QUEEN - MAY BEGS FOR LOST QUEEN TAPES TO BE RETURNED

QUEEN axeman BRIAN MAY is appealing to fans of the band to return any lost or stolen tapes they may have in their possession.

The RADIO GAGA star is offering "some reward" if they are returned safely to the surviving members of the group.

May wrote a letter to British magazine RECORD COLLECTOR saying, "We are keen to remix the entire Queen back catalogue of albums in Surround sound. This entails going back to the original multi-track masters and carefully transferring everything to the new high resolution digital format.

"However, we have discovered that we do not possess all the original tapes. It's hard to believe but many of these precious tapes have disappeared, some probably from their storage in EMI or studio vaults.

"Some almost certainly have been stolen and are in someone's private collection."

Queen archivist GREG BROOKS adds, "We're not after any recriminations but we're appealing to people's consciences for them to send them back."