A Freddie Mercury track that had previously been lost has finally surfaced after a decade long search. The previously unheard vocal performance by the former “Queen” frontman is set to be released this month, to no doubt delight fans of the late rock legend’s musical genius. The track entitled “Time Waits For No One” had been originally recorded as part of the soundtrack for a West End musical called “Time”, the 1986 creation by fellow musician Dave Clark.
Thanks to Clark’s perseverance, as he spent years looking for the hidden version of the vocal recording, which had been somewhat disappointingly diluted on the original release, Music fans will now be able to enjoy it in a vastly improved format.
Instead of having the original backing track, that has been replaced by the accompaniment of a solo piano to allow Mercury’s distinctive tones to stand out more clearly.
Vocal track gave Clark 'goosebumps'
After hearing the previously lost vocal version, Clark is reported in The Independent as saying that the sound “was magic and it gave me goosebumps.” He added that the difficulty in locating the original master tape that included just Mercury singing had been exacerbated by the fact that the produced version included a staggering 48 vocal tracks to sift through.
Recent film success
The ‘find’ appears to be extremely timely, given the recent success of the hit film “Bohemian Rhapsody” starring Rami Malek as the late Freddie.
Malek’s striking performance in the 2018 biographical movie – completed by Dexter Fletcher but credited to Bryan Singer as director – was rewarded with the highly coveted Best Actor Oscar at the 91st Academy Awards held earlier this year. Since the movie’s release, it has been breaking all-time records at the box-office for a biographical film, with gross takings reported to be in excess of $900 million worldwide.
Clark’s success in the 1960s
Pop music connoisseurs of a certain generation will no doubt remember that Clark enjoyed plenty of success in the industry in his own right, as the founder of the group the “Dave Clark Five”. The band enjoyed the notable feat of knocking “The Beatles” off the top of the UK singles charts in 1964 when their memorable track “Glad All Over” became a huge hit.
The 1986 musical “Time” was something of an ambitious space exploration- related project, including collaboration between Clark, David Soames, and Jeff Daniels. It built upon the 1970s musical “The Time Lord” by Soames and Daniels, transporting a rock musician and his band to the High Court of the Universe in the Andromeda Galaxy, where they are called upon to defend their planet. The West End production at the Dominion Theatre in London ran for 2 years, starring Cliff Richard originally and later David Cassidy.
June release for Mercury track
“Time Waits For No One” is expected to be released on June 21st by Virgin /EMI records, in addition to a film featuring Mercury performing and talking about the song. Initial reactions indicate that it is an amazing showcase of his musical range and may be among the best vocals that he ever produced.
