I love me a good bootleg and I found with this one. It is from Queen and it is called ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odean at Christmastime 1975’. In fact, it was recorded on December 24, 1975. The bootleg came out some time in 1976 and I love the simplicity of it all. A green sheet with a photocopy of the band and setlist in black. Nothing fancy about it at all. Nothing on the back cover and the labels on the vinyl were white and someone had typed ‘Side One’ or ‘Side Two’ depending on the side. No expense was spared…LOL!!

And like all bootlegs, there are mistakes. The opening track is listed as “Now I’m Sure”…and I’m sure that is wrong. It should be “Now I’m Here”. If that wasn’t enough, Roger Taylor is now spelling his name differently as Rodger Taylor. That “d” makes a difference. The other thing, this isn’t the full show. It is a single LP so several songs and medley were cut, but what you get here is still rather amazing. It is the best of the best.

What was special about this show is it was broadcast live on the BBC and it was the first time the band had ever done that. With that being said, the sound quality on this is exceptional (with minor exceptions). This is one of the cleanest sounding bootlegs I have ever owned. However, what makes this bootleg obsolete now is that the band actually did release this show officially on November 20, 2015. It was called ‘A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975’.

That didn’t matter to me, as I love bootlegs and still wanted it as it was a cherished piece in the bootleg world back in the 70’s. Plus, nothing beats the simplicity of the whole set. This was so prized because several songs on this set were later dropped from the setlist and did not appear on any official live release back in the day. In the grand scheme of things, yes, I can get the official release, but this to me is more authentic and more special. Now, let’s get to the music.

The show kicks off with “Now I’m Sure”…I mean “Now I’m Here”. And this is the only real blip in the sound quality as I can here some tape drag on in the opening verses of Freddie Mercury belting out the song. But that is it. The song is and the rest of the album are stellar. Musically, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor are on point and killing it. Freddie’s vocals are more in front, as they should be, but everyone sounds great and clear. The backing vocals are also something special plus the notes Brian is getting of his guitar are mindblowing.

The show is off to good start and they keep the energy going with “Ogre Battle”. It is a little metal and a lot over the top as only Freddie can do. Brian May just lays waste to the world with his guitar playing and the gong at the end makes for one hell of a performance.

Then the band jumps into a song medley. Not just any medley, we are talking “Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen and The March of the Black Queen”. And it is tasty. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was #1 on the radio at the time of this show as it would stay for 9 weeks. When you hear this, there is no doubt of the power of Freddie’s vocals. There is no studio magic, it is all him and not many can compare. The transitions between songs is effortlessly done and flawless as they were meant to be played this way and it ends were it started with “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

The first side ends with a band with the song “Brighton Rock” and Brian kicks it off with some wicked riff. Freddie attacks the lyrics with the same intensity as Brian’s picking. But what sets this song apart is the Brian May solo and holy crap he shines. Hold on tight as he blazes over the frets at breakneck speed. He goes for over 6 minutes and I love at the end when the band joins back in to finish of the song. Deacon’s bass lines are freaking awesome. So much fun to hear this. One of my favorite guitarist shows why he is one of my favorites. And that guitar tone, you hear it you know it is Brian May!

Flipping things over to side two and they kick it off with “Keep Yourself Alive”. A fast, frenzied pace for this one and Freddie still sounds great and Brian still showing off. Roger’s drum fills and groove are perfect with Deacon accompanying on that groove. Roger gets a little drum solo here to show off his chops as well and then it leads right in to a little May solo too before the Freddie takes back over. I also love how Roger gets in on the vocals too. A favorite Queen song sounds almost as perfect here.

Next is a special edition of “Liar” and it is over 8 minutes of a band that knows how to rock out and jam. Out of the gate the boys are playing off each other trying to one up the other. This is a band that knows what they are doing. I love “Liar” for the quick little “Liars” that makes up the chorus. They are high and shrill and awesome. I also love the part towards the end where Freddie changes things up with the lyrical delivery. Deliberate and almost chanting. A fun little song that gets even better when the boys let loose.

Next up is “In The Lap of the Gods”. This is not the full version from the show, it is shortened by a couple minutes broken down to the regular length. It opens with some keyboards and is only on Freddie vocals. This the revisited version. It segues in to “Seven Seas of Rhye”. This almost sounds like the album they are that good. Freddie doesn’t quite get as high, but who cares. The piano and guitar together are awesome.

“See What A Fool I’ve Been” is up next and this was not an album track but a B-Side for the “Seven Seas of Rhye” single. It is real bluesy and an old time rocker. Some great guitar and bass work and cool to hear Freddie get bluesy, well, as bluesy as he can get. A cool track to end things. Sort of…“God Save the Queen” plays us out after the band leaves the stage.

As far as bootlegs go, they don’t sound much better than this. Almost perfect quality for that little tape drag at the beginning. Granted it is not a full show, but it is the best of that show and you will know every song. Such a full and killer setlist for a band that only had 3 albums at the time. Truly sensational. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. Yes, you can get the official release that has since come out, but for historical and nostalgic reasons, this bootleg is pretty killer and worth a grab. The band is fine form and any chance you can get live Freddie, you take it. One of the greatest bands there ever was…yes, i know they still tour, but this is the real band that I will cherish forever.