House Down 12" promo vinyl
The House Mix appears only on a UK white label promo vinyl (cat #LIBXR 5). No further information on this version (or whether it features Brian).
Lonnie Donegan
Appears on:Puttin' On The Style
After lengthy absense, 50s "King of Skiffle" Lonnie Donegan returned with a new record, accompanied by some of the biggest names of the 60s and 70s. One of those names was Brian May. The track was recorded in Wessex Studios during the News Of The World sessions and released in 1978. The track sounds sound very much from the 50s, but is also a very fun track. Brian's guitar playing goes along nicely with the song and is instantly recognizable. Also of note, Elton John plays piano on this track.
Appears on: Puttin' On The Style 2007 Remaster
I'm Just A Rolling Stone was an unreleased track from Donegan's 1978 album Puttin' On The Style. Almost 30 years later, a remastered edition of the album was released, this time with bonus tracks. Donegan sings lead vocals, Brian plays guitar and provides background vocals. The rip-roaring piano track is by none other than Elton John. Although it is a bit lengthy, the performance from all three has a lot of passion.
Appears on: Unreleased
Brian May provided background vocals and wrote Let Your Heart Rule Your Head for Lonnie Donegan's 1988 album. The song was ultimately never used for the project. Brian later recorded a new version for his 1992 Back To The Light album.
Lynn Carey Saylor
Appears on: If We Believe CD single
Lynn Carey Saylor is an American writer, singer, piano player, and guitarist. The 2002 US If We Believe CD single was her first commercially available release; a portion of the sales went to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.. Lynn sings lead vocals, Brian May provides background vocals and guitar.
Appears on: You Like It Clean CD
In 2007, Lynn Carey Saylor released her first full album entitled You Like It Clean. If We Believe was included on this album, although it is a whole new version of the song. Lynn's lead vocal performance is difference, and the percussion has backing track has been changed. Brian's guitar performance is still here, unchanged.
Appears on: You Like It Clean CD
We Belong was originally a #5 US hit in 1985 for Pat Benetar. Lynn Carey Saylor recorded a cover version for her 2007 album You Like It Clean. Brian May helps out on backing and lead vocals (in places) and of course, plays guitar. Also of note, Danny Miranda and Spike Edney perform on the track. Original track writers Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro also provide backing vocals.
Meatloaf
Appears on:UK A Time For Heroes 7" vinyl,US A Time For Heroes 12" vinyl,US A Time For Heroes CD single
A Time For Heroes served as the theme of the 1987 International Summer Special Olympics World Games. The original single and extended versions are instrumental and are performed by Tangerine Dream. The vocal version features Meat Loaf on lead vocals and Brian May on guitar.
Appears on:Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose CD
Twenty-nine years after the first Bat Out Of Hell, and thirteen years after Bat Out Of Hell II; Meat Loaf returned in 2006 with Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. Bad For Good was written by Jim Steinman to appear on the follow-up to the original Bat Out Of Hell album. Steinman ended up recording the track himself years later for his 1981 album also called Bad For Good. Brian's guitar is very obvious at the opening of the song, returns at 4:30 for a solo, and appears sporatically throughout. A highlight of the album.
Appears on:Hang Cool Teddy Bear CD
From Meat Loaf's 2010 album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, Love Is Not Real/Next Time You Stab Me In The Back is a track stacked with notable guest musicians. Brian May and Steve Vai share guitar duties, while Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters assists with background vocals (and has a co-writing credit on the track). The song is typical Meat Loaf, going through many shifts between a big over the top sound that are accentuated with quieter parts. As you would expect, Steve Vai and Brian May share thrashing guitar solos.
Appears on: 1998 The Very Best of Meat Loaf, Whistle Down The Wind
The 1961 film Whistle Down The Wind was adapted as a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman. A 1998 concept album featuring popular artists performing songs from the musical was released. The track A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste was performed by Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler. There are rumors that Brian played additional guitar on the final version of this song. Other sources state that he only was involved at the demo stage and never made it on the final version.
Mick Ronson
Appears on: Heaven And Hull
This is the live version taken from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. It appears on Mick Ronson's posthumous Heaven And Hull album.
Minako Honda
Minako Honda was a Japanese vocalist and actress. Minako Honda met Brian in 1986 and wanted to do UK style rock song. The result is the Brian May-penned Golden Days and Crazy Nights. The two tracks were released in various formats and versions in 1987 (depending on the country). The Japan releases featured Japanese lyrics, while the UK release had English lyrics. Brian may wrote, produced, and played guitar on both tracks. Honda's career began as a pop singer, but evolved after taking formal singing and acting lessions. She died in 2005 as a result of Leukemia. Brian later revisisted the song Golden Days in 2017 with Kerry Ellis; theirstudio album shared the same name.
Appears on: UK Golden Days 7" vinyl
Minako Honda recorded Golden Days and Crazy nights in both English and in Japanese. The English version of the Golden Days only appeared on the UK Golden Days 7" vinyl. The track was paired with the English version of Crazy Nights as a B-side. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: Japan Crazy Nights 12" vinyl, Japan Crazy Nights 7" vinyl, Japan Golden Days CD single
The Japanese vocal version of Golden Days appears exclusively on the Japan 7" and 12" vinyl formats. The instrumental backing track is slightly different than the English version, resulting in the difference in length. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: Golden Days CD
As a tribute to Minako Honda, Brian May (with help from Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson) remixed Golden Days. There seem to be some new performance elements from Brian as well. The vocal track used is the english one. It was released on the 2006 Golden Days compilation tribute CD. The remix is preferable to the original 1987 release, sounding much cleaner and fresh. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: UK Golden Days 7" vinyl
The English vocal version of Crazy Nights appeared exclusively on the UK Golden Days 7" vinyl. The run time is slightly different than the Japanese vocal version due to some changes in instrumental backing track. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: Japan Crazy Nights 7" vinyl, Japan Crazy Nights 12" vinyl
The Japanese vocal version of Crazy Nights was released exclusively in Japan in 1987. The backing track is different than the English version. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: UK Golden Days 7" vinyl
Minako Honda recorded Golden Days and Crazy nights in both English and in Japanese. The English version of the Golden Days only appeared on the UK Golden Days 7" vinyl. The track was paired with the English version of Crazy Nights as a B-side. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: Japan Crazy Nights 12" vinyl, Japan Crazy Nights 7" vinyl, Japan Golden Days CD single
The Japanese vocal version of Golden Days appears exclusively on the Japan 7" and 12" vinyl formats. The instrumental backing track is slightly different than the English version, resulting in the difference in length. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: Golden Days CD
As a tribute to Minako Honda, Brian May (with help from Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson) remixed Golden Days. There seem to be some new performance elements from Brian as well. The vocal track used is the english one. It was released on the 2006 Golden Days compilation tribute CD. The remix is preferable to the original 1987 release, sounding much cleaner and fresh. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: UK Golden Days 7" vinyl
The English vocal version of Crazy Nights appeared exclusively on the UK Golden Days 7" vinyl. The run time is slightly different than the Japanese vocal version due to some changes in instrumental backing track. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Appears on: Japan Crazy Nights 7" vinyl, Japan Crazy Nights 12" vinyl
The Japanese vocal version of Crazy Nights was released exclusively in Japan in 1987. The backing track is different than the English version. Brian wrote the song, plays guitar, and produced.
Momo Cortés
Appears on: Constante Contradicci�n
Momo Cortés played the role of Galileo in the Spanish production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You. His 2007 album Constante Contradicci�n includes a Spanish lyric version of Too Much Love Will Kill You. Brian appears on the track playing guitar, providing a fresh guitar solo.
Mot�rhead
Appears on: Bad Magic
Mot�rhead's 22nd and last album "Bad Magic" was released in August 2015, four months before the death of frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Brian May provides a guitar solo for the track The Devil.
Os Paralamas Do Sucesso
Appears on: Severino
A translation of this song from Portuguese to English shows that it appears to be about a vampire, or the vampire is a metaphor. Musically, it's a good Brazilian rock song, with a lot of flavour. Brian's guitar work is very recognizable and if you're after something a bit different from straightforward rock, you can't go wrong here.
Paul Rodgers
Appears on:Muddy Water Blues
Ten Years after his first solo album, Cut Loose, Paul Rodgers' follow-up album Muddy Water Blues was released in 1993. The entire album is a tribute to the songs of Muddy Waters. The album features an incredible line-up of guest musicians including Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Steve Miller, Buddy Guy, and Slash to name a few. One of those guest musicians is Brian May, who plays guitar on the classic song I'm Ready.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. The setlist is made up of songs from his Muddy Waters tribute album and from his time with Free and Bad Company. Paul welcomes Brian onstage to play guitar as part of the set, starting with the blues standard Good Morning Little School Girl.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian plays guitar on I'm Ready, which he also did on Paul's 1993 album "Muddy Water Blues".
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian May continues to play in the set on the Free classic Little Bit Of Love. Queen + Paul Rodgers would play this track sporadically on their 2005 European Tour.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian plays guitar on the Free classic All Right Now.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Brian plays guitar on the Robert Johnson blues standard Crossroads. This song is best known for the version performed by Cream.
Appears on: Live At Montreux 1994 CD, Live At Montreux 1994 DVD
Paul Rodgers' 1994 live performance in Montreux was finally released on DVD/CD in 2011. Paul's Montreux concert ended with an ensemble performance of Hoochie Coochie Man. Brian plays guitar.
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The Strat Pack was a concert held on September 24, 2004 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Brian joined Paul Rodgers on stage to perform All Right Now. This performance was the catalyst for the formation of Queen + Paul Rodgers. Brian May plays guitar, this time his Red Special, not a Fender.
Pavarotti
Appears on: Pavarotti & Friends
Performed at the Pavarotti & Friends concert in Modena, Italy on September 27, 1992. This is not a duet with Pavarotti (which would happen at a concert years later), but rather Brian performing on his own. At least some of this live performance is to a backing track.
Phenomena
Phenomena was a super-group formed by record producer Tom Galley, Metalhammer magazine founder Wilfried Rimensberger, and Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley (brother of Tom Galley). The original line-up was made of Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Don Airey (Ozzy Osborne band), Mel Galley (Whitesnake), Neil Murray (Whitesnake), and Cozy Powell (Whitesnake, Rainbow, Brian May Band). Though the years and different albums, the band's line-up changed regularly, the one constant being the involvement of Tom Galley (later billed as the creator of Phenomena).
The third album, 1988's Phenomena 3: Inner Vision, is produced by Tom Galley and Leif Johansen. The band lineup is made up of Scott Gorham (guitar), Keith Murell (vocals), Michael Sturgis (drums), and Merv O' Ryan Spence (bass & vocals). Brian May plays guitar on two songs on the album, A Whole Lot Of Love and What About Love.
Appears on: Phenomena III: Inner Vision
Appears on: Phenomena III: Inner Vision
The third album, 1988's Phenomena 3: Inner Vision, is produced by Tom Galley and Leif Johansen. The band lineup is made up of Scott Gorham (guitar), Keith Murell (vocals), Michael Sturgis (drums), and Merv O' Ryan Spence (bass & vocals). Brian May plays guitar on two songs on the album, A Whole Lot Of Love and What About Love.
Appears on: Phenomena III: Inner Vision
Appears on: Phenomena III: Inner Vision
Quartz
Appears on:UK Stoking Up The Fires Of Hell 7" vinyl, Stand Up And Fight 2008 remaster, Satan's Serenade
Quartz was a UK metal band founded in 1974. The group's self-titled first album was produced by Black Sabbath founder and guitarist Tony Iommi. Quartz's 1980 single Stoking Up The Fires Of Hell featured a B-side called Circles. For the track Circles, recorded in 1977, Iommi enlisted some help from Sabbath bandmate Ozzy Osbourne for backing vocals and Queen guitarist Brian May for additional guitar. The song was later made available on the Stand Up And Fight 2004 remaster and the Satan's Serenade compilation album.
Ramoncín
Appears on: La Vida En El Filo, Spain Como En Susurro 7" vinyl, Spain Como Un Susurro 12" vinyl
Ramoncín is a famous Spanish rock singer and songwriter, finding success in the late 70s an early 80s in Spain. His 1986 album La Vida En El Filo features Brian May playing guitar on the track Como Un Susurro.
Rick Parfitt
Appears on: Over And Out
Over And Out is the first and only solo album by Status Quo guitarist, singer and songwriter Rick Parfitt. Rick passed away before the album could be finished, but it was completed posthumously by his producer and various collaborators. Brian May appears on the lead track, Twinkletoes, providing his signature guitar sound.
Rick Wakeman
From Wikipedia: "In 2007 Brian May completed his PhD dissertation, which was left unfinished in 1974 when Queen began to achieve significant success. May�s work focused on zodiacal dust in the solar system. He had studied at Tenerife earlier through Imperial College in London, and resumed work there more than 30 years later. In 2007, his new advisor was Garik Israelian, and the two struck up a friendship, Israelian also being a musician. This led to the founding of the Starmus Festival � the name paying homage to stars and music � and the stage was set for the first Festival, which would occur four years later."
The 2014 Starmus Festival featured Rick Wakeman (best known from Yes) and the English Rock Ensemble. Brian May joined them for a few songs that evening. The performance and other clips of the festival were released on DVD in September 2016.
Appears on: Live At Starmus DVD
Brian joins Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble to perform his signature guitar solo and Last Horizon.
Appears on: Live At Starmus DVD
Brian joins Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble to perform '39. Brian explains the meaning of the song and the science behind the story at the beginning. Rick Wakeman handles chorus effects and the "space journey" part on keyboards.
Appears on: Live At Starmus DVD
Brian joins Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble to perform the Yes classic Starship Trooper. Brian starts performing at around 12 minutes into the song.
The 2014 Starmus Festival featured Rick Wakeman (best known from Yes) and the English Rock Ensemble. Brian May joined them for a few songs that evening. The performance and other clips of the festival were released on DVD in September 2016.
Appears on: Live At Starmus DVD
Brian joins Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble to perform his signature guitar solo and Last Horizon.
Appears on: Live At Starmus DVD
Brian joins Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble to perform '39. Brian explains the meaning of the song and the science behind the story at the beginning. Rick Wakeman handles chorus effects and the "space journey" part on keyboards.
Appears on: Live At Starmus DVD
Brian joins Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble to perform the Yes classic Starship Trooper. Brian starts performing at around 12 minutes into the song.
Robbie Williams
Appears on: Eternity CD single, Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits
Eternity is a single-only release from the former Take That member and hugely successful UK solo artist Robbie Williams. The song was an instant hit for Robbie Williams, topping the UK chart at number 1 in 2001. Brian May appears on the track playing guitar.
Appears on: Eternity promo CD single
This promo radio edit of Eternity omits two verses (from "I sing this summer..." through to "before you know it's come and gone too soon").
Rock Against Repatriation
Appears on: UK Sailing 7" vinyl, UK Sailing 12" vinyl, UK Sailing CD single
Sailing was written by Gavin Sutherland and originally released on the 1972 album Lifeboat, by The Sutherland Brothers Band. Rod Stewart later recorded it, resulting in a number 1 UK hit. Steve Hackett, guitarist from Genesis, later recorded/produced the song in 1990 with help of some musician friends. This group was called Rock Against Repatriation and featured Hacket, Brian May, Phil Manzanera, Bonnie Tyler, and many others. The song served as a charity single and a protest song to stop the repatriation of the Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong. An entire album was planned, but the lack of success from the single brought the project to an end. Brian May provdes guitar.
Appears on: UK Sailing 7" vinyl, UK Sailing 12" vinyl, UK Sailing CD single
This is a proper instrumental version of the Sailing single (no vocals).
Rock Aid Armenia
Rock Aid Armenia was a charity project created by Jon Dee to raise money for victims of the 1988 Spitak Earthquake in Armenia. One of the charity releases was a cover of the Deep Purple classic song Smoke On The Water. The recording features an all star cast of musicians:
Guitars:Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Brian May (Queen)
Bass Guitar: Chris Squire (Yes)
Rhythm Guitar:Geoff Beauchamp (Eighth Wonder)
Vocals:Bryan Adams, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company)
Keyboards:Geoff Downes (Yes, Asia), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
Drums: Roger Taylor (Queen)
Producers: Gary Langan, Geoff Downes
The song was recorded over five sessions at Metropolis Studios in London. David Gilmour from Pink Floyd was the first artist to join the cause, giving it validity and a big name to entice other stars to join. Neil Peart from Rush was to also play drums on the track, but schedules did not allow that to happen.
Session info fromRockaidarmenia.com
Session 1 - July 8, 1989
Brian May, Roger Taylor, Chris Squire, and Geoff Downes began work on the backing track. Brian was limited due to a broken arm from a skateboard accident. Geoff Beauchamp from Eighth Wonder stepped in on guitar for this session. Paul Rodgers laid down his lead vocal session. David Gilmour and Ian Gillan came in later on this session.
Session 2 - August 5, 1989
This session features the famous footage of Brian May and David Gilmour performing in the studio together. Brian's guitar solo originated from this session. Ian Gillan laid down his vocal track.
Session 3 - August 27, 1989
Bruce Dickinson recorded his lead vocals and worked on backing vocals with Ian Giilan. Bryan Adams and Ian also laid down backing vocals later in the day. Keith Emerson recorded keyboards as well.
Session 4 - September 10, 1989
Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, and Brian May all played guitar. Brian and Tony later went to the main studio to mess around, playing Apache by the Shadows.
Session 5 - September 24, 1989
Alex Lifeson recorded his guitar parts and was joined by Geoff Downes.
The final mix of all five sessions was completed the next week. This new recording of the song was a top 40 hit in the UK. It was featured in various forms on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, CD single, and on The Earthquake Album. The original singles from 1989 feature the first mix; it was remixed again for a 1990 release (and for the album). The song was released again in 2010 as Smoke One The Water: The Metropolis Sessions, featuring some of the familiar 1989 mixes, a new mix, and a DVD.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water 7" vinyl (1989),UK Smoke On The Water CD single (1989),UK Smoke On The Water '90 Mayhem Mix 12" vinyl,UK Smoke On The Water '90 7" vinyl
The original Smoke On The Water release was the Radio Mix, found on the 7" vinyl and CD single from 1989. Note that the 2010 re-release lists the 1990 Radio Mix. It is not this mix, but rather it is The Earthquake Album version. This mix is also labelled as the "original extended version" on the UK/French Smoke On The Water '90 12" vinyl single.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water 12" vinyl (1989),UK Smoke On The Water CD single (1989),UK Smoke On The Water '90 Mayhem Mix 12" vinyl,Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
The extended mix of Smoke On the Water first appeared on the 1989 12" vinyl single and on the 1989 CD single. It was later released again in 1990 in various formats as "The Mayhem Mix". It features the chrous repeated a few times and some additional instrumental bits. Note, this is labelled as the "Original 1989 Mix" on the 2010 re-release.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water 12" vinyl (1989),UK Smoke On The Water CD single (1989),UK Smoke On The Water '90 Mayhem Mix 12" vinyl,Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
As mentioned in the previous entry, this is a renaming of the original 1989 Extended Mix.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water Mega-Rock Remix 12" vinyl
The Mega Rock Remix appears only its own, blue 12" vinyl release. It is very similar to the extended version. This version extends The Earthquake Album version. The intro instrumental is quite a bit longer. There are some other minor mix differences at the beginning.
Appears on:UK The Earthquake Album,UK Smoke On The Water '90 7" vinyl,Netherlands Smoke On The Water '90 7" vinyl,Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
The Earthquake Album version is a remix of the 1989 7" release. It loses the final two verses and some instrumental bits. This is called the 1990 Radio Mix on the 2010 re-release.
Appears on:Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
This new remix appears exclusively on the 2010 Smoke On The Water re-release. It is a very clean-sounding remix, benefiting from modern mixing techniques. It features some different guitar and keyboard bits as well. A few very minor vocal parts/lyrics are removed.
Appears on:Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
This new remix from 2010 features the original Smoke On The Water singer Ian Gillan singing all of the lead vocals. The backing track is remixed; removing all of the keyboards, to sound heavier and more rock-oriented.
Guitars:Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Brian May (Queen)
Bass Guitar: Chris Squire (Yes)
Rhythm Guitar:Geoff Beauchamp (Eighth Wonder)
Vocals:Bryan Adams, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company)
Keyboards:Geoff Downes (Yes, Asia), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
Drums: Roger Taylor (Queen)
Producers: Gary Langan, Geoff Downes
The song was recorded over five sessions at Metropolis Studios in London. David Gilmour from Pink Floyd was the first artist to join the cause, giving it validity and a big name to entice other stars to join. Neil Peart from Rush was to also play drums on the track, but schedules did not allow that to happen.
Session info fromRockaidarmenia.com
Session 1 - July 8, 1989
Brian May, Roger Taylor, Chris Squire, and Geoff Downes began work on the backing track. Brian was limited due to a broken arm from a skateboard accident. Geoff Beauchamp from Eighth Wonder stepped in on guitar for this session. Paul Rodgers laid down his lead vocal session. David Gilmour and Ian Gillan came in later on this session.
Session 2 - August 5, 1989
This session features the famous footage of Brian May and David Gilmour performing in the studio together. Brian's guitar solo originated from this session. Ian Gillan laid down his vocal track.
Session 3 - August 27, 1989
Bruce Dickinson recorded his lead vocals and worked on backing vocals with Ian Giilan. Bryan Adams and Ian also laid down backing vocals later in the day. Keith Emerson recorded keyboards as well.
Session 4 - September 10, 1989
Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, and Brian May all played guitar. Brian and Tony later went to the main studio to mess around, playing Apache by the Shadows.
Session 5 - September 24, 1989
Alex Lifeson recorded his guitar parts and was joined by Geoff Downes.
The final mix of all five sessions was completed the next week. This new recording of the song was a top 40 hit in the UK. It was featured in various forms on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, CD single, and on The Earthquake Album. The original singles from 1989 feature the first mix; it was remixed again for a 1990 release (and for the album). The song was released again in 2010 as Smoke One The Water: The Metropolis Sessions, featuring some of the familiar 1989 mixes, a new mix, and a DVD.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water 7" vinyl (1989),UK Smoke On The Water CD single (1989),UK Smoke On The Water '90 Mayhem Mix 12" vinyl,UK Smoke On The Water '90 7" vinyl
The original Smoke On The Water release was the Radio Mix, found on the 7" vinyl and CD single from 1989. Note that the 2010 re-release lists the 1990 Radio Mix. It is not this mix, but rather it is The Earthquake Album version. This mix is also labelled as the "original extended version" on the UK/French Smoke On The Water '90 12" vinyl single.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water 12" vinyl (1989),UK Smoke On The Water CD single (1989),UK Smoke On The Water '90 Mayhem Mix 12" vinyl,Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
The extended mix of Smoke On the Water first appeared on the 1989 12" vinyl single and on the 1989 CD single. It was later released again in 1990 in various formats as "The Mayhem Mix". It features the chrous repeated a few times and some additional instrumental bits. Note, this is labelled as the "Original 1989 Mix" on the 2010 re-release.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water 12" vinyl (1989),UK Smoke On The Water CD single (1989),UK Smoke On The Water '90 Mayhem Mix 12" vinyl,Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
As mentioned in the previous entry, this is a renaming of the original 1989 Extended Mix.
Appears on:UK Smoke On The Water Mega-Rock Remix 12" vinyl
The Mega Rock Remix appears only its own, blue 12" vinyl release. It is very similar to the extended version. This version extends The Earthquake Album version. The intro instrumental is quite a bit longer. There are some other minor mix differences at the beginning.
Appears on:UK The Earthquake Album,UK Smoke On The Water '90 7" vinyl,Netherlands Smoke On The Water '90 7" vinyl,Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
The Earthquake Album version is a remix of the 1989 7" release. It loses the final two verses and some instrumental bits. This is called the 1990 Radio Mix on the 2010 re-release.
Appears on:Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
This new remix appears exclusively on the 2010 Smoke On The Water re-release. It is a very clean-sounding remix, benefiting from modern mixing techniques. It features some different guitar and keyboard bits as well. A few very minor vocal parts/lyrics are removed.
Appears on:Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions
This new remix from 2010 features the original Smoke On The Water singer Ian Gillan singing all of the lead vocals. The backing track is remixed; removing all of the keyboards, to sound heavier and more rock-oriented.
Rock Therapy
Appears on:UK Reaching Out CD single
Reaching Out was a charity single released in 1996 to aid the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre. Rock Therapy is made up of Brian May on guitar, Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones on drums, and Paul Rodgers from Free/Bad Company on lead vocals. Backing vocals are provided by Sam Brown, Andy Fairweather-Low, and Lulu. The song was later performed live by Queen + Paul Rodgers on their 2005 and 2006 tours.
Appears on:UK Reaching Out CD single
The Acoustic Version of Reaching Out retains Paul Rodgers' lead vocals, but removes Brian's lead guitar and Charlie Watts' drums. Paul is backed up by an acoustic guitar, player unknown. Backing vocals are also removed from this version.
Appears on:UK Reaching Out CD single
The Instrumental Version of Reaching Out takes out Paul Rodgers' lead vocals but retains the backing vocals and Brian's lead guitar.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Appears on: Rocky Horror Show selected highlights (1995 Cast)
Info coming soon.
SAS Band
Appears on: The Show Tour Program with CD-Rom
In 2002, The SAS Band released a live CD/DVD of their Shepherd's Bush Empire show in February 2000. The Tour Program included a CD-ROM that featured a bonus track from the Party In The Park concert in Hyde Park. Brian May plays guitar and is joined by numerous vocalists including Lionel Ritchie and Marti Pellow.
Sissel
Appears on:The Adventures Of Pinocchio Soundtrack
The Adventures Of Pinocchio soundtrack album was released by Decca Records in 1996, featuring two songs by Brian May and Sissel. Sissel is a Norweigian soprano singer who is probably best known for singing the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics Hymn. This is a beautiful duet and worth seeking out as a Brian solo track. It's a full, proper song, where Il Colosso sort of depends on knowing the context of the movie. The song is similar in style to "Who Wants To Live Forever," though its far more upbeat.
Appears on:The Adventures Of Pinocchio Soundtrack
From the film, this marionette show has the hero battling Il Colosso (The Colossus) and winning. It features excerpts from famous operas and classical pieces. The singer is Brian, with his voice pitched higher to sound like a child (whom he credits as "Just William" on the album sleeve). The end features a segment of the song What Are We Made Of?
S.O.L.
Appears on: S.O.L. - Some Other Language
S.O.L.'s only album, Some Other Language, is primarily the work of German artist Stefan Zauner and Armand Volker. Many other artists appear on the album including The Hooters, Curt Cress (who played drums on Freddie Mercury's Mr. Bad Guy album), and of course Brian May on guitar. Brian performs on the opening track of the album, Make My Dream Come True.
The Strat Pack All Stars
Appears on: The Strat Pack: Live In Concert DVD
The Strat Pack was a concert held on September 24, 2004 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The concert ended with a performance from the entire cast of The Faces song Stay With Me. Brian May plays his Red Special guitar during this finale. This concert was released on DVD in 2005 and later on Blu-Ray format.
Soundgarden
Appears on: Greenpeace - Alternative NRG
Soundgarden is an American rock band, best known for their tracks Black Hole Sun, Rusty Cage, and Outshined. They are credited with being one of the most influential bands of the Seattle grunge movement. Their song New Damage, a song criticizing right-wing government, was originally released on the 1991 album Badmotorfinger. The 1994 Greenpeace benefit album Alternative NRG was released by Hollywood Records in 1994. This album features a new version of New Damage with Brian May on guitar. The track was recorded in two separate locations. Brian May's part was in PIE Studio OD'S in Glen Cove, New York; Soundgarden was recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Seattle, Washington. The song was produced by Michael Beinhorn (who also produced Superunknown) and mixed by Chris Cornell in 1993. The main difference between this and the version of New Damage that appears on Badmotorfinger (besides the addition of Brian May in the newer version) is that the newer version is much, much heavier. May actually has a minimal part; you can only hear him if you really try. A special thanks toweb.stargate.net/soundgarden for additional information.
Steve Cropper
Appears on: Dedicated: A Salute To The 5 Royales
Steve Cropper is a legendary guitar player, best known for being a founding member of Booker T. and the MG's. Steve's main influence was Lowman Pauling of the 5 Royales. In 2011, Steve released a tribute album celebrating the work of the 5 Royales. Brian May appears on I Do, singing lead vocals and helping out on guitar.
Status Quo
Appears on:Don't Stop
1996's Don't Stop is an album of covers performed by Status Quo that was released for their 30th anniversary. Raining In My Heart was originally a Buddy Holly ballad. Brian plays guitar solos on the track.
Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett is a singer/songwriter and guitarist best known for his time in Genesis. Hackett left Genesis for a solo career and to form supergroup GTR with Steve Howe of Yes and Asia. In 1986, during the time of GTR, Hackett began writing and recording a series of songs. Some of the songs were for a GTR album and some were to appear on a solo release. Ultimately, due to contractual problems with the guest musicians and with Arista Records, the songs were shelved. They were bootlegged heavily amongst Genesis fans. Hackett and Howe decided to go their separate ways in 1986, leaving GTR in ruins. Hackett wanted to continue recording on his own and got in contact with Brian May. Two of the tracks from this time period, Cassandra and Slot Machine, feature Brian May, the latter co-written by Hacket/May. The songs were finally released in 2000 on the Feedback 86 album.
Appears on: Feedback 86
Cassandra finally saw an official release on the Feedback 86 compilation album. Brian plays guitar on the track, Steve Hackett sings backing vocals, Pete Trewavas plays bass, Nick Magnus plays keyboards, Ian Mosley plays drums, and Chris Thompson provides lead vocals.
Appears on: Guitar Noir
The 1992 Re-Take of Cassandra appears as an unlisted track on the US release of the 1993 Steve Hackett solo album Guitar Noir. This re-recorded version features Steve Hackett, not Chris Thompson, on lead vocals.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Feedback 86
Slot Machine is an excellent rock song, featuring some great guitars from Hackett and May. Not only did the two guitar greats perform on this track, but they co-wrote it as well. Chris Thompson, again, handles lead vocals for this track..
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This unreleased track from Hackett and May went on to inspire Don't Fall Away From Me. This in progress version, with its original ideas, was never completed by the pair.
Appears on: The Unauthorised Biography
This was a previously unreleased Brian May and Steve Hackett song from the same sessions as Cassandra and Slot Machine. It started life as Don't Fall In Love With Me, but changed quite a bit. Brian co-produced the track and may appear on guitar.
Appears on: Feedback 86
Cassandra finally saw an official release on the Feedback 86 compilation album. Brian plays guitar on the track, Steve Hackett sings backing vocals, Pete Trewavas plays bass, Nick Magnus plays keyboards, Ian Mosley plays drums, and Chris Thompson provides lead vocals.
Appears on: Guitar Noir
The 1992 Re-Take of Cassandra appears as an unlisted track on the US release of the 1993 Steve Hackett solo album Guitar Noir. This re-recorded version features Steve Hackett, not Chris Thompson, on lead vocals.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Feedback 86
Slot Machine is an excellent rock song, featuring some great guitars from Hackett and May. Not only did the two guitar greats perform on this track, but they co-wrote it as well. Chris Thompson, again, handles lead vocals for this track..
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This is an unreleased work-in-progress version of the song. This has been bootlegged among Genesis tape traders.
Appears on: Unreleased
This unreleased track from Hackett and May went on to inspire Don't Fall Away From Me. This in progress version, with its original ideas, was never completed by the pair.
Appears on: The Unauthorised Biography
This was a previously unreleased Brian May and Steve Hackett song from the same sessions as Cassandra and Slot Machine. It started life as Don't Fall In Love With Me, but changed quite a bit. Brian co-produced the track and may appear on guitar.
Stephen Kalinich and Jon Tiven
Appears on: Symptomology/Shortcuts To Infinity
Stephen Kalinich and Jon Tiven (known on some releases as Yo Ma Ma) are a lo-fi rock/grunge duo. This track from the double album Symptonology/Shortcuts To Infinity, is upbeat, and a bit different from straightforward rock (typical of the lo-fi genre, with lots of distorted instrumentation and vocals). Brian's guitar work stands out and if you want something rough and rugged for a change of pace, this is a good place to start.
Appears on: Each Soul Has A Voice
Kalinich and Tiven's 2015 album Each Soul Has A Voice features Brian on guitar for the opening track Rude Awakenings.
Tangerine Dream
From Wikipedia: "In 2007 Brian May completed his PhD dissertation, which was left unfinished in 1974 when Queen began to achieve significant success. May�s work focused on zodiacal dust in the solar system. He had studied at Tenerife earlier through Imperial College in London, and resumed work there more than 30 years later. In 2007, his new advisor was Garik Israelian, and the two struck up a friendship, Israelian also being a musician. This led to the founding of the Starmus Festival � the name paying homage to stars and music � and the stage was set for the first Festival, which would occur four years later."
The first Starmus Festival took place on June 24, 2011 in Tenerife, Spain. The concert featured Edgar Froese's Tangerine Dream. Brian May joined the group, playing guitar, for a few songs.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
The Starmus Festival concert begins with an instrumental performance by Brian May and Tangerine Dream. Garik Israelian and Brian May recorded sounds from star movement and incorporated them into the performance.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
Brian May is joined by Tangerine Dream for a new arrangement of his song Last Horizon. Brian plays guitar on this performance. Tangerine Dream add an electronic rock backing.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
Sally's Garden is a traditional Irish song. Brian joins Tangerine Dream for the performance and provides lead guitar.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
Brian and Tangerine Dream jam to an extended improvised performance that contains We Will Rock You. Brian provides lead vocals and plays guitar.
The first Starmus Festival took place on June 24, 2011 in Tenerife, Spain. The concert featured Edgar Froese's Tangerine Dream. Brian May joined the group, playing guitar, for a few songs.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
The Starmus Festival concert begins with an instrumental performance by Brian May and Tangerine Dream. Garik Israelian and Brian May recorded sounds from star movement and incorporated them into the performance.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
Brian May is joined by Tangerine Dream for a new arrangement of his song Last Horizon. Brian plays guitar on this performance. Tangerine Dream add an electronic rock backing.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
Sally's Garden is a traditional Irish song. Brian joins Tangerine Dream for the performance and provides lead guitar.
Appears on: Starmus - Sonic Universe
Brian and Tangerine Dream jam to an extended improvised performance that contains We Will Rock You. Brian provides lead vocals and plays guitar.
Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders
Appears on:Red Light Fever
Taylor Hawkins is the drummer for Foo Fighters and former drummer for Alanis Morissette. Hawkins has formed a side band called Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. To date, they have released two albums. The second album, 2010's Red Light Fever, features tracks with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Way Down (and the CD as a whole) is a great blend of classic rock and modern rock styles. Brian co-wrote, provides guitar, and backing vocals on this track. The last chorus features Brian's vocals and sounds very "Queen-like."
Appears on:Red Light Fever
Don't Have To Speak is another great mid-tempo classic rock style song from Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. The track features Brian May on guitar from about 2:25 onwards.
Tim Staffell
Appears on:aMIGO
Earth seems to be a favorite song of Staffell's. Earth is featured in the original Smile recordings; he also recorded an acoustic version in 1972 with his post-Smile band, Morgan, for their epic suite Nova Solis. This version, recorded for his 2003 album, aMIGO, is heavier compared to the original Smile recording. Lead vocals are split between Tim and Brian (who also plays lead guitar). A few lyrics changes and updated backing harmonies make this a nice alternative to the original.
Appears on:aMIGO Special Edition
A "Special Edition" of Tim Staffell's aMIGO album was sold exclusively at the 18th International Queen Convention at Prestatyn Sands in May 2003. This CD is a rarity firstly due to its limited run of 200 and for the unique mix of Earth. Instead of Brian and Tim sharing lead vocals duties, Tim sings lead the whole way through.
Appears on:aMIGO
Doin' Alright is another Smile track that was re-recorded for Tim Staffell's solo album, aMIGO. This song was co-written by Brian, and was previously recorded by Queen for their first album (a BBC session also exists). This version, though, is significantly different from the previous renditions, featuring a much lighter feel through a very different arrangement. Brian shares the lead vocals again, as well as playing guitar.
Appears on:aMIGO Special Edition
Like Earth, there is a unique version of Doin' Alright on the "Special Edition" of aMIGO. Tim sings lead vocals for the entirety of the song.
Tony Iommi
Appears on: Iommi
Tony Iommi is the guitarist and founding member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. In 2000 he released his first full, true solo album entitled simply "Iommi". The album was 5 years in the making and features an impressive line-up of guest musicians (Henry Rollins, Dave Grohl, Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan, and others). Brian May plays guitar on two tracks, Flame On and Goodbye Lament. Flame On is a heavy track and features Ian Astbury of The Cult singing lead vocals.
Appears on: Iommi
Goodbye Lament is the third track from the Iommi album. It was released as a single in the US, reaching #10 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Brian May and Tony Iommi play guitar, Dave Grohl (from Foo Fighters/Nirvana) plays drums and sings lead vocals, and Laurence Cottle plays bass.
Tony Martin
Appears on: Back Where I Belong CD, German If There Is A Heaven 7" vinyl, German If There Is A Heaven CD single
Back Where I Belong, released in 1992, is the first solo album from Black Sabbath replacement vocalist Tony Martin. The album featured guest musicians Zak Starkey, Neil Murray, and Brian May to name a few. Brian May provides guitar on track If There Is A Heaven., which was released as the album's first single.
Appears on: German If There Is A Heaven 7" vinyl, German If There Is A Heaven CD single
The single edit of If There Is A Heaven simply begins to fade out at around 3:40 to 3:47; the rest of the track is silent. This is a very straight forward early fade that cuts about a minute off of the album version.
Troy Turner
Appears on: Whole Lotta Blues
Troy Turner is a Louisiana blues guitarist and vocalist. He covers Don Nix's track Going Down on his 2010 album Whole Lotta Blues. Brian May plays guitar on the track. There are other versions of this song, released on albums by Don Nix and Leslie West. They seem to be possibly all recorded, in part, in the same sessions. The mixes are different for sure and different takes may have been used.
Appears on: Whole Lotta Blues
Come To Your Senses is an unreleased Brian May track from the early 2000's. Troy Turner recorded a version of the song on his 2008 album Whole Lotta Blues. Brian does not appear on Troy's version of the song. The song was co-written by Jon Tiven, who produced the album.
Various Artists
Appears on: One Voice (from the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci") 12" vinyl, One Voice digital download
From the end credits of the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci", this track features Norah Jones, Aime Mann, Susanna Hoffs, Lydia Loveless, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder and Brian May. Dean Falcone, who wrote the film's score, also produced this track. Brian provides electric guitar, backing vocals and perhaps acoustic guitar. The song was released as a digital download and as a 12" vinyl for Record Store Day - April 16, 2016, with profits from the sale of the single going to benefit animal charities. Also of note, Brian May and Kerry Ellis later recorded a version of this song, which was released as a digital single and appeared on their album Golden Days.
Appears on: One Voice (from the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci") 12" vinyl, One Voice digital download
This stripped down version, features only acoustic guitar and some violin as the instrumentation; the vocal performances are the same. As a result of the stripped down direction of this version, the intro is removed, starting with just acoustic guitar here.
Appears on: One Voice (from the documentary "A Dog Named Gucci") 12" vinyl, One Voice digital download
A completely instrumental version, without vocals. This version is a few seconds longer; adding some additional instrumental bits.
The Yardbirds
Appears on: Birdland
2003 saw the first new release from The Yardbirds in over 35 years, an album called Birdland. Original Yardbirds Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty are joined by new members for the album. Birdland has seven new tracks and eight remakes of older Yardbirds tracks. The album has many guest musicians such as original Yardbird Jeff Beck, Slash from Guns n' Roses, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai to name a few. Brian May plays guitar on a new recording of the 1965 classic Yardbird song Mr. You're A Better Man Than I.
Zucchero
Appears on: Zu & Co
Zucchero is a successful Italian singer and performer who over the years has performed with Brian multiple times, including the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and the 46664 concert. 2004's Zu & Co release from Zucchero is essentially a duets album. The album is stacked with big name artists including Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Tom Jones, and Pavarotti to name a few. Brian plays guitar on the track Il Mare.
Appears on: Zu & Co. Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD
Zucchero's May 6, 2004 performance at The Royal Albert Hall was released on DVD in 2007. Many of the artists that appear on the Zu & Co album appear at this concert, performing with Zucchero. Brian plays guitar on the live performance of Il Mare.