| fras444 08.12.2014 21:52 |
|
| fras444 08.12.2014 22:13 |
In the same year that Queen entered the 80's with their first album "The Game" an album that DID NOT feature those famous lines.."no synths were ever played on this album".... unless you consider the organ used in Liar and Now I'm Hear as sort of a synth... Would you say that Flash was a tease in regards to how synths would feature in the band...? Or you glad it was all over in that one album...! Critics would say that The Miracle and Innuendo was Queen harking back to the good old days of hard rocking 70s style songs... But you have to admit.. FLASH or albeit two songs and in particular.. "The Hero" and the epicness of that song, That song would have to be Queen almost in full circle.. A mirror reflection of Seven Seas of Rhy.... a song at full tit with lots going on in the back ground the kitchen sink and all.. But with lashings of synths instead of piano!! I don't know what you guys think of Flash and where it could have taken Queen... But I recon if Queen had gone along with that sort of sound in their next album.. It could have been something a little more than what we got in that album Hot Space.. Something epic, something like a synth style Queen II but with space replacing the dungeons and dragons good vs evil etc etc (pending on how you interpreted Queen II in concept) as the fantasy.. |
| matt z 08.12.2014 23:36 |
NO. It was a soundtrack album done to much of the actual film. *prep and final scenes. It was a departure because it was FULLY an IMMERSIVE soundtrack. It wasn't a set up for a "KISS: THE ELDER" Also. ... when you've got it full tit.... you gotta suck or squeeze |
| Sebastian 08.12.2014 23:53 |
'News of the World' and 'Jazz' didn't claim to be synth-less either (though they were), and 'Queen II' had a few seconds of synth at the end despite its claim. |
| tomchristie22 09.12.2014 00:02 |
Still, I see what OP is getting at - a fully realised Queen album in the style of the Flash Gordon soundtrack would've certainly been interesting. |
| fras444 09.12.2014 01:20 |
Sebastian wrote: 'News of the World' and 'Jazz' didn't claim to be synth-less either (though they were), and 'Queen II' had a few seconds of synth at the end despite its claim.Didn't all pre "The Game" albums contain.... in sometimes a well written sentence... such as "absolutely no synths were used......" for the NATO CD.... on Queen II your referring to the little stylophone at the end of SSOR..? |
| matt z 09.12.2014 03:48 |
I don't think the OP meant a flash Gordon themed original story teller album. The op meant a follow up to the game perhaps tinged with heavy synths Maybe like a Rick Wakeman album. ..or Eurythmics.... Gary Numan? ....err a Rock album heavy on synth with composition rather than the pop formula approached on HOT SPACE. That would've been nice. I'm probably one of the few who loves the FLASH GORDON score. If it weren't for my fascination with the camp and the vivacious Ornella Muti, I think I might in fact prefer listening to the album rather than watch the film. MAX Von SYDOW is also pretty incredible. SAM JONES has gone on record saying that direction was terrible on the film as was preparation. Nevermind that he's a bad actor. There were even language difficulties. Scenes altered the day OF etc. I still think Flash OST narrowly defeats the film |
| Sebastian 09.12.2014 08:11 |
fras444 wrote: Didn't all pre "The Game" albums contain.... in sometimes a well written sentence... such as "absolutely no synths were used......"No, they didn't. Five of them did (roughly 71.43%), but not all of them. |
| *goodco* 09.12.2014 12:22 |
Sebastian wrote: 'News of the World' and 'Jazz' didn't claim to be synth-less either (though they were), and 'Queen II' had a few seconds of synth at the end despite its claim.This made me check my vinyls because I thought you were clearly mistaken. My mistake. Guess it was something I'd always assumed to have been stated, and would have failed miserably on in a trivia contest. |
| Heavenite 10.12.2014 07:09 |
I love Flash! It might be a soundtrack and often get dismissed, but stuff like the Battle Theme is just fantastic to my ears! I actually think it's a bit proggish, following on from Vultan's Theme, if I remember rightly. |
| dysan 10.12.2014 11:22 |
Flash is a curious album, almost short changing us as it only uses brief parts of the orchestral soundtrack (which is amazing). Aside from the sometimes problematic dialogue use I love it and totally agree with the OP. Their best songs in the 80s IMO were those rock songs with synth, most notably Was It All Worth Is, Princes Of The Universe etc. |
| dysan 10.12.2014 11:23 |
(primarily because, as said previously they seem to somehow update those brilliant early rock songs) |
| Sebastian 10.12.2014 11:40 |
*goodco* wrote: Guess it was something I'd always assumed to have been stated, and would have failed miserably on in a trivia contest.The whole 'no synths' thing was certainly blown out of proportion by the public and the media. Queen were not against synths the same way they were not against trumpets (still, a significant part of their recorded output has no trumpets whatsoever). According to Louis Austin (who engineered, but not produced, their 1971 demos), they did try out synths, but those didn't end up in the five finished songs we all know now. Same for piano, regarding those particular sessions. John Deacon in particular suggested that, rather than having some sort of fundamentalist reason not to incorporate synthesisers at that point, the reason was more of a technical one: they didn't quite know how to work them. Rather than teaching themselves how to do it, which would take up valuable time and possibly money, they just kept doing what they knew best: playing the instruments they'd already mastered, and using the techniques that they were keener on. That's why, when some test pressings of their début single were heard by some people who mistakenly thought the varisped multi-tracked harmonised guitars were layers of synths, they chose to put the disclaimer on. It's a valid reason. That's also why they listed their roles, etc., and made sure people knew there were no choirs or orchestras, and no session musicians, as they were understandably proud of having achieved what they did without resorting to any of those. The problem, however, was that it gradually got shrouded in myth: loads of people assumed they hated synths (they didn't) and that all of those sounds were Brian's guitar (they weren't). |
| The Real Wizard 10.12.2014 11:58 |
Sebastian wrote: The problem, however, was that it gradually got shrouded in myth: loads of people assumed they hated synths (they didn't) and that all of those sounds were Brian's guitar (they weren't).Yes, but the overwhelming majority of them were. In a nutshell, the "no synthesizers" slogan was their way of telling people it's just the four of them, particularly guitars layered upon guitars. Of course we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb, but this is what it ultimately comes down to. |
| Mr.QueenFan 10.12.2014 14:43 |
The Real Wizard wrote:Yes, and i always thought that the "No synths" line was made more for Brian's benefit than anything else. Brian wanted people to know that those sounds were made with his guitar (he's a proud man), and when you think of it, it took Brian more time trying to make all those harmonies on guitar (All dead, All dead), than would take them to learn how to use the synths.Sebastian wrote: The problem, however, was that it gradually got shrouded in myth: loads of people assumed they hated synths (they didn't) and that all of those sounds were Brian's guitar (they weren't).Yes, but the overwhelming majority of them were. In a nutshell, the "no synthesizers" slogan was their way of telling people it's just the four of them, particularly guitars layered upon guitars. Of course we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb, but this is what it ultimately comes down to. I even remember one interview about the begining of TYMD, where Brian was a bit pissed off that people said to him (hey, nice synths!) after all the time he'd spent creating thoses sounds. In a nutshell, Brian wanted to use the guitar instead of synths, and it has become part of their sound. If they wanted to use synths they would have, because as far as i'm concerned they were all fast learners, specially in the studio, when that meant they could be in a produce-it-yourself kind of situation. John Deacon answer is the diplomatic answer, and it could be true in 1972/73, but after that it was Brian just trying to create with his guitar all the sounds he used to hear in his head when he was a kid (with the Deacy amp). |
| Heavenite 10.12.2014 14:48 |
dysan wrote: Flash is a curious album, almost short changing us as it only uses brief parts of the orchestral soundtrack (which is amazing). Aside from the sometimes problematic dialogue use I love it and totally agree with the OP. Their best songs in the 80s IMO were those rock songs with synth, most notably Was It All Worth Is, Princes Of The Universe etc.Surely the dialogue is tongue in cheek! It's so bad,it has to be, doesn't it? ! In any case,I think the way Queen incorporated it into their soundtrack is really quite brilliant. "Do you Ming the Merciless, take this earthing Dale Arden to be your empress of the hour? " ....lol! |
| ludwigs 10.12.2014 15:21 |
64.76548% (recurring 4) says that they didn't use synths as such! Meanwhile I've managed to pick some fly shit out of some black pepper! |
| fras444 10.12.2014 20:22 |
Sebastian wrote:You are a fucken good c@#t Sebastian haha.. Kiwis have some very colorful ways of stringing sentences and complementing one another... and in regards to what I said... It's a kiwi way of complimenting someone who is on to it and knows his shit...! I checked my collection and yip...!! The no synths stopped after News of the World!!fras444 wrote: Didn't all pre "The Game" albums contain.... in sometimes a well written sentence... such as "absolutely no synths were used......"No, they didn't. Five of them did (roughly 71.43%), but not all of them. |
| fras444 10.12.2014 20:32 |
|
| fras444 10.12.2014 21:48 |
matt z wrote I don't think the OP meant a flash Gordon themed original story teller album. The op meant a follow up to the game perhaps tinged with heavy synths Yeah man the post is more in regards to Queen having that Synth sound in the background/leaning towards a replacement to the piano and not to the full extend that HS took Queen which ultimately almost replaced all four of them in regards to playing their respective instruments... synth bass lines etc... Van Halen/whitesnake/rainbow sounding...? I remember reading a quote from Freddie sometime after the ADATR release or just before the pending release of NOTW.. He mentioned that Brian has done almost every bloody thing he could do with that bloody guitar and our next album will be a little bit more simple/stripped down.... And NOTW was exactly that.. It seemed that Queen had matured as a band with that album albeit in their trademark tongue in check attitude with the lack of multi guitar/vocal harmony and a more stripped down approach. Then came Jazz and The Game and it sound like that Queen were battling between being a maturing band singing about more mature topics and being the eccentric over the top youthful band who pushed the boundary's and singing about anything as in Jazz... Then came from out of nowhere, this album... Flash.. and not long after The more serious The Game... It would have sounded like a breath of fresh air for Queen fans alike that lived through that period.. It really sounded like a very youthful and full of energy band again! The two vocal songs sound so youthful and almost reminiscent of SSOR from Queen II esp The Hero.. the first 20 seconds sound so orgasmic esp Brian's guitar.. much like SSOR albeit longer to kick in to the first lyric... I think after the success of ABTD.. It was written in the stars that Queen would eventuate into producing what would become HS.. But it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Queen had written a full 'Flash The Hero" sounding style album maybe in a loose concept way that Queen II was... Something seriously fell apart leading into and during the writing of HS.. Such as Johns meltdown when Brian wanted to put a guitar solo on backchat and Brian recording that tear it up solo drunk... and the not so keen approach to Freddie's want in producing a dance/disco inspired album and the just in general, the personal matters that they were going through at the time... One wonders though.. If Queen would have been more productive in the 80s if they had gone in the other direction and produced a Flash sounding album... and not gone through the difficulties and trials that HS created... Then again, material from The Works and Magic would possibly not have been...? |
| fras444 10.12.2014 21:55 |
goodco wrote Guess it was something I'd always assumed to have been stated, and would have failed miserably on in a trivia contest. Sebastian wrote The whole 'no synths' thing was certainly blown out of proportion by the public and the media. Queen were not against synths the same way they were not against trumpets (still, a significant part of their recorded output has no trumpets whatsoever). Yeah man I think too in away Queen just let everyone run with it/good publicity for the band you know.. Lot's of fans were like "yeah our band is hardcore and will never bow down to computers etc etc and make music purely with their instruments that they have.... Look what it says on the cover...?! no synths....!!!" A good example of people not listening to you..... I remember reading somewhere also that Brian also mentioned along with playing around with synths in the very early years, that the sounds were so basic at the time. Queen had no real fitting into what music they were making at the time... Also I remember Brian saying that he really wanted to produce that music with his guitar and give... his songs at least.. That personal touch in which that he felt could never be reflected through synths... or what I can remember anyway...? |
| fras444 10.12.2014 21:57 |
|
| fras444 10.12.2014 22:18 |
dysan wrote Flash is a curious album, almost short changing us as it only uses brief parts of the orchestral soundtrack (which is amazing). Aside from the sometimes problematic dialogue use I love it and totally agree with the OP. Their best songs in the 80s IMO were those rock songs with synth, most notably Was It All Worth Is, Princes Of The Universe etc Yeah man those songs are great examples of using synths in a heavy rock sense....!! esp Was it all worth it and the complex arrangement in All god's people and also in Innuendo is another good example too. Yeah I guess what I meant in regards to this post... What would have a follow up album sounded like after flash when the guys were still youthful as in a loose term 30-36 ish years old |
| Sebastian 11.12.2014 00:58 |
The Real Wizard wrote: Yes, but the overwhelming majority of them were.No, not the overwhelming majority. 'Many' is the correct word for that case, as there were many guitar-generated effects but also many non-guitar-generated effects. The Real Wizard wrote: In a nutshell, the "no synthesizers" slogan was their way of telling people it's just the four of them, particularly guitars layered upon guitars.A lot of those sounds were guitars layered upon guitars, but not all and not most. Mr.QueenFan wrote: In a nutshell, Brian wanted to use the guitar instead of synthsNot just Brian, but also the 75% of the band that were not Brian. Mr.QueenFan wrote: after that it was Brian just trying to create with his guitar all the sounds he used to hear in his head when he was a kid (with the Deacy amp).But a lot of those sounds were not Brian and not guitars, just the same way a lot of those sounds were. |
| dysan 11.12.2014 07:09 |
"Surely the dialogue is tongue in cheek! It's so bad,it has to be, doesn't it? ! In any case,I think the way Queen incorporated it into their soundtrack is really quite brilliant. "Do you Ming the Merciless, take this earthing Dale Arden to be your empress of the hour? " ....lol!" Oh yes I agree (and I love the film massively). |