Barcelona (album)
| Barcelona | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé | ||||||||||
| Released | October 10, 1988 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1987–1988 at Townhouse and Mountain Studios | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock opera, popera, pop rock, opera, classical crossover | |||||||||
| Length | 39:56 | |||||||||
| Label | Polydor, Hollywood | |||||||||
| Producer | Freddie Mercury, Mike Moran and David Richards | |||||||||
| Freddie Mercury chronology | ||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B)[2] |
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.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran, except where noted.
[edit] Side one
- "Barcelona" – 5:37
- "La Japonaise" – 4:49
- "The Fallen Priest" (Mercury, Moran, Tim Rice) – 5:46
- "Ensueño" (Mercury, Moran, Montserrat Caballé) – 4:27
[edit] Side two
- "The Golden Boy" (Mercury, Moran, Rice) – 6:04
- "Guide Me Home" – 2:49
- "How Can I Go On" – 3:51
- "Overture Piccante" – 6:40
[edit] Track information
[edit] Barcelona
The song was composed by Mercury and includes violins by Homi Kanga and Laurie Lewis, cello 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,[4][5] and it was used as the title music to the BBC's coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics.[6] 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.
[edit] 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 falsetto which were kept on the final version.
[edit] 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 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. Also released in 1987 it was also produced by Mike Moran who conducted the orchestra, wrote the arrangements and played piano and keyboards.
[edit] 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 (baritone) voice.[7]
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Guide Me Home
Originally titled "Freddie's Overture", it was one of the last numbers to be written (early 1988).
[edit] 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 playing bass.
[edit] Overture Piccante
The last track on the album mixes parts of other tracks into a new piece.
[edit] Personnel
- Freddie Mercury: Vocals, pianos, 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 | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988: | 1992 reissue: | Certification | |||
| Peak position | Weeks | Peak position | Weeks | ||
| Austria[8] | 24 | 6 | – | ||
| Germany | 41 | 18 | – | ||
| Japan | 93 | 1 | |||
| Netherlands | 9 | 22 | |||
| New Zealand[8] | 13 | 9 | |||
| Sweden[8] | 37 | 1 | |||
| Switzerland | 18 | 5 | platinum[8] | ||
| United Kingdom | 25 | 15 | 8 | silver[9] | |
| USA | 6 | – | |||
[edit] Singles
Single Barcelona (1987/1992)
| Country | Charts[10] | |
|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | |
| 1987: | ||
| United Kingdom | 8 | 9 |
| Sweden | 15 | |
| Netherlands | 34 | 3 |
| 1992 reissue: | ||
| Netherlands | 2 | 10 |
| United Kingdom | 2 | 8 |
| Switzerland | 8 | 13 |
| Sweden | 12 | |
| 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] References
- ^ Allmusic Review
- ^ Entertainment Weekly Review
- ^ Freestone, Peter (1999). Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir By the Man Who Knew Him Best. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711986749. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C.
- ^ "Barcelona 92: inicio de la ceremonia". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdksitehDJ8&feature=related. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
- ^ "La ceremonia de inauguración". El Mundo Deportivo(newspaper library). 1992-07-20. http://hemeroteca.elmundodeportivo.es/preview/1992/07/20/pagina-16/1266027/pdf.html. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- ^ Sport | BBC | Olympics. TVARK. Retrieved on 2011-03-02.
- ^ Peter Freestone (2001). Freddie Mercury: an intimate memoir by the man who knew him best. Omnibus Press. pp. 100–. ISBN 9780711986749. http://books.google.com/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C&pg=PA100. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d Charts (album)
- ^ BPI. Certified Awards.
- ^ Charts (single)
[edit] External links
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