Why doesn't every Queen live album sound as great as Rock Montreal?

Have been listening to RM for the past couple of days and was just wondering why doesn't Wembley, Budapest or Milton keynes sound as great as RM or even close?

It's my understanding that they wanted for the sound to resemble how it sounded on that particular day, at that particular venue, with these particular instruments. Maybe I'm wrong but if the intention behind the Montreal gig was to make it first live concert screened in cinemas they surely were provided with the best possible equipment. I agree that RM sounds very studio-like... all the instruments are so clear and apart from it there is a very good "feel" of the venue, slight reverb. Add to it that this album sounds very much "live" and the band is really on fire and you'll have an excellent live album.

Wembley sounds "muddy" and it really shows when you compare mixes of the two nights to each other. Didn't they want to slightly cover the fact that Freddie's voice was not in its greatest shape on that day ?

Budapest is really good. There is this "grand" feeling to the overall gig. I think Budapest can be described by Brian's own words when he talks about that "big, Queen sound". You can really hear how good they were on that day and Wembley second night pales in comparison to the instruments and voices captured. You can hear more shades of Freddie's voice than on the Wembley album. It was always bugging me, how come that whole album is so "open-sounding" and clear when there are some parts which are "muddy" e. g. Under Pressure from "cause love is such an old-fashioned word" and the rock section of the Bohemian Rhapsody (there Freddie's voice is really buried in the mix).

Milton Keynes has some of my favourite live moments. While you could tell that RM is kinda "harsh", here you could say that Live At The Bowl has "round" sound. If I'd be behind the mix, I'd mix piano and drums differently. The sound of those instruments would be to what we hear on the bootlegs from 82'.

Ps. March gig at the Rainbow venue really sounds excellent ! Listen to that !

Do you mean the audio or the overall performance of the RM concert? In case of the performance, RM was not filmed/recorded during a tour but a special filmed one off concert/event (2 dates). Freddie's singing was superb because he wasn't on tour doing a concert every day or one/two.

With other words:

The 35 mm film projects sound better. That included Rainbow 74 of course which was next to Budapest and Montreal also shot on 35 mm film.

^ I don't think that matters as the audio was surely taken from separate audio master tapes in any case. And Rainbow wasn't shot on film if that's what you implied.

Montreal sounds good but a bit dry for my taste. I don't think Queen has released a truly great sounding live album. Bowl is probably my favourite when it comes to sound. Rainbow '74 and Hammy suffer from auto-tuning Freddie's vocals and over-compressing the drums making them sound unnatural and triggered.

The march show of Rainbow was filmed, but the film is apparently missing, except for Son & Daughter and Modern Times.

The november shows were videotaped, but that doesn't matter because video and sound are recorded separatedly.

About Montreal, who knows? I also think is their best sounding live album. Maybe is because Saul Swimmer's crew used the best possible equipment. The guy filmed a full show in IMAX, even nowdays, is a big deal when a Hollywood movie film 10 mins. in that format, because is harder to work with and have much better quality,, so imagine back in 1981.

My point is, if they filmed video in such quality, why not record the audio in the best possible way aswell?

thats currently in my work van full blast and loving it

Good topic. Does anyone remember the Montreal concert when it was first released on VHS in 1984?
Was called 'we will rock you'
I have an old copy somewhere. .
the sound was horrible! Was mixed totally dry and, on occasion, poor sync with visuals

I remember Brians guitar tone being particularly brittle and dry. They seemed to have fixed that on RM release but, without the remix, the audio (on the vhs) was the worst live release by a country mile

Freddies vocals tho are simply astonishing!

Pity they didn't do another one off like that after Works or Magic tour...

^ Well, they did Live Aid.

Montreal isn't all that great IMO, too clinical for my taste. My favourite live releases in terms of audio are the March Rainbow show and Live Killers. They're not perfect by any means, but the sound is so delightfully raw and "live".

I prefer the original "We Will Rock You" mix, continuity issues notwithstanding.

I like a mix that's more dry and in your face.

RM is a bit reverby for my taste.

It sounds great, but it's still crushed with compression.

Every Queen release of the last 15 years years (including the 2011 remasters) has gone through the loudness war. I just don't enjoy listening to any of them.

Even the Rainbow stuff.

I don't hear concerts from 1974 and 1982. I hear Pro Tools.

And it's sad that marketing has made this so. Never mind the upcoming bands trying to get their due, the biggest rock bands of 40 years ago can't escape it - even Jimmy Page had to compromise with the latest Zeppelin remasters.

Music wasn't meant to sound like shit, but almost everything in the mainstream is precisely that now.

I really hope the tide turns one day.

Hmm, I quite like the 2007 RM release but the mix isn't as "natural" and "live" as it could be. Among the latest releases the mix I like the most is the March Rainbow one, even if it's very loud.

Although I'm no fan of the show itself, I think LAWS is the best sounding live release. Brian's guitar sound is awful and Freddie is obviously in poor voice but it has a wonderful clarity not found on any other release.

Rock Montreal is great. If I had to choose just one track from all Queen released stuff, the "Save me" version of RM wins hands down.