I set out to buy Live Magic determined to like it. I tried, I really did, to block out the scathing reports that I've read here on this very page. Hell, I thought, it has a nice cover; all my favourite songs; a few tracks from Wembley (the world's best ever concert); so it's missing a bit of Bohemian Rhapsody... well, it's got nice liner pictures (I was getting desperate at this point)... and it's live! All live albums are great... and so it went on. In the end I plumped for it uneasily, turning down Jazz and Innuendo and suchlike. I realize now that it was a mistake of grotesque proportions. I mean the beginning's all right but the only highlight after the first six songs is the expertly delivered HAMMER TO FALL, incidentally the only song on the album to have been taken from the Live at Wembley and the best song on the CD. WE WILL ROCK YOU, IS THIS THE WORLD WE CREATED and FRIENDS WILL BE FRIENDS have all been mercilessly edited so together they only represent about four and a half minutes playing time, and the powers that be at EMI have done themselves a big favour by cutting out, in their infinite wisdom, the infamous operatic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY bit as well as about a half of WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, i.e. a chorus and a verse. Either they were on an extremely tight budget or they failed to realise how important these things are to Queen fans worldwide. Or possibly both. On a lighter note, the songs worth listening to are, well, basically they're the ones that haven't been cropped, like ONE VISION, employed as a sort of flamboyant intro, A KIND OF MAGIC featuring outstanding solos from all four members and an all-out team effort, UNDER PRESSURE, which is, needless to say, brilliant, and ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST, always a live favourite and an oppurtunity to get some rapport going between Freddie and the crowd, to go with HAMMER TO FALL. Actually TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN, SEVEN SEAS OF RHYE and RADIO GA-GA have all been meddled with by the people of infinite resource and sagacity at the EMI headquarters but still preserve some majesty and turn out to be excellent songs after a few listenings. Well all right then, they're all very good songs which just makes me even madder towards the Antichrists at the EMI HQ. Why, oh why, did they have to obliterate the operatic bit? Is there a five-minute limit on all of the CD tracks? Are they just stupid? Am I babbling? Should I stop writing garbage and proceed to the conclusion? OK. I would advise you not to buy this album and instead go for Live At Wembley or Live Killers, unless you're going for the whole hog and just have to get it. This is a compilation you do not need. Listening to perfectly good songs being hacked at shamelessly by supposed experts is more an ordeal than a live Queen experience. phantomslug has spoken. Let it be. Oh and, er, if you don't mind clicking the "yes" button just underneath this review, that would be great...

This disc was the 2nd live offering from Queen after QUEEN LIVE KILLERS was made in the late seventies.

I like it a lot and prefer this to Live at Wembley and even the recent On Fire, all of which are double sets.

Here's why - although it's edited - the performances are sterling. Versions of One Vision, Tie Your Mother Down and Radio Gaga are great.

No disagreements that Bohemian sounds butchered but the album moves along at a nice pace. It feels tighter. Worth getting for the songs unless you must have a complete double set of Queen in concert.

I will say that the definitive live Queen set is probably still in the vaults waiting to be released...

The songs on Live Magic have been heavilly edited. Much better versions can be found on Live At Wembley the album to get instead of this one.

this is the worst live album Queen ever released, believe me

I love Queen but this album was a total disappointment... cuts, bad performances (Bohemian rhapsody is a disaster), bad recording quality...

buy Live at Wembley, THAT is a GREAT live album, this is just crap

I admit that »Queen Live Killers« is an even better live album than »Live Magic«. But I don't understand why everybody dislikes »Live Magic« 'cause it is another great live album. Like only Queen made'em!

Especially the close-to-medley in the second half of the recording. 6 or 7 great songs linked together in one Queen epic. Euphoric! The best performance of'em all is shown on »Hammer To Fall«.

This is pure Queen live power from the first tune to the last. Cheers!