Barcelona (album)
Encyclopedia
Barcelona is an album recorded by Freddie Mercury
, the front-man of the popular British rock band Queen
, and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé
. The album was recorded in 1987 and 1988, and released in 1988. It is the final solo album recorded by Mercury, who died of AIDS
on November 24, 1991.
After Barcelona was selected to host the 1992 Summer Olympics
, Mercury was approached to write a song as a theme for the forthcoming games. The idea was to create a duet with Montserrat, as she is from the city. Mercury had been a long standing admirer of Montserrat and she in turn grew to respect his talents very highly. They decided to work on an album together, with Mercury and Mike Moran taking the creative lead as songwriters. Mercury and Moran made and sent her tapes of the music with Freddie singing in falsetto as a lead vocal for Montserrat's parts. As they
rarely had an opening in their schedule to meet, her parts were recorded at another location.
and Mike Moran, except where noted.
by Deborah Ann Johnston, horn by Barry Castle and percussion by Frank Ricotti
. It was written to be the theme song of the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona, but Mercury died less than a year earlier. The recording was however featured at the opening ceremony
, and it was used as the title music to the BBC's coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The music video was filmed at the world's largest nightclub, Privilege
in Ibiza
.
Russell Watson
covers it on his album The Voice with Shaun Ryder
.
which were kept on the final version.
wrote the lyrics for it. Elaine Paige
was living with Rice at the time and she was working on an album of Queen covers. Also released in 1987 it was also produced by Mike Moran who conducted the orchestra, wrote the arrangements and played piano and keyboards.
) voice.
, Debbie Bishop, Lance Ellington, Miriam Stockley
, Peter Straker, Mark Williamson and Carol Woods. Peter Straker was Mercury's friend who helped him out with some lyrics of "I'm Going Slightly Mad," and Miriam Stockley sang later on with Brian May
.
It features John Deacon
playing bass.
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
, the front-man of the popular British rock band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
. The album was recorded in 1987 and 1988, and released in 1988. It is the final solo album recorded by Mercury, who died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
on November 24, 1991.
After Barcelona was selected to host the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, Mercury was approached to write a song as a theme for the forthcoming games. The idea was to create a duet with Montserrat, as she is from the city. Mercury had been a long standing admirer of Montserrat and she in turn grew to respect his talents very highly. They decided to work on an album together, with Mercury and Mike Moran taking the creative lead as songwriters. Mercury and Moran made and sent her tapes of the music with Freddie singing in falsetto as a lead vocal for Montserrat's parts. As they
rarely had an opening in their schedule to meet, her parts were recorded at another location.
Track listing
All songs written by Freddie MercuryFreddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
and Mike Moran, except where noted.
Side one
- "Barcelona" – 5:37
- "La Japonaise" – 4:49
- "The Fallen Priest" (Mercury, Moran, Tim RiceTim RiceSir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
) – 5:46 - "Ensueño" (Mercury, Moran, Montserrat CaballéMontserrat CaballéMontserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
) – 4:27
Side two
- "The Golden BoyThe Golden BoyThe Golden Boy is a song recorded by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury together with catalan operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé.Originally included in the 1988 album Barcelona, the song was released as a 45 rpm two weeks after its appearance in the main album, with another excerpt from the LP, "The...
" (Mercury, Moran, Rice) – 6:04 - "Guide Me Home" – 2:49
- "How Can I Go On" – 3:51
- "Overture Piccante" – 6:40
Barcelona
The song was composed by Mercury and includes violins by Homi Kanga and Laurie Lewis, celloCello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
by Deborah Ann Johnston, horn by Barry Castle and percussion by Frank Ricotti
Frank Ricotti
Frank Ricotti is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist.Ricotti played in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while a teenager, then attended Trinity College of Music...
. It was written to be the theme song of the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona, but Mercury died less than a year earlier. The recording was however featured at the opening ceremony
, and it was used as the title music to the BBC's coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The music video was filmed at the world's largest nightclub, Privilege
Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
.
Russell Watson
Russell Watson
Russell Watson is an English tenor who has released singles and albums of both operatic-style and pop songs. The self-styled "People's Tenor" had been singing since he was a child, and became known after performing at a working men's club...
covers it on his album The Voice with Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder
Shaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
.
La Japonaise
The song was recorded on 9 November 1987 (an early demo comes from 1 September). Mercury wrote all the lyrics including the ones in Japanese, and sang some parts in falsettoFalsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
which were kept on the final version.
The Fallen Priest
Originally a virtuoso piano piece by Mike Moran with some high vocals from Mercury, it was named "Rachmaninov's Revenge" (demos come from January 26 and February 19 respectively). Then it was named "The Duet" and finally "The Fallen Priest" when Tim RiceTim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
wrote the lyrics for it. Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
was living with Rice at the time and she was working on an album of Queen covers. Also released in 1987 it was also produced by Mike Moran who conducted the orchestra, wrote the arrangements and played piano and keyboards.
Ensueño
When Mercury first met Caballé on March 1987, he brought in a piece he and Mike Moran had composed called "Exercises In Free Love," to which Caballé added lyrics and became "Ensueño" later on. She asked him to sing it in his natural speaking (baritoneBaritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) voice.
The Golden Boy
This song also included lyrics from Tim Rice as well and was recorded on December 1, 1987 (early demos come from May 2 and November 9). The celebrity gospel choir featured Madeline BellMadeline Bell
Madeline Bell is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, having arrived from the US in the gospel show Black Nativity in 1962, with vocal group The Bradford Singers.-Career:She worked as a session singer, most notably backing for Dusty...
, Debbie Bishop, Lance Ellington, Miriam Stockley
Miriam Stockley
Miriam Stockley is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music in her home country. Her unique vocalese style gained international acclaim when Karl Jenkins' launched the "Adiemus" project with "Songs of Sanctuary", featuring...
, Peter Straker, Mark Williamson and Carol Woods. Peter Straker was Mercury's friend who helped him out with some lyrics of "I'm Going Slightly Mad," and Miriam Stockley sang later on with Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
.
Guide Me Home
Originally titled "Freddie's Overture", it was one of the last numbers to be written (early 1988).How Can I Go On
This song comes from spring 1987. On the album its beginning is seamlessly merged with the end of the previous track.It features John Deacon
John Deacon
John Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
playing bass.
Personnel
- Freddie MercuryFreddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
: Vocals, pianos, producer, arranger. - Montserrat CaballéMontserrat CaballéMontserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
: Vocals. - Mike Moran: all keyboards; production, arrangements.
- David RichardsDavid Richards (record producer)David Richards is an English-born Swiss-based record producer, engineer and musician. In the Mountain Studios in Montreux, owned by the rock band Queen, and in Attalens he engineered and co-produced many albums by Queen, David Bowie and other artists. Richards also played keyboards on some records...
: production. - John DeaconJohn DeaconJohn Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
: Bass guitar ("How Can I Go On"). - Homi Kanga: Violin ("Barcelona").
- Laurie Lewis: Violin ("Barcelona").
- Deborah Ann Johnston: Cello ("Barcelona").
- Barry Castle: Horn ("Barcelona").
- Frank RicottiFrank RicottiFrank Ricotti is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist.Ricotti played in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while a teenager, then attended Trinity College of Music...
: Percussion ("Barcelona"). - Madeline BellMadeline BellMadeline Bell is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, having arrived from the US in the gospel show Black Nativity in 1962, with vocal group The Bradford Singers.-Career:She worked as a session singer, most notably backing for Dusty...
: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy"). - Debbie Bishop: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
- Lance Ellington: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
- Miriam StockleyMiriam StockleyMiriam Stockley is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music in her home country. Her unique vocalese style gained international acclaim when Karl Jenkins' launched the "Adiemus" project with "Songs of Sanctuary", featuring...
: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy"). - Peter Straker: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
- Mark Williamson: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
- Carol Woods: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
Album
Album Barcelona| Country | |1992 reissue: | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | |1987: | ||
| United Kingdom | 8 | 9 | |
| Sweden | 15 | ||
| Netherlands | 34 | 3 | |
| Country | |||
| Country | Full liner notes at Queen Picture Hall
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