Barcelona

The 4-disc set is stunning. It's an elaborately detailed release that, among other things, documents an amazing collaboration. Queen/Mercury fans know the story of how Freddie Mercury came to create this album of various duets with Spanish opera star, Montserrat Caballé. The main focus of this 25th anniversary edition is the replacing of the original synthesized score with a full 80 piece orchestra. It works. A lot of work was put into this, from trying to match the feel of the original backing tracks to replacing the faux-Japanese koto in "La Japonaise" with the real thing. You can complain all you want about the intent of this project but, to me, it finally sounds finished. As early Queen albums proudly announced, "No synths." The original version is still available but it's been solidly thrashed by this 2012 version. The people behind this project - some of whom were there when the original album was created - make a strong case for this being what Mercury would've wished for. I suppose the best evidence is a simple one: it sounds better. Mercury and Caballé sound absolutely more natural with a huge orchestra backing them up. VERY special mention has to be made of two soloists on one song. There is no call for a Brian May-style solo on this album, since the original had no guitar work. However, "How Can I Go On" has a part for drum and bass guitar. The drums are played by Rufus Taylor - Roger's son - and the bass guitar part is played by John Deacon, taken from the original release; you don't replace or mess with something like that. The first disc is the new album. The second disc is full of the sort of demos and alternate takes that make this release a document of how the album was created, not just a "for fans only" montage of outtakes. Among the tracks are Mercury's demos of several songs in which he sings both his AND Caballe's parts, often improvising wordless vocals for as-yet-unwritten lyrics. I won't bother you with a track-by-track description of this disc. But, there are a few surprises to anyone familiar with the album, these are not musical scraps. Hearing Caballé rehearse "Ensueño" with Mike Moran on the piano is a special treat. This is a great little art song. At a little under 40 minutes, disc two doesn't overstay its welcome. The third disc is a DVD and it's full of treats, lots of them. Besides a smallish documentary about the making of the original album and the new version, there are very good looking transfers of the promotional videos done in the 1980s. They look good, although the original promotional video for "Barcelona" (the song) looks very mid-80s MTV-ish. More on this in a bit. As you would hope/expect, the videos employ the new orchestral score. This makes the performances of Mercury and Caballé even more vivid ("No synths!). You might say this is after-the-fact tampering and dishonest but the originals were lip-synched to begin with, so why not take this to the logical conclusion and add the new orchestral score? That's what show business is all about. The original videos were done in the 4:3 format of 1980s television. I am grateful that this is how these videos are presented here, with one exception. When you go from a square-ish to a modern widescreen format, you either need to leave black areas at either side of the screen or chop off the tops and bottoms of the image. That latter option can completely ruin the original image (if you've seen the horrible chopped-and-stretched releases of Queen's videos by Eagle Entertainment, you'll know what I'm talking about). Universal, the company behind this release, have transferred the videos as originally shot. They look very good and the premiere of the song "Barcelona" in May of 1987 at the Ku Club in Ibiza looks spectacular, as if it were shot recently on motion picture stock, not video. You can kiss those awful YouTube uploads goodbye, forever! The three songs performed in Barcelona, in front of Montjuic Castle before a huge audience including the King and Queen of Spain, also look great, better than ever in spite of being shot on video. (Note: I watched this DVD on a 32" SONY Bravia HDTV with good speakers, so I'm pretty sure about how good this material looked and sounded.) A minor disappointment is the presentation of the original "Barcelona" video, here called a "classic" video. The top and bottom of the image are sliced off. Besides making for a few awkward shots, this also means the video was enlarged and, folks, you just shouldn't do that with video footage from the 1980s. That is SO Eagle Entertainment! This is followed by the brief documentary about the making of the "Barcelona" original album and the new one. The DVD ends with a wonderful treat. The new score has been added to a newly edited version of the "classic" Barcelona video. In this version, alternate camera shots were used throughout and they appear to be from a much better source than seen before. It was edited very intelligently in 16:9 wide screen by the Rhys Thomas, one of the geniuses behind the 2011 documentary "Queen: Days of Our Lives" and the 2012 follow-up, "Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender." This new video has not only replaces the "classic" version in my heart, it also apologises for how it - the "classic" version - appears on this DVD. Finally, Disc 4. It's nothing but the new score - without Mercury and Caballé - and that's practically karaoke paradise. All you have to do is be able to sing like Freddie Mercury or Montserrat Caballé. How hard can that be? This is more than just an upgrade to a better, more definitive version of an already wonderful album. It is an audio documentary of how that album was made. The discs are housed in a very posh book-style case. The brief essays are informative and not just giddy mushy anecdotes for the fans. It is printed on sturdy slick paper. The presentation is wonderful. For those who miss the original photos, they are included along with others we've probably never seen. Some people have complained about the cover artwork and wondered how something that "cheap and tacky" wound up as the cover art (to an album they probably won't buy, anyway). I might not be as smart about art as Sister Wendy or the late Robert Hughes, but I'm pretty sure the splashy, vibrant cover art is an homage to Spanish painter and sculptor, Joan Miró (April 20, 1893 - December 25, 1983). He was born in Barcelona.

anyone who is a fan of Queen and of course Freddie Mercury knows (from his songwriting) that he is a fan of the theatrical, the dramatic and of course the operatic. HIs vocals are near-flawless and it's hard to listen to him and not be enraptured by the power of his voice. It may sound as if I am overselling him, but anyone who has heard him and were fans of either Queen or his solo work knows there is no way to actually do that. So take his considerable talents (both vocals and songwriting) and pair him up with one of Opera's premier divas Montserrat Caballe, and you have an undeniable masterpiece. Perhaps overlooked in his lifetime due to his rock roots, this is a great operatic performance. Freddie had a way of reaching out and pulling you in with his vocals and live he could make you believe that he was singing directly to you, though you were one among thousands. The live orchestra that is used on this set is a great addition, while some purists may balk. I'd think Freddie would approve. The quality of this album is still the main attraction the vocals sound more vibrant than ever. There was a lot of love shown for this album by those involved in the reissue, and it shines through. The first cd is the album with the new orchestra taking the place of the synthesized stuff (from the original album) and the effect isn't as noticeable as you might think. That isn't to say the performance is lacking in any way.The orchestra sounds great. I am simply saying that it does not distract you in anyway and sounds natural so if you are a fan of the original you won't feel as if a great injustice was done. The Second cd is great to listen to, and is more for completists than for casual listeners. Most notable though is that there are a few demo versions which include either alternate/original lyrics or simply Freddie-only vocals, which is a treat, don't get me wrong but it is something most music enthusiasts wouldn't really miss unless they are (like me) someone who loves to hear the process it took (in a semi-step-by-step sort of way) how the album evolved. But, I am sure those who are reading this are looking forward to this disc most of all, as we are all wanting the best version we can find of anything Freddie related. The third disc (though technically this should be the fourth) is the dvd, and it looks great. Not sure why collector sets aren't including blu rays by now, I assume cause of cost, is beyond me. The sound of the dvd is on par with the rest of the collection and the official video has been re-synched using the orchestral backing instead of synths. So it all has a unifying sound (and again it makes it sound more natural and you don't feel like you are being short changed). The live performances look great too especially due to it's age, and as is usually the case with older video there seems to be a slight aura around the performers (due to lighting and how it shows up on tape) though it's not a negative thing as it's as good as it's ever going to be, It seemed to add a bit of an ethereal quality And anyone who is watching this dvd will consider it bittersweet considering it was one of his last performances. overall it is a great addition to any music-related collection as it's definitely a profound moment in time and the meeting of two vocal giants, and should be viewed at least once by anyone who is a fan of real music. The extras are nice but if I had one complaint it would be that it focused too much on the making of the orchestral version rather than the making of the original album. This should have been more Freddie-centric in my opinion. Though anyone who has the Great Pretender blu ray or dvd will recognize part of the interviews from this dvd. But, here it seems more in context and more organic. The Great Pretender dvd, though worth owning, tended to showcase soundbites rather than keep things in context, which left the viewer with a much different impression of Freddie than they should have. So if you watch that one, hopefully you know enough about Freddie so you can keep things in better perspective. The final cd, though nice to have, is a bit of an oddity, as it's the orchestral part of the album sans vocals. Which I guess is nice to have, but as someone pointed out this would be great for anyone into Karaoke but who in the world can match vocals with these two? As it is part of the overall collection, in that context I say it's nice they included it, but what would have been better in my opinion is if they included the ORIGINAL album with synths, and then maybe just the orchestra backings. all would have fit nicely on one cd. that way purists would not have anything to complain about (just like star wars fans always complain that the theatrical versions of IV-VI were not included with the blu rays) my thoughts on this is that the first cd should have been the original, the second should have been the new orchestral versions, the third should have been the demos/rarities as well as just the orchestral backing...and of course include the dvd, which is worth the price of this set by itself. Casual fans will probably be satisfied with the reissued version of the original (usually found for a fair price on amazon) but anyone who loves Freddie's music will find this is something they shouldn't be without. Even such a great operatic voice like Caballe seemed in awe of Freddie's vocals. Just watch them perform together and you'll see. While there was a lot of love put into this collection there was an equal amount of love from her as well. they had great chemistry. and for rock critics who blew this off as a one-off or a bad experiment or Freddie being over-indulgent all I can say is why do people who hate music try and write about something they know nothing about? While the fact that this is opera may have scared people away in the past, it seems like today's audience is much more in-the-know about what Freddie was all about so they know that vocally he is virtually unrivaled so even people who are not opera fans will find themselves blown away. by this performance, and on top of that add Montserrat Caballe's vocals and you have a rock n' roll masterpiece. One that everyone should experience at least once....

Beautiful voices

If u love great voices that are not auto tuned That harmonies n sound as one . Ull love this unusual pair. Freddy has one of the best voices in rock. But he sure is a great classical one as well. Wish it was longer. Bit too short . Makes u crave for more.

ボヘミアンラプソディーの映画でフレディの大ファンになってしまいました。 YouTubeで過去の映像を日々追っかけしてます。 バルセロナCDもYouTubeで知ったわけですが、素晴らしい歌唱力に度肝抜かれました。 すべていいです。 レジェンドってこういう人の事言うんですね。

SUMMARY - a re-recording of the 1988 album keeping the original vocals but replacing the previous musical track with an orchestral arrangement remaining 80% true to the original but with extra flourishes. Also contains an instrumental version of the re-recorded album, a CD of out takes (all of which are found on the large 2000 Freddie box set) and a DVD of songs whose original soundtracks have been replaced with the versions found in the album. REVIEW - a real refresh of the much-loved, cult album fusing pop, rock, gospel, classical, oriental and piano music. Is this what the album would have been if Freddie had had the time or the inclination to write for an 80-piece orchestra? We will never know but, for me, this is not necessarily an improvement on a much cherished collection of songs but I loved every minute of the reinterpretation of it. Songs like Ensueno and Guide Me Home have not been much altered with, but the title track, La Japonaise (the true treat of the original album), The Fallen Priest and The Golden Boy have been given a brand new drama and urgency. The version of Exercises In Free Love is not to be missed. The outtakes are interesting but you'll probably only listen to them once out of curiosity. The videos are as good as ever - I love Montserrat chasing Freddie around the stage on The Golden Boy. The new edit of the Barcelona video features many rushes not seen before. The instrumentals album is punchy but obviously let down by no Fred or Monty (as you'd expect!) As a life long Freddie fan, I loved it. RECOMMENDED FOR - those who love the 1988 version NOT YET RECOMMENDED FOR - those unfamiliar with the work. Buy and fall in love with the ground breaking original and hear Freddie's version first. When you know it word for word, buy this version and get ready to have your breath taken away ... again PS 10 out of 10 for Amazon pre-ordering. Arrived on the day of release.

Men det är för mycket besvär med att klaga på det. Men ändå tråkigt.

Che dire di questo cd già meraviglioso quello iniziale dove il grande Freddie Mercury non volle rischiare di inciderlo con una grande orchestra, ma si limito a quei strumenti essenziali che per lui andavano più che bene per il suo stile e la sua idea. Ma quando, al compimento del 25°anno dalla sua pubblicazione, Stuart Morley, già musical director dei QUEEN, decise di ampliare l'orchestra, e quindi i suoni, a questa meravigliosa opera di Freddie, ne viene fuori un cd Stratosferico, ancora più Emozionante e Immortale, senza tempo, che riesce sempre a far venire la pelle d'oca. Ottimo il remix voci - musica, tutto ben equilibrato e perfetto. Consigliatissimo.

Ob es Freddie so gewollt hätte oder nicht spielt für mich keine Rolle. Das Album war für mich immer eines der bemerkenswertesten der Musikgeschichte fern ab der Charts. So viel Leidenschaft gibt es auf keinem anderen Album. Nun ist auch die Instrumentalisierung vom feinsten. Das Album wirkt weniger kitschig und ist auch ein Obrenschmaus für audiophile Freunde. Disk1 ist der Wahnsinn. Disk2 ist wertvoll, weil Freddie die Songs auch anders singt, auch schön, aber eben anders. Die DVD ist im Zeitalter von Bluray eher überflüssig, vor allem bezüglich der Qualität. Die Minidoku ist ganz nett, aber von Freddie ist nix neues zu sehen. Die Disk4 ist das Album Instrumental. Für mich nicht interessant. Wer das original mochte, wird diese Version lieben oder so wie ich quasi anbeten. Zumal auch die Dynamik wieder vorhanden ist, die nach der allerersten Veröffentlichung beim Remaster verloren ging. Für mich hat sich ein Traum erfüllt. Ein weiterer wäre es, diese Musik live erleben zu dürfen. Aber das wird leider niemals möglich sein. Danke für diese tolle Neuveröffentlichung!