The Miracle Collector’s Edition - All Discussion

I’m also bemused by why they pull out “John’s original ending’ as a name for The Miracle when the big point on this albums was shared and collectives credits, no matter who originated an idea. Nothing else is similarly named, eg ‘Freddie original start’, ‘Roger’s original idea’ etc…

I hope it’s not an attempt to say ‘look at what John suggested before Brian stepped in and made it better’.

Yeah I kind of meant remake, remix is the word which came to mind. The fact they had to record new instrumentation suggests there wasn't much else in the archive so the song always sounded like how it did in 1989.

Well that's why I think there's only the 16 songs part of The Miracle Sessions.

I've finally finished listening to the box set in its entirety and my overall impression is that it's a staggering examination of an album that I've often criticized and overlooked. Frankly, I've always thought The Miracle was too pop and not enough rock. Eclectic, yes, but I could get a better Queen offering from even Hot Space. But how very wrong I was. Stripping everything back and hearing the roots of these tracks let me see the work in a new light. Real drums! More John Deacon! More killer licks from Dr. May! But more importantly, hearing the band compose and rehearse with such inspiration was a revelation to my ears. I now see The Miracle as a true return to form (I always gave that title to my fav album Innuendo). If this box set's intention was to bring more respect to the album, then mission accomplished. I can now listen to the original LP and feel a new sense of joy. They've found each other again. They're tighter than previous records. And they do sound fresh (set aside some of that 80s sparkle and gloss...drum machines, yuck!).

Just watched the "Was it all worth it" video they did..... Apparently there were lots of hidden easter eggs with one very well hidden one..... Lot's of little flash backs through the years.... Was the 'well hidden easter egg'... the one that I didn't see.... Nothing post "The Miracle...." Does that mean we may finally get a Innuendo collection and after years and years of waiting.... finally the Innuendo videos we have all been waiting for....

Apart from many other videos we are all waiting for..... Hyde park (crappy quaility...) Earls court..... (That would have to be the ultimate with the perfect crossfade between Queens prog/heavy rock and the pop venture they were all but set on....) just to name a small few...

Also we are waiting on that very first 'Queen' concert Brian has mentioned....

I feel like a stuck record for keep saying it, but what in hell possessed them to replace the real drums? And perhaps more to the point, what possessed Roger to let them? Same goes for Innuendo. I think the recording of that album might have had a different feel, but nevertheless, I'd love to hear some of those tracks without the electronics and polish.

From when it first came out I hated the sound of the programmed drums etc.  Like you I just think what in the hell were they thinking and how did Roger, as the drummer, let it happen? So so much better with real instruments. 

The Miracle is my 2nd favorite from the 80's. The Game at #1.

I wounder why they did not remix the album with real drums and bass like in the sessions.

For me only the sessions is amazing, and it is much better sound and rock feeling than the album.

Instrumentals and the videos are low points. Only I want it all look amazing.

The March 31st show was incomplete. It was missing two songs from the encore (Big Spender & Bama Lama Bama Loo); KYA and S&D were split up so Roger's and Brian's respective solos were separate tracks for some reason, and there's also the autotune thing. That aside, I actually enjoyed Live At The Rainbow '74. Never thought we'd see a 70's Queen concert released officially.

We obviously don't know what was going through all of their minds at the time, but I would suggest the fact that Roger evidently recorded 'real' drum tracks for most of the songs kind of debunks the idea that he may not have been fully on board.  With the technology they had, they should have been able to correct minor errors without have to retake over and over again, if indeed that was an issue, and would they have replaced an entire drum track with electronics for the sake of one small glitch?  I feel there was a definite and deliberate move to try to achieve what was considered to be a more 'modern' sound.  They'd used overlays on the drums before, notably on the AKOM album, so my take is it was a perceived progression from that, and also, I guess Roger would have agreed to it, as I think any band member who'd had all their recorded stuff replaced by machines without their consent, would have walked.

Your theory might possibly tie in better with the Innuendo album.  I'm sure I've read somewhere that Roger wasn't present for some of the recording sessions, for whatever reason, so maybe the argument that the machines are "good enough" fits better with that timeline, and indeed, it may have seemed a natural progression from The Miracle.  Let's hope they eventually do an Innuendo box set so we can hear how those tracks evolved.

No, they are not the same. There was a 13-track 'Work-in-Progress' preview tape a 11-track 'Rough Mixes' tape. Both were issued for Capitol Records.

Then there was also the Teaser Tape with edits of the tracks to be expected on the album.

More info on www.queenvault.com

Thanks for the reply. I always thought there was 1 tape for Capital Records only. I am really surprised now Is John S.Stuard trading his cassette yet? Do we have any snippets from 13-track tape?
11 tracks cassette

All sounds reasonable. I guess maybe it's just a product of its time then, back then it sounded really new and different, so people were more on board with it.