HOT SPACE

Why? Well, I'm a big QUEEN fan for ages and I've heard this album for the first time 15 years ago, and after all these years I realised that there are some good tracks here. This album is just one spot in the curve of band's career and creativity, and I like it because like to compare and analyse things and stuff, if nothing else. It's definitely worst Queen's album and it got nothing to do with progressive rock, but let's see the highlights if there's any: "Staying Power" is the opener, and it's terrible. Queen incorporated horns for the first time in their arrangements, but the final result is just weak. "Dancer" is an excellent tune! The problem is in fact that this is excellent d i s c o tune. Nice synth bass line, and probably best multilayered guitar ever heard on disco song. I got an impression that this song is sort of a predecessor for "Radio Ga Ga". Opening synth line and and electronic drums sound quite similar. It's 1000 times better than anything that, let's say, CHIC ever did. "Back Chat" is a disco not worth mentioning, but the weakest track on the weakest album is "Body Language". It's boring, dull, repetitive and without imagination. The other tracks are perhaps filled in with crap, if not anything else, but this one is just empty. Of course, it managed to reach the UK chart in 1982. "Action This Day" is quite nice pop rock tune. Nice arpeggiator work on Jupiter 8 synth. Another pop rock tune is "Put Out The Fire", but this one is not so nice.

The only track with a little bit of an interest for prog rock fans (if prog fans like THE BEATLES) is "Life Is Real (song for Lennon)". Nice piano ballad with excellent lyrics, Freddie imitating Lennon's style, done very well.

"Calling All Girls" is the track that perhaps I like the most here. Strangely enough, it reminds me of Bowie more than Bowie himself. "Las Palabras De Amor" is one of the rare Queen's attempts to make a tune with few verses here and there that are not in English. According to some native-Spanish speakers, that effort is laughable. A nice pop ballad, but nothing more. "Cool Cat" is one of the most horrible songs that I have ever heard. Not enough said? Well, a note to Ian Anderson: "Bouree" is not the "sleazy jazzy night club song", this is the one!

You know everything about "Under Pressure". You love it or you hate it. Personally, I love it because of the a) collaboration with Bowie, b) nice atmosphere, c) excellent dynamic range of the song, d) outstanding vocal performances from both singers and e) excellent lyrics. I just saw a video spot a few days ago, for the first time in my life. Scary.

Deep in my heart I feel I should rate the album with three or four stars,but that just wouldn't be fair to the thousands of good and very good progressive rock albums here. Therefore, two stars.

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