Hot Space - Queen > Reviews (3)

Hot Space, released by Queen in 1982, remains to this day notable for it's divergence from anything they had done before, a mixture of funk, disco and soul. At the time Queen fans, used to a mixture of rock and well written ballads absolutely hated it and the critics panned it. Looking back twenty-five years later and after listening to it for the first time in several years I came to the conclusion that this album deserves to be looked upon in a kinder light.

The first inkling of Queen's move in this direction was two years earlier with the release of the massive hit single Another One Bites The Dust, with it's heavy and catchy bass line. The success of this disco sound encouraged the band to try out more of this genre of music and away from their usual stuff. Alas by 1982 this sound was on it's way out yet Queen bravely set out to offer their alternative to the rock that had been their signature and was itself being pushed out of the way by punk and new wave of eighties bands. What they gave us was an album that for the first time (for Queen) overtly used synthesisers and plenty of heavy bass riff. They also gave us an album of tracks varying in degrees of quality

The cover consists of four coloured quarters each containing a portrait of each member of the group. Think of the cover of the Blur compilation and you will get the picture.

The album goes straight in to one jazzy number, Staying Power. "See what I've got, I've got a hell of a lot" commences a pumped up Freddie Mercury backed up by a vibrant horn/brass section. This is one hot track and always puts me in a good mood listening to it. It's followed by another good track, Dancer, a slower funk mixed with the heavier music and guitars synonymous with Queen.

Next up is Backchat, not a good track this with the group unsuccessfully trying to get a good disco sound going. I recall an ex of mine, upon hearing this, saying that this track reminded her of an uncle trying to dance at a wedding disco when he should have remained at the buffet hogging the sausage rolls. Enough said.

The next track, Body Language, is another disco song with a strong beat but let down by the heavy use of the synthesiser. Not one of the better tracks on this album though it was released as a single to some acclaim in the USA. Apparently the video for this was the first one to be banned by MTV. Which all makes the next track, Action This Day, somewhat of an anti climax though the bass riff is quite catchy.

Following on from this is a belter of a track, Put Out The Fire, with Queen going back to their traditional rock sound. What is interesting is that listening to this song today, one can't help thinking that it would not have been out of place during the band's heyday in the 70's or during their renaissance during the late 80's. A timeless number that should have but never was released as a single.

Then another let down, Life Is Real, a tribute to John Lennon with lyrics and tune in his style but sounding phoney not being performed by the man himself.

Mediocrity continues with Calling All Girls with its forgettable tune and lyrics.

Then suddenly we're back to the sublime with Los Palabras De Amor, a lovely ballad penned by Brian May and sung with feeling by Freddie to the classic May guitar backing. It was released as a single, why oh why did it get nowhere in the charts?

Cool Cats, the penultimate track, is a soul number excellently sung in falsetto by Mercury yet beyond redemption due to it boring me to tears by it's plodding pace.

The final track is that well-known number Under Pressure, that joint collaboration between Queen and David Bowie. All I will say is that it's a poor song that only reached the top of the charts due to two sets of fans buying it.

So there you have it, a Queen album different from anything else they did. It swings from the good to the bad and will have you skipping tracks in places. It certainly is not, and never will be, regarded as one of their better albums but with the passing time it certainly is interesting to compare with their other work. If you have an open mind this album is worth listening to, it sure is hot in places.