Queen fans are in line for a rare festive treat after Brian May announced plans to release a previously unheard track from the band, originally recorded more than half a century ago.
Later today, listeners will get their first official chance to hear the unreleased Queen song Not For Sale, a track that has quietly existed in the band’s archives for decades.
The song, written by Brian May, was originally recorded in 1974 during sessions for Queen’s second studio album, Queen II. Despite being completed during a formative and creatively explosive period for the band, the track failed to make the final album track-listing at the time.
It has now been newly remastered and will feature on a rebuilt and expanded re-release of Queen II, scheduled to arrive in 2026. The decision to revisit the track comes as part of Queen’s continued effort to preserve, restore and contextualise their early recordings, many of which were created under tight budgets but enormous creative ambition.
Speaking about the song, May acknowledged that some fans may be vaguely familiar with earlier fragments or bootlegs, but stressed that this version is entirely new to the public. “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,” he said.
Before Queen officially formed, May and Roger Taylor played together in the band Smile, and early ideas from that era often evolved into later Queen material. Not For Sale is believed to have undergone several transformations before being properly recorded during the Queen II sessions, a period that also produced some of the band’s most complex and theatrical work.
May added that the track represents an unfinished snapshot of Queen’s creative process rather than a polished, final statement. “It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album – coming next year.”
Originally released in 1974, Queen II marked a significant turning point for the band. Divided into a “White Side” and a “Black Side,” the album showcased Queen’s ambition, layered harmonies and genre-defying songwriting, laying the groundwork for later classics like Bohemian Rhapsody and Somebody to Love. While it was not an immediate commercial smash, the album has since become a fan favourite and a critical reappraisal success.
The release of Not For Sale follows a broader trend of archival exploration by Queen in recent years, including deluxe box sets, remixes and expanded editions that shed new light on their early evolution. With Freddie Mercury’s legacy central to every release, the band has taken a cautious but respectful approach to unveiling unheard material, ensuring it enhances rather than dilutes their catalogue.
For fans, the timing couldn’t be better. An unheard Queen song arriving just before Christmas offers both nostalgia and novelty — a reminder that even after more than five decades, Queen’s story is still revealing new chapters.
