Mr. Bad Guy

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Mr. Bad Guy
Mr. Bad Guy cover
Studio album by Freddie Mercury
Released April 29, 1985
Recorded 1984-1985 at Musicland Studios
Genre Pop rock
Disco/Dance
Glam rock
Pop
Length 40:41
Label Columbia
Producer(s) Mack and Freddie Mercury
Professional reviews
Freddie Mercury chronology
Mr. Bad Guy
(1985)		 Barcelona
(1988)


Mr. Bad Guy is the first solo album from Queen singer Freddie Mercury. Released in 1985, during a period in which he and Queen were taking a break, there are eleven songs all written by Freddie Mercury himself.

Living on My Own was re-released in the 1990s in a remixed form (seven remixes were made by No More Brothers) while "I Was Born to Love You" and "Made in Heaven" were later re-worked by the surviving three Queen members. They were added to the Made in Heaven album released in 1995 along with other songs that had previously been recorded in the studio. The "Mr. Bad Guy" album was originally called "Made in Heaven" (as noted by Mercury in an interview)[citation needed].

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Freddie Mercury.

Side 1

  1. "Let's Turn It On"
  2. "Made in Heaven"
  3. "I Was Born to Love You"
  4. "Foolin' Around"
  5. "Your Kind of Lover"

Side 2

  1. "Mr. Bad Guy"
  2. "Man Made Paradise"
  3. "There Must Be More to Life Than This"
  4. "Living on My Own"
  5. "My Love Is Dangerous"
  6. "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow"

[edit] Song trivia

'Let's Turn It On' was recorded on April 1984. Freddie Mercury sang a high Bb (the same note Roger Taylor does at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody's operatic bit) and played the bass-line using a synth. That bass-riff was recycled later and slightly modified for the coda of 1989's Queen The Miracle (composed by Mercury).

'Made in Heaven' was the working title of the album, and a song Mercury liked a lot. He recorded his piano parts on 31st May 1984 and added vocals shortly afterwards. After Mercury's death Roger Taylor, John Deacon and Brian May took Mercury's piano and vocals and added their instrument in order to make a Queen version for the 1995 eponymous album.

'I Was Born to Love You' was composed in New York. Mercury recorded his piano and vocals on 25th May 1984. He wasn't entirely pleased with it[citation needed] but the record company pressured him to release it. Years later Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon re-worked it adding their instruments and re-mixing it as a Queen number.

'Foolin' Around' originated at the same sessions as 'Made in Heaven', but was re-worked several times later until the final version was done in January 1985. 'Your Kind Of Lover' begun in March 1984 and features some very low vocals by Mercury.

'Mr Bad Guy' was recorded on May 1984 and it's the only track on the album featuring orchestra, which is something Mercury had been meaning to do for a long time.

'Man Made Paradise' was supposed to close Queen's album The Works but was dropped when Freddie Mercury and Brian May composed 'Is This The World We Created?'. The song ends with an operatic bit performed by Mercury on piano and vocals, foreshadowing his next duet 'Barcelona'.

'There Must Be More To Life Than This' begun in 1981 as part of Hot Space sessions. Early versions featured Mercury on piano and Michael Jackson singing.

'Living on My Own' was recorded between April and May 1984, and was re-mixed and re-released in 1993 earning Mercury his only solo #1 single. To this day, he's the only Queen member who has released a solo #1 hit and won a solo Ivor Novello award. Piano is played by Fred Mandel, who worked with Elton John and Supertramp later on.

'My Love Is Dangerous' comes from a session in 29th May 1984 (same as 'Living on My Own' and the first version of 'Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow').

[edit] Personnel

  • Freddie Mercury – vocals, piano, synthesizer
  • Fred Mandel – additional piano, synthesizer, guitar
  • Paul Vincent – lead guitar
  • Curt Cress – drums
  • Stephan Wissnet – bass guitar
  • Jo Burt – fretless bass on "Man Made Paradise"
  • Rainer Pietsch – arrangement for "Mr. Bad Guy"
  • Mack and Stephan Wissnet – Fairlight CMI, drum programmes
  • Mack, assisted by Stephan Wissnet – engineering
  • The Artful Dodger – artwork
  • A. Sawa – photographs

[edit] Charts

Country Charts
Peak position Weeks
United Kingdom 6 23
Switzerland 14 6
Japan 20 21
Netherlands 20 11
Austria 23 4
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