QUEEN – A Night At The Odeon [retail] (2015)

The most bootlegged gig of QUEEN‘s career is finally being released on CD / DVD and Blu-ray: “A Night At The Odeon“. Queen’s 1975 Christmas show at Hammersmith Apollo was the culmination of the band’s 26-date ‘Queen Invite You To A Night At The Opera’ UK tour. Because it was simulcast on both BBC Radio 1 and BBC 2, it became the most heavily bootlegged of the band’s career.
But now, celebrating its 40th Anniversary, “A Night At The Odeon” is being officially released in all its glory with a superb remastered sound.

“This concert was very special because it was the first time we ever played a whole show completely live on TV…” said Brian May. “The quality, after great rescue work and transfer into the digital domain, is amazing. And the energy we had comes across very forcefully.”

“A Night At The Odeon” brings Freddie Mercury back to life during the height of Queen’s glory years. Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon thrash and careen through some of the band’s most recognizable hits and deeper cuts alike.
‘Now I’m Here’ kicks off with a high-octane rocking salvo. The winner in the early tracks has to be ‘White Queen (As It Began)’ featuring Mercury’s soothing vocals. ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ was all but made to entice an audience into becoming rock accolytes, as Queen proves on this live rendition.

‘Brighton Rock’ also rocks with its extended guitar solo, showing off May’s ability to harmonize with himself over a series of echoes. You could also say that the eight-minute version of ‘Liar’ vies for far more attention than Queen’s latest album at the time.

Even though A Night at the Opera was already a hit album at the time, while its runaway lead single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was climbing the charts at an alarming rate, the set Queen performs here leans heavily on their first three albums – Queen, Queen II, and Sheer Heart Attack.
But of course, the live debut of the iconic song happened at this show, however, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is performed in a stripped down version without the operatic background vocals. But believe me, is sure to give you goose bumps and serves as proof that no one can ever fill Mercury’s shoes.

Queen sounds fierce in “A Night At The Odeon” and the number one reason to own this disc is to hear how great the band already was in 1975. The superb remastered audio boasts a big, crystal-clear sound that feels like it was all captured just last night.
While Mercury has been gone for some time, “A Night At The Odeon” proves that their sound and verve remains as relevant now as it ever was.

01 – Now I’m Here
02 – Ogre Battle
03 – White Queen (As It Began)
04 – Bohemian Rhapsody
05 – Killer Queen
06 – The March of the Black Queen
07 – Bohemian Rhapsody (Reprise)
08 – Bring Back That Leroy Brown
09 – Brighton Rock
10 – Guitar Solo
11 – Son and Daughter
12 – Keep Yourself Alive
13 – Liar
14 – In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited
15 – Big Spender
16 – Jailhouse Rock Medley
17 – Seven Seas of Rhye
18 – See What a Fool I’ve Been
19 – God Save The Queen

Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano
Brian May – guitar, vocals, ukulele on 8
Roger Taylor – drums, percussion, vocals
John Deacon – bass guitar, vocals, triangle on 5

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Night-Odeon-UK-Release/dp/B017WRFU1C/
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