Queen created albums of lasting power and majesty, with a fizzy amalgam of power pop, rock, opera and metal. Then they brought it all to life with eye-popping in-concert theatrics before losing Freddie Mercury in the ’90s.
Thankfully, Queen’s live albums preserved those experiences. They tended to strip away the ornate studio splendor in favor of something far more nervy and lean. But Queen remained an interesting combination of seemingly contradictory things.
On stage as on vinyl, Queen could be cocksure yet profoundly vulnerable. Those juxtapositions, those foundational contradictions, made Queen — then, as now — a galvanizing force.
READ MORE: Top 10 Queen Songs
Their live discography begins with 1979’s multi-platinum Live Killers and 1986’s Live Magic. Both were Top 5 hits in Queen’s native U.K. but sadly became the only albums released before Mercury succumbed to AIDS complications. There clearly was an audience: Live at Wembley ’86, Queen’s lone in-concert album release from the ’90s, went platinum in America and hit No. 2 in the U.K.
Finally, Queen began making up for lost time in a new century. The Top 20 U.K. hit Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl began a string of well-received concert recordings. Several of them reached the U.K. Top 40, including 2014’s No. 11 smash Live at the Rainbow ’74.
A whopping three LPs (Live Magic, Live at Wembley and 2012’s Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest) showcase shows from Queen’s 1986 tour. It would be their last with Mercury. But the larger focus has been evenly matched between the group’s edgier early years and massive ’80s-era concerts.
Here’s a look back as we rank every Queen live album.
Ranking Every Queen Live Album
Queen created a new amalgam of power pop, rock, opera and metal in the studio – then brought it all to life with eye-popping in-concert theatrics. Here’s a look back.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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