Roger Taylor hated YMBF

The Real Wizard wrote:

Mercury hated Gimme The Prize
May hated Don't Stop Me Now
May, Deacon, and Taylor hated most of Hot Space

And who knows what else.

Mercury, Deacon and Taylor hated 'I Go Crazy', though that may have been because of its context rather than its contents.

Taylor hated 'Delilah', as others have mentioned. Interestingly enough, he seemed to like 'Body Language' - he just thought that wasn't really Queen (and it wasn't).

May has claimed to quite like 'Don't Stop Me Now', but not to be fond of what it represented in the sense of Mercury's separatism and hedonistic lifestyle at the time. Perhaps he was just being polite and he does/did hate it n_n I'd happily take your word over mine for this particular one.

Lennon hated 'Run for Your Life' and I think it was quite a nice song. Of course, the lyrics are really non-politically-correct at all, but they work for the character - they're, alas, realistic. And the music's simple but effective.

runner_70 wrote:

Deacon hated Hot SPace? Guess not as he was a fan of the black/funky stuff.

I love Queen, but that doesn't mean I automatically love everything they did or everything a tribute act does. Same for Beatles, Bee Gees, One Direction, Lang Lang, Spice Girls, Pink Floyd, Kurt Moll, Pentatonix, Home Free, Daniel Barenboim or any other act I'm fond of.

As a matter of fact, my love for opera (for instance) makes me more nitpicky about it, and makes me cringe when somebody doesn't do it justice (including myself, of course - especially myself). Deacy's case could've been similar: as a fan of those styles, he may have felt 'Hot Space' was a lacklustre half-arsed attempt at it, and hated it even more for it than if it'd been a metal album or a prog-rock album.

Sebastian wrote:

May has claimed to quite like 'Don't Stop Me Now', but not to be fond of what it represented in the sense of Mercury's separatism and hedonistic lifestyle at the time. Perhaps he was just being polite and he does/did hate it n_n I'd happily take your word over mine for this particular one.

In the last decade or so, it has become one of their most popular songs, so maybe Brian decided to tone it down and let people embrace the surface positivity of it.

But at the time it came out, he saw the implications of what it represented. I recall numerous interviews where he's pretty hesitant about it.

I think, talking with Reinhold Mack about that, John liked the album, but not liked the reception....like a failed goal.
Mack told me John and Freddie were the most members who wanted to do an album like that....perhaps at the end, John didn't like the result.
Is only a theory, in my humble opinion.
And everybody knows Mack said to Freddie....if you finish the album before I have my next son, you and John will be the godfathers...finally they did the album before, and Freddie and John were the godfathers of John Frederick Mack.
And we can't forget there are demos with more guitars and less electronic, funk elements.
Taylor Hawkings told me it was the album Freddie wanted. I think is the album John and Freddie wanted, but it was a failure in the charts, and they didn't like it at the end. As I said before, is only my theory. Peter Freestone told me something similar about Mr. Bad Guy. Freddie liked until he knew it was a failure in charts.
About Don't Stop Me Now Brian hated what represents the song. About the music, I don't know.
Another thing, last week a friend gave me an interview he did with Malcolm Young (R.I.P.), and Malcolm said Brian always said to them Queen would be a rock band always, being like in the 70's, he didn't like it the change in the 80's into more pop and disco music.

When it comes to what John liked, John's a far more reliable source than you or me or Mack or anybody else. If John said John didn't like it, John didn't like it.

http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=John_Deacon_-_XX-XX-1985_-_The_Hit
Here's the quote when John said he didn't like Hot Space? Only want the info Sebastian. You must be true. I was only saying theories...nothing more, nothing less.
You know, there is a lot of things....I mean, reading the book by Brian May, 3d, he said again Hot Space was an influence in Thriller...and I never found a quote by Michael Jackson said Hot Space was an influence.

I've given you the links before, there's no need to go through it all over again. But, anyway, the best one is the one where you can actually *hear* him saying so: https://youtu.be/gzOt2VGUAlk?t=8m11s

Thanks Sebastian.

Apocalipsis_Darko wrote:

I think, talking with Reinhold Mack about that, John liked the album, but not liked the reception....like a failed goal.
Mack told me John and Freddie were the most members who wanted to do an album like that....perhaps at the end, John didn't like the result.
Is only a theory, in my humble opinion.
And everybody knows Mack said to Freddie....if you finish the album before I have my next son, you and John will be the godfathers...finally they did the album before, and Freddie and John were the godfathers of John Frederick Mack.
And we can't forget there are demos with more guitars and less electronic, funk elements.
Taylor Hawkings told me it was the album Freddie wanted. I think is the album John and Freddie wanted, but it was a failure in the charts, and they didn't like it at the end. As I said before, is only my theory. Peter Freestone told me something similar about Mr. Bad Guy. Freddie liked until he knew it was a failure in charts.
About Don't Stop Me Now Brian hated what represents the song. About the music, I don't know.
Another thing, last week a friend gave me an interview he did with Malcolm Young (R.I.P.), and Malcolm said Brian always said to them Queen would be a rock band always, being like in the 70's, he didn't like it the change in the 80's into more pop and disco music.

Good info. Yes it's quite possible John liked Hot Space up until the moment it was released. Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan.

Holly2003 wrote:

Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan.

Man, that's a great quote.

Holly2003 wrote:

Yes it's quite possible John liked Hot Space up until the moment it was released.

Unlikely:

- Staying Power: He's barely featured.
- Dancer: He's not featured.
- Back Chat: He had to compromise (i.e. it wasn't as he wanted it).
- Body Language: He's not featured.
- Action This Day: Probably not featured, or barely so.
- Put Out the Fire: Subdued role.
- Life Is Real: Nothing special when it comes to what he did there.
- Calling All Girls: Ditto.
- Las Palabras de Amor: Subdued role.
- Cool Cat: Probably the only song which was as he wanted it to be.
- Under Pressure: One of his favourite moments (as well as Roger's, but that doesn't change the fact both John and Roger hated the album).

Now, let us see 'The Game':

- Play the Game: Interesting role, supporting but gorgeous bass-line.
- Dragon Attack: Key role, including a solo.
- Another One Bites the Dust: Key role, and massive hit which made him (and them) even wealthier.
- Need Your Loving Tonight: Supporting role, but way more interesting than what he did on all of 'Hot Space'.
- Crazy Little Tihing Called Love: Key role, big hit, he seemed to enjoy the song a lot.
- Rock It: Supporting role but not as subdued as that on most of 'Hot Space'.
- Sail Away Sweet Sister: Key role, even taking the lead at some points.
- Coming Soon: Supporting role but not as subdued as that on most of 'Hot Space'.
- Save Me: Supporting role but not as subdued as that on most of 'Hot Space'.


Frederick himself admitted he'd forced 'the other three' to do it, so it wasn't a matter of Jeddie vs Maylor, it was Frederick vs Brijohnger.

Most of this is subjective and some of it irrelevant. If he played bass as normal on a song, how is that a "subdued role"? How is his bass playing on Life is Real "nothing special" and even if that's true and not just your subjective opinion, how does it prove John didn't like Hot Space? How does the success of AOBTD affect whether or not John liked Hot Space? Maybe if he played less of a role on HS than on some previous albums, that was simply due to the strained atmosphere in Munich. It doesn't necessarily mean he disliked the album before it was released. Roger and Brian are on record now as disliking Hot Space. yet, when it was released they both defended it. Only after that initial wave of publicity was over did they disown the album. If it was successful like The Game, I'm sure they would all express their love for it, including John.

Good points Holly.....I'm not sure how a guy, in Freddie who everyone say's wasn't the leader of the band, but was only equal to the other 3 could force them into writing an album they didn't want to record....If John and Roger were freds equal than why allow it to happen? They all had their own songs, and usually the writer of a particular song has the final say of the final product. I think it's kind of messed up that after Freddie died the blame of the album's failure was put on Mercury and only Mercury....Roger wrote the first crap dance song with Fun It.....of course we know Dust came out before Hot Space. Going in a dance direction wasn't the only problem with that album, the more traditional Queen songs also didn't do them Justice. Put out The Fire? Life Is Real? Calling all Girls? I think Back Chat and Cool Cat were better than the Queen sounding songs.

I agree about Back Chat. It's not my favourite style of music but it's a perfect song for that genre, punchy, catchy, sung well by Fred, and with one of Brian's better solos. Sorry to say I've never liked Cool Cat, but can appreciate again how well executed it is. Fred's falsetto is amazing. But for me there's not enough going on in the song to make it interesting. Roger's songs on the album were poor. Body Language is dross -- easily the worst song Fred has ever written. The lyrics to Put Out the Fire are of noble intent, but the song is just dull. Brian's solo, apparently recorded while he was drunk, sounds just like it, but it's still the best part of the song. It always disappoints me when someone of Brian's skills writes such a dull and simplistic riff.

Mike: Back Chat, Cool Cat & Las Palabras De Amour were brilliant Queen songs, nothing wrong with them in my opinion, and they gave Queen a fresh new direction.
Why people slate Hot Space is a mystery because As Freddie quoted they were only trying a few new sounds.

happystar wrote:

. . . . . because As Freddie quoted they were only trying a few new sounds.

Which broadly speaking failed, even most of the band didn't like it