Live Killers

Live Killers is a double live album by the British rock band Queen, released on 22 June 1979.[2] It received negative reviews from critics on release.[1] In a retrospective appraisal, Greg Prato of AllMusic found the initial reaction inexplicable, calling the album "an excellent document of Queen at the height of their '70s arena rock powers".[1]

Live Killers
Live album by
Queen
Released22 June 1979
Recorded26 January – 1 March 1979 in Europe
Genre
Length90:08
LabelEMI / Parlophone (Europe)
Elektra / Hollywood (US)
ProducerQueen
Queen chronology
Jazz
(1978)		 Live Killers
(1979)		 The Game
(1980)
Singles from Live Killers
  1. "Love of My Life (Live)"
    Released: 29 June 1979
  2. "We Will Rock You (Fast Live)"
    Released: August 1979 (US, Japan)

Recording

The album was recorded live during the European leg of Queen's Jazz world tour, between January and March 1979. The album was self-produced by the band and was their first to be mixed at their own studios, Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland.[2] Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor later revealed on the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard (which spotlighted the making of 1980's The Game) that the band had mixed Live Killers themselves and were unhappy with the final mix.

Release

Live Killers was released as a double vinyl album[3] in the UK by EMI on 22 June 1979,[4] in Europe by Parlophone, and in the US by Elektra and Hollywood Records.

Reception

The album reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and is certified double platinum in the US.[5][6]

In the territories outside of the United States, Europe and Canada, Elektra Records re-released a shorter and edited version of the album in 1985 titled Queen Live.[7]

The 1994 issue released as part of the Digital Master Series by EMI Records did not improve upon the quality of the previous release. It was later remastered and restored in better quality by Peter Mew in 2001.

Track listing
Side one / CD Disc 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Will Rock You (Fast)" (Lyon 17 February)Brian May3:29
2."Let Me Entertain You" (Unknown)Freddie Mercury3:04
3."Death on Two Legs" (Barcelona 20 February, Frankfurt 2 February)Mercury3:32
4."Killer Queen" (Frankfurt 2 February)Mercury1:59
5."Bicycle Race" (Frankfurt 2 February)Mercury1:29
6."I'm in Love with My Car" (Zurich 4 February)Roger Taylor2:01
7."Get Down, Make Love" (Frankfurt 2 February, Lyon 17 February, Barcelona 20 February, Paris 28 February, Paris 1 March)Mercury4:31
8."You're My Best Friend" (Lyon 17 February)John Deacon2:07
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Now I'm Here" (Frankfurt 2 February, Lyon 17 February)May8:44
10."Dreamer's Ball" (Lyon 17 February)May3:42
11."Love of My Life" (Frankfurt 2 February, Paris 27 February)Mercury4:59
12."'39" (Frankfurt 2 February)May3:26
13."Keep Yourself Alive" (Unknown)May4:03
Total length:48:06
Side three / CD Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Don't Stop Me Now" (Unknown)Mercury4:28
2."Spread Your Wings" (Unknown)Deacon5:14
3."Brighton Rock" (Frankfurt 2 February, Paris 28 February, Paris 1 March)May12:13
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Bohemian Rhapsody (with "Mustapha" intro)" (Frankfurt 2 February)Mercury5:51
5."Tie Your Mother Down" (Frankfurt 2 February)May3:43
6."Sheer Heart Attack" (Lyon 17 February)Taylor3:36
7."We Will Rock You" (Frankfurt 2 February)May2:48
8."We Are the Champions" (Paris 27 February)Mercury3:27
9."God Save the Queen" (Rotterdam 30 January)Trad.; arr. May1:33
Total length:42:53

Omitted tracks

Singles
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Record Mirror(favorable)[8]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Smash Hits3½/10[11]
  • "Love of My Life (Live at Festhalle Frankfurt, 2 Feb '79 - edited version)"/"Now I'm Here (Live at Festhalle Frankfurt, 2 Feb '79)"
  • "We Will Rock You (Fast Version) (Live)"/"Let Me Entertain You (Live)" – Elektra E46532; released August 1979

Charts
Chart (1979) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 21
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 3
US Billboard 200[19] 16
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 34
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] 99

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[22] Gold 25,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[23] Gold 50,000^
Germany (BVMI)[24] Gold 250,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[25] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Production

References
  1. Live Killers at AllMusic
  2. Live Killers Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 11 July 2011
  3. David Fricke (6 September 1979). "Album Reviews Live Killers". Rolling Stone.
  4. Paul Sexton (14 July 2019). "When Queen Became Live Killers". udiscovermusic.com.
  5. RIAA – Gold and Platinum Archived 4 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 11 July 2011
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
  7. http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/live-killers/ Queen Online Retrieved 13 December 2016
  8. "1979.06.xx - Record Mirror - UK - Killer Queen - QueenCuttings.com - Welcome on board!". QueenCuttings.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  9. Fricke, David (6 September 1979). "Live Killers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  10. "Queen: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  11. Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (July 12–25 1979): 25.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Queen – Live Killers" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – Live Killers" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Queen – Live Killers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  15. "Charts.nz – Queen – Live Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  16. "Norwegiancharts.com – Queen – Live Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – Queen – Live Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  18. "Queen | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  19. "Queen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Queen – Live Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  21. "Italiancharts.com – Queen – Live Killers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  22. "Austrian album certifications – Queen – Live Killers" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  23. "Dutch album certifications – Queen – Live Killers" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 27 November 2019. Enter Live Killers in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  24. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Queen; 'Live Killers')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  25. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Queen; 'Live Killers')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  26. "British album certifications – Queen – Live Killers". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 November 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Live Killers in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  27. "American album certifications – Queen – Live Killers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 27 November 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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