Live Killers
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Record Mirror | (favorable)[3] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable)[4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| Smash Hits | 3½/10[6] |
Live Killers is a live album by the British rock band Queen, originally released on 22 June 1979.[7] It received strongly negative reviews from critics on release.[2] In a retrospective appraisal, Greg Prato of AllMusic found the initial reaction inexplicable, calling the album "an excellent document of Queen at the height of their '70s arena rock powers".[2]
Background
The album was recorded live during the European leg of Queen's Jazz world tour, between January and March 1979.
The album was self-produced by the band and was their first to be mixed at their own studios, Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland.[7]
Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor later revealed on the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard (which spotlighted the making of 1980's The Game) that the band had mixed Live Killers themselves and were unhappy with the final mix.
Despite this, the album reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and is certified double platinum in the US.[8][9]
In the territories outside of the United States, Europe and Canada, Elektra Recordsre-released a shorter and edited version of the album in 1985 titled Queen Live.[citation needed]
The 1994 issue released as part of the Digital Master Series by EMI Records did not improve upon the quality of the previous release. It was later remastered and restored in better quality by Peter Mew in 2001.[citation needed]
Track listing
Side one
- "We Will Rock You (fast version)" (Brian May) – 3:18
- "Let Me Entertain You" (Freddie Mercury) – 3:15
- "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" (Sporthalle, Cologne 1 February) (Mercury) – 3:31*
- "Killer Queen" (Mercury) – 1:59
- "Bicycle Race" (Festhalle, Frankfurt on 2 February) (Mercury) – 1:28
- "I'm in Love with My Car" (Roger Taylor) – 2:08
- "Get Down, Make Love" (Mercury) – 4:31
- "You're My Best Friend" (John Deacon) – 2:08
Side two
- "Now I'm Here (Festhalle, Frankfurt on February 2)" (May) – 8:42
- "Dreamer's Ball" (May) – 3:44
- "Love of My Life" (Festhalle, Frankfurt on 2 February) (Mercury) – 4:57
- "'39" (Festhalle, Frankfurt on 2 February) (May) – 4:26
- "Keep Yourself Alive" (May) – 4:02
Side three
- "Don't Stop Me Now" (Mercury) – 4:28
- "Spread Your Wings" (Deacon) – 5:17
- "Brighton Rock" (May) – 12:13
Side four
- "Bohemian Rhapsody" [intro: "Mustapha"] (Festhalle, Frankfurt on 2 February) (Mercury) – 6:02
- "Tie Your Mother Down" (Festhalle, Frankfurt on 2 February) (May) – 3:40
- "Sheer Heart Attack" (Rudi Sedlmayer Halle, Munich on 11 February) (Taylor) – 3:35
- "We Will Rock You" (Festhalle, Frankfurt on 2 February) (May) – 2:48
- "We Are the Champions" (Mercury) – 3:27
- "God Save the Queen" (Trad.; arr. May) – 1:31
Omitted tracks
- "It's Late" (May)
- "If You Can't Beat Them" (Deacon)
- "Somebody to Love" (Mercury)
- "Fat Bottomed Girls" (May)
- "Teo Torriate" (May) (played live for the first time during this tour in Japan)
Singles
- "Love of My Life (Live at Festhalle Frankfurt, 2 Feb '79 - edited version)"/"Now I'm Here (Live at Festhalle Frankfurt, 2 Feb '79)"
- "We Will Rock You (Fast Version) (Live)"/"Let Me Entertain You (Live)" – Elektra E46532; released August 1979
Charts
| Country | Charts | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | Certification | Sales | |
| Austria | 3 | 12 | Gold | 40,000 |
| United Kingdom | 3 | 27 | Gold | 380,000 |
| Germany | 4 | Gold | 450.000 | |
| Japan | 9 | 250.000 | ||
| Netherlands | 10 | 80.000 | ||
| Norway | 10 | 7 | 100.000 | |
| Sweden | 15 | 4 | 50.000 | |
| United States | 16 | 14 | Platinum (2x) | 2,500,000 |
| Switzerland | 34 | 2 | Gold | 10.000 |
| Canada | 150.000 | |||
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury - lead vocals, piano
- Brian May - guitars, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor - drums, tambourine, timpani, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I'm In Love With My Car"
- John Deacon - bass guitar, backing vocals, triangle
Production
- Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC
References
- ^ "Queen - Live Killers". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
...Other hard rock highlights soon follow, such as...
- ^ a b c Live Killers at AllMusic
- ^ "1979.06.xx - Record Mirror - UK - Killer Queen - QueenCuttings.com - Welcome on board!". QueenCuttings.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ Fricke, David (6 September 1979). "Live Killers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Queen: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (July 12–25 1979): 25.
- ^ a b Live Killers Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 11 July 2011
- ^ RIAA – Gold and Platinum Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 11 July 2011
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
External links
- Queen official website: Discography: Live Killers: includes lyrics of "'39".
- Queenlive.ca: "Live Killers" Analysis – an analysis of the edits and overdubs on the album
