Review
by Bootleg
Encyclopedia
Dressed To Kill
uses the common fair to good and clear audience recording that has
circulated for years. A majority of the show first surfaced on vinyl
as Queen / Live In Kove (LLX 2622). In 1998 H-Bomb released
the entire tape as Killer Queen (HBM 9508). Wardour's
version of the tape is two minutes longer since they fixed the tape speed
to be closer to the correct pitch but is still incomplete,
missing "In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited" and the rock and
roll medley. It is plagued by rhythmic clapping at certain points by people
close to the taper and the bass is somewhat distorted but
overall is very powerful and captures a dynamic performance. Queen's
show in Kobe was the third of nine on their first tour of Japan.
It's always fascinating to hear these tape since they are on the boarder
between Sheer Heart Attack and A Night At The Opera and
we can hear them developing their elaborate arrangements right on stage.
"Now I'm Here" is played slower than later live arrangements and
is an interesting contrast to the faster "Ogre Battle".
After "Doin' Alright" Freddie announces a medley of three songs
with the latest single "Killer Queen". "Son &
Daughter" contains an expressionistic guitar solo with Brian May playing
melodies and using sounds that would appear for years on stage. Roger
introduces "Seven Seas Of Rhye" and the tape sadly runs out at
the very end of "Liar".
Early
copies of Dressed To Kill come with a free cdr titled Majestic
Rock. This is the complete almost forty minute tape from the
Rainbow Theater in London, March 31st, 1974 and is the very best document
from the obscure Queen II era. Their most famous
appearance at the Rainbow occured in November of that year after the
release of their third LP Sheer Heart Attack and has been booted
many times, but this tape really hasn't circulated too much. It
is advertised as a soundboard recording but some people claim it is an
excellent audience tape instead. Regardless the sound quality
is an amazing stereo recording and rates a nine out of ten (point off for
occasional surface noise). It first surfaced on vinyl (in fact all
cd copies like Majestic Rock come from vinyl) and is
commonly thought of as BBC sessions. Killers on the
Flashback label and Sheetkeeckers (Outside 001) both list it
as such and edit in some authentic BBC material to "complete"
the show. It has also circulated as a February 8th,
1975 Cleveland tape but is clearly not. "Seven Seas Of
Rhye" is introduced as "our current release" and there is
no Sheer Heart Attack material. It is another scorching
early Queen show when they were trying to be the heaviest and most
elaborate band in the world and it's great to hear the Queen II
songs live. This could have stood on its own but as a bonus it
is a nice and classy touch by Wardour. (GS)
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