“The solo is very much in the moment”

Brian May reveals the story behind Queen's 'lost' classic - and the epic guitar solo he created for it

- Chris Bird

When Brian May speaks to TG about Face It Alone - the previously unheard Queen track that was finally released last month, more than 30 years after it was recorded - his first words are in tribute to the writer and singer of that song. "The crowning glory is, of course, Freddie's voice," he says. "It's just magnificent. You hear that quality in his voice. You hear the passion in his voice. And he's fearless. The way he bends some of those notes is so beautiful."

Face It Alone is an extraordinary song with a poignant backstory. It was recorded during the year-long sessions for Queen's 13th studio album, The Miracle, between January 1988 and January 1989, at a time when Freddie Mercury had been diagnosed HIV positive. As Brian recalled of that period: "We were dealing with Freddie's deteriorating health, and pulling together to support him." 

Face It Alone didn't make the cut for The Miracle, which was released in July 1989, yielding hit singles in I Want It All, Breakthru and The Invisible Man. The following album, Innuendo, was Freddie Mercury's last act. The singer died on November 24, 1991.

In all these years, Face It Alone remained an unfinished demo track, preserved in the Queen vaults and unheard outside of the band's inner circle. But this and five other previously unreleased tracks were rediscovered and remixed during the creation of a new box set reissue of The Miracle. And as Brian says, the finished version of Face It Alone that has now been shared with a global audience is absolutely true to how it was recorded in the 80s.