Electric Fire - Roger Taylor

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Great music and lyrics !
Disadvantages:	Silly beard !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

While most people think that Queen was just Freddie Mercury, dedicated fans know different. Queen had many number ones in the UK, but did you know that each of the 4 members managed to write a top 10 hit? Freddie Mercury wrote Bohemian Rhapsody, Brian May wrote We Will Rock You, John Deacon wrote Another One Bites the Dust and Roger Taylor came up with Radio Ga Ga, Heaven for Everyone and A Kind Of Magic to name but a few.

Roger was by far the best looking of the group, but he was never the stereotypical Neanderthal drummer, having picked up a degree in dentistry while practising his drumming skills.

Roger was also the most prolific band member outside of Queen, having penned 4 solo albums and 3 with his other group, The Cross, who he formed after Queen stopped touring in 1986.

Electric Fire is the last (so far) of his solo albums, and is generally agreed to be the best. One of the things that struck me about the album was the great sense of humour displayed by the lyrics, but then again Queen have always taken the mickey out of themselves. This is displayed in the song "Nation of Haircuts" - a cautionary tale of how the country is becoming obsessed with the way they look and what bar they drink in.

"We don't make ships and we don't make cars,
But we look real good hangin' out in bars"

It's funny cos it's true... people are far more concerned with their appearance to others rather than what they themselves can actually achieve with their lives. I don't think in a hundred years time people will flock to my grave because I wore a particular kind of lipstick, do you?

Another song that made me laugh out loud was "Tonight":

"Tonight, we're painting this town red
Tonight, we legislate on blue
Tonight, we paint your mother green
Act our all our dreams, and we'll celebrate - me and you"

This song was one of my favourites, the lyrics are funny, catching your attention, then become tender and somewhat romantic, something Roger does very well, which is maybe why he still appeals to the legions of lady fans out there (even me, and he's twice my age!)

Roger has been through a lot in his life, he was involved ain a car crash that left a friend badly hurt when he was still in Cornwall, his father died young, and of course his best friend Freddie died in 1991. He seems to have poured out most of the feelings over Freddie's death in his previous album, Happiness, but there is still an echo in this album, with the song "Where are you now?". The lyrics are quite plaintive, with Roger asking over and over:

"Where are you now?
Tell me where are you now?
Tell me where are you now (that we need you)?"

It seems that Roger has not yet got over his loss, and perhaps never will - from "Is It Me?":

"And I feel
So lonely
Only lonely
Without you"

Roger has always been a bit political, writing songs about the rise of neo-nazism and world poverty in the album Happiness, and he's at it again here, this time using politicians and celebrities as his targets in the song "People on Streets" :-

"I said hey Madonna and Roseanne Barr
Well you think that you're big (you're too big by far)
If you think that you're important in the scheme of things
You'd better get real quick 'cos reality stinks
I said hey Ayatollah you're a real big cheese
However much you talk it's just words in the breeze"

Here he's talking about how celebs get cut off from the real world and get obsessed with their own importance rather than with helping the ordinary people they left behind when they rose to the top. A bit much from someone who owns 5 houses maybe?

Roger is an accomplished musician, he can play drums, guitar, ukulele, timpani and can sing with a high, husky voice, a bit like Rod Stewarts. On the Happiness album, he did every instrument himself, but in this he has left a few things to other people, even having another singer, Treana Morris, on the album. The music on the album covers a huge range of styles. It starts off, in Pressure On, with a middle-east feel, leading us through rock, acoustics, and spoken word to finish off in London Town - C'mon Down.

The album also includes a lyrics booklet which Roger designed himself, with pictures taken by Bob Geldof of Roger's son. There are also details of how to download an extra track from Roger's website, though as it's over 7 years ago I don't know if it's still available.

This album is must-have if you're a fan of Queen, and well worth getting even if you're not, and just like a bit of rock that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Track listing:

1. Pressure On
2. A Nation Of Haircuts
3. Believe In Yourself
4. Surrender
5. People On Streets
6. The Whisperers
7. Is It Me?
8. No More Fun
9. Tonight
10. Where Are You Now?
11. Working Class Hero
12. London Town-C'mon Down

His next album is well overdue, too much time spent mucking about with boy-bands and musicals, methinks.

"I said a Keith Richards, not a Cliff Richard..." (Nation of Haircuts)