Queen: The Complete Works (127 page)

‘Flash’ / ‘The Hero’, ‘We Will Rock You’
(fast)
, ‘Action This Day’, ‘Play The Game’, ‘Staying Power’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Now I’m Here’ / ‘Dragon Attack’ / ‘Now I’m Here
(reprise)
’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘Save Me’, ‘Back Chat’, ‘Get Down, Make Love’, Guitar Solo / Drum Solo, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘Sheer Heart Attack’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘God Save The Queen’, Selections from Tokyo, November 1982 (‘Flash’ / ‘The Hero’, ‘Now I’m Here’ / ‘Put Out The Fire’ / ‘Dragon Attack’ / ‘Now I’m Here’
(reprise)
’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)’. Selections from Vienna, May 1982 (‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘God Save The Queen’)

Fans rejoiced at the DVD release of
Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl
: even though it had been filmed for and broadcast on TV in 1982, it was from an era of Queen’s history that was unfairly maligned and now interesting to explore.
Hot Space
may have been a let-down, but the band’s performance at Milton Keynes Bowl on 5 June 1982 saw them blazing through a wonderful set combining old favourites and new compositions. And it should be noted that the
Hot Space
tracks – ‘Action This Day’, ‘Staying Power’ and ‘Back Chat’ – sound much better live than on record.

The video is shot superbly, again by Gavin Taylor, and while some of the shots focus a bit too much on Brian and Freddie, it’s a minor complaint. The second disc contains a smattering of extras, including live performances of some neglected tracks from concerts in Vienna and Tokyo; the latter concert features an absolutely scorching version of ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and a great rendition of ‘Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)’. While all the Japanese footage had been released on
Live In Japan
in 1982, it was released here worldwide for the first time.

Interview footage is also included, though the questions revolve around the band’s light show instead of anything worthwhile. Brian and Roger are interviewed together, both of them alternating between weariness and humour; Freddie appears alone and bounces back and forth between indifference and annoyance. Overall, the bonus features are nice (a photo gallery of the 1982 tour is also included, though the only thing of interest is the backing music: the slideshow is set to a previously unreleased live version of ‘Calling All Girls’, also from the Japanese concert), but the real attraction is the first disc, a reminder that when Queen were on fire, they were virtually unstoppable.

LIVE AID

• 2004 (10 hours) • WSM R2 970383

•
Producers:
Jill Sinclair, Bob Geldof, John Kennedy

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘We Will Rock
You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Is This The World We Created...?’

When Bob Geldof received word that bootleg DVDs of the July 1985 Live Aid performance were being traded and sold for exorbitant prices on the internet, he was outraged and went against his original claim that the performance would be a one-off, never to be seen again. Instead of having greedy bootleggers receive the profits, an edited four-disc box set of the two simultaneous concerts was released in November 2004, with all proceeds going to famine relief.

It was inevitable that Queen’s set, widely considered the best of the day, was included, and what a treat it is. Finally, fans who were mere toddlers or not even born at the time of the concert were able to see what the hype was all about, and why the band (but mostly Freddie) were held in such high regard. As with the other sets, the technical setbacks were edited as well as possible (Brian’s solo during ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ was marred by irritating feedback, which was almost entirely omitted) to provide the most accurate portrayal possible of that legendary day. Some fans have argued that too much attention was paid to Freddie, while the others only occasionally stroll into the camera’s view, but Brian, Roger and John have all stated that Live Aid was Freddie’s time to show the world who he was, and there’s no better place to see this than here.

For those not wishing to purchase the four-disc box set (though it really is worth it), a single disc of highlights was released. Titled
Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today
, Queen are the only act to feature a full song (‘Radio Ga Ga’ in its entirety), with others reduced to merely soundbites.

THE MAKING OF A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

• 2005 (141 mins) • Eagle Vision EREDV579 •
Director:
Matthew Longfellow •
Producers:
Terry Shland, Geoff Kempin, Jamie Rugge-Price, Nick de Grunwald, and Martin R. Smith

To coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of
A Night At The Opera
, Eagle Vision commissioned a fascinating documentary into the making of each track from Queen’s seminal fourth album. With a slew of new interviews with Brian, Roger, Roy Thomas Baker, Jac Holzman, Nicky Horne, and Queen’s peers Joe Perry, among many others, the documentary deconstructs the album and offers insight and knowledge of the recording process. This is highly recommended, and one wishes Queen would commission these kinds of documentaries for all of their albums.

QUEEN ROCK MONTREAL (AND LIVE AID)

• 2007 (95 mins) • Eagle Vision EREDV666-P

•
Director, Montreal:
Saul Swimmer

•
Director, Live Aid:
John G. Smith

•
Producers, Montreal:
Saul Swimmer, Jim Beach, Adrian Scrope, Mack, Roger Taylor, Brian May, Geoff Kempin, Terry Shand, Kris Fredrikkson, Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J. Macrae •
Producers, Live Aid:
Michael Appleton, Phil Chilvers, Justin Shirley-Smith

Montreal: ‘‘Intro’, ‘We Will Rock You’
(fast)
, ‘Let Me Entertain You’, ‘Play The Game’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Get Down, Make Love’, ‘Save Me’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Dragon Attack’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, Drum Solo, Guitar Solo, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘Sheer Heart Attack’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘God Save The Queen’; Live Aid: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, Freddie Singalong, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Is This The World We Created...?’, Live Aid rehearsal, TV interview

Another year, another opportunity to milk the November 1981 Montreal concert. But this time, instead of Saul Swimmer and Mobilevision doing so, Queen Productions finally purchased the rights to and released the definitive release of this concert. It may be familiar to every Queen fan, but the footage has been fixed considerably, and is fascinating in that it feels like the audience is right there with the band – not a coincidence, as this was the original intent of the concert. A commentary track, recorded by Brian and Roger, complements the footage, and many fascinating tidbits are discovered, though a lot of it centres around the band’s dislike of Saul Swimmer and his production team and camera crew.

On his Soapbox, Brian had promised “exciting bonus features” for the DVD, leading many fans to salivate at the thought of footage from their spring 1981 tour across South America, but what materialized was only marginally exciting: the band’s full set at Live Aid (already released on the 2004 box set,
Live Aid
) and
footage of the band rehearsing for their big day. While
Queen Rock Montreal
is undeniably a major upgrade in both sound and visuals, it was a disappointing release, with little to entice the fan who had countless versions of
We Will Rock You
.

SOLO VIDEOS

THE BRIAN MAY BAND:

LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY

• 1994 (89 mins) • PMI MVN 4911873

•
Director:
Gavin Taylor •
Producer:
Jim Beach

‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Token’
(reprise)
, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ / ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, Keyboards Solo, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Guitar Extravagance’, ‘Resurrection’, Band Introduction, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Hammer To Fall’

The video equivalent of Brian’s sole live album (his 1998 Royal Albert Hall show was originally planned to be issued in early 1999 as a video and album release, but was cancelled for unknown reasons) is an enjoyable romp through former Queen hits and new solo songs as Brian does his best to replicate his past band’s old glories. The video differs slightly from the album, with a longer running time and additional dialogue.
Live At The Brixton Academy
has been deleted and is difficult to locate anywhere, but should be picked up for a reasonable price since it serves as the only official documentation of Brian’s first post-Queen tour.

ROGER TAYLOR: LIVE AT THE CYBERBARN

(THE MAKING OF A WORLD RECORD)

• 1998 (58 mins) • PMI QD010002NJ •
Directors:
Rudi Dolezal, Hannes Rossacher and Simon Witter

•
Producers:
Jim Beach and Tim Massey • Sound
producer:
Joshua J. Macrae

Roger’s first video release, available by mail order only, was a documentary that focused on his record-breaking Cyberbarn concert from 24 September 1998. Unfortunately,
Live At The Cyberbarn (The Making Of A World Record)
, certainly a contender for the most unwieldy title in the Queen oeuvre, suffers at the edit-happy hands of DoRo. The video is essentially a cut-and-paste affair, with only excerpts of the songs appearing intertwined with interview footage – apparently, it was too difficult to feature the concert in full and follow it with the interviews. To make matters worse, the video is presented as if being viewed on a computer screen, making for a strange experience.

FREDDIE MERCURY:

THE FREDDIE MERCURY VIDEO COLLECTION

• 2000 (VHS: 53 mins; DVD: 96 mins) • Parlophone 7243 4 92443 9 9 •
Directors:
Gavin Taylor, David Mallet, Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher

‘Barcelona’ (mimed), ‘The Great Pretender’, ‘I Was Born To Love You’, ‘Time’, ‘How Can I Go On’ (mimed), ‘Made In Heaven’, ‘Living On My Own’, ‘The Golden Boy’ (mimed), ‘The Great Pretender’
(extended version)
, ‘Barcelona’, ‘In My Defence’, ‘Guide Me Home’ (closing titles)

Also released as part of the mammoth
Solo Collection
release in October 2000,
The Freddie Mercury Video Collection
amassed eleven of Freddie’s official promotional videos into a neat little package, the first time any of them had been released as a unit. While the track listing appears to have been chosen completely at random, each video is more elaborate than its predecessor, with live versions of three songs from
Barcelona
thrown in at intervals: the title track, ‘How Can I Go On’ and ‘The Golden Boy’. An added bonus is the extended version of ‘The Great Pretender’, which shows Freddie, Roger and Peter Straker goofing off behind the scenes while getting into their outfits. Freddie may have only made seven true promotional videos – and each of them is brilliant, showing just how much detail Freddie demanded of his directors – the four extra videos are worthy inclusions. The real treat comes later, however: interviews with the directors of each video explain the process and give tidbits of information. Definitely a terrific addition to the Queen video catalogue, though similar packages for Brian and Roger’s videos would also be welcome.

FREDDIE MERCURY: THE UNTOLD STORY

• 2000 (112 mins)

•
Directors:
Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher

Released only as part of the
Solo Collection
box set in October 2000 (and reworked as a separate release in September 2006 as
Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs
),
The Untold Story
is a documentary based on all aspects
of Freddie’s life: his childhood, college experience, forming Queen, the music he produced, his many love affairs and his untimely death. It’s a lengthy documentary, with undue emphasis on his sexuality, a topic many fans feel should be consigned to the tabloids rather than an officially sanctioned documentary.

Regardless,
The Untold Story
is an interesting documentary including interviews with people who had been associated with Freddie in various ways: his sister, Kashmira Cooke, and mother, Jer Bulsara; the headmaster of the boarding school Freddie attended; school friends and teachers; former band members from Ibex and Wreckage; Tim Staffell, Brian May, Roger Taylor, Mary Austin, Jim Hutton, Peter Freestone, Mick Rock, Ian Hunter, Peter Straker, and still others. Most are respectful of Freddie, his memory and his achievements, and it’s clear that the documentary was a labour of love. With a soundtrack provided by French pianist Thierry Lang,
The Untold Story
remains the definitive word on Freddie’s life, and is certainly worth checking out.

QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS VIDEOS

RETURN OF THE CHAMPIONS

• 2005 (140 mins) • Hollywood 2061 62527 9

•
Directors:
David Mallet and Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell (‘Imagine’ only) •
Producers:
Brian May, Roger Taylor, Paul Rodgers, Simon Lupton, and Rhys Thomas

‘Reaching Out’ / ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’, ‘Wishing Well’, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Say It’s Not True’, ‘’39’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
(slow/fast)
, ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, ‘Let There Be Drums’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, Guitar Solo, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Can’t Get Enough’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘I Want It All’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘The Show Must Go On’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘God Save The Queen’, ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’, ‘Imagine
(Hyde Park, July 2005)
’