City:	London, UK
Venue:	Hammersmith Odeon
Date:	December 26, 1979

Setlist:	Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos (including Silent Night), Brighton Rock (ending), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
Queen performed as part of the Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea [Cambodia], which were performed over a few days at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. Other performers included The Who (who played for three hours), Wings, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Clash, and the members of Led Zeppelin (minus Jimmy Page). A 2-LP set was released in 1981, including Now I'm Here from Queen's set. Freddie's vocal range is still top notch on this last show of the tour, although he doesn't always hit the high notes cleanly as he did earlier in the month. Still, these versions of Somebody To Love and We Are The Champions are dripping with passion from him and are among the best ever performed. After Somebody To Love, Freddie pours some water on the front rows. "I'll keep the lager for myself," he says, as he grabs a beer. He continues, "Now listen, I know it feels like a Cecil B. DeMille production of the Ten Commandments here tonight but don’t worry about the cameramen. They're getting paid. Right now we’d like to do a song... my god it’s quiet in here." It suddenly isn't quiet after he makes that comment. "It's always like this at Hammersmith. I don't know why. Are you supposed to be a sophisticated crowd? I suppose you are." He then introduces If You Can't Beat Them, and what follows is a great final performance of the Jazz album rocker. Soon thereafter, Brian plays the trills near the end of Mustapha beautifully. During the middle section of Get Down Make Love, Freddie passes down the mic to an audience member, who then sings part of the "La la" part of The Prophet's Song. The mic is then immediately taken away! Before Love Of My Life, Brian gives the audience a brief background on the purpose of the concert, and adds: "The reason for all these cameras is that it's proposed to make a composite show of us and the other people who have performed this week, and to sell that to make some more money for those people as well. So we hope it goes well." A few audience members boo at the thought of other artists being on the film, and one of them shouts, "Just you!" After the song, Brian says, "Hammersmith sings; very nice." He continues, "we're gonna have a little bit of fun with this one. We usually do this one. It doesn't sound quite it does on the record, I don't think. But this is called '39. Sing along." In his solo spot, Brian plays a few chords that loosely resemble In The Space Capsule which would appear on the Flash Gordon soundtrack the following year. He then plays a specially rehearsed version of Silent Night, a gesture much appreciated by the audience. At many shows on this tour, the audience (led by those "Royal Family" fans) would continue singing Crazy Little Thing Called Love after the band finished the song. The band even joins in tonight. Here is a review of the show. Here's an article (1, 2) with a few pictures from this show (although some are from other shows). Pics 4 to 9 were taken by Dave King and submitted by Mark Alexander (and later colour corrected by Nino Trovato). The last picture was taken by Gillian Parry (her picture was snapped at almost the exact moment as pic 8). The entire show was filmed, about 75 minutes of which is currently public. Many songs were broadcast on TV in 1980 as part of a German TV special on the band (We Will Rock You, Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, the first half of Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, and God Save The Queen), and a few others have shown up as well (the tail ends of Jailhouse Rock, Mustapha, and Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as Death On Two Legs, Get Down Make Love, the complete Now I'm Here, Love Of My Life, '39, and Tie Your Mother Down). The US broadcast was a simulcast on TV and FM radio (at least in the Chicago market), with the latter being in stereo sound (a copy of the audio has yet to surface). Parts of We Will Rock You and God Save The Queen were shown in a 1987 Dutch TV documentary called "The Story Of Queen." Part of Now I'm Here and Crazy Little Thing Called Love were re-broadcast on Japanese TV mid-2008, naturally in broadcast quality. With the quality being so good, Freddie is seen with a broken guitar string part way through Crazy. In November 2009, the band posted some concert videos from the '70s on their website in conjunction with the release of their "Absolute Greatest" compilation, including I'm In Love With My Car and Now I'm Here from this show. The audio quality on the former is excellent, although the latter still uses the video feed instead of the far superior-sounding version released on the aforementioned LP. There has been much debate over the years about whether or not the 24-track master tapes still exist in the band's archive. A different stereo mix of parts of Don't Stop Me Now was heard in the extras of the Days Of Our Lives documentary in 2011, which seemed to confirm their existence - although it's possible it could be the stereo mix from the 1980 simulcast. However, in 2021 Queen archivist Greg Brooks stated that the band don't have the tapes, and it's anyone's best guess whether or not they ever did. According to an article in the June 1989 issue of Record Collector, the entire concert was shown at a "recent fan club convention," and it even mentions Keep Yourself Alive and Brian's solo specifically. It continues, "If Queen ever follow Bruce Springsteen in issuing a live boxed set of albums, then this show must form part of it." Over twenty years later, Queen fans are still waiting for a release that is truly representative of the band at this very vital point in their career. This concert features the final performances of If You Can't Beat Them, Don't Stop Me Now, and Spread Your Wings. '39 would be dropped from the setlist for good as well, but it would be performed (in part) once more in 1984. Brian would sporadically play the main guitar theme a couple times as well (1, 2). Within a few days the 70s would come to an end, and Queen would never again be the same. The success of The Game in North America would shift their gears as a band, in concert and otherwise.

Recording length:	2 LP, incomplete
Quality:	B+
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Crazy Tour" LP
Track listing:	Silent Night, Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
This 1980 LP bootleg is from an audience recording, many tape generations from the master. The taper was seated in the front row at stage right. Not wanting to hold his tape recorder for the entire show, he placed it on the stage beside Freddie Mercury's piano. Mercury laughed upon seeing it. Silent Night from Brian's solo was placed at the beginning of the recording. Keep Yourself Alive, the rest of the guitar solo, and the Brighton Rock ending are missing. This bootleg was pressed to silvers in the mid-90s with the same name and artwork.

Recording length:	1 LP, incomplete
Quality:	?
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Crazy Duck" LP
Track listing:	God Save The Queen, Now I'm Here [cut], Another One Bites The Dust (studio version), You're My Best Friend, Flash (studio version), We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Don't Stop Me Now, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Somebody To Love, Sheer Heart Attack, Save Me, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
This LP, released in 1984, is the audio from the 1980 German TV "Queen Special", complete with some rather amusing song titles on the cover. It seems God Save The Queen is present twice. Another One Bites The Dust and Flash are slightly different versions that were done for this TV special. The vinyl is transparent.

Recording length:	2 CD, incomplete
Quality:	B+
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Crazy Tour" silvers
Track listing:	Silent Night, Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
This bootleg from the mid-90s is a direct copy of the old LP, in a cardboard slipcase designed to mimic its design as well.

Recording length:	114 minutes (2 CD, complete)
Quality:	A
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Complete Kampuchea Concert" (Gypsy Eye) silvers
Track listing:	Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos (including Silent Night), Brighton Rock (ending), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
This is a much lower generation copy of the same audience source that was used for the "Crazy Tour" LP. Here is a great, detailed review of these silvers: http://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com

Recording length:	1 DVD, incomplete
Quality:	B+/A-
Source:	Video
Lineage:	"Live Crazy 1979" (Digital Queen Archives) silver
Track listing:	"Master": Jailhouse Rock [cut], We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Love Of My Life, '39, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen TV: Now I'm Here [cut], Another One Bites The Dust (studio version), You're My Best Friend, Flash (studio version), We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Don't Stop Me Now, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Somebody To Love, Sheer Heart Attack, Save Me, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen (not listed on the cover)
Although the artwork claims that the bulk of the material here is from the "pro shot live master", this definitely isn't the case. It is several video generations from the master, but still valuable because it is the only source for the snippet of Jailhouse Rock. The 1980 German TV special (not from 1979 as the cover purports) is also included here in very reasonable quality. Here's a link to the always-reliable GS review: http://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com

Recording length:	2 CD, 1 DVD
Quality:	A / A-
Source:	Audience / pro video
Lineage:	"Play The Silent Night" (FFMS) silvers
Track listing:	Audio: Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos (including Silent Night), Brighton Rock (ending), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen Video: Jailhouse Rock [cut], We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, Mustapha [cut], Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Love Of My Life, '39, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody [cut], Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
This early 2012 release contains all the known audio and video from this show, but with little work on the part of the bootleg label. The audio is a straight copy of the Gypsy Eye bootleg, and the video is rip of a fan-made compilation of the various pro sources. The silent video of Freddie performing with the Royal Ballet a couple months earlier is included as a bonus.

Recording length:	113 minutes (2 CD, complete)
Quality:	A
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Hammersmith Odeon 1979" (Wardour) silvers
Track listing:	Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos (including Silent Night), Brighton Rock (ending), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
Wardour released what they claim is a transfer of the audience master in 2018, but it is simply an EQ'd version of the Gypsy Eye bootleg.

Recording length:	114 minutes (2 CD, complete)
Quality:	A
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Hammersmith Odeon 1979 Legendary Master Tapes" (Wardour) silvers
Track listing:	Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos (including Silent Night), Brighton Rock (ending), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
Wardour released what seems to be the genuine master tape in 2020. The sound is excellent and well-balanced. On this copy there are extra bits of tape around the tape flips.

Recording length:	112 minutes (2 CD, complete)
Quality:	A
Source:	Audience
Lineage:	"Hammersmith Odeon 1979, 2022 transfer" (Wardour) silvers
Track listing:	Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Somebody To Love, If You Can't Beat Them, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, You're My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Don't Stop Me Now, Spread Your Wings, Love Of My Life, '39, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos (including Silent Night), Brighton Rock (ending), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
Wardour's third release of this show dropped in 2022. It's an upgrade of their previous copy, as it may be a new and better transfer of the master. The quality of sound and performance makes it essential listening. This recording showcases Queen in their prime, at the absolute peak of their powers. Most of these renditions of songs are leaps and bounds above the ones heard on Live Killers and, if officially released, could perhaps rank up there with the greatest rock live albums of all time.

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