ROCK MONTREAL

Oh no .another Queen live album? Since I experienced a bit of problem with Queen "Killers" I was a bit reluctant to purchase another live concert from Queen due to sound quality. To put it in perspective, the "Killers" album was very noisy as the audience was shouting and clapping hands all over passages of the music so that the music itself was quite hard to listen. But as I saw this CD at local CD store with quite cheap price, I purchased it anyway. To my surprise, I do enjoy this album, especially on the music the band plays plus excellent live vibes from the crowd. The recorded audio quality is quite transparent throughout the performance of the band. Another reason for not purchasing the CD was the fact that I was not quite like having Queen in concert - I'd rather listen to the studio than the live recording.

This live performance was recorded and filmed at The Montreal Forum in Montreal, Canada on November 24 and 25, 1981. Producers Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson returned to the original 24 track analog tapes recorded and originally mixed. The live album kicks off as the band on stage with Intro which sets the overall tone of the concert. From the noise created by the crowd it sounds like they will create excellent live vibes. The ambient intro is then combined with a sound of thunder which bridges Brian May's guitar rhythm and Roger Taylor's drum work to start with "We Will Rock You" in fast mode. "Hello Montreal ..!!! Long time no see. Ok . you wanna get crazy? Come on let's do it", says Freddy followed with my favorite track "Let Me Entertain You". Well from this point I can sense that the show is really crazy even though not as crazy as "Killers".

When the band plays their classic track "Now I am Here" from Sheer Heart Attack album, I really like this version because it's performed so lively and I can hear clearly that Roger Taylor is one of the best rock drummers I have ever known. His drumming is really dynamic and it's becoming one of the key attractions from this track. This track is also improvised by Freddy to get audience participation. Brian May's guitar solo is also different from any other version. Another track that Reddy seems to expect audience participation is "Love of My Life" but it sounds not quite having a good response from the crowd as indicated by Freddy saying "You don't know it" and nodded by Brian May who commented "right". The other thing tha I like is on "Guitar Solo" where Brian May puts the melody of Brighton Rock in his solo. Well, I hope they play Brighton Rock.

Overall, it's a very good rock concert which I believe will make Queen fans satisfied with this performance. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Wow! What a wonderful piece of music this is! Queen was always concidered one of the best (if not THE best) live bands on the planet, but there never really was a true evidence in form of a decent live album. I mean, Live Killers had some brilliant moments but the sound quality was very bad and also Freddie's marvelous voice wasn't in the best possible shape on the tour. On the other hand Live at Wembley, while the sound quality was much better also had Freddie in poor voice and the band was already too concentrated playing their hits often leaving some of their most adventureous songs to make room for those radio friendly songs. Finally, we have a real stunner! This album has Queen in top form (especially Freddie, who's voice had never been better) and plays the set with perfection and tightness. This also one of the very last recordings of Queen raw. I mean, they are as angry and energetic as they've never been. It all starts with my favourite ever Queen concert opening, the fast We Will Rock You and Let Me Entertain You, which are played heavier than ever. It continues with some classic performances of Play the Game, Somebody To Love, Save Me and Love of My Life on which Freddie Mercury really shines. If you want to hear Freddie at his top range, performing all the songs with sheer perfection, this is the best possible release. We also have some great rockers, including one of the best ever performances of Now I'm Here, Keep Yourself Alive with its 'funky', improvised intro and some great drum soloing from Roger Taylor (for him, that is, 'cos he's never been concidered a virtuoso drummer, but on this release he is really doing his best). The low point of that show is in my opinion Brian May's guitar solo, which, altough not bad, is not really up to the standards set in the late seventies (especially on the Live Killers album; but it has to be noted that the solo was compiled from various shows there). The ending is a traditional Queen set, starting with Bohemian Rhapsody (probably the angriest ever performance), continuing with Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack and ending with We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions. I've heard all official live releases from Queen and this one is probably the best performance of these songs also. Worth mentioning is the sound quality. It is truly brilliant, there is a perfect balance between all the instruments and you can hear every bit of guitar, bass and drums very clearly. The audience is quite low in the mix so it doesn't distract your attention to the performance. To sum up, this is certainly the highest quality recording of Queen live officially available, and If any of you want to check out what Queen has been as a live phenomenon, this is the release for you. I recommend it highly to all lovers of good music (prog or not).