Raf
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Sweet like some kind of cheese
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Post by Raf on Nov 23, 2020 16:55:26 GMT
I guess it's been well established that Queen's live setlists on the recent collab tours is mostly made of greatest hits. However, there was something bugging me one of these days: I realized I never heard ANY song from The Miracle other than I Want It All live. Innuendo was released later, I suppose they have worse memories from the Innuendo sessions than from The Miracle, but it still seems to get no love from the band. I decided to compare the number of songs each album had featured on Greatest Hits I and II (I didn't count GHIII because it has remixes and solo stuff - still, it wouldn't change the conclusion) to the number of songs from each album Queen has played during the Q+PR and Q+AL tours to check if I was jumping to conclusions too quickly:  And it looks like there is something particular about The Miracle. Even though it had 4 songs on GH2 (and 5 actual hits, if we consider Scandal), it's the ONLY album to have only one song performed. Even the debut album had two (KYA and Doing All Right), and it has a total of zero singles. Flash also had exactly 1 song performed (2 if we count the taped intro), but it's supposedly a "smaller" album, as it only had one hit. Hot Space, which gets some heat even from the band sometimes, got 3 songs on tour (vs 1 hit on GH2). Expanding the search from the 2005-2020 range to the 1992-2020 range doesn't help. Considering the two "new" Queen albums back on the Freddie Tribute, we got I Want It All from The Miracle and Innuendo, TATDOOL and TSMGO from Innuendo. Including Brian and Roger's solo tours, we get Headlong and Ride the Wild Wind from Innuendo, and from The Miracle all we get is, once again, I Want It All. What's the problem with The Miracle? Why has it become just one single since 1992, when even more obscure albums got to contribute with more songs? |
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Nov 23, 2020 18:04:18 GMT
I don't know if it was, but was it less successful as an album than Innuendo? I don't recall any of the singles from The Miracle being massive hits, in the same way that Innuendo and TATDOOL were.
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NathanH
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Post by NathanH on Nov 23, 2020 23:47:06 GMT
I think another reason could be that making The Miracle album Queen probably knew they weren't going to be playing live with Freddie again so the songs they wrote could be more demanding and therefore unsuitable for the live set. I Want It All is an exception as it was written before Queen reformed to make The Miracle as Brian wrote it with audiences in mind.
Also, I feel there's a very emotional side with some of the songs especially those on Innuendo and Made In Heaven so Brian and Roger might feel uncomfortable playing those live.
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dysan
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Post by dysan on Nov 24, 2020 7:44:04 GMT
Nice spreadsheet  It's only 1 song less than a few other albums and one of them was due to an Oscar winning film (NOT Flash haha). While I think it's hard to imagine what other songs off The Miracle would sound like live, I realise that for 40 years few of us could picture what Fairy Feller's would sound like live either. Once the songs that the band dislike or are given 'no's (Scandal, My Baby Does Me etc) are rejected I guess that leaves the rockers (which are probably considered too obscure even for Queen+AL 'obscurities') and the second tier hits. Breakthru has long been mooted as a fan suggested given and the train visuals from Breakthru are crying out for being repurposed as a backdrop. But I think it would be a no-brainer to throw in a section from The Invisible Man during the tedious long AOBTD funk-out. I would say though that the key is if complete songs haven't been previously road tested, either on solo tours or way back in the past (It's Late for example) they just can't be arsed with the risk. I think the title track will feature at some point. Brian consistently says it's a favourite and if there is any movement on this Miracle box coinciding with a tour w've long suggested Party on tape leading (via an elongated last "ooooooooooooo...") into KS or another rocker would make a good set opener. Let's see |
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Raf
Dragonfly Trumpeter
Sweet like some kind of cheese
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Post by Raf on Nov 24, 2020 14:04:00 GMT
I think another reason could be that making The Miracle album Queen probably knew they weren't going to be playing live with Freddie again so the songs they wrote could be more demanding and therefore unsuitable for the live set. I Want It All is an exception as it was written before Queen reformed to make The Miracle as Brian wrote it with audiences in mind. I've always found this album to have more intricate guitar parts than usual. But if Brian can do IWIA live, I suppose he could play the title track or Breakthru without much effort. I wouldn't bet on Was It All Worth It (but what are the odds that they'll ever even consider playing this one anyway?) or the Invisible Man solo. Roger and Neil are definitely ready, though. Invisible Man jam from 1:52 onwards on this video: I can only imagine how badass it would've been with vocals and the solo! This jam alone sounds so much more fresh and alive than the album version! Also, I feel there's a very emotional side with some of the songs especially those on Innuendo and Made In Heaven so Brian and Roger might feel uncomfortable playing those live. That went through my mind. But they've played TSMGO and TATDOOL, two very "emotionally charged" songs from Innuendo very often on every tour plus some of those one-off Queen+ concerts, and even on solo gigs. I don't suppose The Miracle could possibly trigger worse feelings than Innuendo. Once the songs that the band dislike or are given 'no's (Scandal, My Baby Does Me etc) are rejected I guess that leaves the rockers (which are probably considered too obscure even for Queen+AL 'obscurities') and the second tier hits. Breakthru has long been mooted as a fan suggested given and the train visuals from Breakthru are crying out for being repurposed as a backdrop. But I think it would be a no-brainer to throw in a section from The Invisible Man during the tedious long AOBTD funk-out. I would say though that the key is if complete songs haven't been previously road tested, either on solo tours or way back in the past (It's Late for example) they just can't be arsed with the risk. Well, I guess anything the band released as a single from The Works onwards shouldn't be "too obscure", especially when we take into account they've even played Life is Real, You Take My Breath Away (even if it was from a tape), Long Away (even if only a couple of verses on acoustic guitar), It's Late, and so on. Even Machines got played. Miracle songs not being a regular part of the set is something I could understand. What I can't understand is how they every now and then sneak even obscure non-single songs from old albums but won't at least for a couple of nights take a shot at some of their most famous singles. The Miracle, Breakthru and Invisible Man are the only songs from both GH1 and 2 that have never been played live in any incarnation of the band or by their solo members. I do agree with you that Breakthru and Invisible Man should be obvious choices, and I really think their visuals would work so well on stage. Although I'm not excited about the Miracle box set, I think it'd be worth it if it would make QAL design some Miracle Express and Invisible Man visuals for their concerts (and, of course, give some songs their well deserved live debuts). I think the title track will feature at some point. Brian consistently says it's a favourite and if there is any movement on this Miracle box coinciding with a tour w've long suggested Party on tape leading (via an elongated last "ooooooooooooo...") into KS or another rocker would make a good set opener. Let's see I hear it's not advisable for Queen fans to dream. But I'm with you on this one, really hoping the Miracle box set will bring us some new live goodies! |
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Dimitris
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Post by Dimitris on Dec 4, 2020 16:43:17 GMT
Very nice chart, I was wondering why they never play any other song from the miracle, since they wrote some songs in order work live.
I can imagine party and kashogi's ship as part of a medley inserted on Now I'm here like Put out the fire and Dragon attack.
Also My bady does me could work in away of playing with the audience like the improvise in 1984 before it's a hard life.
As the previous post mentions The invisible man could be a happened.
Last but not least The miracle would be very beautiful and melodic as part of medley with Killer Queen etc.
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