From The New York Times, today:
In summer 1975, Queen was preparing to work on its fourth album when Mr. Mercury first introduced [Bohemian Rhapsody] to his band mates, from ideas written on pieces of paper. "We just thought that Freddie's blueprint for 'Rhapsody' was intriguing and original, and worthy of work," Mr. May said. "This was a well-planned project from Freddie, to which we contributed our best, but there were always changes along the way as tracks developed."
OH COME ON. Shall we translate? "Freddie came in with this bizarre track that at least didn't mention bicyclists of a certain sort or imply that he was 'in love with his car' and we thought, 'What the hey, maybe it will lead to "We Will Rock You" or something else that will let us get rich on residuals from American stadium revenues some day. Worst case scenario, we end up doing the soundtrack for Flash Gordon. Also, Freddy can cut loose and audition for that future Memorex ad, or one for rust-removal gel if Memorex loses to TDK early. Let's have at it.' "