Queen – Greatest Hits (1992)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals) and John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock.

Before forming Queen, May and Taylor had played together in the band Smile. Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He joined in 1970 and suggested the name “Queen”. Deacon was recruited in February 1971, before the band released their eponymous debut album in 1973. Queen first charted in the UK with their second album, Queen II, in 1974. Sheer Heart Attack later that year and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought them international success. The latter featured “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which stayed at number one in the UK for nine weeks and helped popularise the music video format.

The band’s 1977 album News of the World contained “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”, which have become anthems at sporting events. By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. “Another One Bites the Dust” from The Game (1980) became their best-selling single, while their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in the UK and is certified nine times platinum in the US. Their performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert is ranked among the greatest in rock history by various publications. In August 1986, Mercury gave his last performance with Queen at Knebworth, England. In 1991, he died of bronchopneumonia—a complication of AIDS. Deacon retired in 1997. Since 2004, May and Taylor have toured under the “Queen +” name with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.

Queen have been a global presence in popular culture for more than four decades. Estimates of their record sales range from 170 million to 300 million, making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists. In 1990, Queen received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and with each member having composed hit singles all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005 they received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, and in 2018 they were presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

And here´s their Greatest Hits US editon from 1992, not to be confused with other Greatest Hits editions !

This is going to take a little explaining. In 1981, when it was contracted to Elektra Records in the U.S., Queen released an album called Greatest Hits (Elektra 564), which contained 14 songs that chronicled singles from 1973 to 1981. In 1990, Hollywood Records acquired CD rights to Queen’s catalog, by which time the Elektra Greatest Hits had gone out of print on vinyl. Hollywood released Classic Queen, a compilation that covered Queen’s hits from 1982 to its demise in 1991, with a few older songs thrown in.

Then it released this album, its version of Greatest Hits, which is a 17-track album that deletes the songs from the first Greatest Hits that appeared on Classic Queen (among them Queen’s biggest hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody”) and adds a few tracks from the 1973-1982 era that did not appear on the original release. The Elektra Greatest Hits LP had a superior selection, but it’s gone now, so you’re stuck with this. (New fans don’t seem to have minded, as this new Greatest Hits sold better than the first one.)

Personnel:
John Deacon (bass, guitar, piano, synthesizer)
Brian May (guitar, synthesizer, vocals on 06.
Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, guitar)
Roger Taylor (drums, percussion)
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Roy Thomas Baker (stylophone on 12.)
Fred Mandel (synthesizer on 17.)

Tracklist:
01. We Will Rock You (May) 2.02
02. We Are The Champions (Mercury) 3.01
03. Another One Bites The Dust (Deacon) 3.37
04. Killer Queen (Mercury) 3.01
05. Somebody To Love (Mercury) 4.57
06. Fat Bottomed Girls (LP version) (May) 4.16
07. Bicycle Race (Mercury) 3.03
08. You’re My Best Friend (Deacon) 2.52
09. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Mercury) 2.43
10. Now I’m Here (May) 4.14
11. Play The Game (Mercury) 3.31
12. Seven Seas Of Rhye (Mercury) 2:48
13. Body Language (from Hot Space, 1982) (Mercury) 4.33
14. Save Me (May) 3.48
15. Don’t Stop Me Now (Mercury) 3.34
16. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (Mercury) 2.55
17. I Want To Break Free” (from The Works, 1984)(Deacon) 3.19

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Various Artists – FM (OST) (1978)

FM is the original AOR soundtrack to the 1978 film FM. In the United States, the album reached the Top Five of Billboard’s album chart and quickly earned a Platinum-certified disc. It reached 37 in the UK charts. The soundtrack also won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

QSKY radio station manager/program director Jeff Dugan (Michael Brandon) builds a large fan base by assembling a group of charismatic DJ personalities playing popular rock and roll. He soon finds that corporate management expects Jeff to use the station’s position atop the ratings to sell more advertising time. (Jeff Dugan is based loosely on Mike Herrington, the program director of Los Angeles radio station KMET while writer Sacks was working there.)

The conflict grows until sales manager Regis Lamar (Tom Tarpey) presents him with the chance to advertise for the U.S. Army using a series of cheesy radio ads. When Jeff refuses to endorse the contract, Regis takes the issue to upper management. Jeff is then ordered to run the ads as provided by the Army and on the schedule specified in the advertising contract. Rather than comply, Jeff quits his job.

All of the remaining DJs decide to take control of the station in a sort of lock-in/sit-in/protest. They get listeners to gather in the street outside the station as a sort of protest while the DJs play music without any commercials.

Jeff Dugan wakes up to hear the DJs take control of the station. The crowd is already present when he arrives at the station. The DJs lift him up to the second story with a fire hose as they have already barricaded the front doors.

The lock-in lasts only until the police get an injunction to remove the staff. A tow truck rips off the front doors and the police enter the building. The DJs battle back using a fire hose and throwing tapes and other office objects at the police.

The battle is resolved when Jeff Dugan finds himself fighting a policeman outside on an overhang. Jeff saves the policeman from falling off and decides that fighting is the wrong thing to do. He calms the crowd and announces that the DJs are coming out.

Unknown to him, the company owner, Carl Billings (Norman Lloyd), has watched from the crowd as the events unfolded. He insists that the DJs stay in the station, fires his management staff responsible for the advertising conflict, and then joins the DJs inside the station.

The story unfolds across a background of concerts, broadcast music, appearances by various rock stars, and public appearances by the station DJs. A minor subtheme to the film is the competition between QSKY and another area radio station. The major event of that subtheme occurs when Jeff arranges to broadcast a live concert by Linda Ronstadt that is being sponsored by the competitor’s radio station.

Another minor subtheme is the ongoing task of massaging egos of the various DJs to keep them happy and on the air.

Martin Mull appears in his feature film debut as a zoned-out record spinner. He plays Eric Swan, a libidinous disc jockey with eyes for everyone female. The character is self-centered, smarmy, quick tempered, and overbearingly insincere. During the course of the film, Swan beds a supposed girlfriend, encounters a female fan with a peculiar physical “gift”, and barricades himself in owing to a severe emotional breakdown due to his agent’s dropping him and his girlfriend’s leaving him, all within the confines of QSKY’s studio.

Also rounding out the cast are Cleavon Little, who plays the Prince of Darkness, QSKY’s overnight host (Little had previously played a disc jockey in the 1971 film, Vanishing Point); Eileen Brennan as ” Mother”, the 40-something nighttime DJ; Alex Karras as “Doc Holiday”, the midday DJ with the lowest ratings on the station who is eventually let go from the station; and Tom Tarpey as new sales manager Regis Lamar, the bane of the disk jockeys’ existence.

In addition, the film includes live appearances by Tom Petty & REO Speedwagon and live performances by Linda Ronstadt & Jimmy Buffett. Steely Dan performed the title theme, which became a sizable hit. The Eagles, James Taylor, Bob Seger, Dan Fogelberg, Billy Joel, and Queen were featured on the Platinum-plus soundtrack album.

Rolling Stone magazine considered the music heavily biased towards musicians who had been managed by Irving Azoff, who was head of MCA Records at the time. Some reference books claim that the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati was based on FM. The physical resemblance between Michael Brandon and WKRP lead actor Gary Sandy and the fact that their respective characters were both based upon KMET programming director Mikel Hunter may have contributed to this speculation. However, WKRP series creator Hugh Wilson asserts that the sitcom was already in development when the film came out. He also states that he was “scared to death” when the film came out, afraid that it would eclipse the CBS show, which made its debut in September 1978. Wilson was relieved when FM came and went from theaters quickly. (by wikipedia)

Appropriately, the soundtrack for the 1978 movie FM feels like a radio play list of the era, collecting songs from Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner, Boz Scaggs, and other ’70s radio staples. Steely Dan’s title track, Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band’s “Night Moves,” Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are,” and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” are some of the highlights from this double-disc set, which also includes tracks from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Foreigner, and Linda Ronstadt, all of whom also appeared in the film. Though FM itself wasn’t exactly a box-office smash, its soundtrack is a surprisingly durable and entertaining collection of classic rock that is arguably better than many of the ’70s rock compilations available today. (by Heather Phares)

In other words: If you like to celebrate a Seventies party … use this soundtrack and you can´t do wrong !

Tracklist:
01. Steely Dan: FM (Becker/Fagen)  4:52
02.  Bob Seger: Night Moves (Seger) 3:27
03. Steve Miller Band: Fly Like an Eagle (Miller) 3:04
04. Foreigner:  Cold As Ice (Gramm/Jones) 3:20
05. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Breakdown (Petty)  2:44
06. Randy Meisner: Bad Man (Frey /Souther)  2:38
07. Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane (Frey/Henley/Walsh) 4:46
08. Steely Dan: Do It Again (Becker/Fagen) 5:54
09. Boz Scaggs: Lido Shuffle (Paich/Scaggs) 3:42
10. Boston: More Than a Feeling (Scholz) 4:45
11. Linda Ronstadt: Tumbling Dice (Jagger/Richards  4:51
12. Linda Ronstadt: Poor, Poor Pitiful Me (Zevon/Ronstadt) 4:15
13. Jimmy Buffett: Livingston Saturday Night (Buffett)  3:10
14. Dan Fogelberg: There’s A Place In The World For A Gambler (Fogelberg) 5:41
15. Billy Joel: Just the Way You Are (Joel) 4:49
16. The Doobie Brothers: It Keeps You Runnin’ (McDonald)  4:13
17- James Taylor:  Your Smiling Face (Taylor) 2:43
18. Joe Walsh: Life’s Been Good (Walsh) 8:05
19. Queen: We Will Rock You (May) 2:04
20. Steely Dan: FM (Reprise) (Becker/Fagen) 2:54

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This is another item from the great greygoose collection !
Thanks a lot !

Various Artists – Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea (1981)

During the four nights after Christmas in 1979, a number of musicians got together at the Hammersmith Odeon in England for a series of benefit concerts to provide famine relief to the victims of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. The event was organized by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim (who was then Secretary-General of the U.N.), and it involved older artists such as McCartney and the Who as well as younger new wave acts like the Clash and the Pretenders. A 2-LP set titled Concerts for the People of Kampuchea was issued in 1981, containing selected highlights from the four evenings. It’s good to have some historical document of this event. Although the album isn’t the best of its kind, it does capture an interesting moment in rock history.

Side One is owned by the Who, who reportedly played a three-hour set on the third night. The four songs contained here are well-played by the post-Keith Moon quartet. It’s not exactly a Live At Leeds-class performance, but it’s respectable enough. A good performance of the then-timely “Sister Disco” makes this set unique.

Side Two contains three songs by the Pretenders (the original lineup, no less) and one from Elvis Costello. It’s good to hear lively performances by these new wave icons in their prime, but the high points of this side are the two rollicking numbers by Rockpile, featuring Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. Their guest vocalist on “Little Sister” is none other than Robert Plant, doing his best Elvis impersonation.

Side Three demonstrates the difficulty of doing justice to so many artists within the constraints of an LP, as it allows only one song apiece for four of the acts. Queen had the first night of the event to themselves, but they are only represented by one long song. The Clash’s set could probably have been represented by a better song than “Armagideon Time”, though the song is appropriately solemn for the occasion. It’s more fun to hear Ian Dury’s goofy “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” and the Specials’ droll “Monkey Man”. The latter is a reminder of the 1979 ska revival in England.

Side Four showcases McCartney’s exploits during the fourth and final evening, first with three Wings songs, and then with three bombastic numbers by Rockestra, a McCartney-led jam of at least twenty English rockers. (The credited list appears at the bottom of this page). The “Rockestra Theme” won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. This is definitely a unique moment that is interesting to hear and see. Unfortunately, the documentary Rock For Kampuchea has never been released on DVD. But, thanks to YouTube, the “Rockestra Theme” footage is embedded below:

Whereas George Harrison had his all-star charity concert for the people of Bangladesh, Paul McCartney had this December, 1979 series of concerts in Hammersmith Odeon to raise money for the victims of Pol Pot’s reign of terror in Cambodia. It was a meeting of the old guard (McCartney, the Who) and the new (the Clash, Ian Dury, the Pretenders, Elvis Costello), and those in the middle (Queen) who could sneak in. The audio quality is shabby; nothing leaps out as being more sonically interesting than a live radio broadcast, and the performances are okay but not staggering. the Who — with a full side devoted to them — deliver their usual stadium set (edited from a three-hour performance). Queen, on the other hand, who similarly had a full night to themselves, get one song. Of most interest in terms of rockstar-watching is the “Rockestra,” a supergroup of the musicians from all three nights. Before the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame superstar jams, here’s about 30 rockers plowing away at “Lucille” and “Let It Be” in front of thousands of awestruck fans. Of archival interest mostly: I guess you had to be there. (by Ted Mills)

Personnel (Rockestra):

Piano: Paul McCartney
Keyboards: Linda McCartney, Tony Ashton, Gary Brooker
Guitars: Denny Laine, Laurence Juber, James Honeyman-Scott, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner, Pete Townshend, Robert Plant
Bass: Paul McCartney, Bruce Thomas, Ronnie Lane, John Paul Jones
Drums, Percussion: Steve Holley, Kenney Jones, Tony Carr, Morris Pert, Speedy Acquaye, John Bonham
Horns: Howie Casey, Steve Howard, Thaddeus Richard, Tony Dorsey
Vocals: Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Bruce Thomas, Robert Plant

A small part of Rockestra

Tracklist:

The Who:
01. Baba O´Riley (Townshend) 5.22
02. Sister Disco (Townshend) 5.22
03. Behind Blue Eyes (Townshend) 3.41
04. See Me, Feel Me (Townshend) 6.02

Pretenders:
05. The Wait (Hynde/Farndon) 3.32
06. Precious (Hynde) 3.27
07. Tattooed Love Boys (Hynde) 3.23

Elvis Costello & The Attractions:
08. The Imposter (Costello) 2.15

Rockpile:
09. Crawling From The Wreckage (Parker) 3.06
10. Littler Sister (with Robert Plant)(Pomus/Shuman) 3.34

Queen:
11. Now I´m Here (May) 7.00

The Clash:
12. Armagideon Time (Bennett)

Ian Dury & The Blockheads:
13, Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (Dury/Jankel)

The Specials:
14. Monkey Man (Hibbert) 4.17

Paul McCartney & Wings:
15. Got To Get You Into My Life (Lennon/McCartney) 3.06
16. Every Night (MyCartney) 4.23
17. Coming Up (McCartney) 4.15

Rockestra:
18. Lucille (Collins/Penniman) 3.08
19. Let It Be (Lennon/McCartney) 4.14
20. Rockestra Theme (McCartney) 2.37

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