Queen - Rock Montreal & Live Aid

Overwrought, overblown, visually stunning – it’s Queen ’81!

Originally a cinema release titled We Will Rock You, which went to VHS in 1984, this has now been acquired by Messrs Taylor and May. They’ve had it cleaned up and sonically refurbished, and the result is visually stunning, even in your living room. Oft-wayward camera-work concentrates on Freddie Mercury, but when the focus pulls back, the light show, very Close Encounters in flavour, surely sets the stadium rock standard. While they were about to enter a fallow period musically, this 1981 performance was Queen’s stage swansong as a four-piece, additional keyboards being added shortly afterwards. May’s guitar improvisation is a bit slapdash at times, but the quartet revel in the freedom and Mercury’s underrated piano-playing shines. The mid-set trio of Love Of My Life, the first public performance of Under Pressure and Keep Yourself Alive is the core of the show, the music moving from acoustic balladry through white funk to prog-rock in one majestic sweep. Flash and The Hero were trimmed from the film and, surviving only in audio form, are not included, while the running order has been tampered with slightly, but no Queen fan will feel short-changed. A bonus disc of Live Aid footage needs no further comment.

Eagle Vision | EREDV 666

Reviewed by Michael Heatley
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