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Rainbow 31.4.1974? The origin

Posted on 25.03.2004 11:52:27

Well.
This is the only show I have from Queen II-tour so I can' really compare it with the others.
One thing struck into my mind. Tha backing vocals are really GREAT and the over-all sound has that nice punch of reverb/delay which makes it sound bigger.

One thing puzzles me though. The guitars and piano seem to come from the different shannels on my stereo! Is this really a soundboard-recording (made by Jhn Harris f.ex.?).

And to all who have other concerts from the first part of the year 1974. Was their backing vocals on Seven Seas of Rhye always this great on this tour?!

	Posted on 25.03.2004 18:11:26
	31.4.74 Rainbow has vocals overdubs

	Posted on 25.03.2004 21:12:40
	Not this Rainbow I'm talking about. I'm aware that the box of trix Rainbow (from Sheer Heart Attack tour) Autumn 1974 is released, edited, re-edited and overdubbed, but this one surely cannot have vocal overdubs.

	Posted on 25.03.2004 21:57:34
	I think this is the Golders Green gig. You can tell because 1) Procession is very slightly different and 2) Father to Son has different (first draft?) lyrics. It was a pro recording made by the BBC and mixed in Stereo. Then again I could be very wrong...!!!

	Posted on 25.03.2004 23:46:51
	No it's not Golders Green because I have that too. That one has Bob Harris introduction and banter between the songs. Rainbow who is genuine. It has Freddie saying (before Seven Seas of Rhye) "This is our current release"

	Posted on 26.03.2004 02:29:47
	31.4.74 Rainbow has vocals overdubs for the video

	Posted on 26.03.2004 09:04:27
	I agree it sounds great and I too wondered if there are any overdubs there. Queen don't own this particular video so WHO would have done these overdubs? That's the main question.

Posted on 26.03.2004 10:39:11

I have few bits (Modern Times and Son and Daughter) on video from that show. It doesn't seem like a very professional one! Who filmed it?

Was it to be released officially? That would explain why they did overdubs...otherwise I don't get it.

Btw. Listen to the Rainbow show 6 months after this show. There is some overdubs for you. Freddie is double tracked on many occasions and on Now I'm Here (also on Rocks-video) there are at least 3 Rogers singin backing vocals....
talking about a live show....

	Posted on 26.03.2004 15:55:10
	I don't know who filmed it but Queen Productions have the same shitty footage of two songs like we have. Apparently they're now looking for a better copy - I think one or two documentaries about Queen feature a much better footage from this concert which could suggest there's a better version somewhere.

	Posted on 26.03.2004 19:49:32
	I don't think it was Whispering Bob on Golders Green!.... I'm not sure whether it was broadcast on BBC either. I think me and Mr. Scully discussed this a while back, I'm sure I read somewhere that it was broadcast on Radio Caroline. Maybe after the BBC broadcast....

	Posted on 26.03.2004 21:47:46
	That's really interesting! So there should be something more in vault somewhere..... But that leads us back again: who recorded the overdubs (if there is some)?! Not many people have Rogers vocal range up to C5 which is very HIGH indeed. And the Seven Seas of Rhye really sounds just like on album....

	Posted on 27.03.2004 12:15:13
	The overdubs were taken from the original album track tapes, I think...

Posted on 27.03.2004 13:11:08

From memory; I think this is the famous "Sheetkickers" concert... if so, this particular concert was officially audibly recorded by Trident as a future releaseable "Live" album - and never broadcast by the BBC or any other radio broadcaster.

The album was edited, engineered, mastered, and made into acetate (2x one-sided LPs) - this is where the bootleg comes from - and even a cover was designed. (A solid black cover with white-Queen crest - identical to the back of the Queen II album).

This was a "cash-in" album - so although Queen themselves were not too happy with the final product - they had no say in the matter - as they were then owned by the company.

However, just as the album went into the final production stage - Queen began legal proceedings to break away from Trident - so the album was shelved indefinately.

For many years however, a framed copy of the "reaeaseable" version remained in Barry Sheffield's office - and as he owns the rights - Queen cannot reproduce.

So the overdubs come from the original master tapes because that was part of the final remix. (This was done by sound engineers and not by Queen - another reason why they did not like the mix - which is ironic really as they themselves did the same in both the Magic gigs and the Freddie tributes).

The video performance was not recorded as a "live concert" like the previous gig (simply because home video was NOT invented and a Queen performance had already been filmed for the cinema). Rather, the gig was filmed for television, and because in those days only three UK TV stations existed, it would not have been possible to air the complete show.

Instead, tracks could be pulled from the performance (like singles) and included on programmes like "The Old Grey Whistle Test".

Yet again, this footage was own by the Seffield's - and as far as I know - either no longer exists - or is extremely well hidden.

Death on two legs anyone?

	Posted on 27.03.2004 17:26:24
	but I think that QP has a better version of that show on video since in 'Don't Stop Me Now' tv special can be seen some bits of that show in really good quality... ;) what do you think?

	Posted on 28.03.2004 12:09:56
	^Yeah! There were at least few, very good-quality, shots from that show (Brian playing in his black shirt). Was QP in charge with "Don't Stop Me Now"? Or were those bit from the Beeb archive?

	Posted on 28.03.2004 20:20:34
	Interesting stuff John - cheers! Never knew that! So looks like that Golders Green will never get an official release then?

Posted on 29.03.2004 09:58:04

"I think that QP has a better version of that show on video since in 'Don't Stop Me Now' tv special can be seen some bits of that show in really good quality... ;)"

Last time I spoke with Jim Jenkins he was pretty sure Queen don't have any good footage. Don't Stop Me Now indeed features some seconds from an early live video - some people in fact think it's not Rainbow at all. Even if it is (and I think it is), it doesn't automatically mean the creators of the documentary have got the footage directly from Queen.

Posted on 04.04.2004 15:00:05

This is a question for John S Stuart. Your story is very interesting, but it's somewhat confusing too. I would like to know if the gig filmed for cinema is the 31-3 Rainbow gig and the one from which single tracks could be pulled the 20-11 Rainbow gig? Because I always thought that the 20-11 Rainbow gig was filmed for cinema and that that was the reason for the dreadful editing.

By the way, the snippet of Modern Times Rock'n Roll in the DSMN documentary is definitely Rainbow 31-3.

Posted on 04.04.2004 16:52:21

In my last post I made a little mistake. The Modern Times Rock 'n Roll snippet is not in the Don't Stop Me Now documentary, but in the When Freddie Mercury met Kenny Everett documentary. The snippet from Brian as mentioned above is probably from that gig as well. It sounds very similar to the Opera Omnia version of Son and Daughter.

The killer Queen documentary also features two pieces of footage which might be from Rainbow 31-3. One was shot from down below and shows Freddie with leather pants and the shirt from tthe Keep Yourself Alive Video. In the other shot Freddie wears a black and white outfit. looks a bit like Zandra Rhodes style.

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