Queen drops 51-year-old unreleased Christmas tune

CHRISTMAS came early for fans of the iconic British band Queen when Brian May released a previously unheard track from the band, originally recorded more than half a century ago.

May was set to host a Krismis special for digital radio station Planet Rock last night during which fans were promised an opportunity to hear the unreleased Queen track ‘Not For Sale’. 

The song, written by May, was originally recorded in 1974 during sessions for the band's second studio album, Queen II, but failed to make the final tracklisting.

And fans were finally given the chance to hear Queen’s version of the unearthed gem.

It has since been remastered and will feature on a re-release of the album in 2026, but fans got an early Christmas preview, exclusively on Planet Rock. 

The legendary guitarist said: “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.”

Queen released fifteen studio albums over a 23-year recording career, their last coming three years after lead singer Freddie Mercury's death to AIDS, aged just 45, in 1991.