QUEEN Discography- MONTREAL '81 in theaters near you

[TAC]

INTRODUCING SPIKE EDNEY

As an outside musician, Fred Mandel had his hand in more Queen tunes on their last studio album than anyone prior.  Though he’d been on the post European ‘Hot Space’ tours, Brian’s ‘Star Fleet Project’, and would also appear on Freddie’s upcoming solo album, Queen was in need of a replacement for ‘The Works’ tour.

Did I miss what happened to Fred Mandel?

[DragonAttack]

Page 21, I had included in Fred Mandel's write up that he would leave after 'The Works' to tour with Supertramp, followed by Elton John.

Following this, Mandel went on tour with Supertramp who were performing their last gigs with their classic line up on a tour named Famous Last Words.

Later on, Mandel was offered the chance play with his teen idol Elton John, whom Mandel states as being "...to this day, one of the most bad-ass rock and roll piano players around!"

I should have repeated that.....

[TAC]

Thanks Joe! There's been a lot of info and I figured I simply missed it...which I did!

[DragonAttack]

you'll have a week to catch up on things soon,

.... but first.....

[DragonAttack]

FREDDIE MERCURY   MR. BAD GUY LP

Released: April 29, UK (CBS), May 7 USA (CBS)
Charts:  UK #6 (first two weeks), USA #159
West Germany #11, Norway #13, Switzerland #14, Netherlands #17, Sweden #20, Austria #23, Spain #23, Czechoslavakia #26, Austrailia #38

Certifications:  Gold in UK

Singles:
I Was Born to Love You b/w Stop All the Fighting
Released: April 8
Charts:  UK #11, USA #76
Already mentioned

Made In Heaven b/w  She Blows Hot and Cold
Released:  July 1
Charts: UK #57
Ireland #30, Belgium #36, West Germany #60, Australia #98
(reworked and remixed for the Queen ‘Made In Heaven’ LP in 1995)
VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBCTasRgFqo  7 MILLION VIEWS

Living On My Own  b/w My Love Is Dangerous   
Released:  September 2
Charts:   UK #50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2xZ5XzbVM
VIDEO   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DedaEVIbTkY 33 MILLION VIEWS

1993–1994 remix   
#1 in the UK, and….  Denmark, Europe Hot 100, France, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden
#2 in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland

Certifications: Gold in UK
Gold in Netherlands and Sweden
Platinum in Austria and Germany
VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTdd8QxifbY  86 MILLION VIEWS

Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow b/w Let's Turn It On
Released:  November 18
Chart:  UK #76 
VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Wbu_AF2e4  23 MILLION VIEWS

 


Recorded 1983 – January 1985
Musicland Studios, Munich, West Germany
PRODUCED BY: MACK AND FREDDIE MERCURY
ENGINEERED BY: MACK
ASSISTED BY: STEPHAN WISSNET

All songs, words, and music by Freddie Mercury

FREDDIE MERCURY   ALL VOCALS  PIANO AND SYNTHESIZER
FRED MANDEL    ADDITIONAL PIANO & SYNTHESIZER & GUITAR
PAUL VINCENT    LEAD GUITARS
CURT CRESS    DRUMS
JO BURT     FRETLESS BASS ON "MAN MADE PARADISE"
RAINER PIETSCH     ARRANGEMENT FOR "MR. BAD GUY"

MY THANKS TO JIM BEACH, PAUL PRETNER, GERRY STICKELLS, INA LEA MEIBACH, PHIL SYMES, BRYN BRIDENTHAL, FEEBIE, JACKIE, SALLY AND JULIE.
WALTER YETNIKOFF, AND ALL AT CBS FOR HAVING THE SHEER NERVE TO TAKE ME ON.

SPECIAL THANKS TO BRIAN, ROGER AND JOHN FOR NOT INTERFERING.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MARY AUSTIN
BARBARA VALENTIN FOR BIG TITS AND MISCONDUCT
WINNIE FOR BOARD AND LODGING.

THIS ALBUM IS DEDICATED TO MY CAT JERRY - ALSO TOM, OSCAR ADN TIFFANY AND ALL THE CAT LOVERS ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - SCREW EVERYBODY ELSE.

AUDIO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKDLa1qAhA 

SIDE ONE
Let's Turn It On   3:42
Made in Heaven   4:05
I Was Born to Love You   3:38
Foolin' Around   3:29
Your Kind of Lover   3:32

SIDE TWO
Mr. Bad Guy   4:09
Man Made Paradise   4:08
There Must Be More to Life Than This   3:00
Living on My Own   3:23
My Love Is Dangerous   3:42
Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow   3:46

Original UK CD bonus
12.   “Let’s Turn It On” (12” Version)   5:06
13.   “I Was Born to Love You” (12” Version)   7:03
14.   “Living on My Own” (12” Version) 6:40

'Stop All The Fighting' and 'She Blows Hot & Cold'   were nonalbum B-sides.  A real shame that ‘She Blows Hot & Cold’ was not part of this or any Queen album.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QGSsi81y8

He thanked the lack of interference….so to speak, but Brian did a demo of ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’ that’s really good, copied almost note for note on the album.  Just a shame it breaks down at the end (intentionally or unintentionally)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbLXPusiDkg

inner sleeve with lyrics on the other side


As to reviewing this, I just remember being disappointed right off the bat from the cover and the title, and then there’s the techno / dance / disco type of stuff that weren’t my cup of tea.  Some of it still isn’t, and I wish I could slightly mix spots here and there more for my liking (but others did and still do), but it is certainly Freddie of the time. The ‘Queen’ side of him still managed to shine through, just not often enough to me.

Such as with the opening ‘Let’s Turn It On’…it’s fun, catchy, nice guitar, but I’m not a fan of the drum machine or a couple of harsh moments. 

The rest of the album…  ‘Man Made Paradise’ was a Queen demo during ‘Hot Space’, and ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ was worked on with MJ in ’83, and planned for ‘The Works’ until ‘Is This The World We Created…?’ took its place.  That said, it is no wonder that those two were my favorites then and now.

'Made In Heaven' and ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ are piano driven ‘from the heart’ songs, and the extended versions that I finally heard fifteen years later are superb.  ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ has a reggae feel, and finishes off with some strong lead guitar (sadly, that title became way too ominous later on).

Speaking of lead guitar, Brian provided a great one on the demo of ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’.  As mentioned earlier, a real pity that this wasn’t on the album…piano, guitar, and tongue in cheek lyrics.  Would have been great on ‘Hot Space’.

The title track....orchestral driven, witty lyrics, maybe I'd like it more if it wasn't the title track (if that makes any sense).  I’ve come around to ‘I Was Born To Love You’ and ‘Living On My Own’ (always did like his scatting on this). 

Still prefer the Queen side of Freddie, so these demos are always top notch to me.
I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk_dJYN43EU

MY KIND OF LOVER  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_S8DP-_Vn0
 

[DragonAttack]

12" SINGLES

I Was Born to Love You b/w Stop All the Fighting
mentioned earlier




Made In Heaven    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3CynNAUtWw
 b/w  She Blows Hot and Cold    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgTxs-ECyqo




Living On my Own b/w My Love Is Dangerous




Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DEHq1orsPg
b/w Let's Turn It On
 
**************
All of these were extended versions.  The ones I did not provide links to have little more than repetitive dance type music added.  They're easily found on youtube

However, ‘Made In Heaven’ and ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ are superior to the very good album versions, due to what is added.  ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’  extended is the same, though a bit of the same at times.

So, now I have my own nice 'Hot Space' Side One of:
Made In Heaven (ext) / Let Me Out (Brian) / Man Made Paradise / There Must Be More To Life Than This / My Love Is Dangerous (or She Blows Hot And Cold)

as well as a very good 'LP' of solo material from this era with the two 'Works' demos that were finally released in 2014:

Call it 'Written In The Stars'
SIDE ONE
Made In Heaven (ext) / Let Me Out / Man Made Paradise / There Must Be More To Life Than This / My Love Is Dangerous
SIDE TWO
It's An Illusion (Roger) / Let Me In Your Heart Again / Love Kills / She Blows Hot And Cold / Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow

speaking of tomorrow....Japan '85 is next

[TAC]

So Joe..if I have this right...

The Works tour was basically..

Europe '84
Sun City '84
Australia '85
Japan '85


I want to get to this tour while you're away, and I just want to make sure I have it all straight.

[TAC]

FREDDIE MERCURY   MR. BAD GUY LP

Released: April 29, UK (CBS), May 7 USA (CBS)
Charts:  UK #6 (first two weeks), USA #159
West Germany #11, Norway #13, Switzerland #14, Netherlands #17, Sweden #20, Austria #23, Spain #23, Czechoslavakia #26, Austrailia #38

Certifications:  Gold in UK

Singles:
I Was Born to Love You b/w Stop All the Fighting
Released: April 8
Charts:  UK #11, USA #76
Already mentioned

Made In Heaven b/w  She Blows Hot and Cold
Released:  July 1
Charts: UK #57
Ireland #30, Belgium #36, West Germany #60, Australia #98
(reworked and remixed for the Queen ‘Made In Heaven’ LP in 1995)
VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBCTasRgFqo  7 MILLION VIEWS

Living On My Own  b/w My Love Is Dangerous   
Released:  September 2
Charts:   UK #50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2xZ5XzbVM
VIDEO   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DedaEVIbTkY 33 MILLION VIEWS

1993–1994 remix   
#1 in the UK, and….  Denmark, Europe Hot 100, France, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden
#2 in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland

Certifications: Gold in UK
Gold in Netherlands and Sweden
Platinum in Austria and Germany
VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTdd8QxifbY  86 MILLION VIEWS

Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow b/w Let's Turn It On
Released:  November 18
Chart:  UK #76 
VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Wbu_AF2e4  23 MILLION VIEWS

 


Recorded 1983 – January 1985
Musicland Studios, Munich, West Germany
PRODUCED BY: MACK AND FREDDIE MERCURY
ENGINEERED BY: MACK
ASSISTED BY: STEPHAN WISSNET

All songs, words, and music by Freddie Mercury

FREDDIE MERCURY   ALL VOCALS  PIANO AND SYNTHESIZER
FRED MANDEL    ADDITIONAL PIANO & SYNTHESIZER & GUITAR
PAUL VINCENT    LEAD GUITARS
CURT CRESS    DRUMS
JO BURT     FRETLESS BASS ON "MAN MADE PARADISE"
RAINER PIETSCH     ARRANGEMENT FOR "MR. BAD GUY"

MY THANKS TO JIM BEACH, PAUL PRETNER, GERRY STICKELLS, INA LEA MEIBACH, PHIL SYMES, BRYN BRIDENTHAL, FEEBIE, JACKIE, SALLY AND JULIE.
WALTER YETNIKOFF, AND ALL AT CBS FOR HAVING THE SHEER NERVE TO TAKE ME ON.

SPECIAL THANKS TO BRIAN, ROGER AND JOHN FOR NOT INTERFERING.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MARY AUSTIN
BARBARA VALENTIN FOR BIG TITS AND MISCONDUCT
WINNIE FOR BOARD AND LODGING.

THIS ALBUM IS DEDICATED TO MY CAT JERRY - ALSO TOM, OSCAR ADN TIFFANY AND ALL THE CAT LOVERS ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - SCREW EVERYBODY ELSE.

AUDIO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKDLa1qAhA 

SIDE ONE
Let's Turn It On   3:42
Made in Heaven   4:05
I Was Born to Love You   3:38
Foolin' Around   3:29
Your Kind of Lover   3:32

SIDE TWO
Mr. Bad Guy   4:09
Man Made Paradise   4:08
There Must Be More to Life Than This   3:00
Living on My Own   3:23
My Love Is Dangerous   3:42
Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow   3:46

Original UK CD bonus
12.   “Let’s Turn It On” (12” Version)   5:06
13.   “I Was Born to Love You” (12” Version)   7:03
14.   “Living on My Own” (12” Version) 6:40

'Stop All The Fighting' and 'She Blows Hot & Cold'   were nonalbum B-sides.  A real shame that ‘She Blows Hot & Cold’ was not part of this or any Queen album.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QGSsi81y8

He thanked the lack of interference….so to speak, but Brian did a demo of ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’ that’s really good, copied almost note for note on the album.  Just a shame it breaks down at the end (intentionally or unintentionally)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbLXPusiDkg

inner sleeve with lyrics on the other side


As to reviewing this, I just remember being disappointed right off the bat from the cover and the title, and then there’s the techno / dance / disco type of stuff that weren’t my cup of tea.  Some of it still isn’t, and I wish I could slightly mix spots here and there more for my liking (but others did and still do), but it is certainly Freddie of the time. The ‘Queen’ side of him still managed to shine through, just not often enough to me.

Such as with the opening ‘Let’s Turn It On’…it’s fun, catchy, nice guitar, but I’m not a fan of the drum machine or a couple of harsh moments. 

The rest of the album…  ‘Man Made Paradise’ was a Queen demo during ‘Hot Space’, and ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ was worked on with MJ in ’83, and planned for ‘The Works’ until ‘Is This The World We Created…?’ took its place.  That said, it is no wonder that those two were my favorites then and now.

'Made In Heaven' and ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ are piano driven ‘from the heart’ songs, and the extended versions that I finally heard fifteen years later are superb.  ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ has a reggae feel, and finishes off with some strong lead guitar (sadly, that title became way too ominous later on).

Speaking of lead guitar, Brian provided a great one on the demo of ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’.  As mentioned earlier, a real pity that this wasn’t on the album…piano, guitar, and tongue in cheek lyrics.  Would have been great on ‘Hot Space’.

The title track....orchestral driven, witty lyrics, maybe I'd like it more if it wasn't the title track (if that makes any sense).  I’ve come around to ‘I Was Born To Love You’ and ‘Living On My Own’ (always did like his scatting on this). 

Still prefer the Queen side of Freddie, so these demos are always top notch to me.
I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk_dJYN43EU

MY KIND OF LOVER  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_S8DP-_Vn0
 

Concerned that people aren't actually reading your posts??

[DragonAttack]

   

Figures you'd pick that one line out of the past week's worth.   

Oh, and I've been pleased as punch with all the views in the last ten days.

Speaking of views, here's a couple of Barbara.  They spent a lot of time together in Munich from 83-85 in the clubs and behind closed doors. She was one of 30 people invited to Freddie's last birthday party. Her wiki lists that during her career in soft porn, Valentin was nicknamed "the German Jayne Mansfield". 



(there's plenty of pix of her that I could add here and get even more views.........)

[TAC]

(there's plenty of pix of her that I could add here and get even more views.........)

Better in your computer history than mine!

[DragonAttack]

So Joe..if I have this right...

The Works tour was basically..

Europe '84
Sun City '84
Australia '85
Japan '85

I want to get to this tour while you're away, and I just want to make sure I have it all straight.

Yes....with 'Rock In Rio' inserted after Sun City.
(thanks for sending me that Whitesnake performance link ).

btw, I didn't see this post initially.  I guess the 'BARBARA VALENTIN FOR BIG TITS AND MISCONDUCT' line in your response stood out and over caught my eye as well

[TAC]

Mr. Bad Guy Spotify numbers!!

Let's Turn It On....1.5m
Made In Heaven....2.7m
I Was Born To Love You....4.5m
Foolin' Around.....1.6m
Your Kind Of Lover....1.7m
Mr. Bad Guy....6.7m
Man Made Paradise....1.7m
There Must Be More To life Than This....2.3m
Living On My Own....4.9m
My Love Is Dangerous....1.6m
Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow....25.7m

[DragonAttack]

Thank you once again, Tim

(going to use my shorthand for once)

Not surprised at the numbers for IWBTLY, LOMO, or MrBG (since that is the title track).  Most of the others are what I expected as well.

However, I am quite stunned at such low numbers for MMP and TMBMTLTT. 

And, quite frankly, "Shocked!  Shocked, I tell you!" at the 25.7 M for LMLTNT.   I would have guessed that would have been in the 3-5M range.

[DragonAttack]

The WORKS TOUR - Japan ’85, May 8th -15th






Queen's final five shows in Japan, the first two at The Budokan.



Second night, Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, May 9th,   Attendance: 14,000      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhpwLfdUb8E     Quality: A

Seventeenth and final time at this famous venue.  Freddie’s voice is in great shape, the band is more enthusiastic than many of their prior stops, and the recording is high quality as well. The intro of ‘Somebody To Love’ gives me goosebumps, his ‘Day-Oh’ segment is top notch, and it’s a great sounding little jam leading into ‘Dragon Attack’.  The crowd interaction during ‘Love Of My Life’ is outstanding and fun.  Freddie even stops and plays with the crowd midway.  Great interaction during these moments, ….hell, thoughout the night!

Even the beginning of ‘It’s A Hard Life’ is well done.  An enjoyable and truly fun listen.

The setlist remains unchanged, which means no additions. Very odd, as that means that the special Japanese fan favorite ‘Teo Torriate’ is not played at all   

Note: the preshow music has certainly changed since the 70s 😉
****************
Yoyogi Gymnasium, Tokyo,  May 11th,   Attendance: 13,300  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXfnYq7khc&t=318s
  Audience/Broadcast Matrix , Quality: A+

This is one of Queen's more famous shows, as it was filmed, broadcast, and has been on every format imaginable. In 2018, the first ever audience source from this show emerged and contained the rest that was missing from the broadcast sources, so here is Ryan Newton’s attempt at making a matrix out of them.

A great night from Brian, an A- night from Freddie, and another A+ night from the crowd.  The little jam of ‘The March Of The Black Queen’ was not played in the medley.

**************
VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH4LYxF3mFo&t=1437s

The only professionally filmed show of The Works Tour.  The audio is complete, and is merged into the spots where there is no film available (‘Dragon Attack’ and the guitar solo..pity).  A couple of annoyingly long close ups during the singalong and ‘BoRhap’, but they don’t mess up the operatic section, and gives the viewer a great feel from the mood setting lighting at the end. The flash pods after the opera section of BoRhap and at the end of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ we’re not used.

Also well done are the angles used for ‘Radio GaGa’, though there’s only one segment where you get to see the crowd interaction.  But seeing John on BVs makes up for that!   

One only gets to see about five seconds of the band during ‘God Save The Queen’ with the British and Japanese flags sown together.

A real treat to see this lighting rig in action, and for the most part captured well on film……..FINALLY !!!

One problem:  Spike’s synthesizer is waaay too loud in the mix, and often drowns out Brian’s guitar. If you can sync the audience recording to the video….

*****************************



Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan May 15th   Attendance: 16,000     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzLYiEaZS_Y  Quality: A+   

One of the best Queen audience recordings ever!  Available less than four years ago.  Freddie’s voice is slipping, and it’s probably a good thing this was the last night.  Still, he gives a great performance….as do Brian, Roger, John, and Spike.

The last time for the ‘Machines’ taped intro.  The last performances of ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Liar’, ‘Dragon Attack’, the ‘Brighton Rock’ finale, and ‘Jailhouse Rock’

‘Keep Yourself Alive’ would be dropped as well, but a couple short improvised versions would be heard in 1986, like in Munich.

The instrumentals of ‘The March Of The Black Queen’ and ‘Great King Rat’  return for one final time.

During a last long version of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting", Freddie introduces it as "a song written by a well-known poofter; I'm sure you know what he's called."

Freddie throws a bit of Jerry Lee Lewis' ‘Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On’ into ‘Jailhouse Rock’ for the last night's speed racer paced ending.

Instead of ‘you’ve been a great audience, see you next time’ along with some Japanese words, he basically ends the concert with “So long, Osaka.  Thank you very much, Japan.”



The VHS tape was sold only in Japan.  Yes, many copies made their way throughout the world.



Finally......the band were quite tired of each other, differing on music styles, dealing with too influential of outsider 'distractions', and family issues to name but a few. John's kids were getting older, and he missed the family life. Brian was at the onset of a divorce, going through the motions and the related depression of the divorce.  Roger was quoted as saying they might take 'a five to ten year break……or forever'. With the distractions in Freddie’s life, had his solo LP sold well (which it did not), this might have been Queen's final performance.

That is, until a brief twenty minutes at Wembley Stadium a few months later ……….

[TAC]

Lots of A+ ratings. Looking forward to these.

Watching the video now. Spike's keyboards are quite evident in the mix. .

..and John Deacon is quite active.

[DragonAttack]

Lots of A+ ratings. Looking forward to these.

Watching the video now. Spike's keyboards are quite evident in the mix. .

..and John Deacon is quite active.

Almost as much of a ‘Dancing Queen’ as Freddie 😀

[Stadler]

Freddie does sound good on that pro-shot show.

[Zoom E]

I listened to the Works today for my first time, though I know the three big singles very well. It has the typical mid- 80s sound, but is a decent effort. Man on the Prowl made me think of Don't Try Suicide, but also has a real Cheap Trick vibe. Interesting.

[Stadler]

Lots of A+ ratings. Looking forward to these.

Watching the video now. Spike's keyboards are quite evident in the mix. .

..and John Deacon is quite active.

I don't know what it is, it's nothing rational or tangible, but I just don't like John Deacon all that much.  I like some of his songs - Spread Your Wings is probably the best - but when I think of "Queen!" I'm not really considering him much. 

[Orbert]

In a way, John Deacon always seemed like the odd man out.  Freddie, Brian, and Roger had these larger-than-life personae, were all outspoken and I suppose it didn't hurt that they all sang lead vocals at various times.  Then there's John, always very reserved, and clearly content to just play his part, let the others have all the glory.  Offstage, my understanding is that he's much the same, avoiding the press and the spotlight.  It's not that I don't like him; for me it's more like we never really got to see enough of him to like or dislike.

[TAC]

Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan May 15th   Attendance: 16,000     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzLYiEaZS_Y  Quality: A+   

Was dropping the needle on the Japanese shows, and in Ryan Newton's writeup for the Osaka show, he wrote this:
"This could have been Queen's final concert. Had the band not attended Live Aid two months later, this would have been Queen's final show, as their inner turmoil and differences would have caused the band to split. Of course, the timeline worked in our favour and we got one more tour, but just thinking about it puts a certain sentiment on this show. It's the final show of The Works Tour, and the band do well at masking what's going on behind the scenes (although Brian's speech before Love of My Life is rather telling)."

What was going on in the band? And of course I had to hear Brian introduce Love Of My Life.....yeah, that can be taken a couple of ways for sure.

[TAC]

Wow, this is a very 80's sounding album. There's a couple of really good tunes.

Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow is epic! Same with There Must Be More To Life Than This.
I also kind of liked Man Made Paradise. Really interesting vocal.

[Stadler]

Osaka-jo Hall Osaka, Japan May 15th   Attendance: 16,000     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzLYiEaZS_Y  Quality: A+   

Was dropping the needle on the Japanese shows, and in Ryan Newton's writeup for the Osaka show, he wrote this:
"This could have been Queen's final concert. Had the band not attended Live Aid two months later, this would have been Queen's final show, as their inner turmoil and differences would have caused the band to split. Of course, the timeline worked in our favour and we got one more tour, but just thinking about it puts a certain sentiment on this show. It's the final show of The Works Tour, and the band do well at masking what's going on behind the scenes (although Brian's speech before Love of My Life is rather telling)."

What was going on in the band? And of course I had to hear Brian introduce Love Of My Life.....yeah, that can be taken a couple of ways for sure.

I think that's hyperbolic.  I don't at all think that they :would have... split".   The movie seems to imply that as well.  But as good as Live Aid was (and it was every bit as good as people said).  But the book I just read - by people who would know and with input from the band - has a band that is tired, that has perhaps over-extended, and perhaps needed a break, but was always ultimately committed to playing together.  Yeah, they only toured one more time, but we got four more albums of very high quality (well, three of very high quality).

I think Brian's comment is less about the band as a whole and more about the lighting rigs and setlists, which they pretty faithfully mixed up and changed up after every tour.

[DragonAttack]

Well....back from a two year overdue vacation in Michigan.....

Back to the band:  the possible break up or a long 'recess' is conjecture, and depends on who was talking or writing about it and sometimes their mood at the time.  Unlike all the falsehoods in the movie, before Live Aid they weren't coming off a two year touring absence, having just performed to record crowds at Rock In Rio.  There was certainly malaise with Brian and John, and Freddie's excesses were beginning to spill over onto the stage, and his isolation from the band had also grown during studio sessions.  He was still the commanding presence, attentive to details....and then after an hour he'd head back out.  It did take them four months after to put out a single, and the related album another seven months.

'Life'.... certainly changed what might have happened in the upcoming year or so.

Freddie's solo album:  TAC, as you wrote, there were a couple of keepers on it.

Live Aid comments tonight.....and then a compilation, a soundtrack, a studio LP, three live albums and their final concert before another short vacation next Thursday.

[Zydar]

Unlike all the falsehoods in the movie, before Live Aid they weren't coming off a two year touring absence, having just performed to record crowds at Rock In Rio.

THANK YOU! One of the many things I was irritated by in that horrible movie. (Another annoyance is that they apparently were playing Fat Bottomed Girls on the 1975 tour  )

Sorry, I just needed to vent about that Back to your regular programming.

[DragonAttack]

Brian sure did make a point of having a lot of his songs make it into the movie ('Now I'm Here', as well as 'Hammer To Fall' during Live Aid, while cutting out 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'), Freddie with a mustache during the writing of WWRY and WATC.....firing Paul Prenter before Live Aid, the walking by of the sick man that day, etc etc etc....  don't get me started on all of the errors.     A shame, because Rami Malek and the concert were superb.

[Orbert]

Browsing YouTube the other day, the Queen performance at Live Aid came up, and even though I have the Blu-ray, all I had to do was click, so I did.  It was, of course, amazing.  Mrs. Orbert was with me at the time.  She said that that scene in the movie was done pretty well.

I told her that that's great and all, but why would I ever want to watch a recreation, basically a fictional account of an event, when I can watch the real thing?  (I stopped myself from going into my usual rant about the movie being crap simply because it's a fictional history of a band when the real thing is actually more interesting anyway.)  I've never seen the movie, and don't ever plan to.

[DragonAttack]

We have only watched it once, even when HBO was replaying it often a few years ago.  Some day....

...though I have to admit, watching the recreation in a theater with surround sound was pretty frickin' awesome!    If they had spent a quarter of that effort into the rest of the movie as to accuracy alone.....

It was the same for the recent Elton John and Elvis movies.  Woulda/coulda/shoulda done a ton of things to make them better.  Oh, and if you didn't know, Elvis suddenly likes rap music (which was played during the ending credits.        I mean, WTf )

[DragonAttack]

LIVE AID



Saturday, July 17, 1985 Wembley Stadium, Attendance: 72,000   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZny9j99kdk&t=1s  Quality: A-

Setlist: Bohemian Rhapsody / Radio Ga Ga / Aye-Oh / Hammer To Fall / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions / Is This The World We Created…?

This was made available a couple of years ago, and I heard it for the first time two weeks ago. This gives a different vibe to the show, as the crowd is much more audible, and the listener feels they are in the audience.  From the singing in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’; the hand clapping, singing, and that final chorus of  ‘Radio Ga Ga’ (goosebump and teary eyes during that part); the sing along; right to the absolutely spine tingling participation in ‘We Are The Champions’, this is a must listen.

Freddie and Brian performed their duet of ‘Is This The World We Created…?’ three hours later.  One might want to pause a few minutes before hearing the song. 

This recording will only add to your enjoyment (and perception) of that evening, and just might become your 'go to' version. It totally blew me away!



VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkFHYODzRTs&t=3s   64 MILLION VIEWS

Intro by comedians Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith / Bohemian Rhapsody / Radio Ga Ga / Aye-Oh
Hammer To Fall / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions


 


IS THIS THE WORLD WE CREATED…?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riwDo7_GxjM  2.2 MILLION VIEWS

I didn’t hear or see this until fifteen years later.


LIVE AID DOCUMENTARY  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr8OF-L1F3I
The entire documentary is here.  The Queen segment begins at 52:18.  Immediately after their segment is Bob Geldof, and his commentary of his immediate angst and his trip to the studio booth.

“F*ck the address, give me the numbers.”  No, Bob Geldof didn’t say ‘give me your f*cking money!’ as legend has it (though it's entertaining how others remember it in the documentary ).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2jgOFqe4Uk  (just the Queen segment)
Note that there are still repurcusions from their South Africa tour the prior year (just listen to Daryl Hall at the beginning).
***********


 
LIVE AID ENTIRE CONCERT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a1ZF6gJ3fk&list=PLcJXHsgTY_JHQNGE9h6IQQckHuUD9Bubi
(interesting to see Prince Charles and Princess Diana walk in…..  with Bowie, Brian, Roger, and Roger’s assistant ‘Crystal’ Taylor already behind them (John was too nervous, so Crystal took his place)

THE PERFORMERS    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid   (London times are five hours ahead of the States EST (Queen’s 18:41 start would be 13:41) to help in cross referencing all of the acts in order.

Another documentary (short)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNwixrmdVbg

Had a couple of friends over for a couple of nights, went to the office to make up four hours of work,  and arrived home in time for REO Speedwagon and catching up with the others for our ‘liquid brunch’.  It did take me a bit to get used to Freddie with the slicked back hair and tank top. Oh, and WTW was John thinking of with that Afro!  Anyhoo....was a tad disappointed that 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was shortened (the taped opera section would have fallen flat without the lights anyway )  Thought it was an odd selection to segue into 'Radio Ga Ga', not knowing how popular it was on the other side of the pond.  And then I was spellbound at the crowd reaction!    And then the sing along.
 Holy frick!!!!   Later on, it might have been Diane Carroll on the screen with the pledge request for money, while Queen was shrunken on the screen.  Then the screen showed the MTVeeJays sitting in their studio in Philadelphia, Alan Jackson is rocking while watching the band on the large stadium screen during WWRY, and then our televised feed finally shows the rest of it and WATC.  I also remember being annoyed at the cameramen, who made it look like it was just Freddie on stage (btw, Spike Edney was, but they managed to show him for maybe a millisecond).  They were so in the way, that Freddie mugged for one, and danced with another.


 


I recorded the audio from WRIF-FM (Baby!) in Detroit, as well as U2, Led Zeppelin, and The Who.  These four bands were the highlights for me. 
In the documentary, Phil Collins (the Atlantic Ocean crossing drum machine!) comments on what Zeppelin later claimed.  Also surprised that they haven’t allowed any official footage to be released.  Well, here is the MTV version    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TudbbVdz8os 

I enjoyed the hell out of it then, and for the first time in decades last night.  And then, on this video at the end,  I’m like ‘is that Roger Taylor sitting between Mark Goodman and Martha Quinn !!!   Damn!  I also remember John during some interview that afternoon being excited and animated.....the first time I had ever heard him speak!

Upon further reading, maybe if they’d rehearsed for weeks ahead of time like Queen did.  Or, as Brian has mentioned, Queen’s sound crew ‘tweaked’ the sound system, making them slightly louder than the rest of the acts. Hiring the best often ends up having the best results.



The photo below deserves its own thread.  One of the most memorable and iconic pictures of the legendary front man.... from his most
legendary 'world wide' performance.
 

[Stadler]

Brian sure did make a point of having a lot of his songs make it into the movie ('Now I'm Here', as well as 'Hammer To Fall' during Live Aid, while cutting out 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'), Freddie with a mustache during the writing of WWRY and WATC.....firing Paul Prenter before Live Aid, the walking by of the sick man that day, etc etc etc....  don't get me started on all of the errors.     A shame, because Rami Malek and the concert were superb.

I found those continuity errors to be distracting too.  But I thought the Live Aid one was the most egregious, and here's why: they tried to build it up like it was an epic performance because of the distance, and the relationships and the rustiness... and I think they sold themselves short.  In real life it WAS an epic performance, and not because of any extraneous thing, but because they are THAT FUCKING GOOD.   I was SO blown away by that performance back in real time. They were a step above every other band there - including Zeppelin, Sting, Sabbath, and a host of other big names - except MAYBE U2.  I had heard Queen, I didn't like a lot of it (I still can't stand "AOBTD") and I was like where has THIS been all my life?   In real time it was mind-blowing. Why dumb it down with melodrama?

[Stadler]

It was the same for the recent Elton John and Elvis movies.  Woulda/coulda/shoulda done a ton of things to make them better.  Oh, and if you didn't know, Elvis suddenly likes rap music (which was played during the ending credits.        I mean, WTf )

DA, this is worth a watch. It's funny, but serious, and you won't watch any musical biopic the same way again:

https://youtu.be/K3q3LEaK7_U

[TAC]

It was the same for the recent Elton John and Elvis movies.  Woulda/coulda/shoulda done a ton of things to make them better.  Oh, and if you didn't know, Elvis suddenly likes rap music (which was played during the ending credits.        I mean, WTf )

DA, this is worth a watch. It's funny, but serious, and you won't watch any musical biopic the same way again:

https://youtu.be/K3q3LEaK7_U

Just watched it. Interesting. I find that most music autobios/bios all have a similar structure to each other. Take a band that has 25 years, and write a 350 page bio. But devote the first 200 pages on the band's first 2-5 years. Then fly past all of the interesting parts.

[DragonAttack]

It was the same for the recent Elton John and Elvis movies.  Woulda/coulda/shoulda done a ton of things to make them better.  Oh, and if you didn't know, Elvis suddenly likes rap music (which was played during the ending credits.        I mean, WTf )

DA, this is worth a watch. It's funny, but serious, and you won't watch any musical biopic the same way again:

https://youtu.be/K3q3LEaK7_U

I saw a Dick Clark produced 'Beatles' biopic in the 70's....and then there was 'The Doors'.  You're preaching to the choir    I'll take 'This Is Spinal Tap' and 'A Mighty Wind' anyday

Last year was a mini series about Aretha Franklin.  Courtney B. Vance, as her womanizing, Bible thumping father, was fantastic.  The rest, and the same with 'RESPECT' in the theaters, was so cleansed that they were ridiculous.  Aretha was a two pack a day smoker, but never lit up once in the movie.

I watched the video you posted.  It's spot on.  All of his shots at the Queen movie were dead on.  Just think how I felt watching it.  And then to converse with various friends afterwards who loved it.  Yeah, it's a great movie, if you don't want the truth!

[DragonAttack]

Moving far, far away from the movie.....  any comments about Queen's performance (or others) from experiences that day, or viewing the videos?

[TAC]

Moving far, far away from the movie.....  any comments about Queen's performance (or others) from experiences that day, or viewing the videos?

OK.... I find the lore of Queen's performance...I don't know. a tad overblown. I mean, they were great as always, but the true stars of their set was ....THE CROWD.
The visual of it being outdoors, in daylight, with Freddie in his white tank top.

Radio Gaga was a sneaky great choice. This wasn't a heavy crowd by any stretch. But they PARTICIPATED.

It just seemed like this crowd wanted to see Queen. I mean, following Dire Straits, it's no wonder the crowd exploded for Queen.