Hot Space (again...so shoot me)

Sorry there have been a thousand topics on this but I want some new perspective, certainly I've never had much of an opinion on this album. Anyway, now I do lol. I was thinking, I really don't like the Hot Space album. With the exception of a few songs, Las Palabras de Amor, Life is Real, I don't really like the alubm stuff. And anyway, I've a live version (Chicago something) of Life is Real that sounds infinitely better than any studio version. More emotion in it.

But on the other hand, after having got my hands on more live Queen material of late...I must say, their Hot Space stuff is awe-inspiring live. Damn those audiences who didn't like it! Staying Power is the most fabulous live number...Back Chat is cool...and Calling All Girls, makes me feel like getting up and dancing. Now that I think about it, the alubm vesrion I also like, but live I prefer.

Firstly, why on earth did Queen record the stuff on the album the way they did, and not with the energy the live versions had? I'd like to believe that had a Staying Power (or many other tracks) been released on an album that sounded more like live (e.g MK '82!), that same energy, that it'd have been a much bigger hit.

Secondly, I hope people will rediscover this stuff in years to come and view it in a new light. On countless sites I visit they talk about Hot Space as substandard material, the stuff that killed Queen's popularity here and there, et al. But viewed in the bigger picture of things I think it's anything but substandard. Maybe it didn't suit contemporary tastes? I don't think it quite suits today's musical trends/mood either, but some time in the future I'd like to think people would be able to give this album more credit than it has received!

I think Hot Space was good, but not one of my favorite Queen albums.
I thought it was amazing live.

I love Hot Space!!

One of their best, in my opinion.

I love Hot Space, and I vastly prefer the album versions of the songs to the live versions. The live versions are almost nothing but standard rock. OK, but nothing special. The album versions have character!

back chat live, incredible, powerful

back chat is one of my all time favorites!!! and I love staying power!!

I love hot space.

Hot Space is cool, but there's no contest between the album and live versions. Action This Day and Back Chat are AWESOME live (case in point: Milton Keynes)!

Action This Day is the ultimate live HS tune, IMO.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Suigi wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Action This Day is the ultimate live HS tune, IMO.[/QUOTE]

I agree

Yeah, I think most people so far have suggested that they prefer live to album for HS. And no it's not standard rock live (isn't it more funk in the case of most numbers like Staying Power, Backchat, etc..."Funk/Black" as Freddie said haha...and some just sound like plain pop e.g. Calling All Girls).

So I still don't understand why Queen never recorded the album stuff with the same verve and energy they had in the live stuff. It's not applicable to all albums...if I take SHA for example, classic live stuff like NIH was perhaps a little better live, more er lively lol, but there wasn't much between the two versions. Or whatabout the live staple CLTCL, it sure was different live, but not neccesarily better than the album recording. In the case of HS though they just seem miles ahead live.

I have a sort of weird opinion of this album going on here. On the one hand, I love it. On the other hand, I hate it. Weird.

Hot Space is a fabulous album! I think it should have been recorded different, but the songs are just great.

staying power live got me crazy after i heard it..such a heavy number!!!!