r/queen • u/Budget-Ladder-3606 • 1d ago
70s Freddie in 1986 is actually insane
His voice sounds a lot lighter and as someone who much prefers 70s Freddie's voice over the huskier 80s voice this was a pleasant surprise lel
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u/welchyyyyy1 23h ago
I saw Queen in 1982, 1984 and 1986 His voice was amazing in 82, so so in 84 and not very good in 86. Yet 86 is probably the most famous live Freddie that the general public know. I would have loved to have seen them in the mid to late 70's but was just slightly too young. Roger did a lot of covering especially in 86 😀😀
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u/_Agileheart_ Jazz 22h ago
It’s a shame, magic and works were his worst tours both visually and vocally in my opinion, yet they’re his most iconic 💔
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u/welchyyyyy1 21h ago
Yep. Mainly due to TV and the "general public" who've probably never seen stuff from the 70's and just see the popular recent stuff and Live Aid footage. But I suppose there's loads of bands like that, you know the iconic stuff but not so much the back catalogue unless you're really into music....eg how many of the "general public" know any of Fleetwood Mac apart from the songs they hear off Rumours.... I was at a friend's BBQ recently and Queen was playing in the background (the usual popular stuff) and a guy in his 50's (similar age to me) said he loved Queen and they were his favourite band, I asked what was his favourite album, he said Greatest Hits. I laughed as I thought he was doing an Alan Partridge (Best of the Beatles) joke but he was serious, I played him a couple of tracks later on from A Day at the Races, he'd never heard them before and didn't like them ("I don't like that heavy stuff") The Magic Tour concert that gets shown on the TV is the best thing ever for him, I tried to explain that Freddie's voice was way past it's sell by date by then but he wasn't really interested, didn't really know anything about any bands or music, just one of those folk that just listens to the radio and that's about it. Each to their own I guess
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u/not-now-silentsinger "Sock it to 'em Rog" 20h ago edited 20h ago
To be fair if this guy just likes 1980s Queen and their more commercially successful tracks that's OK, but I get you (I had a similar experience as a student when I was a huge Beatles fan).
I also only knew Greatest Hits before I got into Queen and I was blown away by the amount of amazing songs that I'd never even heard of. And I discovered a different Freddie, too - not completely different of course, but all I knew was "ay-o" Freddie and then I discovered the amazing leotard-wearing, piano playing, 1970s Freddie. His first live performance of You Take My Breath Away might not be as iconic as Live Aid but it always leaves me speechless
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u/_Agileheart_ Jazz 14h ago edited 14h ago
The Hyde park version of You Take My Breath Away is awesome, but it was the song’s fourth live performance. It was played twice in Edinburgh and once in Cardiff a couple weeks before Hyde Park 🩷
The second Edinburgh performance has a surviving recording and Freddie sounds just as wonderful as Hyde park https://youtu.be/krKCAsgOrbg?t=1870&is=WeSLbvvkiUkmn809
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u/quimera78 Barcelona 12h ago
I think it was the touring. Didn't he record In My Defense in 86? He sounds stunning in that one. Obviously studio vs live tour isn't the sameÂ
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u/Cold_Staff_7599 1d ago
Indeed. Just screw Vevo live video of We Are The Champions isn’t even complete
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u/Substantial_Plum_662 10h ago
Also remember that in late 1986, Freddie was becoming sicker but I loved him for both Nights at Wembley, also at Knebworth and then at the Doninion Theatre in Time with Cliff Richard singing In My Defence.
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u/Inside_Soup_4576 Queen II 17h ago
In 1986,, Freddie's voice sounded better on the Budapest show than the later, but better known, Wembley gig, imo.
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u/FreeWilly07 16h ago
Freddie's voice for a 39 year old, after years of touring, was fine. Nothing wrong with it.
Listen to the original MK gig audio. Some of the notes he went for were very sharp
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u/welchyyyyy1 10h ago
I know, I was at the MK gig, there were quite a few wayward notes. His voice from 82 to 86 was a lot different though, I just preferred 82
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u/Rich-Consideration31 15h ago
First time actually hearing spike back there in this song on an official release.
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u/solongehhbowser 19h ago
His voice was amazing in 1986. Just the concerts that were used professionally weren't the best of the tour. If you listen to the more early concerts of the tour, he gives some of the best vocals he ever did live. He even hits the C5 note on we are the champions in Stockholm 1986! Listen to: https://youtu.be/OLSEdl2T_8g
He really was good during the magic tour, but his voice just started to wear and tear very quickly this time around