Queen: Made In Heaven Album (1995)

A Freddie Farewell Masterpiece

Queen’s Made In Heaven LP, was released in the UK on November 6, 1995, on Parlophone Records (catalogue: 7243 8 36088 1 2 / PCSD 167). This 11-track album, plus one unlisted track. the band's fifteenth, completed Freddie Mercury's unfinished vocals with Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. Produced by Queen, it peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for 39 weeks total. Issued as a limited edition ivory vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with 3 posters and a 12x24cm Queen crest paper, some inner sleeves had partial “Heaven For Everyone” lyrics (corrected in 2010 reprint). Came with a silver sticker: "Limited edition coloured vinyl." Tracks “I Was Born To Love You” and “You Don't Fool Me” edited for vinyl; “Heaven For Everyone” is the single version.

Album Overview

Release Details:

Label: Parlophone Records (UK).

Formats: Vinyl LP (limited edition ivory, gatefold); cassette; later CD.

℗ & ©: 1995 Parlophone Records.

UK Release Formats and Track Listings

Made In Heaven was released in the UK in 1995 as a vinyl LP and cassette:

Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Stereo, Ivory, Gatefold (Catalogue: 7243 8 36088 1 2 / PCSD 167):

Side A:

It's A Beautiful Day (2:32, Queen)

Made In Heaven (5:25, Freddie Mercury)

Let Me Live (4:45, Queen)

Mother Love (4:46, Brian May/Freddie Mercury)

My Life Has Been Saved (3:15, Queen)

Side B:

I Was Born To Love You (4:24, Freddie Mercury) – Edited for vinyl

Heaven For Everyone (4:43, Roger Taylor) – Single version

Too Much Love Will Kill You (4:20, Brian May/Elizabeth Lamers/Frank Musker)

You Don't Fool Me (4:41, Queen) – Edited for vinyl

A Winter's Tale (3:49, Queen)

It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise) (3:02, Queen)

Packaging:

Some versions came in gatefold sleeve with 3 posters (Roger/Freddie, John/Freddie, Brian/Freddie), 12x24cm paper with Queen crest and info, silver sticker "Limited edition coloured vinyl." Some inner sleeves had partial “Heaven For Everyone” lyrics (corrected 2010).

Cassette, Album (Catalogue: 7243 8 36088 4 3 / TCPCSD 167):

Side A:

It's A Beautiful Day (2:32)

Made In Heaven (5:25)

Let Me Live (4:45)

Mother Love (4:49)

My Life Has Been Saved (3:15)

Side B:

I Was Born To Love You (4:49)

Heaven For Everyone (5:36)

Too Much Love Will Kill You (4:20)

You Don't Fool Me (5:24)

A Winter's Tale (3:49)

It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise) (3:01)

Country Variations

The album was released globally with variations:

Production and Context

Produced by Queen. Made In Heaven completed Freddie Mercury's vocals posthumously, with May, Taylor, and Deacon. Released four years after Mercury’s passing.

Singles Released

Made In Heaven spawned a host of singles

"Heaven for Everyone" - Released: October 23, 1995

"A Winter's Tale" - Released: December 11, 1995

"Too Much Love Will Kill You" - Released: February 26, 1996

"You Don't Fool Me" - Released: February 26, 1996

"I Was Born to Love You" - Released: February 28, 1996

"Let Me Live" - Released: June 17, 1996

Album Chart Performance

Made In Heaven charted successfully worldwide:

Reaching the top place in twelve countries

UK:

Peak: No. 1

First Chart Date: 18/11/1995

Chart Run: 29 weeks (18/11/1995–01/06/1996), 1 week (22/06/1996), 3 weeks (21/09/1996–05/10/1996), 6 weeks (22/03/1997–26/04/1997).

Total Weeks: 39

Legacy and Collectibility

Made In Heaven is Queen's emotional finale, with ivory vinyl and posters highly prized.

Streams on Spotify via reissues preserve the celestial sound. This LP is a must-have for Queen fans and ‘90s rock collectors.

Sources:

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube