Maps of Music

Made in Heaven (1995)

Where the lyrics of Made in Heaven take you, and where it was really made.

Freddie Mercury's last recorded vocal is on this album, and the band finished the record after his death.

Key places

Cosford Mill, a recording location (1995)

Recording site Cosford Mill — The source lists Cosford Mill among the album's recording locations. No street address is given for it, so the point rests on the listed name and coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Metropolis Studios in Elephant and Castle (1995)

Recording site Metropolis Studios — The source lists Metropolis among the album's recording locations. The studio is in Elephant and Castle, London, and the point sits at its listed address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The band's Montreux studio (1995)

Recording site Mountain Studios — Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were completed at the band's studio in Montreux. The point marks the city-level position of the studio listing. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Dusk shot at Lake Geneva (1995)

Album cover Lake Geneva — The CD cover photo was shot at dusk at Lake Geneva in Montreux. It shows Irena Sedlecká's Mercury sculpture, and the LP cover was shot at the same spot at dawn. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Made in Heaven: fifteenth and final studio album by Queen
• Released 6 November 1995 by Parlophone Records in the UK and Hollywood Records in the US
• Final studio album released under the name "Queen"
• The band's first and only album released solely under the name "Queen" after Mercury's death in November 1991
• Cover uses two different photos for the CD and the LP

Background

• Mercury recorded as many vocals as he could in early 1991, after finishing Innuendo and months before his death
• He asked the rest of the band to complete the songs later
• Main tracks recorded then: "A Winter's Tale", "Mother Love" and what became "You Don't Fool Me"
• The band returned to the studio in 1993 to finish the tracks
• May felt the work was on the wrong path, so they mostly started from scratch with producer David Richards
• With less than an album's worth of material, the band revisited previously recorded songs with Mercury's vocals

Recording

• The album was made in a very different way from Queen's other studio albums
• Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were completed at the band's studio in Montreux, Switzerland
• Taylor and Deacon began some work in 1992 while May was touring for Back to the Light
• "Mother Love" holds Mercury's last vocal performance

Cover

• The CD cover photo was shot at dusk, showing Irena Sedlecká's Mercury sculpture at Lake Geneva in Montreux
• On the CD rear cover, May, Taylor and Deacon gaze at the Alps
• The LP cover was shot at the same spot at dawn, with the rear showing the sunrise

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).
• John Deacon (bass) joined in February 1971, completing the classic line-up.
• Mercury suggested the name "Queen".
• Early works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, later expanding into arena rock and pop rock.

Members

• Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano, 1970–1991, died 1991).
• Brian May (guitar, vocals, 1970–present).
• Roger Taylor (drums, vocals, 1970–present).
• John Deacon (bass, 1971–1997, retired).
• Paul Rodgers (vocals, 2004–2009) and Adam Lambert (vocals, 2011–present) toured as "Queen +".

Career

• First UK chart hit with Queen II (1974); international success with A Night at the Opera (1975) and "Bohemian Rhapsody", which topped the UK chart for nine weeks.
• News of the World (1977) contained "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", now sports anthems.
• Greatest Hits (1981) is the best-selling album in UK chart history.
• Live Aid performance (1985) is ranked among the greatest in rock history.
• Estimated record sales of 250–300 million, one of the world's best-selling music artists.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001; received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and the Polar Music Prize in 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Q magazine: probably a better album than Innuendo and a fitting swan song for the band
• Q magazine: an essential purchase for Queen fans
• The Sunday Times: described the album as essential listening
• Entertainment Weekly: called it a perfect theatrical epitaph for a life dedicated to gorgeous artifice
• The Guardian: praised the lyrics, mostly written by Mercury, as effectively farewell notes with throat-aching poignance
• Jerusalem Post: found it a very comforting album in shaky times
• The Times: found no obviously half-baked or patched-up numbers, and called "Mother Love" a song of truly heartfelt pathos
• The Times: said the album stands up well as the closing chapter of the band's pop odyssey
• AllMusic: said it harked back to the 1970s heyday with strong melodies and hard rock guitar playing
• AllMusic: said Mercury's bravura singing kept a hint of camp humour even when the sentiments were heartfelt
• Critics in general praised the upbeat nature and quality of the music after Mercury's death

Reappraisal

• Brian May said in 2013 that it was possibly the best Queen album the band ever made
• May described it as a long, painstakingly put together real labour of love
• May said the album has so much beauty in it

Records

• UK: debuted at number 1
• UK: quadruple platinum, 1.2 million copies sold
• US: 500,000 copies shipped

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Let Me Live" was originally recorded with Rod Stewart during the sessions for the 1984 album The Works
• The band made one 11th-hour change to "Let Me Live" to avoid legal action over a backing vocal line
• "Too Much Love Will Kill You" is the only track on the album not reworked or re-recorded by the surviving members in 1993–1995
• "13/Untitled" runs 22 minutes and 32 seconds, and is the longest track Queen had ever made
• "Yeah" is the shortest song on the album and in Queen's catalogue, lasting only four seconds

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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