Sun City - part 2

[QUOTE] [b]MercurialFreddie wrote:[/b]

This Sun City is a pure gem ! Why the heck won't they officially release it...

[/QUOTE]

I think they'd rather leave the controversial fact that they played there in the past - releasing the concert recording would be the biggest way they could bring it back into the spotlight, despite it being an excellent show in itself.

Wonderful recording, thanks so much!

By the way - is it just me, or is Roger *really* off-key with his backing vocals in Hammer To Fall?

[QUOTE] [b]Ale Solan wrote:[/b]

Here you have more examples of bad publicity:

Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Adam Lambert
Queen Forever
2011 Remasters including just one or two "real" rarities per album

and so...[/QUOTE]

Like them or not - Q+AL has not been bad publicity. For the first time in their career, they have gotten consistently good reviews. Queen's music is more respected now in the press than it ever has been, and the last year of touring has definitely been a contributing factor.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]Ale Solan wrote:[/b]

Here you have more examples of bad publicity:

Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Adam Lambert
Queen Forever
2011 Remasters including just one or two "real" rarities per album

and so...[/QUOTE]

Like them or not - Q+AL has not been bad publicity. For the first time in their career, they have gotten consistently good reviews. Queen's music is more respected now in the press than it ever has been, and the last year of touring has definitely been a contributing factor.
[/QUOTE]

I'm talking from my own personal experience, of most of friends and acquaintances, Queen fans or people that just really like Queen, just one really liked this collaboration, the rest just didn't like it or even hated it.

The press could be a different matter. At least here in Argentina, this new project and tour were never mentioned at all.

[QUOTE] [b]thomasquinn 32989 wrote:[/b]

By the way - is it just me, or is Roger *really* off-key with his backing vocals in Hammer To Fall?[/QUOTE]

while listening yesterday at full volume, my girlfriend stared at me with interrogation marks at that precise moment ....

:-O

Does Freddie hit the Bb4's in borap or is the tape to fast there?

He indeed hits those high notes!

Almost sounds like the album phrasing, maybe we were wrong about Live Aid being the first time he did it :O

The tape plays a bit faster indeed

[QUOTE]

[b]Ale Solan wrote: [/b] [QUOTE] [b]Penetration_Guru wrote:[/b]

I suspect that choosing to release an apartheid-era show from Sun City would be more likely to get them negative publicity all over again. Even after 30 years.[/QUOTE]

Here you have more examples of bad publicity:

Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Adam Lambert
Queen Forever
[b] 2011 Remasters including just one or two "real" rarities per album[/b]

and so...[/QUOTE]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that less people saw that as a problem than thought nationalised racism was generally not the preferred choice, but whatever makes you think you're sticking it to the (QPL) man....

[QUOTE] [b]pittrek wrote:[/b]

The tape plays a bit faster indeed[/QUOTE]

Yup, about 1/5 of a semitone.

It aches me if this show won't be released due to the controversial politics. I grew up in a country behind the Iron Curtain (not really, because it's not in Europe), and let me say, the backlash at Queen is hypocritical. The policy of isolationising and punishing doesn't help anybody, it's just an ego-showoff between governments, in the end the people are the ones who suffer. I would love me some Queen concerts if they were able to come to my country in the 80s.

During the interview with Roger and Brian included in the recent Sun City mp3, Queen made their point of view very clearly: they came there for the music, for the people (of all colours). Some QZer reported that they gave out free tickets to the poor black audience who couldn't afford it otherwise. Isn't it nice? And when you listen to the gig, you can feel that they were really rocking, really connecting to the audience. It is a beautiful thing that those armchair critics can't touch.

Also, both Brian and Roger said that people couldn't understand what Sun City was like if they were NOT there. Absolutely true. To help someone wouldn't it be better going there and actually seeing his/her state? I totally agree when they said the band wouldn't do the easy way of "apologise for having come there". Nothing to apologise.

Roger's answers were spontaneous and passionate, while Brian's were very thoughtful. It's one of my favorite Queen's interviews. Really, everything is there, the press only have to listen to it to see the point, but of course the press prefer to jump down their throat without listening to them. I can't imagine that in 2008 The Guardian still wrote an article slagging Queen off about it. They wondered how could they play for Mandela. Well, excuse us but if Mandela himself didn't have a problem with that then why should you Guardian?

If an organisation decides to boycott South Africa and think it helps, fine, do it, just don't force others to follow your judgement.

We could hear the pain and the regret in Roger and Brian's voice during the interview. They insisted that they would not come back to Sun City. Who benefit from that fact, really? Music lovers, and the people, certainly not.

So, thank you Anthony, for kicking down some barrier, and bring back a wonderful concert to us ^^

hobbit-in-Rhye, great post!

^ Thank you. Imagine that Sun City gig released in full glory. But no it's condemned forever.