| malicedoom 17.05.2011 12:57 |
OK, I'm starting to feel like I'm in the minority here, but SCANDAL is one of my favorite Queen songs, and definitely one of my favorite tracks from The Miracle (maybe THE favorite). Yet it seems to have received little love from the band itself, and that surprises me, and has for quite some time now. When Greatest Hits II was released, I was shocked to see all the singles from The Miracle were included EXCEPT Scandal. This, of course, meant fans of the song were also left without an official video release as well, as the song was missing from Greatest Flix II. I realize the song only peaked at #25 on the U.K. chart, but The Miracle (single) only peaked at #21, I'm Going Slightly Mad only made it to #22, and yet THEY were both included on Hits II and Flix II. In fact, I had to wait until the Greatest Video Hits II DVD release to FINALLY get a decent looking (and sounding) copy of the video... for one of my favorite songs! So why the lack of love? Is it simply because Brian and Roger don't care much for the song (or the video, based on their commentary on the Video Hits II DVD)?? I don't have any idea if Freddie had any say in what was included on the Hits II release (as it came out late 1991 when he was quite ill, etc.), but I've always wondered about this. Anyway, I've always thought the song deserved better - I friggin' love the track! |
| Martin Packer 17.05.2011 13:06 |
I got the impression Brian wrote it. It seems very much from the heart (whoever wrote it) and maybe it's a little painful. Martin |
| Martin Packer 17.05.2011 13:07 |
And I forgot to say I love the song - and consider it one of the best off The Miracle. Martin |
| dysan 17.05.2011 13:11 |
Great track. I was surprised they disliked it. I'll have to watch the video ago, but I remember thinking it cool. |
| bigV 17.05.2011 13:39 |
Always loved that song. Apart from the overexposed four singles that were on GH2 this track has a special place in my heart. But do listen to the extended mix. And play it loud. V. |
| malicedoom 17.05.2011 14:13 |
The extended mix of Scandal?? I couldn't agree more. That's my favorite 12" mix from Queen. Incredible job done there. I also love the video for Scandal. The set is incredible and, to me, it's really the last time you get to see Freddie completely 'do his thing' out there and the last time I thought he still looked pretty damn good - compared to a bit sick in The Miracle (plus the band is hardly in that video), incredibly thin in I'm Going Slightly Mad and, as we all know, barely there at all in These Are The Days Of Our Lives. I'm still amazed he even showed up for the last 2 video shoots, but that was Freddie... |
| Dr Zoidberg 17.05.2011 14:31 |
dysan wrote: Great track. I was surprised they disliked it. I'll have to watch the video ago, but I remember thinking it cool. ================================ I assumed it was the video they didn't care for, as opposed to the song, at least based on the GVH2 commentary - especially the bit where Roger says something to the effect of there being nothing scanalous about a video for a song called "Scandal" (which, I suppose, is fair criticism). But, yeah, great song. |
| YannickJoker 17.05.2011 14:35 |
I've heard it quite a few times on the radio here in the 90's and they still sometimes play it. I do like it but it's not the best thing they did. |
| GratefulFan 17.05.2011 14:51 |
Scandal: Preachy and screechy. Not my favourite. |
| Holly2003 17.05.2011 17:08 |
GratefulFan wrote: Scandal: Preachy and screechy. Not my favourite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nifty guitar solo though :) |
| PrimeJiveUSA 17.05.2011 18:19 |
The main thing that always stood out to me about "Scandal" was that Freddie's voice was approaching his '70's voice. The backing track was very "'80's" but his voice sounded kinda like it did on "News Of The World". |
| Thistle 17.05.2011 19:02 |
I love Scandal! The guitar work is very strong on it, it's quite a heavy piece and yes, with Freddie's voice in 70s shape, is very typical Queen. But it's not the best song on The Miracle - that would be Breakthru, IMHO. |
| Banawig 17.05.2011 19:58 |
One of my favourite Queen songs too! Gotta love the extended version - do you think that Brian had any say with regard to his blistering run up the guitar neck (at end of his solo) being cut from the single version? He must have been slightly gutted - it's an awesome run - and I'm sure in terms of track length there's still room for it in single release, I think it's just been dropped out the mix? |
| PrimeJiveUSA 17.05.2011 21:12 |
Thistleboy...I tend to agree with your assessment that "Breakthru" is the best song on "The Miracle". There are a lot of good songs on it, though. Kashoggi's Sip, The Miracle, I Want It All, Rain Must Fall and Was It All Worth It are also really good. |
| Russian Headlong 18.05.2011 05:24 |
I like it, better than the likes of My Baby Does Me, Rain Must Fall and Invisibel Man which were just too poppy for me. Love the Solo and the 12" mix. |
| john bodega 18.05.2011 06:32 |
I'm with Roger on this song. |
| plumrach 18.05.2011 07:16 |
I like Scandal and especially the video, as somebody mentioned above the last time you really see an energetic Freddie |
| malicedoom 18.05.2011 07:30 |
I agree about Brian's guitar run on the extended version - it's INCREDIBLE and something I look forward to every time I play the 12" mix. I'm not sure how it would have sounded in the single version though - maybe it would have been too much? Not sure, but it goes perfectly with the extended mix. Also: "I've heard it quite a few times on the radio here in the 90's and they still sometimes play it. I do like it but it's not the best thing they did." You know what's sad? How RIDICULOUS that statement sounds to me. And by that I mean, the idea of hearing ANYTHING from Queen (1980s or 1990s, that is) on the radio... here in the USA. It just does not happen. I'd freakin' lose it if Scandal came on any radio station here. Capitol did such a poor job of promoting The Miracle here (especially the 'Breakthru' and 'Scandal' singles), it really is a shame. The one thing you DO hear at least a bit these days is 'I Want It All' because it pops up on quite a few different TV commercials from time to time - and is always a treat to hear. |
| Silken 18.05.2011 08:06 |
It's not one of my favourites but I like it. And I love the video. |
| Kuijpy 18.05.2011 08:28 |
I'm here, i love the song, the video, the guitar solo, the voice! I LOVE IT! |
| Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira 18.05.2011 08:30 |
The "bridge" melody (is that the correct term?) is awesome, in the part where the lyrics go: "today the headlines, tomorrow hard times, but...". Absolutely love it. As for the rest of the song, I can live with it. Cheers, Ogre- |
| Over the Field 18.05.2011 08:30 |
Great song. Very good vocals! |
| Silken 18.05.2011 08:39 |
I hadn't listened to it in a while so I just did and WOW, amazing vocal performance. "It's only a life to be twisted and broken / They'll see the heart ache..." I love that part. |
| Rick 18.05.2011 09:50 |
Roger wasn't very fond of it. I think because of the rather simplistic drum pattern. |
| plumrach 18.05.2011 09:52 |
There is a moment in the song where freddie looks into the camera and you see a bit of the older freddie The Line And no-one ever really knows the truth from the lies that gets me every time, because he knew what that line meant |
| djcamper 18.05.2011 10:10 |
Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira wrote: The "bridge" melody (is that the correct term?) is awesome, in the part where the lyrics go: "today the headlines, tomorrow hard times, but...". Absolutely love it. As for the rest of the song, I can live with it. Cheers, Ogre ----------------- I love the falsetto vocals on "tomorrow hard times" line. It's almost unaudible on speakers for me, but clear with headphones. |
| malicedoom 18.05.2011 10:38 |
You see a lot of clips from the Scandal video in their other 'compilation' videos (like The Show Must Go On), so I guess it's clear DoRo really liked the video as well. I can see Roger not liking it though - he didn't appear to be 'into it' very much. But Freddie (as usual) was giving it his all (one of the last times too) and I liked what they did with Brian in the video during his solo as well. |
| master marathon runner 18.05.2011 12:02 |
No problem whatsoever with 'Scandal'. It is rather galling though, that it a'int on G.H.3 while that abbarition of an excuse for a single 'another one bites the dust' with that freeloading wycliff toss pot, 'pissing on a picasso', to paraphrase mike myers, made it onto the album. Does anyone know how to erase a single track from a cd album? Master marathon runner. |
| malicedoom 18.05.2011 13:24 |
You know, I actually meant to mention that in my original post, but I think I rambled on too much and forgot. It's a great point - even if, for whatever reason, it was decided Scandal "wouldn't fit" on GH II, why wouldn't they at least include it on GH III??? That's insane. I remember that really driving me crazy when I realized it wasn't on GH III because, once again, that meant the video wouldn't be on Greatest FLIX III either. Ah well, now that the Greatest Video Hits II DVD is out, all is forgiven. But I ask you: will there EVER be a Greatest Video HIts III DVD release??? |
| Russian Headlong 18.05.2011 13:58 |
It still infuriates me that TYMD was never included on GH1 instead of GOFLB. POTU should have been on GH2 as well. GH3 is rubbish not really Queen tracks but solo stuff. |
| Rubbersuit 18.05.2011 14:32 |
Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira wrote: The "bridge" melody (is that the correct term?) is awesome, in the part where the lyrics go: "today the headlines, tomorrow hard times, but...". Absolutely love it. As for the rest of the song, I can live with it. Cheers, Ogre- You nailed it for me! I was trying to think of a way of describing the one part of the song I like. Hated the video too. Freddie in the Miracle videos seemed like a cartoon of himself... bouncing from pose to pose. |
| jaq 18.05.2011 16:25 |
Hmm hard to say. The vocoder thing on the title refrain is cheesy, especially with reedy voice. Agree with Ogre the middle-8 is amazingly eloquent - "Deeper and deeper inside". Brian could get introspective and Fred makes you believe it, without too much "poor me" of some celebs. Just internalize that pain matter of factly. As for the vid - Hard to watch a man in frail condition crotch thrusting for our amusement. It's almost masochist...But he's sensual and defiant enough to win you over. Perform to live. Stateside Breakthru/Headlong got more play around this time. |
| mike hunt 18.05.2011 23:19 |
Good song, love the vocals, nice guitar solo, but could have been much better if it was heavier. The song lacks energy because it has that 80's pop feel. most of their 80's stuff is like that. freddie's voice pretty makes up for it. songs like Radio Ga Ga, Magic, Break Free, scandal were only good because freddie's voice. musically they lost their way.... Why do fans get caught up in what Roger thinks and say's?.....roger has no possitive things to say about songs he didn't write. He didn't write scandal so of course he doesn't like it. |
| john bodega 19.05.2011 02:05 |
"Why do fans get caught up in what Roger thinks and say's?" Woah, put the bong down. No one's getting 'caught up'. Roger literally says "not one of the best songs", and I agree with him. It doesn't make it a bad song - I listen to it sometimes, and it gets stuck in my head pretty easily - but when you consider that Queen are one of those bands with nearly 200 songs to choose from ... it's entirely possible that Scandal isn't 'one of the best'. Of course, this is a harder decision for some people to make. I think some fans like to narrow it down to Queen's Best Songs : The Top 150. It's got a great solo, but Roger's right about the video being pretty boring. The band have that same cold, haggard look that the Beatles had during the "Let it Be" film. Sure, it's not a TERRIBLE video ... but it has absolutely nothing on Breakthru, for instance. Now THAT'S a video! |
| Rick 19.05.2011 02:27 |
Good point, Zeb. Invisible Man was a great vid as well. They really had fun there as well. |
| mike hunt 19.05.2011 04:12 |
Rick wrote: Good point, Zeb. Invisible Man was a great vid as well. They really had fun there as well. Invisible Man is a great video, but the song isn't all that good....Roger would never admit to that because he wrote it. I don't think scandal is one of Queen's best or worst. |
| malicedoom 19.05.2011 08:22 |
While not my favorite song, The Invisible Man is probably my favorite video from The Miracle (because it's so obvious how much fun everyone is having), but Breakthru is a VERY close second. Of all the videos from The Miracle, I've always felt Freddie looked the healthiest and happiest in Breakthru - even the beard worked for him on that one. He was obviously having a good day, and it shines through. Back to 'Scandal', Freddie went with the 'pissed off' or 'angry' look, which I also liked (it fit the song), but he obviously wasn't as healthy by then, and quite a bit thinner, etc. |
| Aleks 19.05.2011 09:03 |
I really like these black and white footage in the video. They enhance the rigidity of the song and mix well with the Freddie's vocal. Very good song. |
| plumrach 19.05.2011 09:10 |
freddie looks great in the invisible man!! in fact all 4 of them do |
| thomasquinn 32989 19.05.2011 12:10 |
Not amongst my absolute favorites, but Scandal is certainly a good song. I especially like the 12" version. |