Back To The Light - Reissue

Any idea why the white LP has another inner sleeve included inside? Inside the outer sleeve mine has a black inner sleeve and another, branded inner sleeve.

Now that I've had a proper listen I must say that it's nice to have an opportunity to rediscover Back to the Light. It has to be one of if not the most personal Queen solo album. Reading the liner notes from 1992 and listening to the lyrics you get a sense that this is a man wearing his heart proudly on his sleeve. The title track is inspirational and does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere for the album (along with The Dark). I'm Scared is a tune I often overlook, but it addresses his own anxiety and insecurities, which is something I can very much relate to. Too Much Love Will Kill You is a song I can't relate to on a personal level, but damn is it beautiful. It gives insight into a man who knows it's wrong but is trapped. While he doesn't have the most beautiful timbre in the upper register his passion more than makes up for it. Another song that I've fallen in love with all over again is Just One Life. While he wrote it about someone else, I can't help but think of Freddie. It pretty much sums up how I feel about being in awe of someone that I've never met. Absolutely gorgeous tune that Brian sings beautifully. All in all, it's a great album with only a few WTF moments - The opening jaunty bit of Last Horizon springs to mind immediately. That piece does nothing for me until it slows down and becomes absolutely beautiful. I've always preferred listening to it live - otherwise it might have become my favorite song on the album.

Credit where credit is due. Yeah, I'm not super happy with the extras (aside from the guitar only tracks), but it's one fine album. Possibly my favorite solo offering from Brian.

This happens quite often these days. Part of it is probably that the inner sleeves get easily damaged while the record is in transit, due to the record bursting through the inner (and sometimes even outer) sleeve. In the old days the record would probably go straight from the factory to the shop (I know it's simplified, there probably was some kind of dealer in between etc), but these days records fly half the world before ending up at the buyer. Some part might also be to inflate the price even further, sure. 

I pre-ordered from Amazon UK and it’s yet to dispatch. It’s still saying Aug 16-20 delivery date (I’m in Canada)

Number 2 on the UK albums chart. Quite impressive. Probably Brians nearly 30 years old album will do better than Rogers new effort.

Is number 2 on the LP charts. Number 7 on general chats. Of course than Roger album will not get that, becouse Roger will not make so much promotion as Brian or all that stuff to selling the record. Becouse Roger releases a new album just for fun, Brian releases an album remastered becouse he wants to be at number 1 on charts and make money of it

Well, nowadays is quite easy to get a top 10, basically, all the fans normally buy 2 or 3 different editions, so that counts on the charts and also, on Spain he appears on TV promoting the album, so obvously there's a great marketing behind it, maybe better than whatever product Queen released on the last 5 years or so.

Wait, you mean there won’t be a Rog-Army? But I want to join Roger’s army! (As I’m writing this I realize how ironic it would be for the writer of My Country to form an army, lol.)

For me, the remaster is one of the worst I’ve heard from many artists. It really hasn’t enhanced the album at all - the bass guitar (certainly on the tracks where Brian is playing or programmed synths) is still almost non existent, and Cozy’s drums still sound like cardboard boxes and lack any clarity or sparkle (which was often his sound, but also a drum sound Brian has stuck with with John Miceli on his work with Kerry Ellis).

Like everyone else, also disappointed at the lack of previously unreleased stuff and nothing new in the booklet. Do we know why the live version of Back to the Light was excluded?

Anyone from the US receive their boxset?

I listened to the Apple Music version today and didn’t notice a difference – then again, I probably haven’t listened to the album in a good decade, so I wasn’t paying attention to the remastering. That being said, it’s better than I remember it, especially I’m Scared, which was probably my least favorite song on the album. It still is, but it’s gone from “cringeworthy, I’m only listening to this for research purposes” to “actually not half bad”.

Yeah got it. Misread the FB Post from Brians Estate.

I am listening the remaster: my first impression is that they could not enhance the sound experience much, but it was already really enjoyable in the first release. For sure the sound hasn't got worse :)I feel it sounds a bit clearer than before.
The main problem of Back to the light first issue was that it was out of market.
Good to have a "new" available version with some extra, but we all know them already. And it's a bit expensive. That's "normality" for Queen(ic) productions.
As a devote fan, I always hope for something more!

Album went down from 10 to 86 in German Album Charts. A typical "fake" top ten made of pre-orders of expensive box sets (in Germany charts are created not by sold units but by money value of sales).