DISCUSSION: 80s Queen

I've been listening to Queen's music from the 1980s lately and have thought about the complete contrast in sound between their 70s studio heyday and their 1980s live peak. The latest Queen album I have listened to is the Works - an album that is often considered a step in the right direction after Hot Space. After listening to Queen's albums from Hot Space - Innuendo, I get the feeling that Queen had quite literally changed into the "Freddie Mercury" Band. The quality of their music varied greatly on the LPs and the use of programmed bass and drums really did spoil the 1980s for Queen. There is no doubt that Queen are far better acoustic band than electronic and I find it a great shame that Queen did not do more songs like Under Pressure, It's a Hard Life, Was it All Worth it..... in the 1980s and instead composed songs such as Machines, Don't Lose Your Head. One other disapointing thing was that songs like I Want to Break Free and A Kind of Magic are musically great and sound great live, whereas on the album there is really no musical quality except Freddie's vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar. My Verdict is Queen did not suddenly become a poorer band in the 1980s as during concert they showed how good they still were musically, however I think they did become lazy as a group in the studio and fall outs influenced some of the poore quality of music found on their albums.

Let's Start off with the strong points of Queen in the 1980s/Innuendo:

- The Game = Very good album/succesful
-  Another One Bites the Dust - Massive Hit
- Flash Gordon = Good Soundtrack
- The Game Tour - Solid performances, good musician ship
- Under Pressure = Great song - No.1 in UK
- Radio Ga Ga = Great Pop Song
- Success of the Works
- Queen's performance at Live Aid
- Queen's Music Videos
- Queen's consistent and amazing Concerts
- Doing songs for Highlander
- The Magic Tour
- Was it All Worth it = Queen's best song since 1980
- Innuedno = Great Song
- The Show Must Go On

Now the bad points:

- Poor songs from Hot Space
- Drum/Bass Machines
- Non Members doing Synths
- Lack of Guitar
- Lack of Great, standout songs on The Works
- The Works Tour - Poorer performances
- Sun City
- USA's reaction of I Want to Break Free promo
- Queen still don't record a standout album after Live Ai
- Continued lack of Great Album tracks

Now Let's Take a Look At the Discography:

The Game - 8/10 - All songs have real drums and bass
Hot Space - 5/10 - 6 songs have real drums/bass
The Works - 6/10 - 5 songs are mostly real drums, all songs have real bass
A Kind of Magic - 6/10 - 3 songs are fully real drums, most songs have real bass
The Miracle - 7/10 - 7 songs have real drums, most songs have real bass
Innuendo - 7/10 - 6 songs have real drums, most songs have real bass

VERDICT - Queen were an amazing live band in the 80s, their albums were mixed and I believe hit singles was the priority for the band. Low points are lack of real Drums and good collective music. Roger is a very good drummer and I always woundered why fake hi-hats were used in Queen songs during this time. Brian's guitar is also too quiet. Non the less Queen still had a decent decade, however it is no where near the standard of their 1970s material. It is fair to say that Hot Space changed Queen, and they were not the same until Made in Heaven.

I think it's unfair to rate Hot Space as poor, not all the songs are bad, some would have been brilliant if real drums and bass had been used, yes, I think Queen's use of excessive programming really brought them down, like you pointed out, most of those songs are amazing live, it makes you wonder what their creative health was like. Plus, their idea to still have their name credit was probably a big factor, I mean, look at One Vision, brilliant song, because they credited to Queen, imagine if Roger had said 'No, it's MY song, we do it the way I want it.' It would have just been another track you know.

Hammer To Fall, Radio Gaga and, specially, It's a Hard Life are great songs, some of the best in the band's catalogue ...
I don't understand this thing that people have against The Works here, for me, after The Game, is the best album released in the eighties.

"Lazy as a group ..."  Seriously??  I have no patience for this kind of thing tonight.

qrock wrote: I've been listening to Queen's music from the 1980s lately and have thought about the complete contrast in sound between their 70s studio heyday and their 1980s live peak. The latest Queen album I have listened to is the Works - an album that is often considered a step in the right direction after Hot Space. After listening to Queen's albums from Hot Space - Innuendo, I get the feeling that Queen had quite literally changed into the "Freddie Mercury" Band. The quality of their music varied greatly on the LPs and the use of programmed bass and drums really did spoil the 1980s for Queen. There is no doubt that Queen are far better acoustic band than electronic and I find it a great shame that Queen did not do more songs like Under Pressure, It's a Hard Life, Was it All Worth it..... in the 1980s and instead composed songs such as Machines, Don't Lose Your Head. One other disapointing thing was that songs like I Want to Break Free and A Kind of Magic are musically great and sound great live, whereas on the album there is really no musical quality except Freddie's vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar. My Verdict is Queen did not suddenly become a poorer band in the 1980s as during concert they showed how good they still were musically, however I think they did become lazy as a group in the studio and fall outs influenced some of the poore quality of music found on their albums.

Let's Start off with the strong points of Queen in the 1980s/Innuendo:

- The Game = Very good album/succesful
-  Another One Bites the Dust - Massive Hit
- Flash Gordon = Good Soundtrack
- The Game Tour - Solid performances, good musician ship
- Under Pressure = Great song - No.1 in UK
- Radio Ga Ga = Great Pop Song
- Success of the Works
- Queen's performance at Live Aid
- Queen's Music Videos
- Queen's consistent and amazing Concerts
- Doing songs for Highlander
- The Magic Tour
- Was it All Worth it = Queen's best song since 1980
- Innuedno = Great Song
- The Show Must Go On

Now the bad points:

- Poor songs from Hot Space
- Drum/Bass Machines
- Non Members doing Synths
- Lack of Guitar
- Lack of Great, standout songs on The Works
- The Works Tour - Poorer performances
- Sun City
- USA's reaction of I Want to Break Free promo
- Queen still don't record a standout album after Live Ai
- Continued lack of Great Album tracks

Now Let's Take a Look At the Discography:

The Game - 8/10 - All songs have real drums and bass
Hot Space - 5/10 - 6 songs have real drums/bass
The Works - 6/10 - 5 songs are mostly real drums, all songs have real bass
A Kind of Magic - 6/10 - 3 songs are fully real drums, most songs have real bass
The Miracle - 7/10 - 7 songs have real drums, most songs have real bass
Innuendo - 7/10 - 6 songs have real drums, most songs have real bass

VERDICT - Queen were an amazing live band in the 80s, their albums were mixed and I believe hit singles was the priority for the band. Low points are lack of real Drums and good collective music. Roger is a very good drummer and I always woundered why fake hi-hats were used in Queen songs during this time. Brian's guitar is also too quiet. Non the less Queen still had a decent decade, however it is no where near the standard of their 1970s material. It is fair to say that Hot Space changed Queen, and they were not the same until Made in Heaven.

Every band has a prime....for Queen it was the first 8 albums, until 1980......After that they got a bit stale as a rock group, but still released some really good pop songs.  A few good rocker's as well.   some things you're right about, other's yur talking nonsense.  first of all,  Innuendo is far better than made In heaven....innuendo is queen's best since their heyday.  Made In heaven is a nice album that has no real classics on it, though every song is at least good......The one thing i do agree on is after a certain point Queen did become The Freddie mercury band.   I was thinking about starting a thread asking when freddie became the band?  (as per the general Public)....the first 3 albums shows a balanced band with each member sounding great on their respective Instruments,  but when Bo Rhap/ANATO was released freddie started to seperate himself from the others, but even at that point in time Brian and roger were considered one of the best guitarist/drummers of the decade,  so i think The Game is when freddie really became what people percieve Queen to be....  I'm not talking songwriting,  or anything like that.   I'm talking about performance....In the 80's Brian had only had a few fine moments, but nothing real special, and roger became an average drummer....In all honesty a pretty weak sounding Drummer......Because of the average performances musically and the strong vocals people started to say Queen = freddie.....   A few weeks ago a discussion of the best rock guitarist came up on my facebook page and names like gilmore, Angus young, Blackmore came up.  I mentioned Brian May, The response?...Brian May was pretty good, but Queen was all about freddie!...that pretty much shows how people feel about Queen, and Brian as a guitarist....

I really got into Queen in the 80's. I was given a tape of The Works on Side A and A Kind of Magic on Side B from a friend. After listening to the tape over and over again I became really hooked. I went out a bought News of the World on LP and I thought it was like listening to a different band in a lot of ways. After buying up the entire back catalogue and listening to them over and over again I felt TW and AKOM were the weakest albums they had released (something I still think today)I would much rather listen to Hot Space than tracks 2-9 on The Works but I digress. I think Queen in the 80's lost sight of what they started out as but I applaud them for trying new things and trying to move with the times. Remember mid 80's charts were full of cheesy pop songs and whilst I don't think Queen were cheesy they were trying to fit in with the trends of the time. I also think Innuendo is almost Queen going full circle back to their early 70's sound.

First of all, let me say, I am 46. Seven seas of Rhye got me into Queen, when I was 8.  Those of a similar age to me also remember making sure we was in at 7 o'clock on a Thursday night, when Bo Rhap was No 1 and to make sure we could see the wonderful video, on Top of The Pops.
 If the first album I had heard by Queen was 'The Works' or 'A Kind Of Magic', it is fair to say I wouldn't be a fan of theirs today.. 'The Game' was the last great album they made. I went to Leeds in 1982 on my own from Manchester, as a 17 year old kid. It was incredible. I was right near the front of the stage, I couldn't hear properly the next day. Compare that to 'The Magic tour', which I saw in Manchester, I was very dissapointed, I was further back, with mates this time, haha. I couldn't see them nor hear them, I thought they was going through the motions.
 The Works tour in 84, they announced 4 dates in England, 2 at Birmingham NEC, 2 at Wembley Arena, I got tickets for all of them. Then they added 2 more dates, Grrr, I couldn't get tickets. Let me tell you, Elland Road was unforgettable, but The Works tour get's so much stick, it really annoys me. Let me tell you, you couldn't tell Roger was playing those silly drums on the night its self. You are in the moment, singing away, loving everyone, Remember it was a Queen gig. They did Liar, Great King Rat, Killer Queen, Keep yourself alive. They was absolutely awesome. Imagine seeing Queen, live, indoors? I did 4 times. I'd pick an indoor gig every time over an outdoor one.
 Back to the albums, Innuendo, was a great album. 'Hot Space' was better than people thought it was. They are the only two albums I could listen to by them after The Game. Although, Magic, Gaga and Break free were great live, cos they Queened them up, I.e. Guitars and drums.
 I have one question though, Am I the only one that thinks 'Dancer' is a hidden Gem?
 Also bear in mind, other bands who were succesful in the 70's were never as succesful as Queen were in the 80's, cos Queen moved with the times, so fair play to them. They was not Freddies band, nor any of the other three, They were Queen. And I wouldn't change a thing they ever did, That's why we love them, and they to me were, are, still the best band ever, bar none. Paul.
 P.S. I'm not having a pop at people who got into Queen in the 80's, either.

Listen, i love Queen, always have done and view their career as an oddyessy, all kinds of different styles and standards and personalities along the way, making decisions as they saw fit, whether for the better or worse.
    No matter what part of Queens career i'm listening to at any given time, it's tied in with my own personal memories and timeline, arguing with my mates, as a teenager about who had the best musical tastes,meeting my wife, asking her tentatively if she liked Queen, (to which she replied in the negative), getting married, having kids and seeing them discovering Queens music,  the legendary status they've acheived in the time since Freddies death, it's all part of what Queen are to me.
     For these reasons, i do not, or cannot, disect sections of their career or albums and get downbeat about them- the whole package has been a wonderful experience which i have enjoyed immensely!
    And remember, fans of any group could state highs and lows of their favourites, no one has had a perfect career.

.
Master marathon runner.
.
P.s. My wife did eventually come round to Queen, guess i opened her eyes !

I find it a little odd that anyone can consider Was it all worth it one of Queen´s best songs of the 80´s. I think it´s horrible but it is all subjective I suppose. The lyrics are probably the worst offenders "We bought a drum kit thought we were perfect" indeed! Bet they´re sorry about that now...

Matheusms wrote: Hammer To Fall, Radio Gaga and, specially, It's a Hard Life are great songs, some of the best in the band's catalogue ...
I don't understand this thing that people have against The Works here, for me, after The Game, is the best album released in the eighties.
Spot on. They don´t compare well with the 70´s albums but the Game and Works were the 80´s high points.

horse feathers wrote: First of all, let me say, I am 46. Seven seas of Rhye got me into Queen, when I was 8.  Those of a similar age to me also remember making sure we was in at 7 o'clock on a Thursday night, when Bo Rhap was No 1 and to make sure we could see the wonderful video, on Top of The Pops.
 If the first album I had heard by Queen was 'The Works' or 'A Kind Of Magic', it is fair to say I wouldn't be a fan of theirs today.. 'The Game' was the last great album they made. I went to Leeds in 1982 on my own from Manchester, as a 17 year old kid. It was incredible. I was right near the front of the stage, I couldn't hear properly the next day. Compare that to 'The Magic tour', which I saw in Manchester, I was very dissapointed, I was further back, with mates this time, haha. I couldn't see them nor hear them, I thought they was going through the motions.
 The Works tour in 84, they announced 4 dates in England, 2 at Birmingham NEC, 2 at Wembley Arena, I got tickets for all of them. Then they added 2 more dates, Grrr, I couldn't get tickets. Let me tell you, Elland Road was unforgettable, but The Works tour get's so much stick, it really annoys me. Let me tell you, you couldn't tell Roger was playing those silly drums on the night its self. You are in the moment, singing away, loving everyone, Remember it was a Queen gig. They did Liar, Great King Rat, Killer Queen, Keep yourself alive. They was absolutely awesome. Imagine seeing Queen, live, indoors? I did 4 times. I'd pick an indoor gig every time over an outdoor one.
 Back to the albums, Innuendo, was a great album. 'Hot Space' was better than people thought it was. They are the only two albums I could listen to by them after The Game. Although, Magic, Gaga and Break free were great live, cos they Queened them up, I.e. Guitars and drums.
 I have one question though, Am I the only one that thinks 'Dancer' is a hidden Gem?
 Also bear in mind, other bands who were succesful in the 70's were never as succesful as Queen were in the 80's, cos Queen moved with the times, so fair play to them. They was not Freddies band, nor any of the other three, They were Queen. And I wouldn't change a thing they ever did, That's why we love them, and they to me were, are, still the best band ever, bar none. Paul.
 P.S. I'm not having a pop at people who got into Queen in the 80's, either.
Hi Horse,

Your Queen experience mirrors mine almost identically. I too got into them around 74 or 75 at the age of 10 and my first gig was Milton Keynes. I saw them in Birmingham on the Works tour and you´re right, the song choice was excellent - I never thought I´d hear King Rat or Liar live.
I´m fond of hot space probably because it was my first tour. Although I quite liked The Works at the time I don´t really listen to it anymore. They reached their low point in the 80´s with Magic.
AND..I´ve said it many times - Dancer IS a gem. Things could have been different for Hot Space if that had been the first single I´m sure.

TBH I think of all the albums as a whole - there is no divide as far as I'm concerned, other than that in my head (the order I bought the albums for example). The 80's were kinder to Queen than to many artists. BTW I got into them in the early 80's listening repleatedly to Flash on GH1, and then occasionally letting it flow into Seven Seas Of Rhye. Then that became my favorite track.

I like the 80's,  but of course the 70's were unbeatable for Queen....My album order for the 80's....

The Game- Very good album...Especially side A.
The works-  The singles carry this album,  but a few album tracks are good...keep passing the open windows is decent.
Hot space- Coulda Shoulda been much better....Listen to the live version of these songs for proof.  the album is decent though.
A kind of Magic- good singles, the highlander songs are good, but the rest are weaker tracks.  Pain and pleasure, friends will be friends and don't lose your head bring this album down.
The miracle-  Queen's overall weakest IMO....their attempt to go back to basics finds them sounding old on this one.  Still, some really good songs here.

mike hunt said:
                           I like the 80's,  but of course the 70's were unbeatable for Queen....My album order for the 80's....The Game- Very good album...Especially side A.
The works-  The singles carry this album,  but a few album tracks are good...keep passing the open windows is decent.
Hot space- Coulda Shoulda been much better....Listen to the live version of these songs for proof.  the album is decent though.
A kind of Magic- good singles, the highlander songs are good, but the rest are weaker tracks.  Pain and pleasure, friends will be friends and don't lose your head bring this album down.
The miracle-  Queen's overall weakest IMO....their attempt to go back to basics finds them sounding old on this one.  Still, some really good songs here. 

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I agree, but tbh, i'd switch AKOM and The Miracle around, I mean, i think they're on a par as regards songwriting, hits, etc...
But at least the production is better on The Miracle, also, there's more live drums, bass and guitar on the Miracle than AKOM.

What is strange in these rating discussions is, that people - especially the younger fans - think there was the world and Queen and nothing else.

Queen were linked with the times they lived in. In the 70s multitracking was the new big thing in the studios with suddenly over 40 tracks on one tape available. And Queen played with that. So did many other bands like 10cc, ELO...Sweet....ABBA...  whoever. 

When Punk arrived Queen moved away from the big production and "News of the World" was the result. 

In the 80s there was the electronic explosion. Digital recording and editing became the big thing. It was suddenly hip to programm drums instead of playing them. So did many bands and artist - not only Queen. The results were "Hot Space" and "The Works". On their later albums they may have tried to bring all together, the multitracking sound of the 70s and the digital recording. 

So it's quite funny, when people wonder how Queen could do an album like "Hot Space" or dare to go away from their 70s sound. 
Everyone did, ELO went disco at one point and sent the orchestra home, The Sweet tried Funk. The Sparks went into electronic and dance.....Even the Stones explored some strange adventures like "Emotional Rescue".

But many other contemporary bands did not survive those changes unlike Queen. And that makes "Queen" quite unique.