All I can say is, WOW. This amazing album defies categorization. The only thing that can unarguably be said of it is that it is absolutely excellent music. My personal favorite on this album is "La Japonaise", which has a beautiful melody, complimented by some truly gorgeous harmony. "Ensueno" is, quite simply, perfect. "Guide Me Home" is a heartfelt appeal for the serenity of a peaceful end to a long, wearying journey, seguing into the lovely "How Can I Go On". The voices of Caballe and Mercury complement each other marvelously; no one would regret having this work of beauty in their collection. And for all of us who've always said Freddie should have been in opera, this glorious piece of music is a gift we've waited for all our lives.

Talk about rock opera! This is the only CD I know of where a rock star and an opera star recorded an entire album of duets. Oddly enough, it works. Of course, Freddie Mercury was always a bit operatic, with "Bohemian Rhapsody" being the most obvious example. In this instance, he really displays his love for opera, and although he doesn't have a classically trained voice, his vocals are really impressive here. Montserrat Caballe, on the other hand, does have a classically trained voice, and her vocals are even more impressive. Freddie and his song writing partner Mike Moran came up with some good songs for the duo to sing together. I think most Queen fans will enjoy this album, if they are open to hearing another side of Freddie. This is a lot different from a Queen album (no guitar solos here).

I have been searching for this disk for years ever since hearing a bootleg tape copy of it 6 years ago.

This is a must own disk for any fan of Queen! Wow!

I truly believe this disk is among the best work Freddie Mercury ever put out. I think this was Freddie's last recording. I have heard that he was supposed to perform it live at the opening ceremonies of the Barcelona Olympic Games in '92, but died a few months before. (Instead, I have heard it was performed there with Queen band members and Julio Iglesias filling in - as a tribute to Freddie.)

Despite his failing health during this recording, you would never know it to listen to it. Freddie's voice is as strong (and the songs are as well written) here on his last recording as on Queen's earliest disks from the 70's. Unbelievable.

Freddie literally put his all into this recording. When you hear this you will know fully what a tragic loss his early death was. He clearly would have gone on reshaping the world of popular music had his life not been cut short. This album demonstrates his genius was unwavering even at the end. Freddie's end was tragic, yet the music on this disk is not sad, but triumphant. It was after all Freddie's final gift to the world.

He left us as he had always lived his life - not with a whimper but a bang and a shout. This disk deserves wider recognition.

Rating: 6 STARS ****** and a standing ovation.

After nearly 19 years, the Barcelona album remains a hidden gem in the Queen/Freddie Mercury legend. While present-day music critics finally give Mercury and Queen the justice they so deserve, Mercury himself continues to be recalled mostly as the fantastic showman he was, with the musician taking a back seat. Barcelona gives us Mercury the musician. No lycra bodysuits, no half-mic stand, no day-ohhhhs. Just the voice, the words, the orchestration. And it stands up tall, big, dramatic, moving. And drastically different from the works of Queen.

Caballe of course is spectacular, though definitely not annoying or screechy as (in my experience) some opera can be. She functions as the perfect partner in crime for Mercury as they both held each other in awe and reverance, even after they became acquainted.

Every song is complex, layered and utterly brimming with emotion. Though Mercury went on to record two more albums with Queen (with Innuendo being one of the best of the entire Queen catalog), Barcelona stands in my mind as his crowning musical achievement.

The naysayers are wrong if they think that Freddie Mercury needed Roger and Brian to back him up. Anybody who even conciders this is not a fan of Freddie Mercury as they do not really know where he was at. This is Freddies Pet Sounds and the best album hands down of any of the Queen Members to go solo from the overrated Brian May to the underrated Roger Taylor. Freddie returned to some of his best songwriting and played more piano then before and made more complex music more organic and his voice was just as strong as ever. This is very much like Freddies work with Queen (nevermind guitar solos) with its vocal extravaganzas and classical influenced piano playing (played mainly by Mike Moran with Mercurys style in mind).