Why is Body Language so reviled?

Back to 'Body Language':

From a compositional perspective, it's well-constructed and creative; from a lyrical perspective, nothing special; from a performance perspective, it's stale and empty IMO.

There's no Roger on this track, no John and very little Brian. It also lacks some of Freddie's best traits such as his piano playing, his romantic lyrics and more of his multi-part multi-tracked harmonies (they're there, and they're great, but they only appear for a few seconds). His lead vocal is magnificent but it could be put to better use on a better song IMO.

Sebastian: yeah there is something about "Body Language" that is missing, for the track sounds a little bit empty from the studio version point of view but on tour Brian did put some guitar work on this track which made it a little more interesting.
Still Freddie persuaded the others to go along with this disco funk sort of album, he was very brave, and when most fans disliked the album, they did however pull out all the stops on the next album "The works" as if they were panicking that they would loose fans forever!
i knew they were just experimenting and did not mind, because i loved been surprised with what came next.
Freddie kept the world on its feet!

The pulled out all the stops on The Works?

[QUOTE] [b]gerry wrote:[/b]Sebastian: yeah there is something about "Body Language" that is missing, for the track sounds a little bit empty from the studio version point of view but on tour Brian did put some guitar work on this track which made it a little more interesting.[/QUOTE]Gerry - this is very different to your usual Hot Space "party line" - you usually cite it as one of the band's best and certainly amongst your favourites - yet above your comments are almost apologetic - in the same way Freddie made a veiled apology for the album at Milton Keynes (i know i was there) - "it's only a bloody record...that doesn't mean we've lost our rock n roll feel"

[QUOTE] [b]gerry wrote:[/b]Still Freddie persuaded the others to go along with this disco funk sort of album, he was very brave, and when most fans disliked the album, they did however pull out all the stops on the next album "The works" as if they were panicking that they would loose fans forever! i knew they were just experimenting and did not mind, because i loved been surprised with what came next. Freddie kept the world on its feet![/QUOTE]
c'mon gerry, let's be clear - even the band don't cite their 80s output as their best - there's not another "queen classic" til we get to Innuendo album.
and (again) your final two sentences read like you're making excuses for the band - almost as if YOU'RE finally admitting that HS etc were not the queen classics you've previously claimed them to be....all that indignation and argument, and NOW you appear to have finally admitted that your ears have been lying to you for 22 years

edit: dbl post

I am not making excuses for Queen and i never stated "Hot Space" was one of there best
as someone said on this thread.
I take "Hot Space" for what it was at the time, and yes Queen pulled out all the stops on "The Works"
as roger said back in 1984 that it was what Queen fans wanted in terms of a traditional Queen album.
and it did have some great tracks on it.
Disagree with what you stated that there was not another Queen classic till "innuendo"
i can think of plenty i.e " Radio Ga Ga" " I want to break free" " A kind of magic" "i want it all"
were you a sleep from 1982 and woke up in 1991?
Mmmmmmmmmmm i wonder?

I never understood the idea of The Works beeing concidered a "conservative" or "safe" album. Its got everything and its major hits were again synth-pop oriented ( Radio gaga, I want to break free). Plus they took risks visually with I want To Break Free of course, and to some digree with Its a hard life.
So how The Works has been labeled a "safe, back to basics album", really dosen't makes sense to me.

[QUOTE] [b]gerry wrote:[/b]

I am not making excuses for Queen and i never stated "Hot Space" was one of there best
as someone said on this thread.
I take "Hot Space" for what it was at the time, and yes Queen pulled out all the stops on "The Works"
as roger said back in 1984 that it was what Queen fans wanted in terms of a traditional Queen album.
and it did have some great tracks on it.
Disagree with what you stated that there was not another Queen classic till "innuendo"
i can think of plenty i.e " Radio Ga Ga" " I want to break free" " A kind of magic" "i want it all"
were you a sleep from 1982 and woke up in 1991?
Mmmmmmmmmmm i wonder?[/QUOTE]

you need to learn to read fella - i said "until Innuendo ALBUM" - i wasn't referring to tracks - i referred precisely to albums

Even though you said "Until innuendo" you have gave the impression that everything else previous is trashed by you?
So basically you have dissed "The Works" album which is by far a better album than innuendo!

[QUOTE]

[b]gerry wrote: [/b] "The Works" album which is by far a better album than innuendo![/QUOTE]

:O How so? Just because it spawned more hits?

Because the song writing was much better and the songs had more foundation.
"Hammer to fall" was awesome!

Gerry...I agree "Hammer To Fall" is awesome...so is "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want To Break Free" and one or two others but I'm afraid that the Innuendo album just towers over The Works in almost every way.

If you get rid of the weak filler on both albums you get one half decent album:

"Innuendo"
"I Can't Live with You"
"Don't Try So Hard"
"All God's People"
"These Are the Days of Our Lives"
"Bijou"
"The Show Must Go On"
"Radio Ga Ga"
"It's a Hard Life"
"Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')"
"I Want to Break Free"
"Keep Passing the Open Windows"
"Hammer to Fall"

And this album isn't as good as anything they did between 1974-78.

^ perfectly stated.

Innuendo (the song) is, however, the closest Queen ever came in over a decade to creating something as good as the best material on SHA and ANATO.

73 to 78, that first album is awesome. Innuendo is on the next level, along with The Game.