Hi!
I'm looking for the vocally best live performance of this song.
To me this song is one of the best Freddie's studio vocal performances ever. Chorus include so high notes and Freddie sang them very well. Especially the line in the first chorus "oh you need a bullet like a hole in the head" is technically very difficult. Freddie's overall sound and tone is also very good.
A very underrated song.
The studio cut is pretty amazing: great vocals and love the guitar.
The live version is one of their biggest mistakes ever, however. Very weak song on stage. Awful harmonies. It required too much from Freddie. Roger didn't really impress me either.
I wouldn't know which version is best, to stay on-topic ;-)
Rick wrote: The studio cut is pretty amazing: great vocals and love the guitar.
The live version is one of their biggest mistakes ever, however. Very weak song on stage. Awful harmonies. It required too much from Freddie. Roger didn't really impress me either.
I wouldn't know which version is best, to stay on-topic ;-)
I couldn't agree more with you. It sounded like shit live. It's kinda like Who Wants to Live Forever. Freddie could never sing the high notes (even when he was in great shape because he wanted to save his voice) and the harmonies sucked. The only nice part was the first two verses and then once the choruses came in it sounded like ass.
While I completely agree that Put Out The Fire didn't work very well live, there are two versions that I personally like (Osaka and Nagoya 1982).
As for Who Wants To Live Forever, Vienna 1st night is probably the best version live: Freddie doesn't yelp notes, sustains powerful mid-range notes without flipping into that falsetto register (AKA Stockholm/Leiden), and the chorus is fantastic (the quality brings out all the voices--in perfect sync and harmony).
Over the Field wrote: Out of topic but yes the Who Wants To Live Forever, Vienna 1st night, is pretty amazing! Never heard it before.
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It's a great version. I have to give Bob credit for showing me how great it was (read his description on his website)!
Personally I like the version of POTF from Tokorozawa gig which is on DVD. I think it's the best version although Freddie has some problems with voice.
I think the song was designed for the stage originally, and the band had the best intentions of trying to make it happen, but it just didn't happen for whatever reason. There are some decent versions I'm sure but most of the time it just wasn't gelling...