UNDER PRESSURE / SOUL BROTHER

The eighties also made QUEEN change their musical style. Maybe their musical style started to change with their "The Game" album from 1980, becoming more simple, less elaborated, and less influenced by Progressive Rock music.

For the other part, I never have been a fan of DAVID BOWIE's music. I never have liked Glam Rock bands or "Theatrical music" very much. BOWIE was a "musical chameleon", as many people considers him. He played a lot of musical styles in his life, but for me his "personal and musical essence" was always very present, even with the constant changes of looks. So, he has a lot of fans. Not me, but I have to say that he had a very good voice and he was a very good singer. He also was an innovator in the kind of music that he liked, and I think that he was a very big influence in the development and in the music of a lot of artists like BRYAN FERRY, ROXY MUSIC, ALICE COOPER (maybe there were mutual influences), PETER GABRIEL, and others on which the visual and theatrical elements were brought to their music. The influences of looks and visual elements. How to impress audiences with visual elements and looks during the concerts. I'm not a fan of all these things. Maybe they are important for some people, but I prefer music, not theatre or looks or fashions.

I listened to the "Under Pressure" song several times through the years. I even watched to the video of the song a lot of time ago. I like the song and the video. I think that it was very good collaboration between BOWIE and QUEEN, with a very good arrangement, lyrics and interpretation. BOWIE and FREDDIE MERCURY really worked very well as singers, with their voices sounding very well together. The song also has a very characteristic bass riff which has been sampled or used by some Rap music artists."Under Pressure" is a very good song which still is played in the radio.

The Side "B" of this single has a song called "Soul Brother", also maybe recorded during the recording sessions for their "Hot Space" album from 1982. It really sounds like a Soul music / Blues song, with even Mercury sounding a bit like trying to imitate some Soul singers. It is also a good song, which was included as a bonus track in the re-issued "Hot Space" album some years ago.