Queen Long Away Song Facts

“LONG AWAY

Brian May / 3:35

Musicians

Brian May: lead vocals, electric guitar

John Deacon: bass

Roger Taylor: drums, backing vocals

Freddie Mercury: backing vocals

Recorded

Wessex Sound Studios, London: October 26, 1976

Sarm East Studios, London: November 5, 1976

Technical Team

Producers: Queen

Sound Engineer: Mike Stone

Assistant Sound Engineers: Timothy Friese-Greene (Wessex), Gary Langan (Sarm), Gary Lyons (Sarm)

Single

Side A: Long Away / 3:25

Side B: You and I / 3:35

US Release on Elektra: June 7, 1977 (ref. E-45412)

US Chart Ranking : Did Not Chart”

“Long Away” written and sang Brian May was not released as a single in the UK. Elektra in the United States decided to release it as a single on June 7, 1977, with Deacon’s “You and I” on the B-side. The single failed to chart. Where The Beatles had hits sang by all four members of the band, Queen hits were all sang by Freddie Mercury. This is quite a shame considering the quality of both Brian Mays and Roger Taylor’s vocals on tracks sang by them.

Long Away was never sang live by Queen

Brian  May is playing a 1967 Burns Double Six guitar with, as its name suggests, twelve strings. Originally equipped with three Burns Tri-Sonic pickups, like those May had used for his famous Red Special, this guitar had been altered. It now had three single coil pickups such as can be found on a Fender Stratocaster, giving the warm and velvety sound that Brian so much admired in Hank Marvin, guitarist for the Shadows. 

Brian said in an interview: “I used this on ‘Long Away.’ Funnily enough, I think I bought it because I liked the pickups, but I fell in love with the guitar once I started playing around with it and the song materialized. The guitar actually inspired the riff that powers the song.” 

May’s first choice had been a twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar as heard on Beatles songs but said “I couldn’t play Rickenbackers because the necks are too thin. I like a very fat and wide neck”