Queen De Lane Lea Demos [RSD25]

Record Store Day Exclusive vinyl featuring all five of Queen’s early demos, recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in December 1971 & January 1972.

Queen began life in early summer 1970, but took their first steps in the studio after vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor recruited a nineteen-year-old bass guitarist, John Deacon, in March 1971.
In 1971, De Lane Lea opened a new studio complex in Wembley, and needed a band to help them test the mixing desks and the acoustic qualities of the different rooms. Brian and Roger’s pre-Queen group, Smile, had recorded at De Lane Lea’s previous location in London’s Kingsway and volunteered their ‘new’ band Queen for the job. The band spent time helping at the studio on various occasions between late August to early December 1971 – “a massive thrill” Brian recalls. They were repaid with a five-song demo, recorded between Dec 16th 1971 - Jan 7th 1972 by De Lane Lea engineer Louie Austin, and containing “Keep Yourself Alive”, “The Night Comes Down”, “Jesus”, “Liar”, and “Great King Rat”.

Although these demos were intended to be hawked around to procure a recording contract, the band, says Brian, always felt the performances had more spontaneity and sparkle, as well as the benefit of more natural sounds compared with the final album versions.

“The demos we made at De Lane Lea Studios were closer to what we dreamed of,” explains Brian. “Nice open drum sounds and ambience on the guitar. That was much more the way we wanted it to go.”

“We were young and had total blind faith in what we were doing,” says Roger. When it came time to re-record these songs for their debut album, the band insisted on using the recording of ‘The Night Comes Down’ from De Lane Lea Studios rather than attempt a new version at Trident studios. They smuggled in their demo multi-track tape in order to mix the song for the album. On the other hand, the demo version of ‘Jesus’ with a heavier, slower tempo and with extended solo sections is the most notably different as compared to the eventual album version.

As the only surviving copies of the mixes of the demos are on scratched acetates, here for the first time, these self-produced recordings have been restored and remixed from the original multi-tracks and released on 12” vinyl.