Hope the following will shed some light...
From a Brian May's letter to the IQFC, dated January 18th 1975, printed on the February/March Newsletter:
" [...]
At the moment we're working every day and most nights on our film of the Rainbow concert, mixing and editing [it] to a suitable form for the "Whistle Test" and such like - so you'll be able to see us while we're away in the U.S.A. and Japan [...]."
From the IQFC Newsletter, June/July 1975: "[...] The film taken of QUEEN at the Rainbow has not been used for TV as planned, but is to be re-edited as a full lenght documentary and released to cinemas, we'll let you know when and where. [...]."
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ghostwithasmile wrote:
"And of course Fred said "it's nice really nice to be back"at a please they hadn't played during the Queen II tour. Hence Queen had never been in SF until the 75 tour."
Hmm, very true.. they didn't do the west coast in '74. I think you're onto something here..
"And of course Fred said "it's nice really nice to be back"at a please they hadn't played during the Queen II tour. Hence Queen had never been in SF until the 75 tour."
Hmm, very true.. they didn't do the west coast in '74. I think you're onto something here..
Should I compare the Rainbow 1974 tracks to San Francisco 1975?
I've already done it... they are definitely from two different shows. But since there were two nights at the Rainbow, anything is possible I guess..
I just wished we had the full Rainbow gigs!
Let's just not be swayed by the "nasty Queenies" comment on both recordings. Freddie referred to the band as such on the 1975 tour in Boston (and probably more shows)... and even in 1977.
Gregsynth wrote: I just wished we had the full Rainbow gigs!
I wasn't there for either night but I was so desperate to go. Hence I read and reread the reviews afterwards. I do hope the review by Rosie Horide comes to light because I remember her saying that "Tuesday(?-ie. the first of the two nights) night could have been a disaster. The mixer blew up in the afternoon..." and then goes onto say that the sound cut out during perhaps Liar (?) and that "Roger did a 10 minutes dazzling drum display" whilst things were fixed... I no longer have this article but do remember they had problems with the sound on one of the nights - probably the first.
Knowing the limitations of sound stripes on film even in the early '80's, my guess is the film would have been played in selected cinemas where they had special projectors that had two heads: one for the visual and the other head for the separate mono mag(netic) stock which the sound would have been on. These two reels would be synced in the projector - you matched up both start frames of both the film and the mag stock. Pink Floyd did this with Live at Pompeii, in 1972 - the sound mag stock to accompany the visuals was lying around at Advision Studios one time when I was there (this was when they were clearing out the studio). Not every cinema had these projectors - it was quite specialist.
Not sure about the overdubbing technicalities in the 70's and how the hell you would sync the film visuals with loads of studio overdubbing, especially using mag stock Vs recording studio tape. Must have been done at the TV editing stage if it was planned to be a Whistle Test programme, then dumped down onto mag stock again for cinema release once the TV programme was abandoned.
I wasn't there for either night but I was so desperate to go. Hence I read and reread the reviews afterwards. I do hope the review by Rosie Horide comes to light because I remember her saying that "Tuesday(?-ie. the first of the two nights) night could have been a disaster. The mixer blew up in the afternoon..." and then goes onto say that the sound cut out during perhaps Liar (?) and that "Roger did a 10 minutes dazzling drum display" whilst things were fixed... I no longer have this article but do remember they had problems with the sound on one of the nights - probably the first.
Knowing the limitations of sound stripes on film even in the early '80's, my guess is the film would have been played in selected cinemas where they had special projectors that had two heads: one for the visual and the other head for the separate mono mag(netic) stock which the sound would have been on. These two reels would be synced in the projector - you matched up both start frames of both the film and the mag stock. Pink Floyd did this with Live at Pompeii, in 1972 - the sound mag stock to accompany the visuals was lying around at Advision Studios one time when I was there (this was when they were clearing out the studio). Not every cinema had these projectors - it was quite specialist.
Not sure about the overdubbing technicalities in the 70's and how the hell you would sync the film visuals with loads of studio overdubbing, especially using mag stock Vs recording studio tape. Must have been done at the TV editing stage if it was planned to be a Whistle Test programme, then dumped down onto mag stock again for cinema release once the TV programme was abandoned.
Thank you for that excellent insight. I owe you a PM response... coming soon !
Sir GH wrote: Thank you for that excellent insight. I owe you a PM response... coming soon !
Ta, Bob - got all your emails and replied to them all...
Ta, Bob - got all your emails and replied to them all...
Did Roger ever nail the screaming part in Lap Of The Gods? I simply can't believe he sang that part so clean at the Rainbow. Must have been a studio trick.
Nope.. he actually nailed it every night. Listen to any audience recording from the Sheer Heart Attack tour. The sound mixer just added a slight phaser etffect to it.
"Tuesday(?-ie. the first of the two nights) night could have been a disaster. The mixer blew up in the afternoon..." and then goes onto say that the sound cut out during perhaps Liar (?) and that "Roger did a 10 minutes dazzling drum display" whilst things were fixed...
Actually the problems were during 'Liar' and occurred on the second night on the 20th.
It's fascinating to watch, but RT's solo wasn't that long.
Actually the problems were during 'Liar' and occurred on the second night on the 20th.
It's fascinating to watch, but RT's solo wasn't that long.
GT with all the respect I have to you, please could you instead of "teasing us" go to the "correct persons" and tell them that many of us would sell our mothers for seeing a complete 1974 Queen video ? :-)
I agree with you Pittrek, lets hope for a Rainbow DVD sooner than later.
Unfortunately I can't imagine the band wanting anyone to see this, as it is all rather awkward when it happened, FM is lost for words. In which case if anything, they would use the other night's version.
Unfortunately I can't imagine the band wanting anyone to see this, as it is all rather awkward when it happened, FM is lost for words. In which case if anything, they would use the other night's version.
Currently ANY 70's DVD would be absolutely perfect :-)