Albums and Songs
GUIDE TO THE MUSIC
Made in Heaven
For Made in Heaven, Freddie Mercury's final vocals were fleshed out into finished songs whilst past non-Queen songs were reworked by the remaining band members. The result is a remarkably cohesive and, for the most, compelling album. Many were, and remain, sceptical, but critcisms that this album is some kind of 'cash-in' from the band are very...
Innuendo
'Innuendo' should really have been titled 'The Miracle,' given the extremely poor state of Freddie Mercury's health during its writing and recording. The fact that sufficient songs were recorded for an album is miraculous enough, but that tracks had to be cut from the album, and many of those included edited for length, is even more remarkable....
The Miracle
When this album was released it felt like Queen had been away for a very long time. That might seem an odd thing to say when you remember that the mid-80s were full of Queen triumphs, the four singles off 'The Works,' Live Aid, Wembley, Knebworth. But the 'A Kind Of Magic' album from 1986 had seemed a rather...
Live Magic
'Live Killers' or 'Live Magic'? Either or neither? I'll take both, whilst noting the impossibilities of perfectly capturing the Queen live experience. If 'Live Killers' was plagued by odd selection and duff sound, then 'Live Magic' sought to cut the longueurs and go straight to the exciting bits. As such, it distils the essence of Queen as a live...
A Kind of Magic
I thought the A Kind of Magic album a little patchy when I first heard it, and more than a little disappointing, too. I wasn't alone in that view. I can remember Radio City (Liverpool) DJ Kevin Keating refer to Queen's profoundly 'underwhelming' new album. He knew his music and I trusted his judgement. Live Aid had raised our expectations...
The Works
The early 80s saw the individual members of Queen working on different projects, either on their own or with others - but not with each other. It seemed that the division between the soul/disco oriented Deacon and Mercury and the solid rock of May and Taylor was threatening to pull the band apart. It is evident that May and...
Queen on Fire
Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl
Hot Space
And then Queen went disco and things started to slide in all directions ... Well, not entirely. Queen didn't go all the way with dance, and the world didn't end. But with 'Hot Space,' we have come a long, long way from the 'Seven Seas of Rhye.' At some point, somewhere, Freddie had lost touch with his dreamland and...
Flash Gordon
It's impossible not to smile at the mere mention of Queen's involvement in this movie. It helps to remind oneself that this was meant to be a high camp classic. I think that was the intention, anyway. The critics sniffed, but Queen set about their task in supplying a soundtrack to the sci-fi movie 'Flash Gordon' with a real...