With “Not For Sale (Polar Bear)”, Brian May played a previously unreleased Queen song on the radio for the first time. The track comes from the band’s early days, goes back to the previous group Smile and is scheduled to appear on a new edition of QUEEN II in 2026.
The rock legends Queen caused a big surprise just before Christmas: guitarist Brian May presented the previously unreleased song “Not For Sale (Polar Bear)” in a special broadcast. The recording comes from the sessions for the 1974 album QUEEN II, was already on the program of Queen’s predecessors Smile and was hidden in the group’s archive for more than 50 years.
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The premiere took place on the evening of December 22nd as part of Brian May’s Christmas special on the British digital channel “Radio Rock”. There, the 78-year-old classified the meaning of the song himself and made it clear that it is a real rarity. The piece goes back to Queen’s previous band Smile and was known at the time under the title “Polar Bear”.
May announced the piece with these words: “Maybe you’ve heard a bootleg version of this song by Smile. It’s a song that goes way back – but as far as I know, no one has ever heard this version. It’s still a song, so to speak work in progress and will be released next year as part of the album’s upcoming rework Queen II appear. But I’m already smuggling the song in because I’m just incredibly curious to see what people think of it.”
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Connection to Queen’s predecessor band Smile
“Not For Sale (Polar Bear)” dates back to the late 1960s and was already part of the repertoire of Smile, the band led by Brian May and Roger Taylor that would form Queen in 1970. With songs like “Doin’ Alright,” Smile delivered material that later crossed over into the Queen cosmos. Freddie Mercury was an ardent fan of the band and constantly gave them tips on their look and sound. When singer Tim Staffell left the band, Mercury joined, which led to the formation of Queen. In 1982, a compilation of the six recorded Smile songs, including “Polar Bear,” was released by Mercury (!) Records in Japan under the title “Gettin’ Smile.” However, the version now being played is a previously unknown Queen recording from the sessions for QUEEN II. With the album and the top ten hit “Seven Seas Of Rhye”, Queen achieved their commercial breakthrough. The record’s iconic artwork by star photographer Mick Rock would later be featured in the groundbreaking “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
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Christmas greetings and other songs in the show
In addition to the Queen premiere, Brian May also played a selection of personal favorites and Christmas songs on his radio show, including tracks by Slade, Chuck Berry and a song by Anita Dobson, his wife. Finally, May sent greetings to the listeners: “I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!”