Hidden Treasures - Resurrected Live Shows

It is very interesting that a recent report finds that classic rock CD's are outselling popular music lately. Interesting, but not surprising. As a result of this resurgence of sorts, I find it also interesting that classic rock bands are releasing old concert sets as new Live albums. Typically we don't feature Live albums on our New Music Corner so that makes my forum perfect to host this new phenomena...

So I've got suckered into a couple of these releases and I'm glad I pulled the trigger on each one. This weeks showcase is the new live renditions of some old classic rocks shows... Bad Company and Queen. (Note: Queen also released a 1975 set titled "A Night at the Odeon". Though I don't own it, from what I've heard its a fine set but the two Rainbow '74 concerts are a hair better IMO)

Enjoy!

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/sgabbert/avk9qpcc

Bad Company
Live in Concert 1977 & 1979
2016

1 - Hearbeat (The Summit, Houston TX 5/23/1977)
2 - Oh, Atlanta (The Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England 3/9/1979)

Review pulled from Amazon...
Live recordings of the original Bad Company lineup are perhaps more rare than those of any other band in classic rock. The group never issued a proper live album during their ‘70s peak and bootlegs have always been few and far between on the grey market and in collector’s circles. Mick Ralphs offered the Albuquerque 1976 concert from his personal stash of cassettes but it was withdrawn just prior release. The source tapes were hissy; either direct to two track or multi track mix down sourced cassettes but the material was first rate. The recording was a revelation in that it presented a band at the absolute top of their game, burning through hits and album tracks alike with aplomb.

I’m happy to report that Live 1977/1979 delivers on the same scale and with even better sound quality, having been restored from multitrack recordings obviously shelved and locked up for many years.

Bad Company were certainly a bit formulaic in the studio and their sound didn’t vary much from album to album. Their approach works better live with the emphasis on tight playing and Paul Rogers soaring vocals. Both the hits and deep album rise several notches above their studio counterparts in a live setting.

Queen
Live at the Rainbow '74
2014

3 - Procession - Father To Son (Queen II Tour March '74)
4 - Flick of the Wrist (Sheer Heart Attack Tour Nov '74)

Review pulled from Amazon...
This amazing CD (and its Blu-ray counterpart) essentially servers as a time capsule for Queen fans and rock fans in general. It offers listeners a trip back to 1974, prior to Queen hitting mass success. "Queen Live at the Rainbow 74" offers a rare glimpse into Queen's early, heavier style; capturing the group live at time when they were still striving to establish themselves as a truly great rock band.

The first set on "Queen Live at the Rainbow 74" (recorded in March of 1974) was originally intended to be released as a live record to help support Queen's first two albums but was shelved in favor of recording their next studio album (which would eventually become "Sheer Heart Attack").

That said, the material on the CD may not be familiar to many people who identify themselves as Queen fans (and that's completely understandable). It's easy to forget that Queen was a band that produced 15 studio albums and as a result, many fans are simply unaware of the powerful brilliance and dark intensity of Queen's earliest material. Better stated, "old Queen" did not start with "A Night at the Opera"; it started with Queen and Queen II. When haring this material performed live you'll not only realize how rich and diverse Queen's catalog of material is; you'll also realize that Queen was a band that had many different musical incarnations and was constantly reinventing themselves while at the same time retaining the stylistic elements that made their sound truly unique.