Last weekend, Sir Brian May and Roger Taylor stunned fans at the Royal Albert Hall.
Opening the second half of the Last Night of the Proms, Queen performed a special orchestral version of Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody, in celebration of the iconic song’s 50th anniversary this year.
And now the rock legends have more exciting news, with the announcement of lavish vinyl re-releases of both the single and its album, A Night at the Opera, which hit No 1 in five countries, including the UK.
Sir Brian shared: “A Night At The Opera was a hugely important album for us. It opened up the world for us.”
Roger added: “We were at the peak of our confidence. It felt like there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do, and it shows on that album.”
The guitarist remembered: “We truly felt like we could try anything at that point. As songwriters, we were challenging each other and competing with each other in the best possible way.” The drummer recalled: “I always believed in Bohemian Rhapsody from the start. The first time Fred played us his idea for it, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is something special.’ And it was.”
On A Night at the Opera, Sir Brian said: “It really was a watershed album for us,” says Sir Brian May, today. “Thanks in a large part to Bohemian Rhapsody, people knew who we were – not just in the UK, but in America, Australia, everywhere.” Roger added: “It’s such an eclectic album. It’s mad and it’s wonderful and it’s got a bit of everything in it.”
A Night At The Opera is reissued on crystal clear vinyl with gold labels on October 17 (excluding the UK) and October 18 (UK) and can be pre-ordered here.
Bohemian Rhapsody is released on heavyweight blue 7” and 12” single, 12” picture disc and blue cassette single on October 31 and can be pre-ordered here.
