I just picked up the double live CD of Queen and Paul Rodgers - "Return of the Champions"--and as a Queen fan, I was quite impressed with the show and think its great!
I heard some boots before this release with Bad Company's Paul Rodgers singing Queen songs and thought he did very well. This live CD just proves that even more.
For those of us in North America who haven't seen the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour yet (a North American tour is in the works for '06), this live CD is a treat -- as will the DVD which comes out sometime later.
The CD has a good collection of the Queen live staples and some Free and Bad Company songs which make it a cool and interesting live set.
When they kick into "Tie Your Mother Down", it felt like Wembley '86 all over again. Roger Taylor (drums) and Brian May (guitar) clearly have not lost a step and are as great as ever. What was erie here is that in some places, Rodgers even sounds a bit like Freddie. (maybe a rougher version but the results are still good).
One of my favorite Queen songs is "Hammer to Fall" and its featured here. What is different is that instead of immediately heading into the song's rocking opening riff, the band plays the first couple of verses acoustically and at a slower pace. Then, BAM! They head right into the middle break of the song! Awesome.
Other highlights include "Another One Bites the Dust", Roger Taylor's lead vox on "I'm in Love With My Car", "All Right Now" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", complete with a live playback of Freddie himself singing the piano intro and outro (almost sounded like he was actually there!).
I would've liked to have seen the band go into some more deeper Queen cuts such as "Death on Two Legs", "Now I'm Here", "Seven Seas of Rye" and the Live Aid anthem, "One Vision". Maybe North American audiences will hear these next year.
A great live set. Looking forward to the DVD.
I'm happy that Paul Rodgers has helped Queen resurrect itself as a live force on stage.
Afterall, Freddie said "the Show Must Go On".
Return of the Champions track list:
----------------------------------------
Disc 1
1. Reaching Out
2. Tie Your Mother Down
3. I Want To Break Free
4. Fat Bottomed Girls
5. Wishing Well
6. Another One Bites The Dust
7. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
8. Say It’s Not True
9. ‘39
10. Love Of My Life
11. Hammer To Fall
12. Feel Like Making Love
13. Let There Be Drums
14. I’m In Love With My Car
15. Guitar Solo
16. Last Horizon
Disc 2
1. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
2. Radio Ga Ga
3. Can’t Get Enough
4. A Kind Of Magic
5. I Want It All
6. Bohemian Rhapsody
7. The Show Must Go On
8. All Right Now
9. We Will Rock You
10. We Are The Champions
11. God Save The Queen