Search - :: Made in heaven

Fitting coda to Queen's career

neoninfusion | Sydney, NSW Australia | 03/17/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Made in Heaven" is Queen's final studio album, released in November 1995. After Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, the remaining band members John Deacon, Roger Taylor and Brian May worked with Mercury's pre-recorded vocals to create the last Queen album with all four members having contributed.



The album feels and sounds like a late 80's Queen album with Freddie singing every song and sounding much healthier than he does on "Innuendo" as alot of this album has been taken from prior recordings. Only three songs were recorded by Freddie prior to his death: "A Winter's Tale", "Mother Love" and what would become "You Don't Fool Me". The song list includes:



* "It's a Beautiful Day" - a previously unreleased song written and recorded by Freddie Mercury at Musicland Studios in Munich, 1980.



* "Made in Heaven" - a track from Mercury's solo career, appearing on his album 'Mr. Bad Guy' in 1985. Taylor, May and Deacon reworked it (over Mercury's piano and vocals) to make it a Queen track.



* "Let Me Live" - the first single features a gospel-style choir for the opening. Freddie, Brian and Roger each then sing a verse.



* "Mother Love" - the last song Freddie Mercury recorded and co-wrote with Brian May, who on his website discussed the writing process he and Mercury had (writing both separately and together, and conscious of the nature of the song and the lyrics). May sang the last verse since Mercury wasn't able to do it.



* "My Life Has Been Saved" - composed by John Deacon in 1987-1988.



* "I Was Born to Love You" - originally recorded (piano, vocals, synths) by Mercury on 25th May 1984, for his 'Mr. Bad Guy' album.



* "Heaven for Everyone" - a track Roger Taylor wrote and tried out with Queen in 1986, but then dropped and recorded it for The Cross (his other band, where he was lead singer and rhythm guitarist instead of drummer).



* "Too Much Love Will Kill You" - a typical power ballad composed by Brian May (with Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers) sometime between the Magic and Miracle sessions. They wrote it in the US and Freddie Mercury sang on it.



* "You Don't Fool Me" - one of the last tracks recorded for Made In Heaven. It reminds me of a more mellow 'Scandal'.



* "A Winter's Tale" - the last song Mercury composed entirely ("Mother Love"'s music is by Brian May). He did the vocals and keyboards for it and completed the last verse around two weeks before he died.



The overall feel of the album is one of reverence, reflection and references to our existence. Only the song "I Was Born to Love You" has an up-beat tempo. The production is of a superb quality considering the difficulties the band faced.



Unfortunately, I dismissed this album at the time as I was into other mid-90's music and Queen felt long dead. The title, "Made in Heaven", was just too corny and I still felt (up until recently) that it was just an attempt to hold onto something that wasn't there anymore. It was only when I went back into a Queen phase (12 years later) that I even considered buying it. But it was very popular in the UK at the time with the first single "Heaven for Everyone" reaching No. 3 and the album going four times platinum selling 1.5 million copies.



Overall, this is a worthwhile coda to Queen's career. I find it very easy to listen to and reflect in turn on their impact on my life."

Not quite as good as Innuendo, but still a great album

Alan Hummel | The Seven Seas of Rhye | 07/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Innuendo" was the last album released by Queen before Freddie Mercury died, and it was a fitting final album for him. "Made In Heaven" was released in 1995, 4 years after Freddie's death. Of the 11 songs on the album, 5 were previously released in other forms: "Made In Heaven" and "I Was Born To Love You" were originally on Freddie's "Mr. Bad Guy" album, and are included here with those same vocal tracks, but with Queen's instrumentation; "My Life Has Been Saved" was a B-side to "Scandal" from "The Miracle", but is slightly different here; "Heaven For Everyone" was originally recorded by Roger Taylor's band "The Cross"; and "Too Much Love Can Kill You" was previously released on Brian May's "Back To The Light" album (with Brian on vocals). But even though not all of the material here is new, all of the material is very good, and it's a great album. Not quite as good of an ending as "Innuendo", but a very fine piece of work nonetheless."

A Farewell to Queen

Christopher J Kitchin | St. Petersburg, FL | 06/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1995, Queen fans got one last album from the Freddie Mercury led Queen. Although this album ranks with their best, it is not entirely new. My Life Has Been Saved was the b-side of Scandal. Too Much Love Will Kill You was recorded for The Miracle album. Brian May re-recorded it in 1993 for his Back To The Light record. Made In Heaven and I Was Born To Love you were tracks from Freddie Mercury's out of print 1985 album, Mr. Bad Guy. Basically only Freddie's vocals were kept. The instrumentation was given the full Queen treatment. Heaven For Everyone was recorded for one of Roger Taylor's side projects.Ok, now on to how the record sounds. The album starts out with one of the few 'newly' recorded tracks, It's A Beautiful Day. This ballad features an amazing vocal from Freddie, considering his illness. He is in fine form. Let Me Live is a great track featuring a gospel choir in the background. Brian May and Roger Taylor share lead vocals on this track with Freddie. Mother Love is a sad, contemplative ballad about facing the end of one's life. Freddie couldn't finish this track so Brian May picks up the last verse. It works quite well. A Winter's Tale sounds like a holiday classic. Freddie seemed to be taking in all of his surroundings. He wasn't taking anything for granted. The album ends like it started, with a reprise of It's A Beautiful Day. Added at the end of the track is a piano sample from Seven Seas Of Rhye, a baby's cry, and a sample from an old Carole King song that Freddie covered in his pre-Queen days. After all is said and done, this is a fitting farewell to rock's royal band. It does what all great artist's last albums should do, wondering what could have been."