Queen "A Night At The Odeon" DVD and Blu-ray

Recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on 24 December 1975.

Directed by Tom Corcoran
Produced by Michael Appleton
Post production directors: Kris Fredriksson and Justin Shirley-Smith
Arranged for television by John Reid
Concert presentation: Mel Bush
Queen management: Jim Beach
Executive music producers: Roger Taylor and Brian May
Music mix produced by Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson
Executive producers for Eagle Rock: Geoff Kempin and Terry Shand
Offline video editor: Kris Fredriksson
Online video editor: James Wren
Colourist: Pete Lynch
Video restoration by Simon Marbrook
Blu-ray/DVD produced by Kris Fredriksson and Justin Shirley-Smith
Cover artwork by Marmalade London, photograph by Mark Charnock
Hammersmith Odeon live photographs by Douglas Puddifoot, additional photograph by Koh Hasebe and Watal Asanuma

'Looking Back At The Odeon':
Brian May and Roger Taylor interviewed by Bob Harris
Interview filmed by Rhys Thomas and Simon Lupton, directed by Kris Fredriksson

'Live At The Budokan Japan 1975' footage courtesy of Watanabe Music

This concert was available as a DVD and Blu-ray, and was also simultaneously released as an album, including CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray sets, or a deluxe boxed set, which includes the CD album, DVD, Blu-ray, and replica memorablia. The concert was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on 24 December 1975, and was simultaneously broadcast live on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1 as an 'Old Grey Whistle Test' special. The TV coverage only had a one hour time slot, so the BBC camera crew stopped filming after the first encore, 'Jailhouse Rock Medley'. As a result, the rest of the show was not filmed, so the second encore of 'Seven Seas Of Rhye' and 'See What A Fool I've Been' are only available on the album.

The remaining tracks are identical to the album, apart from a very small amount of dialogue which is added to 'God Save The Queen', which forms the credits, because of the above edit. The DVD and Blu-ray releases feature identical content and menus, with all menus featuring audience noise, and play a simple thunderbolt noise when first loaded. The DVD has three titles, while the Blu-ray has eight, adding five titles used for the copyright notice and menus.

The main menu has links to play the concert (title 1), song select, bonus features, and audio options. The 'Song Select' sub-menu has links to each of the 17 tracks, and features short muffled excerpts of dialogue and song lyrics to announce the title of each track. The 'Bonus' sub-menu has options to play the 'Looking Back At The Odeon' documentary (title 2) and 'Live At The Budokan Japan 1975' footage (title 3), with options to play the features as a whole, or any of the three individual chapters. It also features a sub-menu to select documentary subtitles, which are available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Finally, the 'Audio Options' sub-menu has options to select stereo sound (LPCM 96/24) or surround sound (DTS 96/24).

The first bonus feature is 'Looking Back At The Odeon', a 23 minute long documentary about the concert, divided into three chapters: 'lead-up to the concert', 'soundcheck and show' and 'following the concert'. It is an interview with Brian and Roger, interviewed by Bob Harris, and naturally features photographs from the band's early career and clips from the concert. It also features footage of the band in Japan, an excerpt of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' from Hyde Park 1976, and the intro of the track from the soundcheck, as well as dialogue from Freddie, which was available in the boxed set as part of the 'Now I'm Here' soundcheck. The interview was probably recorded between 2009 and 2011, either for the original BBC broadcast or the 'Days Of Our Lives' documentary, as Brian's hair and Roger's beard have changed significantly since it was recorded.

The second bonus feature is 'Live At The Budokan Japan 1975', lasting 11 minutes, which features 'Now I'm Here', 'Killer Queen', and 'In The Lap Of The Gods.... Revisited', recorded on 1 May 1975. The footage was originally broadcast on Japanese TV, and is quite badly filmed in places, with rapid zooming in and out and a very wobbly picture. It opens with the word 'Queen', on a white background, and at the end features the band's names on a white background, followed by the same 'Queen' lettering again. 'Now I'm Here' was included on the 'Days Of Our Lives' DVD and Blu-ray, with an edited introduction, as part of the 'Queen On Tour: 1974-1975' feature, while all three tracks were included on the Japanese releases.

Several of the main concert tracks have been release before, with 'Now I'm Here' and 'White Queen' as audio tracks on the 'Sheer Heart Attack' and 'Queen II' 2011 album reissues, and 'Ogre Battle' and 'Son And Daughter' on the 'Queen II' and 'Queen' 2011 iTunes LP's as bonus videos. The 'Rare Live' video also features excerpts of 'Keep Yourself Alive', and edited versions of 'Big Spender' and 'Jailhouse Rock Medley'.

An edited version of the show was broadcast on BBC2 on 27 November 2009 at 11:35pm. At just under 47 minutes, it featured a 30 second intro by Bob Harris, and the Old Grey Whistle Test theme tune, with the audience clapping along. It included the full versions of every track, omitting only 'Ogre Battle', 'White Queen', 'Son And Daughter', and 'God Save The Queen', and some dialogue between tracks. However, the reprise of 'Jailhouse Rock' was edited from 6:05 to 4:01, losing some of the improvisation and final verse. It was also broadcast on 30 May 2011, following the 'Days Of Our Lives' documentary. Some of Bob Harris' introduction was included on the DVD/Blu-ray as part of the 'Looking Back At The Odeon' documentary.

The concert was shown alongside the 'Rags To Rhapsody' documentary in cinemas worldwide in 2016, billed as 'A Night In Bohemia', including screenings in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.

This page only includes details of the three bonus tracks, from the 'Live At The Budokan Japan 1975' feature. Full lyrics of the main concert can be found on the album page.

Now I'm Here

Title 3, chapter 1. Track length 4:45, song length 4:41.
This track was previously released on the 'Days Of Our Lives' Blu-ray, as part of the 'Queen On Tour 1974-1975' feature, which omitted the first 45 seconds, reducing the length to 3:56. It was also released on the Japanese DVD and Blu-ray, but was probably the full version.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Sheer Heart Attack' album page.
Lyrics: (the 'Days Of Our Lives' edit includes the lyrics from 'I'm just' onwards)
Here I stand
Look around, around, around, around, around
But you won't see me

Now I'm here
Now I'm there
I'm just
Just a new man
Yes, you made me live again
Come on, let's go

A baby I was when you took my hand
The light of the night burned bright
The people all stared didn't understand
But you knew my name on sight

Ooh, whatever came of you and me
America's new bride to be
Don't worry babe I'm safe and sound
Down in the dungeon just Peaches 'n' me
Don't I love you so
Yes you made me live again

Yeah
Ooh, a thin moon me in a smoke screen sky
Beams of your lovelight chase
Don't move, don't speak, don't feel no pain
The rain running down my face
Your matches still light up the sky
Many a tear lives on in my eye

Down in the city just Hoople 'n' me

Whatever comes of you and me
I love to leave my memory with you

Now I'm here
Think I'll stay around, around, around, around
Down in the city justa you 'n' me

Killer Queen

Title 3, chapter 2. Track length 2:07, song length 2:06.
This track was previously released on the 'Days Of Our Lives' Japanese DVD and Blu-ray. The track fades out at the end, to avoid it seguing into 'The March Of The Black Queen'.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Sheer Heart Attack' album page.
Lyrics:
She keeps a Moet Et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
'Let them eat cake' she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
Built-in remedy
Kruschev and Kennedy
At anytime an invitation you can't decline

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She's a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Anytime)

Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

Avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah
Then again incidentally
You're that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris
For cars she couldn't care less
Fastidious and precise

She's a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Anytime)

Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

In The Lap Of The Gods.... Revisited

Title 3, chapter 3. Track length 4:24, song length 3:45.
This track was previously released on the 'Days Of Our Lives' Japanese DVD and Blu-ray. It ends with lengthy audience noise.
Details of the original version can be found on the 'Sheer Heart Attack' album page.
Lyrics:
It's so easy, but I can't do it
So risky, but I gotta chance it
Funny, there's nothing to laugh about
My money, that's all you wanna talk about
I can see what you want me to be
I'm no fool

It's in the lap of the Gods
Wo, wo, la, la, la
I can see what you want me to be
I'm no fool

No beginning, there's no ending
Meaning in my pretending
Believe me, life goes on and on and on
Believe me when I ask you where do I belong
I say I
Can't
Set you free from me
But that's not true

It's in the lap of the Gods
Wo, wo, la, la, la, wo
Wo, wo, la, la, wah, wah, ooh
I'm no fool

It's in the lap of the Gods
Wo, wo, la, la, la, wo
Wo, wo, la, la, wah, wah, ooh
I'm no fool

It's in the lap of the Gods
Wo, wo, la, la, la, wo
Wo, wo, la, la, wah, wah, ooh
I'm no fool

It's in the lap of the Gods
Wo, wo, la, la, la, wo
Wo, wo, la, la, wah, wah, ooh
I'm no fool

It's in the lap of the Gods
Wo, wo, la, la, la, wo
Wo, wo, la, la, wah, wah, ooh
Freddie: Thank you and goodnight everybody