| syncursor 21.08.2004 02:05 |
OK, I know I'm gonna get stones thrown at me for this one but I really want to know: What is so wrong with the "Hot Space" album that it turned away so many "Queen" fans? I can understand that some of the funkier numbers were Queen treading new ground but I'd say the majority of this album still sounded very much like Queen and was really only a natural progression from styles that were already introduced on "The Game". Here's what I really like about this album: Staying Power: Great bass, killer vocals and the Power! Power! Power! segment is exactly that. Dancer: Funky, I agree, but again, really strong vocals and some great screaming guitar. Not what you'd hear in any other artist's funk song for the time. Back Chat: Good rhythm. 100% Deacy-writing here. More screaming guitars and Freddie seems to really enjoy this one, making it another great vocal performance. Body Language: The one everyone loves to bash but I think the humour sells me on this one. I remember my mother saying "Bohemian Rhapsody was a beautiful song so how could he write such trash?" Trash meaning the song's subject matter. She did find it funny. Maybe not the best choice for a single but witty in the same vein as, say, "Don't Try Suicide". Action This Day: You can't help tapping your feet to this one. Between the constant drumbeat and quick vocals, this song only slows down for the few seconds towards the bridge when Roger throws in the very "Fun In Space"-style synths. Just a fun track, really. Put Out The Fire: No funk, just rock. Not as heavy, but has similar elements to "Hammer To Fall" and no one complain about that. Life Is Real: Another Freddie ballad. Sung well with strong emotions. Not worth complaining about. Calling All Girls: Better choice for a single. Good pop elements to it. Gets stuck in my head sometimes so the formula worked. Las Palabras De Amor: The best choice for the single but released after the damage was done. Good harmonies and all around pleasing sounds, in a nutshell. Cool Cat: I always liked this one. Good driving-late-at-night-under-the-city-lights kind of song, if you catch my drift. Under Pressure: I don't even need to explain this song's merits since most of us agree on this as a classic. So, there's my 2 cents. I've got my shield up so "Back off, keep cool and learn to change your ways." :D |
| [StArMaN] 21.08.2004 07:54 |
I'm also one of the defenders of this album. The songs themselves are very good IMHO. The only big thing I've got against this album is The lack of consistence of the production. Some tracks are top class (Calling all Girls, Under Pressure, Staying Power) but some are quite awfull ( Back chat and Dancer) with over-saturating vocals and guitars, some problems with drum-machines here and there. Musically wise, Dancer is very very close to Imagination "Music And Lights. But the latter have an exellent sound according the time of its realease. The Queen/mack team surely had some trouble in producing the funky tracks of this album. The 2003 remaster of Hot Space is my next purchase. I hope The album has gain in power and clarity. |
| iGSM 21.08.2004 08:13 |
I used to jump on the Hot Space band wagon until I heard the entire album. Now I quite like it. Especially Dancer. |
| [StArMaN] 21.08.2004 08:40 |
Dancer is an excellent one :) but could be better :)) |
| sasss 21.08.2004 09:08 |
i like this album too. cool cat and action this day are my favorits. by the way do you remember that britney spears song with the word action in it. don't really know how it's called. i think she should get a call from mister taylor's laywers... hihi |
| FriedChicken 21.08.2004 09:12 |
Ofcourse it's great. Everything Queen did is wonderful and heavenly |
| deleted user 21.08.2004 09:17 |
loved all the songs except Body Language and Put Out The Fire just loveee las and life is real and up is a classic as said earlier never will come 2 know y ppl didnt like this album? |
| icmrocha (The Man From Planet Marzipan) 21.08.2004 09:55 |
Well, i really love Hot Space, and this is not a complaining about it, but: In my opinion, maybe if they changed the positions of the tracks, people that don't like the album would have got another view of it... what do u think? |
| Daburcor? 21.08.2004 09:56 |
I like Hot Space quite a bit. Start to finish. |
| Brian_Mays_Wig 21.08.2004 10:28 |
Hot Space has always been one of my favourite albums. It gets too much shit for nothing. Although it wasnt typical Queen at the time, the production is superb. A fine album. |
| rhapsody__87 21.08.2004 10:41 |
I love Hot Space. There was this one week where it was all I'd listen to... that was a fun week! |
| the oppositionist 21.08.2004 11:21 |
This is the only topic where i really put on a stepford cap. I love Hot space for the reasons youy guys have mentioned above. only i dislike life is real. bit crap to me! |
| BornToBeKings 21.08.2004 12:04 |
I personally think that Dancer is great! Freddie yelling "Hot space, let's go!" just before the riff picks back up is one of the highlights of the album. The album itself is a big reason of exactly why I love Queen: it's a great example of their boundless variety and fearless creativity. |
| Brianmay1975 21.08.2004 13:46 |
When I first heard HS, I hated it. But then, it grew on me. I love the way Queen tried to get a new sound. Good experience...
syncursor wrote: Dancer: Funky, I agree, but again, really strong vocals and some great screaming guitar. Not what you'd hear in any other artist's funk song for the time.Funky indeed, but it sounds somehow like a rocker. Very interesting combination of disco and rock, though a bit unusual... but then again, Queen are known as the band who put together in a song both opera and rock, aren't they? Put Out The Fire: No funk, just rock. Not as heavy, but has similar elements to "Hammer To Fall" and no one complain about that.One of my favs. After all that funk, listening to a rocker gives you a fresh breeze... Life Is Real: Another Freddie ballad. Sung well with strong emotions. Not worth complaining about.Very Lennon-style, however. If it were better known by hte general public, newbies would have asked if Queen covered John Lennon's LIR (the way they ask about CLTCL) :)... I especially like the "Life is a bitch" line. It's funny. Las Palabras De Amor: The best choice for the single but released after the damage was done. Good harmonies and all around pleasing sounds, in a nutshell.My fav song written by Brian. It's sooo gentle and bright, I dunno, it just gives me such a beautiful feeling. Splendid guitar harmonies on this track. You're right, the best choice for the single... |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 21.08.2004 14:17 |
I don't think Hot Space is bad at all. Even Cool Cat, which I used to skip for the longest time, has grown on me. Back Chat is great, too, with an amazing guitar solo. It's definitely not Queen's best album, but I think holds it's own. |
| Farlander 21.08.2004 15:21 |
I love Hot Space. In the top five Queen albums, I think. |
| Lord Blackadder 21.08.2004 15:25 |
It has some good songs on it, namely, . Action This Day . Put Out The Fire . Life Is Real . Las Palabras De Amor . Under Pressure But I think it has some bad ones too. More bad ones than any other Queen album. Still a good album though. |
| siljeoen 21.08.2004 16:11 |
Hot Space is a great album!!! |
| Matti 21.08.2004 17:23 |
I think it's great too. I really like it. It's different. :) |
| Brimon 21.08.2004 17:37 |
The only thing that I really disliked about the Hot Space album was the lack of proper photos. I was so disappointed when I took out the inner sleeve to find it had the same images as the outer sleeve, but hey life goes on. |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 21.08.2004 17:46 |
I like the album, but I think the cover is great. It really grabs your attention with the bright colors. Brimon's right, though; I always thought it was a bit strange that it was almost exactly the same on the inside cover. |
| Koolkikiland 21.08.2004 20:52 |
I know what bothers me about it. It's MACK's mixes. I don't like what MACK did to Queen's overall sound. Once they got him in the studio, their overall sound quality degraded by 50%. I've always felt the same way about what he did to ELO's music. In a MACK production everything sounds kind of metallic and thin. And the drums so often sound sloppy and loose, like Roger's bangin' away on a big set of clunky trash cans. Roy Thomas Baker had a way of making Roger's drums and Brian's guitar sound so meaty and organic. . . which is why the Cars drums and vocals sounded pretty darn good after they got Roy in the studio with them. |
| the oppositionist 21.08.2004 21:27 |
But having said that, Mack was a very much an eighties style engineer wasnt he? everything in the 80s sounded hollow and metallic. guess it was the fashion. i dont mind it cos it was just another phase in queens history :) |
| syncursor 22.08.2004 04:16 |
You guys are great. I always thought I was alone in my views on this album. Thanks for the support. :D |
| Monte: Liquorice Years 22.08.2004 05:08 |
i like hot space! i think its chouette! calling all girls...thats a funny song, 'cause the title sounds like rogers a womaniser (which he is) but its really about love...its cute.... i have no complaints about it |
| onevsion 22.08.2004 10:59 |
also like Hot Space.. It gives me another feeling as Queen II does. (Queen II is my favourite queen album.) Hot Space is nothing like Queen II but the thing i like about Hot Space is that it gives me a happy feeling. The album is fun. The lyrics and music are uplifting... |
| Koolkikiland 22.08.2004 13:42 |
"But having said that, Mack was a very much an eighties style engineer wasnt he?" Well, he ended up being that - but he produced ELO's stuff in the mid 70's and it's the same thing, hollow sounds and sloppy trash can drums. "everything in the 80s sounded hollow and metallic. guess it was the fashion." oppositionist, you have a really good point here. I won't argue with that - which is why I don't like most 80's music. But you're right, Queen couldn't stay stuck in 1976 or they would've died out long before. |
| okke_dillen 22.08.2004 14:23 |
For me this is the worst album Queen has ever done. It´s followed by Flash good ol´A Kind of magic, but Magic has much more points. I discovered Queen in the early eightys for there earlier albums. When Flash and Hot space arrived I thought they had passed their peak. But then again: Innuendo is a masterpiece! |
| Libor2 23.08.2004 07:50 |
Here is another one Queen fan who thinks Hot Space album is worth to listen. It doesn’t deserve such bad reputation as it has. I dind’t very impressed with it at the time it went out - but as I listened to it, I liked it more and more. Speaking of sound - I agree this is the thing I didn’t like too much on this album. As you said - it has ’thin’ (or how to express it) sound from 80’s used for disco production from that times. It’s funny to listen to rock song like POTF with this sound. I don’t know if it’s only on Mack (it was really fashion in 80’s) but first experiments with sound changes were, by my meaning, on Jazz album. And, if I remember correctly just now, it was produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Especially Roger’s drums tends to sound ’thinny’ and more ’synthetic like’ (it was partially influenced with those electric drums Roger had used). Despite of it, I really love Jazz album. But anyway, Hot Space is not so bad. After those years I find it quite refreshing. Definitely, it isn’t one of Queen’s best works, but I like it more than Flash Gordon, The Game or The Works (here is my hot candidate for Queen’s worst album). Have a fine day. |
| Fenderek 23.08.2004 07:58 |
The albumn IMO is bad... BUT the songs aren't- i really do like the demos- Staying Power without horns, a bit heavier and dirtier ACTION THIS DAY, less polished Las Palabras De Amor... Production on the album does suck some serious ass... They polished the bloody thing too much... |
| kurgan21 23.08.2004 09:57 |
Does anyone else think that the beginning of Zephyr Song by Red hot chilli peppers sounds like the start and ongoing riff on Backchat just the first bit mind you. Anyone else think that or is it just me???? |
| The Real Wizard 24.08.2004 15:12 |
There are definitely many good songs on the album. Just whatever you do, don't listen to this one immediately after Queen II or ANATO. Creatively, it pales in comparison. |
| Bob The Shrek 24.08.2004 15:16 |
The original vinyl of Hot Space made a good frisbee and the cd makes a good coaster. |
| high-flying-adored 24.08.2004 23:35 |
Bob The Shrek wrote: The original vinyl of Hot Space made a good frisbee and the cd makes a good coaster.Ouch ... geez ... |
| mystic_rhythms 26.08.2004 13:29 |
How dare you people degrade the overall effort and creativity put into this one album? Those who hate Hot Space dislike the structure of Queen's music, and even though this was just an 'experiment', or so I've heard, it still was a very fine album. It had two hit singles to be happy about, plus a well-balanced array of disco/dance and rock. My fave track is Action This Day. I mean, it sort of is the bridge between Body Language and Put Out The Fire, the transition from dance to rock, and it is very well done. In fact, I actually wrote Brian May a letter exclaiming how Hot Space was under-rated and that it should not be hated as much as it is. I mean, it is a fun album to listen to! Plus, Mack did nothing wrong with Queen's sound, though it did change once Mack took over in '80. But, not everything that Queen did with Mack was a complete bust. Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free, Tear It Up, and Under Pressure are just some of the Queen gems that were created along with the production skills of Mack. The 80's was a decade for Queen, and every time I think of the 80's, I don't think of big hair, new wave music, and Miami Vice. I think of Queen. So it goes to show that Hot Space was the beginning of new ground for Queen, whether it was dance or rock, it all worked out, and we should all respect the album we now know as Hot Space. |
| Janet 26.08.2004 13:42 |
"Ofcourse it's great. Everything Queen did is wonderful and heavenly." I really don't think thats the point of this topic. Everyone has their own musical taste, and people have a right to like or dislike a particular record or song. I happen to enjoy listening to Hot Space now and again. There are songs on there like I like better than others, just like any Queen album. I'd rather listen to the Hot Space album than "Machines" or "Get Down, Make Love", or "Hang on In There". I love "Who Needs You?"-- Iron Eagle hates it. People have the right to make up their own minds, without being accused of being a "Stepford" (I've always hated that rediculous term), or of thinking Queen can do no wrong. |
| Albyboy 26.08.2004 13:50 |
I was not very impressed when I bought it (I was much more into heavier things in that period), but now I think that, even if I wouldn't put it on the same level as some others (Queen II, Day at the races), it's quite enjoyable. Some tracks are very good (Put out the fire, Life is real, Las palabras de amor and, of course, Under Pressure) and even the most funky and experimental ones are able to give us back a reliable mirror of that time... Albyboy |
| Daburcor? 26.08.2004 13:53 |
I'm with Janet. |
| Bob The Shrek 26.08.2004 14:13 |
'How dare you people degrade the overall effort and creativity put into this one album? Those who hate Hot Space dislike the structure of Queen's music, and even though this was just an 'experiment', or so I've heard, it still was a very fine album. It had two hit singles to be happy about, plus a well-balanced array of disco/dance and rock.' I think it's a crap album and no amount of hit singles from it is going to change my mind. I was born with freewill, I can decide if I think it's shit or not, I don't HAVE to follow the norm. Thank you. |
| Borhap80 26.08.2004 15:33 |
I like Hot Space better than The Works. I think it has to do with the production. The works is WAY TOO MUCH overproduced......... Its a shame... |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 26.08.2004 15:38 |
I like The Works, but it doesn't really seem to flow. Some of the songs are great, but it feels more like a collection of singles than an album. |
| Fenderek 27.08.2004 04:26 |
i agree on one thing- it's not the worst Queen album... IMO Works and AKOM are far worse... Regardless of hit singles (which- some of them- I can't stand, i.e. friends Will Be Friends....) |
| Albyboy 27.08.2004 04:55 |
Yeah, I'm with Thomas. Albyboy |
| [ Wybren™ ] 27.08.2004 06:57 |
Lord Fenderrus (a.k.a. Fenderek) wrote: i agree on one thing- it's not the worst Queen album... IMO Works and AKOM are far worse... Regardless of hit singles (which- some of them- I can't stand, i.e. friends Will Be Friends....)Hot Space is ok. And btw Flash Gordon was the worst Queen album IMO. |