We used to think it was too blatant to ever be recorded. Now we play it better and we think that it will be accepted for what it is. Straight rock and roll at its utmost.
On stage that night [New Year's Eve 1971], they featured Stone Cold Crazy, which is the number with the very fast sequence which Freddie sings at high speed and which they later used on the third album, along with Liar, See What a Fool I've Been and their rock medley.
Now, regarding Stone Cold Crazy - yes, it is the same version [in the early days], although there was a very early attempt by Freddie with his previous group done with a different riff at a slower tempo. I think the truth is we weren't sure it was good enough for the first album and it didn't fit the format of the second album - Queen II. By the time Sheer Heart Attack was being made, we'd had a lot of practice at it!
When I compose riffs or progressions that I want to become signature to a certain song, I prefer to use voicings near the nut. I feel that this area of the neck provides the most power, definition and clarity possible for chords as well as single-line riffs. In fact, many of Queen's signature riffs, like the ones in Tie Your Mother Down, Stone Cold Crazy and It's Late, are played in the open position. One of my favourites is the riff before the verse in Now I'm Here.
I also remember rehearsing Stone Cold Crazy, definitely, from Sheer Heart Attack as well as others that ended up on Queen 1!
Freddie had this great idea called Stone Cold Crazy, I don't know what the hell was about, it was one of Freddie's frenetic ideas, but it wasn't a frenetic song, so when we got together I said, “Freddie, it would be really funny if we did it more frenetic, like the way you normally are,” so I did [the modified riff]. He liked that, and so the song instantly became [faster] and that was really something that gelled with us very quickly.