Ricky Flake: Happy New Year! Enjoy these two great releases from late 2015

A new year has arrived. This week's column features material received late last year; but soon, new reviews of new releases will be here for your reading pleasure.

'A Night at the Odeon-Hammersmith 1975,' Queen (Eagle Rock Entertainment, HHHHH)

'Live in Hyde Park,' The Who (Eagle Rock Entertainment, HHHH 1/2)

These two Nov. 20 releases are both available in many formats (DVD+2CD, Blu-Ray+2CD, DVD+LPs and digital), but that's just about the only similarity. The Queen concert, which is also available in a Super Deluxe Box Set, features the four original members of the legendary band performing material from their first four albums on Christmas Eve 1975 at the climax of their 26-date "Queen Invites You to a Night at the Opera Tour," the stellar fourth album that rocketed Queen to a previously unknown level of stardom.

Queen was still playing an evolved version of the near-progressive hard rock they began with, featuring Freddie Mercury's expansive vocals and nimble piano, Brian May's complex hard-rocking guitar and the super-tight rhythm section of drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon. My favorite songs are the opening salvo of "Now I'm Here," "Ogre Battle" and "White Queen (As It Began)."

The stage debut of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is part of a medley involving Queen's first major hit "Killer Queen" and other songs from their expanding musical palette. "Brighton Rock" segues into an expertly Echoplexed and harmonized/too long May guitar solo. "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Liar" both follow, as well as a "Jailhouse Rock" medley. Queen fans and those curious about the music that initially rocketed them to fame will enjoy this concert, originally filmed and broadcast by BBC-TV and radio.

The Who concert, recorded June 26 is the culmination of The Who's 50th anniversary celebrations, and features tons of classic hits performed by guitarist/vocalist/main songwriter Pete Townshend, lead vocalist Roger Daltrey and many talented substitutes filling in for their late bandmates, drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwhistle.

They include bassist Pino Palladino, keyboardists John Corey and Loren Gold, musical director Frank Simes, guitarist Simon Townshend (Pete's brother) and drummer Zak Starkey (Ringo's son), who learned a lot from Uncle Keith. This plethora makes the songs sound smoother, less unpredictable; but this quality presentation has many highlights. Among them are "I Can't Explain," Moon's finale "Who Are You," "The Kids Are Alright," "Pictures of Lily," my personal fave "I Can See For Miles," "My Generation," the blazing "Behind Blue Eyes," "Join Together," the best song Kenney Jones drummed on "You Better You Bet," two "Quadrophenia" tunes (a Pete vocal/acoustic guitar "I'm One" & the piano-powered "Love Reign O'er Me"), a snippet of "Tommy" ("Amazing Journey"/"Sparks" & "Pinball Wizard"), "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again."

Roger and Pete's voices are quite as rangy, but this is great show with tons of hits, including some extra ones.

Ricky Flake, a former punk rocker and current music fan, lives in Biloxi. Reach him at flakericky@gmail.com.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Ricky Flake: Happy New Year! Enjoy these two great releases from late 2015 ."