Instruments: Hot Space tour [09.04.1982 - 03.11.1982]
Information > Instruments on tour > Hot Space
The basic equipment details were probably the same as on 1980/1981, with the obvious additions and slight variations. For this tour, there was a supporting keyboard player (Morgan Fisher in Europe and Fred Mandel elsewhere), which together with the new songs added resulted on three different people playing guitar on each concert (Brian, John and Freddie) as well as three different people playing piano (Freddie, Brian and either Morgan or Fred), a unique occurrence in Queen history.
For the North American leg, a Gibson Flying V was added as second spare guitar, which was a wise choice as on 9th August 1982 Brian had a rough night and was uncharacteristically upset and aggressive: after breaking a string on the Red Special, he started playing the Brighton Rock solo with the Birch replica, but got so frustrated with it that he threw it away, and it was smashed in two pieces; from then on, the Flying V would be his spare until the end of the tour.
Two Hot Space songs, Staying Power and Body Language, had the bass line played by Morgan or Fred (Mandel) on synthesiser. For the latter, John joined on second bass doing some reinforcement, and for the former, he played guitar alongside Brian. Brian played piano on Save Me and (Japan only) Teo Torriatte, but after this tour he'd never play acoustic piano on stage again (as of 2012, that is).
Drum kit [sans snare and cymbals] Ludwig 26" x 16" bass-drum. Bass-drum logo: Hot Space background. Snare drums [used alternatively] Cymbal stock* * Each night Roger's roadie chose, from the items above, a pair of hi-hats, one ride, one china, one splash, one swish and four or five crashes. Timpani [Roger's Solo] Gong [hit once at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody] Tambourines |
Electric bass guitars * Body Language was performed in an unusual way: the main bass line was played on synthesiser by Fred Mandel, but John also had his bass and joined in at some points. It should have been the other way around but ... the eighties... Bass rig |
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Main electric six-string guitars * Played by John Deacon. A Black-Gold model, CE 10484. Spare electric guitars Guitar rig Acoustic guitars [Love of My Life, Crazy Little Thing,
Life Is Real] Acoustic guitar rig |
Piano Piano rig Synthesisers Electric grand piano [SNL only] |
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Hot Space was an unusual album for the band as a lot of the
rhythm section in the first side was created by machines (which explains why
the live versions sound so much better - they've got real drums!). Equipment
used included Linn LM-1 computers for the drums (programmed by the author of
the song) and Roland Jupiter 8 for the bass. A lot of people blame
John Deacon for Hot Space even though he was the least involved band
member on it: on Dancer, Staying Power and the lead single Body
Language his bass is replaced by the creator of the song on synth. John
publicly expressed his disdain for the album, even calling it the worst moment
of the band's career (Popcorn magazine, 1986) - the fact he liked R&B and
soul doesn't mean he'd like anything in that genre; if anything, his
expertise on the area may have made him harder to please if he felt the result
wasn't up to standard.
Other equipment used exclusively on the record included a Hohner clavinet for Cool Cat (where John most likely played the Music Man bass), a Baldwin Double-Six guitar on Under Pressure and a Schecter guitar on Calling All Girls (played by Roger instead of Brian). The sax solo on Action This Day was played by Italian session musician Dino Solera, who was based in Munich and had participated in many recordings at Musicland Studios, sometimes uncredited (as it happened here). |