Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment/Universal Music Group
Eagle Rock Entertainment released the latest addition to its ongoing series of archived live Queen concerts last month. Queen: Live at the Rainbow celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1974 performances at the famed Rainbow Theatre at London’s Finsbury Park. The concert contained on the newly-released recording documents the band’s November 1974 performance at the theater. There is a lot to like about this new recording beginning with the concert’s set list. Unlike Eagle Rock’s previously released Queen concert recordings, this concert focuses on the band’s earlier days. Another reason that this concert is so enjoyable is the quality of the recording from its original masters. And last but most definitely not least of all worth mentioning is the band’s stage presence. Even so early on, the band proved why it was a fan favorite. That applies especially to legendary front man Freddie Mercury. Each of the factors noted here are equally important to the overall enjoyment of Queen: Live at the Rainbow ’74. Together, they make the concert yet another must for any classic rock fan and any fan of what is one of the greatest bands in rock and roll.
Eagle Rock Entertainment’s recently released archived Queen concert recording Live at the Rainbow ’74 is a must for any fan of the band and of classic rock in general. It isn’t the first of the recordings from the band’s career that Eagle Rock has released. However, most of the band’s recordings that Eagle Rock has released in recent years have focused largely on the band’s later years as is evident through the concerts’ set lists. Live at the Rainbow ’74 presents the band in its earlier days. The band had only released its first two albums prior to this concert. That means that obviously it didn’t have a lot of hits yet. The most well-known songs included in the band’s set here are the likes of: ‘Stone Cold Crazy,’ ‘Killer Queen,’ and ‘Seven Seas of Rhye.’ There are plenty of audiences out there that probably are familiar with the other songs included in this recording. But for just as many, it could very well be the first introduction to the band’s older and lesser-known material. That alone especially makes this recording a must. Simply put it is a music history lesson in itself. It is even more so a history lesson than previously released archived Queen concerts. Being such a rarity of a history lesson, it becomes even more of a must have for fans of Queen and of classic rock in general.
The focus on Queen’s earlier days in Queen: Live at the Rainbow ’74 is key to the enjoyment and overall importance of this recording. Many of the band’s current archived concert recordings focus on its later years. So this latest release is a welcome new addition to the band’s history. Thanks to the painstaking efforts of those behind this release, the concert looks and sounds just as good as it did when the band first performed at the Rainbow Theatre four decades ago. Anyone that knows anything about Queen knows that Freddie Mercury is one of the most respected vocalists in the music industry even though he is no longer with us. That is because of his vocal prowess. And it balanced expertly with the talents of his band mates in this show. The end result is a recording in which not one member overpowers the other at any point from start to finish in its near hour and a half run time. The concert’s video quality is just as impressive as its audio quality. Especially considering how far video recording technology has come since 1974, the quality of the original recording itself from the angles to the concert’s overall look makes for even more enjoyment. Thanks to the efforts of those charged with restoring said footage, audiences can once again (or for the first time) see just how talented the concert’s original camera crew was. It is one more reason that this latest recording will impress any Queen aficionado and any lover of classic rock in general.
The overall audio and video quality in Queen’s latest archived concert together with its set list makes it a must have for any fan of Queen and of classic rock in general. It is one more example, too of why Eagle Rock Entertainment to this day retains the title of the leader in live recordings. One more important factor worth noting in this concert’s enjoyment is the band’s stage presence. It has already been noted that Freddie Mercury is to this day one of the greatest vocalists in rock history. He is also one of the industry’s most prolific front men period. As audiences will see and hear in this concert recording, that wasn’t something that happened over time. It is something that was the case from early on. He was just as charismatic here in the band’s early days as he was in his waning days with the band. Brian May kept the audience just as happy with his solid guitar playing. This includes his driving solos. Much the same can be said of Taylor’s drumming and John Deacon’s bass work. The four musicians together exhibit so much energy and enjoyment throughout the course of the concert. The band’s audience feeds off of that energy and gives it back just as much. It translates so well on screen that it leaves home viewers feeling just as excited watching the concert as those that were in attendance for the original performance. The reason that that positive energy translates so well is the work of those charged with restoring the concert from its original masters. Add in a set list full of largely lesser-known songs, and audiences get in Queen: Live at the Rainbow ’74 a concert that is just as enjoyable today as it was forty-years ago. It is available now in stores and online. More information on this and other releases from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online at:
Website: http://www.eagle-rock.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt
To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
philspicks 