Queen: Greatest Flix I & II on PAL Laserdisc

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The Dominator reviews

QUEEN
Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

  • Cat.no: PLMPD 01171
  • Cert: E
  • Running time: 160 minutes
  • Sides: 4 (3 CLV/1 CAV)
  • Year: 1991
  • Pressing: UK, 1997
  • Chapters: 39 (18/4/11/6)
  • Sound: Stereo
  • Presented in Fullscreen
  • Price: £34.99
  • Extras : 4 videos on side 2 (not previously included on “Greatest Flix” video)

    Director:

      Varies depending on the video

    Featuring:

      Freddie Mercury (Lead Vocals)
      Brian May (Guitar and Vocals)
      John Deacon (Bass)
      Roger Taylor (Drums)

Queen Greatest Flix I and IIis the laserdisc collection of the twovideos previously released, namely Greatest Flix and Greatest FlixII.

The collection of promtional videos are spread across four sides, with sides1, 3 and 4 in CLV, while side 2 is presented in CAV for frame-by-frame analysisof four rare bonus tracks. The best way to describe the content of the discis by track listing which is given later in this review.

Picture quality is excellent, allowing the quality of the videos themselvesto shine through much sharper than their VHS counterpart. As for the sound,well it of course boils down to whether you’re a fan of Queen. If you are,you’ll lap this one up, as the whole package is, in a word, gorgeous.

If I had a couple of gripes, it would be that the videos are not inchronological order, and the track listing does not include Scandalfrom The Miracle album. However, this isn’t Pioneer’s fault as thecontent has mirror the video release, and sides 1, 3 and 4 do just that.

Side 2 is a bonus set of four videos, all presented in CAV.

  • Keep Yourself Alive was filmed at St. Johns Wood Studios in 1973,and was shot as the promotional video. It was Queen’s first experience ofa video shoot, but the finished video was rejected by the band and never used.The sleevenotes state that Freddie actually shaved his chest for the occasion.
  • Liar was filmed at Brewer Studios in 1973. The track was neverreleased as a single in the UK, but the video was shot specifically forpromoting the band in North America.
  • Killer Queen was filmed at BBC Studios, Shepherd’s Bush, in 1974,and was Queen’s first true appearance on Top of the Pops, as their appearanceto promote Seven Seas of Rhye was pre-recorded at an outside studio.
  • Now I’m Here was filmed live at the Rainbow Theatre in London,November 1973. It was Queen’s first major London concert and the culmination oftheir first headlining tour of Britain. The film was shown at cinemas throughoutthe UK.

    Both “Greatest Flix”‘s were also released on video in a box-set named, Boxof Flix at a retail price of £24.99, so at only a tenner more, thisset proves tremendous value, especially as each track is accompanied inside byits own descriptive sleevenote.

    There are 39 chapters, one for each song, and the top-notch track listingis as follows :

      Side One

        1. Killer Queen
        2. Bohemian Rhapsody
        3. You’re My Best Friend
        4. Somebody To Love
        5. Tie Your Mother Down
        6. We Are The Champions
        7. We Will Rock You (Slow)
        8. We Will Rock You (Fast)
        9. Spread Your Wings
        10. Bicycle Race
        11. Fat Bottomed Girls
        12. Don’t Stop Me Now
        13. Love of My Life
        14. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
        15. Save Me
        16. Play The Game
        17. Another One Bites the Dust
        18. Flash

      Side Two

        19. Keep Yourself Alive
        20. Liar
        21. Killer Queen
        22. Now I’m Here

      Side Three

        23. A Kind of Magic
        24. Under Pressure
        25. Radio Ga Ga
        26. I Want It All
        27. I Want To Break Free
        28. Innuendo
        29. It’s A Hard Life
        30. Breakthru
        31. Who Wants To Live Forever
        32. Headlong
        33. The Miracle

      Side Four

        34. I’m Going Slightly Mad
        35. The Invisible Man
        36. Hammer To Fall
        37. Friends Will Be Friends
        38. The Show Must Go On
        39. One Vision

    With The Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, Queen Live in Rio andChampions of the World already released on laserdisc, Pioneer is servingQueen fans very well indeed.

    One question I have though is…at the end of One Vision are Freddie’s last words really,Fried Chicken ? 🙂

    Film : 5/5
    Picture : 5/5
    Sound : 5/5

    Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1997.

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