Queen have become the first rock act to have an album officially released in Iran.
Western music has been strictly censored in the Islamic republic. But, with Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's Iranian ancestry, illegal bootlegs of the band's music made Queen one of the most popular bands in the country. Now, following a relaxation in Iranian laws governing culture, Queen's greatest hits has been given an official release.
The album, costing less than one US dollar, comes complete with translated lyrics and an explanation of the 'plot' of each song. The book explains that 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is "about a young man who has accidentally killed someone and sold his soul to the devil. On the night before his execution he calls God in Arabic, 'Bismillah', and so regains his soul from Satan".
Other western artists who have gained official releases in Iran recently include Elton John, Julio Iglesias and The Gypsy Kings.