The October 11 release of the Freddie Mercury box set, “Never Boring”, is being previewed with a video for the Queen singer’s 1985 single, “Living On My Own.”
Filmed at 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 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” – the rocker’s 300 invited guests included Mary Austin, Boy George, Steve Strange, 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 cross-dressers 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 by Austrian director Rudi Dolezal shocked Freddie’s record company boss Walter Yetnikov so much when it was delivered that he promptly banned the video from being seen on television on the grounds of what he judged was ‘perceived promiscuity.’
The video was instantly shelved by Yetnikov 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; this time, the single reached No.1 and became the biggest-selling single of the year in Europe and, in 1994, Mercury posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award for International Hit of the Year.
“Never Boring” presents special editions of the singer’s 1985 album, “Mr. Bad Guy,” 1988’s “Barcelona”, and a new 12-track compilation of some of his solo performances.
Taken from the very best original source material available, the full “Never Boring” collection contains three CDs with 32 tracks; a Blu-ray and DVD featuring 13 promo videos and interview; a 120-page 10”x10” hardback book full photos, many of them rare and unpublished, as well as thoughts and choice quotes from Freddie himself, and an introduction from Rami Malek, who earned an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The Blu-ray and DVD of Mercury’s video promos and his stage performances with Montserrat Caballé include eight that have been painstakingly reassembled from the original 35mm film rushes to give them the best-ever visual and sound quality.
“Mr. Bad Guy”, “Barcelona” and “Never Boring” will also be available to buy individually on CD, vinyl and on digital and streaming services.
See also:
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Search Queen at hennemusic
