What does it sound like?:
Readers of a certain age will remember this show being broadcast as an OGWT special live on Christmas Eve 1975. A mere forty years have somehow slipped by since then, but finally, after being mooted for a number of years, the full show finally surfaces, remixed and restored in state of the art quality sound and vision on this cd/dvd combo set.
The gig captures Queen in their mid 70s prime, touring after the release of there then new A Night at The Opera album, and Christmas spirit is in evidence in abundance throughout proceedings as the band career through a selection of prime cuts from their first four albums.
After the first encore the BBC camera crew knocked off, so as with the TV broadcast on the night, the dvd of the show ends at that point. Fortunately the sound man kept the tapes rolling, and thus the cd also includes the long lost second encore of Seven Seas of Rhye and See What A Fool I’ve Been.
Bonus features on the dvd include three songs recorded on the Japanese tour from earlier in that year, plus a twenty minute documentary featuring Messrs May and Taylor with good old Whispering Bob Harris, the host on the night of the concert.
What does it all *mean*?
This is a band at the peak of the early part of their career – great songs, superbly executed.
Goes well with…
Classic rock of 70’s vintage.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Early period Queen, before the rockier sound became diluted in the subsequent years of their long and illustrious career.
Bloody hell! 40 years? I can still remember arguing with the parents because they wanted to watch a film on the other side. I don’t remember the name of the film, but it featured Eli Wallach. My mum said “I like Eli Wallach.” I’ve begrudged Eli Wallach ever since.
Another bootleg DVD bites the dust. Though these archive releases have bloody awful artwork. That appears to be have been knocked off on a Friday afternoon with Photoshop before heading down the pub. In fact might have been created in the pub.