So, a few weeks back we looked at Queen’s 1991 release, Innuendo. It’s a great album, but it heralded the inevitable passing of Freddy Mercury. So much so, that Freddy himself still had some musical ideas left, and he wanted to get them out as soon as possible. To a degree, he & the rest of Queen succeeded in this, and while their previous record was indeed the end, the album that would become Made In Heaven......would add on a tiny bit more. Let’s take a look.
Background
After Freddy Mercury’s passing on November 24, 1991, the rest of Queen (Roger, Brian, & John) went their separate ways. All 3 did their own solo work & continued to mourn the loss of their friend, but when it came time to produce a record the trio came back together. Some of the music was already done before when Freddy Mercury was still alive, as he recorded as much vocal work as he could, but the band added fresh instrumentation & edits. However, there still wasn’t much, so the band filled out the rest of Made In Heaven with songs meant from previous records & Freddy’s solo career. Then, Queen released their 15th & final album on November 6, 1995.
Reception for Made In Heaven was generally positive upon it’s release, with The Sunday Times describing the album as “Essential Listening”, and Entertainment Weekly wrote that “It's the perfect theatrical epitaph for a life dedicated to gorgeous artifice”. In the UK it debuted at no. 1 & went platinum 4 times. Eventually, the album became a worldwide success, selling 5 million copies in Europe, and 7.5 million copies worldwide. A great way for a band to go out, if you ask me!
Basic Description
Table scraps.....but table scraps fit for a king.
Alright, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Freddy’s not on this album. Yes, you hear his voice. Yes, you feel his emotion. But it’s not him: Freddy passed away 4 years before this record’s release, and what you’re hearing is a ghost. A powerful ghost with a soul, but a ghost none the less. The songs on this album, with the exception of 3 (More on that in my “Best Track” section), were all tracks taken from previous Queen records & Freddy’s solo work. Because of this, Made In Heaven feels like a patchwork quilt. That being said, the music on here is actually quite good! There is a quality issue with some tracks (More on this in a bit), but the experience you get from listening to this CD somehow masks & makes up for this.
Best Track
Mother Love. The last song that would ever have Freddy Mercury’s voice, and one of the 3 original tracks. The track starts out with a somber build, and basically turns into a slow, dare I say synth-rock-goth, ballad. Freddy’s vocal work is incredibly unusual as well, as he lets out his voice in a very slow manner, never really raising it......except for when he lets out a triumphant wail early on. It has the strength of 50 men, showing that Freddy still has power in his voice. The second part of the vocal work goes by, and for a few moments there is nothing but guitar work & electronica playing. The last verse starts, and then you realize that Freddy Mercury isn’t singing anymore. Brian May is, as Freddy died halfway through the making of Mother Love. That last part has since become a haunting moment in music history, and remains a sad yet beautiful track.
Mother Love
Worst Track
Like I said earlier, Made In Heaven’s biggest flaw is it’s scrapped together nature. As I listened to this, I was reminded of Led Zeppelin’s Coda from 1982: both are fine albums, but the tracks contained within were basically like cutting-room floor movie scenes. They’re fine songs, but maybe not the best as far as quality is concerned. In the case of Made In Heaven, I can’t necessarily complain, as Freddy was rushing to get the music he wanted done, but died before things were completed.
Overall Impression & Rating
Made In Heaven is a haunting album from Queen. For a brief moment in time, you feel like Freddy Mercury is still alive, and in the room singing to you. However, once you’re done reality comes back in, and the realization that one of music’s most iconic figures is gone comes to sharp focus. This album has it’s flaws. There’s no question about it. Despite the flaws, Made In Heaven is just one of those albums that’s required for anyone to listen to. Once you’re done listening, you might believe in this record’s name.
Made In Heaven gets a 8 to 8.5 out of 10.
And that was my look at Made In Heaven. An imperfect album to end a career on, but one that still has that Queen shine to it. The power within these songs continue to echo in our hearts to this day, but let’s not dwell on death, as there’s one final time period of Motörhead that must be looked at. So see you all next week, when we’ll look at Motörhead’s time in the 2000s & 2010s.
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