SMILE is a Ghost that has haunted me for nearly thirty years; but
it's been a benevolent spook, and I've tried to behave with some dignity,
after all, we were twenty, and now we're fifty, and the world looks a very
different place these days. I would have liked to have been a succesful
musician, although I'm not entirely certain that I could have handled the
life.
God bless Freddie, he was a fine singer, a fine writer, and the
world is a poorer place for his passing. He was, unfortunately, a victim
of circumstance, and but for those deadly circumstances would have been
delighting us still. However you look at it, I was lucky to have been part
of those times. There was a lot of hope in the air (most of it Bob Hope),
and the delicious mix of glamour and insecurity was, (and still is, I should
imagine), just as much of a narcotic.
I am not, by nature, a nostalgic person, but when I listen to these
tracks, I am transported back to that time, and I can feel the person I
once was, deep beneath the surface. I am reminded of old friends from that
time to the present day, with whom I have lost touch, especially musicians.
On behalf of them all, I salute Freddie, and Brian, Roger and John, for
the enormous contribution they have made to Music, and Popular Culture.
Way to go!
Tim Staffel
Earth (T.Staffel) 4.00
Step On Me (T.Staffel/B.May) 3.10
Doin' Alright (T.Staffel/B.May) 3.48 Stereo
April Lady (S.Lucas) 2.43
Blag (R.Taylor) 3.12
Polar Bear (B.May) 3.56
Bonus Tracks
EDDIE HOWELL (featuring Brian May and Freddie Mercury)
7 - The Man From Manhattan (E.Howell) 3.20 (original) Stereo
8 - The Man From Manhattan (E.Howell) 4.56 (back again) Stereo