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