Queen Album: “Live at Wembley Stadium”

I love this CD. I was listening to my Mom's copy of it for at least a month before I decided that I better get my own copy of it if she ever wanted hers back. I have it on repeat in my car. Freddie just makes me smile to listen to him. The fact that its a live CD makes it even better. My favorite Queen song ever is on here too. Radio Gaga is the best song to listen to after a bad day at work. Heck the entire cd is. I love love love Queen!

Queen's Live at Wembley '86 was originally released in June of 1992.

The album was recorded on Queen's final tour with its classic lineup at the now demolished old Wembley Stadium in London on July 12, 1986 (the band sold out two nights and could have done a few more Wembley gigs but was not available so it ended at Knebworth Park (which deserves a release for pure historical value)).

Regardless, this is a pretty damn fine show featuring a good mix of (then) new songs (The pulsing opener "One Vision", a killer "A Kind of Magic", a stunning "Who Wants to Live Forever" and a great but short "Friends Will Be Friends") and classic ones ("Tie Your Mother Down", "In the Lap of the Gods (Revisited)", a short "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Tear it Up (with a teaser of Liar)", "Under Pressure", "Another One Bites the Dust", the pulsing "I Want to Break Free", "Now I'm Here", the acoustic "Love of My Life" and "Is This the World We Created", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Hammer to Fall", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Radio Ga Ga", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions") despite some obvious vocal overdubs (as this came out on video in the late 1980s in Europe) on "One Vision", "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "We Are the Champions".

Also, there was a little jam called "Impromptu" which showcased Freddie's dynamic vocal range and Brian May's 9 minute guitar solo called "Brighton Rock Solo".

Also, the band decided to incorporate several 50's-era tunes into one medley ("You're So Square (Baby I Don't Care)", "Hello Mary Lou" (although Led Zeppelin did it better on How the West Was Won) and "Tutti Fruitti" (which was extended on this remastered version of Live at Wembley) and also the 40s song Big Spender which was part of the first encore. Certainly it is a slicker package than Live Killers and better than Live Magic but not as great as Queen On Fire Live at the Bowl (recorded in 1982 and released in 2004) nor Queen Rock Montreal (recorded in 1981 and released in 2007).

The Live at Wembley '86 album reached #52 on the US charts in 1992 but would eventually go Platinum with a million copies sold in the US over time.

In August of 2003, to coincide with the DVD release of this show, Hollywood Records in the US and Canada re-released Live at Wembley '86 with a new title Live at Wembley Stadium with FOUR BONUS TRACKS including killer versions of "A Kind of Magic", "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" from the first Wembley performance July 11, 1986 (which was better than the versions on the regular album and also overdub free) and "Tavasi Szel Vizet Arast" which was recorded at Nepstadion in Budapest, Hungary on July 30, 1986.

This live album is recommended!

I don't have the cd of this concert, but I do indeed have the dvd, and I can tell you that this show was simply astonishing. The band never sounded better than they did that day. Freddy has the crowd in the palm of his hand, his consumate showmanship shining through on each and every song. The rest of the band was also fantastic on that magical day, especially Brian May, whose playing on songs like "Now I'm Here" and "Hammer To Fall" are ample proof that his talents are grossly underrated.

As far as the setlist goes, it is a great selection of songs. Some of the highlights include "Tie Your Mother Down", "Under Pressure", "Another One Bites The Dust", the oldies songs, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Will Rock You" / "We Are The Champions". But the album as a whole is fantastic and belongs in any cd collection. I also recomned the accompanying dvd.

Live at Wembly Stadium is simply a triumph. The sound, the instrumentation, the crowd reactions... this (in my opinion) Is probably the best live album that I have heard in release.

Why do you ask? well let me tell you!!!

This album was recorded so well that you really do feel like you are in the middle of the audience. Each instrument, vocal, and audience noise was recorded and mixed to perfection... So well in fact that this album at some points comes off like an actual 'studio album'. Most live recordings are bare and sparse where this recording comes off as a very professional and crisp event.

In terms of musicallity, here we see Queen playing very tightly and more polished than they had in years. Freddie's voice is also in finer form live than it had been in a long while... Since the late 70's in fact.

Here we begin to see a more 'mature' queen who are more in-tune with eachother than before, and this live show was definitely a pre-curser to brilliance in recording that was to come!!!

Basically this is a well-recorded live album that showcases not only the hits of one of the biggest bands on the planet but also the showmanship, humor, and awesome musicality that can never be replicated or replaced. We love and miss you QUEEN!!

Buy it, fall in love with it, listen to it until it breaks, then repeat the cycle..

I STRONGLY suggest buying the DVD as well... That is even better than the CD!! But do buy both...!

All The Best,

-The AndyMan-

This was an amazing performance by Queen, and sadly the bands second last. It starts out with One Vision, and includes some of my favorite Queenhits of all time such as the rock opera masterpiece In The Lap Of The Gods, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Now I'm Here. They also do a smashing rendition of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Radio Gaga, Under Pressure and I Want To Break Free, and Is This The World We Created, among others.

Also included some tongue in cheek renditions of some old 50's hits like (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care, Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart), and Tutti Frutti.

I wish the band had actually sung Brighton Rock, instead of making it just a guitar instrumental. I know Brian May is one of the best guitarists ever, but Brighton Rock is actually one of my favorite songs, and that's whatI wanted to hear , not just the background guitar music to the song.

Peronally, I don't think it is quite as good as Live Killers.

Nonetheless it was a fantastic concert, by one of the best bands ever.