Liar

When Queen recorded their first album, *Queen*, in the early 70s, they were already exploring sounds that went beyond conventional rock. One of these explorations is *Liar*, a piece that stands out for its length, reaching over six minutes in its original version. What's interesting is that, in their early days, the band used to extend it to ten minutes live, showing the freedom they gave themselves on stage. This song is also notable for the marked use of the flanger effect, especially on the drums and cowbell, which gives it a very particular texture. Furthermore, it is known that *Liar* is one of the few Queen compositions that includes a Hammond organ, a detail it shares with songs like *Now I'm Here* and *Under Pressure*.

The composition of *Liar* in 1970, by Freddie Mercury, generated an internal discussion about authorship credits. Mercury then established the practice that whoever wrote the lyrics or created the song would be recognized as its author, a rule that remained until 1989. The song was released as a single in February 1974 by Elektra Records in the United States, accompanied by *Doing All Right* on the B-side. The music video, filmed a year before its single release, showed the band performing the track in a studio. Over the years, *Liar* had a variable presence in Queen's concerts. While it was a staple in their early years, its performance became less frequent until it disappeared from the setlists during the *Game Tour*. However, it had brief returns, such as during the 1982 *Hot Space Tour* and, to a lesser extent, during *The Works Tour*. It is even remembered that Brian May used to play a fragment of the guitar riff from *Liar* just before *Tear It Up* at some concerts, such as at Wembley.