07 February 2021
Newsdesk
Guitarist Brian May recently heard a tape of the band performing at Imperial College London, a recording he didn’t know existed, and he thinks its something they should be proud of.
He said: “We’re debating what to do with it. A few years ago we’d have felt very protective and thought, ‘Nobody should hear this because we’re very rough.’
“But now, in the position that we are in our lives, we feel forgiving. We’re not ashamed of where we were at that time. It was us against the world.”
However, Brian admitted he’s reluctant because he feels protective over late frontman Freddie Mercury and the fact the singer’s voice wasn’t as powerful as it was in his prime.
He said: “Freddie had all the will and charisma and passion but he didn’t have the opportunity to harness that voice yet.
“Which makes me hesitate a little bit, because I’m not sure Freddie would be that happy hearing himself at this stage.
“But strangely, if he were alive and sitting here at this moment, he’d probably be the same as me, ‘Oh darling, we were kids.’ “
2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the band – which also included bassist John Deacon, who is now retired - but Brian insisted it wasn’t something that he and bandmate Roger Taylor wanted to celebrate.
He said: “Everybody else can celebrate it if they want. We’d rather just celebrate being here and being alive.”
Roger added: “We didn’t want to draw attention to how f****** ancient we are.”
Meanwhile, Roger revealed fans could also hear some new music from the group, who perform live with Adam Lambert.
He said: “We did record a song which we haven’t actually finished. It’s very good… I can’t remember what it’s called. I think we were still discussing what we should call it.”
Asked if he’d like to make a new Queen album, he told Classic Rock magazine: “It would be nice to do some stuff. I wouldn’t rule it out.
“Adam has said, ‘Any time you want me to sing on something…’ If the other two decide ‘Let’s do something’, I’d be there.”
