Kickin' your can all over the place
October 19, 2016 10:22 AM Subscribe
Everyone knows Queen's stomping, clapping epic, "We Will Rock You." In 1977, the band recorded a fast version of the song for the BBC's John Peel. This version sees release November 4th with other rarities on the upcoming Queen on the Air
I've always *wanted* a faster version of that song ... and it turns out ... eh. I dunno. Brian May's guitar, fucking hell yes though.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:27 AM on October 19, 2016
posted by mrgrimm at 10:27 AM on October 19, 2016
The post-Wayne's World reissue of News of the World contained a version where the rhythm section kicks in shortly after May's crushing power chord. I think that's my favorite version, but I like this too. They could really do the snarling, raw, trashy thing when they wanted to.
posted by ducky l'orange at 10:36 AM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ducky l'orange at 10:36 AM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Play it in 6/8.
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
posted by Wolfdog at 10:55 AM on October 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
posted by Wolfdog at 10:55 AM on October 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
ducky if you mean the version from the Hollywood Records 1991 re-release I agree that's a very nice version and one of my favorites. But now I'm intrigued - was there a post Wayne's World release? I know the movie gave them a huge bump, but the 1991 re-releases (of all of their albums I believe) were unrelated to the movie I think.
The version in the FPP is fantastic and makes me excited for not only a new Queen release, but a 6-disc deluxe edition! Take my money. It's got the same grit and energy of the many concert recordings but in a cleaner recording. I don't know that I prefer this one over an less polished live version, but I do know more Queen = good.
Also, the "Right On!" at the end makes me miss Freddie.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 10:55 AM on October 19, 2016
The version in the FPP is fantastic and makes me excited for not only a new Queen release, but a 6-disc deluxe edition! Take my money. It's got the same grit and energy of the many concert recordings but in a cleaner recording. I don't know that I prefer this one over an less polished live version, but I do know more Queen = good.
Also, the "Right On!" at the end makes me miss Freddie.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 10:55 AM on October 19, 2016
One of my favorite bands back in college fascinated me by playing all their best songs in double time live. They laid down a few fast versions and included them in the Tour EPs they put out for a few years, and some kind soul put a few on YouTube: Pinback Fast/Sudio
The Queen track? RIGHT ON!
posted by carsonb at 10:57 AM on October 19, 2016
The Queen track? RIGHT ON!
posted by carsonb at 10:57 AM on October 19, 2016
(Fun fact: You might think that Metallica's cover of Stone Cold Crazy is faster than the original. It is exactly the same, however. This means you can start the two of them playing at the same time on your college radio show and censor the Metallica by flipping over to Queen at the key points, and, crucially, not forgetting to do this at any of the key points)
posted by Wolfdog at 11:00 AM on October 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by Wolfdog at 11:00 AM on October 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
ducky - I found this on Spotify (2011 remaster) but not sure it's what you are talking about - now I wanna hear it.
posted by stevil at 11:02 AM on October 19, 2016
posted by stevil at 11:02 AM on October 19, 2016
The version I taped from the Friday Night Rock Show* in 1979 had the usual version at the beginning, and the full band version at the end, and in the middle there was the sound effect of being sucked into the radio and then a professorial-sounding woman talking about Brahma as a deranged demigod "who believed he had created the universe", or something very like. Is that this? Has it been released anywhere else? I was disappointed when I got News of the World and discovered it wasn't like that on there.
*God bless Tommy Vance.
posted by Grangousier at 11:09 AM on October 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
*God bless Tommy Vance.
posted by Grangousier at 11:09 AM on October 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
The guitar on this is bad as hell, and I really like the groove, but what makes this song work so well is that it it's a barebones chant. If I had only heard this version, I would have called it a really good rock song, but the original isn't just a rock song, it's a moment.
posted by middleclasstool at 11:14 AM on October 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by middleclasstool at 11:14 AM on October 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
This is the version they play in the Queen Rock Montreal concert film. It's so, so good. And my go-to to test out a new TV, receiver, speakers, whatever.
(the Montreal bluray would be the perfect concert video but for one small omission - they couldn't include the Flash Gordon theme due to rights issues. )
posted by thecjm at 11:21 AM on October 19, 2016
(the Montreal bluray would be the perfect concert video but for one small omission - they couldn't include the Flash Gordon theme due to rights issues. )
posted by thecjm at 11:21 AM on October 19, 2016
This is the best of the Web today. Thank you.
posted by General Malaise at 11:26 AM on October 19, 2016
posted by General Malaise at 11:26 AM on October 19, 2016
It's actually not much faster, just much ROCKIER.
posted by tclark at 11:26 AM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by tclark at 11:26 AM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
I also enjoy this "cover" from the show Cheers.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:29 AM on October 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:29 AM on October 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
A touch of the Status Quos at the beginning, I thought.
posted by carter at 11:33 AM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by carter at 11:33 AM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
I had a crappy boot of this so I'm relieved we'll finally get the real deal.
Back in the early days of the Internet there was a remix of WWRY that took this BBC recording and inserted this spoken word piece about Brahma and the Hindu pantheon. For a long time I thought it was something that Queen had actually done. I can't find it on YouTube.
Now we just need to get Allen Klein's descendants to sell the rights to the Stones catalog back to Mick and Keith. That's the only way we'll ever get to hear official releases of their wicked BBC shows.
posted by Ber at 11:36 AM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Back in the early days of the Internet there was a remix of WWRY that took this BBC recording and inserted this spoken word piece about Brahma and the Hindu pantheon. For a long time I thought it was something that Queen had actually done. I can't find it on YouTube.
Now we just need to get Allen Klein's descendants to sell the rights to the Stones catalog back to Mick and Keith. That's the only way we'll ever get to hear official releases of their wicked BBC shows.
posted by Ber at 11:36 AM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Clinging to the Wreckage: was there a post Wayne's World release [of News of the World]?
Discogs says yes - many versions from 1991, a few in '92, more in '93, even more beyond.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:37 AM on October 19, 2016
Discogs says yes - many versions from 1991, a few in '92, more in '93, even more beyond.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:37 AM on October 19, 2016
For a long time I thought it was something that Queen had actually done.
It's part of a version I recorded from the BBC in 1979, so it is an actually BBC/Queen version.
posted by Grangousier at 11:47 AM on October 19, 2016
It's part of a version I recorded from the BBC in 1979, so it is an actually BBC/Queen version.
posted by Grangousier at 11:47 AM on October 19, 2016
filthy light thief That's a great link thanks. If I were a completist it'd make me poor fast. I was wondering if there was another release of WWRY on a News of the World that was more than a re-master. On the '91 re-release there are two WWRYs, one is essentially the original and one is quite different.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 11:57 AM on October 19, 2016
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 11:57 AM on October 19, 2016
News of the World was the first album I ever bought. I remember vividly taking the bus downtown (I was twelve in 1977) and buying it at a grungy record store (Sam's? Record World?) and then heading straight back home with it tucked under my arm to play it over and over and over.
No doubt it changed my life, but now I'm wondering how differently it would have changed it if I had heard this version back then.
posted by rocket88 at 12:02 PM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
No doubt it changed my life, but now I'm wondering how differently it would have changed it if I had heard this version back then.
posted by rocket88 at 12:02 PM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
That's the sort of hard driving rock and roll guitar playing that only a PhD in astrophysics could manage to pull off.
Good stuff.
posted by bondcliff at 12:32 PM on October 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
Good stuff.
posted by bondcliff at 12:32 PM on October 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
Someone fetch a Priest! Heh.
All bad puns aside, this is very cool, as would only happen on Peel's show.
posted by droplet at 1:09 PM on October 19, 2016
All bad puns aside, this is very cool, as would only happen on Peel's show.
posted by droplet at 1:09 PM on October 19, 2016
IIRC they did this live when I saw them in the 70s. I'm old.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:23 PM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:23 PM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Interesting. Has kind of a Chuck Berry feel to it.
posted by panama joe at 2:53 PM on October 19, 2016
posted by panama joe at 2:53 PM on October 19, 2016
Still wish May would have lengthened the solo. Yes, I'm a rock philistine.
posted by Beholder at 4:02 PM on October 19, 2016
posted by Beholder at 4:02 PM on October 19, 2016
Play it in 6/8.
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
If "rock" is a quarter-note, it grooves, but if "rock" is an eighth-note, it ROCKS.
posted by straight at 4:23 PM on October 19, 2016
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
stomp stomp stomp CLAP rest rest
If "rock" is a quarter-note, it grooves, but if "rock" is an eighth-note, it ROCKS.
posted by straight at 4:23 PM on October 19, 2016
Here's the "Brahma" BBC6 version of We Will Rock You that Grangousier and Ber mentioned. As described, chant version at the beginning, spoken interlude, and then the fast version.
While the Youtube video says that the Brahma text is from Hesse's Siddhartha, this message board discussion disputes that. Someone claims the recording was already on a reused tape from the BBC.
posted by larrybob at 4:44 PM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
While the Youtube video says that the Brahma text is from Hesse's Siddhartha, this message board discussion disputes that. Someone claims the recording was already on a reused tape from the BBC.
posted by larrybob at 4:44 PM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Although the "fast version" of "We Will Rock You" became a live staple for the band, the performance on Queen on Air marks the only time the band played this rendition in the studio.
I would have sworn to you that the "fast" version of the song appeared as an alternate track on the copy of News of the World I bought in 1977 or 1978 (like the "fast" version of Sgt. Pepper that was on that album), because I also would have sworn to you that I knew about this version all along. I can only assume that I have watched so many videos of Queen concerts of them playing the fast version over the ensuing years that I thought it had been there from the very beginning as well.
posted by yhbc at 9:56 PM on October 19, 2016
I would have sworn to you that the "fast" version of the song appeared as an alternate track on the copy of News of the World I bought in 1977 or 1978 (like the "fast" version of Sgt. Pepper that was on that album), because I also would have sworn to you that I knew about this version all along. I can only assume that I have watched so many videos of Queen concerts of them playing the fast version over the ensuing years that I thought it had been there from the very beginning as well.
posted by yhbc at 9:56 PM on October 19, 2016
I think I'm previously on the record here as saying that May's solo in the original recording is the most rock and roll thing ever. It's about 30 seconds long and it's perfect. It's not in this recording. So this recording is, obviously, bad.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:31 AM on October 20, 2016
posted by mr_roboto at 1:31 AM on October 20, 2016
It's the opening track of their live double album Live Killers, which is etched in my brain because it was my favourite album when I was twelve.
posted by Kosmob0t at 1:59 AM on October 20, 2016
posted by Kosmob0t at 1:59 AM on October 20, 2016
Thanks for that, larrybob. The Buddha! Of course it is. It's odd that I became so familiar with the text before I really knew anything about the Buddha, so it didn't enter my consciousness. The words tend to be hovering around the back of my mind every time I read or listen to anything about Hinduism, though.
I like the idea that it was a random recording left on the 1/4" tape when they transferred from the multi-track. Radio 3 in the evening at this time was a rich source of very intellectual and elevated speech radio, as we Industrial Pioneers found in the early 80s. Turn it to Radio 3, stick it through a Copicat tape echo, instant meaningfulness to go with your synthys throbs, primitive drum machines and nasty guitar noodlings.
posted by Grangousier at 8:51 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
I like the idea that it was a random recording left on the 1/4" tape when they transferred from the multi-track. Radio 3 in the evening at this time was a rich source of very intellectual and elevated speech radio, as we Industrial Pioneers found in the early 80s. Turn it to Radio 3, stick it through a Copicat tape echo, instant meaningfulness to go with your synthys throbs, primitive drum machines and nasty guitar noodlings.
posted by Grangousier at 8:51 AM on October 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
It would be interesting to mash this up with a song by the Sex Pistols. I'd say both were paying attention.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:12 PM on October 20, 2016
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:12 PM on October 20, 2016
BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY FASTER, IT"S TOTALLY THE SAME SPEED
posted by koeselitz at 10:56 PM on October 20, 2016
posted by koeselitz at 10:56 PM on October 20, 2016
In the two days since I saw this post, I have listened to this song perhaps 50 times.
THANK YOU, DirtyOldTown!
posted by dfm500 at 2:51 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
THANK YOU, DirtyOldTown!
posted by dfm500 at 2:51 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
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