You've heard Queen's 1977 hit song "We Will Rock You" before. But if you ever went to a Queen concert, the song they played sounded a little different to the iconic version that we're all familiar with. That's because "We Will Rock You" is very much a studio song, thanks to repetitive clapping and stomping by band-members dubbed over the bare track to help create the percussive notes that are known the world over.

When Queen went on stage, they usually performed a very different version, which tended to be known as the 'fast' We Will Rock You. Yet for fans of that version, there hasn't been a clean recording – beyond a few unofficial copies on YouTube. Until now.

Advertisement

The band is releasing a 2-disc set called Queen On Air: The Complete BBC Sessions (out on November 4), which has what many fans have been waiting for with bated breath – the up-tempo version from 1977 which Freddie Mercury and his gang recorded for DJ John Peel.

"We Will Rock You' – profundity or just another teenage anthem!?" Peel was quoted as saying after he played the track on the air back then. "I've never seen them live. I must admit I'd like to – a band that sounds like nutters, actually, and I like that because I like rock music to sound a little out of control."