For those of you who witnessed Queen in the 70's or those all to rare full performance of Liar in the early 80's and those who watch the Rainbow.... How epic is Liar as a song or is it more of an underrated song of Queens live and studio catalog
Pitch black, you are at the Queen show. Roger starts that unmistakable sound... That calling sound of the cowbell rattling away which then leads into the mini drum solo which builds and builds and builds THEN! like an explosion. Brian and John join in on the power chord explosion which leads into that trade mark jam between the three as the song builds to its peak. But Then! suddenly silence all but a very delicate touch from Brian which is sliced like a hot knife through butter with finesse... Freddie's first lines I've sinned dear father.... shatter's the silence which then leads you on a roller coaster ride for the next 8 mins...
What was going through your mind when you heard that all to familiar cowbell...? Or those who were a little bit to late/young but instead, saw Queen in the late 70's and 80's and heard one of those all to rare performances of that song in full, to when it became part of a three min medley, to 86 when it was just a tease riff... Do you remember saying to yourself in the 80's " Mad I hope that the concert I'm going to is the one where they pull Liar out of the bag.. so wish I was part of the "70's" Queen generation.." and the experience you get now when you listen to it now....? Or to a lesser extent.. the album version...?
Have to say that Liar has to be my fav Queen track of all.. with Ogre Battle/Father to Son a very close second.. It just feels like an epic roller coaster ride, a lot like Kashmir. A song that constantly builds up or like a accent... But unlike Kashmir, Liar has that amazing release right after the "bass Solo" near the end which brings you back down to earth. (does anyone feel like that listing to Liar or is it just me..?) After many years of being a "greatest hits Queen fan" that was my first "non mainstream" Queen song experience I had and WOW!! And after seeing it live all those years ago on you tube.. It's a song that has everything that showcases every band member live in their own spotlight.. A drum solo, some of Freddie's most powerful vocals, Brian's soloing and even that little bass solo from Deacy and that very rare infamous scene where John is interacting with Freddie and singing "BACKING VOCALS!!!"
So....
After listening to Rainbow with some good speakers.. You quickly hear just how much the fans are wanting Liar to be played...
Just how popular was the song? would it have the same status that Metallica's Master of Puppets and Led Zeps Kashmir has with the tight knit fans...? Could it have worked for Queen had they played it in it's entirety in the later years..? Anyone missed it/glad it was over when it was finally retired as a 8-9 min piece..? Could it of had a proper go at a release had it been done properly and within the Queen community and in particular those who are in the "live Queen-Fred-John-Brian-Roger club" and what sort of status does the song have..? and among the Band members... was it a popular song with Queen and is there any mention of this song from the guys who played this song live
And to a lessor extent.. Ogre Battle.. Another song that had a similar build up, just how popular was that song and was it a "missed/retired way before its time" song that could have worked in the live set later on..? Or was it just a little to much for a 30 cigarettes a day lungs??!! jokes
Your correct with that. Innuendo is in a way a tribute to kashmir. Something that the band has mentioned and that awesome mish mash innuendo/kashmir performance by Robert Plant during the Freddie tribute concert.
But to me, liar does have a very similar beat to kashmir with that rising tempo to the song