During a special holiday broadcast, guitarist Brian May debuted the never-before-heard Queen ‘Christmas track ‘Not for Sale (Polar Bear.)’
Penned by the iconic guitarist and recorded in 1974 during sessions for Queen’s album Queen II, the holiday title never appeared on the final release and has remained unheard in the band’s archive for more than fifty years. Now remastered ahead of the 2026 reissue of Queen II, the song was previewed for the very first public airing during May’s festive program on Planet Rock.
While some fans may be aware of an old Smile bootleg of the song, this Queen recording has never been released in any form, and describing it as a “work in progress” that will be included on next year’s rebuilt LP edition, Brian’s keen to hear how listeners respond to its long-delayed debut, adding:
“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. It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album – coming next year – but I’m sneaking this into my Planet Rock special because I’m fascinated to know what people think about it. I hope people have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!”
In addition to the exclusive premiere, May’s Christmas special featured a selection of seasonal songs he’s chosen – including Slade, Chuck Berry, Bad News, The Crystals, and a Christmas hit from his wife, Anita Dobson – that reflect the music that has shaped his own festive periods. The programme includes tracks from
The broadcast aired today (12.22) at 6pm, with a repeat scheduled for Christmas Day (12.25.25) at 1pm.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Koh Hasebe; Distributed by Elektra Records – Public Domain