Tying in with the upcoming October 11th release of the Freddie Mercury Never Boring solo box set this week will see a brand new version of perhaps Freddie’s most infamous solo video – for his single Living On My Own from his Mr Bad Guy album, released on YouTube.
The album is one of three within the box set in a newly mixed 11-track special edition. The package also includes a new 12-track compilation of many of Freddie’s greatest solo performances and a nine-track 2012 special edition of the Barcelona album. The three are also available to buy individually.
The video was filmed a few months after Queens spellbinding set at Live Aid. It captures his now legendary 39th birthday party in 1985 in Munich where Freddie was living while recording his first solo album – a period depicted in the box office blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody. Freddie’s 300 invited guests included the ‘love of his life’, Mary Austin, Boy George, Steve Strange, soon to be long time partner, Jim Hutton, Brian May, former manager John Reid, Freddie and Queen’s then-manager Jim Beach and a colourful Munich coterie of entertainers, singers and crossdressers with famous paparazzi photographer Richard Young dressed in full drag taking the photos.
Shot on a revolving ceiling mounted 35 mm camera throughout the entire night while 300 of Freddie’s closest friends partied hard at Munich’s infamous Mrs Henderson transvestite club all decked out in black and white drag (mandatory), the footage shot by Austrian director Rudi Dolezal shocked Freddie’s record company boss Walter Yetnikov when it was delivered. So much so, he promptly banned the high-spirited footage from being seen on television on the grounds of its ‘perceived promiscuity’. The video was instantly shelved and the single stalled at No. 50 on the chart.
It wasn’t until the single’s No More Brothers’ remix re-release on EMI in 1993 that the video finally saw the light of day. The single this time reached No.1 and became the biggest selling single of the year in Europe. In 1994 Freddie posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award for International Hit of the Year.
The ‘banned’ party footage has since become the source of Freddie’s most popular and most seen solo video.
Now in high definition and enhanced sound, we can again join in that night at Mrs Henderson and remember Freddie’s sense of fun. Freddie would surely grin over the fact that his most legendary birthday can still bring a smile to us all these years later.
The faithfully re-created video from 35mm film rushes and brand new audio mix are available as part of the Never Boring deluxe box set. Pre-order now: http://FreddieMercury.lnk.to/NeverBoringDeluxe
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