Brian May Reflects on His Favorite Queen Album
Brian May Declares Queen’s “Made In Heaven” as His Favorite Album
In a recent interview, Queen guitarist Brian May revealed that his favorite album by the band is “Made In Heaven.” Released in November 1995, “Made In Heaven” stands as Queen’s 15th studio album and remains the only one released under the Queen name following the passing of their iconic frontman, Freddie Mercury, in 1991.
May shared his choice in response to a question posed by a reader of The Guardian. When asked about his opinion on whether “Sheer Heart Attack” is Queen’s greatest album and which one he considers the best, May expressed that while “Sheer Heart Attack” was a breakthrough in terms of exposure, he doesn’t necessarily view it as their greatest work.
This declaration from Brian May sheds light on his personal appreciation for the emotional and poignant album “Made In Heaven,” which served as a tribute to Freddie Mercury and showcased the band’s ability to create music that resonated with fans even after their beloved lead singer’s untimely departure.
“My favorite, strangely enough, is probably the last one, Made in Heaven, which we completed after Freddie had passed away. It has such incredible depth, spiritual content, and emotion because we were working with Freddie’s voice when he was no longer with us. It took us a couple of years to even approach the idea of making the album because we were grieving. Roger [Taylor] and I went on separate tours, almost pretending that Queen didn’t exist. Then, all of a sudden, we looked at all the material we had and realized that this album needed to be made. It was truly a labor of love, but now I can listen to it with a sense of peace.”
In the interview, Brian May also touched upon bassist John Deacon’s decision to step away from the group following Freddie Mercury’s passing.
May expressed that John has always been sensitive to stress and found it particularly challenging to cope with the loss of Freddie. While May respected John’s need for privacy and refrained from providing further details, he acknowledged that John is still considered an integral part of the band. For significant decisions, especially regarding business matters, John’s input is sought after, even if he may not directly communicate with the rest of the band. May emphasized that John remains a vital component of Queen, despite his reduced involvement in the day-to-day operations.
