The Reaction (featuring Roger Taylor) live in Truro City Hall

For the first time on the internet, this is an exclusive recording of Roger Taylor’s boyhood band ’The Reaction’ playing live in The City Hall, Truro in about 1967. (This, coincidentally, was of course the venue that Queen would play their first gig three years later). As you can hear, it dates from the time when Roger had taken over as main vocalist. It was recorded in mono by Neil Battersby who, as he told me when I was writing ’Queen in Cornwall’, had to place the microphone in an adjacent room because the band were so loud! Hence the quality is not good, but you still get a sense of the energy that they generated especially in Land of a Thousand Dances. This song which is the last one was often used as the finale and it’s around six minutes of pure mayhem! Enjoy! Game of Love Mama Keep your Big Mouth Shut Watcha Gonna Do ’bout it Slow Down Respect I Got You It’s Gonna Work Out Fine Land of a Thousand Dances