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

Time for another look at the Queen archives, this time to a single released on 14 Feb 1974 in USA and New Zealand, the B-side of which was “Doing All Right” (sometimes also written “Doin’ Alright”) – originally a song by Smile, a Queen precursory band, if you will, consisting of Brian May (Queen guitarist), Roger Taylor (Queen drummer) and Tim Staffell (vocals and bass):

» Queen: Doing All Right (BBC recordings from 1973)
» Smile: Doin’ Alright
» Lyrics

But let’s not ignore the A side – well, we’ll ignore the shortened single version, but here’s the album version with the Greatest Hits video:

» Queen: Liar (album version)
» Lyrics

This alternative 1971 demo version from the De Lane Lea Studios is not just over one minute longer, but also offers different guitar parts and somewhat more playful vocals by Freddie (and unfortunately a lower audio quality) – I actually like it better than the album version:

» Queen: Liar (De Lane Lea Studios demo)
(slightly different lyrics, see video page on the right)

It’s up to you which song you’re prefering for your Valentine’s Day…