Early Queen-recordings

[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]

I dunno why people are so intrigued by Silver Salmon. Its crap.[/QUOTE]

Because it represents a significant part of Queen history, where after the forward progression through A Day At The Races it became their first major moment of creative re-evaluation.

[QUOTE] [b]tomchristie22 wrote:[/b]

The guitar is pretty uninspired overall, mostly just playing chunky fifth chords. [/QUOTE]

Yup, that's what happens when the punk movement is exploding in the studio room next to yours.

Seen in grander historical perspective, it's all the more stunning that side 2 of News Of The World was as diverse as it was, as punk turned most rock bands into dinosaurs. That side of music is truly remarkable. Yes, even Get Down Make Love. This is the Queen that took risks and could still get away with it.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]



Seen in grander historical perspective, it's all the more stunning that side 2 of News Of The World was as diverse as it was, as punk turned most rock bands into dinosaurs. This is the Queen that took risks and could still get away with it.
[/QUOTE]

Yes, very true. They were still on that path with Jazz. The Game seened to lack that inventiveness, or at least presented it in a much more conforming way. I wonder what kind of album they might have made without Mack

Probably not a great one. They were slipping.

I don't think with The Game Queen "slipped". In fact. it is a very sharp, very smart experiment in shorter "power pop" songs and it was very successful obviously. Many songs still have the Queen "sound" -- Play the Game, Save Me, Sail Away Sweet Sister, for example but also Dragon Attack, Need Your Lovin Tonight and Rock It. The atypical songs -- Crazy Little Thing and AOBTD were really good. Not my favourites, but they had a talent for producing simple, elegant pop songs. The weaker songs, Coming Soon and Don't Try Suicide, aren't THAT weak. I quite like the former: the latter has a cool guitar solo. They followed up the Game with the cracking Flash Gordon soundtrack and one of the biggest selling Greatest Hits albums ever released. But then came Hot Space and that's where they really "slipped" because the Queen "sound" was mostly absent.

I dunno, The Game was a shorter and more focused album and finally cracked America. I think they learnt a valuable lesson there

I don't think they were slipping with The Game either. I think it's better as an album than i.e. Jazz (though I still probably like Jazz better).

[QUOTE] [b]dysan wrote:[/b]

I dunno, The Game was a shorter and more focused album and finally cracked America. I think they learnt a valuable lesson there[/QUOTE]

Queen cracked America in 77-78, they were playing, and selling out, arenas by then. Their albums were charting high too. . .

The Game was huge because it became a cross over due mainly to Bites The Dust. That tour played to the same Arenas the pervious tours had, although multiple nights at some venues were possible, it wasn't something that just happened they were already very establish in that market

[QUOTE] [b]Holly2003 wrote:[/b]

I don't think with The Game Queen "slipped".[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's what I meant ! They were slipping with Jazz. Mack helped them find a new straight-forward focus, and as a result they made a solid, accessible album. There's not a single bad cut on it.