I've been reading in the curse of these years fans too critical at the album with no strong fundamented reason.
Statements like "half good", "mediocre" were the things I got to read over these years on internet. My fist reaction was to follow those fans, take that opinion andcompletely over-look this album.
Many times when the discussions were given I have defended Hot Space. Not because I consider it a great musical album but just because I find it enjoyable to listen. Although I admitd that lacks from good musical compostion and it's seems kind of obvious that Queen didn't put much effort on it, which, of course, leads to a bad album overall.
But this is not what you can nearly say about The Miracle. Of course, you can dislike it, as everyone
has an opionion...but I couldn't stand reading (as I have in recent years to justify it as a bad album) that it's a bad in terms of music and composition.
Actually to be fair, The Miracle has to be [i]musically Queen's best Album in the 80's decade[/i]. They found the best sound and every single song has a diverse of musical ideas and variety of arrengements probably, to me, since the 70's albums.
I happyly find that Queen as a group put a great effort on this album and gave as a result [i]a great musical album[/i]
with, in terms of music, variety of songs, composition and songwriting with the 4 of them colaborating and adding ideas in order to get a good result. Which is fantastic to listen especially after two low rated and bad musical albums like Hot Space and (a slithgtly improved) The Works in which Queen try to find the rhytm back alltogether again.
[b]Similarities with Queen Early Work:
[/b]
· Freddie's Voice.
After singing a few months with Montserrat Caballe I think really Freddie peeled his best voice ever up to that time (because in Innuendo get's even beter). A much more smooth voice, with cleaner sound and still not losing the strenght.
· Brian's Work
Overall his job with guitars on the album I think it's just special and amazing. I find it great because he adds just the neccesary in each song of his Red Special, not too much or too less. And he got really creative in every track, doing great works even in bad songs. I'd say that to me it's probably his best in Queen.
· Continuis tracks!
When you find this, you gotta know it's going to be good. Too bad they did just once.
· Creativy is back:
Roger playing more regular drums, less drum synths. Also playing a lot of diverse percussion in Rain Must Fall.
The group trying to use less synths and more rock complex oriented songs. Multitracks, with Brian's Red special's overdubs as backing tracks, no synths as song base. Which probably means that they worked as a group together, not separated.
Complex songs again, with arrengements and 4 member group cooperation
[b]The Cover:
[/b]
We all know Qeen decided to put every song as a creation of the band, not individuals...which it makes evident since we to see the cover. There is no dominant figure in the cover as we previously saw on [i]The Works or A kind of magic[/i].
The four of them as a group, at the same line phisically and musically. And that I think really shows off in the album
because they came up with such a creative work that you gotta love it.
[b]SONG BY SONG[/b]
[b]
[/b]
[b]Party[/b]
A jam session with Freddie Brian and John. A great drum rhythm thru the whole song! Great elaborated chorus and I totally love that Brian has his singing line at the begining.
[i]Back the continous tracks, something you gotta love and an obvious prove of getting back to the good stuff.[/i]
[b]Khosshogis Ship[/b].
Freddie's creation, as I ve read. Good to listen, goodd lyrics overall and a strong elaborated sound. Another good work to me. Marvelous riff and adds from Brian.
[b]
The Miracle[/b]
I love it, very elaborated and complex from the lyrics to the musical arregments and Freddie nails it on the singing tones, where to sing higher and lower.
Another great Brian contribution with his Red Special.
[b]I Want It All[/b]
Very Heavy, as heaviest as I've heard Queen in late years. Such a powerlful song. Brian's totally masterpiece with Queen and another complex song from the guitar composition. And Freddie finds exaclty where to put the strenght in his voice and where to turn it down a little. The choruses are great.
Roger used double-kick bass drum for the first time another prove of Queen's getting back to creativity and innovation.
[i][b]The Invisible Man[/b]
[/i]
My favourite of the album but for some reason very hated among Queen fans.
I find it very creative, from the lyrics to to the bass rhythm, which is great. It's very different from what I've heard from Queen.
· Some strange things that I strangely like about this song:
Brian singing [i]'Im the invisible man'[/i] line at first.
The solo just kicks ass!. It's great, I love the idea of pan it from one side to the other of the speakers as Freddie says 'Brian May, Brian May!'. And I'd say that overall Brian's work in this song is superlative.
The "ha ha hello" part is strange but for some reason I love it, and I find it very creative, as well as Roger with
his voice contribution saying: "Look at me" or "Watch me!".
When Freddie sings: "Roger Taylor", the initial "r" is rolled by Mercury to sound like a drum roll and after the lyric "Look at me, look at me". Roger "answers" with a drum fill.
[b]Breakthru[/b]
Another high point of the album. Has a great energy probably from the beating that sound as a trying combined with Freddie's power with vocals makes
a great song. One of my best to listen in a good day.
[b]Rain Must Fall[/b] (One of my favs but that I don't say it outloud too much)
A bizarre sound and a rare lyric coming from Queen. But It can't be criticized for not trying.New risky sound, very different from what we've been listen in the album. Lots of percussion. A a great guitar work from Brian in backing tracks.
Brian's solo is a masterpiece, too bad it's placed in a regular song.[b] And it gets even greater towards the end!, when he just keeps playing along. Too bad it fades out![/b]
[b]Scandal[/b]
A strange song for Queen, but I totally love it. This one stands out from the singing. Which kind of prooves about Freddie's voice that I wrote above.
[b]My Baby Does Me[/b]
How can you not love this song?. It has a great beating, very smooth and a good bassline.
Brian really does it well making small adds to improve it. And I love the idea of the lyric telling everyone that his baby really does him, but not a good way (which we find at the end).
[b]Was it All Worth It[/b]
Another Queen's masterpice to me. Creating an atmosphere again at the begining, like the old days with long and light intros and then the heavy explotion.
I love the strenght of this song and the great thing is that that heavyness goes up and down and at some parts it's an instrumental song! And I think it's great that the 4 contributed to the song and made a kind of review of their carrer and themselves.
As sad as it is...the title of the song it's a kind of good bye from Queen.
MmP