Strip Away the Vocals: The Magic and Mystery of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” Minus Track

When people talk about Queen’s 1975 magnum opus “Bohemian Rhapsody,” they usually picture Freddie Mercury seated at his piano, eyes closed, passionately belting out, “Mama, just killed a man.” They hear the towering, multi-layered operatic choir sections and Brian May’s blistering, stadium-filling guitar solo.

However, a fascinating corner of the internet and music-production world is dedicated to something entirely different: the “minus” track (commonly known as the instrumental, backing track, or “minus-one” version).