Queen

On Fire at the Bowl (Live)

The masters show their stuff

Review Score:

(10/10)
I could write an entire essay on how the majesty of Queen will live on, but reviewing this wonderful double live album, which will soon be followed on Nov. 16th on double DVD, which captures the band at the height of their touring power, will suffice. In 1982, Queen had just released " Hot Space," an album that was not accepted well from traditonal Queen fans due to the band's dramtic change in sound. The album did have some rockers in " Put out the fire," but it leaned heavily toward a black/funk sound that I personnally enjoyed very much; " Cool Cat" in particular showcased the incomprable Freddie Mercury's stunning falsetto, while " Under Pressure " was the albums' only bonafide hit...and a damn good one. " Queen on Fire live at Milton Keynes bowl," was recorded during the latter half of the band's European tour in support of the aforementioned " Hot Space " album, and in my opinion, captures the essance of why Queen was one of the finest live bands in the history of music.
While I won't review every song here, I will highlight the standouts....and there are many. " Somebody to love " features a great a cappella opening, showcasing Freddie's magnificent voice in all it's glory, and although " the wall of sound " harmonies are missing and strictly a studio creation, Roger Taylor and Brian May provide very good support, as the song gains a very hard and raw edge that is not evident on the studio recording. " Play the Game," also show's greater power, and has Freddie hitting even higher notes than the ones recorded on the album; Brian May's voice sounds quite sublime in the harmonies and his guitar playing is smoldering. I should make a point to mention that the " Hot space" material, which is represented here by " Back Chat," " Staying Power," and " Action this day," sound much stronger and melodic than their studio counterparts, and demostrate how good and underappreciated this album is, and how unfairly criticized it was. " Staying Power" in particular sounds amazing, showcasing John Deacon playing rythym guitar, and strong Roger Taylor vocals, while touring keyboardist Morgan Fisher playing the brass section and bass notes on synthesiser...awesome! A nice surprise and welcome addition to the recorded Queen live cannon is " Fat Bottom Girls," which was criminally left off " Live Killers " which was Queen's first Live album in 1979. This song on album featured multi-tracked harmonies, which was of course a Queen trademark, and here in this live version it doesn't dissapoint...very well done. Every song is a winner, and the band was playing with precision and power during this tour, and on this night, Freddie was in particularly strong form...and very animated; his in-between-song patter is side-splitting, and he is constantly ad-libbing vocals...what a performer. The sound is excellent, but of course the DVD release will feature a DTS surround sound 5.1 mix that will far surpass this two-channel linear pcm mix of this double cd set. Packaging is top-notch, as Hollywood records has always done a lovingly dedicated job on all their Queen releases, dating back to the 1991 remasters, which are in need of upgrading; It includes a fourteen page booklet, which includes many previously unseen photos of the 1982 tour, as well as production notes and track information; As with the sound, The DVD of the same show will feature a forty page book as well as loads of extras. If you are a Queen fan, or just simply a lover of great live music...this is an essential purchase....THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE...QUEEN!

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