December 24, 1975. London’s Hammersmith Odeon. Onstage at this
legendary venue, the four members of Queen are bringing to a close a
ground-breaking show, transmitted live on BBC TV, and also bringing to a
climax the most eventful and exciting year in their careers so far –
one that has taken them from the UK to America to Japan, sealing their
transition from ambitious upstarts into one of the biggest and most
important bands of the era - and beyond.
Forty years later, this groundbreaking show officially takes to the World Stage. On November 20,
Queen - A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 is released through Virgin EMI. As well as a live recording of this
legendary gig, the packages also include extra-special bonus features
for the Queen fans.
Featuring 15 tracks from their first four albums, plus covers
of four classic rock’n’roll staples delivered with characteristic
panache, A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 captures a band in full
flight and radiating megawatts of self-confidence.
The Christmas Eve show was the climax of the 26-date ‘Queen Invite You
To A Night At The Opera Tour’, which had begun mid-November and had
already seen the band play four nights at the same venue a month
earlier.
By the time the band returned to Hammersmith on Christmas Eve, they
were truly firing on all cylinders. No expense had been spared, from the
stellar light show which lent a spectacular visual element to the
night’s proceedings to the suitably lavish white Bechstein grand piano
which had been hired especially for this show. Nor had the band
themselves overlooked the finer sartorial details. Freddie Mercury
sported two different satin cat suits – one black one white – during the
show, designed by Wendy deSmet with the singer’s input. Similarly,
Freddie had painted the nails of his left hand black for the occasion,
while Brian May had his (at the time) trademark white nails.
It was
also the tour when they first unleashed the soon-to-be-legendary
Bohemian Rhapsody on an unsuspecting public – to a rapturous reception.
The
Christmas Eve show stood as more than just a concert. It was
simultaneously broadcast in stereo on BBC Radio 1 and on the BBC 2
television institution The Old Grey Whistle Test (the show’s host Bob
Harris introduced the band onstage). Luckily, although the TV cameras
were turned off before the band returned for their second encore, and
consequently video footage of Seven Seas Of Rhye and See What A Fool
I’ve Been doesn’t exist – the audio team did continue recording and so
the CD and LP formats do feature the entire show.
As a result of the coverage, the show was heavily bootlegged in
subsequent years, appearing under such unlikely titles as Command
Performance, Rhapsody In Red, Christmas At The Beeb, Cardiac Arrest and
Halfpence.
With the issue of A Night At The Odeon this legendary show has finally
been given the pedestal it deserves, delivered in fitting style,
featuring an incredible new audio mix in stereo and 5.1 surround-sound
plus an absolute state-of-the-art restoration of the video.
As well as audio and visual footage of the gig, the DVD and SD Blu-Ray
versions feature two special bonus features – 'Looking Back At The
Odeon’, a brand new 22-minute documentary featuring a previously unseen
interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor by Old Grey Whistle Test
presenter Bob Harris about the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon show, plus the
rarely seen Live At The Budokan – Japan 1975 footage, featuring three
songs (Now I'm Here, Killer Queen and In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited)
recorded during their legendary tour of the Far East.
The Super Deluxe Box Set also includes a never-before-heard recording
from the pre-show soundcheck – something that no one outside of the band
themselves knew existed until now.
Queen - A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 is available on
the following formats
:
- 1 CD (see below for tracklist):
Amazon UK
- 1 DVD (see below for tracklist):
- 1 BluRay SD (see below for tracklist):
- CD + DVD (see below for tracklist):
Amazon UK
- CD + BluRay SD (see below for tracklist):
Amazon UK
- double LP (see below for tracklist):
- box superdeluxe with: CD + DVD + BluRay SD + 12"single Bohemian Rhapsody / Now I'm Here (soundcheck) + 60 page hardback book containing previously unseen photographs, reproduction of ticket from the concert, concert programme, badges, tour itinerary, tour poster, pass:
Amazon UK
Tracklist CD/LP:
1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. See What a Fool I've Been
19. God Save The Queen
Tracklist DVD/BluRay:
1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. God Save The Queen
(Bonus tracks)
1. Looking back at the Odeon (22 min documentary)
2. Now I'm Here (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)
3. Killer Queen (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)
4. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)