We Are The Champions- Stockholm 7th June 1986

[thebiggestqueenfan]

This is so strange!!! The WATC I have from this gig he only hits the C5 in the first verse...something isn't right here...But we have the same exact gig...i wonder what it is

[Gregsynth]

We'll solve this mystery!

[thebiggestqueenfan]

@Gregsynth we have to

[Gregsynth]

Well, posted it on Queenzone (under Serious Discussion)!

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth Well they are certainly the same concert, nothing spliced, I wouldn't know how to do that sorta stuff anyway, sadly way beyond me!

Anyway he *doesn't* hit the high C in the 3rd chorus, thats someone from the crowd, you can hear Freddie under it quite clearly.

I ran the two at the same time and mine was a little bit faster, so I suspect mine be just a touch pitched up too quickly which is also making it play a little quicker as well, hence why there are some slight differences.

[sephiroth34567890]

@sephiroth34567890 Also he doesn't hit in the 2nd chorus either...someone from the crowd is DEFFO hitting that note, not Freddie, the other bootleg you've got is a different source thus you can hear Freddie a touch clearer and not have the crowd member hitting that high note.

Thats my best guess anyway

[Gregsynth]

It's all Freddie on this version--but it's spliced from at least 2 or 3 other concerts: The GYPSY EYE bootleg company Gypped you! You have THEIR version of the concert where they took parts of other concerts and spliced them in here! The WHOLE SECOND CHORUS was dubbed from Puebla 1981 (I know this for a fact)! Just listen to the Puebla 1981 concert, then compare that with this second chorus. It matches up with the crowd, and his C5 note!

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth Its quite interesting to listen to that second verse, I had a listen to the 2nd chorus and I can see why'd you'd think that...all that being said this version is EXACTLY the same as your version, as I said the quality isn't quite as good, the pitch/speed is also a tad different but the notation and the way Freddie sings it is exactly the same to my ear to the exact degree.

[Gregsynth]

Your version is a bit faster/higher pitched (by half a semitone). So you must have gotten the Gypsy Eye bootleg of this concert. I got the version recorded right in front of the speakers.

Something's wrong here!

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth Yeah, well the only to know is to play both versions at the very same time and try and synch up the speed/pitch to the other version, then you'll know exactly what differences there are!

Still loving this debate guys!

[Gregsynth]

I just took your bootleg, then fixed the tempo and pitch, then synched the two versions together: Your concert CLEARLY has additional C5s and they are Freddie's.

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth Ya see I did same thing just now and heard no extra Freddie's, I hear the crowd singing the higher note which isn't audable on your version because its obviously recorded closer to the speakers and is a higher quality, no doubt.

As I showed on Queenzone, the 3rd chorus is DEFFO not Freddie, you can hear him underneath the crowd singing the deeper note!

[Gregsynth]

It's Freddie! Please tell me you can recognize that raspy, chest tone he is using (it's 1986)!

[thebiggestqueenfan]

@sephiroth34567890 I don't understand what it is then. It could be from a different person in the croud but then why does Freddie hit the C5's in all three verses and in the other clearly hits other notes?

[sephiroth34567890]

@thebiggestqueenfan Because Freddie *isn't* hitting C5s, he only hits one, the first chorus, the others are the crowd hitting those notes, Freddie hits the exact same notes on this version as the other one.

[thebiggestqueenfan]

@sephiroth34567890 The crowd??? It can

t be. Listen to 2:01, it is cleary Freddie's voice. Listen to the one at 2:32...that is not as obvious but it is just one voice so it cannot be the crowd

[sephiroth34567890]

@thebiggestqueenfan Unless I'm losing the plot Freddie doesn't sing any High C's after the first chorus, on the 2nd chorus he hits a fairly decent high note but unless we are hearing different things lol!

[Gregsynth]

He originally didn't SING those C5s (my bootleg), the C5s here are clearly Freddie, but Gypsy Eye clearly did some "editing." That label is known to fuck up bootlegs by adding hiss, and splicing notes/other concerts in their works.

[Gregsynth]

Then how come that "crowd" sounds just like Freddie on those notes then? lol

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth They don't, not really, though I can see why you'd say that, someone DOES hit the High C, but its deffo not Freddie, since you can HEAR him sing the note the same way he does normally, he sings the note the same way he does at Live aid, the first chorus High C, the second chorus is slightly lower (FighTING with the last half a touch higher then the first) and the third is lower again but more powerful.

[Gregsynth]

On the second "FIGHT-ting," I hear someone in the crowd at 2:02 sing "FIGHT" in the right speaker, then it's Freddie in the middle channel hitting that C5!

OMG, my head fucking hurts!

[Gregsynth]

Plus listen to the crowd from the 1st chorus to the 2nd chorus, notice how they sounded "european" on the first chorus, but suddenly sounded "mexican" on the second? There's also a few minor cuts throughout.

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth Those cuts are actually my fault, they came out when I transfered the file from FLAC to MP3 to put it up on youtube, so thats nothing to do with the orginal bootleg version I have which is all good and fine.

[Gregsynth]

User Marco4946 has the same EXACT version of the song as you (with all the C5s). So you and him have some fucked up version of the concert, while I got the original one.

[sephiroth34567890]

@Gregsynth Listen to some of the key phrases in both versions:

1: Listen to the yeah Freddie sings at 2:07 on this version, its there on your version at 2:10...so they MUST be the same version of the song at least at that point.

2: "off the world" which Freddie sings at the end of the second verse, once again clearly hearable on both versions at the same point of the song.

[Gregsynth]

That "of the world" section is identical, because then it's BOTH the Stockholm concerts. Plus that's definitely Freddie hitting that C5 in this version (second verse), it's less strained-sounding than the first, meaning it's from a pre 1984 gig (Puebla 1981).

[thebiggestqueenfan]

@Gregsynth Ya, i saw...hope someone can figure this out!!! We need Sherlock Holmes or someone like that. Maybe the Hardly Brothers

[Gregsynth]

The hardly boys!

I just got a clue...

[9540525]

He sang C5 also in th 3rd chorus. not soo good,but he sang it! 3 TIMES IN one song!!!

[BruceCutstone]

Kuilyt, listen "Don't try so hard" or "Hang on in there",or "who wants to live forever"......i want to say....Freddie sang in full voice...not head voice...head voice is another thing...totally....dont confuse "head" with "falsetto".....head voice is not on freddie's vocal range, the hard rock or metal singers use the "head-voice"(steelheart-skidro­w etc.etc),but freddie never! lol so...Freddie..simply the BEST.i love you Freddie.:)

[Gregsynth]

Head voice is still full voice. It's the top parts of your full voice range.

[BruceCutstone]

it isn't full voice,because the voice is distributed in different ways,it is almost full, but the full voice is still another thing; different way of issue of the voice be used, in the headvoice the facial muscles are used a lot, but above all a different respiraton totally in comparison to the full voice!

[Gregsynth]

Wait, I think we are using different terms for everything: There's two main registers (Full Voice and Falsetto), but then I'll stop there, so I don't confuse myself!

[BruceCutstone]

Don't worry :) The most important thing is that we like Freddie with "head" or "full" or "falsetto" voice! Freddie is our God! :) He still loves us :D

[Gregsynth]

Yes he does! He's probably listening in on the comments thinking: "These morons are arguing about my VOICE?! LMFAO!

[thebiggestqueenfan]

this show was the beginning of the end...first show of their last tour. and Freddie provided us with flawless vocals...and one of the best queen concerts of all time along with newcastle 79 and rainbow 74

[Gregsynth]

Don't forget Montreal 81 and Live at the bowl 82: His voice was amazing in those concerts as well.

[thebiggestqueenfan]

ya who can forgot those

[Gregsynth]

Nobody. lol

[sephiroth34567890]

I'll also add the first Wembley arena show in 1980, and also Monterrey in 1981 (the latter also sees Freddie ace the high C in WATC)

[thebiggestqueenfan]

cool thanks!

[Gregsynth]

Cool! Hey, do you have a recording of "Spread Your Wings" from Newcastle 1979?

[thebiggestqueenfan]

i do. You got an email? i can send it

[Gregsynth]

Sure

[thebiggestqueenfan]

this version kicks wembleys version's ass

[Gregsynth]

Kinda funny that this was 1986, but Freddie hits all the high notes!

[sephiroth34567890]

Yeah and not only that but in fact it was probably one of Freddie's best versions of this ever, probably only Live aid is better overall!

[Gregsynth]

I may get shot saying this, but I think it's better than Live AID: At Live AID he hit the C5 only once--here, he hits it both times in the chorus parts. Plus his control's a bit better here.

[thebiggestqueenfan]

i agree

[christusfactusest]

i want video, not just music

[Mercuryan]

Freddie hits high notes in the first and second chorus..But high or low,Freddie remains the best singer of all times.I think that each singer would like to have Freddie's voice,charisma,timbre etc..

[gioutube]

fantastic......So confident with the high notes: C5 twice!

[sephiroth34567890]

I think in this case he was probably somewhere between a Verdi Baritone and a Heldentenor and at various times in his career he flirted between the baritone and tenor ranges.

I'm pretty much a top end Baritone (though my mate is convinced I'm a tenor lol!) and getting to high C is do able, going much above that is hard work though, I think I've got to the high D but thats for another time.

I have to admit I think this is one of the cleanest high Cs Ive ever heard from Freddie live.

[tobyobrie]

Listen to the guy trying to sing along with "we are the champions" at 0:58. Pretty much proves that the standard bloke's range ends at G4.

[Tamaulipeco74]

Do you guys realy know what high C is??

you talk as if you know a lot about that musical note!

[Gregsynth]

The high C, is known as the "tenor C." It's notation is C5. It's the highest note in a standard tenor's range.

[kuilyt258]

don't say crap, it's NOT the highest note in a standard tenor range! there are low tenors singing high E. for freddie this was a incredible high note, since e was a barritone with a great head voice range.

[Gregsynth]

Well, what I meant by "standard" was that in opera and solo work, sometimes the tenor range is C3-C5.

And Freddie was a Heldentenor.

[kuilyt258]

it's very rare that C5 is the top note of a tenor. and freddie was NOT an heldentenor, he said that he was a barritone

[Gregsynth]

Never heard him say that! LOL!

Some tenors (like the Dramatic Tenor, Baritenor, and Heldentenor) either don't need the C5 or the C5 is their maximum note. And Freddie is not a baritone. He displays all the characteristics of a low tenor: Deep timbre, tenor range, and a sufficient range on the high end.

[kuilyt258]

sufficient range on the high end? he had troubles singing B4 live, rarely hited the high C, and all the high notes above that we're screams on studio. don't say stupid stuff!

[Gregsynth]

Vocal Nodules my friend. He got them from OVERUSE and Freddie NEVER screamed out his notes, he sang them beautifully. I'm a baritone, and I can't Sing (or Scream) above A4.

[kuilyt258]

so you are saying that the E5 in another one bites the dust is beautiful singing?

[Gregsynth]

Well, in AOBTD he DID shout that note out. (Guess I lost that one)!

But take a look at songs like "The Show Must Go On," and All God's people. He's singing that in full voice.

[kuilyt258]

you don't need to tell me to take a look at that songs, I know them, I know Freddie's and Queen work, very, very well :)

I have all the bootlegs you've posted and more.

In All God's People he used head voice to reach the F5 and show must go on is one of the few songs he DID sing in tenor range.

In my opinion, the fact of we being here discussing if Freddie was a barritone or a tenor, just shows how great he was and how superior he was to ther other rock singers

[Gregsynth]

Can't disagree with that! He's the GREATEST rock vocalist ever!

[kuilyt258]

so true!

[Gregsynth]

So Correct!

[Gregsynth]

Freddie can sing up to F5 (without falsetto). I think that qualifies as being sufficient on the high range! LOL!

[kuilyt258]

that's your idea, mine is that he was a barritone with an extremely wide head voice range

[kuilyt258]

oh and by the way i'm a high barritone and i can sing/scream up to C#5.

[NightShadow54]

Very good considering it was the last song, his was was very tired. C5 was really impressive!

[sephiroth34567890]

Yep sure does and this is right at the end of a concert as well so if anything its more impressive then Live Aid...you could pick any number of early magic tour concerts and they'd all have thier amazing moments...anyone who thinks Freddie didn't have it in the magic tour in terms of range really are thinking too narrowly!

I thought people might like this version :)

[Gregsynth]

Well Freddie was 40 at the time, his nodules were getting worse, and he had been smoking for 6 years. I still CAN'T believe he hit that note. And he hit it CLEANLY.

[sephiroth34567890]

His voice in the early magic tour was as good as anything he did in the peak 79-82 period IMO, like the first Leiden night Freddie does Bo Rhap exactly like Montreal and Live aid and there are countless other songs which sound totally fab in the early magic tour.

[Gregsynth]

They should release a show from the early magic shows on DVD.

[sephiroth34567890]

Sadly the only stuff we have is One Vision from the 2nd Leiden night and also Paris from the early magic tour I believe...though Paris is still a very good show of course.

[Gregsynth]

Well at least I can see THIS video.

[sephiroth34567890]

Also it shows just how confident Freddie was in his own vocal powers to even dare go for the high C, a note that even at his super best in the 79-82 period he only hit 3 times in We are the Champions.

[Gregsynth]

49 seconds! OMG he HITS the C5!