Queen/Netherlands 1974

QUEEN hit the world stage in 1974 with their first hits, “SHEER HEART ATTACK” and the single “Killer Queen.” A valuable live album that reports the scene is now available. What is infused into this work is “December 8, 1974 Hague performance”. This is an audience recording when they first landed in the Netherlands, which is the largest pro-QUEEN country in continental Europe. Speaking of “SHEER HEART ATTACK Tour”, it is also known as QUEEN’s first US tour and first visit to Japan, and it is the time when they took the first step to conquer the world. As a record of that time, there is also the official excavation board “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’74”, so let’s also check the position on the schedule at that time. 1974・October 30th – November 7th: UK #1 (8 performances)《“SHEER HEART ATTACK” released on November 8th》・November 8th – November 20th: UK #2 (11 performances) ←※Official LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’74, November 23rd – December 13th: Europe (10 performances) ←★Here★ 1975, February 5th – 24th: North America #1 (16 performances) – March 5th – April 6th: North America #2 (21 performances) April 19th – May 1st: First visit to Japan (8 performances) This is the overall picture of the “SHEER HEART ATTACK Tour”. “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’74” was a tour of their home country before and after the release of the album, but then they traveled to continental Europe. The Hague performance of this work was the 8th concert of the “European” leg. QUEEN’s first foray into the continent was in 1973, when they held showcase gigs in West Germany and Luxembourg. This was the first time we went on a “tour” that involved traveling to and performing in multiple countries. Also, among them, the Dutch performance is historically important. After all, in the Netherlands, “SHEER HEART ATTACK” rose to 7th place on the national chart, and the single “Killer Queen” ranked in the top 3. It was a country that caught fire early on, along with her home country, England. Moreover, even after that, QUEEN did not wake up. Their next album, A Night at the Opera, topped the charts, and most of their albums since then have topped the charts. They are so popular that the three albums that missed the top spot all made it into the top 10 (“JAZZ” in 3rd place, “FLASH GORDON” in 7th place, and “A KIND OF MAGIC” in 2nd place). When it comes to QUEEN’s parent countries, Japan and South America come to mind, but in Europe it is definitely the Netherlands. In later years, QUEEN followers such as Robbie Valentine and Valencia appeared from the Netherlands, but this was also an inevitable part of history. This work is a live album that records the first encounter with such a special country, but the quality is also special. Anyway, I was surprised by the eye-opening clarity. Of course, it is only in the category of vintage audience, but the atmosphere is so refreshing that you can feel Freddie’s singing voice not only every word of the lyrics, but also the nuances and breathing contained in them. Although not as clear as the vocals, the guitar and drums are clear/clean (unfortunately, the bass is a little off), and the core has a direct feel without a sense of distance. It is a famous recording that is far more beautiful than a poor FM sound board. Naturally, the sound is easy to listen to, but there is still a reason why it was introduced by the Uxbridge label. It’s short. In fact, the taper who recorded this work was not aiming for QUEEN, but KAYAK (!), the famous Dutch prog band who served as the opening act. Therefore, by the time of QUEEN, there wasn’t enough tape left, and only half of the 90-minute tape could be recorded (or should I say, I want to hear KAYAK with this sound…). What songs can we expect from this work? Let’s keep it organized. QUEEN II (5 songs + α)・Procession/Ogre Battle/Father To Son/White Queen (As It Began)/The March Of The Black Queen/Son And Daughter SHEER HEART ATTACK (5 songs)・Now I’m Here/Flick Of The Wrist/In The Lap Of The Gods/Killer Queen/Bring Back That Leroy Brown…and so on. The last one is Brian’s guitar solo that falls from “Son And Daughter”, and it ends before returning to the song. There are no shortcomings other than the short recording time, and it is a well-deserved masterpiece in terms of sound quality and historical significance, as it is a passionate performance that exceeds “LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’74”. Although it is only half of the show, nothing can replace the thrill of being able to experience the precious young QUEEN on-site. A hidden treasure album from the Netherlands that you might miss if you only care about the specs. (Remastered memo) The pitch was fast, so I fixed it. The hiss and midrange have been softened to make it easier to listen to. An exquisite audience recording of “The Hague Performance on December 8, 1974”, which was the first visit to the Netherlands, which is QUEEN’s closest parent country in Europe. Anyway, I was surprised by the eye-opening clarity. The air is refreshingly clear, Freddie’s singing voice can be felt not only every word of the lyrics, but also the nuances contained in them, and the guitar and drums are clear and clean. This is a masterpiece recording that is far more beautiful than a poor FM sound board. Unfortunately, the tape ends only in the first half of the show, but other than that, there are no other shortcomings, and it is a live album full of the real thrill of being able to experience the passionate performance of young QUEEN on the spot. Congresgebouw, The Hague, Netherlands 8th December 1974 TRULY AMAZING SOUND(44:36) 1. Procession 2. Now I’m Here 3. Ogre Battle 4. Father To Son 5. White Queen 6. Flick Of The Wrist 7. In The Lap Of The Gods 8. Killer Queen 9. The March Of The Black Queen 10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown 11. Son And Daughter