Live Magic is a live compilation album by British rock band Queen. It was recorded at various live shows during the Magic Tour (1986) and was released on 1 December 1986. However, it was not released in the United States until August 1996. It received strong criticism from fans, due to the heavy editing of many songs. For example, the opera section was removed from "Bohemian Rhapsody", the second verse was removed from "Tie Your Mother Down", and both "Is This the World We Created...?" and "We Are the Champions" were reduced to one verse and chorus. In July 2004,Q magazine listed Live Magic as one of the top five disappointing live albums from usually great acts.[4]
Most of the performances were recorded at Knebworth Park on 9 August 1986, which marks the band's final concert with its original line-up.
Contents[]
Track listing[edit][]
- Side 1
- "One Vision (Knebworth)" (Queen) – 5:09
- "Tie Your Mother Down (Knebworth)" (May) – 2:59
- "Seven Seas of Rhye (Knebworth)" (Mercury) – 1:21
- "A Kind of Magic (Edit)" (Budapest) (Taylor) – 4:47
- "Under Pressure" (Budapest) (Queen, Bowie) – 3:49
- "Another One Bites the Dust (Edit)" (Knebworth) (Deacon) – 5:16
- Side 2
- "I Want to Break Free" (Knebworth) (Deacon) – 2:40
- "Is This the World We Created...?" (Wembley) (Mercury/May) – 1:30
- "Bohemian Rhapsody (Edit)" (Knebworth) (Mercury) – 4:42
- "Hammer to Fall (Edit)" (Wembley) (May) – 4:22
- "Radio Ga Ga" (Knebworth) (Edit) (Taylor) – 4:27
- "We Will Rock You" (Knebworth) (May) – 1:33
- "Friends Will Be Friends" (Knebworth) (Mercury/Deacon) – 1:09
- "We Are the Champions" (Knebworth) (Mercury) – 2:01
- "God Save the Queen" (Knebworth) (Trad. arr. May) – 1:19
Release history[edit][]
| Country | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Worldwide | 1 December 1986 |
| United States | August 1996 |
Chart positions and sales[edit][]
| Country | Charts | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | Certification | Sales | |
| United Kingdom | 3[5] | 44[5] | Platinum[6] | 1.000.000 |
| Austria | 13 | 6 | Gold | 100.000 |
| Germany | 15 | Gold | 300.000 | |
| Netherlands | 17 | 100.000 | ||
| Italy | 22 | 100.000 | ||
| Switzerland | 26 | Platinum | 100.000 | |
| Japan | 49 | 100.000 | ||
| Sweden | 50 | |||
| Argentina | Gold[7] | 40.000 | ||
| United States | – | – | 500.000 | |
Personnel[edit][]
- Freddie Mercury - lead vocals, piano
- Brian May - guitars, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals
- John Deacon - bass guitars, backing vocals
Additional Musicians
- Spike Edney - keyboards, piano, guitar, backing vocals