Queen 'A Night at the Opera' original artwork accidentally binned ahead of auction
Fortunately 'A Day At The Races' was saved from the bin
The original artwork for Queen’s seminal 1975 album ‘A Night at the Opera’ has been accidentally thrown in the bin ahead of a planned auction.
Eminent British art director and designer David Costa had planned to sell the ‘A Night at the Opera’ artwork alongside his designs for 1976’s ‘A Day at the Races’.
However, only ‘A Day at the Races’ is being auctioned next month as Costa believes he inadvertently threw the iconic ‘A Night at the Opera’ artwork away while clearing his studio.
Costa, who has also worked for Elton John, Genesis, George Harrison and Eric Clapton amongst others, said: “An unwitting triumph of tidiness over posterity, I’ve now come to the inevitable conclusion that ‘A Night at the Opera’ became a casualty of my over-enthusiastic effort to begin clearing through 50 years of personal ephemera.
"A shame, but in the grand scheme of things, not a global catastrophe."
Based on a sketch by Freddie Mercury, the surviving ‘A Day at the Races’ memorabilia is the original airbrush-painted front cover, a panel from the rear cover and a pen-and-ink drawing used in the production process.
It will go under the hammer at music auction house Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham, Wiltshire on Wednesday 9th March where it’s expected to fetch £5,000 to £10,000.
However, this figure might be much higher as the original artwork for Queen’s 1977 album ‘News of The World’ sold in New York last year for $62,575 (around £47,000).
Luke Hobbs, auctioneer at Gardiner Houlgate in Wiltshire said of 'A Day at the Races': “Original album artwork rarely comes up for auction. Apart from the sale of one other Queen album and an album by the American rock group Boston, we’ve very little to go on. What makes this all the more important is that this album is an acknowledged classic.
“Although it’s 46 years old, the artwork has been carefully stored and is in amazing condition. Queen are so popular this could sell to someone from anywhere in the world, particularly America where there are lots of Queen collectors.”
Commenting on his distinguished career, David Costa said: “My first design experience was sticking down typesetting for Elton John’s Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only The Piano Player in 1972.
“My last, pretty much, was putting together the book for Elton’s Million Dollar Piano residency in Vegas in 2012. Forty years, and that circularity, seemed like a good moment to stop. It’s taken me 10 years since to decide to let some ephemera and memorabilia move on to better homes.”
Artwork for Queen’s ‘A Day at the Races’ will be available for public viewing at Gardiner Houlgate on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th March from 9am–5.30pm, and on the day of the sale itself – Wednesday 9th March.
Take a look at Queen's career highlights:
1973: Early days of Queen
One of the earliest photos of Queen (Brian May, John Deacon, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor) posing next to an iconic British telephone box. Drummer Roger Taylor is sat on a post box.
July 1973: Rehearsing for their first album
Queen released their self-titled debut album in July 1973. The band recorded the album at Trident Studios mainly during downtime, as the studios were very popular. They were given free use of the equipment when the artists left.
1974: Queen perform for the first time in the USA
Queen embarked on their first live shows in the USA supporting hitmakers of the day Mott The Hoople. Brian May and Freddie Mercury are pictured here on stage in New York.
October 1974: Queen on Top Of The Pops
Queen performed their single 'Killer Queen' on Top Of The Pops in October 1974. This was their second time on the hit show. Their first TV appearance came about in February 1974 when they replaced David Bowie on Top Of The Pops after he cancelled his own performance. Queen, who were an unknown upcoming band at the time, performed 'Seven Seas of Rhye'.
1975: Freddie at his Holland Park home
Freddie is pictured relaxing at his home 100 Holland Road near Holland Park in London. He wrote 'Bohemian Rhapsody' whilst living here.
April 1975: Queen head to Japan for the first time
The band's first tour of Japan commenced in April 1975 and was the first time they had been exposed to their Japanese fans. On their arrival at the airport, they were welcomed by 3,000 screaming fans, which was later dubbed 'Queen Mania'.
March 1976: Queen celebrate their album 'A Night At The Opera' in Japan
Queen attend a reception held by Elektra Records before their first show in Tokyo on their second tour of Japan, celebrating their album 'A Night At The Opera'.
September 1976: Queen promote album 'A Day At The Races'
Queen attend the races at Kempton Park racecourse in Surrey to promote their fifth studio album 'A Day At The Races'.
January 1977: Queen's most extravagant tour yet
Queen spent the first half of 1977 embarking on the 'A Day At The Races' tour. They were supported by Thin Lizzy on their North American dates.
February 1977: Queen sell out Madison Square Garden in seconds
Queen achieved one of their biggest ambitions and played at New York's Madison Square Gardens to a capacity crowd. They sold-out of tickets for the show at the legendary venue within a matter of moments.
June 1977: Queen's most extravagant tour yet
Queen returned to England for the final shows of their world tour. Freddie Mercury is pictured here in the now famous harlequin bodysuit on stage at Earl's Court in London.
April 1979: Backstage in Tokyo
Queen pose backstage at their 'Jazz' tour in Tokyo, Japan. 'The Jazz Tour' supported their album 'Jazz' which was released in November 1978 and featured hits including 'Bicycle Race' and 'Don't Stop Me Now'.
October 1982: Hot Space Tour and Queen's final concerts in North America
Freddie poses on the Osaka Station platform before leaving for Nagoya on the 'Hot Space' tour. This tour marked the band's final concerts in North America with Freddie Mercury and John Deacon.
October 1982: Backstage in Japan
Another image of Freddie backstage on the 'Hot Space Tour' in Japan. The band performed six nights in Japan and their final show of the tour was in Tokorozawa at the Seibu Lions Stadium.
September 1984: Queen at Wembley
Queen performed at Wembley Arena in September 1984 as part of 'The Works Tour' which followed their eleventh studio album of the same name.
January 1985: Queen headline Rock in Rio
Queen pose in Rio before the Rock in Rio festival. The band headlined the first night of the very first Rock in Rio festival in 1985.
January 1985: Queen play biggest show yet
Queen kicked off 1985 with two huge headline shows at Brazil's Rock In Rio festival. The band played to an estimated 300,000 people over two nights.
July 1985: Queen perform at Live Aid and Wembley for the first time
Queen performed at Live Aid in 1985 and it is perhaps the most well-known Queen concert even though wasn't even their own. Freddie and co stole the show!
July 1985: Queen watching live aid amongst famous faces
Founded by Bod Geldof and Midge Ure, The event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and John F Kennedy Stadium in the US. Queen performed at Wembley alongside a bill of huge acts including David Bowie, Status Quo, Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello, Paul Young, U2, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John. Queen are pictured here with David Bowie and sat behind Princess Diana and Prince Charles.
July 1986: Queen's final tour with Freddie
'The Magic Tour' supported the band's album 'A Kind Of Magic' and was Queen's final tour with frontman Freddie Mercury and bass guitarist John Deacon. Queen did not tour again until the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour began 19 years later. Over a million people attended the tour making it one of the biggest ever!
August 1986: Queen's final show with Freddie Mercury
Queen performed for the final time with their frontman Freddie Mercury on 9th August 1986. The show, which was called 'A Night of Summer Magic', was the final date of Queen's European tour in support of album 'A Kind Of Magic'.
1987: Ivor Novello Awards
In 1987, Queen won the award for Outstanding contribution to British music at the Ivor Novello awards.
February 1990: Freddie's last public appearance
This was the final official public appearance from Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. It was the 11th annual BRIT Awards and took place at London's Earls Court. Although rumours about Freddie's health had been around for years, it was only his fellow bandmates who knew the extent of his illness.
1992: The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
In 1992, following the sad passing of Freddie Mercury, a concert was held in his honour called 'The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness'. It was held at Wembley Stadium with 72,000 people in attendance and over one billion people watching the broadcast.
It saw performances from Queen's Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon as well as David Bowie, Elton John, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Guns N'Roses, Liza Minelli, Robert Plant, Metallica, Def Leppard, and others.
2004-2009: Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration
From 2004 to 2009, Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor were joined by singer Paul Rodgers for live performances. John Deacon did not participate due to his retirement in 1997.
July 2014: Queen and Adam Lambert
Queen have performed with singer Adam Lambert since 2011 and embarked a world tour in 2014. Active members of Queen Brian May and Roger Taylor stated that Adam Lambert was not replacing Freddie Mercury, but was an active member of the band.
2020: Queen and Adam Lambert album and tour
In 2020, Queen and Adam Lambert released their first album together 'Live Around The World' which included their favourite performances from over 200 shows together.
Due to Covid-19 they sadly had to postpone their UK and Europe tour, and rescheduled dates for 'The Rhapsody Tour' for 2022.
2022: Brian May appears on Andy and the Band and at We Will Rock You musical
Brian May made his acting debut with a special appearance on the CBBC show Andy and the Band in January. He played guitar on the track 'Planet Rock' which played during the episode.
In February, Brain May made a surprise appearance at a We Will Rock You musical in Portsmouth, coming on stage to play 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The audience went wild and he received a standing ovation.
2022: Roger Taylor receives OBE
In March 2022, Roger Taylor was awarded an OBE by Prince Charles at Windsor Castle for his services to music. He dedicated the award to his close friend Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, who had sadly passed away days before.
2022: Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert 30th Anniversary
In April 2022, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Queen launched a screening of the concert on YouTube which was available to watch for 48 hours. Interviews, videos, and a mini-series were also shared in the lead up to the event with proceeds going towards the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
2022: Queen continues their 'Rhapsody Tour'
In 2022, Queen + Adam Lambert continued their postponed tour dates which were cancelled due to Covid-19, with dates across the UK and Europe from May to July.
As part of this, they also shared an online event 'Rhapsody Over London', which included a livestream of one of their London shows as well as a Q&A which fans from around the world could access.
2022: Queen and Adam Lambert perform at The Platinum Party at the Palace
Queen and Adam Lambert put on an incredible show on 4th June as they opened the concert celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.
The group opened the show with an amazing performance of 'We Will Rock You', and also sang 'We Are The Champions' and 'Don't Stop Me Now'.
2022: Brian May releases 'Floating In Heaven' with Graham Gouldman
To mark the first photos being sent from the James Webb Space Telescope on 12th July, Brian teamed up with 10cc frontman Graham Gouldman to create the track 'Floating In Heaven'.
2022: Queen's 'Greatest Hits' smashes 7 million sales barrier in the UK
2022 saw Queen's 1981 'Greatest Hits' collection become the first album to smash the 7 million sales barrier in the UK. The album was originally released in October 1981 and features 17 songs from eight of Queen's early studio albums.
Tracks include 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Are the Champions', 'Seven Seas of Rhye' and 'Another One Bites the Dust.'
2022: Queen release 'Face It Alone'
In June, Brian and Roger teased the release of lost song 'Face It Alone' which was recorded in 1988 and is sung by Freddie Mercury.
The song was released on 13th October along with a lyric video, with the official music video being released on 21st October, complete with photos and video clips of the band.
The song was recorded at the time Queen were making their 'The Miracle' album, which has now been reissued as a collector's box set.
2022: Brain May publishes Stereoscopy Is Good For You: Life in 3-D book
In November 2022, Brian May shared his book Stereoscopy Is Good For You: Life in 3-D. He followed this up with a special book signing in London due to take place on 9th December, where he will meet fans.
There is also an exhibition at The London Stereoscopic Company Shop that fans can visit until March 2023.
2023: Brian May knighted by King Charles
It was announced on 31st December 2022 that Brian May was going to become a Sir, as part of the 2023 edition of the King's New Year Honours List. Then, on 14th March 2023, the Queen legend was knighted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.
Brian was knighted 'for services to music and charity work' at a Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony, and is now officially known as Sir Brian Harold May.
2023: Brian May sells photos of Queen
Sir Brian May released a selection of his photography following Queen through the years, as limited edition fine art prints. He's also put some of the amazing photos on display in London.
2024: 51st anniversary of Queen's debut album
July 2024 marked the 51 years since the release of Queen's self-titled debut album. The album included tracks such as 'Keep Yourself Alive', 'Liar' and 'Seven Seas of Rhye', and was released on 13th July 1973 (later being released in the US on 4th September). 51 years on, the album is certified Gold in both the UK and US, with all tracks penned by combinations of Freddie, Brain and Roger, as well as co-writer Tim Staffell.
2024: Queen 'rebuild' debut album and change track-list for huge boxset release
In September 2024, Queen announced a remastered and expanded boxset of their 1973 debut album 'Queen.' Retitled 'Queen I' for this release, the breakthrough album has been remixed and restored by Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson to sound the way the band always wanted it to.
Released on Friday 25th October 2024, the 6CD + 1 LP 'Queen I' collector's edition boxset boasts 63 tracks with 43 brand new mixes. Alongside the original album with its intended running order restored, the boxset features intimate fly-on-the-wall audio of Queen in the studio, demos, rare live tracks, and previously unheard recordings from Queen's first-ever live performance at London's Imperial College in August 1970 before John Deacon had joined the band.
Now read:
Queen: The band who gave us 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and many more hits
Queen: A celebration of the legendary band in pictures
20 fascinating facts about Queen legend Freddie Mercury 🎶