(I don't have a cover with my copy, but here's a cover anyway, because I'm too good to you. Happy new year!)As ridiculous as this sounds, this 7" will always hold a special place in my record collection. I've been putting off writing this post for years, mainly due to Lines In Wax evolving away from just speaking about my physical vinyl records, but also due to not really being able to face writing about Queen; a band that, for the most part, I absolutely fucking despise. Realistically though, owning this 7" has absolutely nothing to do with Queen at all.
The reason I have this 7" is because when I was a nipper my parents used to drink at a bar that was basically in the attic of the local leisure centre. My dad worked at the centre for many years and sometimes I would get taken along to said nights out. I will always remember the bar's jukebox; a bizarre, circular affair that seemed pretty rare as far as jukebox shapes go. I used to like watching the records as they were taken from the stacks by the machine and played on the platter.
Many, many years later when I would work at the centre myself for a few years, I was surprised to see the jukebox as it was wheeled from storage. We were due to move premises and we had to empty the building of absolutely everything. My colleagues got into the habit of plugging in the machine whilst on shifts and enjoying the shaky, crackly tunes as if it was 1992 all over again. I made many inquiries into what the fate of the jukebox was to be, and if it was somehow possible that I could purchase the jukebox for myself. The manager at the time told me that it was going to be taken for refurbishment and sold on to specialists for a profit. Sad, but I could live with that.
This is the version I own, sans cover, as explained. I just can't be bothered to dig it out and take a picture of it. This isn't LIW circa 2012!
A few months later I was finishing up a shift at the centre. I was dragging two black bags of rubbish out to the bins, and after I opened the fire doors, I looked up to see a sight that made my heart sink. In the skip where all the junk from the move had been thrown, was the jukebox, face up. Two builders who had been working on the new centre had pried the face off the thing and it was in pieces. To add insult to injury, they were stood over the broken machine, harvesting the 7" records and flinging them across the river like frisbees. I was shaking with rage, but I managed to run over and save a bag-full of soaking wet 7"s (I must have looked a right nutter), most of which were damaged beyond any reasonable use. The three that survived and that I still have to this day include this copy of "Bohemian Rhapsody", "O Carolina" by Shaggy and Iron Maiden featuring Mr. Bean (yes! lol) covering Alice Cooper's "Elected".
Popular Culture tells me that Bohemian Rhapsody is one of Queen's most well known tunes. Personally, I fucking hate it, especially when people try to drunk-sing their way through it. But, I will never get rid of this single.
Not a review as such, but a bit of Lines In Wax backstory as a change of pace. Normal service returns tomorrow!
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