Ten brilliant live albums from the 1970s

Queen - Live Killers

Queen released their first live album Live Killers in 1979. The band was already renowned for their phenomenal live performances and this double album captured that on record extremely well. Although there are some criticisms over the final mix of the songs, with even some Queen members less than happy.

Live Killers lets the talents of the band members shine through across their already extensive range of songs. Freddie Mercury is still the ultimate showman and elite singer while demonstrating his piano skills too. Brian May has always been a guitar genius and that’s clear from the album. Both John Taylor on bass and Roger Taylor on drums play their parts very well too, having also added songs they’d written, and in Taylor’s case some lead vocals at times.

As for that mixing of the album, well it was the band themselves who took the producer role at their studio in Montreux. It may not be what they wanted, but it was in their own hands and ears. Certainly, Taylor and May have said later they were unhappy with it. Irrespective of that, this is a terrific live album, it captures what you’d expect from Queen live and you can feel the atmosphere oozing out from the tracks as you play it.