LIVE AT THE RAINBOW '74

Everyone knows that Queen were a fine live act... but god daaaaamn, were they amazing in their early years! Live at the Rainbow '74 captures not one but two complete shows (some truncated editions exist - ignore them), the first from the Queen II tour and the second from the Sheer Heart Attack tour.

As a London-based group, the Rainbow was something of a home turf for Queen, and the rapturous response they receive from the crowd is rewarded with a fine performance each night. I would actually give the Queen II set the edge - not only does it showcase just how much excellent material there is on the first two Queen albums, but it also seems a bit tighter. By the Sheer Heart Attack set they are already adapting to a different musical direction, and the somewhat longer set begins to flag.

Evidently, they were struggling to find a balance between keeping the set at a reasonable length and including everything they wanted to throw in there, a problem which would only become more acute as their parade of hits grew longer. The Night At the Opera setlist, as captured on the A Night At the Odeon live album, would be trimmed back appropriately; if you picked up that live set too then between that and this you'd have more or less the perfect sampling of live Queen from their early almost-prog/not-quite-metal days. On the other hand, if you were never all that enamoured of Queen to begin with, this might seem like a bit much, and it has to be said that the band seem to be becoming overcome by bombast at points here. Add a star if you really like Queen's first few albums and don't mind very long live shows.

Officially released 40 years late, "Live at the Rainbow'74" is a priceless gift for Queen fans and especially for those who appreciate their early work, which had little to do with the more recognised and popular discography that the band generated later on. A double album that unites the concerts of March and November 1974, at a time when the Englishmen were struggling to find their identity and their place in the world of rock, and whose value is even greater due to the quality of the recording, which prioritises the clarity of the instrumental performance over the interaction with the audience that these live dynamics entail.

Both concerts open with the funereal ambience created by Brian May's guitars in the brief instrumental "Procession", and give way to a sampling of songs that represent the corrosive and dense character of the band at the time, such as the powerful "Ogre Battle", the raspy riffs of "Father to Son" and "Son and Daughter" in the style of seventies Black Sabbath, a multi-layered guitar solo taken from "Brighton Rock" courtesy of May's famous Red Special, the galloping "Great King Rat" and "Keep Yourself Alive", and the huge Zeppelin chords of "Liar", further evidence of the guitarist's excellent form.

On the other hand, Queen's versatility is also present with less hostile tunes like the delicate "White Queen", the progressive vein with "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" and an extract from the excellent "The March Of The Black Queen" (a premonitory exercise prior to the immortal "Bohemian Rapsody" released a year later), the tribute to Presley's fifties rock with "Jailhouse Rock" and the bluesy "See What A Fool I've Been", songs that feature the powerful and unsurpassable voice of a very loquacious Freddie Mercury interacting with the audience, and with the sound base of the always correct John Deacon on bass and Roger Taylor on percussion.

Except for sporadic appearances, most of the pieces from "Live at the Rainbow '74" have disappeared over the years from live setlists, buried by the worldwide mega-hits that Queen produced. But without a doubt this is an excellent way to delve into the band's beginnings and appreciate their most representative songs performed on stage.

4/4.5 stars