Freddie Auction and Sotheby's book discussion

I've merged the posts and retitled the thread. 🙂

hi, someone knows if the book has been release?
on Amazon tell me that is not yet present in their stock and maybe is not been yet release

thanks and good life

Release date is the 4th, so those who ordered direct from Hatchards should have it by the weekend.

Isn’t the entire collection going to be made available for viewing online, as an electronic catalogue?

I've received a despatch notice today from hatchards, so it's definitely "out".

Can't get the video to embed but a selection of the items can be seen here:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av-embeds/66389492

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66389492

Wow just wow. Even the garden lodge entrance gate with graffiti on it. Absolutely amazing to see all this stuff in the photos and I will be heading to the Sothebys exhibition to see it in person.
I just wish there was some museum or memorial in London they could buy some of this and display it in memory of Freddie. I think pretty much most stuff is well out of my price range except some white porcelain ladies lol

I had important stuff to do today, but I got sucked into the auction catalogue instead. Thanks for the heads up though (seriously)!

For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, there are interesting lyric fragments, set lists, etc. from the notebooks in the "On Stage" section. Here's a sample of just two item descriptions from the Sotheby's site:

- "'Living for the Hangman' was regularly performed live by Queen in the early 70s but never recorded (although it does seem to have been considered for inclusion on their debut album as it is found on possibly track listings, see lot 102). 'Steamflier' and 'I'm going down to the city' are not known to have been performed ('Steamflier is also found in Freddie's early notebook, lot 104). The song 'Steamflier' is set in the American West and the protagonist is on the run. It may relate to the "Cowboy Song" recalled by Chris Smith, which is supposed to have included the line "Mama, just killed a man" and have been the origin of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - although the lyrics here do not include that crucial line. There are also transcripts by Freddie of two songs by the prog rock band The Nice, presumably for live performance."

- "Notebook containing autograph manuscript working lyrics and other material relating to Queen, comprising: 'Stone Cold Crazy'; 'Lover' (beginning "Lover - Calling from the distance..."); 'Feelings Ended, worn away' (beginning "Come to understand..."); 'Stupid Girl' by The Rolling Stones; 'Visions' (beginning "Oh woman, please stop your crying..."); 'See What a Fool I've Been'; 'Hangman' (beginning "Hangman Hang me..."); 'Steamflier' (beginning "There's a redskin brave hard on my trail..."); 'Cancer (beginning "There's a place I have been and a face I have seen today...") 'Jailhouse Rock'; 'And Satan Presides over the Council of Hell' (title only); untitled song fragment beginning "I think I'm going blind..."; 'Doing All Right'; '[If I were a] Carpenter' by Tim Hardin; 'I'm a Man' by Bo Diddley, in the hand of Roger Taylor with additions by Freddie Mercury; 'Father to Son' (partly in the hand of Brian May); 'Old Raincoat [Won't Ever Let You Down]' by Rod Stewart; 'Jesus'; 'Son and Daughter' (partly in the hand of Brian May); 'Great King Rat'; 'She Makes Me' (in the hand of Brian May); 'The Night Comes Down'; 'Liar' (partly in the hand of Brian May); 'Keep Yourself Alive'; 'Ogre Battle'; 'Mad the Swine'; 'My Fairy King'; 'Modern Times Rock and Roll'; 'The Seven Seas of Rhye'; 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke'; 'The March of the Black Queen'; 'White Queen'; 'Nevermore'; 'Funny How Love Is'; untitled song beginning "I'm walkin' down the street' in an unidentified hand"

I've bought the book (not arrived yet), but I hope someone finds a way to capture the full resolution images from online as they are bound to be bigger and more detailed than the book will show.

Yeah, and unfortunately they'd be copyrighted. 😕

I wonder how much of this stuff Brian's going to end up with.

HAHA!  True!  He gets to set aside more countryside for animals AND get more space for his Queen Smaug lair.  Killing two birds with one stone, or rather saving them!

The fuckin' Garden Lodge door? Really?? What's next, a jar with his last "pee pee"? I can only assume there is something seriously wrong with Mary's health if it's come to this. The proceeds may be going to charity, but most of this stuff will never see the light of day again after the auction unless some cretin needs the cash. Maybe just as well, as Freddie was an intensely private man who only exhibited himself, not his personal belongings.