The Alps


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'The Alps'

Overview
Queen Involvement


Overview


Executive producer Alexander Biner
Directed by Greg MacGillivray
Music score by Steve Wood with additional music by Queen and Brian May.
Narrated by Michael Gambon.

Premiered on 16 March 2007, and released on DVD in the USA only in 2008.
Length 45 minutes.

Filmed at various locations in Switzerland.


This film tells the true story of author and climber John Harlin, who climbs the North face of the Eiger which claimed the life of his father forty years earlier. As such, it doesn't really have much of a storyline and only features John Harlin, his family, friends and climbing team.

The surround sound mix for the film features the commentary through the centre channel, the music through the front channel and echoed music through the rear channel. Bonuses on the DVD also include short features about Switzerland and trailers of other films.

Queen Involvement


The film features a brand new guitar solo by Brian May, plus reworked versions of several Queen tracks, as follows:

The DVD also features a 40 minute 'Making Of' featurette, which includes parts of Brian's guitar solo, which is nothing different to that in the film, plus some footage of Brian in the recording studio.

In addition to the tracks above, the film features orchestral music, some of which features elements of 'Who Wants To Live Forever' and 'Bijou'. However these excerpts are generally fairly short, and don't feature Brian, so they are not mentioned below.


Last Horizon

(live)


This is an edit of the track on the 'Return Of The Champions' album, and features the section from approximately 0:10 to 2:35, ending with an explosion. Length 2:28.
Details of the original live version can be found on the 'Return Of The Champions' album page, while details of Brian's original studio version can be found on the 'Back To The Light' album page.

Who Wants To Live Forever


Details of the original version can be found on the 'A Kind Of Magic' album page.
New Version
This version is a completely new version, featuring slow electric guitar, acoustic guitar, orchestral music, and piano, based around the melody of the track. Length 2:30, although there is a break of about 30 seconds in the middle which is unrelated.
Album Version Reworked Edit
This version is derived from the original album version but has additional elements. It features the approximate sections 0:21 to 0:57, retaining only one line of vocals, then some of the instrumental outro from 4:15 to 4:35. It then features a new section which is essentially an instrumental version of the section from 1:25 to 2:05, but with a new solo by Brian. Length 1:49.
Album Version Reworked Edit Lyrics:
What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away from us

Guitar Solo


The film features a number of new guitar solos from Brian, which appear over the top of orchestral music. These new pieces were recorded by Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson, and are very good, but unfortunately too short, and very typical of his usual solos.
Details of other guitar solos can be found on the 'Live Solos & Improvisations' page.

Four of the solos are based around the same theme:

Piece 1 : two solos of length 13 and 23 seconds during 59 second piece
Piece 2 : a 14 second solo during a 34 second piece
Piece 4 : two solos of length 17 and 21 seconds during a 50 second piece
Piece 5 : an 18 second solo during a 58 second piece

Piece 3 is a much slower and more gentle solo, over a 50 second piece.

Don't Stop Me Now


This is an edit of the normal album version. It contains the sections 0:25 to 0:42, then jumps to 0:52 to 1:06, then contains 2:57 onwards. The song then jumps to the karaoke version for the piano outro. Length 0:52.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Jazz' album page.

Lyrics:
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me
'Cos I'm having a good time
Having a good time

I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm burning through the sky yeah
200 degrees that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

Don't stop me now
'Cos I'm having a good time
Don't stop me now
Yes, I'm having a good time
I don't wanna stop at all

Bijou


Details of the original version can be found on the 'Innuendo' album page.
Short Edit
This is a straight instrumental edit of the album version, upto 0:25. Length 0:25.
Long Edit
This is a straight instrumental edit of the album version from 2:09 onwards. Length 1:25.

Ride The Wild Wind


This is derived from parts of the album version, and has been slightly remixed. It contains the approximate sections from 0:07 to 0:23 (without the 'hey' vocals), then 0:27 to 0:35 and finally 2:32 to 2:49. Length 0:42.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Innuendo' album page.

Lyrics:
Ride the wild wind
Push the envelope, don't sit on the fence
Ride the wild wind
Live your life on the razors edge
It ain't dangerous enough for me
Live life on the razors edge - (hey, hey, hey)
Gonna ride the wild wind (ooooh)
It ain't dangerous enough for me

It's A Beautiful Day


This is a shortened version of the track, omitting some of the intro, the middle section of the song and much of the outro. This version fades up at approx 0:35 then continues until 1:25, then merges into the section from 2:00 to 2:09. It then finishes with a new orchestral crash which is not part of the original. Length 1:00.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Made In Heaven' album page.

Lyrics:
It's a beautiful day
The sun is shining
I feel good
And no-one's gonna stop me now, oh yeah

It's a beautiful day
I feel good, I feel right
And no-one, no-one's gonna stop me now, mama