Barcelona (album)

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Barcelona
Barcelona cover
Studio album by Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé
Released October 10, 1988
Recorded 1987-1988 at Townhouse and Mountain Studios
Genre Rock, Classical Crossover
Length 39:56
Label Polydor, Hollywood
Producer(s) Freddie Mercury, Mike Moran and David Richards
Professional reviews
Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé chronology
Mr. Bad Guy
(1985)		 Barcelona
(1988)		 The Freddie Mercury Album
(1992)


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 when Freddie Mercury was ill with AIDS, and released in 1988.

Freddie Mercury had befriended Montserrat Caballé and had developed a respect for her music and powerful operatic voice. They soon decided to work on an album together, with Mercury taking the creative lead as songwriter.

Some opera fans thought the music was too pop influenced. Similarly, some rock fans found it to be far too operatic.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Freddie Mercury & Mike Moran, except where noted.

Side 1

  1. "Barcelona" – 5:37
  2. "La Japonaise" – 4:49
  3. "The Fallen Priest" (Mercury/Moran/Rice) – 5:46
  4. "Ensueño" (Mercury/Moran/Caballé) – 4:27

Side 2

  1. "The Golden Boy" (Mercury/Moran/Rice) – 6:04
  2. "Guide Me Home" – 2:49
  3. "How Can I Go On" – 3:51
  4. "Overture Piccante" – 6:40

[edit] Track information

"Barcelona" was composed by Mercury by request of Montserrat Caballé (she asked him to write a song about her city), and includes violins by Homi Kanga and Laurie Lewis, cello by Deborah Ann Johnston, horn by Barry Castle and percussion by Frank Ricoffi. Russell Watson covers it on his album The Voice.

"La Japonaise" 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 falsetto which were kept on the final version.

"The Fallen Priest" was originally a virtuoso piano piece by Mike Moran with some high vocals from Mercury, and it was named "Rachmaninov's Revenge" back then (demos come from January 26 and February 19 respectively). Then it was named "The Duet" and finally "The Fallen Priest" when Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for it. Elaine Paige was living with Rice at the time and she was working on an album of Queen covers, which was released a decade later and included Mike Moran conducting the orchestra and making arrangements as well as playing piano and keyboards.

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 baritone voice.

"The Golden Boy" included lyrics from Tim Rice as well and was recorded on December 1, 1987 (early demos come from May 2 and November 9). The gospel choir was formed by Madeline Bell, 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.

"Guide Me Home" was originally titled "Freddie's Overture" and was one of the last numbers to be written (early 1988), while "How Can I Go On" comes from spring 1987 and features John Deacon playing bass.

'Barcelona' was dedicated to the city of Barcelona in honor of the 1992 Summer Olympics[citation needed], which were hosted there. It was the theme song of the Olympics in Barcelona.

[edit] Personnel

  • Freddie Mercury: Vocals, producer, arranger.
  • Montserrat Caballé: Vocals.
  • Mike Moran: all keyboards; production, arrangements.
  • David Richards: production.
  • John Deacon: 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 Ricotti: Percussion ("Barcelona").
  • Madeline Bell: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
  • Debbie Bishop: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
  • Lance Ellington: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
  • Miriam Stockley: 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").

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Album Barcelona

Country Charts
Peak position Weeks
1988:
United Kingdom 15 8
1992 reissue:
USA 6
Netherlands 9 22
Switzerland 18 5
Austria 24 6
Germany 41 18
Japan 93 1

[edit] Singles

Single Barcelona (1987/1992)

Country Charts
Peak position Weeks
1987:
United Kingdom 8 9
Netherlands 34 3
1992 reissue:
Netherlands 2 10
United Kingdom 2 8
Switzerland 8 13
Australia 42 3

Single The Golden Boy (1988)

Country Charts
Peak position Weeks
United Kingdom 80

Single How Can I Go On (1989)

Country Charts
Peak position Weeks
United Kingdom 95

[edit] External links

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