Freddie Mercury discography
| Freddie Mercury discography | |
|---|---|
.png) Mercury performing in the 1970s | |
| Studio albums | 2 |
| Compilation albums | 8 |
| Singles | 16 |
| Box sets | 2 |
As well as his work with Queen,
UK Music Charts. Following Mercury's death in 1991, several posthumous box sets and compilation albums have been released.[1]
Mercury's first solo effort goes back to 1972 under the pseudonym Larry Lurex, when
UK Singles Chart.[2]
Mercury's two full albums outside the band were British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[4] AllMusic critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes Mr. Bad Guy as "outstanding from start to finish" and expressed his view that Mercury "did a commendable job of stretching into uncharted territory". In particular, the album is heavily synthesiser-driven; that is not characteristic of previous Queen albums.
His second album, Barcelona, recorded with Spanish
In addition to the two solo albums, Mercury released several singles, including his own version of the hit "The Great Pretender" by the Platters, which debuted at No. 5 in the UK in 1987.[2] In September 2006 a compilation album featuring Mercury's solo work was released in the UK in honour of what would have been his 60th birthday. The album debuted in the UK top 10.[8] In 2012, Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender, a documentary film directed by Rhys Thomas on Mercury's attempts to forge a solo career, premiered on BBC One.[9]
In 1981–1983 Mercury recorded several tracks with
the Jacksons' album Victory.[12] Mercury included the solo version of "There Must Be More To Life Than This" on his Mr. Bad Guy album.[13] "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was eventually reworked by Queen and released on their compilation album Queen Forever in 2014.[14] In addition to working with Michael Jackson, Mercury and Roger Taylorsang on the title track for Billy Squier's 1982 studio release, Emotions in Motion and later contributed to two tracks on Squier's 1986 release, Enough Is Enough, providing vocals on "Love is the Hero" and musical arrangements on "Lady With a Tenor Sax".[15] In 2020, Mercury's music video for "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow" was nominated for Best Animation at the Berlin Music Video Awards. Woodlock studio is behind the animation.[16]
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [17][18] |
AUS [19] |
AUT [20] |
GER
[21] |
ITA [22] |
NLD
[23] |
NZ [24] |
NOR [25] |
SWE [26] |
SWI [27] | ||||
| Mr. Bad Guy |
|
6 | 38 | 23 | 11 | — | 17 | — | 13 | 20 | 14 |
| |
| Barcelona (with Montserrat Caballé) |
|
15* | — | 24 | 41 | 52 | 10 | 13 | — | 37 | 18 |
| |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart or not released in that region. | |||||||||||||
- Barcelona 1992 chart position. It originally charted at number 25 in the UK in 1988.
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | sales thresholds )
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [17][18] |
AUT [20] |
GER
[21] |
ITA [22] |
NLD
[23] |
NZ [24] |
NOR [25] |
SWE [26] |
SWI [27] |
FRA
[29] | |||
| 1992 | The Freddie Mercury Album
|
4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 8 | 6 |
|
The Great Pretender
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993 | Remixes
|
— | 25 | 22 | 2 | 83 | — | — | — | 18 | — | |
| 2000 | Solo
|
13 | 36 | 55 | — | 21 | — | — | — | 42 | — |
|
| 2006 | Lover of Life, Singer of Songs — The Very Best of Freddie Mercury Solo
|
6 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 30 | — | 8 | 14 | 16 | — |
|
| 2012 | Barcelona: Special Edition (with Montserrat Caballé)
|
129 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2016 | Messenger of the Gods: The Singles
|
31 | 24 | 33 | — | 27 | — | — | — | 53 | — | |
| 2019 | Never Boring
|
18 | 21 | 23 | — | 54 | — | — | — | 9 | — | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||||
Box sets
| Year | Album details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Solo Collection |
|
|
| Never Boring |
|
|
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart Positions | sales thresholds )
|
Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [17][18] |
AUS [19][30] |
AUT [20] |
GER
[31] |
IRE [32] |
NLD
[23] |
BEL [33] |
NZ [24] |
SWI [27] |
US [34] | ||||||||
| 1973 | " Larry Lurex )
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||
| 1984 | "Love Kills" | 10 | 56 | 9 | 25 | 4 | 24 | 17 | — | 27 | 69 | Metropolis: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |||||
| 1985 | "I Was Born to Love You" | 11 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 35 | — | 24 | 76 | Mr. Bad Guy | |||||
| "Made in Heaven" | 57 | 98 | — | 60 | 30 | — | 36 | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Living on My Own" | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow" | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1986 | "Time" | 32 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | Dave Clark's "Time": The Album | |||||
| 1987 | "The Great Pretender" | 4 | 54 | — | 26 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Non-album single | |||||
| "Barcelona" (with Montserrat Caballé) |
8 | 85 | — | 47 | 8 | 37 | — | — | — | — | Barcelona | ||||||
| 1988 | "The Golden Boy" (with Montserrat Caballé) |
86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1989 | "Guide Me Home/How Can I Go On" (with Montserrat Caballé) |
95 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1992 | "Barcelona" [re-release] (with Montserrat Caballé) |
2 | 42 | — | 32 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 8 | — | Barcelona / The Freddie Mercury Album | |||||
| "Guide Me Home/How Can I Go On" [re-release] (with Montserrat Caballé) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Barcelona | ||||||
| "In My Defence" | 8 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | The Freddie Mercury Album | ||||||
| 1993 | "The Great Pretender" [re-release] | 29 | — | 26 | 38 | — | 21 | — | 36 | 15 | — | ||||||
| "Living on My Own" (Remix) | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | — |
|
Remixes | |||||
| 2000 | "Guide Me Home" (with Montserrat Caballé) |
— | — | — | — | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | Barcelona / Solo | |||||
| 2006 | "Love Kills" (Sunshine People Remix) | — | — | — | 83 | — | 49 | — | — | 98 | — | Lover of Life, Singer of Songs | |||||
| 2019 | "Time Waits For No One"[35] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Never Boring | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||||
Collaborations and guest appearances
- 1975: All four members of Queen helped produce a session with the soul band Trax. Nothing was ever released.
- 1976: "Man from Manhattan" by Eddie Howell – Mercury sang backing vocals, played piano and produced this track. Brian May also played guitar.
- 1976: "You Nearly Did Me In" by Ian Hunter – Mercury sang backing vocals on this song, from the album All-American Alien Boy.
- 1978: "uncredited background singer.[36]
- 1982: "Emotions in Motion" by Billy Squier – Mercury sang backing vocals on this song, from album of same name. Also on the 1996 Billy Squier anthology Reach for the Sky.
- 1983: "Victory", "There Must Be More to Life Than This" and "State of Shock" were recorded by Mercury and Michael Jackson, but their original takes were never released. Demos and samples from the latter two have, however, turned up on bootlegs. Later, Mercury reworked "There Must Be More to Life Than This" into his solo album Mr. Bad Guy, and Jackson re-recorded "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger. Popular rumours dictate that a Queen version of "Victory" exists, but this has not surfaced anywhere yet. Queen's 2014 compilation Queen Forever included a brand new arrangement of "There Must Be More to Life Than This" featuring cuts from Jackson's vocal track.
- 1986: "Love Is the Hero" by Billy Squier – Mercury sang backing vocals on this song from the album Enough Is Enough. Mercury sings the intro on the 12" single, and also co-wrote and co-produced the track "Lady with a Tenor Sax", from the same album. Both also appear on the 1996 Billy Squier anthology Reach for the Sky.
- 1987: "Hold On", duet with Jo Dare – Mercury co-wrote this song from the German soundtrack of The Crack Connection.
- 1988: "Heaven for Everyone" by The Cross – Mercury sang lead vocals on the LP version, backing vocals on the single version (or the version on the US album) from the album Shove It.
Video albums
| Year | Video details |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender
|
References
- ^ Daw, Stephen (15 November 2018). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Freddie Mercury's Solo Career". Billboard. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Rees & Crampton 1999, p. 809.
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Rees & Crampton 1999, p. 811.
- ISBN 9780333741344
- ^ Rees & Crampton 1999, p. 810.
- ^ "World-renowned Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé who performed 'Barcelona' with Freddie Mercury, dies aged 85". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
- ^ "'The Great Pretender' Was Also the Real Deal". PopMatters. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury – Collaborations: Michael Jackson". Ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury: 10 Things You Didn't Know Queen Singer Did". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ISBN 9780828319577. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "There Must Be More To Life Than This". Ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Queen Forever – Queen | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ Unger, Adam. "QueenVault.com – Freddie +". Queenvaultom. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ Berlin Music Video Awards (7 May 2021). "Nominees 2020". www.berlinmva.com.
- ^ a b c "Freddie Mercury in the Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ a b c "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". Chart Log UK. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b c "Austrian Charts - Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Discographie von Freddie Mercury". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Italian Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "Dutch Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "New Zealand Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Norwegian Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Swedish Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "Swiss Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "British certifications – Queen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 August 2012. Type Queen in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Les Charts – Freddie Mercury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "36 Titel von Freddie Mercury – Top Titel" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – search the charts (search: Freddie Mercury)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury – ultratop.be". Ultratop.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury – Chart history (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (20 June 2019). "Freddie Mercury: 'Lost' song Time Waits For No One premieres on Radio 2". BBC News. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ Mercury provided uncredited backing vocals per these sources:
- "Top 500". Smooth Radio. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- Sweeting, Adam. Andrew Gold obituary. The Guardian. June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- "Never Let Her Slip Away". Johnnie Walker's Sounds of the 70s. BBC Radio 2. 5 Feb 2012.
- O'Neal, Sean. R.I.P. Andrew Gold, songwriter of "Lonely Boy" and The Golden Girls theme. The A.V. Club. June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- Singer/Songwriter Andrew Gold Dies. Contactmusic. June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- Drive with Russell Woolf; Andrew Gold – Lonely Boy Archived 2013-03-10 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. June 16, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
Works cited
- Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1999), Summers, David (ed.), The Rock Stars Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 978-0789446138
External links
- Freddie Mercury discography at AllMusic