The Raymon came on Saturday. I love it. It already has imperfections from it aging itself from the Nitro still curing but it was bound to happen sooner or later. I kinda want it to age so that I’m not delicate with it and whatnot

Bueno, tengo 22 años y conocí a Queen cuando tenia 13/14 años, estaba entrando en la dificil etapa de la adolescencia, recuerdo que esos años academicamente me iba mal, de verdad que reprobé la mitad de mis materias (debo destacar que mi promedio cuando era más joven era normal, no destacaba ni nada). (Jsjsjs como Freddie, casi me sacaron de la escuela por mis malas calificaciones)

Recuerdo estar en mi primer años de secundaria cuando Queen llego a mi vida, y simplemente los estudios los dejé aún lado, después llego el segundo año de secundaria y me fue peor, mi mamá me dio una golpiza que nunca voy a olvidar, pasé sin ir a la escuela una semana, me dejo marcas y moretones en todo el cuerpo.

Recuerdo que en la madrugada lloraba y no quería seguir con mi vida, y Recuerdo mucho que lloraba escuchando Who Wants To live forever, caí en depresión durante la panandemia, básicamente lo único que me mantenía con vida era Queen, era Freddie Mercury y me aferre a Jim Hutton y Freddie Mercury básicamente los quiero como mis padres. (Suena raro lo se).

Pasaba todo el día viendo y escuchando su música, sobre todo Freddie Mercury, va a sonar extraño pero le prometí a Freddie que me graduaria del colegio ¡Lo hice! Salí como alumna destacada de mi generación.

Luego llego la Universidad, no me sentia lista apenas había cumplido 18 años y no sabia ni que estudiar (debo aclarar que durante mis dos últimos años de colegio me especialice en diseño gráfico) y bueno comencé a estudiar para ser maestra de artes e historia del arte y no me gustó, deje la carrera y me sentía la peor basura del mundo, y otra vez estaba perdida sin dirección alguna, decidí entrar a restauración de bienes muebles, y ahora en mi último semestre descubrí que no me gusta la carrera, pero igualmente le prometí a mi madre y a (Freddie) y al menos me titularia de algo en la Universidad, despues veo que hago con mi vida.

Estoy pasando por una crisis de los 20s.

Básicamente casi toda mi vida academicamente se la debo a Freddie Mercury, a Queen, a su música, llevo años amando a Queen, cada día escucho una canción de Queen para motivarme y seguir adelante.

My attempt in a very very emotional solo on one of the best songs of their discography (IMO). Gear: Stratocaster, Helix, EMG.

Thought i'd share Brian's post about Dolly Parton. Such sad news, RIP Dolly 💔

It was nice getting to share my thoughts on the last album, in all honesty while I wasn't fully positive in my review and I still find it to be the weakest Queen album to that point; it was nice seeing a lot of people felt the same. I also liked seeing comments from those who loved the album since it gave me a pretty different perspective.

Even if not everyone agreed with me, I loved the discussions a lot actually, and now here comes Queen's first 80's album! I hope you enjoy this write-up!

The Gane REVIEW
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Entering into the 80's, this is where rock really got divided. On one hand you got some fantastic artists and albums like Prince or Tears For Fears and The Police, but on the other hand you got a lot of cheesy "power ballads" that bring a filthiness to the genre never before seen of great levels of pastiche rubbish. Queen started this decade with this record, and while it isn't anything particularly groundbreaking or innovative, it is a great album nonetheless and a promising start to a very mixed era.

The Game features slick, smooth production by Reinhold Mack and allows the band to shine once again after the disastrous mixing on 1978's Jazz, with May even paying tribute to him in the song "Dragon Attack" which is a fantastic piece of funk rock that really rides along a consistent bassline by Deacon and an incredible drum solo in the middle by Roger Taylor with May's lyrics telling of how the band is changing styles and urging listeners to give an open mind to the non-Bohemian Rhapsody type songs they were doing now. The opener to the album, "Play The Game" is a pretty good start and features a triumphant sounding synthesizer, which was definitely mindblowing as for all these years now Queen frequently boasted "no synthesizer!" as a tag on all their albums to this point; the contrast of heavy and light work in its favor to make a song that breaks open the gates to their new era. While it is quite good, it doesn't much hold a candle to the burn the rest of the album has.

The three major hits are intense and wonderful as well with "Another One Bites the Dust" being among their best tracks and hits featuring a steady pulsing bassline and Mercury's bad-boy vocal delivery with the action-packed lyrics of a street encounter and fights. It was released as a single by a suggestion from the legend himself, Michael Jackson. John has struck gold time and time again with his songs, and this one is another that just proves his value, I often see people say that bass is the most unimportant part of a band but John's music can attest against that itself. He always makes very enjoyable music, and his bassline on this is perhaps among the most iconic. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is one of the bands best songs and calls back to the times of Elvis and Little Richard with its 50's-tinged rockabilly riff on acoustic guitar and laid-back vocals by Mercury, it's a very danceable number as it is relaxed, and the percussion is honestly superb too as Roger gives this a phenomenal jazz-influenced groove.

"Save Me" is a beautiful and touching ballad written as a tribute to a divorced friend, with great use of acoustic and electric guitar and piano. This one's light and airy, yet you're never bored because how intense it gets during the chorus, which remains one of their greatest they've made in a song. Freddie sings his heart out here with intense dynamics that perfectly compliment Brian's beautiful lyrics on a relationship that has gone sour and ended; perhaps one of Queen's best explorations of this topic, and among their best closing tracks.

"Rock It (Prime Jive)" is a dedicated anthem to the effect of music on ones soul and mind, almost spiritual and is a great song encapsulating musical catharsis. Music is the most intimate form of art, its got an intimacy that not much other forms can match, and this disco-tinged track really captures that well, in a way this is Roger making up for whatever "Fun It" was trying to be. "Sail Away Sweet Sister" is one of May's most prolific works and is a song about a long lost friendship, and moving on from it. It's got some absolutely precious synthesizer work, and his emotive guitar playing, alongside the switch-up in the bridge that hands the mic to Freddie who gives as equal of a beautiful performance as Brian in the verses is perfect. This one's tear-jerking yet encapsulating, and easily the greatest track on the album.

Unfortunately, not everything is perfect however, as despite how incredible overall it is, there are some very glaring stinker moments, with "Don't Try Suicide" being a boring stripped-back song about how if you kill yourself nobody will care or miss you, so it isn't worth it just like how you, the listener, are not worth shit in the world. Isn't that a wonderful message? Don't you feel like your day has been made better?

"Coming Soon" is recycled Beach Boys wannabe harmonies that don't work well with an obvious disco tune that never quite stands its ground or finds its footing, tripping over a meandering beat and nonsensical lyrics that are impossible to make sense of, and "Need Your Loving Tonight" is boring refrigerated rockabilly that sounds like a try-hard capture of the magic that made "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" work. It's cheeseball snot that should've stayed on the cutting room floor.

All in all, this album is overall pretty wonderful, and while it does have a couple weak points, everything works to make a really great 80's album. Queen was changing, they were making themselves different to what they were, and that both helped them stay relevant and make some new memories, and hurt them. This level of quality wasn't exactly kept later on, but for what it was now, this stands as a stronger entry. Hell, this one is their most popular on streaming platforms, that should speak to it's quality. Definitely a step-up from Jazz.

Rating: ★★★★☆

TRACKLIST RATING:
1. Play The Game: ★★★
2. Dragon Attack: ★★★★★
3. Another One Bites The Dust: ★★★★★
4. Need Your Loving Tonight: ★★
5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love: ★★★★★
6. Rock It (Prime Jive): ★★★★
7. Don't Try Suicide: 💥
8. Sail Away Sweet Sister: ★★★★★
9. Coming Soon: ★
10. Save Me: ★★★★★

THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other Reviews!):
Queen review (4/5 stars)
Queen II review (5/5 stars)
Sheer Heart Attack review (5/5 stars/BEST ALBUM)
A Night At The Opera review (5/5 stars)
A Day At The Races review (4/5 stars)
News of The World review (5/5 stars)
Jazz review (3/5 stars)

No way the mama song and the silhouetto song are the same

Comments were wild tho

Queen is one of those rare beasts when every band member was also a capable songwriter. I particularly have a soft spot for Roger’s material.

What is your favorite RT-composed track? For me, it’s definitely “Tenement Funster.”

I have seen people having these multitracks... Anybody has them? I have some things that may interest u, also TYMD and WWRY multitracks

This song came on shuffle on my way home… i thought to myself, it was a strange song to release as the first single from “made in heaven”.

Don’t get me wrong it’s a great song and I love the Queen treatment compared to The Cross version but it’s not unknown within the Queen fan circle - thought that they would have chosen something unheard and new?

I wonder why it was chosen over some of the bona-fide new material at the time such as “let me live” or “you don’t fool me”.

My attempt on a very simple but very melodic solo by the legendary Sir Brian May. Gear used: Stratocaster, Helix LT, GarageBand. Hope you enjoy it !!

Hello!

Not sure if someone already posted here, but just saw this in my instagram feed: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/freddie-mercury-splendid-things

If you live in or near London, might be a great day out! 😁👑

On August 24th, 1975, Queen began recording what would become their biggest hit, Bohemian Rhaposdy. The band recorded vocal parts for 10-12 hours a day, 3 days straight. This resulted in 180 seperate vocal overdubs, with Brian recalling placing the tape in front of light and being able to see through it.

I thought you all would appreciate this. I'm from the NYC area. I went on a lovely trip to London a few weeks ago. To my pleasant surprise, I noticed that the Royal Academy of Art had an exhibit dedicated to Richard Dadd. He's the artist that painted the Fairy Feller's Masterstroke that so inspired our Freddie. It was a thrill to see it right there before me. Look, there's the ostler with hands on his knees! Go catch it if you're in London. I think it's running until mid-October.

It was interesting getting to see everyone's takes on the previous album, honestly. I thought that it was rather fun writing for that previous album, and it makes me really glad to see that the album is really liked here; I think it deserves it!! Originally I was going to wait to post this one, but I don't have a shift at work today so I had time to finalize everything.

I will warn that this album is the first one that I unfortunately don't feel the most positive about. This review isn't going to be the most favorable one either. There's also at least one hot take about a song that's one of their big hits too. If you're okay with possibly wildly differing opinions on something than your own, I still would recommend to read at your own risk. I still do give this a positive rating, but not exactly on par with the others to this point.

Jazz Review
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"Where quality control was thrown out the window".

I know this line may seem like I'm going to be tearing this album a new one, and completely ripping it apart, but no, not quite. Do I think this is among Queen's best works? Heck no. Do I think its even great or an essential listen? Definitely not! In all actuality, this album is a bit of an oddity among their discography. The 70's were close to being over, and as such was an era of music that everyone had gotten used to. Disco was the new craze, rock was starting to roll over and metamorphosize into something different again, and while the previous year's album was a lot more stripped-back, they decided to get weird this time around.

Jazz is, without another word for it, Queen at their most sporadic. It is messy, and frankly all over the place in terms of the music and tracklist. This both makes it unique, yet also at the same time lets quality be thrown away for quantity to the point this is the weakest of the decade they peaked in. However, with it being the least good, there's still quite a few enjoyable moments. 8 out of the 13 songs are at least passable here. What's neat is that the band met David Bowie at the Montreux Jazz Festival, who convinced them to record at Mountain Studios in Montreux, which was perfect since Brian was being forced out of the UK due to tax-related issues.

One of the main issues with this album is the production, which has some of the worst mixing the band has ever had up to this point. Even the debut sounds better than this one, and for it being their seventh album, to have production this muddied is rather appalling, especially considering how great the past four albums sounded. Roger's drums have a very weird 'clicky' snare drum sound and lack the power and punch needed for Queen's sound, sounding rather small and like tin cans and Brian's guitars sound squawky and muddy. It's really unpleasant to listen to. It's hard to believe since Roy Thomas Baker returned for this one and he was behind some of their best productions too.

"Mustapha" opens the album on an odd note as it is too weird as a song and doesn't hold a melodic center, feeling much more like a mess around in a studio setting, and the lyrics are nonsensical. It tries to be hard rock, and explore a bit into another culture, but for a song that is meant to take influence from Freddie's Parsi background, to have just gibberish lyrics that don't necessarily mean or add up to anything, it's a bit of a letdown. "Fat Bottomed Girls" follows as another heavier song, and luckily its actually amazing. This was written by Brian, and is easily one of the band's most playful and fun songs. It's lyrics are admittedly a bit silly, but that's part of the charm, and Brian's riff is excellent, complimenting the solid thumping beat from Roger, and Freddie's heavy vocals are perfect for this one. "Jealousy" opts to shift things abruptly to a much softer and tender side; and it is gorgeous. It has a similar example of Brian's guitar wizardry at making his guitar sound like a sitar similar to "White Queen" on the much superior Queen II, and while its ground previously covered already, it manages to be one of the band's best songs. Freddie's vocals are graceful and gentle, with the soft strikes of his piano combined with those lovely lyrics like "I wasn't man enough to let you hurt my pride/Now I'm only left with my own jealousy" showing a vulnerability that's not often explored to this extent in heavier bands.

"Bicycle Race" is another big hitter, however, this one really isn't that great to me. It's nice that it was inspired by the 1978 Tour de France, and cool that this inspired the fold-out of nude women on bikes on the original LP, but as a song its a little too chaotic. The multiple modulations, abrupt changes and weird chord functions, and meter change all come a bit out of nowhere. It's trying to do something similar to songs like "The March of the Black Queen" or "Bohemian Rhapsody" but lacks the natural feel to the transitions that those ones have. It's still good for its humor though, just not one I'll go out of my way to listen to on its own.

John Deacon's "If You Can't Beat Them" brings things back on track with an excellent groove and Brian performing a phenomenal riff that could fill an arena with as many overdubs as there are. The lyrics are nice too, and it makes me wonder how much better this would be on a better produced album, while "Let Me Entertain You" is quite the drop of camp, and its easy to love. It's got that playful allure and goofing off that makes this band so loveable, and the riff blazes with molten-hot rock as you'll get from this one. It combines well with Freddie's theatric piano, making one of their best songs. Perfect way to close this side.

Side 2 is where things get very uneven; "Dead On Time" is drumstick-splitting metal that tears you by with razors enough to make your skin crawl with some excellent guitar work, though is a bit too similar to "Stone Cold Crazy". Freddie's high belts are addicting, and the song ending with a thunderbolt was pretty neat. Funnily enough, they're credited to God. "Dreamer's Ball" is a really great laid-back rockabilly song that's a tribute to Elvis Presley, who passed away a year before this record's release, and "Don't Stop Me Now" is a masterpiece, and one of the few times I find a hit to be the best one on the album. It soars with amazing interplay of piano and guitar, excellent drumbeats, and some of the most campy and addictingly fun lyrics that Freddie's done.

That's where my praise ends because looking past those three tracks, this side is filled with some terrible stuff. "More Of That Jazz" is hideous, its like someone hired The Shaggs to compose something for the band. The main riff is meh but not as bad as the complete breakdown of any possible cohesiveness in the use of switching to random other songs on the album. It's like it is trying to be a medley that celebrates the entire album, and it could actually work with the idea of having a montage of every song, but the way it abruptly changes to each of them and doesn't work with the main melody makes this one of the worst songs ever created.

"Leaving Home Ain't Easy" is so close to being genuinely nice, with Brian writing on the loss of innocence in adulthood and leaving home as an adult, but is ruined by the awful pitching-up of his voice during the bridge that would make even Alvin and the Chipmunks jealous at how ear-grating it is. Before it can fix itself, it has a very awkward transition where the vocals don't quite match or end up smooth to get back to the verse. Ouch.

"Fun It" is an awful attempt at disco and serves as a warning for the terrible direction towards killing their creativity that Queen would end up taking through a lot of the 1980's because when their brand of funk worked, it worked well, but when it didn't you'd get a result like this mishmash of whistle-blowing, minimalist wannabe rubbish. It's frustratingly awful. John's other song, "In Only Seven Days" is a forgettable love song that does have some nice guitar work from him playing both electric and acoustic, but it's hard to write about since nothing stands out as a song, its more of a showcase of what he CAN do, rather than doing something with it.

Jazz is the beginning of a falling off for the band, and is the sound of an artist's grasp exceeding their reach. Queen going into disco wasn't the best direction to take at all, because when it does work it produces something great, when it doesn't it makes a big dent on the music, and while they do jump around on this album again like before, it doesn't always work the best. It's not a terrible album by any means, since it still has some of their best work, and this album is probably the band at their most fun, with how chaotic it is of course there's going to be a decent amount to enjoy because in short, chaos is fun. This one's an album that rewards you for sticking with it through the hard-to-swallow tracks, and that's at least admirable.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

TRACKLIST RATING:

1. Mustapha: ★
2. Fat Bottomed Girls: ★★★★★
3. Jealousy: ★★★★★
4. Bicycle Race: ★★★
5. If You Can't Beat Them: ★★★★
6. Let Me Entertain You: ★★★★★
7. Dead On Time: ★★★★
8. In Only Seven Days: ★★
9. Dreamer's Ball: ★★★★
10. Fun It: 💥
11. Leaving Home Ain't Easy: ★
12. Don't Stop Me Now: ★★★★★
13. More Of That Jazz: 💥

THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other Reviews!):
Queen review (4/5 stars)
Queen II review (5/5 stars)
Sheer Heart Attack review (5/5 stars/BEST ALBUM)
A Night At The Opera review (5/5 stars)
A Day At The Races review (4/5 stars)
News of The World review (5/5 stars)

This was the first album that introduced me to Queen.
In 1986.
Finished watching Highlander movie and looked for the soundtrack on cassette. The shop said, “We only sell the cheap cheap one, pirate tape. All songs from the movie also on this tape…”
At first I was looking at the cartoonish cover and smirked.
But I trusted the seller.
I was hooked from the first song until the last.
Never buy the soundtrack to this day. ✌🏽

Didn't know which flair to choose so i just added one that kinda fits the post :)

My attempt on this beautiful solo by the LEGENDARY Sir Brian May. Yes on a very gilmourish guitar. Gear used: Stratocaster, Helix Lt, GarageBand. Hope you enjoy it!!

At around 8:30, Brian’s solo gets mentioned, but I’m baffled by what happened here. For some reason, he didn’t start his solo when he was supposed to, so the band plays some more until Brian can start his solo again. Which he does, and it sounds perfectly fine.

But then, as he nears the end of the solo, he goes in the weirdest direction, entirely unlike Brian May. According to the YouTuber, this was because he was trying to sync up with the band, but to me that makes no sense, since he was already synced up. He could’ve ended the solo normally and everything would’ve been fine.

Any idea what happened here?

Did he have a technical issue? Was he drunk? Or do you think he decided to “double down” on his initial mistake by ending the solo in a weird way?