In this week’s footage, watch everybody in the whole cell block – or, in this case, the Hammersmith Odeon – dancing to the “Jailhouse Rock.”
While Queen shows of the mid-’70s led rock ‘n’ roll into a new era, the band often saluted their formative influences as a parting shot. Prior to May 1978, the group were known to dive into the songbooks of the great US pioneers, including Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”
Penned by songwriting/production duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller – and recorded by the King for his 1957 film of the same name – the original “Jailhouse Rock” had been a hip-swaying rave-up, telling of a raucous “party in the county jail” where “the prison band began to wail”.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in their childhood homes, Queen’s future members were listening intently.
“I think it’s impossible to have been a kid at that time and not been influenced by Elvis,” reflected Brian May in 2021. “Freddie in particular though, of course. He was one of Freddie’s great heroes. For me, his guitarists were a great inspiration. Scotty Moore was one, James Burton the other. So, yeah, Elvis was definitely an influence.”
As seen in archival footage from the December 24, 1975 Hammersmith Odeon show, Queen’s ferocious reboot of “Jailhouse Rock” was anything but reverent, adding rocket fuel and proto-punk energy. With Roger Taylor revving the tempo, Brian pulling out his best supercharged Scotty Moore guitar licks and Freddie throwing flowers to the crowd – while balloons and blow-up dolls float through the air – it’s the most anarchic encore imaginable.
As Roger recently reflected: “On Jailhouse Rock, we could go a bit mad…”
Add some Queen to your collection here.
See also:
Queen revisit encores on The Greatest Live
Queen get Stone Cold Crazy on The Greatest Live
Queen create A Kind Of Magic on The Greatest Live
Queen revisit Love Of My Life from Rock In Rio launch on The Greatest Live
Search Queen at hennemusic
