Queen The Works CD

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.
Personnel: Brian May (vocals, guitar, banjo, keyboards); Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano); Roger Taylor (vocals, drums); John Deacon (guitar); Fred Mandel (piano, synthesizer).
Unknown Contributor Roles: Fred Mandel; Queen.
Following the disappointing commercial performance of the dance-oriented Hot Space in 1982, Queen took 1983 off to get refocused and work on a follow-up that would put the band back on track. While the songwriting had definitely improved on the resulting The Works in 1984, the album sonically lacked the punch of such earlier releases as News of the World and The Game (strangely, Hot Space even had a better overall sound). Although the album only peaked at number 23 on the U.S. album charts, it was a Top Ten hit in just about every other area of the world, producing the huge single "Radio Ga Ga." Three other tracks were hits in Queen's native England -- the uplifting "I Want to Break Free," the love song "It's a Hard Life," and the politically conscious rocker "Hammer to Fall," which dealt with the danger of nuclear weapons. Other highlights included the '50s-sounding "Man on the Prowl," the electronic experiment "Machines," the thunderous "Tear It Up," and a touching acoustic ballad, "Is This the World We Created...?" Perhaps with a more straight-ahead production (and a U.S. tour), The Works would have landed Queen back on the top of the charts stateside. ~ Greg Prato
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.
Following the disappointing commercial performance of the dance-oriented Hot Space in 1982, Queen took 1983 off to get refocused and work on a follow-up that would put the band back on track. While the songwriting had definitely improved on the resulting The Works in 1984, the album sonically lacked the punch of such earlier releases as News of the World and The Game (strangely, Hot Space even had a better overall sound). Although the album only peaked at number 23 on the U.S. album charts, it was a Top Ten hit in just about every other area of the world, producing the huge single "Radio Ga Ga." Three other tracks were hits in Queen's native England -- the uplifting "I Want to Break Free," the love song "It's a Hard Life," and the politically conscious rocker "Hammer to Fall," which dealt with the danger of nuclear weapons. Other highlights included the '50s-sounding "Man on the Prowl," the electronic experiment "Machines," the thunderous "Tear It Up," and a touching acoustic ballad, "Is This the World We Created...?" Perhaps with a more straight-ahead production (and a U.S. tour