Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury Duets To Be Officially Released

Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury had recorded three duets together, and they are finally set to be officially released. More than three decades after the two music superstars collaborated for an album, their fans will finally be able to own a piece of the original recordings when they are released in fall of 2013.

According to the Daily Mail, Mercury’s former Queen bandmates, Brian May and Roger Taylor, are working on tracks that feature the two music legends, promising “something for folks to hear” in two months.

May confirmed in 2011 that the Jackson estate gave them permission to revamp the three tracks, and they brought in producer William Orbit to help them.

The songs – “State of Shock, “Victory,” and “There Must Be More To Life Than This” – were recorded at Jackson’s home studio in Encino, California in 1983. They were supposed to be part of a full album of duets between the Queen frontman and the King of Pop, but the album were never finished. The two were at the height of their fame at that time, and their schedules were pretty tight.

“He has been a friend of ours for a long while,” Mercury said of Jackson, as quoted by author Lesley-Ann Jones in her biography, “Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury.”

“He used to come and see our shows all the time, and that is how the friendship grew,” he continued. “We had three tracks in the can, but unfortunately they were never finished. They were great songs, but the problem was time – as we were both very busy at that period [1983]. We never seemed to be in the same country long enough to actually finish anything completely.

“Michael even called me to ask if I could complete [“State of Shock”], but I couldn’t because I had commitments with Queen. Mick Jagger took over instead. It was a shame, but ultimately a song is a song. As long as the friendship is there, that’s what matters.”

But the two stars’ friendship allegedly didn’t last long. Jackson was said to object to Mercury taking too much cocaine in his living room, while Queen’s former manager, Jim “Miami” Beach claims that Mercury called him to get him out of the recording because Jackson insisted on bringing a llama into the studio.

“There Must Be More To Life Than This” appeared on Mercury’s first solo album, while “Victory” was featured on The Jackson 5’s comeback album in 1984 and “State of Shock” became Jackson’s duet with Jagger.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at age 50 of cardiac arrest linked to his drug dependency. His death was ruled a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991, a day after he admitted that he had AIDS. A biopic about his life is being produced.

State of Shock

There Must Be More To Life Than This