October 31: 40th Anniversary of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, DCRTV.com mailbag

40th Anniversary of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Celebrated With Re-Issue

October 28, 2015

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was the song that changed everything, a song that resonates through time, a special moment in music history that has yet to be repeated. At The Q Awards yesterday, Queen were presented with the Classic Single Award, marking the 40th anniversary of song which was originally released on October 31, 1975.

To mark the occasion for the first time ever, "Bohemian Rhapsody" will be released on 12-inch Black vinyl with the original B-side, "I’m In Love With My Car" on November 27. Alongside this, Queen, A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith ’75, is set for release on CD (Hollywood Records), DVD & Blu-Ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment). This show was a culmination of the 26-date ‘Queen Invite You To A Night At The Opera’ UK tour and the first tour that they had ever performed Bohemian Rhapsody on.

The CD, DVD & Blu-Ray package features the band’s full live show, complete with a never heard before ‘second encore’ of ‘Seven Seas Of Rhye’ and ‘See What A Fool I've Been’. The DVD and SD Blu-Ray versions also contain two special bonus features – 'Looking Back At The Odeon’, a brand new 22-minute documentary featuring a previously unseen interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor by Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris about the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon show, plus the rarely seen Live At The Budokan – Japan 1975 footage, featuring three songs (Now I'm Here, Killer Queen and In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited) recorded during their legendary tour of the Far East.

Spirits were high within the band for this show; ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ - universally hailed as one of the most ground-breaking ‘pop’ songs ever released – was in the middle of its record-breaking nine week run at Number One in the UK charts. Their fourth album, A Night At The Opera (the most expensive record ever made to that point) was climbing the album charts on its way to No 1, which it achieved three days after this concert.

"I’m In Love With My Car" - what a great tune. Without further ado:

[onehandle]

1. I remember hearing it for the first time on FM radio that year.

I was stunned and knew it would be an instant classic.

Saw Queen in '77, '79, and '81.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. For Those Who Haven't Seen or Heard It. . .

. . .check out Pink Live in Australia. Her band does a live (yes, live; no tricks) version of this that is almost perfectly true to the original.

Outstanding. It's obvious they're doing it as a tribute because they changed nothing. She even sings the words from the song's original point of view.

They have enough people in the band to make it work, and i think there are 8 or 9 people singing parts.

When we saw Queen, they didn't even do the operatic middle live. That was on tape with a film screen behind.

Yeah, i know what some of you are thinking. Pink? Trust me. The band is a killer.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. I just hunted it down on You Tube

She does a great job with it.

[Lizzie Poppet]

8. Emily Autumn plays it live, too.

Also complete with the operatic interlude...plus she plays all the iconic guitar parts on electric violin. Love it...

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. It's a kind of magic, indeed.

40 years?????
God, does not seem that long at all.

[Ron Obvious]

4. I both knew that AND am shocked by it....

Which happens a lot these days...

[dilby]

5. And it marks my 40th Birthday.

I never knew the day I was born was the day that song came to light, very cool.

[DFW]

6. Last New Year's Eve, we did this version live (SLIGHTLY different lyrics LOL)

(The hardest piece we EVER did--had exactly 4 days to rehearse it and get it ready to perform)
American Apathy (a song Republicans sing about the aftermath of the 2014 midterm elections

Is this November?
Is this just fantasy?
We won a landslide,
Reid must deal with reality.

Open your eyes
Read the headlines and see
I’m just a rich boy, I seek no sympathy
Because I’m very sly, very deft,
Always right, never left,
How I make Barack wince doesn’t really matter, to me, to me.

Obama, just killed your plan,
You want health care, so you said,
But forget it, now it’s dead.
Obama, it was so much fun
To vote it down and throw it all away

Obama, oo-oo-oo-ooo
Yes I meant to make you cry
I sometimes wish the vote were held tomorrow
We’ll go on, we’ll go on, ‘cause we are now what matters

Too late, your time has gone
You had half of your first term,
Now that’s done, we’ll make you squirm
Goodbye old Tom Harkin, you’ve got to go
Soon Joni takes your place, and that’s the truth

Obama, oo-oo-oo-ooo
It was a nice try
But we’ll confirm no one you choose at all.

I am a Senator who soon will be the man
G O P, G O P, can you move a bit rightward?
Repealing laws like lightning
Very, very frightening me
(Hagan stay-o) Hagan stay-o
(Begich stay-o) Begich stay-o
No they will not, no no no
Now they will go…………..

I see my Senators assuming the majority
(He rules his Senators, he is from Kentucky)
Spare us two years of this monstrosity

Will it pass, yes or no, will you call a vote?
Joe Biden! No, we will not let you vote (let us vote!)
Joe Biden! We will not let you vote. (Let us vote!)
Joe Biden! We will not let you vote. (Let us vote!)
Will not let you vote. (Let us vote!)
Never, never let you vote
Never let me vote, oh?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Nino Scalia, oh Scalia (Oh, Scalia, let them vote.)
Rand Paul and Cruz put a Trojan Horse inside for me, for me, for meeeeee

So you think you’ll filibuster and keep me all night?
So you’ll do just like we did, and say it’s for spite?
Oh, Harry, can’t do that to me Harry
Look at my hand, I have the gavel right here.

Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Except I lead the majority…………….