Return of the Champions Review

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(More customer reviews)Can the soulful & smooth vocals of Paul Rodgers fill the void left by the operatic & theatrical singing of Freddie Mercury? Can the "band" Queen, play classic Free & Bad Company songs and still be faithful to the originals? Can these "oldtimers" still kick out the jams? Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!!
I was shocked and more than pleasantly suprised by how good this album really is. Paul Rodgers has been around for quite some time and his voice has never sounded better; and with so few really quality live recordings of Mr. Rodgers over the years, it is really a treat to hear him stretch his cords live (I apologize in advance to all the fans of Glenn Hughes, but Paul Rodgers is indeed the "voice of rock"). While no one on this planet can ever replace Mr. Mercury, Rodgers adds his own "touch" to the Queen songs. What you get is songs which really pay tribute to the original versions.Oh, and the band "Queen"?
They play through the entire set flawlessly, handling both the Free and Bad Company songs with ferocity & grace. Brain May is arguably one of rock's all time great guitarist and this recording only enhances his status (I apologize again to the late great Mr. Kosoff, Mr. Ralphs and yes, even Mr. Page, and this statement may border on blasphemy, but Paul Rodgers has never been backed by a finer fretboard wizard than Brian May). Lastly, the energy & emotion put into this performance is extraordinary. You would never guess these were "past middle age" men whipping out rockers like "Tie Your Mother Down" & "All Right Now".
And I would like to add, which for me, was the most "heartfelt" portion of the album. I think longtime Queen fans will agree.
Brian May states between songs, Freddie Mercury's mom in in the audience. For the song "Bohemian Rhapsody"...we here Freddie Mercury's voice singing from the original song. The band is playing live to it in the backround. When Freddie sings the words of the songs "momma, I don't wan't to die", I almost began to weep. Hey, I'm not afraid to admit it. It was one of the most emotional moments I have every heard on a rock recording.
For Queen fans, the album is a must for that single song alone.
My only minor beef, and I mean minor, but enough to give the album a 4 1/2 star rating instead of 5 is the overall sound and mix of the album. The vocals and harmonies are clear up front in the mix and truely amazing, but the instruments seem to be far back and just a little muddy. May's playing is killer and it just does not come through the way I believe it should. But hey, that's just me! Any fan of Free, Bad Company or Queen (heck any fan of rock music!) must add this to cart NOW!! I guarantee you will not be disappointed. For any newcomers who have heard of these great artists? Add this to cart now too....let these "boys" show you how rock is meant to be played.

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Following their hugely successful 32 date European arena tour Queen plus Paul Rodgers release this double CD capturing the magic of their performance. Featured alongside some of the most famous Queen songs are Bad Company and Free classics such as "All Right Now" and "Can't Get Enough". The package features a 16-page booklet with photographs taken by fans throughout the tour. 27 total tracks.

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The Cosmos Rocks Review

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(More customer reviews)First, of all I wanted to say that the "Enhanced" version is simply a link to a web page which has links to Facebook, Myspace, iTunes etc. like I couldn't find these links on my own. There's no extra hidden tracks or videos, although there are videos on the YouTube link of course, but will they be available indefiintely? So, buy the regular version and not the enhanced version unless there's no price difference.
Now for the cd itself, after one listen it's quite good. It really does sound more like a Paul Rodgers record but you can very much hear Queen. I know Queen fans are struggling calling this band Queen (+ Paul Rodgers) but the bottom line is the music and it's good to hear these rock legends putting out quality new music. If you don't espect this to be A Night at the Opera and if you like Paul Rodgers in his Free or Bad Company days, you should like this CD. I expect too.


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Tracks on the new Queen + Paul Rodgers album are all newly written by May, Taylor and Rodgers during the late 2007/ early 2008 recording sessions. `Say It's Not True', previously releasedat the end of last year by Queen + Paul Rodgers as a special World Aids Day download for Nelson Mandela's 46664 HIV AIDS charity will be included, plus a `first' for a Queen album - a cover version.

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In Concert: Merchants of Cool Review

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(More customer reviews)Let's face it, Bad Co. without cooler than hell singer Paul Rodgers just ain't Bad Company. This recent live reunion(featuring drummer Simon Kirke as well), shows his voice and the band's blend of soul and rock has aged well. The absence of original guitarist Mick Ralphs is a letdown, but his place is filled admirably by longtime sideman "Bucket" Colwell. Rodgers smokey voice is in full form on "Rock Steady" and "Burnin' Sky." On other songs, like "Rock And Roll Fantasy" and the Free classic "All Right Now" he lets the crowd take the chorus. Most of the time on live records this kind of thing is corny, but here the crowd is so loud you can still hear every word. The two added studio tracks are throwaways, detracting from this great live record that could have been longer;considering the wealth of quality material Bad Company possesses.

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Queen + Paul Rodgers - Return of the Champions (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I might never have even looked at this video if not for my older daughter, who wasn't even born when Queen was at their height. She watched some of my old videos that I recorded in the '80s and was fascinated (as are others of her generation, it seems) by some of Queen's videos and each of the band members. So when Queen+Paul Rodgers came to the Jersey Meadowlands just this last Sunday I took her to her first Rock Concert! It wasn't something I was anxious to do. I watched Queen's rise and was frankly bummed out when Freddie died of AIDS. As talented as the other band members are, what would Queen be without Freddie?
Well, I figured this might be her last chance to see what was left of Queen live so we went. Was I ever surprised. To answer the most obvious question, Paul Rodgers is not Freddie Mercury, but to his credit, he IS a major talent and he doesn't try to be a substitute Freddie. His performance recalls how the master did it, but doesn't overdo it.
In fairness this should have been called "Half of Queen and Paul Rodgers," but the production (the Concert I saw AND this DVD) is masterfully conceived and arranged. It is a fine touch that they don't try to give us a sentimental retrospective but a lively performance strengthened by long time backup performers. Brian and Roger sing lead on several songs and give us a good dose of what they do best on drum and guitar. Paul Rodgers performs some of his '60s hits, including "All Right Now" which was fabulous with Queen as the band backing it up.
Of special note was the performance of "Hammer to Fall." If you ever doubted what the song was really about (no, it's not nuclear war) the way Brian May (who wrote it) performs the first half, as a slow ballad on acoustic guitar, brings the message home in a very affecting manner. Then Paul Rodgers comes in as lead, and the band breaks into the power of the hard rock version we are more familiar with. A powerful performance.
So, if you buy this as nostalgia, so be it. But a lot of the audience was too young to be nostalgic about Queen; they were there for the music, the performance, the energy. This is not Memory Lane; it is the work of a band that is full of life and talent. The production values of the live performance are well reflected in this video. A must MUST-have for Queen fans ... and those who will be.

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It was prescient that Queen picked a phoenix for their logo all those years ago… their unique ability to adapt and recharge continues to make their music as popular with new audiences as with their original fans. Again and again they and their audience rise as one, caught up in the emotion of their anthems – We Are The Champions, Fat Bottomed Girls, Killer Queen, Tie Your Mother Down, Stone Cold Crazy, Who Wants To Live Forever, Under Pressure and on and on…. Now you can re-capture that experience on DVD in full surround sound with the complete ultimate Queen + Paul Rodgers concert.This year Queen have pulled off the impossible – taking in rock legend Paul Rodgers as singer and selling out across Europe and in America, gaining the best reviews they have had in their entire career. This DVD features hits from both the Queen and Paul Rodgers catalogues and also new, never before available performances.Selections Include: 1. Reaching Out (1.06) 2. Tie Your Mother Down (4.33) 3. I Want To Break Free (3.55) 4. Fat Bottomed Girls (5.50) 5. Wishing Well (4.34) 6. Another One Bites The Dust (3.53) 7. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (4.45) 8. Say It’s Not True (4.16) 9. ‘39 (4.37) 10. Love Of My Life (5.00) 11. Hammer To Fall (6.44) 12. Feel Like Making Love (6.27) 13. Let There Be Gene (3.44) 14. I’m In Love With My Car (3.35) 15. Guitar Solo (7.00) 16. Last Horizon (4.35) 17. These Are The Days Of Our Lives (4.36) 18. Radio Ga Ga (6.00) 19. Can’t Get Enough (4.21) 20. A Kind Of Magic (6.07) 21. I Want It All (5.00) 22. Bohemian Rhapsody (6.23) 23. The Show Must Go On (4.36) 24. All Right Now (6.54) 25. We Will Rock You (2.34) 26. We Are The Champions (4.34) 27. God Save The Queen (1.21)

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Bad Company in Concert: Merchants of Cool Review

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(More customer reviews)"Merchants Of Cool" is a pretty cool DVD that combines video from two concerts staged by the new look Bad Company during their 2002 tour of the US.
I say new look because the band on this DVD comprises vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke from the original Bad Co line-up with bassist Jaz Lochrie and guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell filling in for original members Boz Burrell and Mick Ralphs.
Lochrie and Colwell are both great musicians but they aren't a patch on Burrell and Ralphs, whose distinctive guitaring style is sorely missed here.
Despite this, this is a rock solid concert video featuring the best known songs from the Bad Co catalogue - you have the hits like "Bad Company", "Ready For Love", "Can't Get Enough" and "Feel Like Makin' Love" mixed up with lesser known cuts like "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" and "Seagull" - plus a few tracks from the band Free like the famous sing along anthem "All Right Now" and "Wishing Well" (for which the band is joined by Slash and Neal Schon). Rounding off things is the video for a new song from Bad Company called "Joe Fabulous".
But it is a bit distracting that the DVD mixes up footage from two separate shows at the Paramount Theatre in Denver and the Grove Of Anaheim at Anaheim that were recorded in January 2002. Rodgers' decision to get the crowd to sing along on a few tracks is a bit annoying too.
On the plus side, Mr Paul Rodgers does possess probably the best blues vocal chords ever, and he is in great form on all the songs. Kirke's drumming can only be described in one word - powerhouse.
The footage is nice and sharp, with no bleeding of colours but the video is non-anamorphic widescreen. On the audio end of things, you get Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and two great surround tracks - Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS - with very nice low end for the subwoofers. This is one DVD you'll enjoy watching at loud volumes!
The DVD has a nice selection of extras - including a text biography of Bad Company, track-by-track comments over a few pages of text, interviews with the musicians a section on "Famous Friends" that has members of bands like Foreigner, Journey and Styx telling us why they like Bad Company so much.
There's also a easter egg - on the special features menu, highlight "Web Links" and press left on the remote. This will take you to the hidden track "Saving Grace" recorded by Bad Company with Neal Schon plus some rehearshal footage for the same cut.

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IN CONCERT:MERCHANTS OF COOL - DVD Movie

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Mean Business Review

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(More customer reviews)For anyone suffering Led Zep (or Bad Co.) withdrawal symptoms in the mid 80s, the Firm wasn't quite the answer, but upon repeated listening - Mean Business is probably Jimmy Page's best post-Zep effort. Punchy yet atmospheric with the bluesy vocals of Paul Rodgers, I do admire how these guys actually tried to produce a pretty serious album - and in spite of less than a stellar response - this album stands the test of time. Page would later play some of these tracks live - "Tear Down the Walls" is particularly nice. And "Fortune Hunter" rocks. A progressive album that is underrated and worth exploring.

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No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: FIRMTitle: MEAN BUSINESSStreet Release Date: 07/07/1987

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