Queen: listen to the unreleased "Not for sale (Polar bear)"

Queen: listen to the unreleased “Not for sale (Polar bear)”

ByJohn

Brian May has brought to light one of the hidden gems of Queen’s archive. He promised it and he did it: on the occasion of his radio special for Planet Rock the 78-year-old guitarist played the previously unreleased “Not for sale (Polar bear)” for the first time. May said that the recording is dated 1974, the year in which Queen first worked on “Queen II” and then on “Sheer heart attack”.

“It’s a song that goes back a long time, but to my knowledge no one has ever heard this version,” Freddie Mercury’s longtime right-hand man said, before adding that “Not for sale (Polar bear)” will be part of a reissue of “Queen II” expected on music store shelves in 2026.

“Not for sale (Polar bear)” was originally recorded during the recording sessions for “Queen II” but did not make the final track list. A “bootleg” version of the song had already been circulated by May’s pre-Queen band Smile.

“Queen II”, originally released on March 8, 1974, is considered a milestone in the discography of the band led by Freddie Mercury. At the time of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame he was called a “pillar of music history”.

John
John

With an untamed passion and deep, eclectic knowledge of music, John is the soul of RadioWise UK. Having worked in the music industry for over two decades, his vision was to create a platform that embodies the love and respect for music. John is known for his great attention to detail and insatiable thirst for discovering new talents and music genres.