Is Hot Space Queen's best album

I can see the reason behind this thread but don't agree. It is one of my favorites as it is such a strange record from the cover down. I do like it very much, but maybe because I'm still trying to 'get it'. Another Queen album that might have been better if the track order was better?

Hearing that beautiful Life Is Real from the tour this year made me dig out the album again. It reminds me of being little. I like.

A lot of their albums were original and risky. It was very risky to release Bo Rhap in an era of Bay City Rollers and The Osmonds; it was very risky to release We Will Rock You, a song which is possibly the antithesis of the usual Queen style of those days; it was very risky to issue A Night at the Opera, with things like Prophet's Song and Death on Two Legs; it was very risky to release a song like Innuendo in 1991 (when a lot of people used to listen to either Elton John or Nirvana or GnR or Michael Jackson).

Hot Space was a mediocre album. Not because of the style, not because of the alleged sexual nature, but because songwriting and performance were way below what they could and regularly did deliver. Programming a shitty drum machine when you have such a fantastic drummer is an awful decision, as is using a synth-bass when you have John Deacon.

By the way: 'A disco funk rock fusion, mixed with a latin ballad'?

Latin ballad? Really? Where?

Staying Power --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Dancer --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Back Chat --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Body Language --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Action This Day --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Put Out the Fire --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Life Is Real --> Ballad, not Latin.
Calling All Girls --> Ballad (sort of), not Latin.
Las Palabras de Amor --> Ballad, not Latin.
Cool Cat --> Neither Latin nor ballad.
Under Pressure --> Neither Latin nor ballad.

If LPDA is 'Latin Ballad' just for the five Spanish words it uses, then I guess Dancer counts as Schuhplattler because it's got seven German words; Bo Rhap and Ogre Battle, by their side, have a gong so that automatically transforms them into Philippine Kolitang music; Silver Salmon has timbales, that makes it mambo.

Heh.

Although I'd argue that the decision to use toy keyboards and drums was artistic. Which in itself is a strange choice of word for an album that lacks Queen's artistry.

It could've also been artistic to get Peter Freestone to sing instead of Freddie Mercury, or to replace Brian's guitars with the sound of a fart, yet that wouldn't make the result any good.

I actually quite like the album other than Cool Cat (embarrassing) and Body Language. Dancer and Put Out the Fire are class!

I agree with Sebastian in that you have Roger and John in the band yet opt for (some quite lame) machine programmed parts. If the album had been recorded and produced differently it may well have been better (although probably still not one of their best).

Having said that, it's got a better sound (to me) than The Works, and the awfully sterile A Kind of Magic album (which also has more filler tracks).

[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]
"They went for it, took a great risk with it. "
And failed with it....[/QUOTE]

no they did not fail with it
at all.
They got new fans and retained the old ones at the saame time and pleased some of the old ones who were on their wavelength, and committed to anything they do and did.

[QUOTE] [b]master marathon runner wrote:[/b]
Hot Space is like the finest of wines, better with age.[/QUOTE]

White wine, perhaps. Palatable when young, a shame to hang on to for years and years.

As king Freddie once said: All this crap again........

face it ,if you dont like hotspace you dont like Queen's diverse musical abilities
you just like their rock
And your a bit like Adam Lmbert fans, in that you pick only what suites you.
Dont deny it.

@sebastian - yes, but I'm saying that would be their choice, as artists.

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]
It could've also been artistic to get Peter Freestone to sing instead of Freddie Mercury, or to replace Brian's guitars with the sound of a fart, yet that wouldn't make the result any good.[/QUOTE]

Except in Hot Space's case, it was. :)

and what rubbish to say they held onto their established fans...they lost a whole continental fan base because of this album (north america)

Hot Space is only Queen's best album in a world where they only recorded two albums...and the other one was A kind of Magic

That's right Brenski! I was one of those kids who loved the band until I heard Hot Space in May of 82. I was so used to the various styles up to this point and then we got coldcocked with this thing. I lost them for a few years until The Works came out and they got me back! But they never lost me completely. I was still loyal... just disappointed!

I really like Hot Space. I think it's an extremely fun album, and I consider it to be among Freddie's best vocal albums. However, I do not consider it to be among Queen's best albums.