Box set, CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats slated for April 22
Brian May continues his Gold Series reissue campaign with Another world. The sequel to his solo debut, back to light – which was re-released in 2021 – sees an expanded deluxe edition across a variety of formats on April 22.
Long unavailable in any format, this timely reissue was personally overseen by May himself along with original co-producer Justin Shirley-Smith, Queen and BM Pro Tools expert Kris Fredriksson, and longtime Queen art designer Richard Grey.
Meticulously restored with mastering by Bob Ludwig, working from the true original mixes for maximum quality, the album will be reissued in multiple formats including single CD, 180g heavy black vinyl, 2 Deluxe CDs, 2 CD+ LP Collector’s Edition with a sky blue vinyl LP in a 12 inch flip top box, complete with 32 page booklet and enamel badge. Exclusives to the Queen Online Store will include Photo Disc and Cassette options.
The set also contains another disc, a 15-track rarities set that includes four May covers recorded under alter ego TE Conway for Retro Rock Specialan EP previously reserved for buyers of Another world in 1998. The songs happily oscillate between The Rocky Horror Show“Hot Patootie” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, “Maybe Baby” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, electric “FBI” by The Shadows (recorded with Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo) and the immortal “It’s Only Make Believe by Conway Twitter. The disc also includes a transcendent version sung in Spanish of “Another World”, “Otro Lugar”, as well as a blistering instrumental attack on “Cyborg” and a hard rock guitar version of “On My Way Up”. Fantastic live tracks shed light on the live form of the Brian May Band at the time: Dedicated by Brian to ‘absent friends’, ‘Hammer to Fall’ begins tenderly before roaring into rock ‘n’ roll life, while ‘ On My Way Up” overflows with dynamism. . Three alternate versions of “Business” reveal May’s “stings” work for the TV series. And the disc ends with “My Boy”, a heartfelt piano ballad recorded by May in 1980 and until now almost unknown to the public.
On all fronts, Another world documents May’s personal journey, with “A Different Place, Through Time and Space” in mind, and pure emotional honesty at its heart. As he explained of the concept for the record, “I hoped that by the time I got to the end of the project, I would have caused a change in myself. I thought: “When the album is finished, I will have taken this journey, and I will have arrived at this other place, and I will be able to tell everyone how I did it”; but to be honest, I didn’t really succeed. The truth of the album is that it’s a journey that’s still ongoing.
In her new 2022 liner notes, May notes how far we’ve all come since the album’s release in 1998, but also that exploring feels very appropriate right now. “It may seem that in 2022 we ARE in Another worldhe wrote, “but if it’s not quite the world we asked for, maybe we can still achieve that perfect world…in our dreams.” MEET ME !!!”
The re-release is also being celebrated with a one-of-a-kind book of fan-art — or, in this case, Bri-art, as it’s become, now a phenomenon in the Instagram community. The images in the book are the work of amateur and professional artists. This amazing collection of artwork provides a visual accompaniment to album tracks and other related images. It showcases the diverse talents of this community of artists, all of whom have been so deeply inspired by Brian and his music, career and accomplishments. Within these pages are over 300 unique works of art in various media and styles, each illustrating a unique perspective of Dr. May in Another worldcreated by those who love it best.
2 deluxe CDs | 2 CDs + LP Collector’s Edition | CDs | LP
CD1: Another world
- Space out
- Business
- Beautiful China
- Why don’t we try again
- On my way
- Cyborg
- The Guv’nor
- Wild region
- To slow down
- A rainy wish
- From Memphis
- Another world
- Be alone
CD 2: another disk
- Brian speaks
- “The Company” (Rock On Cozy Mix)
- Hot Patootie
- FBI (Original Ruff Mix With Real Bass And Drums)
- maybe baby
- It’s only make believe
- Other Lugar
- Cyborg (solo instrumental version)
- business stings
- I will pray
- On My Way Up (guitar version)
- The Last Great Optimist
- On My Way Up (Live in Paris, June 1998)
- Hammer To Fall (Live in Paris, June 1998)
- My boy