BBC plans to put rock into Rockfield (From Free Press Series)

BBC plans to put rock into Rockfield

A BBC documentary is to be screened to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the recording of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody at a Monmouth studio.

Guitarist Brian May and fellow band member Roger Taylor spent a day at Monmouth's Rockfield Studios recently recording the special programme.

Bohemian Rhapsody was recorded in Rockfield Studio in August 1975 and went straight to number one after it was released in October of that year.

The six-minute epic remained at the top of the UK charts for over nine weeks and has become one of the most celebrated songs in rock and pop history.

Queen spent just over two weeks at Rockfield Studios recording the tracks parent album 'A Night At The Opera' and extra dubs before the track went to another four studios for mixing.

During the BBC programme there are full interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor as well as a 'walk about' the studios as they recall their time there.

Brian and Roger also re-recorded their guitar and drum parts from the song, which are included in the documentary.

The programme is scheduled to be shown in August this year.

Chris Masters, a BBC spokesperson, said: "We also travelled to Capitol Records in Los Angeles where the producer of Bohemian Rhapsody Roy Thomas Baker unpicked the mix.

"Basically he stripped the song back and re-built it which in itself is fascinating to see and hear.

"We also have exclusive out takes from the original recording sessions of the song which were recorded at Rockfield in August 1975."

Rockfield Studios has played host to some of the most famous names in the music industry since was opened by Monmouth brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward 41-years ago.

Kingsley Ward, who now runs the studios, watched the band develop from time he met them at Rockfield during the recording of the 'Sheer Heart Attack' album to the recording of 'A Night At The Opera.'

He said: "When they came up here originally in 1974 they were a little known band, but within 12 months they came back with roadies, tour managers, the lot. We couldn't believe it."

The last line of the song 'anyway the wind blows...' is said to be reference to a weathervane outside the window of a room at Rockfield.

Freddie Mercury is said to have been sat at a piano gazing out of the window at the weather vein when he penned these infamous words.

Charles Ward said: "The piano was in the tack room originally used for shire horses. Directly opposite Freddie Mercury would have seen the weather vein. I cannot help feeling that it is more than coincidence that it appears in the last line of the song."

He added: "The importance of Bohemian Rhapsody in the history of rock and roll and in pop music will mean the programme will go global and it will iconise Monmouth."

Bohemian Rhapsody has been described as a song well ahead of its time and was honoured by the BPI in 1977 as 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years.'

Following the death of its composer, Freddie Mercury, a charity version of the single returned to number one for the second time in 1991.

Bohemian Rhapsody has since topped numerous music polls, including the Guinness World Records (GWR) poll in 2002 in which it was named Britain's favourite pop single of all time.

Viewers of the VH1 music channel have also voted Bohemian Rhapsody as the third best video of all time.