(Review from allmusic)

Five years before the first Queen album was released, Brian May and Roger Taylor worked together in Smile, a hard rock outfit that played in the London and Cornwall area in the late 60s. Primarily of interest to Queen fans, Ghost of a Smile contains Smile’s one single, “Earth” / “Step on Me” and four other songs recorded in 1969, but never released.

A great live band known for being quite innovative with their dynamics, Smile were not captured well on record, where poor production accentuated the trio’s sometimes sloppy playing and immature lyrics.

That said, the group could write fine melodies and lead singer Tim Staffel has a soulful voice that is heard best on the bouncy “Step on Me” and “Doin’ Alright”, played here in a gentler fashion than on Queen’s debut record. Meanwhile on “Blag”, the hard rock psychedelic influence of acts like Cream is evident with a heavy jam that showcases the talents of Brian May and Roger Taylor in a way that was not usually heard in Queen.

The two bonus tracks aren’t directly related to Smile. They are two versions of “Man from Manhattan”, a late-70s single by Eddie Howell that featured Freddie Mercury and Brian May.

In early 1970 Staffell left Smile and was replaced as vocalist by Freddie Mercury. Mercury had definite ideas of the directions where the band should go and by July 1970, Smile had been renamed Queen.

Line-up:
- Brian May / guitars, lead vocal (6), piano (2), backing vocals
- Tim Staffell / bass, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Earth – 4:02
02. Step On Me – 3:11
03. Doin’ Allright – 3:49
04. April Lady – 2:44
05. Blag – 3:13
06. Polar Bear – 4:05
07. The Man From Manhattan (Bonus Original) – 3:21
08. The Man From Manhattan (Bonus Remix) – 4:56

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