Eddie Howell

Eddie Howell recorded one song with Queen in 1975, and it was released in 1976. Brian played guitar, Freddie played piano and produced the track, and both Freddie and Brian sang backing vocals. The Queen influence is very obvious, and its a good song to boot.

The Man From Manhattan

Original Version
Recorded in 1975 by Eddie Howell, with considerable help from Queen. Brian and Freddie both contribute audibly to this. Sometimes regarded as an "A Night At The Opera" out-take, it is certainly very similar in feel to mid '70's Queen. The vocals and guitar are typical, and the song itself could easily have been recorded by them. The original 7" is now quite expensive and hard to find, but there is also a recent CD single re-issue (well, three in fact). One (on Bud Records) includes sleeve notes and photos, detailing the origins of the song and Eddie's involvement with Queen. Highly recommended while its still cheap. Note the original is also available on the "Ghost Of A Smile" CD released by Smile.

...Revisited
On the "Bud Records" CD single re-issue only, this is a slightly longer version which simply repeats the section containing Brian's guitar solo. Either it's a bit pointless, or you get more Queen for your money, depending on your point of view.

...Back Again
On the other CD re-issue, which was a German-only release. A 4:59 version that is again re-constructed from bits of the original, and again either a waste of space or more Queen for your money. Nicely different intro, although in general the editing seems rather crude. Also on "Ghost Of A Smile".

Radio Edit
A third (!) outing on a third CD single. UK-only this time, and a 3:26 edit with a slightly re-arranged beginning and ending. The worst of the remixes, and the disc doesn't even include the original this time. The words "barrel" and "scrape" spring to mind.