The horn section in Staying Power

Hi!

The horn section in Staying Power has always been referred only to (hot and spacey) horns.

Could somebody analyze the horn instruments of the section, please.

(This one goes out of topic but is the sax solo in Action This Day synthesizer?)

As far as I remember, the section's very simple, driven by parallel motions. Arif was a wonderful arranger, but this is something he probably did in fifteen minutes. It's like Usain Bolt running the 100 metres in half a minute: better than what the vast majority could achieve, but way below his own limits.

Yes, Action This Day is a synth.

Queen + horn section = wrong    :-(

What's song with a cleverly arranged horn section? Does no one here like to dance and have fun? I've performed this live with the said horn section a few times and when it all works the opposition between the horns, vocals and syth works a real treat! I think people need to accept Hot Space for what it was and either enjoy it or not play it all all, it's a free world after all.

Never thought of this before, but now the existence of "Body Language" makes sense to me. Freddie was probably originally thinking of a full-blown musical jazz version, something in the vein of Big Spender et al. Damn, that would've been great to hear. Queen with a proper horn section wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all...

Weren't they 'hot and spacey' and by Arif Mardin?

"What's song with a cleverly arranged horn section?"

Nothing.  It's just that there isn't one in Staying Power.

Zebonka12 wrote: "What's song with a cleverly arranged horn section?"

Nothing.  It's just that there isn't one in Staying Power.

or maybe you're just an old boring rocker who only likes one type of music.  You know, the 'I only like loud guitars and drums' type of person.   Boring.........I like artists who try different things.  Go and listen to kiss or ACDC.

"or maybe you're just an old boring rocker"

A).  I'm not old

B).  I like an awful lot of music that contains horn or brass arrangements.

C).  If the horns are so great, then why the hell is the live version so much better??      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrGhMeqR1lI

CruellaDeVille wrote: What's song with a cleverly arranged horn section? Does no one here like to dance and have fun? I've performed this live with the said horn section a few times and when it all works the opposition between the horns, vocals and syth works a real treat! I think people need to accept Hot Space for what it was and either enjoy it or not play it all all, it's a free world after all.
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Disliking something is also part of said freedom. I have every right to criticize the album, as I feel it represents a lack of inspiration and quite certainly a lack of effort - as Sebastian implied, the whole product would've been a decent effort if they were mediocre and under-talented, but it's frankly insulting coming from a band like Queen which not only could do better, but regularly did.

All this is apart from considerations of taste - I am simply speaking of rushed, ill-considered arrangements and cutting corners, like the synth-bass.

Standing ovation!!!

I agree Hot space isn't On par with Queen's best, (not even close)  but sometimes people think anything that isn't heavy rock or has a great guitar solo means it sucks.   Staying power is one of the better tunes on HS,  but i agree.  How much better could this album have been with better production.  I love the live version of these songs, staying power is only a little better live IMO.  I  also like the studio version, but 'action this day' is light years better live,  so is Back Chat.

>>> I agree Hot space isn't On par with Queen's best, (not even close)  but sometimes people think anything that isn't heavy rock or has a great guitar solo means it sucks.

And sometimes people think anyone who doesn't get an orgasm listening to Hot Space or My Baby Does Me is a person who thinks that anything that isn't heavy rock or has a great guitar solo sucks.

Some people (narrow-mindedly, IMO) reject Hot Space because it's not heavy. But other people are unbiased enough to entertain the idea that it's NOT a matter of style, but a matter of sub-par performing quality.

Sometimes political correctness goes mad even for these cases.

"but sometimes people think anything that isn't heavy rock or has a great guitar solo means it sucks"

But that's just an assumption on your part.  There are a myriad of other reasons that I don't think Hot Space was an entirely successful experiment.  It doesn't invalidate it as an album - experiments either work or they don't, that's the very idea of them.  I for one love a whole lot of music that isn't heavy rock.  You might want to come up with a more inclusive knee-jerk response to people who don't share your musical taste than "go listen to kiss".  It's very inaccurate.