Listening to AKOM again

I tend not to bother with this album much these days, In recent times I’ve said it’s my least favourite Queen album.

However, listening to it tonight (I got out my first pressing vinyl copy - it's still like new),I realised it’s not as bad as I remembered... well, aside from the album cover. I can't see any improvement there. In fact, it got me wondering why I’ve been dismissing this album so much in recent years. I guess it’s those weaker tracks, and the way the album tends to be a bit all over the place. But it didn’t bother me one bit listening to it earlier.
Pain Is So Close To Pleasure is pretty catchy really. I found myself enjoying it! The same goes for Gimme The Prize, I enjoyed that too. And the other tracks often thought of as the weaker ones - the non-singles (in the UK) - One Year of Love is actually a nice track. Of course, it goes without saying the WWTLF is one of the standouts. And DLYH? Yeah, it’s alright, in an 80s Edward Woodward Equalizer kinda way, I could go on, but you get the general idea....

It was like welcoming an old friend back.... or maybe it’s because of the hot weather getting to my head.

Good for you!

I love the cover art!

To me it's the most 'sterile' Queen album from an recording point of view - I don't know if that comes down to it being the first one recorded completely digitally or not, but it lacks some soul for me. The drum sounds are far too processed (where real drums are involved they sound worse than the real drums, when used, on Hot Space), and the whole album lacks a continuity, cohesiveness and completeness, despite having some great singles on it (A Kind of Magic, One Vision, Who Wants to Live Forever). And Freddie's vocal on One Year of Love is possible (IMO) worst in their catalogue - just trying and straining too hard, and the one time he gets it wrong delivery wise for me.

I like rediscovering an old album. Always worthwhile.

For me, It's WWTLF that kills the album. Maybe just having it open side 2 is a real 'skip' track. I tend to have an issue with most track orders on later Queen albums and this one suffers for having stuff like PISCTP and OYOL next to each other. OV was old hat by then too so it all seemed quite cobbled together. Having loved ADRRFMD on the b-side of AKOM, DLYH seemed like a really watered down version of it.

Perhaps they should've split the album with side 1 the Highlander tracks like the old days.

I should imagine POTU was the natural choice for opener, but maybe thinking of the stage show OV was included - might have had more impact as a stand alone single and still be the tour opener.

Of course, I'm overthinking what is essentially a disposable 'pop' album.

I've always thought that they were trying too hard to be Queen. . Or at least what they thought fans wanted.

When they got it right it worked, One Vision, WWTLF, AKOM and POTU to me are the best songs, because they sound quite natural, but the rest sound a bit contrived, and a massive retreading of old steps with FWBF, Freddie had already written the perfect singalong set closer in "Champions" FWBF sounds like someone else's attempt to write a similar song. On the tour they squeezed it between two classics that gave it an almost unnoticed footnote in the set, they couldn't okay it earlier and they couldn't drop WATC or Rock You.

As has been pointed out, the production is generally sterile. Playit back to back with ADATR or NOTW, it falls short sound wise alone.

Still can't get over the "I'm a PRISONEROFLOOOOOOVE insiiide you" bit in OYOL. Cringefest. Ruins the whole song. :/
Still hoping for an alternate take to surface. :D
Still...

I liked FWBF inserted in between WWRY and WATC. Showed they were thinking and changing. It worked better on Live Magic TBH. SHort and sweet.

I agree with @cmsdrums about the production on this album, mainly the drums. It's my 2nd least favorite drum mix aside from Jazz. (it's not so much the drum tone itself, because I love the gated snare, its the way its mixed. its not 'big' enough, but then again its not MY mix so who am I to judge.)
But the songs themselves, I do believe are top notch. I would have loved to hear Freddie done a full out metal album like Gimme the Prize and Princes of the Universe.

I am surprised Friends Will Be Friends was never a big hit, its so damn catchy..

I am not very fond of FWBF now.

However, when I was in graduate school, I bought the album (actually cassette) shortly after it was released, a few days after I stood in front of a large 7 story window with a large cast iron bar in my right hand.

PISCtP, FWBF and WWtLF helped me through that dark time.

[QUOTE] [b]cmsdrums wrote:[/b]

I love the cover art!

To me it's the most 'sterile' Queen album from an recording point of view - I don't know if that comes down to it being the first one recorded completely digitally or not, but it lacks some soul for me. The drum sounds are far too processed (where real drums are involved they sound worse than the real drums, when used, on Hot Space), and the whole album lacks a continuity, cohesiveness and completeness, despite having some great singles on it (A Kind of Magic, One Vision, Who Wants to Live Forever). And Freddie's vocal on One Year of Love is possible (IMO) worst in their catalogue - just trying and straining too hard, and the one time he gets it wrong delivery wise for me.[/QUOTE]

One Year Of Love...I used to love that song, but can't stand it for the past few years. The whole song from the lyrics, production to even the vocals, it doesn't quite work.

I think the fairest thing to say about the album, artwork included, is it's VERY 1986.

WWTLF is a complete borefest. Never liked it.

My version that we'll listen to a couple of times a year

Side One
OV / AKOM / OYOL / FWBF (ext)

Side Two
POTU / Just One Life (Brian) / GTP / DLYH / WWTLF

bonus
Forever

I liked the cover, many of the songs, but I hated the programmed (lazy), too loud at times drums, and their herky jerky rhythm (or lack of) during 'Don't Lose Your Head'. 'Pain' was an instant pain to listen to, and I have not listened to the album in its 'correct' order since the second or third time I heard it in '86.

WWTLF, with Michael Kamen, is easily one of the twenty best and emotionally moving songs the band created. The flow of the LP leaves much to be desired.

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

I think the fairest thing to say about the album, artwork included, is it's VERY 1986.[/QUOTE]

I agree with that.
I like the album for the most part.

'WWTLF, with Michael Kamen, is easily one of the twenty best and emotionally moving songs the band created'

That's not really saying much! At a rate of, say, one classic emotionally moving song per album, across their 15 albums :D