5.3.14 Adam is Golden, NEW QAL iHeartRadio Showcase Concert!

TALON'S TAKE

You're My Best Friend

Written by: John Deacon

Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, handclaps
Brian May - guitars, backing vocals, handclaps
Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals, handclaps
John Deacon - bass guitar, electric piano, handclaps





- The first of John's songs to be a single and it had the daunting task of following Bohemian Rhapsody. But how else do you follow the greatest song of all time one of the most complex #1s in history? With the simplest, purest, perfect pop song. That's how!

- Was a hit single all around the world. It hit #16 in the US, #7 in the UK, #35 in Australia, #9 in the Netherlands, and #90 in Japan

- John's tribute to his loving wife Veronica.

- In a way of reinventing themselves again, Queen show they don't need to rawk to hit home.

- Played live as part of a medley that lasted til 1980 but then dropped never to be performed again until QAL when Brian played a brief bit of it acoustically.

QUOTES:

- "I’m very pleased with that, actually. John has really come into his own. Brian and myself have mostly written all the songs before, and he’s been in the background; he’s worked very hard, and his song’s very good, isn’t it? It’s nice. It even adds to the versatility, y’know what I mean. It’s nice that four people can write and they’re all strong; if John or anyone else wrote a song that we thought was weak, it would never be on the album. So he has had to work really hard on it to keep up the standard.” – Freddie Mercury – Rock Australia – 1976

- "Freddie didn’t like the electric piano so I took it home and I started to learn on the electric piano and basically that’s the song that came out of the thing when I was learning to play it. It was written on that instrument and it sounds best on that.” – John Deacon – BBC Radio Interview – 1977

- "John just came from nowhere with this song. It was only the second song he’d written for the group and it was just this perfect pop song. I think the song is amazing. He went out completely on a limb to do that. It’s not the kind of thing we’d done before but he knew exactly what he wanted.” – Brian May

ALTERNATIVE RELEASED VERSIONS:

1991 HOLLYWOOD REMIX


- NOT essential listening. Remixed by Matt Wallace as a bonus track on the 1991 Hollywood Records reissue of A Night At The Opera.
- There is no major difference. It seems to be a slight difference in leveling and some phasing of the vocals but overall not a heckuva lot different.

2011 BACKING TRACK MIX


- NOT essential listening but nice. Practically a full instrumental of the song but with some studio chatter thrown in for good measure. Released on the bonus disc of the 2011 Island Deluxe reissue of A Night At The Opera

OFFICIALLY RELEASED LIVE VERSIONS

LIVE KILLERS VERSION


- A bit faster when done live and obviously done on Freddie's grand rather than the electric.

UNRELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:

LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH 1979


- Probably my favorite version of the song, Freddie takes a few liberties and I love Roger's backing vocals as always.

QAL - LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH 2012


- One of the highlights of the Hammersmith gigs to me was when every time Brian sat down to Love Of My Life, he would do a different song every night acoustically. It was a real treat and I loved hearing the crowd overwhelm Brian's vocals. THIS specifically was a real highlight to me since it hadn't been played since I was 4 years old I have to tell you this is one real reason (among many) that I hope for a bigger QAL tour - hoping this little mini acoustic song becomes part of the set full time..wondering what else he could do He seemed to really enjoy the moment as well!

DOCUMENTARY:


Great insight into the track AND a look into John! And an appearance by Nuno Bettencourt


PERSONAL NOTES:

- A well crafted pop tune. The documentary part is really insightful into Queen's backing vocals - such a signature part of their sound. All in all John does good!

CHANCES:

You're My Best Friend......25% Unlikely to be a full song, but definitely not out of the realm of possibility. This track still is played on North American radio so I could see the band deciding to bring it out of the mothballs. It's been on Brian's mind a bit since he played it during his acoustic set. It is far more likely to make a reappearance there but either way it would be a nice addition to the set.

SUPPLEMENTAL:

The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash)

from Flash Gordon Soundtrack (1980)

Written by: Freddie Mercury

Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - vocalizations, synthesizer
Howard Blake - orchestrations




- Basically a Freddie solo track...and phenomenal at that.
- Wonderful vocal work.

ALTERNATE VERSIONS:

EARLY VERSION


- ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL
- I love this version as well as it features real piano and Freddie's amazing voice. The piano outro is the beginnings of Football Fight

PERSONAL NOTES:
- My favorite track on the whole soundtrack. Beautiful.

CHANCES

The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash)......0% -- No way is this brought out