Queen guitarist Brian May has admitted that he never liked the final mix of ‘Under Pressure’, the band’s hugely successful collaboration with David Bowie, stating that modern versions of the song performed live are “quite a bit different” and more heavily focused on the guitar sound. May said that the original version of the hit “sounded massively chord-driven” and had a “pretty heavy backing track” but that Bowie had a different vision and wanted to make changes during the mix. “Basically it was Freddie and David fighting it out in the studio with the mix, and what happened in the mix was that most of that heavy guitar was lost”, said May.
May, who was recently revealed as one of over 60 rock musicians set to appear on an upcoming fundraiser single for Teenage Cancer Trust, explained that he played the main riff of ‘Under Pressure’ on an electric guitar but that it was replaced by “acoustic bits which were done first as a sort of demo”. The guitarist maintains that despite his personal feelings about the final mix, the song remains hugely popular amongst Queen’s fanbase and music lovers in general.
Reflecting on the experience of working on ‘Under Pressure’, May admitted that it was a difficult process in the studio, particularly given the strong personalities of both Bowie and Mercury, with the pair often “locking horns” during the recording process. “David was an awesome creative force, but you can’t have too many awesome creative forces in the same room. It starts to get very difficult”, said May.
May’s comments come from a recent interview with Total Guitar via Guitar World. The article also mentions his recent appearance alongside Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi in a Sky Arts documentary called Greatest Guitar Riffs
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