I made some comments on the sharing board about my fondness for the Game Tour. I was listening to the recording of the concert held in Paris on 25.11.1980 which was recently shared here by dear user Bokkeppot and got amazed by the rendition of "Play The Game". I had been listening to the concerts from the Game Tour in a more or less chronological order - I had to skip some :op - when I came across this version which is absolutely gorgeous. When I thought I had heard it all...bah. This is thrilling and amazing. I loved this rendition of the song. And I'd like to ask some questions. I hope it doesn't annoy you guys.
Would you guys be so kind, if you feel like doing it and time allows, of course, to help me with this?
Sir GH, Martin, On My Way Up or anyone who feels like helping. I'd be glad. :)
Freddie sings on this concert that exquisite variation on the line "don't play hard to get..." which comes just before the fade out in the studio version - I'll post the link to the excerpt: it's about 1:02.000 in the file. I linked the whole bridge which is beautifully done and the wonderful solo by Brian as well because it's very worth listening, but the variation - very hard to sing, by the way! - occurs about 1:02.000:
My questions (am I getting spoiled or what!?) :-))
1)Do you guys remember Freddie singing this variation, or singing it so perfectly, on another concert, regardless of the tour?
2) The final question bears on the piano intro. He plays it very differently this time, at least differently from the way he used to introduce it in this tour - he's playing the usual live intro when about 0:15.000 in the file I posted below he begins doing some flourishes in a brisker pace to buid up tension before he finally plays the song's obsessive descending C-B figure. :op
I always associated this kind of device with the live intros of Death On Two Legs, but it was a beautiful surprise to listen to it introducing Play The Game and generating a wonderful sense of tension and providing room for a beautiful release which lands squarely on the beginning of the song.
Do you guys remember other interesting live intros to "Play The Game"?
---
Sorry for opening the topic here. I didn't want to hijack the thread on the sharing board. : -(
I wish you all guys the very best. May every one of you have a nice thursday!!!
Great to see you enjoy comparing all those different versions!
It's indeed beautifully sung:-)
I have exams at the moment so no time to get into this more deeply but I'm going to listen to a bunch of 'Play the games' once my exams have finished. It's interesting to listen to all those little details!
I always enjoy reading your comments so keep them coming:-)
on my way up wrote:
Great to see you enjoy comparing all those different versions!
It's indeed beautifully sung:-)
I have exams at the moment so no time to get into this more deeply but I'm going to listen to a bunch of 'Play the games' once my exams have finished. It's interesting to listen to all those little details!
I always enjoy reading your comments so keep them coming:-)
Hi, on my way up!
Thanks a lot for the reply. I hope you fare very well at the exams!
It's so beautifully sung, isn't it? It's incredible! It's exactly like in the studio recording: it's a variation which comes just before the fade out in the studio - the line "don't play hard to get". Though, differently from the studio version, here there's a full-fledged formant modulation - it's just jaw dropping the way he sings the following verse: "all you have to do is fall in love". He adds so much drama and passion to it and the quality of his tone is so pristine. It's this musical intelligence and flair that really captivates me.
There are other "beauties" here: it's an audience recording. It sounds ok, but that's it - even so, when he goes on to sing "through my viens/driving me insane" by squarely fractioning the notes, as he usually did, you listen clearly to each and every one of the steps - it's absolutely clear, each piece of it, the phrase begins to descend in very distinctive staccati but still manages to retain a sense of continuity. It's beautiful.
Such a great performance of this song!
Thanks a lot, my dear, and I wish you the best in the exams.
Thanks for giving it a listen and replying. Very kind of you, as always. :-)
Sir GH wrote:
I had never listened to this show, but now I'll have to! That delivery of Play The Game is pretty definitive.
Hi, Sir GH!
How are you?
Oh, that's so cute! Nice to have your opinion on this. ;-)) I enjoyed this delivery a lot, the song is beautifully played.
Thanks a million for the reply. : -)
May I ask you one more Queen-related question? :op
Sorry if I'm being a bit abusive. :- ( But if we didn't have doubts, and there weren't kind and nice people willing to help and impart their knowledge, there'd be no forum, right!? So...I'm already defending my right to ask. lol
Anyway, have a nice, beautiful day and thanks a lot for the reply.
FriedChicken wrote:
Someone who has lots of bootlegs and feels like it should make a setlist of every tour with the best performances.
Hi, FriedChicken!
How are you?
Thanks a million for the reply. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks, really. I kept listening to the concert and, well, it's the usual stuff: Freddie's voice begins to get gradually in worse shape up until the point that, when it comes to sing "we are the champions", he's barely managing to sing the melody of the run up before the chorus - his voice cracks in a terrible way and the way he tries to overcome it is quite clumsy. :-( Though he's not to blame, I can't think of anyone coming up with a solution for that ascending line! Overall, this Paris gig is very nice, because the band is playing very well and Freddie does a great job throughout most of the show.
Again, thanks for the reply and for listening to it and commenting on it.