Which was your favorite era of Somebody to Love performed live?
1977-early 1979: Nice early versions of the song closest to the studio but without any creativity in the vocal intro or solo...and until 1978, no vocal intro at all. Freddie usually didn't get many high notes though I like it like that. Popular examples include Earls Court, Houston, Paris and Madrid 1979.
Late 1979-1981: Creative vocal solos, Freddie started to hit all the high notes but not as close to the studio. Popular examples include Hammersmith 1979, Oakland 1980, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Montreal.
1982: Hot space versions which are very similar to the late 1979-1981 versions however they were a tad faster and the style of the vocal intro and solo changed a bit. Notable examples include Live at the Bowl and New York.
1984-1985: Works tour versions with a deeper huskier voice, great intros (some of my favorite intros ever) but with the end cut off because it was part of a medley. Notable examples include Brussels 1984, Rock in Rio, and Tokyo.
My favorite era has to be early 1977-1979 and specifically early 1977.
Late 1979-mid 1982 is my era:
All the versions in that era are fantastic. Freddie sings it brilliantly, is very creative in the bridge section, has great intros, and nice vocal solos.
I have no qualms in saying the Milton Keynes '82 version is brilliant - the vocal intro is incredible. But, like I said in another post, for live versions, Hannah Jane Fox's WWRY incantation wins eternal glory, so 2002-2006 is my fave era of the song! No disrespect to the band, but after seeing the musical seven times (and going to see Brian and Kerry at the Royal Albert Hall on May 1st - can't wait...!) WWRY versions have left their impact on me.
I think vocally 1980 -81 was the best. Favourites: Oakland 14/7/80 then Morumbi stadium 20/3/81 (Brian's solo dodgy though) and the version from Montreal all excellent. I prefer these even to the much favoured Milton Keynes 82.
Here's versions to stay away from:
Stay away from any version between 4/23/1979 to 5/1/1979 (though 4/30's isn't a total disaster) due to the bad vocals. The early Hot Space versions aren't the best (they're decent enough though), and some versions from 1984 are terrible (9/5, 9/7, 9/29, etc).
I always wondered what STL would sound like at Live Aid, or the Magic Tour.
Gregsynth wrote: Here's versions to stay away from:
Stay away from any version between 4/23/1979 to 5/1/1979 (though 4/30's isn't a total disaster) due to the bad vocals. The early Hot Space versions aren't the best (they're decent enough though), and some versions from 1984 are terrible (9/5, 9/7, 9/29, etc).
I always wondered what STL would sound like at Live Aid, or the Magic Tour.
Studio is the best of course, but live The early 80's "Montreal' and live at the bowl era are brilliant....i don't think he had the range to sing STL on the magic Tour. Live aid i think he would have been great. Sadly towards the end of those 20 minutes his voice was giving out. He wasn't saving his voice at all....every note he was pushing himself to the limit.
If Freddie could sing STL with his cords in bad shape (Jazz Tour and Works Tour), I'm almost positive he could pull it off on the Magic Tour. He may have struggled with it on gigs where his voice was weaker (Zurich, Wembley, Marbella, etc), but on the early gigs, he would sing it perfectly fine. Freddie's Bb4s and B4s were very clean and powerful during the first few gigs, so I think he'd pull it off!
If you saw them play it live, in its entirety............it was good.
So, I'll render that Kalamazoo in January of '77 and November of '78 were the best renditions they did in concert, because those were the only two times I saw Queen perform STL. I thought '77 was better, as it was fresh and new.
I loved '78, because of where it was in the setlist, and the lighting.
I can't judge on '80 or '82, because it was not part of the set lists.