10/06/2026
A GIFT FOR THE FIRST HOUR FANS
When "News Of The World" was released in 1977, the world was treated to Queen, who seized the moment in a matter of months thanks to their hits We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. 40 years later, to celebrate the anniversary of this phenomenal album, nothing less than a prestigious object, filled with rarities, is needed to satisfy fans. November 17, 2017, saw the release of the "News Of The World - 40Ā° Anniversary Edition". The box set includes a reissue of the original album on vinyl, as well as a remastered CD version by Bob Ludwig, the mastering master who has previously worked on the records of Eric Clapton, Metallica, Dire Straits or Daft Punk. It also includes 2 records featuring unpublished or very rare versions of "News Of The World" songs and a DVD of the documentary "The American Dream", which traces Queen's tour in the United States in the winter of 1977. Many goodies are also offered to the lucky holders of the box set: a reproduction of an "All Access" badge from the American tour, as well as photos, posters, stickers and other fac-similations of period documents. Finally, a large-format 60-page book comes to complete the satisfaction of the administrators, revealing many photos from the "News Of The World" tour.
TOTALLY UNPUBLISHED VERSIONS.
We appreciate rediscovering the album in vinyl format in a version
"New Pure Analogue Cut". The pressing was done from the original analog tapes, without digital transfer, which can remove the original heat and colors from the recording. The first CD, titled "News Of The World (Bob Ludwig 2011 Master)", offers the album version released in 2011, the year Queen signed with Island Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music, for international distribution. Bob Ludwig is in charge of remastering the records, which appear adorned with rare or previously unheard-of titles. It is at the listening to the 2nd CD that things get serious. Named "News Of The World - Raw Sessions", the disc reprises the original track listing, but each song is presented in a new version. You can also hear the recording behind-the-scenes, the discussions during the recordings, the musicians' natural expressions before playing, as on "We Will Rock You or Get Down, Make Love. Sheer Heart Attack" here revealed in its most primitive form, with an introduction led by a rugged guitar, presumably played by Roger. Sleeping on the Sidewalk, sung by Freddie and not by Brian, is from an undated American concert, while Who Needs You is revealed at the stage where Freddie was still searching for the lyrics and punctuating the recording with onomatopoeias and scats, which he had the secret of. The centerpiece of the disc is a completely new version of All Dead, All Dead, sung entirely by Freddie, which brings a different color to this title that Brian had written while reflecting on a childhood trauma, the loss of a cat he was very attached to.
A GOLD MINE FOR QUEEN ADDICTS
The 3rd disc offers many versions of the songs from the album. Here you can find many titles recorded during the band's tours, between 1977 and 1982, including some, recorded at the Milton Keynes Bowl on June 5, 1982, which will reappear on the DVD "Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl" in the fall of 2004. In the middle of the instrumental tracks and other bonus tracks, the version is hidden.
"USA Radio Edit" of the magical It's Late, which, as this note indicates, was launched on the American market on April 25, 1978. In order to meet radio standards, the song is, alas, deprived of its guitar solo, as well as part of its break. Finally, the DVD "Queen: The American Dream" compiles footage from the overseas tour that presenter Bob Harris, a friend of the band, had filmed in 1977 for a documentary that was to be broadcast on the BBC. The project was abandoned by the network, and the footage was stored in a drawer. The film presented here is precious, as it shows the band as we never see them, in the studios, in rehearsal for the American tour and on the road, on the way to Uncle Sam's country. A rare and important document that takes us into the intimacy of a band taking control of its destiny and putting the world at its feet.
