Potential For Rare Live, Vol 2?

Thistleboy 1980 wrote:







Right guys, I know that a lot of us have been speculating over, dreaming about and arguing the point of the release of new live material.  Whether it is snippets from Knebworth, the full Hammy '75 show, Houston '77 or something from the Crazy Tour, we've spoken it over again and again.

Tonight, I was trawling through some of the booted DVDs  I currently own, and can perhaps see the point of why Queen aren't releasing this stuff.  I know there's some clips here and there in the so-called archives, but let's face it - the only full recordings that exist and have not yet seen DVD or HD release are Rainbow '74 (ok, not exactly full but most has survived); Hammersmith '75 and '79, Hyde Park'76; Earls Court and Houston '77; Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires and Caracas '81; Japan '82 and '85; Rio '85 and Budapest '86 and WE ALL already have this in some form or other.

Look back on your footage - it's LESS than great.  I know the original generations will be in better quality, but I'm talking more along the lines of the actual professionalism of the recordings - for example, during "White Queen" at Earls Court, the camera only appears to focus on Brian. Also the sound cuts during several parts of the show and there are many instances where the shots are out of focus.   Hyde Park is full of imperfections also, and this really does continue throughout most of the recordings I've seen (and that includes such footage owned by the "big-hitters").  For me, they just didn't capture the live atmosphere one would expect, like the Wembley and Budapest Shows did. And, apart from that - and I hate to say it - the performances aren't always spot-on either...

'Less than great' you say, but your  examples here are mostly rough cuts or live TV edits - its like discussing about 'Headlong' , based on the rough Brian demo instead of the 'Innuendo' album release. Earls Court is a rough cut, we don't know how the 2nd night looks in its entire form , we dont know if multi-feed camera footage survives or not. Rainbow is a 50 minute long cut of 2 nights - which can also be great in full form. Japan 79 is still unknown except for 30 mins, and recent findings point to QPL having the multi feed video. Hyde Park footage appearing in recent releases looks great.  Wembley 86 was awful in VHS form - and it was an edit done in 86 - only the DVD form made it to a great exciting release. Same goes for Milton Keynes 82 - though the Tube editing was OK, it was incomplete like Rainbow etc...  

Thistleboy 1980 wrote:


Spruced up how mate?  You say you saw a clip, but maybe that clip was taken from what footage is actually salvagable from the show

Re-mastered - the picture was crystal clear and the audio had obviously been re-mixed. Not the plain transfer and mono mix that was used as a bonus track with AG.  It may have been on the ANATO documentary or sometihng like that. It was only recorded in 1977 - unless it's been stored in very poor conditions it should all be salvagable, and of course there are the seperate multitrack and soundboard recordings. I'm sure it's all already been transferred (and had work done on it).

Didn't we forget "Calling All Girls" from New Haven 1982 TV report ( full version must be in the archives there).

Hello QweenZ,

I have some rare footage on 8mm film that I would like to submit to an archive, but I lost it up my oathole so now I don't have it anymore.

It was of John Deacons fusting himself before stepping on stage to deliver a powerful lecture on how high a bass guitar should be worn. He also got lost up my oathole.

When I was listening to Hot Space last night I funked like a demon on a picture of Brian May. I can't stop singing that Ford song he did. It's tits!

SG
x

Thistleboy 1980 wrote:















Releasing full but lesser-quality shows to the general public may (probably) just bring more poor sales and further detriment to the Queen name.

I strongly disagree.  People understand that old footage may not be great quality.  Record sales will never slow down because of DVDs that aren't up to snuff.

There are about 10 DVDs of Hendrix shows, mostly from 1969 and 1970.  There's no way there isn't enough Queen footage in their vaults that isn't at least equal quality to Hendrix footage that's 5-10 years older.

during "White Queen" at Earls Court, the camera only appears to focus on Brian. Also the sound cuts during several parts of the show and there are many instances where the shots are out of focus.

This video we have is most likely the feed that was shown live on the two screens at the concert.  Even if that isn't the case, the footage the other cameras filmed should still be in the archives, provided that they've stood the test of time.

Soapy Gonad wrote:

 Hello QweenZ,

I have some rare footage on 8mm film that I would like to submit to an archive, but I lost it up my oathole so now I don't have it anymore.

It was of John Deacons fusting himself before stepping on stage to deliver a powerful lecture on how high a bass guitar should be worn. He also got lost up my oathole.

When I was listening to Hot Space last night I funked like a demon on a picture of Brian May. I can't stop singing that Ford song he did. It's tits!

SG
x

Juvenile and stupid, but really funny too.

Excelsior!

Sir GH wrote:

This video we have is most likely the feed that was shown live on the two screens at the concert.  Even if that isn't the case, the footage the other cameras filmed should still be in the archives, provided that they've stood the test of time.

[/QUOTE]
Were there screens at Earls Court? I know Zep used them but don't think Queen did?

They definitely did.  Someone just sent me a review of the second night (6-7-77) that wrote about the video screen being used, so that's a pretty huge find.

http://www.queenlive.ca/queen/live%20pics/77-06-07_London_review.jpg

Sir GH wrote:

I strongly disagree.  People understand that old footage may not be great quality.  Record sales will never slow down because of DVDs that aren't up to snuff.

- Hi Bob!  I didn't mean that the quality of the material would result in poor sales.  What I was getting at, as we kind of already know about Queen, is that they don't have the cred anymore for stuff like this to generate huge sales through general release - apart from us, nobody cares.  If a CD of their greatest can't cut it amongst new buyers these days, then the vintage stuff that we know and love certainly won't.  We all, or at least the majority of us (despite the moaning lol) bought AG and Cosmos Rocks, and it still wasn't enough to bolster the Queen name....we all know that, regardless of the quality, we would buy an Earls Court or Hyde Park show if it was released officially (fuck, most of us would buy a recording of Freddie's greatest farts if available) but no one else really gives a toss.  We are a dying breed mate, and even at that, we can't agree amongst ourselves. 

There are about 10 DVDs of Hendrix shows, mostly from 1969 and 1970.  There's no way there isn't enough Queen footage in their vaults that isn't at least equal quality to Hendrix footage that's 5-10 years older.

That's a great point, but unfortunately we are living in the age of morons mate - it's not cool to like Queen because the singer was, well, a queen who died of Aids.  That's laughed at by most of the people I know - it's a running joke to everyone that I like Queen.  Even those who maybe like some of their music won't openly admit it - there's a sort of stigma attached to liking Fred.  However, it's cool to like a guitarist who snorted himself to death - that's more enviable than dying of a homo-related illness, you know.  So that's why, IMHO, Hendrix sells better - apart from the guys who are genuine fans and buy it because any collector will, all the little plebs think it's cool.  If it was the other way round, I don't think we'd see the amount of Hendrix releases we have.

during "White Queen" at Earls Court, the camera only appears to focus on Brian. Also the sound cuts during several parts of the show and there are many instances where the shots are out of focus.

This video we have is most likely the feed that was shown live on the two screens at the concert.  Even if that isn't the case, the footage the other cameras filmed should still be in the archives, provided that they've stood the test of time.

The footage I have on my boot DVDs appears to be the same footage used when small segments of it are placed as clips in documentaries or the likes of rare live - if they had better, wouldn't they have used that already?


 

What I will say is that this has generated some excellent responses and ideas (limited runs just for sale on the fan site, donations to the TH trust etc)  - whilst the suggestion of a rare live 2 is not to everyone's liking, it has got us thinking again about ways they could release this material, if they choose to.  I know they won't listen to every single suggestion put out there, but we can live in hope that someone from QPL, someday, will pass by, see conversation like this and think "what a good idea - we should do that, you know".  Surely they've got to take some of our ideas on board, at some point?  And I've noticed that a little bit of controversy thrown into the mixing bowl gets some of the best from the thinkers on this board.

Rare Live was a disaster.

What makes you think that a follow-up would be treated any better in terms of it's production and the sensitivity of cutting and pasting in the middle of tracks?

 



Sir GH wrote:



They definitely did.  Someone just sent me a review of the second night (6-7-77) that wrote about the video screen being used, so that's a pretty huge find.

http://www.queenlive.ca/queen/live%20pics/77-06-07_London_review.jpg

That is a huge find, and possibly a huge disappointment.
I've never been able to find a review mentioning video screens, and therefore assumed they were not used. Because of this, and stuff in Greg's book etc, I thought the cameras were there to film for a potential release. Its now quite possible that the only footage available is the feed to the screens. This would explain why we have zero shots of the crowd as there was no need to film them.

Brian said a few years back that they would never release Knebworth as the only footage they had was from the screens, meaning they couldn't do a proper edit. He said there were many bad shots, like staying on a single band member for a long period of time.

Im now beginning to wonder if Brian was actually getting Knebworth confused with Earls Court?

Sir GH wrote:

They definitely did.  Someone just sent me a review of the second night (6-7-77) that wrote about the video screen being used, so that's a pretty huge find.

http://www.queenlive.ca/queen/live%20pics/77-06-07_London_review.jpg

Great discovery ! I always wondered why the footage is so absolutely chaotic, and shows only the band. This is the perfect explanation

Isn't this already common knowlege? And anyway - there's plenty of live footage from the 60's and 70's where there's little to no footage of the crowd, I'm not sure why some Queen fans are so obsessed with seeing the audience to be honest.

Certainly not common knowledge to me. I think the only people it may have been common knowledge to are the people who were there, and the people who just assumed screens were used. 

I also have no problem with not seeing any crowd shots.

Negative Creep wrote:































I'm not sure why some Queen fans are so obsessed with seeing the audience to be honest.

It's not the fans as much as it's QP who want the whole package when releasing a DVD.  Band shots, audience shots, multi-track audio to fix little mistakes, hit songs, all in very high quality.

Thistleboy 1980 wrote:















That's a great point, but unfortunately we are living in the age of morons mate - it's not cool to like Queen because the singer was, well, a queen who died of Aids.  That's laughed at by most of the people I know - it's a running joke to everyone that I like Queen.  Even those who maybe like some of their music won't openly admit it - there's a sort of stigma attached to liking Fred.

I think that's dying away.  Or at least, I'd like to think so.  A good band is a good band.  People loved Queen in the 70s, and Freddie looked completely gay.  It was only by the 80s when he looked like a gay clubber that his image wasn't so favourable to some.

The footage I have on my boot DVDs appears to be the same footage used when small segments of it are placed as clips in documentaries or the likes of rare live - if they had better, wouldn't they have used that already?

Fair point.  Chances are they don't, especially now that we know the video screens are probably what were recorded.

Bad Seed wrote:















I thought the cameras were there to film for a potential release. Its now quite possible that the only footage available is the feed to the screens. This would explain why we have zero shots of the crowd as there was no need to film them.

Indeed.  But luckily there are two nights, so there most likely is enough footage to compile an Earls Court 77 DVD even with mono sound.  It would sell as well as any 70s concert DVD from popular bands of the time.  People understand that old footage isn't perfect blue-ray quality.  Old footage has a certain charm to it.  It's a document of 1977, not of 2007.  The Who did it with their 1977 Kilburn concert.  It's mono sound, it looks old, but it's beyond awesome.