Live Killers
Live Killers, 1979
Released	22 June 1979 (UK), 26 June 1979 (US)
Recorded	January - March 1979 at various European dates
Length	mm:ss
Label	EMI
Producer(s)	Queen and John Etchells
Queen chronology
Jazz 1978 Live Killers 1979 The Game 1980

History of this album.

Tracklists

Credits

• Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - vocals, piano

Brian May - guitars, vocals

John Deacon - bass guitar

Roger Taylor - drums

• Produced by Queen and John Etchells
• Recorded at various concerts during the band's European tour, January - March 1979

Charts

charts

Liner notes

For the past 5 years or so, Queen has been one of only a handful of rock groups to attract consistently huge audiences in every major city in the western world. If you wonder why, this album may provide some answers. To you who were there, no explanation is needed, for you were part of the show recorded here, and to you this album is dedicated. Queen's live performance has always been a complete show in every sense, and many of the group's special sound, lighting, and stage ideas, initially dismissed by some as "excessive", are now almost standard features of live rock shows. An entirely self-contained rig is transported from concert to concert in a number of articulated trucks, and the complete stage set takes a crew of about 20 "roadies", all experts in their field, about 8 hours to put together. An hour-long "sound check" is done by the group and crew as a final preparation before doors are opened. Finally the house lights dim, the vast lighting rig explodes into light and swivels back, the stage becomes an inferno of light and the first chords ring out. For the next 2 hours, Queen are in direct contact with their audience. In the course of this live album the listener is transported effortlessly from city to city, each having its own atmosphere, but each having in common the unique feeling which is a Queen audience.

This is how Queen sound in 1979, but the material is drawn from almost all phases of the band's development since 1973. We Will Rock You this blatant version of the song is a flexing of the muscles and leads straight into the mood setter Let Me Entertain You, deliberately over the top on stage as on record, Freddie wasting no time in selling his body and his voice to the audience. The Medley (play the Hits!) was born about 1975 and remains a popular item; since then it has evolved, and of the original component songs, only "Killer Queen" remains. Death On Two Legs was added on the release of A Night At The Opera, an infamous and famous song and the source of tedious legal battles. It is performed with its original acidity but with a touch of humour, shared with an involved audience. In complete contrast a snippet of Killer Queen retains the subtle approach of the 1974 single, which was Queen's first true world-wide hit; the song displays Freddie's writing to great advantage, an instantly recognizable melody combined with great mobility between keys. Bicycle Race is a natural for the medley, on record a complex jigsaw, on stage, pure fun. I'm In Love With My Car features Roger singing on his own composition, a favourite from A Night At The Opera. Get Down, Make Love varies greatly according to audience from night to night, hovering between earthiness and eeriness, with its "harmonized" middle section and vocal gymnastics from Freddie. Finally, John Deacon's You're My Best Friend, a very singable tune with sentiments never forgotten by Queen fans.

Now I'm Here was the stage opener on the British, American, and Japanese tours of 1974. It was then used an encore and later dropped. Recently reintroduced it has become a platform for some rapport between Freddie and the audience and is a guaranteed show-stopper. The acoustic set is the point where the group relax on (venue permitting) a special intimate small stage flown in from above. Dreamers Ball from the Jazz album and Love Of My Life from A Night At The Opera are both performed informally and very differently from the studio versions. Again, the audience takes over much of the action. '39 is a natural to close this "singalong" part of the evening, taking on a slap-happy feel in contrast to the rather serious original recording. Written by Brian, it also features John on Fretless bass. Keep Yourself Alive, the first track ever recorded by Queen, though never a hit except in Japan, is always requested, and regarded as a kind of trademark even by those who found Queen much later on. The song is strangely prophetic and, having gone full circle over the years, sounds much as it did in 1973.

Don't Stop Me Now is the most recent Queen hit, literally fighting its way up the charts to win a new audience in Britain, 1979. The song is in its youth on stage and is already developing new features. It is a good example of how Freddie's piano technique has broadened the scope of the show. Spread Your Wings was a concert favourite even before the News Of The World album had made its full impact, a John Deacon narrative song with a relaxed feel. Brighton Rock gave a home to a guitar solo on Sheer Heart Attack. This solo grew and was developed by Brian as a showpiece for his unique technique of using a single echo (in this case, 2 single echoes) to build up counterpoint and 3-part harmony guitar sections live on stage. (The effect is also used elsewhere, e.g. by Brian on the "Keep Yourself Alive" solo and by Freddie in "Now I'm Here'.) In 1979 the guitar solo became reintegrated with bass and drums and the whole piece is used as a basis for improvisation between Brian, John, and Roger, and as a rest for Freddie. This section also features a timpani piece by Roger.

A single spotlight picks out Freddie at the piano singing the beginning of Bohemian Rhapsody, which needs no introduction as Queen's biggest hit in Britain and Europe. It is unthinkable that the song could be omitted although the classic multi-layered "operatic" section was a purely studio creation. Fiercely opposed to playing with any kind of backing tape, the group solve the problem in typically uncompromising Queen manner. They leave the stage and play the record; the lights and the audience take care of the rest. The group re-enter to perform the last portion of the song to a guaranteed standing ovation. Tie Your Mother Down, from A Day At The Races, was evidently built for the stage. It is pounded out mercilessly and signals the end of the concert proper. Sheer Heart Attack, not from the album of the same name but from News Of The World, sees Roger miraculously drumming up new reserves of energy for a blistering few minutes during which all remaining inhibitions are lost. Finally the group returns as if asked (somehow they always are) for We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions, a final consummation of the feeling of togetherness which makes a Queen concert so moving, the group's biggest-ever hit in America and most of the world, and a fitting end to the evening. Queen leave the stage, the audience add their voices to the Night At The Opera version of God Save The Queen, and another Queen show is over. Until the next night...

Singles

singles

Queen Talks

blah blah blah

Reviews

reviews

Additional Reviews reviews

Sleeves