This has probably been discussed on here before, but I'd love to get some input from those live Queen experts. For me so far my favorite live guitar solo of Brian's was in Seattle in '77. What's yours?
J
Live at Wembley is superb, I think for atmosphere and everything its up there for sure!
The only problem with it is its very fractured, esp in the first half, and its a little 'samey' perhaps at times. Still a great performance and made better when you watch the video!
But I personally can't get past the version from Hyde Park, it just flows so well through the various stages and it constantly shifts about...plus I think the first 2 mins after Freddie finishes on Brighton are just about the best work I've heard from Brian live IMO in terms of how complex it is and how it flows.
mooghead wrote: "a little 'samey' perhaps at times"
LOL!! You mean that same guitar solo he played hundreds of times???
LOL. I thought this may actually have been about a range of choices rather than that "set" solo he did hundreds of times. If we're talking about those, I can't say there'sa stand-out version, it just bores me to tears. My favourite BM solo is Last Horizon, the versions from ROTC CD and from Glasgow 2008 are brilliant!
He never 'shredded' it though did he? It would have been great if, just once, he went off script and just went for it. I think part of the reason Brian never really does well in 'best guitarist' polls (for what its worth) is that he was never brave enough to wander from the highly rehearsed Brighton Rock thing which, as alluded to above, became insanely boring very quickly. (Surely he got bored with it too?!?)
I never really get bored of Brighton Rock. Rather than just a guitar solo, I see it as a song like Freebird, which has a long guitar section, or maybe a better comparison is Coast to Coast by the Scorpions. I don't really want to hear Freebird or C2C so improvised that I can't recognise them: same goes for Brighton Rock. The reason Brian doesn't shred is because he can't. He's just not very fast. But speed is only one indicator of esteem in guitar playing. Many shreders fall short in other areas where Brian is strong.
At ,least with Hyde park 76 there was some variation, and as I said the first part of his BR solo was probably about as quick as Brian would play on his own solo part.
Obviously with Brian it was his use of delay that really helped him.
Brian can play very fast, but he's not the kind of guy to do that in a solo spot. He prefers to create something that's musical. And it definitely isn't the same solo he's played for 30 years. He has never done the same solo twice, although of course there are elements that have stayed and others that haven't. But between 1977 and 1986, it was very much a work in progress, and it evolved into many directions. From the old tapes I've heard, I'd say it peaked in 1982. Some of the solos he did on that European tour were incredibly creative.
I don't really have a favourite from his long solos, but in recent years my favourite Brian moment was hearing him segue into Bijou at Kharkov. I got an indescribable buzz when I realised what he was playing, because I'd been wishing for him to play it for years.
Zebonka12 wrote: I don't really have a favourite from his long solos, but in recent years my favourite Brian moment was hearing him segue into Bijou at Kharkov. I got an indescribable buzz when I realised what he was playing, because I'd been wishing for him to play it for years.
That was so awesome to experience live. After the solo he started to do the slide and a bit of tapping and everyone around me was holding their breath thinking "Wow this sounds like Bijou" And then he did it!
Funny coincidence; In 2006 I also segued a Brighton Rock like guitarsolo into Bijou in a similar way. Although I played the whole thing, not just the pre-vocal solo.
Zebonka12 wrote: I don't really have a favourite from his long solos, but in recent years my favourite Brian moment was hearing him segue into Bijou at Kharkov. I got an indescribable buzz when I realised what he was playing, because I'd been wishing for him to play it for years.
I agree, great buzz. Got very emotional at that, especially seeing Fred on the big screen. But Last Horizon is still my favourite!
Harrisburg '74, Saginaw '76, Kzoo in 77 and 78, Detroit and Cleveland 80 and 82.....Hollywood 03, Jersey 06, Detroit and DC 07..............because we were there.
boots.........the 'Three Blind Mice' insert in Brighton Rock mid 70's. Good stuff for a Three Stooges fan.
