While Queen showed an uncanny ability to stay abreast of changing musical fads and fashions most of the time without falling flat on their faces, by the early 1980s it was starting to look if they had had their day. Blondie and the Boomtown Rats both made mediocre bandwagon-jumping albums in ... Read review
Advantages: A welcome return to form Disadvantages: A little short
While Queen showed an uncanny ability to stay abreast of changing musical fads and fashions most of the time without falling flat on their faces, by the early 1980s it was starting to look if they had had their day. Blondie and the Boomtown Rats both made mediocre bandwagon-jumping albums in 1982, the same year that Queen came up with the similarly ersatz funk-influenced 'Hot Space', their weakest ever.
Thankfully they redeemed themselves ... ...they did best. Though it has its faults, it certainly remains their best album of the later years.
Several tracks were potential singles - and in fact, within a year of the album's release, all nine cuts had also appeared on the A- or B-side of new singles (albeit with differences, for which read on).
'Radio Ga Ga' was the first and most successful (No. 2), and though one of their perennial favourites, I admit to finding ... more
While Queen showed an uncanny ability to stay abreast of changing musical fads and fashions most of the time without falling flat on their faces, by the early 1980s it was starting to look if they had had their day. Blondie and the Boomtown Rats both made mediocre bandwagon-jumping albums in 1982, the same year that Queen came up with the similarly ersatz funk-influenced 'Hot Space', their weakest ever.
Thankfully they redeemed themselves with 'The Works', by and large a return to what they did best. Though it has its faults, it certainly remains their best album of the later years.
Several tracks were potential singles - and in fact, within a year of the album's release, all nine cuts had also appeared on the A- or B-side of new singles (albeit with differences, for which read on).
'Radio Ga Ga' was the first and most successful (No. 2), and though one of their perennial favourites, I admit to finding this one of my less preferred Queen hits. Clever lyrics, crafty use of synth percussion, yes, and a brilliant track if you loved the Thompson Twins and the rest of the New Romantic mega-names - which I for one didn't. 'I Want To Break Free' (No. 3) was much better, with an impassioned vocal from Freddie which, though intended as an angry love song, was later adopted as a rallying anthem by freedom campaigners in developing countries, rather ironically in view of the Sun City controversy. The notorious drag video, however, was ample proof that the group didn't take the song too seriously. [Note - this album version is shorter than and inferior to the single version, as it excludes the majestic synth intro and part of the instrumental break].
The third single was one of Freddie's best ballads, the grandiose, mock-operatic 'It's a Hard Life' (No. 6). The track chosen as a follow-up is my personal favourite, 'Hammer to Fall' (No. 13). Probably the most hard-rocking track on the album, it had a passionate anti-nuclear message in the lyrics - "What the hell we fighting for - Just surrender and it won't hurt at all". (In the light of recent events, it's arguably more relevant than ever before) In contrast to 'Break Free', the album version is about 40 seconds longer than the single edit, with a longer lead guitar break that makes the edit, still to be heard on 'Greatest Hits II', sound tame by comparison. I saw the Brian May Band live in 1993 and this song, one of the encores, really brought the house down.
It says much for the band's versatility that all four tracks were penned by different members of the band. Of the remaining five tracks, special mentions for 'Tear It Up' and 'Machines' are a gritty mix of rock and funk, the latter having something to say on the subject of technology taking over and dehumanising the world. 'Man On The Prowl' is a playful rock'n'roll song - yes, why shouldn't Queen take on the then very successful Shakin' Stevens on his own ground.
With 'Is This The World We Created', a short acoustic closing song, the opening line "Just think of all those hungry mouths we have to feed", proved extremely prescient in the year which was to end with Band Aid dominating not only the charts but the entire musical scene in a way which none of us who can recall the age will never forget. OK, maybe it's easy for four millionaires to pontificate on Third World hunger - but this isn't the place to debate the issue - and many of us will remember the song being performed at Wembley shortly before the UK finale in July 1985.
To sum up, this was a good album on a musical level, and lyrically it was a cut above the rest as well. So much for the plus points. The minus points are that this album represents questionable value for money, with only around 38 minutes playing time. EMI have reissued this on CD, duplicating the original 1984 vinyl release. A recent US CD reissue includes three bonus tracks, extended versions of 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'I Want To Break Free', plus 'I Go Crazy', the original B-side of 'Radio Ga Ga'. The inclusion of these tracks, plus the 1984 stand-alone A-side 'Thank God It's Christmas' (which I think is one of the best festive singles of all time) on the CD, would have been a good idea.
This CD is really one of the better CDs in available to buy. It sort of stinks as a whole that everybody doesn't know it.
Everybody should try and obtain this CD.
I hope everybody who listens to music, will please go out and spend their good money at the CD store, while obtaining and adding this one to their collection.
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Scapp70 30.09.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Works, The - Queen
Advantages: Great for memories of misspent days at college Disadvantages: Frustration when driving! Can't go into air guitar mode
This album sums up the eclectic time that was the early 80's. Every time I hear this album, I always play the associated videos in my head. This was the time of 1984, with the link in to Big Brother with Radio Ga-Ga, but then at the hit of the skip button, you are whisked away into mundane domesticity, with Freddie and the guys all dragged up in I want to break free. The fear of new technology being introduced into the workplaces at the time, gives ... ...live in today. Crank up the volume, wind down the window, and let hammer to fall leave Sunday drivers in your wake. The first 8 tracks get the adrenaline fired up. Only to be reined in mercilessly with the final haunting solo, with Freddie accompanied with only a guitar. It seems out of place and yet this to was the time of Band Aid and the global recognition that people can make a difference, and governments had to follow. It could be said that ...
shauny2005 27.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Works, The - Queen
Advantages: Some punchy songs Disadvantages: Couple of weaker tracks
Although this album only has nine tracks nearly every one became a well-loved part of the Queen repertoire. "Radio Ga Ga" which is an age-old complaint about the songs we grew up with being better than those of the current generation (and in fact radio programmes being better in the good old days) has a catchy chorus which makes you want to sing along. Likewise "I Want To Break Free" an anthem to escaping housework has a punchy beat just right for ... ...so powerful was the effect of the accompanying video that I can never hear this song without seeing a vision of mini skirts, stockings and moustaches! Queen really rocks with the other songs such as "Hammer to Fall" and "Man on the Prowl" but I'm afraid that "Machines Back to Humans" is a weak link and one song that would have been better left unrecorded. Finally a gentle soliloquy in the form of "Is This The World We Created…?" sung by Freddy Mercury ...
flopsy 08.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Works, The - Queen
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it compare to ...
Value for Money
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Reviews which might be of interest for "Works, The - Queen"
Advantages: Wide range of Queen material and styles Disadvantages: A bit too similar to the last release?
I n almost ‘sequel? like fashion, Queen used another Marx brothers film for the title of their fifth album. A mix of pop songs, ballads and hard rock, A Day At The Races features perhaps the heaviest piece Queen have ever done in ‘White Man?. This album featured a couple of wonderful tunes - ‘You And I? penned by John Deacon is the best Queen song never released as a single, ‘The Millionaires Waltz? is another five minute Freddie epic encompassing various styles within the one basic framework, ‘Teo Torriate...? is a lovely ballad with which they finish the album but the top three tracks are without a doubt ‘Somebody To Love?, ‘Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy? and ‘You Take My Breath Away?. The latter track is a beautiful ballad with some lovely piano work from Freddie. It sounds like a dream. ...
Advantages: MOst creative thing I've heard in a long time! Disadvantages: I wish there were more songs!
Brilliant!!! This whole concept is amazing! The Sex Presleys take some of Elvis' best songs, rearrange them, and play them as if the Sex Pistols would have played them. It's a bizarre and fantastic mix that rocks even harder than the Sex Pistols did... really! I've been grabbing for this cd over my "Never Mind the Bullocks" for the past few weeks. "Teddy Bear" takes "Anarchy in the UK" and makes it move and rock way harder than the Pistols ever did.
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is geniusly combined with "Pretty Vacant" for what I think is the best song on the disc. It starts out with a huge sounding version of "Pretty Vacant" then launchers you into a wild Elvis ride that you have to listen to again and again.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is layered over "God Save the Queen" and works so incredibly well that I wouldn't even believe ...
Advantages: The songs, Mercury, Taylor Disadvantages: The pretentiousness, Deacon
They were a pretentious little band were Queen, so full of their own charm and whimsy, so preoccupied with their image, and yet so adept at churning out wonderful rock music and marvellous singles.
The camp nine minute epic opera Bohemian Rhapsody was bizarre and yet so popular. They had those other early classics like Seven Seas of Rhye, Killer Queen, We Will Rock You - heady stuff, hey?
Freddie Mercury was the fey frontman, eventually taken by AIDS, and without himn, the band are surprisingly faceless. Drummer Roger Taylor was a force to be reckoned with, but Brian May and John Deacon were so god awfully dull people.
That shouldn't detract from the stupendous body of work that Queen left with us, and this album is packed with the stuff - epic wonderful pop rock music.
Everyone should have at least one Queen album in their set ...
Queen: Brian May (vocals, guitar); Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano); Roger Taylor (vocals, drums); John Deacon (bass). Additional personnel: Fred Mandel (piano, synthesizer, programming). Recorded at the Record Plant, Los Angeles and Musicland Studios, Munich from August 1983-January 1984. With their previous album (HOT SPACE) confusing many of their fans, Queen had something to prove on THE WORKS. The band definitely succeeded at getting back on track--THE WORKS was one of the best rock releases of 1984, featuring the worldwide smash "Radio GaGa" and reintroducing their fans to Queen's classic sound. THE WORKS spawned a total of four U.K. top ten singles, confirming that Queen had returned from their short hiatus in fine form. Almost all of the elements you've come to expect from a classic Queen release are present on here. "I Want To Break Free" and "It's A Hard Life" are instantly addictive pop-rock. "Tear It Up" is a straight-ahead rocker and "Machines (Back To Humans)" is a successful electronic rock experiment. And as on the majority of latter-day Queen albums, there are a few politically charged tunes. "Hammer To Fall," became an instant concert favorite with it's merger of melodic hard rock and a sing-a-long chorus, but the lyrics deal with the impending danger of nuclear build-up. The other, "Is This The World We Created", consists of just vocals with acoustic guitar accompaniment, and closes the otherwise upbeat album on a somber note.
Titles on disc 1
1.
Radio Ga Ga
2.
Tear It Up
3.
It's A Hard Life
4.
Man On The Prowl
5.
Machines (Or Back To Humans)
6.
I Want To Break Free
7.
Keep Passing The Open Windows
8.
Hammer To Fall
9.
Is This The World We Created
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