Freddie Mercury Surround Sound Mixes
This page lists details of the tracks which have been remixed into 5.1 Surround Sound, for the 'Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs' DVD's. It only includes details of tracks which have significant remixing, with different elements coming through different channels, and where applicable, the DTS mix has been used.
In the descriptions given below, a 'straight' vocal refers to a normally sung, non-harmonied vocal.
Barcelona
(single version)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by David Richards and Peter Cobbin.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Barcelona' album page.
Centre: Loses most of the piano from the slow sections, and also the harmonied vocals throughout. Some other vocals are also lost, and there are other minor changes.
Front: Seems identical to the normal version.
Rear: The slow piano and vocal sections are much quieter, and the straight vocals are generally much less prominent.
The bells at the start of the track are mixed so that they travel around the various speakers.
Barcelona
(live)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by David Richards and Peter Cobbin.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Barcelona' album page.
Centre: Vocals are more prominent (some are lost), and the piano, audience, and fireworks are a lot less prominent.
Front: Sounds very similar to normal.
Rear: Vocals and piano are a lot less prominent. The fireworks and audience seem more prominent.
How Can I Go On?
(live)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by David Richards and Peter Cobbin.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Barcelona' album page.
Centre: Most of the music is much quieter, leaving the vocals, bass and fingerclicking far more dominant. As a result, this is an almost a-capella version.
Front: The vocals are less prominent, but the rest seems similar to normal.
Rear: The vocals and some of the orchestral music are less prominent. The vocals also seem slightly echoed in places.
In My Defence
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by Dave Clark. This is the 2000 Remix of the track.
Details of the original version can be found on the Miscellaneous Songs page.
Centre: Vocals, drums and guitars are more prominent. This gives the mix a very basic feel.
Front: Seems very similar to normal.
Rear: Vocals and drums are far less prominent, and the guitar is very dominating.
The version on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' contains several quotes from Freddie at the start and end of the track which come through the Centre channel. These quotes are not present on any of the channels for the mix on 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs', but apart from this they seem identical.
I Was Born To Love You
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by Mack.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Mr Bad Guy' album page.
Centre: Piano and keyboards are far less prominent (and in some places not present), and the bass is more prominent. Some of the synthesisers are also missing.
Front: The vocals and drums are slightly less prominent, so piano chords are also louder while some are quieter. There may also be some other minor changes.
Rear: Vocals are less prominent, and the volume of some piano chords also changes. Some of the keyboards also sound slightly different.
Many of the disco effects are mixed so that they travel around the different speakers.
Living On My Own
(original version)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by Paul Hicks.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Mr Bad Guy' album page.
Centre: A more basic mix (especially the drums), with the vocals, drums and bass more prominent than the other elements. It also loses most of the piano.
Front: Similar to normal, but the drums have a different sound and some of the piano is lost. Again, this mix has a more basic feel.
Rear: Freddie's main straight vocal is much quieter (although some of the 'second' straight vocals are present), and it also loses most of the piano. The drums also have a different sound. Some of the synthesisers are also more prominent.
Living On My Own
(1993 radio remix)
Available on 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Upmixed by Kris Fredriksson.
Details of the remix can be found on the 'Living On My Own' Remixes page.
Centre: Not radically different, the percussion, bass and vocals are more prominent, while some synths and keyboards are quieter.
Front: Very similar to the normal version.
Rear: Vocals are quieter and echoed while some of the bass, keyboards and synths are missing. The percussion has a different feel to it, and you can also hear other drums (possibly bongos) in the background, which give the track a very different feel.
Made In Heaven
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by Mack.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Mr Bad Guy' album page.
Centre: Loses the warming up noises at the start and the audience noise at the end, while the bass is more prominent and the piano and orchestra are less prominent (barely audible).
Front: Seems very similar to normal, the most noticeable difference is that the orchestra is much quieter.
Rear: Loses the warming up noises at the start, and the vocals are less prominent (they also seem slightly echoed). The synthesisers also seem quieter.
The Golden Boy
(live)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by David Richards and Peter Cobbin.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Barcelona' album page.
Centre: Most of the music and the choir vocals are far quieter, but the percussion is present, so the track is almost a-capella.
Front: Seems identical to normal, although the choir vocals seem louder.
Rear: Straight vocals are far less prominent, but the choir vocals are more prominent.
The Great Pretender
(single version)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by David Richards and Peter Cobbin.
Details of the original version can be found on the Miscellaneous Songs page.
Centre: Most of the track retains only the vocals, drums and bass. There are also orchestral parts in some sections.
Front: Most vocals are far less prominent, while some are missing. The drums also have a different sound.
Rear: The drums are far less prominent, while most of the harmonied vocals are lost. The orchestral parts are also less prominent.
The Great Pretender
(extended version)
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by David Richards and Peter Cobbin.
Details of the original version can be found on the Miscellaneous Songs page.
Centre: In some sections, it contains only the vocals, drums and bass. Some of the orchestral parts are retained, but not many. It also retains the backstage comments.
Front: Vocals are less prominent, and it loses the backstage comments. The drums also have a different sound.
Rear: The harmonied vocals, bass and orchestral parts are far less prominent. The drums also sound different, and this mix loses the backstage comments.
Time
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.
Produced by Dave Clark. This is the 2000 Remix of the track.
Details of the original version can be found on the Miscellaneous Songs page.
Centre: Loses most of the harmonied vocals, and orchestral music, while the piano is quieter.
Front: Lead vocals are far less prominent, while the piano and some of the guitar are more prominent.
Rear: Freddie's straight vocals and drums are much quieter, while the harmonied vocals and some of the guitar are far more prominent.