Queen + Paul Rodgers: A Brand New Recording for Free Download Especially for Nelson Mandela's 46664 On World AIDS Day

Queen + Paul Rodgers: A Brand New Recording for Free Download Especially for Nelson Mandela's 46664 On World AIDS Day

Available From December 1

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- It has not been that closely a guarded secret that rock legends Queen and Paul Rodgers have been in the recording studio for their first sessions together following their successful world tour of 2005/2006. Indeed, both singer/songwriter and founding member of Free/Bad Company Paul Rodgers and Brian May have been quoted on their websites as being "quietly excited" about the music that has been produced from this creative union.

Spurred on by their commitments as Ambassadors to Nelson Mandela's 46664 HIV AIDS global campaign, on which the spotlight will fall December 1 with a World AIDS Day awareness and fundraising concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers have announced they are rushing to finish a track specially written for 46664 by Roger Taylor and have it available as a free download in time for this coming Saturday's AIDS HIV benefit concert.

The track, Taylor's "Say It's Not True", originally came to light for the launch of the 46664 campaign back in November 2003. Taylor wrote the song as a gift to Mandela and performed it live for him for the first time with Brian May and Dave Stewart at the inaugural 46664 concert in Cape Town that month. The song carries the message that HIV AIDS is something that can affect any one of us no matter our sexual or racial status.

Taylor performed an acoustic version of the song again nightly during the Queen + Paul Rodgers' 2005 tour, each time dedicating it to Mandela's work to bring people and politicians together to fight HIV AIDS.

Having played two previous 46664 concerts, but committed in the studio this year, Queen and Paul Rodgers decided to revisit the song, with all three of them sharing the vocals, and to make the song the band's message of support to Mandela this year.

"By making the song available for free", says Taylor, "we hope to help Nelson Mandela with his campaign to get across the message that no-one is safe from infection. We have to be aware, we have to protect ourselves and those we love. The song follows the line of Mr. Mandela's personal message: it's in our own hands to bring a stop to this."

Queen's last new studio recording was back in November 1997 when May, Taylor and band's bassist John Deacon reunited to record "No-One But You" a song written by Brian May which was shaped by the early loss of the late Freddie Mercury to AIDS. The song was the last new work to be released by the band, issued as a single in January 1998.

A video of "Say It's Not True" will be premiered during this Saturday's 46664 Johannesburg World AIDS Day concert and the track available to download exclusively on http://www.queenonline.com/ and through http://www.46664.com/ http://www.46664global.com/ and http://www.paulrodgers.com/ on World AIDS Day, December 1.

   Visit:   http://www.queenonline.com/   http://www.46664.com/   http://www.46664global.com/   http://www.paulrodgers.com/    Editor's Notes:  

The December 1st 46664 Johannesburg World AIDS Day concert will be the fifth International 46664 concert to take place since the AIDS charity was founded under the banner of Nelson Mandela's former prison number in 2002. The Johannesburg concert is the first to be held on World AIDS Day and takes place at the 50,000 seater Ellis Park Stadium and has been made possible through the support of Joburg City.

46664 was founded in 2002 by Dave Stewart with Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor. Taylor and May have participated in three of the previous concerts.

The first 46664 concert, in November 2003, through radio and television coverage delivered the 46664 message to more than 2 billion people in 166 countries, the most widely distributed media event in history.

Artists appearing at this weekend's concert include Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Ludacris, Corinne Bailey Rae, Goo Goo Dolls, Razorlight, Jamelia together with appearances by a further fifteen acts drawn from the biggest names in South African music including Johnny Clegg, Just Jinjer, the Soweto Gospel Choir and World artist Angelique Kidjo.

Under the guidance of Nelson Mandela, 46664 is a campaign vehicle of the Nelson Mandela charitable organisations. 46664's aim is to raise awareness of the global HIV AIDS pandemic, as well as funds to support the ongoing 46664 campaign and the HIV AIDS projects it directly supports throughout sub-Saharan Africa. 46664's project funds develop and support practical programmes for the prevention, testing, care and support for those infected and affected by HIV AIDS in Africa.

46664 recently unveiled its 2007/2008 campaign which will build on its past achievements and expand its outreach activities to communities and schools to engage the youth most affected by HIV AIDS.

   46664   It's in our hands   Visit http://www.46664.com/  

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Source: Hollywood Records

CONTACT: Phil Symes, +27 07 11 59 55 07, philsymes@theprcontact.com, for
Queen + Paul Rodgers; or Kim Mari of REAL CONCERTS, +27 (0) 11 4823550,
kim@realsa.co.za, for 46664 Johannesburg

Web site: http://www.queenonline.com/
http://www.46664.com/
http://www.46664global.com/
http://www.paulrodgers.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment