Queen: Rock Montreal & Live Aid

I have watched parts of the Montreal Live 1981 concert on YouTube with varying clarity. This DVD far exceeded my expectations. All audio and video played very well, with only one minor skip near the start. The REAL gem in this DVD, is the optional commentary provided by Sir Brain May and Roger Taylor. How delightful to have insight into the dynamics of this particular concert and the band in general. I wish we had such quality in all of the Queen Live concerts. As well, I purchased Queen Live Wembley Stadium 1986. In my mind, the best Queen concert ever. It is equally of high quality, and I highly recommend BOTH of these for your DVD Library.

I purchased this DVD after renting the Queen Rock Montreal concert via Netflix, which rekindled my love for Queen. I was a Queen fan in Jr. High and High School (saw them perform live in 1978 in Kansas City), but lost track of them in the early 1980's. My renewed interest came after seeing a rock documentary about Queen on the Ovation channel and then another documentary about Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story. I have to say, I wasn't expecting to like this DVD. I was a fan of Queen in their early long-hair days. I had not even listened to their music seriously since about 1980. But I was just blown away by this concert. The band is so tight and in such great form. Freddie Mercury is incredible to watch - you can't take your eyes off him. He fills every second on stage with his presence and showmanship. Watch the concert all the way through and then watch it again with Roger Taylor and Brian May's commentary. They take a while to get going and there are a few long silences, but they give an explanation as to why this film was not presented until recently. Something to do with having a falling out with the film makers and not having access to it all these years. The film is actually two concerts spliced together from the two concert dates in 1981 in Montreal ( you can tell by the costume changes) which they had restored and edited recently. The audio and visual quality are amazing for something this old. There is nothing like real film. Video does not even compare- you wonder, why even bother wth video when you have film that does such a superb job? The audio is so clean and the images so crisp! The later concerts do not even hold a candle to this in regards to quality. And I have to say Freddie Mercury was in rare form at the Montreal Show. Watching him jump back and forth to the piano with perfect timing is amazing. He never loses hold of the audience and keeps the group cooking away for full hour and a half. Yes, this is the concert in its entirety. Apparently this was one of the last times Queen performed with just the four guys and no additional musicians help. In the later concerts, Freddie got away from playing the piano as it kept him away from the stage and he wanted to walk around and sing and entertain the audience - and HOW!!! His voice is amazing! Taylor and May's comments on the commentary are very endearing too as they tell little anecdotes about the band and compliment each other on drum fills and guitar solos and such during the concert. You can tell they have great respect for each other and a lot of love for Freddie Mercury and it comes out in how they notice and comment on the details; such as how nice it is to see Freddie Mercury in his muscular prime. They also mention how the band had freedome to improvise and do what they wanted during the concerts, whereas now, groups are all programmed in concert where you are not even hearing live music sometimes. I went to see a lot of rock concerts in the 1970's, and now that I think of it, they really had to work a lot harder in those days, as there just was not all the technology around that we take for granted today. I also have to say that this concert made me realize how underappreciated Queen is now and was then. They were a truly amazing group and came up with some incredible innovations that they just don't get enough credit for. Perhaps Bohemian Rhapsody was just over played and people came to think of it as campy and jokey? And I also think a lot of people in the 1970's 80's were somewhat homophobic - and Freddie Mercury's flamboyant lifestyle on and off stage was just too wild for the maintstream? But I have to say, after watching this video and the other documentaries I saw, I realize now what an important and serious musician Freddie Mercury was and how it was his creative ideas that brought Queen to fame. Not to take anything away from the other guys - all incredible musicians in their own right who don't get enough credit for their contribution to the group's musical success. Freddie Mercury was an incredible performer who gave the audience so much more than their money's worth. You can see that he really loved what he was doing. He lived his life the way he wanted, and in doing so, as his mother says on one of the documentaries, "he made the whole world happy". There is too much snickering about his being gay and his flamboyant lifestyle. So what? Like Oscar Wilde, he was really a man born out of his time. Oh Queen - Oh Freddie, how I miss you guys!!

This is video that put me back into the fan camp. It is excellent in visuals and sonics. Talk about "wall of sound", If Phil Spector invented it for his R&B pop vision this video proves Queen learned how to extend it into rock and roll. Queen's sonics are all encompassing here in a huge way. Rarely will you experience thunder like this. The first thing you have to admit that in the annals of rock there wasn't any frontman who had the presence of Freddy Mercury. He's like a force of nature. He ins't afraid to be a musician either as he rotates between his piano and "the struct" of a hoary rock god in front of the mic. If there's another vocalist with more range and power on this night there simply wasn't. Mercury crushes it. And getting back to that wall of sound, Brian's guitar playing was Hendrix inspired in a hitting the right notes and sustains that seem to be as big as Mt. Rushmore. Roger's drum sound was truly off the charts! It is rare so precise a hitter has such a huge sound too. While the cymbal work is spot-on it's the amazing sound of the roto-toms and double floors that pound you chest into the ground. Then there's the range of the songs that Mercury can span. As heavy as Zeppelin and as delicate as Nat King Cole, this guy is the most amazing singer in rock. There might be another Elvis (probably not of course), but there will never be another Freddy Mercury. You almost feel sorry for John Deacon whose pulse is as tight as an atomic clock, he get's overshadowed until Under Pressure and you realize how driving and propulsive his playing is even in the quietest moments. What a band. What a concert. This is simply one of the greatest bands of rock's golden era and this video feels as fresh as yesterday! Plus we get Live Aid too. This is one of my very favorite concert videos and there is no weaknesses in sound, sight, and editing is nigh perfect here which is much more than I can say for 90% of rock concerts. You simply must get this if you have a passing interest in Queen as you'll soon become a huge fan.

I loved the DVD great concert great delivery would use them again

あの伝説のモントリオールライブが綺麗な画像で観られます。音質も良く映画化を想定して撮られていただけある。必見です。Blu-rayで。

Questa registrazione del Blu ray di qualità fantastica, nasce da una registrazione del concerto al Forum de Montréal fatta su pellicola cinematografica 35 mm, pellicola non di proprietà dei Queen ma della società che aveva girato il film e proprietaria dei diritti. Fatta la registrazione delle due serate del concerto, è stata montata secondo criteri non coerenti e tecnicamente mal curata (secondo May e Taylor) ed era stato tratto un film dal titolo "We will rock you". Una volta riacquisiti i diritti da parte dei Queen, hanno restaurato la pellicola ed è stata associata la registrazione audio di alta qualità (che fortunatamente era stata fatta con un registratore multitraccia a 25 tracce) e montata come avrebbe dovuto essere fin all'inizio, per poi realizzare questo Blu Ray. La cosa che sconvolge ancor di più è che è un concerto del 2007 e raramente si hanno video musicali/concerti di questa qualità. Sul blu ray è stato riversato in 16:9 Full HD 1080/24p formato video registrato VC-1, audio PCM o DTS HD 96/24. Vi consiglio di mettere (almeno una volta) i sottotitoli per leggere cosa commentano May e Taylor durante la visione di questo concerto, particolari bellissimi e interessanti, commenti sulle riprese, il fastidio che provava Mercury verso quelle telecamere invadenti, May che si sentiva tagliato fuori dalle riprese, commenti sulla loro performance di molti brani e cosa con cui io concordo in pieno, la miglior forma vocale di Mercury nel cantare, davvero coinvolgente, una potenza vocale incredibile al massimo delle sue performence. Davvero da vedere e da ascoltare, come dicono Taylor e May :"alzate il volume dell'impianto audio", (vicini di casa permettendo). Non sono un FAN dei Queen al massimo prenderò le raccolte in vinile (ho già una raccolta in 3 CD) ma questo concerto lo apprezzo moltissimo. Altra cosa assolutamente da vedere sono i contenuti speciali, in particolare il Live AID qualità 480/30i in formato 4:3 audio PCM o DTS HD 96/24 (come sempre da vedere con le due fasce nere laterali e non 16:9 pieno schermo per non snaturare la reale ripresa televisiva) si vede alla massima qualità broadcast, molto buona e con registrazione audio di qualità elevatissima (registrato con registratori professionali). Da brividi quando i Queen coinvolgono lo stadio!!! Presente anche un’intervista ai Queen sul concerto del Live Aid e le loro prove e un altra intervista a May e Taylor. E’ presente anche il commento a voce sul concerto da parte dei queen (quello che potete leggere nei sottotitoli), sinceramente non interessante per me, si vede tutto il concerto, il suono è bassissimo e tutto è incentrato sulle voci di May e Taylor che commentano, potete mettere i sottotitoli nelle lingue disponibili (solo per FAN). Bello anche il libretto allegato pieno di foto e con altre informazioni sui brani, registrazione, collaborazioni. Leggere anche il retro della custodia del blu ray, viene spiegato come è stato fatto questo Blu ray. Giudizio molto positivo, grandi emozioni, 19,50 € spesi molto, molto bene.

I have seen a few other Queen DVDs and have a penchant for concert Blu Rays in general so I had high expectations going into this. Queen Rock Montreal not only lived up to my expectations but in many areas exceeded them. Not only is the concert filmed just before the synthesizers-period, with the band absolutely playing the hell out of their instruments, but the technical aspects of the concert recording are top notch too, leaving the whole thing great in all departments. The sound quality is absolutely superb, crystal clear and very big, which really brings to attention all the skill and virtuosity with which Queen played the gig, and that's not just the mix but the recording quality itself too. The video, which is of course excellent in the main concert, has been scrutinized and cleaned up on the original 35mm prints before being re-scanned for maximum quality, there is even a fairly detailed description of the process in the linear notes. Consequently, the concert looks amazing and clear in a way no other Queen concert does as of yet. In terms of the concert itself, there is no question of quality whatsoever. Queen are absolutely electric and deliver a wide array of some of their hardest and heaviest material in about as energetic and impressive a performance as has been captured on film, and mix it up with a few quieter numbers for balance and variety, leaving a full and complete Queen concert experience. The band don't even just stick to the big radio hits either, playing material such as 'Dragon Attack,' 'Get Down Make Love,' and 'Sheer Heart Attack,' that you wouldn't necessarily expect in with the 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' and 'Under Pressure,' level songs. The highlights for me were the excellent performance of 'I'm In Love With My Car,' with Roger both singing masterfully and nailing the drum fills to perfection as well as their fast and hard rendition of early number 'Keep Yourself Alive.' The band's performance is excellent, the track listing is excellent and the audio visual quality is excellent. What more could you possibly ask for in a concert Blu Ray ? In terms of extras, you get commentary from Brian and Roger, A hilariously bad 80s TV special on Queen, An interesting rehearsal/interview for Live Aid and of course the excellent Live Aid performance itself, which doesn't even require describing it is that well regarded. Overall I highly recommend this product, I enjoy a lot of Live Concert DVDs and Blu Rays and this is definitely one of the finest I've come across, especially if you like the harder rock side of Queen.

J'hésite entre perfection et qualité exceptionnelle ! Jamais un enregistrement live des années 80 n'aura atteint une telle perfection d'image ! Je possède de nombreux concerts digitalisés Blu Ray et très souvent la qualité d'image et de son est très moyenne ! Ici, avec cet enregistrement de Queen à Montreal, je peux dire que la perfection est quasiment atteinte ! Une photo excellente qui s'apparente à un mini film d'auteur, un son - que dire du son ? - gigantesque, profond, super équilibré avec des basses de ouf, des aigus qui donnent un super éclat à la voix de Freddie Mercury et un mixage stéréo excellent ! J'ai lu par-ci par-là des commentaires - très peu mais ils y sont - négatifs sur cet enregistrement... Soit les gens sont idiots ou totalement inconscients au sujet de la prouesse technique réalisées à l'époque avec deux caméra 35mm ! L'enregistrement à ce format est proche du format actuel IMax et le grain de l'image est à tomber parterre !!! 1981, la qualité numérique n'existe pas encore et vu le Blu ray, il s'agit tout simplement d'une tuerie orgasmique pour les yeux ! Pour ce qui est du concert, il faut se rappeler que Queen, groupe européen, évolue ici en Amérique du nord face à un public qui est habitué à des concerts rock, tendus, nerveux et la prestation de Queen est à la hauteur des attentes des canadiens de Montréal ! Ce concert m'a scotché par sa qualité. Save Me, Killer Queen, Love Of My Life, Bohemian Rhapsody... sont géniaux et d'une qualité irréprochable... Le Bonus concert à savoir la prestation de Queen lors du Live Aid de juillet 1985 est un pur plaisir mais n'égale pas en image le concert de Montréal ! J'ai le sentiment de posséder maintenant l'essence du groupe Queen à travers ce concert de Montréal, longtemps méconnu car effacé par le Live de Wembley et le Live at the Bowl ! Les conseils ne servent à rien mais s'il vous plaît, si vous aimez Queen, et si vous hésitez encore pour vous offrir cet album qui est pour moi un des concerts les plus beaux autant par l'image que par le son qu'il m'a été donné de voir depuis très très longtemps... foncez car cet album est un joyaux musical ! Enjoy ;-)