Best Version Save Me

Hi all, I have been an avid Queen fan for far too long one of my fav songs
is Save Me. I want a good live version to put onto my iTunes to
play in the car.

I have many live versions, I would be most interested in informed
opinion on which is the best live version, both in performance and
sound quality?

As an older fan I recall Brian mentioning this song 1st around December
1979 when interviewed by Tommy Vance on the Friday Rock Show,
in that interview he mentioned Freddie had some input. Would love to
hear that interview again if it lurks somewhere.

Can't go wrong with the Montreal 81 version. Mercury's vocal is exquisite.

The live at the bowl version is also very good. I remember the first time I heard it (having heard only Montreal before) and being shocked to hear Brian's guitar in the first chorus. Pleasant surprise as in other versions he plays piano for the first part of the song.

Hammersmith 79 was good right up to the end when Brian has some sort of brain problem and crashes and burns on the solo.

Thanks for reply guys, much appreciated. Always thought Montreal
version sounded good, is it overdubbed?

I vote Montreal 81 also but it's very hard to choose since there are so many great live versions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXAYq5DkQcQ

This is the definitive version. This version is about as close to the studio version as we're going to get (unless new recordings surface). Freddie aces the vocals (including hitting the B4 on "Ohhhhh Save Me"), and he nails the song's soft tone. The only real fault with this version is that John Deacon flubs one bass note!

Montreal's is good, but Freddie doesn't use the vocal dynamics as well (he doesn't sing soft as much), and he nearly forgets the lyrics (though he does recover by speaking through them)!

I like very much the tokyo '82 version. it's very good ;)

Sam99 wrote:
Thanks for reply guys, much appreciated. Always thought Montreal
version sounded good, is it overdubbed?

Can't confirm 100%, but it doesn't seem so.

To me the best SAVE ME version EVERRRRRRR!

Save Me (Queen-Live In Puebla: 10/17/1981)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhg7E8yhZKc

G O D S A V E Q U E E N


G O D S A V E M E R C U R Y

Gregsynth wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXAYq5DkQcQ
This is the definitive version. This version is about as close to the studio version as we're going to get (unless new recordings surface). Freddie aces the vocals (including hitting the B4 on "Ohhhhh Save Me"), and he nails the song's soft tone. The only real fault with this version is that John Deacon flubs one bass note!
Montreal's is good, but Freddie doesn't use the vocal dynamics as well (he doesn't sing soft as much), and he nearly forgets the lyrics (though he does recover by speaking through them)!

Being close to the studio version isn't necessarily how I define a good live version of a song. Queen did some interesting variations on stage of songs like Dreamers Ball and 39, for example.

Holly2003 wrote:

Gregsynth wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXAYq5DkQcQ
This is the definitive version. This version is about as close to the studio version as we're going to get (unless new recordings surface). Freddie aces the vocals (including hitting the B4 on "Ohhhhh Save Me"), and he nails the song's soft tone. The only real fault with this version is that John Deacon flubs one bass note!
Montreal's is good, but Freddie doesn't use the vocal dynamics as well (he doesn't sing soft as much), and he nearly forgets the lyrics (though he does recover by speaking through them)!

Being close to the studio version isn't necessarily how I define a good live version of a song. Queen did some interesting variations on stage of songs like Dreamers Ball and 39, for example.

It all depends on the song: If you take something like "A Kind Of Magic," and compare the studio version to the live versions--the ones from the early part of the Magic Tour will trump the later versions (because Freddie hits the key notes on the song--and sounds clean singing the song).

Then you'll get songs like "Now I'm Here" where the studio version PALES to the live versions from the Crazy Tour-onwards (the song sounds much more energetic, and Freddie sings the song with that awesome developed voice). The versions from the early tours (Sheer Heart Attack, Opera, etc) do sound close to the record version--but it comes off as boring live (since the song was too slow, and Freddie sang it very "bland").

There's certain songs that require either Freddie to sing it a certain way, or the band to play the song in a certain way, in order for it to come across well live: "In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited" didn't work live from 1975-1977 (because Freddie didn't hit the falsetto, sang it blandly, and the band harmonies weren't always clean), but the song sounded so much better on the Magic Tour (because Freddie sang the song properly and the harmonies were tighter). On the other hand, you'll have songs like "Love Of My Life," "Is This The World We Created," "Somebody To Love," and "Bohemian Rhapsody" where in most cases--the song worked live (no matter how Freddie sang it, how the band played it, etc).

Wow, this is really interesting. I might ask the same about CLTCL next.

I have the Newcastle 3/12/79 show somewhere, but not in this sound quality. I'm blown away by this.

Could some kind soul possibly share this version of Save Me from Newcastle 3/12/79, I would beg, borrow or steal this it's great!

As far as I know, this should be the same version that's on youtube:

http://www.queenzone.com/forums/1160411/announce-newcastle-3-december-1979-flac-torrent.aspx

Save Me (Queen-Live In Puebla: 10/17/1981) PLEASE .... LISTEN OOOOOOOOOOOOH ON 2:19 MINUTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhg7E8yhZKc