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462. Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest '86


Was there ever a greater showman than Freddie Mercury?
I posed this question on Twitter last night and while some vouched for fabulous Freddie, there was a suggestion that Elvis The Pelvis, Wacko Jacko or James Brown were better on stage.
I can see the naysayers' argument but I reckon that they need to see Hungarian Rhapsody  - then they might be won over.
Of course, Mercury was not only a superb singer with an incredible range but he also wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's greatest hits, including Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are The Champions.
Many of those songs are reprised in this concert which took place when the band were at the height of their powers.
They had recently performed at Live Aid and their huge hit, One Vision, which is often associated with Bob Geldof, opened the set.
What amazed me about Hungarian Rhapsody was how so many fans in a country which was at the time behind the Iron Curtain responded to Queen's music.
It was as if for the night that Wembley Stadium had been transported into Hungary. The crowd knew every word and yet, presumably, Queen would not exactly have been on the playlist of state radio.
In return, Freddie engaged them in the way that only he could.
As well as the concert footage, the film shows the band enjoying themselves in Budapest and at one point Mercury trying to learn some sentences in the local language - it is then amazing to see him sing these words, written on the back of his hand, to the huge crowd.
In a way Queen were a product of their time - in the 70s and 80s personalities in music were much grander than nowadays because the singles market was so important and we ALL knew the hits.
So I am glad they were around then rather than now.
Sure, they had their idiosyncrasies and they are all here - Brian May's guitar solos go on as long as his hair (I'm sure my wife modelled her wedding day perm on his), John Deacon looks an uncomfortable stage presence (particularly when he changes into an pair of incredibly short yellow shorts) but overall Queen were killers on stage.
And for those who want to be reminded of a great era or just see one of the finest bands in the world on stage, this is a must see.
Laughs: Deacon's shorts gave us a giggle.
Jumps: only Freddie on stage.
Vomit: nope
Nudity: Freddie did remind us that hairy chests used to be fashionable!
Overall rating: 8/10

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