Brian May says Queen's News of the World box set is “one of the best” deluxe reissues band has done

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Hollywood Records

Hollywood RecordsThe deluxe 40th anniversary reissue of Queen‘s News of the World — the classic album that kicks off with the one-two punch of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” — arrives in stores today. Queen guitarist Brian May tells ABC Radio that he thinks the collection is “one of the best things we’ve ever done in that way.”

The five-disc box set features three CDs, a DVD and a vinyl LP cut directly from the original album’s analog master mix tapes. One CD is a remastered version of the original album; another offers alternate takes and mixes of each track.

“[I]t’s like different guitar licks, different vocal takes and sometimes different arrangements,” May explains. “So there’s a whole album of…new looks at what we did.”

The third CD contains rare bonus tracks, including BBC sessions, concert performances, plus instrumental versions and backing tracks from News of the World songs.

The DVD is a new documentary called Queen: The American Dream that features footage from a never-completed profile of the band shot during its 1977 U.S. tour in support of News of the World.

May points out that the film features Bob Harris, host of the U.K. performance show The Old Grey Whistle Test, who “conducted the interviews at that time and came with us on our tour.”

He adds, “But the documentary was never finished, so now it’s finished and you can see us as boys touring, supposedly conquering America.”

The package is enhanced by “lots of memorabilia,” notes May. “There’s posters, [tour] maps and all kinds of stuff in there.” The box set also includes a 60-page book.

You can check out an animated unboxing video promoting the collection at Queen’s official YouTube channel.

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