Archive for January, 2010

(Review from allmusic)

“A Kind of Magic” was Queen’s biggest album yet in England, where it reached number one, remained on the charts for 63 weeks and spawned several hit singles — the epic title track, the tuneful pop/rocker “Friends Will Be Friends” and one of their most haunting ballads, “Who Wants to Live Forever”.

Most of the songs were written for the movie “Highlander” but instead of issuing just a movie soundtrack, the band added a few non-movie tracks and made an official Queen release out of it. It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but “A Kind of Magic” was their best work in some time.

Queen would embark on a sold-out tour of outdoor stadiums in Europe upon the album’s release, which would sadly turn out to be their final tour.

Line-up:
- Brian May / guitar, keyboards, Vocals
- Freddie Mercury / keyboards, vocals
- John Deacon / bass, keyboards
- Roger taylor / drums, keyboards, vocals
with
- The National Philharmonic Orchestra / Orchestra
- Michael Kamen / orchestration
- Lynton Naiff / string arrangements
- Spike Edney / additional keyboards
- Steve Gregory / saxophone (3)
- Joan Armatrading / incidental vocals (8)

Track List:
01. One Vision – 5:11
02. A Kind Of Magic – 4:24
03. One Year Of Love – 4:27
04. Pain Is So Close To Pleasure – 4:22
05. Friends Will Be Friends – 4:07
06. Who Wants To Live Forever – 5:17
07. Gimme The Prize – 4:34
08. Don’t Lose Your Head – 4:38
09. Princes Of The Universe – 3:33
10. A Kind Of ‘A Kind Of Magic’ – 3:37
11. Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends… – 5:58
12. Forever – 3:20

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(Review from queenarchives.com)

Queen’s 1982 album features what fellow rocker Rick Derringer was moved to call “a normal Queen side and a Queen-gets-weird side”.

The “normal” Queen side displays the melody-making talent of Brian May at his best (“Put Out the Fire,” “Las Palabras de Amour”) and the hit-making instincts of John Deacon, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor at their most acute (“Cool Cat,” “Calling All Girls”). If that’s not enough, there’s one of the year’s best Lennon tributes (“Life is Real”) and a co-performance with David Bowie (“Under Pressure”). In short, there isn’t a throwaway in the bunch.

The “weird” side can best be described as rechauffe disco. It’s as though the group were just now discovering the form, and although comparisons to 1980′s “Another One Bites the Dust” are inevitable, they’re mostly inaccurate, since Queen has elevated disco to a stature it never attained during its natural life. This is mesmerizing stuff, almost totally physical in its presentation; and if “Body Language” is its best representative, the rest of the side cooks and churns just as confidently, those hot spaces blowing like calculated drafts through icy-cool progressions.

Line-up:
- Brian May / keyboards, vocals, guitar
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals
- John Deacon / bass, guitar
- Freddie Mercury / piano, vocals
With
- David Bowie / vocal (11)

Track List:
01. Staying Power – 4:12
02. Dancer – 3:50
03. Back Chat – 4:35
04. Body Language – 4:32
05. Action This Day – 3:32
06. Put Out The Fire – 3:19
07. Life Is Real (Song For Lennon) – 3:32
08. Calling All Girls – 3:51
09. Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love) – 4:31
10. Cool Cat – 3:29
11. Under Pressure – 4:06

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(Review from allmusic)

While writing and recording The Game, Queen were asked by renowned movie director Dino DeLaurentis to provide the soundtrack for his upcoming sci-fi epic Flash Gordon. The band accepted and promptly began working on both albums simultaneously.

Although at first many fans criticized Flash Gordon since it was issued as an official Queen release rather than a motion picture soundtrack, it has proven to be one of rock’s better motion picture soundtracks over the years.

The majority of the music is instrumental, with dialogue from the movie in place of Freddie Mercury’s singing (only two tracks contain lyrics) but the songwriting is still unmistakably Queen.

Highlights abound, such as “Football Fight”, “Vultan’s Theme (Attack of the Hawkmen)”, “The Wedding March” and the heavy metal roar of “Battle Theme”. But it was the two more conventional songs that were the album’s two best tracks — the anthemic hit “Flash’s Theme” and the woefully underrated rocker “The Hero”.

With Queen involved, Flash Gordon is certainly not your average, predictable soundtrack.

Line-up:
- Brian May / synthesizer, keyboards, vocals, guitar
- Roger Taylor / synthesizer, drums, vocals
- John Deacon / synthesizer, guitar, bass
- Freddie Mercury / synthesizer, piano, vocals

Track List:
01. Flash’s Theme – 3:31
02. In The Space Capsule (The Love Theme) – 2:43
03. Ming’s Theme (In The Court Of Ming The Merciless) – 2:41
04. The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction Of Dale) – 0:57
05. Football Fight – 1:28
06. In The Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise) – 2:25
07. Execution Of Flash – 1:06
08. The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash) – 1:45
09. Arboria (Planet Of The Tree Men) – 1:42
10. Escape From The Swamp – 1:43
11. Flash To The Rescue – 2:44
12. Vultan’s Theme (Attack Of The Hawk Men) – 1:13
13. Battle Theme – 2:18
14. The Wedding March – 0:56
15. Marriage Of Dale And Ming (And Flash Approaching) – 2:04
16. Crash Dive On Mingo City – 1:00
17. Flash’s Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations) – 1:24
18. The Hero – 3:31

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(Review from allmusic)

Queen had long been one of the biggest bands in the world by 1980′s “Game”, but this album was the first time they made a glossy, unabashed pop album, one that was designed to sound exactly like its time. They might be posed in leather jackets on the cover, but they hardly sound tough or menacing — they rarely rock, at least not in the gonzo fashion that’s long been their trademark. Gone are the bombastic orchestras of guitars and with them the charging, relentless rhythms that kept Queen grounded even at their grandest moments.

Now, when they rock, they’ll haul out a clever rockabilly pastiche, as they do on the tremendous “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” a sly revival of old-time rock & roll that never sounds moldy, thanks in large part to Freddie Mercury’s panache. But even that is an exception to the rule on “Game”. Usually, when they want to rock here, they wind up sounding like Boston, as they do on John Deacon’s “Need Your Loving Tonight”, or they sound a bit like a new wave-conscious rocker like Billy Squier, as they do on the propulsive “Coming Soon”. But even those are exceptions to the overall rule on “Game”, since most of the album is devoted to disco-rock blends — best heard on the globe-conquering “Another One Bites the Dust”, but also present in the unintentionally kitschy positivity anthem “Don’t Try Suicide” — and the majestic power ballads that became their calling card in the 80s, as they reworked the surging “Save Me” and the elegant “Play the Game” numerous times, often with lesser results.

So, “The Game” winds up as a mixed bag, as many Queen albums often do, but again the striking difference with this album is that it finds Queen turning decidedly, decisively pop, and it’s a grand, state-of-the-art circa 1980 pop album that still stands as one of the band’s most enjoyable records. But the very fact that it does showcase a band that’s turned away from rock and toward pop means that for some Queen fans, it marks the end of the road, and despite the album’s charms, it’s easy to see why. Enter Queen of 1980s.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / vocals, guitar, piano
- Brian May / guitars, keyboards, vocals
- John Deacon / guitar, bass
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals

Track List:
01. Play The Game – 3:31
02. Dragon Attack – 4:19
03. Another One Bites The Dust – 3:38
04. Need Your Loving Tonight – 2:49
05. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – 2:43
06. Rock It (Prime Jive) – 4:33
07. Don’t Try Suicide – 3:53
08. Sail Away Sweet Sister – 3:33
09. Coming Soon – 2:51
10. Save Me – 3:49

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(Review from progarchives.com)

This is the first official release of a live album by Queen. Given the band’s reputation in the mid 1970′s as one of the best live acts on the circuit, it is surprising that it took so long for such an album to hit the shelves.

By the time this album was recorded, the raw energy of their early performances had been replaced with a much more refined, stadium friendly extravaganza. When combined with the fact that only one track from their first two albums (“Keep Yourself Alive”) appears in this set, it becomes clear that there should have been an earlier live album.

“Live Killers” was recorded during Queen’s European tour of early 1979, although details of where the specific performances took place is not revealed. We kick off with a trio of crowd rousing pop songs, the sing-a-long anthem “We Will Rock You” being changed from a basic football chant into a faster guitar driven song. “Let me entertain you” and “Death on Two Legs” lead into a medley of abbreviated versions of singles, the classic “Killer Queen” being cut to under 2 minutes.

The most interesting tracks are the extended versions of “Now I’m Here” and “Brighton Rock”. The former features some fine guitar work by Brian May with a prolonged audience participation section led by Mercury. “Brighton Rock” will be familiar to anyone who has seen Queen live as the Brian May extended slot where he uses two single echoes to great effect.

There’s no doubt that “Live Killers” captures Queen in great form. Their pedigree as top line entertainers oozes from every groove of the record.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / piano, vocals
- Brian May / guitars
- John Deacon / bass guitar
- Roger Taylor / drums, percussion, timpani

Track List:
CD1
01. We Will Rock You – 3:18
02. Let Me Entertain You – 3:15
03. Death On Two Legs – 3:31
04. Killer Queen – 1:59
05. Bicycle Race – 1:28
06. I’m In Love With My Car – 2:01
07. Get Down, Make Love – 4:31
08. You’re My Best Friend – 2:08
09. Now I’m Here – 8:42
10. Dreamer’s Ball – 3:44
11. Love Of My Life – 4:57
12. ’39 – 3:26
13. Keep Yourself Alive – 4:02
CD2
01. Don’t Stop Me Now – 4:28
02. Spread Your Wings – 5:22
03. Brighton Rock – 12:13
04. Bohemian Rhapsody – 6:02
05. Tie Your Mother Down – 3:40
06. Sheer Heart Attack – 3:35
07. We Will Rock You – 2:48
08. We Are The Champions – 3:27
09. God Save The Queen – 1:31

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(Review from allmusic)

What worries most Queen fans is the title of the album — not to fear, this is still a classic pop rock album.

“Jazz” showcase a band that does thrive upon its power, thrilling upon the hold that it has on its audience. That confidence, that self-intoxication, was hinted at on “News of the World” but it takes full flower here, and that assurance acts as a cohesive device, turning this into one of Queen’s sleekest albums.

Like its patchwork predecessor, Jazz also dabbles in a bunch of different sounds — that’s a perennial problem with Queen, where the four songwriters were often pulling in different directions.

The album sounds bigger, heavier than News, thanks to the mountains of guitars Brian May has layered all over this record. If May has indulged himself, Freddie Mercury runs riot all over this album, infusing it with an absurdity that’s hard to resist. This goofiness is apparent from the galloping overture “Mustapha” and things only get a lot sillier from that point out, as the group sings the praises of “Fat Bottomed Girls” and “Bicycle Races”, as May and Mercury have an unspoken competition on who can overdub the most onto a particular track while Roger Taylor steers them toward their first disco song in the gloriously dumb “Fun It”.

Since over-the-top campiness has always been an attribute in Queen, this kind of grand-scale exaggeration gives “Jazz” a sense of ridiculousness that makes it more fun than many of their other albums.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / piano, vocals
- Brian May / banjo, guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals
- John Deacon / bass, guitar

Track List:
01. Mustapha – 3:01
02. Fat Bottomed Girls – 4:17
03. Jealousy – 3:13
04. Bicycle Race – 3:03
05. If You Can’t Beat Them – 4:15
06. Let Me Entertain You – 3:02
07. Dead On Time – 3:23
08. In Only Seven Days – 2:30
09. Dreamer’s Ball – 3:30
10. Fun It – 3:29
11. Leaving Home Ain’t Easy – 3:15
12. Don’t Stop Me Now – 3:29
13. More Of That Jazz – 4:16

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(Review from allmusic)

If “Day at the Races” was a sleek, streamlined album, its 1977 successor, “News of the World”, was its polar opposite, an explosion of styles that didn’t seem to hold to any particular center.

The album’s front-loaded with two of Queen’s biggest anthems — the stomping, stadium-filling chant “We Will Rock You” and its triumphant companion, “We Are the Champions” — which are quickly followed by the ferocious “Sheer Heart Attack,” a frenzied rocker that hits harder than anything on the album that shares its name, a remarkable achievement in itself. Three songs, three quick shifts in mood, but that’s hardly the end of it.

As the album rolls on, you’re treated to the arch, campy crooning of “My Melancholy Blues”, a sticky blues shuffle in “Sleeping on the Sidewalk”, breezy Latin rhythms on “Who Needs You”, the neo-disco of “Fight from the Inside”. Not to forget “It’s Late” with its soaring vocal parts and song excellent melodies from each member.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / piano, vocals
- Brian May / banjo, guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals
- John Deacon / bass, guitar

Track List:
01. We Will Rock You – 2:02
02. We Are The Champions – 3:01
03. Sheer Heart Attack – 3:27
04. All Dead, All Dead – 3:11
05. Spread Your Wings – 4:35
06. Fight From The Inside – 3:03
07. Get Down, Make Love – 3:51
08. Sleeping On The Sidewalk – 3:08
09. Who Needs You – 3:06
10. It’s Late – 6:26
11. My Melancholy Blues – 3:30

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(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic)

In every sense, A Day at the Races is an unapologetic sequel to A Night at the Opera, the 1975 breakthrough that established Queen as rock & roll royalty. The band never attempts to hide that the record is a sequel — the two albums boast the same variation on the same cover art, the titles are both taken from old Marx Brothers films and serve as counterpoints to each other.

Even though the two albums look the same, they don’t quite sound the same, this one is a bit tighter than its predecessor. Here, the eccentricities are trimmed back somewhat. Though not as innovative or pioneering as its predecessor, it’s a competent and enjoyable album.

Freddie Mercury of course adds a couple of his classics. “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” and “Millionaire waltz” with their retro feel and camp lyrics, and “You Take My Breath Away”, one of Mercury’s most sensitive ballads, single handedly make the album essential. Roger Taylor’s excellent solo track “Drowse” is surprisingly downbeat, but in the middle 8 he does a fine impersonation of Roger Daltrey. May’s opening “Tie Your Mother Down” builds the tension wonderfully before bursting into one of the band’s hardest rock numbers ever. “Long Away” is a nicely understated song which features May on lead vocal.

With all four band members contributing one or more songs, the quality and diversity of the product is undeniable. Songs such as Freddie Mercury’s “Somebody to Love” and Brian May’s “Teo Torriatte” are excellently produced and impeccably performed works. The former features some appealing choral type vocals but when pared back to its most basic form, the song is prosaic. Likewise “Teo Torriate” is a sensitive composition, brought to life by the anthemic, sing-a-long nature of the chorus.

The album can be considered as the first indication that the band were moving away from their innovative and experimental phase, heading towards a more straightforward style.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / vocal, piano, choir meister, tantrums
- Brian May / guitars, vocals, orchestration
- John Deacon / fender bass
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocal, percussion, pandemonium

Track List:
01. Tie Your Mother Down – 4:48
02. You Take My Breath Away – 5:08
03. Long Away – 3:33
04. The Millionaire Waltz – 4:55
05. You And I – 3:25
06. Somebody To Love – 4:56
07. White Man – 4:59
08. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy – 2:54
09. Drowse – 3:45
10. Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) – 5:54

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(Review from allmusic, progarchives.com)

Queen were straining at the boundaries of hard rock and heavy metal on Sheer Heart Attack, but they broke down all the barricades on A Night at the Opera, a self-consciously ridiculous and overblown hard rock masterpiece.

The title “A Night at the Opera” is taken from a film by the Marx Brothers, but aside from a brief operatic section, there isn’t actually much opera to be found here. Indeed, this is not a concept album, although the tracks do tend to sit well together.

Using the multi-layered guitars of its predecessor as a foundation, “A Night at the Opera” encompasses metal (“Death on Two Legs”, “Sweet Lady”), pop (the lovely, shimmering “You’re My Best Friend”), campy British music hall (“Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon,” “Seaside Rendezvous”), and mystical progressive rock (“’39″, “The Prophet’s Song”), eventually bringing it all together on the pseudo-operatic “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

So what of “Bohemian Rhapsody”? There had been successful singles previously which had breached the usual 3 minute limitation, “Hey Jude” by The Beatles and “McArthur Park” by Richard Harris come to mind immediately. Nothing however had prepared the music world for the sheer pomp and audacity of Queen’s new single. The track moves through more moods and styles in 6 minutes than some bands manage on an entire album. One minute your listening to pseudo opera, the next your faced with a heads down straight ahead burst of rock.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / piano, vocals, orchestration
- Brian May / banjo, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals, koto, ukulele
- Roger Taylor / percussion, vocals, drums
- John Deacon / bass, electric piano, guitar

Track List:
01. Death On Two Legs – 3:43
02. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon – 1:07
03. I’m In Love With My Car – 3:04
04. You’re My Best Friend – 2:52
05. ’39 – 3:30
06. Sweet Lady – 4:03
07. Seaside Rendezvous – 2:17
08. The Prophet’s Song – 8:19
09. Love Of My Life – 3:38
10. Good Company – 3:22
11. Bohemian Rhapsody – 5:54
12. God Save The Queen – 1:11

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(Review from allmusic)

Five years before the first Queen album was released, Brian May and Roger Taylor worked together in Smile, a hard rock outfit that played in the London and Cornwall area in the late 60s. Primarily of interest to Queen fans, Ghost of a Smile contains Smile’s one single, “Earth” / “Step on Me” and four other songs recorded in 1969, but never released.

A great live band known for being quite innovative with their dynamics, Smile were not captured well on record, where poor production accentuated the trio’s sometimes sloppy playing and immature lyrics.

That said, the group could write fine melodies and lead singer Tim Staffel has a soulful voice that is heard best on the bouncy “Step on Me” and “Doin’ Alright”, played here in a gentler fashion than on Queen’s debut record. Meanwhile on “Blag”, the hard rock psychedelic influence of acts like Cream is evident with a heavy jam that showcases the talents of Brian May and Roger Taylor in a way that was not usually heard in Queen.

The two bonus tracks aren’t directly related to Smile. They are two versions of “Man from Manhattan”, a late-70s single by Eddie Howell that featured Freddie Mercury and Brian May.

In early 1970 Staffell left Smile and was replaced as vocalist by Freddie Mercury. Mercury had definite ideas of the directions where the band should go and by July 1970, Smile had been renamed Queen.

Line-up:
- Brian May / guitars, lead vocal (6), piano (2), backing vocals
- Tim Staffell / bass, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Earth – 4:02
02. Step On Me – 3:11
03. Doin’ Allright – 3:49
04. April Lady – 2:44
05. Blag – 3:13
06. Polar Bear – 4:05
07. The Man From Manhattan (Bonus Original) – 3:21
08. The Man From Manhattan (Bonus Remix) – 4:56

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