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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2015 6:32:00 GMT
My choice this week is Queen's Greatest Hits II, released in 1991.
This album might not contain the biggest singles of Queen's career, but I seem to enjoy the latter stages of Queen's career more than some people, so I love this CD.
I remember Radio Ga Ga, Under Pressure, and I Want To Break Free getting a decent amount of radio and MTV play in the US.
The true highlights of this album, for me at least, are the moving The Show Must Go On, the funky, Michael Jackson-like Invisible Man, and the David Bowie duet Under Pressure.
The albums represented within this compilation, are : 1982's Hot Space, 1984's The Works, A Kind Of Magic, from 1986, 1989's The Miracle, and the 1991 album Innuendo.
The Songs: A KIND OF MAGIC UNDER PRESSURE (WITH DAVID BOWIE) RADIO GA GA I WANT IT ALL I WANT TO BREAK FREE INNUENDO IT'S A HARD LIFE BREAKTHRU WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER? HEADLONG THE MIRACLE I'M GOING SLIGHTLY MAD THE INVISIBLE MAN HAMMER TO FALL FRIENDS WILL BE FRIENDS THE SHOW MUST GO ON ONE VISION
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Post by jrmugz on Sept 20, 2015 19:02:17 GMT
Very very very cool, Brax! I think I owned this one a few years back. Look for the feedback later this week. Will certainly be enjoying playing it while creating the review in the meantime. Jim
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Post by PowWow on Sept 20, 2015 19:25:58 GMT
Despite not being a huge Queen fan the singles from the Miracle/Innuendo period did pull me in a lot especially with The Miracle being just pure magic and hearing that lyric "...The one thing we're all waiting for, is peace on earth - an end to war, It's a miracle we need - the miracle, the miracle we're all waiting for today,..." brought genuine tears to my eyes, no joke.
When Freddie was nearing the end of the road, his voice takes on a completely different tone that cries out for help which brought emotion unseen in early Queen records (Well, in my opinion anyway).
Btw apart from Under Pressure, Greatest Hits II seems determined to convince Queen fans that Hot Space didn't happen and UP was just a non-album single.
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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 20, 2015 20:43:40 GMT
I own this album. Not a fan of it (except for "It's a hard life"), neither of Queen in general.
BTW, didn't anyone else notice a strong similarity between "It's a hard life" and "Midnight blue"? I find them so similar that it makes me wonder if Freddie Mercury (who wrote the song) wasn't listening to ELO at the time.
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Post by Chippa on Sept 20, 2015 22:13:09 GMT
I own this album. Not a fan of it (except for "It's a hard life"), neither of Queen in general. BTW, didn't anyone else notice a strong similarity between "It's a hard life" and "Midnight blue"? I find them so similar that it makes me wonder if Freddie Mercury (who wrote the song) wasn't listening to ELO at the time. Well they both worked in the same studio, and worked with Mack (ELO, as an engineer, and Queen, as a producer), so that's possible. A Kind Of Magic - Great bass on this song, courtesy of the always amazing John Deacon. Fantastic melody, too. Love the Brian May guitar solo at the end. Just a great song, overall. Under Pressure (with David Bowie) - Another classic bassline(ripped off by the talentless Vanilla Ice). Bowie and Freddy have really good chemistry, here. This stands up with the very best of Queen's major hits, in my opinion. Radio Ga Ga - Love those percolating synths that kick it off. This is a beautiful song about nostalgia, and radio being nudged out of the way by music video. Imagine how he'd feel today, if he thought it was bad, then? The Live Aid version of this song is one of the greatest things, ever. I Want It All - A great, tongue-in-cheek anthem about greed. Love the metallic guitars, and Freddy's snarling vocals. The bridge, sung by Brian May, is excellent, too. Epic song. I Want To Break Free - A little bit of silliness, made even sillier by that hilarious video they made for the single. That synth-guitar solo is the real highlight of this song. Just noticed how similar the bassline is to Under Pressure. Interesting. Innuendo - Reminds me of a Robert Plant solo song. Very cool atmospheric sounds. Great bridge with the Spanish flavor, and May's Flamenco-like solo. It's A Hard Life - Helmut said this reminds him of Midnight Blue by ELO. I really don't hear it. if anything, it reminds me of Queen's song Play the Game. Nice, hook-filled chorus. Breakthru - Gospel-ish opening choir, followed by an onslaught of synths. Definitely a good driving song, although you'd probably go over the speed limit. Not all that interesting, melodically, but it's a memorable song. Who Wants To Live Forever - Brian May wrote this song, and I think he sings some of the lead vocals, too. A real anthem, for sure. A bit long, but that doesn't detract from the song's power. Headlong - I love Queen's hard rock side. Fun lyrics, here. The Miracle - I kinda hated this song the first time I heard it, but it's grown on me over the years. Cool raindrop effects with the keyboards. The lyrics are a bit simplistic, but hey there's nothing wrong with being hopeful and positive. I'm Going Slightly Mad - Not really a fan of this song. Cute lyrics, but that's about the only thing it has going for it. Total filler. The Invisible Man - A real treat to listen to on some good headphones. Voices and instruments bounce around everywhere. The roll call of each band member is a very cool touch. Another stellar guitar solo from Brian May. Very catchy stuff. Hammer To Fall - Another fist pumping metal-tinged song. For some reason, the production on this song reminds me of the "A New World Record" version of "Do Ya". Friends Will Be Friends - A feel good song about the power of friendship. Only Queen could take an otherwise trite lyrical theme, and make it a fantastic song. Love the melody of this one. The Show Must Go On - Brian May wrote this song about Freddy Mercury's battle with AIDS, and more specifically his drive to continue performing despite knowing he was approaching the end of his life. Even with all he was going through, Freddy delivers some of the greatest vocals of his career and really hits this song out of the park. Amazing stuff. One Vision - I still love the mini-documentary they did about the recording of this song. As for the song itself, it's another one that's grown on me over the years. A really well-crafted song that proves Queen still had it going on, despite some people's opinion to the contrary. Overall, I give this one a 9/10. Queen were a brilliant band, and I doubt we'll ever see the likes of them again.
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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 21, 2015 1:37:31 GMT
It's A Hard Life - Helmut said this reminds him of Midnight Blue by ELO. I really don't hear it. if anything, it reminds me of Queen's song Play the Game. Nice, hook-filled chorus. The chorus, I forgot to say I'm talking about the chorus here. Sing one over the other. The hook "I-i will..." is exactly the same as "It's a hard life..." and the parts that follow too, the melody is very similar. And yes, it's pretty much the same as "Play the game" as well.
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Post by PowWow on Sept 21, 2015 9:50:30 GMT
Under Pressure (with David Bowie) - Another classic bassline(ripped off by the talentless Vanilla Ice). Bowie and Freddy have really good chemistry, here. This stands up with the very best of Queen's major hits, in my opinion Ooohh Somebody's being elitist
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Post by Chippa on Sept 21, 2015 17:24:27 GMT
It's A Hard Life - Helmut said this reminds him of Midnight Blue by ELO. I really don't hear it. if anything, it reminds me of Queen's song Play the Game. Nice, hook-filled chorus. The chorus, I forgot to say I'm talking about the chorus here. Sing one over the other. The hook "I-i will..." is exactly the same as "It's a hard life..." and the parts that follow too, the melody is very similar. And yes, it's pretty much the same as "Play the game" as well. Ah yea...I kinda hear it, now. Very similar, for sure. Good ear!
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Post by Chippa on Sept 21, 2015 17:26:52 GMT
Under Pressure (with David Bowie) - Another classic bassline(ripped off by the talentless Vanilla Ice). Bowie and Freddy have really good chemistry, here. This stands up with the very best of Queen's major hits, in my opinion Ooohh Somebody's being elitist Nah, Vanilla Ice just sucks. Not an elitist opinion, at all. Actually, I met Ice when he was filming his reality show near where I live, last year. Nice enough guy.
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Post by queenofthehours on Sept 22, 2015 16:59:36 GMT
Ooh, fantastic! I could do with a boost of Queen.
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Post by unomusette on Sept 22, 2015 22:36:58 GMT
Doh! I was saving up Jazz to put up here one day, I'm more of a fan of their older stuff to be honest but I'll give these tracks a good go too
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Post by nickheynes on Sept 23, 2015 14:45:57 GMT
I Prefer a lot of Queens later stuff. (possibly because technology caught up with the bands musical aspirations). Stand outs on this collection for me are . Breakthru. I'm going slightly mad. Innuendo and The Invisible Man. Never like I Want to Break Free. I was lucky to see them at Wembley in '86.If I remember rightly INXS the Alarm and Status Quo were on the bill. One of the bestest gigs everrrr!
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Post by nickheynes on Sept 23, 2015 14:56:37 GMT
Oh and I'd seen Rodders and ELO the week before!
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Post by 88keys on Sept 23, 2015 21:27:54 GMT
I wasn't really well acquainted with Queen's later work, so most of these songs are new to me. A Kind Of Magic...... Yeah, not bad. An 80's sound, but in a nice way. A really catchy toe tapper. Fave moment- "The waiting seems eternity, that day will dawn of sanity". Under Pressure.....Two geniuses making magic together. Fave moment- "This is our last dance..this is our last dance..this is ourselves.." Fucking beautiful! Radio Gaga....Is this a SiriusXM station devoted to Lady Gaga? No! lol. But it's quite the interesting song, both lyrically and musically. It has touches of ELO's 80's music in it, too. Fave Moment - "Stick around cause we might miss you, when we grow tired of all this vision". I Want It All ..... This is like Queen's stab at a Bon Jovi song, but they do it far better than Jon and his band! What a great rocker. Fave moment- the freakout guitar solo! I Want To Break Free..... Analog synthesizer heaven. Totally appealing on first listen. Fave Moment - The synths solo. Innuendo...... Chippa said this sounds like a solo Robert Plant joint, but I think it sounds like something from Kashmir era Led Zep. It's definitely not minimalist! Fave Moment - The Spanish guitar. It's A Hard life ...... The beginning with the piano made me think of Bohemian Rhapsody. Yet another amazing song. Fave Moment- "I did it for loooovvvvveeeee!" Breakthru..... What a weird song! From the a cappella beauty , which reminds me of something from the 1930's or 40's, to the brief classic Queen sound, right into an energetic, club sounding song. Fave Moment- the beginning. Who Wants To Live Forever.....Brian May has such a beautiful voice, but when you're in a band with a guy like Mercury, I guess it's easy to get overlooked as a singer. Fave moment- when Brian sings. Headlong..... A lighthearted rocker with goofy words. Fave moment - The backwards sounding part at the very end. The Miracle.....This is the only song I actively dislike on this album. It could have been so much better, but it feels like they just threw it together and said "fuck it". I'm Going Slightly Mad..... The shaky feeling of the song makes it sound like he's actually going mad. Fave Moment - "it finally happened, I'm slightly maaaaad!" Invisible Man....Does the first verse remind anyone else of Ghostbusters? Super infectious and makes me want to dance! Fave moment- the bass that runs throughout the song. Hammer To Fall .....Makes me wanna throw my rock fist up! Hell yeah! Fave Moment- "here we stand or here we fall, history won't care at all" Friends Will Be Friends......I love what this song stands for, but it feels like it could have been better. Fave Moment- the chorus. The Show Must Go On.....I watched the video for this song and found tears welling up in my eyes. If there was a "God", I'd tell him to bring Freddy Mercury back and take Justin Bieber. Fave Moment- "I'll soon be turning, 'round the corner now". One Vision ..... A killer way to close things out. A totally inspirational song, in the vein of Lennon's Imagine. Fave moment- "just gimme gimme gimme..fried chicken!" This is a strong 4 out of 5 star record. I think I'm going to buy most of these songs right now.
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Post by jrmugz on Sept 24, 2015 4:04:14 GMT
I own this album. Not a fan of it (except for "It's a hard life"), neither of Queen in general. BTW, didn't anyone else notice a strong similarity between "It's a hard life" and "Midnight blue"? I find them so similar that it makes me wonder if Freddie Mercury (who wrote the song) wasn't listening to ELO at the time. I see the similarity between the chorus of "It's a Hard Life" and their other hit "Play the Game". "Midnight Blue", yeah I guess there are some traces of it in there. Jim
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