| ggo1 22.08.2019 03:45 |
With Dragon Attack back in the set list it got me thinking about songs that are better live than on record. Like a lot of the 80s material Dragon Attack was always harder live than the recording. I never really liked the album track but the live version always rocked. A Kind of Magic is another track that I love the live version far more than the recording (and I like the recording) mainly because of the guitars which have way more power than the light poppy single. So which songs do you prefer the live versions? |
| Makka 22.08.2019 04:57 |
Staying Power |
| matt z 22.08.2019 05:15 |
Some jams of IWTBF (Wembley included), White Queen, Dreamers Ball. ... That's about it.... the rest was done to damn near perfection (*on record*) or not performed at all for the most part. Staying Power sucked both ways. Sometimes WWRY was very powerful onstage Good candidates for just having a VERY interesting performance but still not topping the original = LIAR and PROPHETS SONG (*I'm in the minority of enjoying the echoplex or whatever |
| stevelondon20 22.08.2019 06:25 |
Dreamers Ball from Live Killers. That's my Live fave and I feel it's better than the original. |
| pietrek 22.08.2019 06:40 |
Staying Power [2] |
| HelloDelilah 22.08.2019 07:00 |
I really like Hammer to Fall at Live Aid when Freddie was dancing with the cameraman. White Queen live is also amazing with Freddie playing the piano solo. Also like Love of My Life, Radio Gaga, Another One Bites the Dust... There are just so many to choose from. Generally, I love to watch and listen to them live with some exceptions. Studio/video versions I like are You’re My Best Friend, Spread Your Wings (Roger’s backyard), Somebody to Love. Too bad the video technology in the 70s wasn’t as good as in the 80s. We missed out on a lot of great live performances on film. |
| mariah carey 22.08.2019 07:05 |
Action This Day |
| KJ 22.08.2019 08:53 |
Son and Daughter |
| dudeofqueen 22.08.2019 10:29 |
All of them. Certainly between 1972 and 1978, the dynamics and power of the band musically was incredible. Once the synths came into being and were then incorporated on stage, simply reproducing (or doing their best to) the record appeared to nullify all the sonic power of that trio. |
| pittrek 22.08.2019 11:49 |
Anything from The Game till A Kind of Magic |
| NickiP 22.08.2019 11:58 |
For me Another One Bites the Dust was always better live. I’m another lover of live Staying Power. And also Flash... I love the drum fill and timing of the voices done live. In fact, much as I love Queen in the studio, I often listen to the live albums because I love how tight they (often) were. |
| Queen Fan MS 22.08.2019 13:44 |
In my opinion, these are some of the songs that I feel, were performed better live. Liar Son and Daughter See what a fool I have been Seven seas of rhye (I love the alternate phrasing in Boston 76 version) Doing alright ( I love the earl's court '77 version) Somebody to love ( there are so many good versions, I like the version from the 82 European hot space leg more) Fat bottomed girls Mustapha Play the game (some of Freddie's alternate phrasings in the song were so good, especially Vienna 1982) Save me Another one bites the dust (except magic tour version!) Staying power Back chat Action this day Calling all girls (in fact most hot space songs, I like the live versions!) Put out the fire leading into Dragon attack was also good ( I wonder why they did not perform it more!) Hammer to fall (I love the sun city version!) A kind of magic |
| goose44 22.08.2019 16:47 |
Sheer Heart Attack, Action This Day, Get Down Make Love |
| dysan 22.08.2019 16:56 |
stevelondon20 wrote: Dreamers Ball from Live Killers. That's my Live fave and I feel it's better than the original.I agree. To be honest the whole acoustic part of LK beats the studio versions IMO |
| Golden Salmon 22.08.2019 20:23 |
"Hangman" live is way better, for sure. |
| Fly away 22.08.2019 20:41 |
Crazy Little Thing Call Love - the extended instrumental at the end. |
| Bo Alex 23.08.2019 01:56 |
White Queen, Save Me (1979 to 1981 versions), Dragon Attack, Spread Your Wings, Play The Game. |
| Jimmy Dean 23.08.2019 02:24 |
I've rarely preferred the live versions to the studio versions. Aside from Staying Power (Milton Keynes), Spread Your Wings (Live Killers) and Keep Yourself Alive (any one) - the live versions may be fun to hear, but they don't beat the studio versions, in my opinion. In the case of Staying Power, had they used more than a clean sounding rhythm guitar and sped up the tempo on the album - album would win given the horn section is refreshing to hear in a Queen song. Spread Your Wings studio is great, but the looser feel when played live is the way they should have done it on the album. (you know, you know, you know, you know you should do better...) Keep Yourself Alive took on a whole new life over the years that when you go back and hear the studio version, it sounds dated. |
| RobbyBloodshed 23.08.2019 03:10 |
Dreamers Ball definitely! You Take My Breath Away, especially the Hyde Park performance because it’s sung with such passion. A Kind Of Magic (specifically Budapest). ...and for good measure... In The Lap Of The Gods (because it doesn’t have the pitched down vocals and Roger’s high falsetto towards the end of the song is really predominate as opposed to on the record) at the Rainbow, along with Sheer Heart Attack Tour bootlegs. |
| queenfanbg 23.08.2019 04:30 |
Who Wants To Live Forever-Wembley first night |
| Cruella de Vil 23.08.2019 05:27 |
Hi for me I’ve always enjoyed the songs from the first two albums as they chose to have more freedom to improvise and the concert sound of bass and drums far outstrips that of the recorded version. As stated by others Liar Great King Rat Son and Daughter Father to Son but vocally the end of Modern times rock n roll is a great interchange between Fred and Roger that was only replicated on I Go Crazy. More recently though on the previous tours Brian had time to pull out all the stops on Tie your mother down and Fat bottom Girls |
| dysan 23.08.2019 05:36 |
Yeah as much as I love Modern Times, some live versions pip it. |
| stevelondon20 23.08.2019 07:06 |
dysan wrote:It was a fantastic gig.stevelondon20 wrote: Dreamers Ball from Live Killers. That's my Live fave and I feel it's better than the original.I agree. To be honest the whole acoustic part of LK beats the studio versions IMO |
| Holly2003 23.08.2019 08:29 |
I wonder why Fred didn't sing the opening lines of Don't Stop me Now live? It was easily within his capability, especially in the Live Killers era. |
| DepeX 23.08.2019 16:04 |
See What A Fool I've Been, It's A Hard Life, A Kind Of Magic and Radio Ga Ga for sure, in my opinion. |
| Queen Fan MS 23.08.2019 16:05 |
@Holly - You are right. Even in crazy tour where his vocals were insanely good, in the famed newcastle'79 shows, he let the audience sing the intro. The closest he came to singing the intro was in Hammersmith 1979 and even there, he let the audience take over after singing the starting verse. I would like to think that he liked the sound of audience singing his song and it made him happy to see that the audience appreciated the song more, given the fact that the song was not considered a great song even within the band at that time and it reached only 9 in UK and did not do well in US. |
| dysan 23.08.2019 20:03 |
Queen Fan MS wrote: @Holly - You are right. Even in crazy tour where his vocals were insanely good, in the famed newcastle'79 shows, he let the audience sing the intro. The closest he came to singing the intro was in Hammersmith 1979 and even there, he let the audience take over after singing the starting verse. I would like to think that he liked the sound of audience singing his song and it made him happy to see that the audience appreciated the song more, given the fact that the song was not considered a great song even within the band at that time and it reached only 9 in UK and did not do well in US.It's almost the same as why are you a nob? |
| SweetCarolina 23.08.2019 21:28 |
Save me at the bowl Somebody To love lot of times Who Wants To Live Forever Sheer Heart Attack |
| Michael Allred 24.08.2019 03:14 |
Pretty much all of "Hot Space" |
| Queen Fan MS 24.08.2019 04:10 |
@dysan - Sorry. Did I say something wrong? I was just agreeing to what Holly was saying regarding Freddie not singing the intro to 'Don't stop me now' live and imo, what I thought could have been the reason. I am listening to and enjoying all the live versions on youtube, thanks to all the people who are sharing the stuff, Gregsynth, Ryan Newton, ChinWonder, SImon Christiansen, Chief Mouse, and so many others. So the live versions are still in my head, I was excited to share the same. If I came out sounding like a nob, it was unintentional and due to English not being my native language. hope we are ok. |
| dysan 24.08.2019 07:10 |
Yes of course. I can't quite put my finger on what I meant but certainly nothing to offend or attack anyone on here. |
| Queen Fan MS 24.08.2019 07:18 |
I am glad we are good. |
| dysan 24.08.2019 07:31 |
I was using exaggerated language to underline the futility of discussing something that is largely unsolvable but can see that in the cold light of day it could easily be misconstrued as an attack. I believe in a confrontation free QZ and one in which all posters go about their threads in a well balanced and gracious manner (myself included - although light ribbing is allowed). I would also agree that LK version of DSMN is superior to the studio version. Same with DOTL and LMEY too - although that might just be down to the fact they are the first versions I heard as a little boy. After hearing the raw live versions of those the studio cuts seemed too fussy. But both versions can happily co-exist as they are so different and essential. An alternate spin on that is when we finally got the live Fairy Fellers - being so familiar with the studio cut (and loving it) hearing the raw live version breathed fresh understanding into the studio cut and reinvigorated my love for it. Again, both versions to me are essential for their different spins on the song. |
| Holly2003 24.08.2019 08:35 |
Trying to distinguish between which songs I prefer live and which songs I think are better live. Lots in the former category, one or two in the latter. I think Dreamers Ball is more fun live than the over produced and rather sterile studio version. The fast version of WWRY on Live killers is one of the great live rock songs, albeit no doubt studio enhanced. It's much better than the BBC Sessions version (which is still very good). Live versions of Keep Yourself Alive tend to be more exciting and have a better groove than the original studio version. Aside from those two examples, I can't think of any others. Certainly none of the tracks from Queen 2 through to NotW are better live. As for the Hot Space songs, you can't polish a turd. They're most pretty grim on record and live. |
| dysan 24.08.2019 08:42 |
When I first heard the studio Dreamers Ball after been very familiar with the LK version I was like WTF is this? Seemed a bit overcooked. The early version on the 2011 reissue is better - closer to the loose live version. I love Hot Space (as you probably know) but I'll say that there are some live version of Body Language that are NUTS. I think the absurdity of them playing it live (they know it, the audience knows it) kind of recreates that fun vibe of the live Dreamers Ball. And contrary to history, the crowd absolutely laps it up. |
| Holly2003 24.08.2019 08:53 |
Fun, yes. Better? To give an example, I've been to two shows where they played AOBTD and it was well received by the crowd (of course). The big booming bass sounds great. But when you listen to live recordings it's fat and loose compared to the tighter studio version. Virtually everything sounds great at a concert but when you hear live recordings afterwards, not so good. |
| dysan 24.08.2019 09:01 |
I know what you mean. |
| Chopin1995 24.08.2019 17:47 |
I tend to prefer studio versions in most cases. Queen in studio were very experimental and this is what makes it so interesting, apart from other things. But overall, I find both studio Queen and live Queen equally fascinating. I'll go through all albums and decide which songs I prefer live. Should be interesting, even if interesting for me only :) Keep Yourself Alive - but very slightly Great King Rat - because of the way the drums were recorded in 1972 Liar - Inglewood December 1977 is incredible, and many other versions Seven Seas of Rhye - only 1970s versions White Queen - probably in my top 3 Queen live songs, but studio version is underrated Now I'm Here - this is easy. Late 70s versions are amazing, with Freddie doing some great vocals in the improvised middle part Get Down Make Love - because of the improvised guitars and vocals with delay effect in the middle part which makes that otherworldly atmosphere Fat Bottomed Girls - never really liked the studio version Save Me - always sounded better live to me. Mack-produced songs are my less fauvorite, sonically at least Calling All Girls - live sound>Mack sound One Vision - the same A Kind Of Magic - sounded wonderful on stage |
| dysan 24.08.2019 18:15 |
I still think of Live Magic with AKOM live. The audience reaction sounded muted when Freddie sings the first line. Almost a jeer? Of course other recordings have a big cheers when he starts it. |
| Art Lawyer 25.08.2019 01:58 |
All songs was better live except when Freddie had bad voice. |
| Toozeup 25.08.2019 03:52 |
Somebody to Love is fantastic live. Especially the passion Freddie put into on those Europen Hot Space shows. |
| ITSM 27.08.2019 13:33 |
White Queen Spread Your Wings Get Down Make Love Staying Power A Kind of Magic |