| Mr.Jingles 23.11.2004 00:17 |
I know many people think it's too 80's pop, or that they shouldn't have made too many songs inspired by 'Highlander', but I still think this is one of Queen's greatest albums. OK, perhaps 'One Year Of Love' and 'Friends Will Be Friends' might be kinda sappy. Yet it doesn't ruin a great trend of creativity within the band. To me it was the album that defined Queen as STILL being the champions, and a never ending force of creative, stylish, and powerful music as the perfect follow-up of their Live Aid performance. |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 23.11.2004 01:13 |
A Kind Of Magic tends to get written off, but it's still a great album. Who Wants To Live Forever, A Kind Of Magic, One Vision and Princes Of The Universe are the best, but I like Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, One Year Of Love and Friends Will Be Friends, however sappy they may be. Then again, I like sap. :) Though I can't say I like Don't Lose Your Head that much, and Brian imitating bagpipes in Gimme The Prize was a little strange, but overall, it's a solid album. Probably one of their most underrated. |
| Daburcor? 23.11.2004 02:00 |
I love that album! |
| Melancholy Blues 23.11.2004 02:20 |
it's one of my favourite queen albums, espacially who wants to live fovever, a kind of magic and one year of love |
| djaef 23.11.2004 02:23 |
I think it's pretty good. If you ask me, it shits all over the studio albums on either side of it, despite there only being 9 songs. I think the only two weak point comes late in the album with Gimme The Prize. I have never liked that. On the other hand, I think One Year of Love is masterful. Soppy be damned. Friends will be Friends is also a tad weak but enjoyable enough. Overall, their best 80s effort. |
| Regor 23.11.2004 04:02 |
As an album I think it's far better than The Works, which is just a few songs thrown together. AKOM has an "album flow" even though its a mixture of soundtrack and non-sountrack songs. Not their best, as it is really littered with synths, but at least it works as an an album. It doesn't sound like a bunch of singles. And Princes of the universe is one of the best Queen-Tracks ever IMO. |
| Fenderek 23.11.2004 08:19 |
Because it's an appreciation thread- I'm not going to say anything... Well, OK- Who Wants To Live Forever is awesome! |
| Mean Mistreater 23.11.2004 08:22 |
maybe it is a step up from the works |
| Fenderek 23.11.2004 08:27 |
I just found out one more good thing I can say about AKOM- it's better than Flash... |
| gabriel79 23.11.2004 09:51 |
Regor wrote: As an album I think it's far better than The Works, which is just a few songs thrown together. AKOM has an "album flow" even though its a mixture of soundtrack and non-sountrack songs. Not their best, as it is really littered with synths, but at least it works as an an album. It doesn't sound like a bunch of singles. And Princes of the universe is one of the best Queen-Tracks ever IMO.agree.and freddie voice in one year of love is terrific.one of his greatest moments |
| Magik 23.11.2004 09:57 |
Fenderek wrote: I just found out one more good thing I can say about AKOM- it's better than Flash...Hehe... I agree from this in wholeness! |
| Mean Mistreater 23.11.2004 09:57 |
HA! YES! you got that right Fenderek! |
| deleted user 23.11.2004 12:32 |
Just forget about PISCTP, all will be okay... |
| Flo Joe 23.11.2004 13:55 |
I really like it...it is simply not as good as many of the other albums. |
| Giacco 73 23.11.2004 14:09 |
I love 'A Kind Of Magic'!It is my favourite Queen 80's album and I love every single songs in it.I discovered these songs thanks to the film Highlander,another one of my favourites.And also those songs worked wonderfully live in the "Magic Tour".It also contains my favourite Queen song of the 80's,a masterpiece called "Who Wants To Live Forever". |
| Mr.Jingles 23.11.2004 18:39 |
I have no doubt to say that 'A Kind Of Magic' is Queen's best album of the 80s. Closely followed by 'The Miracle'. I think that the transition of bringing David Richards to produce, instead of Mack really helped Queen. Although Mack produced 'One Vision' and 'Princes Of The Universe', two of the best songs in the album. |
| redyfredy01 23.11.2004 19:10 |
i love this one, it's got a lot of the good songs |
| KingMercury 23.11.2004 19:28 |
i love this album it has many music different styles; it has pop, rock, balad, its great the only song i dont like is "pain is so close to pleasure", but i love the rest |
| mercuryrising 23.11.2004 22:52 |
I THINK A KIND OF MAGIC IS REALLY A GOOD ALBUM , POTUV,GMTP,ONE VISION KIND OF REJUVENATED THEM TO SHOW THE FANS THAT THEY HADN'T LOST THEIR EARLIER HARD ROCK EDGE. OVERALL I THINK THEY ACHIEVED WHAT THEY WANTED WAS AN ALBUM THAT POTRAYED EVEYONES EMOTIONS SADNESS &JOY |
| mike hunt 24.11.2004 00:22 |
I see magic as a fun album. from the album cover to the music, one year of love is a great ballad and many more, actually the first three tracks are perfect. It's not a vintage Queen album by any means, but just a good fun album to listen, and freds voice really shines here. there best 80's effort is the game. |
| Magik 24.11.2004 00:54 |
I dislike this album simply and already:). The team had a lot of better albums. |
| iGSM 24.11.2004 01:14 |
The only snoreworthy song on the album is Don't Lose Your Head. I squeeze AKOM to 11 songs. I put Forever and One Vision (Extended Vision) on there. Cheater, yes. |
| trustno1 24.11.2004 05:05 |
A Kind of Magic is a godawful album. Soppy and shameful. |
| iGSM 24.11.2004 05:08 |
It's not as if Highlander was a comedy. The Kurgan: Guess what Highlander, I raped your wife! Connor: And she still hasn't done the dishes... *swings a golf club* Although that would be a good movie. fatty, get writing on that script. |
| Mr.Jingles 24.11.2004 08:59 |
Some Queen fans hate 'A Kind Of Magic' for the same reason that some Genesis fans hate 'Invisible Touch'. There's a lot of similarities between both albums... - They were both released in 1986 - They had a thread of successful hit singles - They had commercial appeal - Their sound fits more accordingly to the mainstream rock/pop of the mid 80s. - They sound nothing like the original material from both Queen and Genesis first albums, so for the ones who expected Queen to still be doing glam rock, and Genesis still doing progressive rock it will be a big dissapointment. Nevertheless, both are great albums. The problem is that some people don't realize that it's important for rock bands to not keep doing the same records with the same sound over and over again. Time changes, and so do rock bands. |
| Fenderek 24.11.2004 09:16 |
Mr.Jingles79 wrote: . The problem is that some people don't realize that it's important for rock bands to not keep doing the same records with the same sound over and over again. Time changes, and so do rock bands.No mate- you got that wrong- it's not about doing the same stuff over and over again- you can evolve as long as you don't lose almost all your identity and just go with what's popular at the moment. Led zeppelin were changimg constantly0 "In Through The Out door" doesn't sound anything like "II" but no-one is going to say that they went commercial... Metallica's "Black album" was also completely dfferent than "Kill'em All"- great album still... But "Invisible Touch" compared to "Selling England By The Pound" or "Foxtrot" is just awful!!! Changing is all right, as long as it's some kind of evolution, being more creative, opening for more ambitious sounds... If you go from progressive rock to pop- that's degaradation... Look @ Nick Cave- he's changing- and for the better still... He's last double album is just awesome!!! But he still sounds LIKE Nick Cave, not like Travis or Coldplay... |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 24.11.2004 12:43 |
(clapping for Mr Jingles) Right! If bands did not change their musical style from time to time and experiment with different things, they'd be rather boring, wouldn't they? Queen had a way of surprising their fans. Each new record (yes, vinyl back then) was eagerly anticipated to guess what they would do next before the needle hit the vinyl. Almost like the feeling you get before opening a present: what's inside the brightly-coloured wrapping? (You could apply that to AKOM because the cover was almost as bright as Hot Space!) Thank God for Freddie's insight and instinct. If he had never joined Queen, they probably would have been stuck in a rut musically and forgotten very quickly! |
| The Real Wizard 24.11.2004 13:31 |
Fenderek wrote: I just found out one more good thing I can say about AKOM- it's better than Flash...lol... :) Princes is an amazing song, and so is One Vision. There's some good stuff on this album, but to me it doesn't flow as well as The Miracle. I think the last Queen album to flow well was News Of The World, before they smartened up with The Miracle. |
| mike hunt 24.11.2004 13:48 |
yea, i agree with jingles. couldn't have said it better my self. |
| Mr.Jingles 24.11.2004 16:18 |
Some people just hate it when bands change, and I mean to each his own. Let's take for instance Dream Theater. They came out into the music scene around a time when heavy metal/hard rock was slowly fading and grunge was taking over. Seemed odd back then that a progressive rock band could be quite successful, and although they were quite far from being as successful as Guns N' Roses, Metallica, or Nirvana they built a strong cult fan base, and considering the fact that they were completely against mainstream and had virtually no radio airplay whatsoever, they still kept that cult fan base strong. So that was definitely more of a sucess than a failure. However, ever since they came out the band has hardly changed their sound, and by that I mean trying something outside their common progressive/hard rock ground, and crossing over to other genres. Perhaps the main reason why they haven't done it is because they're afraid that their loyal fanbase will call them "sell-outs", and we know that a lot of fans (especially the hard-core ones) are so into the original sound that they would hardly ever take anything different than what they've been given. Just look what happened to Metallica with 'The Black Album', their most keen fans called them "commercial sell-outs", and "ballad making softies"... but guess who was the winner in the end?... Metallica, because for every hard-core fan they lost, they gained 10 more. I mean, if you see it from another point of view even 'Load' wasn't that bad. It would have definitely been received better if it wasn't made by Metallica. The change was radical, but not as bad as many people say it was. That's the reason why bands like Queen and Genesis are bigger and better. They're not afraid of trying something different. There might be some misses, but they learn from those mistakes. For instance, at the time that Queen started using synths, perhaps it sounded kinda cheesy on some songs, but they eventually learned how to use them properly later on in their careers. Say what you want, but 'A Kind Of Magic' still captures for the most part the main essence of Queen. They realized that 'Hot Space' was perhaps too much "not like Queen", but they learned from that and kept going on without turning back completely to the glam rock days, because that would mean admitting defeat. Just look at all the fans who still think that 'Hot Space' was a brilliant effort, and in my case it might still be my less favorite but I have to admit that it has grown on me a bit. It was a good effort indeed. |
| Mean Mistreater 24.11.2004 17:03 |
I share the same view as Fenderek...sigh...he always says just what I'm thinkin' *blushes* |
| mike hunt 24.11.2004 23:50 |
when i first heard albums like hot space and magic, also the works i despised them, Why? cos i was a 16 year old closed minded hard rock metal head, well I'm now in my mid thirties and to me there's more to music than glam or hard rock. hot space and magic weren't ment to sound like stone cold crazy, Queen were not the type of band to do the same things over and over like AC/DC. these albums has since grown on me to a great extent. I now love all their eighties albums. |
| Fenderek 25.11.2004 08:56 |
Mr.Jingles79 wrote: However, ever since they came out the band has hardly changed their sound, and by that I mean trying something outside their common progressive/hard rock ground, and crossing over to other genres. Perhaps the main reason why they haven't done it is because they're afraid that their loyal fanbase will call them "sell-outs"How about: that's the music they love and that's the music they're enjoying playing most...? They did change their sound- compare "Images And Words" with "Train Of Thought"- first one had almost poppy production (clear, clean, not too heavy)- ToT however sounds VEEERY heavy, thick- different. Just because they didn't record reagge doesn't mean they didn't change their sound... They took a lot from new bands like System of A Down or the likes- that's a new influence! That is a new sound! They didn't change totally because they found THEIR sound, they found the PERFECT way to express themselves. Why to change that...? Mr.Jingles79 wrote: Just look what happened to Metallica with 'The Black Album', their most keen fans called them "commercial sell-outs", and "ballad making softies"... but guess who was the winner in the end?... Metallica, because for every hard-core fan they lost, they gained 10 more. I mean, if you see it from another point of view even 'Load' wasn't that bad. It would have definitely been received better if it wasn't made by Metallica. The change was radical, but not as bad as many people say it was.I agree about "Load"- it grew on me. BUT- I can't say a good word about Re-load (Ok- there's one- "Fuel")... I agree that "Black Album" was actually a great, classic album. It didn't sound like "Master of Puppets" BUT it was still metal- they didn't do pop, did they...? And those morons who accused them of writing ballads and called them softies- listen to "Ride The Lightning" and go to track 4... If this isn't ballad than what is...? So my point is that they changed but not that radically. AND- recording "Black Album" they didn't go for what was popular at that moment!!! Ppl went for grunge, ppl went for G'n'R- BUT Metallica wasn't copying the trend back than- "Black Album" was a risk as much as "...And Justice For All"...! With Queen and Genesis IMO- that was going for what was at that moment popular, not for artistic reasons... As I said- IMHO... Mr.Jingles79 wrote: That's the reason why bands like Queen and Genesis are bigger and better. They're not afraid of trying something different. There might be some misses, but they learn from those mistakes. For instance, at the time that Queen started using synths, perhaps it sounded kinda cheesy on some songs, but they eventually learned how to use them properly later on in their careers.I can agree on that one- can't complain about synths on "Innuendo"... Yet I still believe that it was more because of Freddie's illnes rather than musical evolution... Mr.Jingles79 wrote: Say what you want, but 'A Kind Of Magic' still captures for the most part the main essence of Queen.IMO it doesn't at all- maybe 2-3 songs do (WWTLF, One Vision, POTU... that's about it...). BUT- that's just my opinion. IMO they went for something safe- something that's not a risk. "Releasing "Innuendo" as a single was a risk. AKOM was a very safe record- not for die hards, but for all those that listen to radio all day and like the music as a walpaper- many ppl heard AKOM (song) on the radio, thought "oh what a charming tune" and bought record... I agree that maybe some of them later checked out SHA or ANATO and became die hards as well- fair enough. Nevertheless- I don't like AKOM- it's to simple for my taste, I can hardly feel anything lis |
| brian_may_wannabe 25.11.2004 11:51 |
I think it's the best Queen album of the 80s. Absolutely love Friends Will Be Friends, Who Wants to Live Forever, One Year of Love, Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends... and the Forever instrumental. |
| Journeyfan05 25.11.2004 15:41 |
it was a great album and i think that the 'magic' tour was the greatest tour. such an amazing set list!! |