It’s been 30 years since Queen last put out a studio album, but the cup that is their very expensive catalog hasn’t runneth empty just yet. Next year they’ll be reissuing their 1974 sophomore album Queen II, but as an early holiday present, they’re sharing one of the deluxe edition’s bonus tracks: a previously unreleased Christmas song called “Not For Sale (Polar Bear),” recorded during the Queen II sessions.
The track, which Brian May originally wrote for his pre-Queen band Smile, premiered this week during a Christmas set he hosted over at the UK radio station Planet Rock. May had this to say about it:
People might possibly have heard a bootleg version of “Not For Sale (Polar Bear)” by Smile, it’s a song that goes back a very long way, but to my knowledge no one has ever heard this version.
It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album – coming next year – but I’m sneaking this into my Planet Rock special because I’m fascinated to know what people think about it. I hope people have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!
“Not For Sale (Polar Bear)” doesn’t feel explicitly Christmasy to me, but it does have a bit of a darker, cold feel to it. I guess that fits the polar bear theme. Listen below.
