Today marks the 50th anniversary of Queen’s self-titled debut album and to commemorate this significant event, Sotheby’s has released photographs of astonishing items from that era in Freddie Mercury’s history.
His ex-fiancée Mary Austin, whom he left half of his estate to upon his death in 1991, plans to auction many of his personal items later this year after they have been displayed in exhibitions.
On July 13, 1973, the day of Queen’s debut album release, Sotheby’s stated: “After establishing themselves as Queen just a year prior, the newly-formed band began recording their first album in 1971 at De Lane Lea’s state-of-the-art studios in Wembley, before later moving to Trident Studios in Soho, London.
“Having already performed live multiple times, they had a rich repertoire to draw from, but the process was still time-consuming and potentially frustrating.
“This was largely due to the fact that the band could only enter the studio during the so-called ‘Dark Time’, which was between 11pm and 2am, when it was not occupied by other artists such as Lou Reed, who was recording the album Transformer at the time, and later David Bowie, who was working on Aladdin Sane.”
Items revealed today from Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own, connected to the 50th anniversary of Queen’s debut album, include a remarkable drawing by the singer depicting the band wearing extravagant Cavalier costumes.
The caption explains: “This is likely a concept image for the cover of Queen’s first album, just as the words ‘Dearie Me’ on the sheet were considered as a possible title for the album. Estimate: £1,500-2,000.”
In addition, Freddie’s original artwork for the iconic Queen crest, which incorporated the zodiac signs of the band members, was also unveiled.
These symbols included fairies for Virgo (Mercury), lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor), and a crab for Cancer. This drawing is projected to sell for £8,000-12,000.
Next up are Freddie’s handwritten lyrics (with extensive musical annotations and notes regarding the recording and mixing process) for six songs featured on the first album, including thorough drafts for ‘My Fairy King’ – the song that includes the lyrics ‘Mother Mercury / Look what they’ve done to me’. Estimate: £30,000-50,000.”
And most incredibly of all: “Fragments from other early songs can also be found in a previously unrecorded red notebook from the early 1970s. This notebook, one of Mercury’s most prized possessions, contains working lyrics (such as ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, ‘Liar’, and ‘Keep Yourself Alive’) as well as songs by other artists that Queen performed at the time, along with doodles, designs for Queen’s logo, and snippets of unpublished songs. Estimate: £120,000–180,000.”
To learn more about Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own, click here.