968. Queen / Live Killers. 1979. 5/5

Back in the mid-1980’s the first version I had of this album, firstly recorded on cassette by my mate, and then my own purchased vinyl version, was entitled Live, a one album condensing of the 2 LP version that was released in Australia when the band toured in 1985. It wasn’t until a few years later and the advent of the compact disc that I finally got the fully fledged two album version of Live Killers, and the expansion of this set is what then blew my mind.

Recorded on the European tour to promote the Jazz album, it is the perfect time to do a live album, given the material that the band had up until this point. It can be argued that these songs were never bettered from this point on. Certainly this set list is almost perfect. Those of us who grew up with the albums from the 1980’s can see the benefit of those songs however. Arguments will always arise in this regard.
I only have two contentious points with this live album. I feel it would have been much more beneficial to have left off both “Get Down, Make Love” – which while is a reasonable song just doesn’t gel right into this set list – and “Brighton Rock” – which if I had been at the concert would have been my cue to line up for a beer – and have substituted in “Somebody to Love” and “Fat Bottomed Girls”, which would have kept the momentum of the album upbeat and lively throughout. When I listen to this album today, both of those first songs for me are skip songs.
Apart from that, it is a brilliant live album. Starting off with the fast version of the wonderful “We Will Rock You”, which really starts the fire, it is followed in quick succession by the less well known but absolute pearler songs “Let Me Entertain You” and “Death on Two Legs”. The medley versions of “Killer Queen”, “Bicycle Race” and “I’m in Love with My Car” all flow together perfectly, and after “Get Down, Make Love” the album picks up again with “You’re My Best Friend” and the rollicking “Now I’m Here”.
The acoustic break of Freddie’s “Love of My Life” and Brian’s “’39” is perfect, showcasing the amazing talents of all four members, before the grandiose extravagance of “Keep Yourself Alive”, “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “Spread Your Wings” show why this band is considered one of the finest live acts ever. The classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” is then followed by the hard rocking completion of the album, with “Tie Your Mother Down” and “Sheer Heart Attack” complemented by the finishing salvo of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”, along with the recorded “God Save the Queen”.

Some may mock the production or the mastering or the mixing of this album, but nothing can take away from the fact that it presents the live package of Queen in an extraordinary way. The sheer strength of all of the songs in the set list is overpowering, showcasing a band at its peak of both performance and confidence in itself. It doesn’t matter when or where this album comes on, I never tire of listening to it.

Rating:  “You suck my blood like a leech, you break the law and you preach”.  5/5