Don’t you just love unreleased music by your favorite artists — especially if it is Michael Jackson? According to Rolling Stone, three never-before-heard duets that Michael Jackson recorded with Queen singer Freddie Mercury 30 years ago will see the light of day later this year.
The un-heard tracks were recorded in Jackson’s home studio, according to The Times of London. However, due to the singer’s conflicting schedules, the songs were never released.
“They were great songs, but the problem was time – as we were both very busy at that period,” Mercury said in an excerpt from Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury.
Jackson, a fan of Mercury’s, told Rolling Stone the Queen front-man reached out to him to be a part of his next album in 1983.
The two recorded the three tracks but the duo’s meeting was a bit tumultuous, says Queen’s manager, Jim “Miami” Beach. “Mercury rang me and said: ‘Miami, dear, can you get over here? You’ve got to get me out of here, I’m recording with a llama,'” said Beach.
The songs, “There Must Be More to Life Than This,” “State of Shock” and “Victory” were recorded but were recently cleared for release in 2011.
Brian May, Queen guitarist, confirmed the tracks will be released this fall. He hinted the tunes are “exciting, challenging, emotionally taxing. But cool.”