Queen in Review: The Game/Flash Gordon/Hot Space

The Game was an album of firsts for Queen. It was their first album to feature synthesizers, an instrument Queen had explicitly stated they did not use on past albums. The record actually begins with the electronic sounds generated by a synthesizer bringing Queen into the modern new wave age of the eighties.

The cover of the single for "Play the Game" was the first image showcasing what would become Freddie Mercury's trademark moustache. It's hard to imagine that it took Freddie 8 albums to birth the moustache which I always associate with him but in reality it was a newcomer to the Queen arsenal. I truly believe that due to the awesome power of the moustache alone, Queen was allowed to coast through the rest of their career putting out mediocre albums.

The Game was also their first, and only, #1 record in both the U.K. and the U.S. but don't let that trick you into thinking that it's their best album for it most certainly is not and marks the beginning of the end to their weird and wonderful 70s brilliance. Much of this success can be attributed to the 2 killer singles "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust" which, even when I was 3 years old I knew was a monster single. Queen previously had hit singles with muscular rock, operetta and arena anthems so why not rockabilly and disco funk as well? Where did this band come from and why did they have to peter out over a series of bland albums and bad ideas instead of simultaneously exploding on stage?

Weirdest song - "Don't Try Suicide"

Dont Try Suicide - Queen

Queen is a band famous for their excesses but should be equally well known for their risk taking. Each album finds them pushing some sort of boundaries and attempting to expand their sound. They were incredibly restless so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that they follow up their best selling album with an original soundtrack for a cheesy sci-fi film that was sure not to sell anywhere near the colossal smash that was The Game. Like someone newly in love, Queen take their new fascination with synthesizers and bleed it for all it's worth on Flash Gordon. It's actually a fascinating album full of wonderful retro-electronic soundscapes scattered, smothered and covered in the kind of dialogue that will make you wet your space pants. For example: "Look! Water is leaking from her eyes. It's what they call tears." Flash Gordon sounds almost nothing like Queen but instead resembles Dr. Who and Tron attending a Tangerine Dream concert. It's not an easy listen if you're looking for a normal album but it does feature "Flash's Theme" which may just have the best falsetto ever heard in the history of the universe.

Weirdest song - "Crash Drive on Mingo City"

Crash Drive On Mingo City - Queen

This is where the ride ends. A depressingly unsexy album of funk workouts and cheeseball 80s dance-soul. I'll take Zapp and Roger over this junk any day of the week. "Under Pressure" is flawless and a beautiful finale to the astounding first decade of Queen. The rest is just nonsense.

Weirdest song - "Cool Cat"

Cool Cat - Queen