It was Prince Buster who launched Freddie McKay’s career in reggae music back in 1967 with the double A sided 7″ single ‘Giving You A Try Girl’ and Go On Girl aka Red Eye Girl. Because the tunes didn’t hit, his next move was to check Leslie Kong at Beverley’s, recording under the name of Freddie McLean. His single Fine Fine Fine shows the pace of rocksteady getting quicker. It’s an untypical Beverley’s production with great riffing horns and also some great harmonies. The 1972 released single I Am A Freeman also appeared on the Money Disc label and so did Old And Gray aka When I Am Grey and My True Love. Another great addition is the rare Jamaican single mix of Sweet You Sour You. Freddie McKay’s really great tunes never got the kind of release coverage they needed to take him up to the next level.
Freddie McKay - Creation (Plant Music, 1979). I love seventies album covers. Not only prog rockers had fantasy covers. This superb collection of reggae tunes includes covers of Burning Spear’s Creation and Dennis Brown’s Here I Come. This album although entitled a best of was comprised of all new tracks for Alvin GG Ranglin. It's a very strong record recently rescued from obscurity by Only Roots which has delighted me no end as I have been listening to it on cassette for the last 40 years. Freddie on fire as the photo clearly depicts! .
Freddie Mercury stepped away from Queen to release his first solo album 'Mr. Bad Guy' on April 29, 1985. It served as a reminder of his rangy, often-overlooked skills in the studio, and as an expansion of the more lightly regarded elements of Queen's most recent LP, 1982's pop-focused Hot Space. Only the expectations for a Freddie Mercury project were decidedly different. Just a few months later, Mercury was fronting his old band once again when Queen took the stage at Live Aid. A hoped-for solo collaboration with Michael Jackson got lost along the way.
Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy. There was a flavour of traditional British music hall in two playful songs from 1975’s A Night At The Opera – Seaside Rendezvous and Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon. But on the following album, A Day At The Races, Freddie turned that influence into a hit song. Why I love Queen’s News Of The World, by Taylor Hawkins. Queen: Their 50 Greatest Songs. Ten classic Queen live performances. The Top 10 Best Queen Videos. 12. Seven Seas Of Rhye.
Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy". I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things We can do the tango just for two I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings Be your Valentino just for you. Ooh love, ooh loverboy What're you doin' tonight, hey, boy? Set my alarm, turn on my charm That's because I'm a good old-fashioned loverboy. Freddie Mercury said about this song in an interview with Kenny Everett, "It's in my 'ragtime' mood that I get a chance to-to do on every album, and this time-this is something I've come up with this time around. Be your Valentino" line is a reference to famous actor Rudolph Valentino, who is considered to be the first Hollywood sex symbol. This track was featured on the 1977 release "Queen's First EP".
