OMG! 😱 Another reissue? Seriously? 🙄 It’s only the 40th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s “Mr. Bad Guy”! Like, we haven’t heard enough versions already. 🙄🙄🙄 Get ready to empty your wallets, folks, because this time it’s on LAVISH vinyl! 🤑🤑🤑
So, apparently, way back in the prehistoric era of April 1985, Freddie decided he was too good for QUEEN and unleashed “Mr. Bad Guy” upon the unsuspecting world. 🙄 It was his “artistic statement” or whatever. 🙄 He wanted to break free from the “confines” of being in one of the biggest rock bands EVER! Can you even imagine?! 🤯🤯🤯 Instead of rocking stadiums, he decided to prance around with dance beats and pop tunes. How edgy. 😒
And now, FOUR DECADES LATER (yes, you’re old), they’re slapping this relic onto a SPECTACULAR (their words, not mine 🙄) 180g TRANSLUCENT GREEN VINYL! 🤢 Why green? Was that Freddie’s favorite color vomit? 🤮 And if you’re REALLY special (or just easily manipulated), there’s a PICTURE DISC LP available EXCLUSIVELY via D2C. Whatever that means… probably Direct-to-Collectors so they can get every cent out of you. 💸💸💸
Freddie, bless his heart, claimed he had “a lot of ideas bursting to get out” that couldn’t be contained within QUEEN. Right, because QUEEN was known for being so musically restrictive. 😂😂😂 He wanted to explore “musical territories.” Like… disco? 🙄
“Mr. Bad Guy” was supposed to show a “different side” of Freddie, which, let’s be honest, was already on full display during QUEEN‘s “Hot Space” era. 🤮 Remember that album? No? Lucky you! He was apparently inspired by the club scene he was “immersed in.” Translation: he liked to party. 🎉🎉🎉
Recorded in Munich (because why not?), “Mr. Bad Guy” was co-produced by Freddie and Reinhold Mack, the guy who helped QUEEN become mega-huge. So, basically, Freddie needed someone to hold his hand. 🤝 He tested the waters with “Love Kills,” a disco track for “Metropolis.” The success of THAT monstrosity emboldened him. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
He also made sure that NONE of the other QUEEN band members were on the record. He enlisted a bunch of session musicians nobody has ever heard of. Great choice, Freddie! 👍
Munich was, like, SO influential. 🙄 All those bars and clubs helped him create bangers like “Living On My Own” (which only became a hit AFTER he died, let’s be real 💀), “I Was Born To Love You” (which QUEEN later tried to salvage), and “Let’s Turn It On” (which sounds like a bad Prince rip-off). 🎶🎶🎶
Of course, a few songs could have been QUEEN songs. “Made In Heaven” was resurrected for QUEEN‘s posthumous album (because milking the dead is always a good move! 💰💰💰). “There Must Be More To Life Than This” was even supposed to be a duet with Michael Jackson! Can you imagine?! 🤪 A version with Jackson later appeared on QUEEN‘s “Forever” album, just to remind us what could have been. 💔
But hey, at least Freddie got to experiment! “Your Kind Of Lover” is… energetic? “My Love Is Dangerous” is reggae! 🇯🇲 And “Man Made Paradise” foreshadowed “Barcelona” with Montserrat Caballé. Opera Freddie! 🎤
And then there’s “Mr. Bad Guy” itself, featuring the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Because what’s more rock ‘n’ roll than a full orchestra? 🎻🎻🎻 Freddie was SO proud that he was the first to put a full orchestra on a song. 🙄🙄🙄
Released in April 1985, “Mr. Bad Guy” reached Number 6 in the U.K. album charts. HUGE SUCCESS! 🏆 It spawned four singles, including “Living On My Own,” which became a hit ONLY after Freddie kicked the bucket. ⚰️
The singles came with “flamboyant” videos. “Made In Heaven” recreated scenes from “The Rite Of Spring.” So artsy! “Living On My Own” featured an OTT drag ball. Because Freddie. 💅
This new reissue has been remixed by QUEEN‘s sound team. They went back to the original tapes and made it sound like it would have if they had better technology back then. So, basically, they polished a turd. 💩
Apparently, it’s a “massive honor” to work on anything Freddie did. Even if it’s just remixing a mediocre solo album. 🙏
Forty years on, “Mr. Bad Guy” is still “pivotal.” It allowed Freddie to “flex his creative muscles.” 🙄🙄🙄
Freddie himself said he put his heart and soul into it and it reflected the state of his life. Diverse moods! A whole spectrum! 🌈
So, there you have it. “Mr. Bad Guy” is back. Get ready to buy it again. And again. And again. 💸💸💸 Because SOMEONE has to pay for Brian May’s space telescope. 🔭
**”Mr Bad Guy”** 40th-anniversary special edition vinyl reissue: Track listing in case you forgot what it was! 😴
Side One: Let’s Turn It On, Made In Heaven, I Was Born To Love You, Foolin’ Around, Your Kind Of Lover
Side Two: Mr. Bad Guy, Man Made Paradise, There Must Be More To Life Than This, Living On My Own, My Love Is Dangerous, Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow
All songs written and composed by Freddie Mercury because he wouldn’t let anyone else near it! 😠
Produced by Freddie Mercury, Mack, Justin Shirley-Smith and Joshua J Macrae which means they all touched it! 🖐️🖐️🖐️
