Time for the next part of this little series about Queen singles’ B-sides, this time “Machines (or ‘Back To Humans’)” on the “I Want To Break Free” single from 22 April 1984 from the album The Works.

The pop song on the A side is probably best known for its video with the four Queen guys wearing drag, imitating a British sitcom – Freddie once said he’s always asked in interviews how he convinced the others to do that, but it wasn’t his idea at all, but Roger’s instead, if I remember correctly… The video wasn’t good for Queen’s success in America, though:

According to Brian May in an interview about Queen’s Greatest Hits, the video ruined the band in America, which – like many in the UK – failed to see the soap-opera connection & interpreted the video as an open declaration of transvestitism and Mercury’s homosexuality.
(Wikipedia)

The B side about the topic “rather humans than machines” aptly contains relatively much electronics, and the (near-)instrumental version also a few samples from older Queen songs – so enjoy:

» “I Want To Break Free” – video
» lyrics
» “Machines (or ‘Back To Humans’)” – fan video
» “Machines (or ‘Back To Humans’)” Instrumental Version – fan photo video
» lyrics

Time for the next part in this little series about the B-sides of Queen singles – like last time two songs, but from the same release:

On 17 March 1986, the single “A Kind of Magic” from the album of the same name, the unofficial soundtrack album for the movie Highlander, was released. Europe got “A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling” as B-side, an instrumental version of “Don’t Lose Your Head”:

This disco experimental track was a joke to not lose your head in battle, in co ordinance with the Highlander movie.

In the USA, however, “Gimme The Prize” (Kurgan’s Theme) was included, one of Queen’s heaviest works, of course written by Brian May; neither director Russell Mulcahy nor Freddie Mercury and John Deacon are said to have liked this song much.

» “A Kind of Magic” – official video, album/single version
» “A Kind of Magic” – Highlander version (during the credits)1
» “A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling” – fan video
» “Don’t Lose Your Head” – fan video
» “Gimme The Prize” – fan video

And thanks a lot to David R. Fuller for all these fan videos and rarities!

1. which I actually prefer, it isn’t that “pop-ishly styled” throughout yet [↩]

Time for the next instalment of my little series about the B-sides of Queen singles – two at the same day this time:

On 4 March 1977 they released “Tie Your Mother Down” (live video) from the album A Day At The Races with the B-side “You And I” – a song written by John Deacon that they never played live:

» “You And I” still-image video
» Lyrics

Fourteen years later, on 4 March 1991, from the last “proper” album Innuendo came as second single “I’m Going Slightly Mad” (video – on which Freddie had to wear lots of makeup because he looked pretty ill at that time) with the B-side “The Hitman” which is a harder song again:

» “The Hitman” fan video (by David R Fuller again)
» Lyrics

That’s it, I hope there was something for everyone.

And again I’d like to present to you another B-side of a Queen single – today: “See What a Fool I’ve Been”, B-side of “Seven Seas of Rhye” from 23 Feb 1974, a bluesy song that’s not on the album (except on the American CD release).

» the “burlesque” studio version
» the more straightforward BBC version
» live version from 1975
» lyrics

The song originates already from Smile times (the band before Queen) and was inspired by “That’s How I Feel” by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee which Brian May had seen on TV – getting to know the artists only much later. He wrote “See What A Fool I’ve Been” around the riff and parts of the lyrics he had remembered. (See Wikipedia.)

Photo: clix/sxc