Smile master tapes

Hi
This has been nagging me for quite a while but does these master tapes exist and if so, how big is the chance that these recordings will ever! see an official release?? They are a big part of the Queen legacy IMO so to finally see these songs released in the highest audio quality would be a dream and a good way to finally give that brilliant band it’s due!

No idea if they do still exists.
From what I remember, the first Queen album Master tapes have disappeard or been erased and reused.
But, yes, a Smile album release would fit nicely on the CD or Vinyl shelf. Unless you can get your hands on the Old Japanese release done all those years ago.

[Kes]

Late sixties. What are we talking about? 4-track? 8-track at a squeeze?

They probably had better resources to keep the DeLane Lea stuff, and didn't. So I'm not sure how older stuff would fare. However, somebody managed to put together the six track Japanese mini-album from something, and in better sound quality than the DeLane Lea demos eventually surfaced at, so who knows? Makes you wonder who gave Mercury Records Japan the 'Gettin' Smile' audio to press the records from, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure that later on, the 'Ghost Of A Smile' CD, released in Holland, was instigated by Jim Beach, and licensed for a limited time run, probably at the request of Brian.

I'm pretty sure that later on, the 'Ghost Of A Smile' CD, released in Holland, was instigated by Jim Beach, and licensed for a limited time run, probably at the request of Brian.

I recall the same, making it an official release.

Speculating, the original Japanese vinyl was done without the band's knowledge, so may have been from a discovered tape.

After finding out about it, the band may well have then got access to that tape, hence the CD version.