Classic Rock,Metal,Oldies 101: Queen : Innuendo (Expanded Edition)

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Queen : Innuendo (Expanded Edition)

THOSE DAYS ARE

ALL GONE NOW

BUT ONE THING IS TRUE

WHEN I LOOK

AND I FIND

I STILL LOVE YOU

Innuendo

is the fourteenth

studio album

by the

British rock band

Queen

released on

February 4th 1991

by Parlophone

in the

United Kingdom

and was the band's

first studio album

to be released by

Hollywood Records

in the United States.

Produced by

David Richards

and

Queen,

it was their

last album

to be released

in lead singer

Freddie Mercury's lifetime.

The album reached

the No. 1 spot

on the

UK Albums Chart

for two weeks,

and also peaked at No. 1

in Italy,

the Netherlands,

Germany,

and

Switzerland,

staying at No. 1

for three weeks,

four weeks,

six weeks,

and eight weeks,

respectively.

It was the first

Queen album

to go Gold

in the US

upon its

release since

The Works

in 1984.

The album was

recorded between

March 1989

and

November 1990.

In the spring of 1987,

Mercury had been

diagnosed with AIDS,

although he kept

his illness a secret

from the public

and denied numerous

media reports that

he was seriously ill.

The band and producers

were aiming for a

November or

December release date

in order to catch the

crucial Christmas market,

but Mercury's

declining health

meant that the release

of the album

did not take place until

February 1991.

Stylistically,

Innuendo

has been regarded

as a return to

Queen's mid-1970s

bombastic period

of exaggerated music

and lavish production.

Nine months

after the album

was released,

November, 24th

Mercury died of

AIDS-derived

bronchopneumonia,

a day after he

publicly revealed

his condition.

The album cover

was designed by

Queen and Richard Gray.

The booklets

and single covers

from the album

are inspired by

illustrations by

19th century French artist

Jean-Jacques Grandville.

Innuendo

was voted

the 94th

greatest album

of all time

in a national

2006 BBC poll.

Queen

released their

thirteenth album,

The Miracle,

in May 1989,

but unlike their

previous albums,

they did not conduct

a live tour.

In an interview

Freddie Mercury

conducted with BBC Radio 1,

he said that he wanted to

break from the

"album – tour – album – tour" routine.

He had privately been diagnosed

as HIV-positive in 1987,

and at the time

of the interview

had been diagnosed with AIDS,

which was not yet publicized;

however,

rumours had been

spreading since 1988

about his health

and of the possibility

that he had the disease,

with speculation fuelled

by a clear physical decline

in his appearance,

particularly weight loss.

While he kept quiet

due to his preference

not to talk to the media,

the other band members

denied the rumours;

at one point,

band member

Roger Taylor

told reporters that

"he is healthy and working".

In February 1990,

Queen won the

Brit Award

for Outstanding Contribution

to British Music.

While Mercury accepted

the award for the band

at the Dominion Theatre,

Brian May spoke

for the band.

Mercury's increasingly

gaunt appearance

at the ceremony

sparked further speculation

from the public

about his health,

which persisted

throughout 1990.

The 1990 BRIT Awards

would be Mercury's

final public appearance.

Mercury did not speak

publicly about his health,

saying that he did not want

to sell his music

out of people's

sympathy for him.

He was determined

to continue working

on music with Queen

for as long as he could,

saying that he would

"keep working until I fucking drop".

Mercury was persistently

bothered by reporters

at his London home,

making it difficult

for the band to record.

As a result,

the band relocated to

Mountain Studios

in Montreux,

where the safer

and more peaceful atmosphere

allowed the band

to concentrate.

Early in

Innuendo's recording,

the band decided

that all work would

be again credited

to Queen

as a whole

instead of to

individual

contributing members;

May said that the decision

made a significant impact

in the recording process,

while Taylor said

that it helped

eliminate much of

the egotistical struggles

that would normally

cause bands to break up.

In a retrospective review,

AllMusic wrote,

"Innuendo was a fitting way

to end one of

rock's most

successful careers".

For Classic Rock in 2016,

Malcolm Dome ranked it as

Queen's ninth greatest album,

writing that

"Innuendo had a lot of

intelligent humour

and pathos about it."

He praised the title track's

"brilliantly synthesised orchestrations"

and added

"perhaps most poignant

of all is the low key

yet mesmerising

'These Are The Days Of Our Lives',

which ended with

Mercury’s whispered paean

'I still love you',

which was moving

in its simplicity."

Dome concluded,

"The album summed up

how Queen could

draw people close,

yet still keep them

at a convenient distance.

TRACKLIST

CD 1

Innuendo

I'm Going Slightly Mad

Headlong

I Can't Live With You

Don't Try So Hard

Ride The Wild Wind

All God's People

These Are The Days Of Our Lives

Delilah

The Hitman

Bijou

The Show Must Go On

CD 2

I Can't Live With You

(1997 Rocks Retake)

Lost Opportunity

(B-Side)

Self Made Man

(Restored Demo from Innuendo Sessions)

Ride The Wild Wind

(Early Version with Guide Vocal)

I'm Going Slightly Mad

(Mad Max Remix)

Headlong

(Embryo with Guide Vocal)

Innuendo

(Unreleased Remix)

# The Show Must Go On

(Long Remix)

*Innuendo

(Live)