Queen to release 'alternative' version of News of the World as part of 40th anniversary reissue
To celebrate its upcoming 40th anniversary, Queen are reissuing ‘News of the World’ as an expanded box set.
Available to pre-order from Queen’s official website right now, the extensive new package costs £112 and will be unleashed across the globe on Friday 17th November.
The box set boasts the original record on CD together with two further CDs of recently unearthed out-takes and rarities from Queen’s archives.
One of the CDs is a newly concocted ‘alternative’ version of the album in its entirety, that Queen have dubbed ‘Raw Sessions’.
According to blurb promoting the release, the ‘Raw Sessions’ album is markedly different from the original album and a must for Queen aficionados.
“Every lead vocal is different, as are most of the lead guitar parts and a great many other instrumental details,” the press release reads. “Here we experience We Are The Champions anew, with many unfamiliar vocal and instrumental elements, and for the first time at its full-recorded length rather than the edited 1977 album cut.
“Here also is the chance to discover peak era Freddie Mercury vocals on a track that nobody outside Queen’s inner circle has heard him sing before at all – Brian May’s All Dead, All Dead. The original album version features May himself on vocals.
“Roger Taylor’s Sheer Heart Attack can be heard with its original long-lost guitar intro and uncut ending. Taylor’s other song, Fight From The Inside, is more remarkable in that we hear his demo vocal worked on in his home studio in preparation for the next sessions.”
On top of the three CDs, the box set contains a pure analogue re-cut of the original vinyl LP direct from the unmastered analogue master mix tapes, a new one-hour DVD documentary film entitled 'Queen: The American Dream' filmed on the road in 1977, a 1977 replica tour laminate, a sticker sheet, three posters and a 60-page book of mostly unseen images.
Initial orders from the band’s official website also come with an exclusive 12" x 12" 'Frank' 2017 robot print whilst stock lasts.
Separate from the box set, there’s also a Picture Disc version of ‘News of the World’ on heavyweight vinyl that’s limited to just 1977 copies globally. You can order that version here.
Released on 28th October 1977, ‘News of the World’ spawned anthems including ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘Spread Your Wings’ and sold over 6million copies across the world including 4million in the US.
The ‘News of the World’ box set track-listing is as follows:
CD 1: The Original Album – Bob Ludwig 2011 master
We Will Rock You
We Are The Champions
Sheer Heart Attack
All Dead, All Dead
Spread Your Wings
Fight From The Inside
Get Down, Make Love
Sleeping On The Sidewalk
Who Needs You
It's Late
My Melancholy Blues
CD 2: Raw Sessions
We Will Rock You (Alternative Version)
We Are The Champions (Alternative Version)
Sheer Heart Attack (Original Rough Mix)
All Dead, All Dead (Original Rough Mix)
Spread Your Wings (Alternative Take)
Fight From The Inside (Demo Vocal Version)
Get Down, Make Love (Early Take)
Sleeping On The Sidewalk (Live in the USA, 1977)
Who Needs You (Acoustic Take)
It's Late (Alternative Version)
My Melancholy Blues (Original Rough Mix)
CD3: Bonus tracks
Feelings Feelings (Take 10, July 1977)
We Will Rock You (BBC Session)
We Will Rock You (Fast) (BBC Session)
Spread Your Wings (BBC Session)
It's Late (BBC Session)
My Melancholy Blues (BBC Session)
We Will Rock You (Backing Track)
We Are The Champions (Backing Track)
Spread Your Wings (Instrumental)
Fight From The Inside (Instrumental)
Get Down, Make Love (Instrumental)
It's Late (USA Radio Edit 1978)
Sheer Heart Attack (Live in Paris 1979)
We Will Rock You (Live in Tokyo 1982)
My Melancholy Blues (Live in Houston 1977)
Get Down, Make Love (Live in Montreal 1981)
Spread Your Wings (Live in Europe 1979)
We Will Rock You (Live at the MK Bowl 1982)
We Are The Champions (Live at the MK Bowl 1982)
DVD: Queen: The American Dream
Original album – new pure analogue cut vinyl
Side One
We Will Rock You
We Are The Champions
Sheer Heart Attack
All Dead, All Dead
Spread Your Wings
Fight From The Inside
Side Two
Get Down, Make Love
Sleeping On The Sidewalk
Who Needs You
It's Late
My Melancholy Blues