Synthesisers responsiable for Queens demise in 80's?

Sorry Adam, to further clarify my statement, I meant to say that instead of their synth sound sounding like any band, it could have been any band if you listened to the music without the vocals. So if we get back to the 'demise' (not my choice of words BTW), I think that synth use led to it because strictly in North American terms, nobody cared for Queen as a keyboard heavy pop band. CLTCL, AOBTD, Body Language, Radio Ga Ga and IWTBF were all released as singles in North America, and Brian May's guitar was barely in any of those songs. For better or worse, Queen was a rock band on this side of the pond. Their foray into keyboard/dance music was probably necessary from a creative POV, but it killed them as a band over here.

Are we still whinning about the synths?

OK, the 80s albums weren't as good as the first ones. BIG FUCKIN' DEAL! I can still enjoy 'Hot Space', 'The Works' and 'A Kind Of Magic'. I wouldn't say they were masterpieces, but they were pretty damn good albums in their own style.

You whinny brats who complain about the 80s remind me of those Metallica fans who nag like old ladies about everything they did after The Black Album.

Personally there's not one single Queen album I don't enjoy. Even 'Hot Space' is quite decent when you think of it.

Here, here! Mr Jingles, I totally agree. I ain't gonna let it stop me from listening and enjoying what I get from those albums. I'm always glad to hear the band's work.

Peace,
Adam.

I don't think using synths resulted in 'demise,' but it certainly changed the songwriting methods. Bands who successfully used synthesizers in the early 80's came in many packages, from Duran Duran to later hair-metal acts like Bon Jovi. Van Halen & ZZ Top are good examples of bands that integrated keyboards successfully in that era. Also, the Linn drum machine played a big part of the sound of pop acts with chart success in the US in the 80s. When Queen used keyboards well-- Play the Game, Under Pressure, Hammer to Fall, I Want it All -- they only augmented really strong songwriting. Jan78 so many good points! The difference between the album version of A Kind of Magic and the Highlander credits version is a classic example.

I suddenly have a craving for the Edgar Winters Group "Frankenstein"

Synthesizers or not, whatever Freddie sings I like.

Hey Mr. Jingles, with all due respect, the premise posted was "synthesizers responsible for Queen's demise in 80s?" So if "the 80s albums weren't as good as the first ones" maybe it's because of synthesizers changing the songwriting process or taking away from the trademark Queen sound of the 70s? So if you are agreeing that Queen's mid-career output weren't as good, isn't the thread starter's question at least relevant? You say 'Hot Space', 'The Works' and 'A Kind Of Magic' aren't masterpieces, I'd say II, SHA, ANATO & ADATR were. Because of synths being absent? No, but as a piano/guitar/bass band, they hadn't fully incorporated synths until 7 years after, and they never had a trademark sound like early Genesis or Yes when you could tell it was Tony Banks or Rick Wakeman.

Also disliking synths doesn't make people whiners. I personally believe that they made great use of synths sometimes, and others it was a waste of time. Other than MIH, there's not one single Queen album I don't enjoy. That's neither here nor there though. A great song is a great song, regardless of instrumentation. My belief is that Queen's relative demise, a more US thing than anything else, occurred when keys became more prominent than the guitar and piano, so theoretically our poster is onto something, but for another reason.

I don't think synths damaged Queen career by any mean. Yes, there were some improper use of synths on songs like "Play The Game", but I think they learned from that.
Without a doubt I can say that most Queen songs that have used synths sound good, or decent to the least.
The use of synths was an unexplored territory for Queen in the early 80's, and while they weren't particularly savvy on it as new wave bands like Depeche Mode, they quickly learned how to use synths and not losing their appeal.

When you think of it, ask yourself if Queen's career particularly damaged in the 80s anywhere else other than the States? They still had a bunch of hits, their albums sold well, and their concerts became increasingly popular. How does that show that a career has been damaged?

The truth of the matter is that the U.S. public is not very keen on changes from rock to pop. Queen built an American following based on their rock sound, but once they started to experiment with synths and pop oriented sound, the general public didn't take it so well.

"The truth of the matter is that the U.S. public is not very keen on changes from rock to pop. Queen built an American following based on their rock sound, but once they started to experiment with synths and pop oriented sound, the general public didn't take it so well."

And that, Mr. Jingles, more than Freddie's gayness, moustache, or IWTBF video is an absolutely correct analysis, and wins you my post of the day waward!

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]BHM 0271 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]"The truth of the matter is that the U.S. public is not very keen on changes from rock to pop. Queen built an American following based on their rock sound, but once they started to experiment with synths and pop oriented sound, the general public didn't take it so well."

And that, Mr. Jingles, more than Freddie's gayness, moustache, or IWTBF video is an absolutely correct analysis, and wins you my post of the day waward![/QUOTE]

I think those you mentioned were the nails on the coffin for Queen in the U.S.

I believe what hurt Queen the most was 'Hot Space'. It was a huge mistake to try to revive a genre like Disco that by 1982 was not only buried and despised, but even worse to see a rock band like Queen trying to experiment on bringing it back.

Death to HOT SPACE!