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Discography → Unofficial Releases
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Queen Pirate Releases
Jazz Picture Disc
There are two different version of the French picture disc; one with a black border and one with a white border. Both of these issues come in a die-cut sleeve.
This is one of the most pirated Queen items. The genuine picture disc has a glossy white back sleeve, while the bootleg one has a grayish back sleeve. On the bootleg picture disc a photo copied hole can be seen next to the real hole on the B-Side of the LP.
Greatest Hits Picture Disc
The original release has the following matrix numbers etched into the vinyl: BTA 11253 and BTA 11254. The word 'Marshall' can also be seen 5 times on the original release. However on the bootleg issue the top left 'Marshall' is cutoff. The bootleg can be found on Ebay usually for around $60.
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Hammer To Fall Live Picture Sleeve
There are several re-issues of the 7" Hammer To Fall with the live picture sleeve. Most of the bootleg copies come on colored vinyl. Even if you find a copy on regular black vinyl, check the back of the sleeve. If it says says "casette" with one "s" then it is also a fake.
UK Pirate Colored LPs
In 1994 a series of colored pirate LP's were released in the UK. These are often advertised as promo LP's or limited editions. Albums released like this include Jazz, The Game and Live Magic. An example of one of these discs is shown below.
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German LP Picture Discs
In 1997 / 1998 the following albums were released in Germany as pirate LP picture discs: Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races, News Of The World, A Kind Of Magic, Live Magic. These LP's had no sleeve and featured the album artwork as the picture on the LP. An example of one of these discs is shown below.
Russian Double CD Sets
These items can be constantly found on Ebay. They are usually always described as "import" double albums. They are nothing but cheap pirated copies. There are numerous double albums available. Usually strangely paired albums such as Queen & The Great Pretender album.
Highlander Soundtrack
Constantly sells on Ebay for between $35 - $60, this item looks official but it is not. There is no Highlander soundtrack CD. The last track on this CD claims to be a demo of Who Wants To Live Forever but it is actually the track Forever.
Solo Pirate Releases
Brian May - Starfleet Project CD
This is a very convincing pirate release. However Star Fleet was never issued on CD. The only place that you can find the tracks from the Star Fleet LP on CD are on the two part Back To The Light CD single in the UK. This is item typically sells on Ebay for over $30.
The Cross - Liar 12"
Large numbers of these pirated version of the Liar 12" have started to crop up on Ebay over the last year. They typically sell for around $25. They are often referred to as a "second pressing" or "second edition" of the single. However, there was no official second pressing of this single.
Discography → Unofficial Releases