Wishing AKOM was never made

As commercially successful as A Kind of Magic (album) was, I wish it had never been made because it was to a large degree restricted because of its association with the Highlander and a chunk of the album dedicated to that even though with some they later reworked into Queen songs it was still like recycling something to make the best of it rather than it being fresh and new and organic.

Imagine if they didn't have a 'fit the movie' remit that dominated a large chunk of the album, what kind of album they could have made at that time post-Live Aid with their enthusiasm and creative juices once more flowing into the vehicle Queen in a way we wouldn't have seen for a good few years by that time. It's almost a shame they had the commitment to the film at all. Not that the album is therefore without merit nor do I refuse to recognise how helpful the album was to their commercial success but artistically I'd have loved to hear what Queen could have produced at that time given free-reign creatively rather than be tied to in the most part having to refer back to the film.

Good post, fully agree. One Vision and WWTLF are good songs, the rest is bland at best.

Actually, One Vision is structurally one of their simplest (and therefore the most boring and forgettable) songs from 80's and sounds pretty uninspired. Can't argue with WWTLF though.

Simple is not the same as boring. We Will Rock You is simple but not boring, and One Vision have a great "punch".

AKoM has some good moments.

Who Wants to Live Forever is one of Brian best songs.
The original version of A King of Magic is a great track.
The guitar arpeggios of Gimme the Prize and the sheer heaviness of the song.
Princes of the Universe, enough said.

I agree some other songs can be fillers or dull, like Don't Lose your Head.

A simple song structure isn`t necessarily a bad thing, it doesn`t hold you back to lay down the most beautiful solos,fills and vocals on a simple structure.

Just mentioned.

On the other hand take a listen on "The Miracle", no big improvement in my opinion..so movie related or not...that was their level in the mid/late 80 `s.

In hindsight, I agree AKOM was a disappointing effort and they could have capitalised on their Live Aid success in a much better way. Surprisingly, I am not sure if there was a will within the band to do it at the time. The Highlander project itself could have been more interesting and no-one forced them to put songs as bland as One Year of Love or Pain Is So Close To Pleasure on the album. It seems they decided to take the easy route and produced something which sounded fairly current at the time and guaranteed good ticket sales for the tour, not really concentrating on using the opportunity to bring the big Queen sound back. "Princes of the Universe" is just an example of what it might have been, a shame indeed.

I like AKOM (the song) and FWBF and OV and WWTLF. The rest are OK. So, for me, that's a "below par" album but still very listenable to.

And it's the last before "something's up" :-( applies.

I have a real fondness for the AKOM album. I was 14 when it came out and it was the album that got me into Queen. What you have to remember is that like most Queen albums it reflected the kind of music that was popular at the time. Yes Queen were innovative but even someone who knew very little about them would surely be able to place albums like Queen, Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack in the arly 79's and albums like AKOM and The Miracle as being from the 1980's both in terms of production and feel. In 1986 music in the UK was very pop, very keyboard orientated so we end up with a Queen album in that vein in 1986. If they'd put out something along the lines of News of the World or Jazz it wouldn't have capitalised on Live Aid the way AKOM did. Similarly in 1989 UK and European music (where they were based at the time, no touring the world and soaking up other influences) music was at what I consider to be its musical nadir. Over-dependence on keyboards and synthetic technology and guff like Stock Aiken and Waterman's acts (shudder). Bros, Kylie and Jason and Phil Collins were having the big hits so it doesn't surprise me that Queen would put out my least favourite album of theirs - The Miracle. When I think back to the three year wait from AKOM and remember what was waiting for us at the end of it.... grimace!!! But it was a reflection of the musical times. Of course there wer other musical styles doing well and I wish they had veered closer to the power rock of Bon Jovi, GNR etc but the BIG hits were coming from the world of bland europop so that's what Queen aimed for sadly. After all, they'd been chasing hit singles rather than hit albums ever since 1980. :(

I'm a big fan of the album and find all the tracks with the exception of 'Don't Lose Your Head' to be good/fun/interesting. I know it's not a popular opinion to have and maybe it's because i have a poppier ear, but i think it's a very listenable and enjoyable album.

It's not my favourite album, but some of the highlights which have been listed, AKOM, WWTLF, POTU all came about because of the film. So maybe the film actually saved them from some very lengthy uninspired recording sessions.

Remember also that the album's success led to The Magic tour, which although only covering the UK and Europe, was a great way for the band with Freddie to end their touring days.

I agree too. Post-Live Aid Queen should have been able to do better, if we accept the official story that Live Aid made them a band again, which can possibly be debated (we have a "making-of" video for One Vision, but it's a promotional video after all). Maybe that other events (that came a bit later than 1985) made Queen a band again:

- Freddie being finally successful in solo with Montserrat -- the consensus here is that Mr. Bad Guy made Freddie record again with Queen because it was a flop. Had it been a success, maybe that Freddie would have done parallel careers (à la Phil Collins/Genesis) and would have felt better being in a band;
- The first signs of illness that made gave the band a sense of urgency and helped them bury their egos;
- Freddie shaving his moustache (my personal most logical explanation).

That's why I think that The Miracle is the first album of the new, born again Queen and not AKOM. Imagine what a great album it would have been, without the synths (particularly the synth drums)!

Finally, worse than AKOM was Flash... That's the album I wish was never made. Even more than Hot Space.

Yeah, first double post for me here!

Weel, AKOM is actually my 6th favourite album. I usually hear 7 of the 9 album tracks. Princes is great. WWTLF is great also. Prize is just as amazing. One Vision is very good. Magic, Year Of Love and Friends are not bad also.

I don't necessarily think it's the album itself that's the problem but more the fact of the concept of the album. You could get a world class chef and ask him to make a meal using only ingredients that began with the letter S and you'd end up with a nice enough meal but it doesn't mean it's as good as it would otherwise have been without restriction.

It's a case of:

a) Make an album using left overs from songs you wrote for a movie

vs

b) Go into the studio and make a new album

We got more 'a' than 'b' and at that time supposed creative invigoration it's a shame that Queen wouldn't release an album that could fully harness this creativity without restriction until 1989.

Not sure where exactly I'd rank it, but AKOM is probably my 2nd or 3rd least favorite Queen album. That being said, the only songs I'd say I hope weren't made were OYOL and DLYH.....