While the latest book about the legendary vocalist of Queen has recently hit the shelves and the e-book domain - Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury by Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne - the fans already know there are several other biographies, memoirs of those who had known him and various titles about the charismatic Freddie Mercury. And while some might hunt for those rare and expensive first pressings of the best titles, several of those have been re-released and are still available for accessible prices, just the first step for growing a collection dedicated to Freddie and his music. We have selected several of those titles, and while it is a subjective (of course) and rather personal list, it is surely a good starting point. 1. Freddie Mercury by Peter Freestone with David Evans
Written by the man who was Freddie's Personal Assistant for over 12 years, and also a close personal friend, accompaining his to London, New York and Munich and staying by his side until the very end, this is a touching, sensible and surprisingly honest account by Peter Freestone. Or, as Freddie used to call him, Phoebe. Filled with various infos and secrets, day to day happenings and memories from behind the curtains, it is both a story of Freddie Mercury as he was seen by a friend and a tale about the real Freddie, far away from the stage, recording studios and touring. And it also comes with a large selection of never before seen photos. It might be a good first book who want to know something more about Freddie after discovering his music.
2. Freddie Mercury. The Biography by Laura Jackson
We can start by saying that Laura Jackson also published an interesting Brian May biography, which might be a good addition to the collection. This is a good and thorough story of Freddie Mercury's life, starting with his humble beginnings and chronicling his struggles, rise to fame and early success with Queen, to the golden years in the 80s, personal tragedy and his influence on the world. While fans who already knew much of the info in this book were quick to be a little disapointed, it is an important book on the list, as Jackson managed to find out and put together some rather interesting pieces of information.
3. The Show Must Go On. The Life of Freddie Mercury by Rick Sky
First published in the 1990s, it was at the time an interesting, even compulsory title about Freddie Mercury, and it was one of the bestselling books about Freddie, and was also translated into several other languages. Rick Sky really put together a fascinating story about Freddie and Queen, telling step by step the story of the singer with his band and during his solo projects, not shying from the more delicate details about Mercury's personal life, and using inspiredly the info from music magazines, some of the band's archives and interviews with some of those who knew him. There are today some better biographies about Freddie, but this is one you should buy.
4. Mercury and Me by Jim Hutton
Jim Hutton was the last partner in Freddie's private life and to some was the best relationship that the musician ever had, even if it was kept a secret from his conservative family. Hutton came into the singer's life almost by accident and would be close to him for several years - even at the legendary performance for Live Aid in 1985 - and was there when his great love passed away. Some have been offended by the level and detail and accused Hutton of betraying Freddie, but it is a sensible, fascinating and hard to put aside book, even if Jim was by no means an artistic author. For those who want to know a lot about Freddie aside from the public image this might be a great chance.
5. Freddie Mercury. The Definitive Biography by Lesley-Ann Jones
Many fans have considered this to be the very best biography of Freddie, and this is quite a milestone to surpass. Thick and full of info, revealing many unknown facts and putting straight rumours and legends - of course, a character of this size and influence had his share of those - this chronicles the life of Freddie from his childhood and school years to his coming to England, his very first recordings and gigs with bands before Queen and, of course, his step by step story with Brian, Roger and John, all the way to his final years and demise. Beautifully written and next to impossible to abandon, published several times, this is one of the very best books about Freddie and Queen.
Photo: amazon.com, goodreads.com, hiblitz.in
November 2016
