| Day dop 06.08.2018 02:28 |
I tend not to bother with this album much these days, In recent times I’ve said it’s my least favourite Queen album. However, listening to it tonight (I got out my first pressing vinyl copy - it's still like new),I realised it’s not as bad as I remembered... well, aside from the album cover. I can't see any improvement there. In fact, it got me wondering why I’ve been dismissing this album so much in recent years. I guess it’s those weaker tracks, and the way the album tends to be a bit all over the place. But it didn’t bother me one bit listening to it earlier. Pain Is So Close To Pleasure is pretty catchy really. I found myself enjoying it! The same goes for Gimme The Prize, I enjoyed that too. And the other tracks often thought of as the weaker ones - the non-singles (in the UK) - One Year of Love is actually a nice track. Of course, it goes without saying the WWTLF is one of the standouts. And DLYH? Yeah, it’s alright, in an 80s Edward Woodward Equalizer kinda way, I could go on, but you get the general idea.... It was like welcoming an old friend back.... or maybe it’s because of the hot weather getting to my head. |
| The Fairy King 06.08.2018 03:18 |
Good for you! |
| cmsdrums 06.08.2018 07:34 |
I love the cover art! To me it's the most 'sterile' Queen album from an recording point of view - I don't know if that comes down to it being the first one recorded completely digitally or not, but it lacks some soul for me. The drum sounds are far too processed (where real drums are involved they sound worse than the real drums, when used, on Hot Space), and the whole album lacks a continuity, cohesiveness and completeness, despite having some great singles on it (A Kind of Magic, One Vision, Who Wants to Live Forever). And Freddie's vocal on One Year of Love is possible (IMO) worst in their catalogue - just trying and straining too hard, and the one time he gets it wrong delivery wise for me. |
| dysan 06.08.2018 07:42 |
I like rediscovering an old album. Always worthwhile. For me, It's WWTLF that kills the album. Maybe just having it open side 2 is a real 'skip' track. I tend to have an issue with most track orders on later Queen albums and this one suffers for having stuff like PISCTP and OYOL next to each other. OV was old hat by then too so it all seemed quite cobbled together. Having loved ADRRFMD on the b-side of AKOM, DLYH seemed like a really watered down version of it. Perhaps they should've split the album with side 1 the Highlander tracks like the old days. I should imagine POTU was the natural choice for opener, but maybe thinking of the stage show OV was included - might have had more impact as a stand alone single and still be the tour opener. Of course, I'm overthinking what is essentially a disposable 'pop' album. |
| Vocal harmony 06.08.2018 10:23 |
I've always thought that they were trying too hard to be Queen. . Or at least what they thought fans wanted. When they got it right it worked, One Vision, WWTLF, AKOM and POTU to me are the best songs, because they sound quite natural, but the rest sound a bit contrived, and a massive retreading of old steps with FWBF, Freddie had already written the perfect singalong set closer in "Champions" FWBF sounds like someone else's attempt to write a similar song. On the tour they squeezed it between two classics that gave it an almost unnoticed footnote in the set, they couldn't okay it earlier and they couldn't drop WATC or Rock You. As has been pointed out, the production is generally sterile. Playit back to back with ADATR or NOTW, it falls short sound wise alone. |
| The Fairy King 06.08.2018 13:27 |
Still can't get over the "I'm a PRISONEROFLOOOOOOVE insiiide you" bit in OYOL. Cringefest. Ruins the whole song. :/ Still hoping for an alternate take to surface. :D Still... |
| dysan 06.08.2018 13:33 |
I liked FWBF inserted in between WWRY and WATC. Showed they were thinking and changing. It worked better on Live Magic TBH. SHort and sweet. |
| RobbyBloodshed 06.08.2018 15:06 |
I agree with @cmsdrums about the production on this album, mainly the drums. It's my 2nd least favorite drum mix aside from Jazz. (it's not so much the drum tone itself, because I love the gated snare, its the way its mixed. its not 'big' enough, but then again its not MY mix so who am I to judge.) But the songs themselves, I do believe are top notch. I would have loved to hear Freddie done a full out metal album like Gimme the Prize and Princes of the Universe. I am surprised Friends Will Be Friends was never a big hit, its so damn catchy.. |
| Saint Jiub 06.08.2018 16:02 |
I am not very fond of FWBF now. However, when I was in graduate school, I bought the album (actually cassette) shortly after it was released, a few days after I stood in front of a large 7 story window with a large cast iron bar in my right hand. PISCtP, FWBF and WWtLF helped me through that dark time. |
| Iron Butterfly 06.08.2018 17:26 |
cmsdrums wrote: I love the cover art! To me it's the most 'sterile' Queen album from an recording point of view - I don't know if that comes down to it being the first one recorded completely digitally or not, but it lacks some soul for me. The drum sounds are far too processed (where real drums are involved they sound worse than the real drums, when used, on Hot Space), and the whole album lacks a continuity, cohesiveness and completeness, despite having some great singles on it (A Kind of Magic, One Vision, Who Wants to Live Forever). And Freddie's vocal on One Year of Love is possible (IMO) worst in their catalogue - just trying and straining too hard, and the one time he gets it wrong delivery wise for me.One Year Of Love...I used to love that song, but can't stand it for the past few years. The whole song from the lyrics, production to even the vocals, it doesn't quite work. |
| dysan 06.08.2018 18:12 |
I think the fairest thing to say about the album, artwork included, is it's VERY 1986. |
| mooghead 06.08.2018 18:25 |
WWTLF is a complete borefest. Never liked it. |
| *goodco* 06.08.2018 20:48 |
My version that we'll listen to a couple of times a year Side One OV / AKOM / OYOL / FWBF (ext) Side Two POTU / Just One Life (Brian) / GTP / DLYH / WWTLF bonus Forever I liked the cover, many of the songs, but I hated the programmed (lazy), too loud at times drums, and their herky jerky rhythm (or lack of) during 'Don't Lose Your Head'. 'Pain' was an instant pain to listen to, and I have not listened to the album in its 'correct' order since the second or third time I heard it in '86. WWTLF, with Michael Kamen, is easily one of the twenty best and emotionally moving songs the band created. The flow of the LP leaves much to be desired. |
| Iron Butterfly 06.08.2018 21:14 |
dysan wrote: I think the fairest thing to say about the album, artwork included, is it's VERY 1986.I agree with that. I like the album for the most part. |
| dysan 07.08.2018 06:57 |
'WWTLF, with Michael Kamen, is easily one of the twenty best and emotionally moving songs the band created' That's not really saying much! At a rate of, say, one classic emotionally moving song per album, across their 15 albums :D |
| Supersonic_Man89 07.08.2018 08:57 |
Always been a fan. It's poppy, but i still enjoy it. |
| Dim 07.08.2018 13:05 |
Ten years ago I had written in QOL forum that AKOM accidentally or not it has a time "concept“. A careful look on the lyrics, there are findings like One vision states its time to make decisions etc Title track thereis lyrics like :The bell that rings inside your mind Is challenging the doors of time It's a kind of magic The waiting seems eternity The day will dawn of sanity This rage that lasts a thousand years Will soon be done PISCTP has this, Sunshine and rainy weather Go hand in hand together All your life. OYOL is obvious FWBF till the end.... WWTLFE.... GTP has this reference : it's better to burn out than to fade away. DLYH only the lyric Remember, love's stronger, remember love walks tall. POTU immortals... Back then I had suggested that One Vision and AKOM had similar content lyrics and maybe there were recorded very close in time line. Also in 1986 also from EMI Records Iron Maiden released Somewhere in Time and there was also the musical time. |
| dysan 07.08.2018 13:14 |
They could almost have made the album to tie in with a film about immortality. |
| Biggest Band On The Planet 07.08.2018 23:47 |
AKOM was not fully digital One Vision was recorded on analog tape. I think the Miracle was the first Queen Album to be a fully digital recording. |
| matt z 07.08.2018 23:53 |
The Fairy King wrote: Still can't get over the "I'm a PRISONEROFLOOOOOOVE insiiide you" bit in OYOL. Cringefest. Ruins the whole song. :/ Still hoping for an alternate take to surface. :D Still...You've probably never seen two dogs recently gone at it, with inflamed parts stuck to each other, have u? Standing apart, but still stuck. You'd scream like that as well. Just goes without saying, man! |
| matt z 08.08.2018 00:00 |
Saint Jiub wrote: I am not very fond of FWBF now. However, when I was in graduate school, I bought the album (actually cassette) shortly after it was released, a few days after I stood in front of a large 7 story window with a large cast iron bar in my right hand. PISCtP, FWBF and WWtLF helped me through that dark time.Was it a hot day? Did you manage to pry the window open?? |
| musicland munich 11.08.2018 03:33 |
It turns out that I have an original radio recording (MC) of "pain is so close to pleasure" from around the german release date(20th August 1986). The DJ was a bit cautious but did his Job on the intro and outro and announced it as Queen's new single. Will be shared if there is any interess. |
| Saint Jiub 11.08.2018 04:02 |
matt z wrote:I was on the 7th floor, and no I did not attempt shatter the glass with the cast iron bar.Saint Jiub wrote: I am not very fond of FWBF now. However, when I was in graduate school, I bought the album (actually cassette) shortly after it was released, a few days after I stood in front of a large 7 story window with a large cast iron bar in my right hand. PISCtP, FWBF and WWtLF helped me through that dark time.Was it a hot day? Did you manage to pry the window open?? |
| Jeremy 11.08.2018 21:09 |
AKOM is one of my favorite Queen albums. Every song on there is catchy which is all I ask. |
| Martin Packer 12.08.2018 09:56 |
I think context is important here: 1) Like The Works Queen might've been trying hard to give the fans what they wanted. 2) The band apparently had been on the verge of breaking up at that time - so some quality and cohesiveness might've been sacrificed to the tension between them. 3) The movie probably placed some constraints on them. However, we have the usual "I didn't like XYZ" to which someone else replies "well I LOVED XYZ". For me, I love WWTLF but I'm not so keen on "Pain". :-) |
| Chopin1995 13.08.2018 10:08 |
Martin Packer wrote: 1) Like The Works Queen might've been trying hard to give the fans what they wanted.I'm not sure. A lot of the material from AKOM was indended to be a soundtrack for the movie, not standalone album. Martin Packer wrote: 2) The band apparently had been on the verge of breaking up at that time - so some quality and cohesiveness might've been sacrificed to the tension between them.That's not true IMO. During working on AKOM the spirits in the band were good again. "The verge of breaking up" was gone by that point. Queen had no further plans after Japanese concerts in May 85, but Live Aid luckily happened. At the same time Freddie parted company with Prenter. And the band was reunited and decided to come back to the studio. |
| Martin Packer 14.08.2018 08:31 |
@Chopin1995 Right, but some degree of nervousness and tentativeness; I wonder if their attitude to arguments was muted at that point. And yes I get the point about Highlander. In fact that's my Point 3. |
| Chopin1995 14.08.2018 11:23 |
Martin Packer wrote: @Chopin1995 Right, but some degree of nervousness and tentativeness.It was always like that, I guess :) Since the 1st album (well known story about The Night Comes Down) until the MiH (conflict between Roger and Brian). |
| MisterCosmicc 19.08.2018 05:21 |
Paul Prenter was a strange man. A guy who knew him told me he'd always introduce himself to guys and he'd say something like, "let's go to my hotel room and make babies." I guess he was always having thoughts of impregnating men. |
| The Real Wizard 19.08.2018 21:21 |
musicland munich wrote: It turns out that I have an original radio recording (MC) of "pain is so close to pleasure" from around the german release date(20th August 1986). The DJ was a bit cautious but did his Job on the intro and outro and announced it as Queen's new single. Will be shared if there is any interess.I'd be curious to hear that. |
| The Real Wizard 19.08.2018 21:22 |
The AKOM album exposes a band out in the weeds, trying to figure out who they are again. Even after they'd ironed out their interpersonal issues, they still couldn't come up with a good album. The singles are solid, but the album tracks are mostly filler. They are a completely different band from who they were a decade earlier. Unlike their great albums, it is almost purely a poppy album. No risks taken, and no diversity of genres. It ultimately showcases the full extent of Queen's regression from leader to follower. One Vision doesn't even count. Like Under Pressure, it was released as a single the previous year. So all we're left with is the title track, Princes, and WWTLF. Magic is pop perfection, Princes is progressive (it has more changes and hooks in a 4 minute song than most bands could come up with in an entire career), and WWTLF is probably the most gorgeous song Brian ever came up with. The rest of the album is more or less unforgettable. It is baffling to think that a track as good as Princes is on the same album as something as naff as Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, having been written by the same person. Queen fans can try to rationalize the filler all they want, but the reality is - if you want to show someone who's unfamiliar with Queen beyond the hits what a great band they were, 0 out of 10 times will they be using this album as an example. It will likely be Sheer Heart Attack or ANATO. AKOM just pales in comparison. A hundred better albums came out in 1986. |
| runner_70 19.08.2018 22:06 |
YOu mean "forgettable" not "UNforgettable" do you? |
| The Real Wizard 19.08.2018 22:19 |
ha, yes ! My bad. |
| cmsdrums 20.08.2018 19:34 |
The Real Wizard wrote: The AKOM album exposes a band out in the weeds, trying to figure out who they are again. Even after they'd ironed out their interpersonal issues, they still couldn't come up with a good album. The singles are solid, but the album tracks are mostly filler. They are a completely different band from who they were a decade earlier. Unlike their great albums, it is almost purely a poppy album. No risks taken, and no diversity of genres. It ultimately showcases the full extent of Queen's regression from leader to follower. One Vision doesn't even count. Like Under Pressure, it was released as a single the previous year. So all we're left with is the title track, Princes, and WWTLF. Magic is pop perfection, Princes is progressive (it has more changes and hooks in a 4 minute song than most bands could come up with in an entire career), and WWTLF is probably the most gorgeous song Brian ever came up with. The rest of the album is more or less unforgettable. It is baffling to think that a track as good as Princes is on the same album as something as naff as Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, having been written by the same person. Queen fans can try to rationalize the filler all they want, but the reality is - if you want to show someone who's unfamiliar with Queen beyond the hits what a great band they were, 0 out of 10 times will they be using this album as an example. It will likely be Sheer Heart Attack or ANATO. AKOM just pales in comparison. A hundred better albums came out in 1986.Bang on - totally agree. |
| musicland munich 22.08.2018 03:35 |
The Real Wizard wrote:It will be up in a few days.musicland munich wrote: It turns out that I have an original radio recording (MC) of "pain is so close to pleasure" from around the german release date(20th August 1986). The DJ was a bit cautious but did his Job on the intro and outro and announced it as Queen's new single. Will be shared if there is any interess.I'd be curious to hear that. |
| Dr Magus 22.08.2018 09:12 |
FWBW is a very well crafted piece of pop. Great chord arrangements and fine guitar work by Bri. The wah-wah near the end still sends shivers up the spine. PISCTP isn't that bad a song. It's much better than Loser In The End, She Makes Me and a dozen other filler songs from the seventies. |
| Martin Packer 22.08.2018 09:20 |
Right: FWBF could've turned out much worse, but indeed rescued by Brian's guitar work. I think they were going for "live singalong fodder" with that one. Hence the video. Shame there would only be one tour for that to get established in. |
| dysan 22.08.2018 11:21 |
Woah woah woah She Makes Me FILLER??? |
| Martin Packer 22.08.2018 13:49 |
@dysan Only "if I'm very slow". :-) |
| MisterCosmicc 26.08.2018 14:22 |