Innuendo

Alternate Versions

Explosive Version
On 12" and CD single. Basically the same as the normal version, but with a wonderfully overblown explosion noise at the end. Suitably over-the-top! About 15 seconds longer than usual too.

Video Version
A very minor variation, this is the normal mix but with a few seconds of "wind blowing" sound effects at the start. Actually adds a bit of atmosphere though, so is worth mentioning. On the official videos "Greatest Flix II" and "Box Of Flix".

Vinyl Edit
The vinyl "Innuendo" LP has several tracks edited to fit on the record, and this is one of them. A 3:58 version, compared to the usual 4:22. A minor edit, this has detracted only very slightly from the atmosphere of the song and is still perfectly listenable. Unless you know the full version very well indeed, you're unlikely ever to notice it. Time 3:58

"Greatest Hits II" Version
On the "Greatest Hits II" CD this track is edited down to 4:08 from 4:22, with an audible time of just 4:00. This could actually mean it's the same edit as the one on the LP (see above), and again its virtually impossible to spot. Time 4:08

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 4, track 3. An instrumental mix, and pretty much a straight edit of the usual version. No guitar solo, but the remaining backing effects are quite nice. Fades out abruptly, and there seems to be some kind of faint mechanical noise in the background after the actual song finishes (presumably this is an effect from the computer game). Time 2:40

Radio Edit
On a US promo CD, and sometimes called the "US Edit". Shortened presumably for US radio, that has cut several bits of instrumental. Definitely one for the completists, but the result is a bit "jerky" compared to the 4:38 original, and doesn't flow as well. Time 3:47

"Greatest Hits II" Version
Just like "I'm Going Slightly Mad", this song has been edited slightly for the "Greatest Hits II" CD. One brief slice of guitar has been edited out, taking the running time down by a good five seconds. Time 4:33

Video Version
In the video to this song there is a brief but noticeable extra guitar solo from Brian. Its approximately one minute into the video, when the camera zooms up to Brian, who is standing on a balcony. This extra bit of guitar takes the audible length of the video to 4:43. Whether the extra bit was added in especially for video, or edited out of the finished album mix, is anyone's guess. Found most easily on the "Greatest Flix II" and "Classic Queen" videos.

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 5, track 5. An instrumental mix, with no vocals at all (not even a "hoop diddy-diddy"). Not particularly remixed, but once again the drum sound seems a little different. Thankfully Brian’s guitar is left intact, and holds this together nicely. Recommended listening. Time 4:54

Remix
Remixed by Brian Malouf. On a US promo CD, that has this 4:33 remix and an edit of the remix (see below). Has some different instruments (extra keyboards at the start for instance), and a few other slight changes. Not radically different, but certainly noticeable and getting quite rare now. Time 4:33

Remix / Edit
An edit of the above remix, and found on the same promo CD. This has a running time of 4:13, not 3:59 as it claims, and the audible difference from the full remix is minimal. Time 4:13

1997 "Rocks" Re-take
On the "Queen Rocks" compilation album. With a new extended intro, and the complete removal of keyboards from many parts of the song, this is presumably meant to be a much "heavier" mix than the original. I'm not sure it is, but its interesting enough all the same. Some parts are quite similar to the original, but for much of the time Freddie's vocal is accompanied only by guitar, bass and some very powerful drums (apparently something Roger felt was lacking in the original). This extra instrumentation is impressive, and the song no longer ends in a fade either - instead there is a very distinct finale. The whole mix has been beefed up to give an extremely solid sound, and the influence of Brian and Roger is obvious. Whether you think its an improvement or not, its certainly very different (and at least its not a "You Don't Fool Me" type remix). Time 4:47

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 4, track 9. A remix of the album version, with backing vocals retained. The main difference is in how the percussion sounds - here it is slightly odd, with the drums sounding very artificial and almost constantly present. Different yes, but not an improvement in my opinion. Time 4:40

Vinyl Edit
A rather pointless edit found on the LP, with a time only about 10 seconds shorter than the full 3:35 version. If anyone can spot the missing ten seconds, let me know. Time 3:25

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 3, track 13. An edit, including vocals, of the album version. Goes from "if you’re searching hard for something" up to where "one day you’ll be a sergeant major" should come in, but then it fades out instead. Time 1:35

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 5, track 4. Pretty much all instrumental, except for a few "hey, hey, hey"s here and there. And guess what, the drums have been remixed! The flange-effect is back with a vengeance, and the guitar parts have been mixed differently as well. The result works very well, but it still isn’t a patch on Roger’s live version. Definitely one of the better "Eye" remixes. Time 4:45

Unlisted Vinyl Edit
The vinyl LP, while not listing this track as edited, is in fact missing the introductory drum bit, cutting the time to approx 4:00. The rest of the song seems unchanged.

Radio Edit
With a time only slightly shorter than the usual 4:14, the difference between this and the normal version is minimal but very noticeable. On a 2-track US promo CD (two mixes, the album one and this). The edited part is not the introductory drum solo, as you might expect, but part of Brian's guitar solo. Its the very last bit, and a part you'll definitely notice. Time 3:59

Vinyl Edit
On LP this was heavily edited down from the full 4:56, with the instrumental bits being the main loss (but luckily there are still plenty of them). Definitely inferior to the full version, this does sound a bit incomplete, or rather half-finished. A noticeable edit though. Note that an earlier take of this, with Brian handling vocals instead of Freddie, emerged from "The Miracle" sessions, and is included in that section. Rumoured to have originally been considered for Brian's "Back To The Light" album, together with "Headlong" and "I Can't Live With You". This would imply that "Back To The Light" was originally going to be much heavier than it actually is, although I think the right decisions were made. Time 3:37

"The Eye" Version One
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 4, track 7. An instrumental edit, with some flanged drums and the backing "fool for your love" vocal kept in. Stops on the second "fool for your love". Reasonably interesting, but nothing special. Time 1:07

Demo Version, Brian Vocal
On the bootleg "Demories Please Majesties", and sometimes considered to be the last of the out-takes from the "Miracle" recording sessions. This is a very rough version with Brian handling all the vocals (except one line). In fact Brian has stated that this version just has his "guide vocals", as Freddie was unable to provide his own at the time. Certainly, Brian's voice is nowhere near as strong as Freddie's on the finished version, which emerged on "Innuendo". In fact Brian's voice on "Back To The Light" is also much stronger than this, lending some credence to the claims this dates from pre-Innuendo days (unless of course, Brian's voice improved dramatically from 1991 to 1992, which may also be possible - he did say he'd been having lessons...). Its not clear whether this was ever really intended for inclusion on "The Miracle", or if it definitely originated from those sessions, but enough circumstantial evidence exists to make it a possiblility. Definitely different, but frustratingly short (as are all these "demos"). Incidentally, the teaser tape for the "Innuendo" album ("Hints Of Innuendo") contains a version of "The Hitman" very, very similar (probably identical) to this, so maybe this take actually comes from there. Its all a bit confusing really. Time 0:58

"The Eye" Version Two
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 5, track 9. An instrumental edit from "Hitman is king" onwards, with some remixed drums and superb guitar from Brian. Has a long unexplained silence at the end (15 seconds worth). Good stuff, but the album version is mostly instrumental anyway. Time 2:40

Vinyl Edit
The full version of this is cut from 3:36 to just over one minute for vinyl LP, and is really more of a soundbite than a song in this form. The most noticeable difference is that here the song ends after the vocal (which is left intact) finishes, though obviously the introductory guitar bit has been edited out as well. Despite this, it actually works quite well as a sort of intro to the next track "The Show Must Go On". Out of context however, its simply too short. Perhaps it would have been better to omit one track completely and leave the others untouched, if running time was such a problem for the vinyl format. Or press it on better quality vinyl! Incidentally, the whole unedited "Innuendo" album is shorter than "Greatest Hits", and that was released on vinyl quite successfully. Time 1:16

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 4, track 4. An instrumental edit of the album version, up to just before the vocals start. If you need a taster version, go for the vinyl edit instead, as this mix is a bit pointless. Time 1:27

Video Intro Version
Used as the intro to the videos "Greatest Flix II" and "Classic Queen". About two minutes long, this is a re-arranged edit that is perhaps best left for completists only, as it sounds very "bitty" in comparison to the wonderful original.

"The Eye" Version
From "The Eye" computer game. Disc 4, track 6. A full instrumental mix, with only a few backing vocals ("learning", "turning", chorus backing etc.) remaining. Ends with "on with the show" and then takes a good 25 seconds to fade out fully. The only real departure from the original is in the "wings of butterflies" part, which has been remixed to include some strange percussion effects. Interesting, but the "Karaoke Hits" version is nicer. Time 4:26

B-sides & Bonus Tracks etc.

Original B-side
B-side to "I'm Going Slightly Mad", on the 12" and CD single. Brian sings lead in this slow bluesy effort, which is a nice complement to the album tracks. The words are a bit indecipherible due to the famous "Brian mumble", but it doesn't spoil the song at all and possibly even adds to its atmosphere.

Original B-side (Interview)
I don't usually mention interview stuff, but as this is included as a B-side on "The Show Must Go On" CD single and 12", I suppose I should - just this once, anyway. Very brief, this is really just a compilation of soundbites from various interviews the group have given over the years. As such there's no structure or theme to it, and most of them have been heard before. Not something you'll listen to again and again, and its not particularly involving either. Almost completely pointless. Note however that there is also a US promo CD called "Queen Talks", which features a proper interview with the whole group (approx 53 mins). Its also in the US "Queen Collection" box set. If you want interviews, that's worth getting. This probably isn't. Time 1:45.

Unreleased
An unreleased track dating from the "Innuendo" recording sessions. Supposedly very similar in sound and style to "Innuendo" itself. If so, its possible a decision was made at an early stage to choose between the two, and "Innuendo" obviously won out. If this does exist in a complete or near-complete form then it's strange it wasn't used on "Made In Heaven", so perhaps it never got finished, or is not in a releasable form. Another possibility is that it sounds very similar to something else, and can't be released for copyright purposes - or maybe its just not very good! Its all only pure speculation, but rumours of a complete version persist.