Queen as it Began

A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975 is an upcoming live album by English rock band Queen. The album is the first official release of the band's Christmas Eve performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975…

Allegedly planned for an official release back in 1974 or 1975 but scrapped by the creation of A Night at the Opera, Live at the Rainbow '74 fills in part of Queen's history: it is the first official live album to capture the band at their pre-Night at the Opera fury. The brief 1989 release, At the Beeb, touched upon the same territory, capturing their two sessions from 1973, but this is something else, a full concert – and in the case of the double-CD, quadruple vinyl, two full concerts – that showcases the band's rapidly increasing range, not to mention their brute force…

In one regard, Queen II does indeed provide more of the same thing as on the band's debut. Certainly, of all the other albums in Queen's catalog it bears the closest resemblance to its immediate predecessor, particularly in its lean, hard attack and in how it has only one song that is well-known to listeners outside of their hardcore cult: in this case, it's "Seven Seas of Rhye," which is itself more elliptical than "Keep Yourself Alive," the big song from the debut…

Queen played three sold-out shows at the legendary Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, North London, in 1974. The first was in March, the crowning glory of the Queen II tour; the band then returned for two more nights in November as part of the Sheer Heart Attack tour. 1974 was a year of high achievement for Freddie, Brian, Roger and John; as well as releasing two albums, from which came their first two hit singles, “Seven Seas Of Rhye” and “Killer Queen,” the latter charting all around the world, they completed major tours across the UK, America and Europe. Queen dazzled their audience with an unforgettable show delivered with a skill and confidence which belied their youth. The tape machines were rolling, capturing the highly energetic performances. To mark the 4oth anniversary of these legendary shows, here, finally, is Queen at the Rainbow; lovingly restored, mixed and digitally mastered, and including material never previously available.

Live at the Rainbow '74 is a live album by English rock band Queen. It has been released in September 2014 in single CD, double CD, DVD, SD Blu-ray and quadruple vinyl formats, as well as a deluxe box set including reproduction tour memorabilia. The single disc and video editions contain a concert from the band's Sheer Heart Attack Tour, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 19 & 20 November 1974, while the double CD and vinyl releases include this material plus a concert recorded at the Rainbow earlier in the year, on 31 March, as part of the Queen II Tour. The DVD and Blu-ray also include four bonus tracks from the earlier Queen II concert. Some of the footage from the November show was previously released on VHS as part of the Box of Tricks box set in 1992.