Barcelona
Studio album by Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé
Released	October 10, 1988
Recorded	1987-1988 at Townhouse and Mountain Studios
Genre	Rock, Classical Crossover
Length	39:56
Label	Polydor, Hollywood
Producer(s)	Freddie Mercury, Mike Moran and David Richards
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé chronology
Mr. Bad Guy (1985)	Barcelona (1988)	The Freddie Mercury Album (1992)

Barcelona is an album recorded by Freddie Mercury, the front-man of the popular British rock band Queen, and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé. The album was recorded in 1987 and 1988 when Freddie Mercury was ill with AIDS, and released in 1988. Image File history File links Barcelona_album_cover. ... A Studio Album is an album of regular studio recordings. ... Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British rock musician of Parsi (Indian) descent, best known as the iconic lead singer and pianist of the rock band Queen. ... Montserrat Caballé Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12, 1933), is a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mountain Studios is a recording studio located in Montreux, Switzerland. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rock and roll. ... In music, crossover is a term used to describe material borrowed from a different style or genre and whose popularity crosses the considered boundaries of styles or genres. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1920s vintage Polydor export label with its double-horn gramophone logo In 1954 Polydor Records introduced their distinctive orange label. ... Hollywood Records is a record label owned by Disney. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British rock musician of Parsi (Indian) descent, best known as the iconic lead singer and pianist of the rock band Queen. ... Mike Moran is a keyboard musician. ... David Richards is a record producer. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 2. ... Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British rock musician of Parsi (Indian) descent, best known as the iconic lead singer and pianist of the rock band Queen. ... Montserrat Caballé Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12, 1933), is a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. ... Mr. ... The Freddie Mercury Album is a posthumous solo project with material from Queen frontman and vocalist Freddie Mercury. ... Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British rock musician of Parsi (Indian) descent, best known as the iconic lead singer and pianist of the rock band Queen. ... Queen are a seminal English rock band, formed in 1970 in London by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Roger Taylor, with John Deacon joining the following year. ... Montserrat Caballé Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12, 1933), is a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. ... Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ...

Freddie Mercury had befriended Montserrat Caballé and had developed a respect for her music and powerful operatic voice. They soon decided to work on an album together, with Mercury taking the creative lead as songwriter.

Some opera fans thought the music was too pop influenced. Similarly, some rock fans found it to be far too operatic. The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... For popular music (music produced commercially rather than art or folk music), see Popular music. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rock and roll. ...

Track listing

All songs by Freddie Mercury & Mike Moran, except where noted. Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British rock musician of Parsi (Indian) descent, best known as the iconic lead singer and pianist of the rock band Queen. ... Mike Moran is a keyboard musician. ...

Side 1

1. "Barcelona" – 5:37
2. "La Japonaise" – 4:49
3. "The Fallen Priest" (Mercury/Moran/Rice) – 5:46
4. "Ensueño" (Mercury/Moran/Caballé) – 4:27

Side 2 Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist for musical theatre, a radio presenter, television gameshow panelist and an author. ... Montserrat Caballé Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12, 1933), is a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. ...

1. "The Golden Boy" (Mercury/Moran/Rice) – 6:04
2. "Guide Me Home" – 2:49
3. "How Can I Go On" – 3:51
4. "Overture Piccante" – 6:40

Track information

"Barcelona" was composed by Mercury by request of Montserrat Caballé (she asked him to write a song about her city), and includes violins by Homi Kanga and Laurie Lewis, cello by Deborah Ann Johnston, horn by Barry Castle and percussion by Frank Ricoffi. Russell Watson covers it on his album The Voice. Russell Watson, born in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, on 24 November 1966, is an English tenor who has released singles and albums of both operatic-style and pop songs. ...

"La Japonaise" was recorded on 9 November 1987 (an early demo comes from 1 September). Mercury wrote all the lyrics including the ones in Japanese, and sang some parts in falsetto which were kept on the final version. November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Falsetto (IPA: Italian , General American , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range. ...

"The Fallen Priest" was originally a virtuoso piano piece by Mike Moran with some high vocals from Mercury, and it was named "Rachmaninov's Revenge" back then (demos come from January 26 and February 19 respectively). Then it was named "The Duet" and finally "The Fallen Priest" when Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for it. Elaine Paige was living with Rice at the time and she was working on an album of Queen covers, which was released a decade later and included Mike Moran conducting the orchestra and making arrangements as well as playing piano and keyboards. Mike Moran is a keyboard musician. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist for musical theatre, a radio presenter, television gameshow panelist and an author. ... On the cover of Elaine Paige Tour Programme 2004 Elaine Paige OBE (born Elaine Bickerstaff on 5 March 1948 in Barnet, Hertfordshire) is a world-renowned English singer and actor, primarily in musicals. ...

When Mercury first met Caballé on March 1987, he brought in a piece he and Mike Moran had composed called "Exercises In Free Love," to which Caballé added lyrics and became "Ensueño" later on. She asked him to sing it in his baritone voice. Baritone (French: baryton; Deutsch: Bariton; Italian: baritono) is most commonly the type of male voice that lies between bass and tenor. ...

"The Golden Boy" included lyrics from Tim Rice as well and was recorded on December 1, 1987 (early demos come from May 2 and November 9). The gospel choir was formed by Madeline Bell, Debbie Bishop, Lance Ellington, Miriam Stockley, Peter Straker, Mark Williamson and Carol Woods. Peter Straker was Mercury's friend who helped him out with some lyrics of "I'm Going Slightly Mad," and Miriam Stockley sang later on with Brian May. December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942 in Newark, New Jersey) is an African-American Soul singer who became famous as a performer in England. ... Miriam Stockley is an English singer, born (ca. ... Brian Harold May CBE (Born July 19, 1947, in Hampton, Middlesex) is a virtuoso[1][2][3][4] guitarist best known as the lead guitarist and and backing, sometimes lead, vocalist for the English rock band Queen. ...

"Guide Me Home" was originally titled "Freddie's Overture" and was one of the last numbers to be written (early 1988), while "How Can I Go On" comes from spring 1987 and features John Deacon playing bass. For the medieval chroniclers named John, deacon of. ...

'Barcelona' was dedicated to the city of Barcelona in honor of the 1992 Summer Olympics^{[citation needed]}, which were hosted there. It was the theme song of the Olympics in Barcelona. Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (Catalan) Ciudad Condal (Spanish) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... The 1992 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ...

Personnel

• Freddie Mercury: Vocals, producer, arranger.
• Montserrat Caballé: Vocals.
• Mike Moran: all keyboards; production, arrangements.
• David Richards: production.
• John Deacon: Bass guitar ("How Can I Go On").
• Homi Kanga: Violin ("Barcelona").
• Laurie Lewis: Violin ("Barcelona").
• Deborah Ann Johnston: Cello ("Barcelona").
• Barry Castle: Horn ("Barcelona").
• Frank Ricotti: Percussion ("Barcelona").
• Madeline Bell: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
• Debbie Bishop: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
• Lance Ellington: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
• Miriam Stockley: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
• Peter Straker: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
• Mark Williamson: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").
• Carol Woods: Backing vocals ("The Golden Boy").

Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British rock musician of Parsi (Indian) descent, best known as the iconic lead singer and pianist of the rock band Queen. ... Montserrat Caballé Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12, 1933), is a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. ... Mike Moran is a keyboard musician. ... David Richards is a record producer. ... For the medieval chroniclers named John, deacon of. ... Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942 in Newark, New Jersey) is an African-American Soul singer who became famous as a performer in England. ... Miriam Stockley is an English singer, born (ca. ...

Charts

Album

Album Barcelona

Singles

Single Barcelona (1987/1992)

Single The Golden Boy (1988)

Single How Can I Go On (1989)

External links

• Full liner notes
• Partial liner notes at official artist site