The Best Live Versions of Somebody to Love

Very good version

mind you most things Queen do and are stil doing are pretty good!!!

It is definitely MK Bowl '82!  I also love the Earls Court '77 and Seattle '77 versions.

WIth the exception of a few Jazz Tour versions, a couple Hot Space versions, and a few Works Tour versions, I think STL almost always sounded great live! I wish they kept it for The Magic Tour!

The MK version is pretty damn good but Greg showed me a couple of others that he posted on facebook that were good as well

maybe Greg you could post them on here as well????

I'll post them all!

Which ones shall I post?

Stockholm 1978 Newcastle (1st Night) 1979 Hammersmith 1979 Inglewood 1980 Oakland 1980 Monterrey 1981 Puebla (1st night) 1981 Montreal (1st Night) 1981 There's some awesome versions!

I think 2 of those you posted greg were the ones you put on fb the other day, i shall have to check

Somebody to love sung live just seems to bring out the best in the band as a whole

I think it was the Puebla and Monterrey versions I posted on Facebook.

For the best versions of the song--I'd have to say that almost every version from 1979-1982 is brilliant. There are versions outside that timeframe that have their moments, but in those 3 years, the song was at it's absolute best. Only two versions outside that timeframe could fit in a "prime live" era: Stockholm 1978, and the Rio version. The rest range from "bad" to "good."

Earls Court 1977
Live at the Bowl
Rock in Rio

For me this is one of the great unanswerable questions. Partly because
Freddie did just superb versions of this song all the time and they were always different, so it's largely
a matter of taste. I'll just put my 3 favorite versions, in chronological order:

Hammersmith '79
Montreal '81
Milton-Keynes '82

J

Those versions are great!

Don't forget to consider:

Houston 1977 (very in-sync vocal harmonies)
Edinburgh 1982 (powerful and emotional, on par with Milton Keynes)
Sun City 1984 (although tired, Freddie nails some very nice alternative notes and phrasings, sounds a bit like Montreal with the drums)
Earls Court 1977 (best vocal improv section ever)
Rock in Rio 2nd night (again, Freddie hits very pleasant alternate notes. My only prob with this is he can't hit the Ab4s and uses F4s instead)
Vienna 1982 both nights (IMO, on par/BETTER than Milton Keynes, very nice phrasing and use of vibrato, combined with raw power and a whimsical throwback to the 1977 performances on the 1st night performances. You'll see what I mean; he doesn't syncopate "anybody find me" like he does after 1979)

I've decided to take my previously posted list (see directly above) and rework it with specific dates and in chronological order to make these easier to find and so people don't have to root through the deep, dark, forgotten corners of Greg's channel.

A Day at the Races Tour:
Copenhagen 5/12/1977 (Classic version with Freddie's Races voice. Also one of the few versions where he attempts sliding into the Bb4 from the sustained Ab4.)
Bristol 5/23/1977 (Probably the best Races version, with a stronger slide on the sustained note at 1:25. Brian makes up some notes at the beginning of the guitar solo, but other than that this version is musically tight.)
Earls Court 6/7/1977 (While the main part of the song is weak compared to other Races versions, the vocal improv section is amazing. John Deacon also showcases his rare singing voice by carrying the entire band through the middle section. A very pleasant surprise.)

News of the World Tour:
Houston 12/11/1977 (The tightest vocal harmonies ever displayed live. A must-listen.)
Stockholm 4/12/1978 (Freddie goes for and hits most of the high notes in the studio, including the strongest sustained slide ever.)
Copenhagen 4/13/1978 (While Freddie's vocals aren't as tight as they were at Stockholm, the band is musically tighter and they sound more in sync than at the previous gig.)

Jazz Tour:
Tokyo 4/23/1979 (Although tired, Freddie displays some interesting alternative note choices. The rest of the band is also on fire during this concert, more so than arguably any other recorded gig.)

Crazy Tour:
Newcastle 12/3/1979 (Another high note replica.)
Newcastle 12/4/1979 (Do I need to explain this one?)

The Game Tour:
Montreal 11/25/1981 (Very soulful, with less heavy guitar and emphasized keyboards on the official release. Overall a very unique-sounding version, with a musicality unparalleled in other versions.)

Hot Space Tour:
Vienna 5/12/1982 (Freddie has a richer tone to his voice, which makes the vocal harmonies in this sound epic. Listen to the "find, me, somebody to love" section.)
Vienna 5/13/1982 (This version, to me, embodies all Hot Space versions. Uptempo compared to past versions, with a more carefree and funloving atmosphere, Freddie doesn't sound nearly as strained on high notes as in the previous gig.)
Edinburgh 6/1/1982 (More high notes. Essentially a more daring version of Milton Keynes.)
Milton Keynes 6/5/1982 (What can I say? Everybody else has said everything. This one holds a special place in my heart because it is the first live version of StL I happened across and I was like "HOOOOOLY SHIT")

Works Tour:
Brussels 8/24/1984 (Freddie sings a Works Tour version with his Hot Space voice. He also hits the sustained Ab4 after the guitar solo like in the studio.)
Birmingham 8/31/1984 (Freddie showcases his vibrato, the strongest it's been since the Crazy Tour.)
Milan 9/14/1984 (At this point Freddie's voice is starting to degrade, so this is more of a sentimental pick. This is the last time I've found where Freddie uses his preferred Hot Space phrasing in the choruses.)
Stuttgart 9/27/1984 (The audience atmosphere at this gig combined with the locked-in mentality of the band make this a must-listen.)
Sun City 10/17/1984 (Freddie's voice is in much better shape than in previous gigs, and he can sustain a Ab4 after the guitar solo, like in the studio. As mentioned above, this version sounds a little like Montreal with emphasized piano and drums. My only issue with it is that beautiful introduction ruined by a bum piano note at the end.)
Rio de Janeiro 1/12/1985 (Raw power, with excellent audience atmosphere and one of two Bb4s "...my hard-earned pay ALL on my own" on the Works Tour! Also the strongest Bb4s in "...Can barely STAND ON MY feet" and "...I ain't gonna FACE no defeat". Probably my favorite version of all time.)
Tokyo 5/9/1985 (I'm not a big fan of this version because the song sounds kind of dead, but Freddie showcases great power and hits the Bb4 on "...hard-earned pay ALL on my own..."
Tokyo 5/11/1985 (While he's weaker than previous Tokyo gigs, Freddie forgets to slow down in the piano lead-in. This gives it a weird quality of sounding like a Hot Space version with Freddie's Works Tour voice. Don't watch the official release, though. Freddie looks so tired it's unbelievable.)
Osaka 5/15/1985 (Freddie's voice is really really husky. The only reason this version is on this list is because of one section: THE BRIDGE. Freddie uses a very nice alternative phrasing that is further complemented by his husky tone. Warning: will cause eargasms.)

I know I'm probably going to get hate for not posting enough Crazy/Game Tour versions, but I personally can't stand the way he uses his vibrato on those tours. Combined with him sounding like a little kid on higher notes, I don't want to listen to those versions.

i like Copenhagen 77 and
the USA gigs from 77; philly, seattle
and chicago 78

Don't forget to give the versions listed above a listen.