Queen's Brian May to reissue solo debut in expanded form

“Anybody fancy a season of BM re-releases with lots of juicy extras?” asked Brian May through his Instagram feed in 2020. “We’re working on a plan.” The first stage of that plan comes to fruition now, with the long-awaited reissue of the legendary Queen guitarist’s debut solo album.

On its release in September 1992, Back to the Light hit No. 6 in the UK album charts. Introduced to Queen fans during a performance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Wembley Stadium, in April 1992, “Too Much Love Will Kill You” reached No. 5 in the UK. “Driven by You” had already peaked at No. 6. “Back to the Light” and “Resurrection” also charted, while the instrumental “Last Horizon” would become a staple of both The Brian May Band’s solo concerts and May’s later live return to Queen.

“Too Much Love Will Kill You” earned a Ivor Novello Award (Best Song Musically and Lyrically) and reappeared later in a different incarnation as a Queen track. “Driven by You” was the result of Brian accepting a challenge to create a track for a Ford Motor car TV ad. Bandmate Freddie Mercury complimented Brian on this vocal delivery. “Nothin’ but Blue” is co-credited to Cozy Powell and is the sister track to “Somewhere In Time” from his The Drums Are Back album. The song was written by Brian the night before Freddie Mercury passed away. Queen’s John Deacon makes a rare guest appearance on bass. There's also a cover of the Small Faces’ “Rollin’ Over.”

Written during a period of immense personal upheaval between 1988 and 1992, Back to the Light finds Brian assuming the spotlight following the losses of his father and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and the temporary cessation of the band’s activities. It also followed May’s separation from his first wife in 1988 and relationship with Anita Dobson, which made him the unwilling recipient of tabloid attention. In interviews, he talked about the struggles he experienced as a result of these life changes, describing the album as a kind of therapy.

In its making, he drew support from Deacon and Powell. Guests included Neil Murray and Gary Tibbs (Adam & The Ants, Roxy Music) on bass, Geoff Dugmore on drums (“Let Your Heart Rule Your Head,” “Rollin’ Over”), and Mike Moran on piano/keyboards across three tracks. Vocal assistance came from famed British singer Chris Thompson, with backing vocals at various junctures from Miriam Stockley, Maggie Ryder, Suzie O’List and Gill O’Donovan.

Long unavailable on CD, vinyl, digital download and streaming services, the reissue arrives with audio supervision from Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson. On the original release’s liner notes, Shirley-Smith received an affectionate namecheck for, writes Brian, “dealing with my erratic recording habits” in his role as co-producer and engineer. “Brian is a perfectionist and he won’t leave something until he’s happy,” says Shirley-Smith, whose work for Queen stretches back to 1984.

Sound engineer Fredriksson wanted to see that perfectionism reflected in the reissue. “If it hasn’t been available and we’re going to reissue it,” he notes, “we thought why not get it remastered by the best mastering engineer in the world?” Enter Grammy®-winner Bob Ludwig, who worked from the original restored flat mixes to ensure this new edition of Back To The Light sounds better than ever.

Meanwhile, Fredriksson cast the net wide to source bonus tracks for a second disc, Out of the Light. To mark the occasion of the reissue, Back to the Light will be available in a Collector’s Edition box set featuring an exclusive white-vinyl LP, two CDs, a 32-page book, a 12” art print, a download card and an enamel badge all presented in a lift-lid box. A limited-edition (x1,000) of the same box-set is available exclusively on Queen Online Store with a signed 12” art print.

The album will also be released on 1LP black 180g vinyl, 1CD, Deluxe 2CD, Cassette and digital formats, with Out of the Light available in the box set, on the 2CD and digital formats. A limited-edition 1LP Picture Disc will also be available exclusively on Queen Online Store.

“In my mind, this album was always called Back to the Light,” wrote Brian on the original sleeve notes. “At its beginning I felt no real hope of finding the light; now it glimmers dimly, encouragingly, but always intermittently in the hall of mirrors around me.”

Almost three decades on, Brian’s new sleeve notes include a tribute to the late Cozy Powell, along with a reflection on the search the album documents. “In 2021, proudly and fondly presenting this work to a new audience,” writes Brian, “and noting carefully my original liner notes, I can report that I am still on the quest of finding answers to most of the questions posed in this suite of songs, and to this day, the Light still glimmers darkly, tantalisingly, always a little out of reach. Music gets us through.”

Says Brian, “This is part of a series. The Brian May Gold Series. Each of them will have a little gold stamp on. And each one of them will give me the opportunity to rediscover the road that I travelled. I really found this fascinating. I was a little nervous at the beginning, thinking what is this going to dredge up in me? But I loved getting back in there. I’m really just hoping it will connect with people who have never heard this stuff before. They know me as guitarist for Queen. Some know me as an astronomer. Some know me as a campaigner for animal rights. I’m a sort of evangelist for 3-D Victorian Stereoscopy. But very few people have heard my solo output. So I’m excited to see how this turns out. I found it fascinating going back in there and rediscovering why I wrote certain things. What they meant to me. How we recorded. Some of it is so massive in the recording I can hardly believe we pulled it off - it’s very epic, some of it. And I like that. And at the same time, there’s little corners of it which are very simple, very understated, very emotionally naked. I discovered so much of what I’m saying in the album I still feel. I still feel those dangers, those fears, those hopes, those dreams.”

Track listings:

BACK TO THE LIGHT

Disc 1

1. The Dark (May)

2. Back To The Light (May)
3. Love Token (May)
4. Resurrection (Words: May. Music: May, Powell, Page)
5. Too Much Love Will Kill You (May, Musker, Lamers)
6. Driven By You (May)
7. Nothin’ But Blue (Words: May. Music: May, Powell)
8. I’m Scared (May)
9. Last Horizon (May)
10. Let Your Heart Rule Your Head (May)
11. Just One Life (May)
12. Rollin’ Over (May)

OUT OF THE LIGHT
Disc 2

1. Nothin’ But Blue - Guitar Version (May, Powell, Makin, Nicholls)
2. Too Much Love Will Kill You – Guitar Version (May, Musker, Lamers)
3. Just One Life – Guitar Version (May)
4. Driven By You Two (May)
5. Driven By You – Ford Ad Version (May)
6. Tie Your Mother Down (Featuring Slash) (May)
Live on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 5th April 1993
7. Too Much Love Will Kill You (May)
Live at the Palace Theatre, Los Angeles, 6th April 1993
8. ’39 / Let Your Heart Rule Your Head (May)
Live at the Brixton Academy, 15th June 1993
9. Last Horizon (May)
Live at the Brixton Academy, 15th June 1993
10. We Will Rock You (May)
Live at the Brixton Academy 15 June 1993
11. Driven By You – Cozy and Neil Version ’93 (May)

The Live tracks are played by The Brian May Band from the ‘Back To The Light’ Tour 1993.

Brian May: Vocals/Guitar, Cozy Powell: Drums. Neil Murray: Bass, Spike Edney: Keyboards,
Jamie Moses: Guitar/Vocals, Cathy Porter: Vocals, Shelley Preston: Vocals.
“And a special thank you to Slash."