Friday, November 18, 2005

Queen w/ Paul Rodgers - Return of the Champions (2005)

As a fan of classic rock, for me this 2CD live set is a must have. I'm a big fan of both Bad Company and to a SLIGHTLY lesser extent Queen.

Paul Rodgers is one of the best, and imho, most underrated rock vocalists out there.

When I first heard about this set I was slightly skeptical because as much as I like Queen and Paul Rodgers, I wasn't so sure how the combination of the two would go together. I mean I dig Led Zeppelin and Dream Theater, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy hearing Robert Plant singing Pull Me Under or James LaBrie singing Kashmir.

That being said, I kept an open-mind and started listening with cautious optimism. And boy did it ever pay off!

There is a definite chemistry between Rodgers and Queen and the energy of the audience is phenomenal. Listening to Rodgers interpretations of some of my Queen favorites like Fat Bottomed Girls and Tie Your Mother Down and Queen's interpretations of Free's All Right Now and Bad Company's Feel Like Makin' Love and Can't Get Enough make this a live set to be truly enjoyed.

If you enjoyed either Rodgers or Queen in their prime. I highly recommend snagging this live set, you won't be disappointed!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Concert pix from Pittsburgh Mellon Arena: http://stacywest.marketine.com/

bearockr said...

hmmm... Never knew of such a coalition b/w Paul and Queen ... I have heard of We Will rock you by queen sung by Axl Rose of Guns n Roses and he did a decent job, though none can match the vocals of Freddie Mercury... but still with Brian May on the guitars, the magic of The original queen was quite a bit alive !

Now I am definitely gonna see Paul Rodgers and Queen on youtube now, because I just love to watch such kind of covers and unique combinations ... You never know how it might sound ! And thanks for commenting on my blogs too!