Queen album by Album thread

Are you ignoring Hot Space then?

I know it's not that good, but no need to totally ignore it!

 

Flash Gordon comes first, chronologically. And I would say no need to ignore it at all.

 

Hot Space was released after Flash Gordon.

 

I desperately wanted to come up with a serious mini-review of Flash Gordon, but I don't think Freddie would have wanted that. Just as he'd later prove to be one of the few credible rock singers capable of crossing over into opera with the Barcelona project, I suspect the whole of this soundtrack was done with tongue firmly in cheek...

With that in mind, the opening track is downright epic, and following the first of many brief audio clips from the movie serving as link pieces, we're thrown into another example of Queen still using keyboards in a rather primitive way, specifically the Oberheim OB-X for pads and effects rather than anything more complicated.

I'll avoid covering every "song" for once because of so many compositions on this album being very flimsy, lightweight ways to get from point A to B. However, the one-two that is Execution Of Flash and The Kiss justifies this entire venture for me, the latter enduring as one of Freddie's single greatest vocal demonstrations...

Then, with only a brief pause for reflection, the listener is startled by a short moment of orchestral bombast that leads into an absolutely incredible instrumental section that has never failed to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Saying that, I'm quite the fan of Howard Blake's work, so I'm naturally biased.

Hitting the skip button, we have another brilliant pair of tracks in the form of Vultan's Theme and Battle Theme, which I believe were even performed live for a while, plus Brian's somewhat predictable arrangement of The Wedding March. Really, for those who've not heard this, it's exactly what you'd expect after God Save The Queen.

Moving the stylus once last time, the whole LP closes with The Hero - a full blown kitchen sink, proper Queen track with Freddie pushing his voice to breaking point, followed by another short orchestral burst and yet another reprise of the main Flash theme. Again, this one was played in concerts, and I love the Rock Montreal version.

Finally for this album, I simply can't allow myself to begin dreading Hot Space without pointing out that I massively prefer the revisited take of The Hero from the 2011 remaster's bonus EP. Roger's drums in those first few seconds are perhaps the best they'd ever sounded in the entire Queen catalogue!

As my mum once joked, the actual film becomes a lot more tolerable if you watch it with your eyes closed. Unfortunately, as a standalone experience, the music is easily the most inconsistent Queen ever made in the studio, but isn't that missing the point? I don't think this was ever meant as anything more than a soundtrack.

 

Mostly agree, although there's one synth substitution in the reprise section that jumps out at me in a bad way.

Not sure about the film (ages since I've seen it with no desire to revisit it), but the album didn't really need the actual reprise followed by The Hero with its own reprise.

Frankly, most of the time, the reprise in The Hero is enough for me not to need the actual Flash's theme.

 

I don't have much to say about The Game and Flash Gordon but I would like to say one thing. Even with the addition of keyboards to my ears they both still sound like the same band that created the albums from Queen to Jazz. I think that is primarily due to the way the drums sound. Starting with Hot Space the drums sounded very "eighties" with drum machines starting to dominate some tracks. It's very easy to say this looking back but I strongly feel that if they had used more live drums in the eighties those records would sound a bit better today.

It's tough to rate Flash Gordon against their "proper" albums. Undeniably it is slight in comparison but there are enough good bits to make it a worthwhile purchase. I think it should be among the last albums a new fan purchases.

 

I know. The reason that I said that was because he posted a review of The Works before he posted the Hot Space review. He must have deleted it after I posted my comment!

 

Forgot about this thread...

Getting back to The Game, that was the very first album that I bought for myself at the tender age of 8. As a kid, I (and all other kids) loved Another One Bites The Dust, and that got me to grab the album. I ended up liking the whole thing (except for Don't Try Suicide - not a good song), but I feel that this was their last album of their tremendous run of 8. Innuendo can rank among them, but the rest of their albums that came out after The Game are nowhere near as strong as the first 8

 

Obviously Flash is not a normal Queen album, but it is still fun to listen to. Production-wise it's a great sounding album and the rockier numbers sound better than they did on 'the Game' or they will on 'Hot Space'. As ShardEnder noted, 'The Hero' particularly the remixed version sounds great, and if Queen had done a 'rock' album at this point it would have sounded pretty meaty. 'The Kiss' is a great vocal piece from Freddie, the demo of it is lovely;



It's almost like a going back to the early proggier Queen sound, which in a way is what a lot of the Flash album sounds like to me. You can get the sense of the whole film from listening to the album, though the film is also very enjoyable - if only for Ming's daughter...!

 

Hot Space is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 21 May 1982 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, they employed many elements of disco, funk, rhythm and blues, dance and pop music on the album.[1][2] This made the album less popular with fans who preferred the traditional rock style they had come to associate with the band.[1] Queen's decision to record a dance-oriented album germinated with the massive success in the US of their 1980 hit "Another One Bites the Dust" (and to a lesser extent, the UK success of the song).[2]

"Under Pressure", Queen's collaboration with David Bowie, was released in 1981 and became the band's second #1 hit in the UK.[3] Though included on Hot Space, the song was a separate project and was recorded ahead of the album, before the controversy over Queen's new disco-influenced rock sound.[4] The album's second single, "Body Language", peaked at #11 on the US charts. In July 2004, Q magazine listed Hot Space as one of the top fifteen albums where great rock acts lost the plot.[5] Most of the album was recorded in Munich during the most turbulent period in the band's history, and Roger Taylor and Brian May despised the new sound, with both being very critical of the influence Freddie Mercury's manager Paul Prenter had on the singer.[6] Estimated sales of the album currently stand at 3.5 million copies.



Contents
[1Album styles and genres

• 2Song information
  • 2.1"Staying Power"
  • 2.2"Dancer"
  • 2.3"Back Chat"
  • 2.4"Body Language"
  • 2.5"Action This Day"
  • 2.6"Put Out the Fire"
  • 2.7"Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)"
  • 2.8"Calling All Girls"
  • 2.9"Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)"
  • 2.10"Cool Cat"
  • 2.11"Under Pressure"

• 3Release and reception

• 4Legacy

• 5Track listing

• 6Personnel
  • 6.1Additional personnel

• 7Tour

• 8Miscellaneous

• 9Charts
  • 9.1Weekly charts
  • 9.2Year-end charts
  • 9.3Certifications

• 10References

• 11External links

Album styles and genres[edit source]
Before 1979, Queen had never used synthesisers on their albums.[7] Beginning with The Game, Queen began using Oberheim OB-X synthesisers on their songs ("Play the Game" and "Save Me" are examples), and continued to do so. On Hot Space the band went even further, introducing the drum machine for the first time. A departure from their trademark seventies sound, most of Hot Space is a mixture of rhythm and blues, funk, dance and disco – while the "rock" songs continued in a pop-rock direction similar to their previous album (an exception is the song "Put Out the Fire").[2][8] Disliking the new sound, Brian May and Roger Taylor were very critical of the influence that Paul Prenter, Freddie Mercury's personal manager between the early 1980s and 1984, had on the singer.[6] Prenter allegedly denied the other members access to Mercury.

Song information[edit source]
"Staying Power"[edit source]
Main article: Staying Power
The horn arrangement for "Staying Power" was added by Arif Mardin (who also produced Chaka Khan and added horn sections to Bee Gees and Aretha Franklin records).[9] "Staying Power" would be performed on the band's accompanying Hot Space Tour, albeit much faster and heavier, with real drums replacing the drum machine and guitars and keyboards replacing the horns (this arrangement contained no actual bass guitar, as John Deacon played guitar in addition to May). It was also played on Queen's The Works Tour, albeit less frequently than on the Hot Space Tour. In Japan, the band released "Staying Power" as a single in July 1982. The song was also issued as a single in the US in November 1982. It failed to chart in either country. Mardin's contributions were recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York. The original demo of the track featured a guitar instead of horns.

"Dancer" [edit source]
The bassline of "Dancer" was played on an Oberheim OB-Xa synthesiser by May. The song itself – a fusion of rock and disco – is something of a follow-up to "Dragon Attack" from the band's 1980 album The Game in that it fuses heavy elements of music with danceable ones, as Led Zeppelin did.[9] The phone message at the end of "Dancer" is in German, and was recorded in a hotel room in Munich; it roughly translates to "good morning, this is your wake-up call". The lyrics of "Dancer" are also notable for being the only ones on the album that make reference to the album title itself.[10]

"Back Chat"[edit source]
Main article: Back Chat
"Back Chat", written by Deacon, is the track most influenced by black music. In addition to normal bass duties, Deacon also plays rhythm guitar,[11] lead guitar and synthesiser on the song. As a single, it stalled at #40 on the UK charts. On the video commentary on Greatest Video Hits 2, Taylor made it clear that he hates the music video for it.

"Body Language"[edit source]
Main article: Body Language (Queen song)
"Body Language" is atypical among Queen songs, being the sole single released by the band that does not include guitar (save for during the closing strains, which are made more prominent throughout the 1991 remix). Mercury, who composed the song on synth bass, had previously explored the instrument's potential with his contributions to the Flash Gordon soundtrack.[12] The "Body Language" video, featuring scantily clad models writhing around each other, proved somewhat controversial and was banned in a few territories. The song also appeared in the 1984 documentary film Stripper, being performed to by one of the dancers.

"Action This Day" [edit source]
"Action This Day", one of two Roger Taylor songs that appear on the album, was clearly influenced by the new wave movement/style current at the time; the track is driven by a pounding electronic drum machine in 2/4 time and features a saxophone solo, played by Italian session musician Dino Solera.[citation needed] "Action This Day" takes its title from a Winston Churchill catchphrase that the statesman would attach to urgent documents, and recapitulates the theme of social awareness that Taylor espoused in many of his songs. The band performed "Action This Day" live on the Hot Space Tour with a more conventional arrangement, replacing the drum machine and bass synth with a rock rhythm section and an actual synthesizer replacing the saxophone solo. The verse are duets between Taylor and Mercury, and the chorus is sung by both.

• Official video (Live at the Bowl) on YouTube

"Put Out the Fire" [edit source]
"Put Out the Fire" is an anti-firearm song written by May, with lead vocals by Mercury, with May singing lead vocals in falsetto at the end of each verse. May recorded its guitar solo under the influence of alcohol (after many unsuccessful attempts).[12] The lyrics to the first verse strongly hint to John Lennon's murder by Mark Chapman, with lines such as;

"They called him a hero" (Lennon), "In the land of the free" (the west/America), "But he wouldn't shake my hand boy" (uncertain, but Lennon did sign Chapman's record), "He disappointed me", (Chapman was apparently disappointed with Lennon's rejection of God and/or his latest music), "So I got my hand gun, And I blew him away". Lennon's death was recent and raw for many people including fans such as Queen, (The Beatles were a big influence on Queen) and the Mercury penned song "Life Is Real (Song For Lennon)" following immediately after is no coincidence.

Though never released as a single, "Put Out the Fire", the album's most 'traditional' Queen song, later appeared on the Queen Rocks compilation in 1997. A new video was also produced for the accompanying video compilation, featuring a live performance of the song intercut with footage of fire and explosions.

"Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)" [edit source]
Mercury wrote "Life Is Real" as a tribute to John Lennon, whose murder in 1980 had also previously prompted the band to perform his song "Imagine" on tour. Like Lennon's songs, "Life Is Real" features a sparse piano-based arrangement and a melancholy tone. It is also one of the few Mercury songs whose lyrics were written before the music ("Killer Queen" being another). The title may be a reference to the lyric 'love is real', from Lennon's 1970 song "Love", or the line 'nothing is real', from The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever". It begins with three bell-like piano notes, meant to recall the opening bells in Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over", and "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)". Also, the first two words, 'Guilt stains...' are virtually identical interval-wise (though in a different key) to Lennon's first two notes in his song, "Mother".

"Calling All Girls"[edit source]
Main article: Calling All Girls
The first Queen song written by Roger Taylor to be released as a single (albeit in selected countries, including the US and Australia, but not the UK), "Calling All Girls" failed to create much of an impact on the charts where it peaked at #60 in the US and #33 in Canada, despite its music video based on the George Lucas film THX 1138. Taylor composed "Calling All Girls" on guitar, and played the feedback noises during the song's break.[12] Queen never performed the song in Europe, and a live recording from Japan in 1982 is commercially available on the Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl DVD, where "Calling All Girls" accompanies the photo gallery. The single was released in July 1982.

"Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)"[edit source]
Main article: Las Palabras de Amor
May's lyrics for "Las Palabras de Amor" were inspired by Queen's close relationship with their Ibero-American fans, and have been interpreted as an allegory for the Falklands War.[9] (Actually, the album was released during the war, and must have been recorded long before the war started). A top 20 hit in the UK, "Las Palabras de Amor" marked the band's fourth appearance on Top of the Pops (the first, second and third being for "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen" and "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"). For this mimed performance May is seen playing a grand piano though on the recording there are only synths (played by May). May also sang lead vocals for the harmonised line "this night and evermore".

"Cool Cat" [edit source]
"Cool Cat", written by Mercury and Deacon, originally featured David Bowie on backing vocals and a few lines of spoken word to a rhythm during the middle eight. According to Mercury in a 1982 television interview, Bowie was unhappy with the results and requested them to be removed days before its parent album was slated to be released. All the instruments are played by Deacon, including drums, guitars, keyboards and synths. On the album version, Mercury sings the entire song in falsetto.[13] The alternate take with Bowie's vocals still intact is widely available on various bootleg recordings[14] and surfaces from an early 1982 vinyl Hot Space test pressing from the US. This is possibly the only Queen studio song on which Deacon uses the popping technique in a "live" track (the other song where popping is audible is "Radio Ga Ga", but such bits there are sampled).

"Under Pressure"[edit source]
Main article: Under Pressure
A famous duet with Bowie, "Under Pressure" was the result of an impromptu jam session in the band's studio in Montreux.[15] When it was released in 1981, "Under Pressure" reached #1 in the UK singles chart. [16] Mercury was the primary director of this track, with he and Bowie as the main lyricists (each writing the lines they sang). Part of the chord progression is based on a rough demo of an unreleased song "Feel Like".[17] The songwriting is credited to all five participants.

Release and reception[edit source]
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating

Due to its dance-pop sound, Hot Space is widely considered by both fans and critics to be one of Queen's most artistically disappointing albums.[22] Stephen Erlewine of All Music.com said of the album that "the band that once proudly proclaimed not to use synthesizers on their albums has suddenly, dramatically reversed course, devoting the entire first side of the album to robotic, new wave dance-pop, all driven by drum machines and colored by keyboards, with Brian May's guitar coming in as flavor only on occasion." Alex Petridis of The Guardian gave the album two stars and said: "Like Queen, disco was melodramatic, unrepentantly camp, extravagantly arranged and omnivorous in its influences. Or at least it had been. By the time of 1982's Hot Space, disco had mutated into the weird, skeletal, dubby electronic sound pioneered by DJ Larry Levan, which really didn't suit Queen at all."

Legacy[edit source]
Michael Jackson, who was close friends with the band during the time, later cited Hot Space as an influence for his own album Thriller.[23][24] In a 2015 interview with Greg Prato of Songfacts, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt described how Hot Space was an important album for him as a musician. "I think it's interesting because that album taught me two things. It taught me that even if you're in a band as a guitar player, music doesn't have to be driven by guitar - it's about the song, first. But I think the main thing is that Queen actually did an album like that - it was the fans' least favorite, but it was one of my favorites because it took a risk and branched out. All those synth parts they did and horns, I could always hear them with guitar in my head somehow. But quite oddly enough, or coincidentally enough, the title Hot Space is exactly what it meant: it's all the space between the music. That's what makes it funky and that's what makes it have a pocket."[25]

Track listing[edit source]
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Staying Power" Freddie Mercury 4:10
2. "Dancer" Brian May 3:46
3. "Back Chat" John Deacon 4:31
4. "Body Language" Mercury 4:29
5. "Action This Day" Roger Taylor 3:33
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. "Put Out the Fire" May 3:15
7. "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)" Mercury 3:39
8. "Calling All Girls" Taylor 3:53
9. "Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)" May 4:26
10. "Cool Cat" Mercury, Deacon 3:26
11. "Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) Queen, David Bowie 4:02
[hide]Bonus track (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue)
No. Title Writer(s) Length
12. "Body Language" (1991 bonus remix by Susan Rogers) Mercury 4:44
[hide]2011 Bonus EP
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Staying Power" (Live in Milton Keynes, June 1982) Mercury 3:57
2. "Soul Brother" (B-side) Queen 3:36
3. "Back Chat" (Single remix) Deacon 4:12
4. "Action This Day" (Live in Tokyo, November 1982) Taylor 6:25
5. "Calling All Girls" (Live in Tokyo, November 1982) Taylor 4:45
[hide]2011 iTunes bonus videos
No. Title Length
6. "Las Palabras de Amor" (Top of the Pops, 1982)
7. "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix, 1999)
8. "Action This Day" (live in Milton Keynes, June 1982)
Personnel[edit source]

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano, synthesisers, synth bass on "Staying Power" and "Body Language", Hammond organ on "Under Pressure"
• Brian May – lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards on "Las Palabras de Amor", backing vocals, synth bass on "Dancer", lead vocals (falsetto lines on "Put Out the Fire" and lead harmony on "Las Palabras de Amor")
• Roger Taylor – drums, electronic drums, programming on "Action This Day", backing vocals, lead vocals on "Action This Day", keyboards and rhythm guitar on "Calling All Girls"
• John Deacon – bass guitar, rhythm guitar on "Staying Power", keyboards on "Back Chat" and "Cool Cat", lead and rhythm guitars on "Back Chat" and "Cool Cat", drums and programming on "Cool Cat"

Additional personnel[edit source]

• David Bowie – duet vocals, percussion and keyboards on "Under Pressure"
• Arif Mardin – "hot and spacey" horn arrangement and production on "Staying Power"
• Reinhold Mack – production, keyboard programming on "Action This Day"
• Dino Solera – saxophone on "Action This Day"[citation needed]

Tour[edit source]
Main article: Hot Space Tour
Miscellaneous[edit source]

• The cover art of U2's 1997 Pop album, Blur's 2000 Best Of compilation, "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1994 Greatest Hits Volume II, and The Black Eyed Peas's 2010 The Beginning bear some similarity to the Hot Space cover (which, in turn, drew its inspiration from the cover of The Beatles' album Let It Be) and the Kiss solo albums' use of colour. Pop, like Hot Space, was also an attempt to make a dance album, both of which received mixed results. Kiss' 1979 album Dynasty, which also features similar artwork, can be compared to Hot Space and Pop as an attempt by a rock band to make a dance-influenced album.
• The 1982 Hot Space Tour was Queen's last tour of America until the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour in 2006. The band stopped touring completely in 1986 due to Mercury's health, and did not tour again until the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour commenced in 2005.[26]

Charts[edit source]
Weekly charts[edit source]
Chart (1982) Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[27] 15
Austrian Albums Chart[28] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[29] 6
Dutch Albums Chart[30] 1
French Albums Chart[31] 7
German Albums Chart[32] 5
Italian Albums Chart[33] 9
Japanese Albums Chart[34] 6
New Zealand Albums Chart[35] 5
Norwegian Albums Chart[36] 3
Swedish Albums Chart[37] 4
UK Albums Chart[3] 4
US Billboard 200[38] 22
US Billboard R&B Albums Chart[38] 40
Year-end charts[edit source]
Chart (1982) Position
Austrian Albums Chart[39] 17
Canadian Albums Chart[40] 46
French Albums Chart[41] 14
Italian Albums Chart[33] 54
UK Albums Chart[42] 51
Certifications[edit source]
Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[43] Gold 25,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[44] Platinum 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[46] Gold 500,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

 

Hot Space is an epic disaster based on the whims of a band with extremely eclectic tastes. HS had the potential to be a heavy album based on the riffs but they went in a different direction and it sucked.

The band never recovered; HS almost killed their career and certainly curtailed it.

 

It still amazes me that even their worst album still has one of their biggest hits (even though it was released as a single apart from the album).

Side 2 is ok ...I love Life is Real. The album would've been better had Soul Brother been included, Cool Cat featured the original Bowie vocals, and songs like Body Language featured an actual bass and not a synth.

 

Would've been a decent album... if the synths and drum machines were replaced by heavy guitar/bass/drums.

 

In north America it curtailed it, but they sold even better outside north America from The Works onwards.

 

Hot Space was too much of a jump for me and most of my friends to take. The anthems were gone, the guitars were buried, and many of the songs were simply not that great. I could buy into an occasional fun & funky track like Another One Bites The Dust, but I had no interest in the turgid Body Language.

Watching the live performances from The Bowl, you can see where the band is really trying to breathe life into these tracks, but ... the simple fact was that this type of music was simply not what the majority of Queen's American audience wanted to hear.

Godshifter is right (& I know we'll see a similar response for Dynasty in the Kiss thread), this dance album ignored the band's primary audience and it really hurt Queen in America. They never fully recovered.

 

'Hot Space' should be erased from the Queen catalogue IMO. The only decent track on the album is 'Las Palabras de Amor'

'Another One Bites The Dust' from 'The Game' ended my love affair with Queen until 'The Works' came along. 'Queen II' to 'News Of The World' was Queen at their best IMO. Queen II is a remarkable album, especially side Black. 'Sheer Heart Attack' is another stunning piece of work. They're my favourite albums, followed by A Night At The Opera, News of The World and A Day At The Races. 'Jazz' is good but it doesn't blow me away, not like the ones I mentioned.

I have mixed feelings about 'The Game' I think - Save Me, Play The Game and 'Sail Away Sweet Sister' are great tracks. 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' is OK. The rest are average. I have the album, but it doesn't get played much.

 

I find much to enjoy on Hot Space, I don't even think it's Queen's worst album - that is coming later. I like the high energy dance pop on Side one and the more traditional stuff on side two. My fave song on the album is probably 'Cool cat', what a great slice of early 80s smooth pop funk that is, that song as well as a lot of the album has a 'holiday' flavour to me.
I like Rogers two numbers on the album especially 'Calling all girls' and also like Brians 'Las palabras de amor'. Freddie's 'Staying power' is enjoyable in the right context but I can see how 'Body Language' might have been a bit much for some people. As an album track it is fine, a slice of sleazy synth pop, it's kind of amusing. As a lead single it was an odd choice, though its worth watching the video if only to see how annoyed the rest of the band look!

 

I really don't want to say much about Hot Space as I'd rather avoid discussing the background influences that shaped this album, though I will concentrate on the first half as material that greatly benefited from the harder approach Queen took in its live shows. Saying that, Body Language was an altogether irredeemable idea, while Life Is Real felt so disappointing as a tribute to John Lennon - much like a certain (still officially unreleased) ELO track recorded around the same period, its lyrics just seem uncharacteristically clunky and somewhat embarrassing. For all its musical charm, Las Palabras De Amor always struck me as a calculated letter to South America, similar to how Teo Torriatte was penned for the group's fans in Japan, this being another territory they'd previously conquered. In terms of the production, I found Roger's growing dependence on electronic drums to be obnoxious, and I can almost hear Brian phoning in some of his guitar work between heavy drinking sessions. John clearly relished the opportunity to play more funk-styled bass parts, while Freddie's vocals were at their absolute peak, even if I don't necessarily like the majority of songs he was delivering around this period. I never considered Under Pressure a disappointing collaboration, yet in retrospect I have to agree that it could have been a lot more. Also, Cool Cat was definitely a precursor to what I've always thought of as the two worst songs on The Miracle, which is otherwise Queen's finest moment in the '80s. Thankfully, we have something of a return to form next...

P.S. Soul Brother is one of the most criminally underrated b-sides ever, and I mean that in the best possible way!

 

Looks like I found the right day to find this thread.

Queen is one of my Top Five favorite acts of all-time, and I will unapologetically state that I love "Hot Space." I can't tell you why in '82 I dug this album so much (I also completely dug "Mr. Bad Guy" three years later), but, given the hindsight of time, I can say this album was a bit ahead of it's time. Yes, it probably could have been produced a little heavier (the tracks from Milton Keynes illustrate how good these songs really are), but it's Queen trying something new, which is something I truly appreciate 35 years later.

I think "Body Language" is one of the funkiest songs ever. I love that bass line. Me and my buddies used to try to play this song in the late 80's, and I would play the bass line on my guitar using an Octoplus pedal.

Personal aside: In 1992 I was dating a dancer (pun totally intended), and she was into all sorts of modern and jazz (that one wasn't) stuff. I went to a recital of hers, and she did an interpretative (sorry I know I am butchering the lingo) dance to "Body Language." It was singly one of the most "sensual" performances I have ever witnessed. Oh, and I was there with her mother, who was video-taping the entire thing. I was utterly speechless.

 

Mention should be made of Roger's 'Fun in Space' album which came out in 1981. A great collection of new-wave-ish pop rockers and ballads. 'No Violins' is reminiscent of more uptempo 'A Human body', and 'Interlude in Constantinople' and 'Fun in Space' sounds like outtakes from 'Flash Gordon'. The lead single was 'Future managment' which is not my favourite song on the album, but it's one that there is some footage for in a few places, including here;

 

While we're at it, Brian also puts out a solo EP in 83 accompanied by Eddie Van Halen, Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen, and Fred Mandel. the lead single is this enjoyable cover of a cartoon theme song!;

 

My picks from Hot Space are...

Action This Day
Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)

Darryl

 

The Works is the eleventh studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 27 February 1984 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Capitol Records in the United States. After the synth-heavy Hot Space (1982), the album saw the re-emergence of Brian May and Roger Taylor's rock sound, while still incorporating the early 80s retro futuristic electro pop of the German electronic underground (Freddie Mercury) and New York funk scenes (John Deacon). Recorded at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California and Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany from August 1983 to January 1984, the album's title comes from a comment Taylor made as recording began – "Let's give them the works!". During the decade, after a conservative reaction against and ban of the music video for "I Want to Break Free" in the United States, the band decided not to tour in North America and lost the top spot in US sales, but sales around the world (especially Europe) would be even better. The Works has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.



Contents
[1History

• 2Track listing

• 3Song information
  • 3.1"Radio Ga Ga"
  • 3.2"Tear It Up"
  • 3.3"It's a Hard Life"
  • 3.4"Man on the Prowl"
  • 3.5"Machines (Or 'Back To Humans')"
  • 3.6"I Want to Break Free"
  • 3.7"Keep Passing the Open Windows"
  • 3.8"Hammer to Fall"
  • 3.9"Is This the World We Created...?"

• 4Unreleased Songs and Demos
  • 4.1"Back to Storm"
  • 4.2"I Dream of Christmas"
  • 4.3"I Go Crazy"
  • 4.4"Let Me In Your Heart Again"
  • 4.5"Let Me Live"
  • 4.6Little Boogie
  • 4.7"Love Kills"
  • 4.8"Man Made Paradise"
  • 4.9"Man on Fire"
  • 4.10"Thank God It's Christmas"
  • 4.11"There Must Be More to Life Than This"

• 5Personnel

• 6Tour

• 7Singles
  • 7.1Others

• 8Charts
  • 8.1Weekly charts
  • 8.2Year-end charts
  • 8.3Decade-end charts

• 9Certifications

• 10References

• 11External links

History[edit source]
Following the release of and subsequent touring for their 1982 album Hot Space, the four members of Queen opted to take a break from the band the following year. While a spring tour of South America had been an early possibility, especially following the band's success there two years prior, equipment and promotional problems brought an end to these plans.[8] Brian May worked with Eddie Van Halen and others on the Star Fleet Project, while Freddie Mercury began work on his solo album. By August 1983, however, the band had reunited and began work on their eleventh studio album. It would be Queen's first album for EMI (and its US affiliate Capitol Records) worldwide after the band nullified its recording deal with Elektra for the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan.[8]

Recording commenced at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles – Queen's first time recording in America – and Musicland Studios in Munich. Also during this time, their manager Jim Beach offered them the opportunity to compose the soundtrack for the film The Hotel New Hampshire. The band agreed, but soon discovered much of their time was being spent on the soundtrack instead of the upcoming album, and the project fell through.[8] Only one song written for the soundtrack, "Keep Passing the Open Windows", made it onto The Works. By November 1983, Roger Taylor's "Radio Ga Ga" was chosen as the first single from the album. The Works was released on 27 February 1984.

Track listing[edit source]
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Radio Ga Ga" Roger Taylor 5:44
2. "Tear It Up" Brian May 3:28
3. "It's a Hard Life" Freddie Mercury 4:08
4. "Man on the Prowl" Mercury 3:28
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
5. "Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')" May, Taylor 5:10
6. "I Want to Break Free" John Deacon 3:20
7. "Keep Passing the Open Windows" Mercury 5:21
8. "Hammer to Fall" May 4:28
9. "Is This the World We Created...?" Mercury, May 2:13
[hide]Bonus tracks (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue)
No. Title Writer(s) Length
10. "I Go Crazy" (original B-side) May 3:42
11. "Radio Ga Ga" (extended version) Taylor 6:50
12. "I Want to Break Free" (extended mix) Deacon 7:12
[hide]2011 bonus EP
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "I Go Crazy" (B-side) May 3:44
2. "I Want to Break Free" (Single remix) Deacon 4:18
3. "Hammer to Fall" (Headbanger's mix) May 5:18
4. "Is This the World We Created...?" (Live in Rio, January 1985) Mercury, May 3:03
5. "It's a Hard Life" (Live in Rio, January 1985) Mercury 4:26
6. "Thank God It's Christmas" (Non-album single) May, Taylor 4:22
[hide]2011 iTunes deluxe edition bonus videos
No. Title Writer(s) Length
7. "Tear It Up" (live at Wembley Stadium, London – 11 July 1986) May 2:23
8. "I Want to Break Free" (live at Rock in Rio – January 1985) Deacon 3:27
9. "Radio Ga Ga" (promo video, 1984) Taylor 5:54
Song information[edit source]
"Radio Ga Ga"[edit source]
Main article: Radio Ga Ga
The Works opens with "Radio Ga Ga". It was composed on keyboards, after Roger Taylor heard his son Felix (three years old at the time) saying "radio ca ca".[8] He wrote it in Los Angeles and locked himself in the studio with a Roland Jupiter 8 and a drum machine. Afterwards John Deacon came up with a suitable bass line. Freddie Mercury reconstructed the track, both musically and lyrically. It was still credited to Taylor since Mercury was an arranger rather than a co-writer. Fred Mandel, their session keyboardist, put together an additive track with piano, synth and a temporary bass part. Brian May used a glass slide for his guitar solo. Taylor sang all the backing vocals, and used a Vocoder throughout the song. Most of the song is made out of electronics and synthesisers.

"Tear It Up"[edit source]
The second track, "Tear It Up", is May's song, and the demo features him doing the vocals instead of Mercury. It was written as an attempt to revive Queen's old sound. It features stomping percussion similar to "We Will Rock You" that drives the song. When performed live during The Magic Tour, May would play the intro from "Liar" then go into the beginning of the song.

"It's a Hard Life"[edit source]
Main article: It's a Hard Life
The third song on The Works, "It's a Hard Life", is one of May and Taylor's favourite songs of Mercury's (although they admitted that they hated the video). May contributed with some of the lyrics, and the intro was based on Ruggiero Leoncavallo's "Vesti la giubba", an aria from his opera Pagliacci. Mercury played piano and did most of the vocals, and instructed May about the scales he should use for the solo, described by May in the guitar program Star Licks as very "Bohemian Rhapsody"-esque.

"Man on the Prowl" [edit source]
A three-chord rockabilly Mercury composition (similar to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love") in which Mandel plays the piano ending. May played the solo using a Fender Telecaster. This was planned as the fifth and final single from the album, with a provisional release date of 19 November 1984,[9] and promotional copies were indeed pressed (QUEEN 5) and sent out (b/w "Keep Passing the Open Windows"), but the band opted for a Christmas single ("Thank God It's Christmas").

"Machines (Or 'Back To Humans')"[edit source]
The fifth track on The Works, "Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')", came about as an idea by Taylor, and May collaborated with him and finished it. Producer Reinhold Mack programmed the synth-"demolition" using a Fairlight CMI II Sampler, and the song is sung as a duet between a double-tracked Mercury (singing in harmony with himself), and a robotic Taylor (using a Roland VP330 Vocoder). The instrumental remix of the song samples parts of "Ogre Battle" from Queen's second album Queen II, "Flash" and Larry Lurex's "Goin' Back" (in fact Queen (without Deacon) under a pseudonym). This song, along with "Radio Ga Ga" are some of the heaviest uses of electronics on the album.

"I Want to Break Free"[edit source]
Main article: I Want to Break Free
The sixth song, "I Want to Break Free" was written by John Deacon. This pop song is best known because of its video, featuring all four Queen members dressed up as women, in a parody of the British soap opera Coronation Street. The idea for the clip was Taylor's. Mercury commented that 'Everybody ran into their frocks'. Deacon, the song's author, insisted he didn't want a guitar solo on the track so a synth solo was played by Mandel – live, however, May played the solo on guitar. The version used for the single and the promotional video includes an opening and instrumental bridge (after the synth solo) not part of the original mix.

"Keep Passing the Open Windows" [edit source]
"Keep Passing the Open Windows" is The Works's seventh track, and was written by Mercury in 1983 for the film version of The Hotel New Hampshire, based on a novel by John Irving. The phrase is mentioned on a number of occasions throughout the film and was, according to the opening credits, also co-produced by the band's manager Jim Beach, who changed it in order to suit the album mood better. Mercury played piano and synths and wrote the lyrics after reading the quote in the book.

"Hammer to Fall"[edit source]
Main article: Hammer to Fall
"Hammer to Fall", the eighth song, is May's other rock song on the album. Live versions were considerably faster and he sang it in his solo tours as well. Synths are played by Mandel and most of vocal harmonies were recorded by May himself, particularly in the bridge (save for "oh no" which is Taylor). The song harks back to the Queen of old, with a song being built around a hard angular and muscular riff. The song features Mercury on lead vocals, doing a call and response with May, who sings the chorus. The song's music video directed by David Mallet, contains footage of a performance of the song in Brussels.[10] "Hammer to Fall" was a concert favourite, and was the third song the band performed at Live Aid in 1985.[11] The song also features in both the setlist of the band's Works Tour and Magic Tour in 1986.[12]

"Is This the World We Created...?"[edit source]
Main article: Is This the World We Created...?
The album concludes with "Is This the World We Created...?", which was written in Munich after Mercury and May watched the news of poverty in Africa; the song was performed at Live Aid as an encore. Mercury wrote most of the lyrics and May wrote the chords and made small lyrical contributions. The song was recorded with an Ovation but live May used Taylor's Gibson Chet Atkins CE nylon-stringed guitar. A piano was tracked at the recording sessions for this song, but ultimately not included in the final mix.

Unreleased Songs and Demos[edit source]
The sessions for The Works were highly productive, resulting in an overwhelmingly large body of material written and recorded. Only nine of these were used on the album, but many of those remaining have been released in other forms.

"Back to Storm"[edit source]
Believed to originate from the Works sessions, this is a fast-paced track dominated by the piano and drums. Only a low-quality demo version exists, and very little is known about the track. It is little over a minute long. At the end of the track, Mercury can be heard to say: "very good, ha, ha. It's gotta go somewhere, but it just, er, wasn't"; the rest of the dialogue is inaudible.

"I Dream of Christmas"[edit source]
When Queen wanted to write a Christmas single in 1984, Roger wrote the basics of "Thank God It's Christmas" while Brian wrote "I Dream of Christmas". The group then had to choose between the two, and opted for "Thank God It's Christmas", which Brian and Roger then wrote together. It is rumored that "I Dream Of Christmas" was recorded by the band, though nothing has ever been confirmed. Brian later worked on "I Dream Of Christmas" with his future wife Anita Dobson, which was released as a single in 1988 and also features John Deacon.

"I Go Crazy"[edit source]
Written by May some time in 1981, the song was recorded during the album sessions but never made it onto the final cut. it was instead used as the b-side to the single release of "Radio Ga Ga".

"Let Me In Your Heart Again"[edit source]
Written by May, this song went through several rewrites and re-recordings before it was left unfinished and subsequently recorded by Anita Dobson, featuring May, for her 1988 album 'Talking of Love'. In 2014, the band released a completed version of the song which features elements from a number of Queen demos of the track, with new backing vocals from Brian and Roger, and new guitars from Brian on the album Queen Forever.

"Let Me Live"[edit source]
Main article: Let Me Live
"Let Me Live" was originally recorded by the band in 1983 as a duet between Mercury and Rod Stewart. It originally also featured Jeff Beck on guitar. The song was never released, although it was reworked by the band for inclusion in their 1995 studio album Made in Heaven, released after Mercury's death. The finished version one features one verse and the chorus sung by Mercury, while the rest is sung by May and Taylor. It is unknown why the Stewart version was never used.

Little Boogie[edit source]
Believed to originate from the Works sessions, this is an alternative piano version of "Back to Storm". Nothing else is known about the track.

"Love Kills"[edit source]
Main article: Love Kills (Freddie Mercury song)
Written by Mercury and Giorgio Moroder, "Love Kills" was originally recorded for the band's 1984 studio album The Works, but was ultimately rejected. It was then reworked as a Mercury solo track for inclusion in Moroder's 1984 restoration and edit of the 1927 silent film Metropolis, and was also released as a single. The track was later remade into a Queen ballad and released on the 2014 album Queen Forever.

"Man Made Paradise"[edit source]
This song was later re-recorded as a Mercury solo track and released on his 1985 solo album Mr. Bad Guy.

"Man on Fire"[edit source]
"Man on Fire", written by Taylor, is believed to have been recorded in 1984 for The Works, before it was re-recorded and then released on Taylor's second solo album Strange Frontier that same year. An early promo cassette for The Works features a very different track listing, where its title appears. Nothing else is known about the track, or even whether a complete version exists.

"Thank God It's Christmas"[edit source]
Main article: Thank God It's Christmas
This track, written by May and Taylor, was eventually released as a Christmas single in 1984, and later appeared as the b-side to the "A Winter's Tale" single in 1995. It was also released as part of the 1999 compilation Greatest Hits III. It was the only-ever Christmas song Queen recorded.

"There Must Be More to Life Than This"[edit source]
Written by Mercury, this song was originally recorded by Mercury and Michael Jackson before being re-recorded by Queen in 1981 for their Hot Space album. The track was then going to be recorded to close The Works before Mercury and May wrote "Is This the World We Created...?". It was ultimately recorded as a solo track by Mercury and released on his 1985 solo album Mr. Bad Guy. In 2014, a reworked Queen version with Mercury and Jackson duetting was released on the album Queen Forever.

Personnel[edit source]

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano, keyboards, sampler on "Radio Ga Ga"
• Brian May – lead and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, lead vocals on bridge of "I Go Crazy"
• Roger Taylor – drums, electronic drums, backing vocals, keyboards on "Radio Ga Ga" and "Machines (Or Back to Humans)", Vocoder on "Radio Ga Ga" and "Machines (Or Back to Humans)", sampler and programming on "Radio Ga Ga"
• John Deacon – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards and programming on "I Want to Break Free"

Additional personnel

• Fred Mandel – keyboards on "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want to Break Free" and "Hammer to Fall", piano on "Man on the Prowl"(ending), sampler on "Radio Ga Ga"
• Reinhold Mack – Fairlight CMI programming on "Machines (Or Back to Humans)", engineering
• Mike Beiriger – additional engineering
• Stefan Wissnet – additional engineering
• Ed Delena – additional engineering
• Bill Smith – sleeve design
• George Hurrell – photography

Tour[edit source]
Main article: The Works Tour
Singles[edit source]
For the first and only time in their career, all the songs (and one non-album track, "I Go Crazy") from a Queen album were used as either A-sides or B-sides on singles. Starting with this album, the group began issuing singles in the UK under their own catalogue numbers.

Number Format A-side B-side Released date (UK)
QUEEN 1 (7" Single) "Radio Ga Ga" "I Go Crazy" —
12QUEEN 1 (12" Single) "Radio Ga Ga (Extended Version)" "Radio Ga Ga (Instrumental Version)"/"I Go Crazy" 23 January 1984
QUEEN 2 (7" Single) "I Want to Break Free (Single Mix)" "Machines (or 'Back to Humans')" —
12QUEEN 2 (12" Single) "I Want to Break Free (Extended Mix)" "Machines (or 'Back to Humans')" 2 April 1984
QUEEN 3 (7" Single) "It's a Hard Life" "Is This the World We Created...?" —
12QUEEN 3 (12" Single) "It's a Hard Life" "Is This the World We Created...?" 16 July 1984
QUEEN 4 (7" Single) "Hammer to Fall (Headbanger's Mix Edit)" "Tear It Up" —
12QUEEN 4 (12" Single) "Hammer to Fall (Headbanger's Mix)" "Tear It Up" 10 September 1984
QUEEN 5 (7" Single) "Thank God It's Christmas" (non-album track) "Man on the Prowl"/"Keep Passing the Open Windows" —
12QUEEN 5 (12" Single) "Thank God It's Christmas" "Man on the Prowl (Extended Version)"/"Keep Passing the Open Windows (Extended Version)" 26 November 1984
Others[edit source]
Format A-side B-side
US 7" Single & Cassette Single "Radio Ga Ga (US Single Edit)" "I Go Crazy"
US Promo 7" Single "I Want to Break Free (Single Mix)" "I Want to Break Free (Special 7" Single Edit)"
US 7" Single & Cassette Single "I Want to Break Free (Single Mix)" "Machines (or 'Back to Humans') (Instrumental Version)"
Charts[edit source]
Weekly charts[edit source]
Year Chart Peak
position
1984 Australian Albums Chart[13] 16
Austrian Albums Chart[14] 2
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[15] 87
Canadian Albums Chart[16] 22
Dutch Albums Chart[17] 1
French Albums Chart[18] 14
Italian Albums Chart[19] 4
Japanese Albums Chart[20] 7
New Zealand Albums Chart[21] 9
Norwegian Albums Chart[22] 2
Swedish Albums Chart[23] 3
Swiss Albums Chart[24] 3
UK Albums Chart[25] 2
US Billboard 200[26] 23
West German Albums Chart[27] 3
2005 Belgian Mid-Price Albums Chart (Flanders)[28] 18
Belgian Mid-Price Albums Chart (Wallonia)[15] 5
2011 South Korean Albums Chart[29] 85
Year-end charts[edit source]
Chart (1984) Position
Australian Albums Chart[13] 48
Austrian Albums Chart[30] 2
Canadian Albums Chart[31] 88
French Albums Chart[32] 21
Italian Albums Chart[19] 37
UK Albums Chart[33] 14
Decade-end charts[edit source]
Chart (1980–89) Position
Austrian Albums Chart[34] 32
Certifications[edit source]
Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[35] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Platinum 100,000^
Germany (BVMI)[37] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[38] Gold 50,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[39]
2008 Agora SA album reissue Platinum 20,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[41] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Platinum 650,000[33]
United States (RIAA)[43] Gold 500,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

 

Interesting.

Whoever played the guitar solo on the Mr Bad Guy version did a suspiciously accurate impression of Brian May.

 

First it was embracing disco, and America could not understand how a rock band could or would do that
Then for a video for the next album, they cross dress. That's what killed their FM rock acceptability.
Only after Mercury's passing do they get back on classic rock radio
Now not a day goes by we don't hear BR or Pressure or Champions