Long Live the Queen

Queen in the 1980's

My brother recently sent the following email.

OK. What gives? I have and enjoy Queen up to and including Jazz and then they fall off my radar. Let's say you're walking down the street and some guy comes up to, points a gun at your eye and says, "What are your favorite tunes off The Game, Flash Gordon, Hot Space and The Works?" What do you say?

My answer:

Oh, that's easy...

Every song on The Game is really good. The big hits were "Another Bites the Dust," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." Sequentially, The Game is perfect. Every song is perfectly placed. I recommend listening to it in its entirety. The Game is last great Queen album.

"Put out the Fire" from Hot Space. Actually, it was more like Hot Shit. I thought Hot Space was trying too hard to sound like "Another Bites the Dust". This song is the only song that sounded like a true Queen tune. The Queen / Bowie classic, "Under Pressure," came from those sessions too.

I always enjoyed "Flash" as a song.

The Works was spotty but it did contain "Radio GaGa," "I Want to Break Free," and the fantastic "Hammer to Fall."

A Little Magic contained "One Vision."

1989's The Miracle contained "I Want it All" and 1991's Innuendo had the awesome "Headlong." Both songs feature some great guitar work and post-AIDS Freddie does a great job with the vocals.

You also might want to check out a tune from Roger Taylor's Fun In Space called "Airheads."

I had so much fun answering the question that I sent it to other Queen fans.

Bob Andreano's answer:

I say, Sir, download the following songs:

1) ALL of The Game

from Hot Space:
2) Staying Power
3) Back Chat
4) Body Language (yes, I think it's worth it)
5) Under Pressure

from The Works:
6) Radio Ga Ga *
7) Hammer To Fall +
8) Is This the World We Created

from A Kind Of Magic:
9) One Vision (7" or 12" version)

ESSENTIAL B-SIDES (!):
10) A Human Body
11) Soul Brother
12) I Go Crazy (12" or 7" version - both as sick)

alternate B-side:
13) Blurred Vision (One Vision instrumental remix)

from Roger Taylor's Fun In Space LP:
14) Beautiful Dreams

* alternate version:
the Live Aid performance

+ alternate versions:
a) the Live Aid performance
b) 12" promo only "Head Bangers Mix"

Erin Riley's answer:

Impossible to choose between individual Queen songs.

In order of my favorite LP's:

1. The Game
2. The Works
3. Flash Gordon - Hot Space tied for last

Beth Mann's answer:

I think I’d first have say, “What kind of strange ass mugger are you?”

Then I’d say:

The Game – "Play the Game" (one of my fave intros, a few of my fave lines “When you’re feeling down and your resistance is low, light another cigarette and let yourself go” and just love the sentiment of it.)

Flash Gordon – Damn, that’s tough. There’s a pretty little instrumental piece I remember in it. I think its called The Kiss? I don’t know if I’d even like it now. The theme song, I suppose, for kitsch value. It’s pretty theme songy – dramatic and superhero written all over it.

The Works – I Want to Break Free...I guess.

Hot Space – I know, its a easy choice, but "Under Pressure." I still can enjoy that song, after all of these years. And not too many songs exemplify today’s world, today’s pressures, like that one...at least to me.

I don’t know. I might have to take the bullet.

How would you answer my brother's question?

Top Five Records: Great Song Intros

A few weeks ago my friend Beth Mann, ask me me to list my favorite great song intros and closers. It took me a while to come up with my list because there were so many to choose from. At the same time I'm finishing reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelity. A book featuring many Top Five lists. So, between Beth's question and the book I decided to start including my favorite Top Five lists to my blog. I'm doing this because 1) I believe it will be fun to come up with Top Five lists and 2) they're easy to write. So, with a nod to Beth, I give you my Top Five Great Song Intros. Please feel free to comment and give me your Top Five.

1. Hell's Bells - AC/DC - Can you think of any other song intro that is as cool as this one? Really. Even today, almost thirty years later, this song intro still gives me goosebumps.
2. Baba O'Riley - The Who - One of the great all-time song intros. I think I like the intro more that the song.
   
3. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix - For me, this song (more so than Purple Haze) defines the essence of Hendrix's soul. It combines rock and blues and throws in the Wah Wah intro for extra spice.
4. Money, Time - Pink Floyd - These two intros were actually assembled and engineered by Alan Parsons. Yes, that Alan Parsons.
5. Eruption into You Really Got Me - Van Halen - These two songs - and especially the transition from Eruption into You Really Got Me - have probably accounted for more kids picking up the guitar than any others in the history of rock.

Honorable mentions:

• What I'd Say - Ray Charles
• Am Trying to Break Your Heart - Wilco
• Welcome to the Jungle" Guns'n'Roses
• Tomorrow Never Knows - Beatles
• Monkey Man - Rolling Stones
  

Dishonorable mentions: 
I think Al Green is great.  I love his music.  Many of his songs, however, start wimpy and end incredibly strong including:  Love And Happiness and Beware.

Beth Mann - Artist Extraordinaire

One of the more interesting people on this planet is my friend Beth Mann. Beth is an artist but not in the way you might think. The world is her canvas and she paints it with her writing, singing, humor, cable access show, blog, MySpace page, company, video, and photography.

Today, Beth sent me an email I thought I'd share. It made me laugh out loud. My suggestions to her questions are followed in red.

Ruby and I have a few new list ideas we've been tossing around. Tell me if any of them stand out for you and if you have any additions or different titles (the title is half the funny). I'm probably only going to focus on one or two. What thinks you, brethren?

Performers With their Sex On (or Well-Known Horny People?)
such as: Aerosmith, Van Halen, Mick Jagger, Prince, Marat Sade
- James Brown - he wrote "I'm a Sex Machine"
- Jimi Hendrix - his guitar was an extension of his penis

Bands I Used to Like but Don't Anymore for Some Reason
such as: The Police, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley
- Styx - outside of "Boat on a River," their music has not stood the test of time
- Bad Company - see above.

Old Men I'd Have Sex With (come on guys, toss in your two cents)
such as: Donald Sutherland, Bill Clinton
- Robert Redford - I have to admit I have a man crush
- Harrison Ford (who wouldn't want to say they nailed Indian Jones?)

Additionally, I'd like to add that Sofia Loren, and Susan Sarandon are G.I.L.F.'s

Bands I Thought I Wouldn't Like by Now But Do...Maybe Even More
such as: Led Zepellin, Pink Floyd
- Allman Brothers - the older I get the more I love this band
- Phish - I sure do wish I could have seen them back when they toured.

Thanks Beth for the blog post idea.

Musicians I’m Supposed To Like But I Don’t and I Kinda Feel Badly About It But Not Really List

In no particular order...

• Miles Davis - Kind of Blue? More like Kind of Blows.
  
  
• Janis Joplin - I'll listen to "Turtle Blues" and "Summertime." Everything else makes me want to overdose on heroin.
  
  
• REM - Shiny Happy Bullshit if you ask me.
  
  
• Live Led Zeppelin - A 25 minute guitar solo followed be a 25 minute drum solo followed by a 25 minute mellotron solo. Musical masturbation at its very best.
  
  
• Billie Holiday - Every time I hear her sing I'm compelled to eat strange fruit.
  
  
• Garth Brooks - I've said it before and I'll say it again: Guys wearing really big hats cannot be taken seriously.
  
  
• Solo John Lennon - The majority of the "serious Beatle's" solo work was seriously boring.
  
  
• Bob Marley - Somebody please tell me what type of ganja to smoke because I just don't understand the fascination with his music.
  
  
• The Jam - My disdain for this band harks back to my friendship with Tom Hartman. Whatever Tom liked I hated just to piss him off. That said, I can't listen to this band without thinking of my hatred for "Tom" music.
  
  
• About 95% of all the music recorded in the 1980's - Come on, I know I'm not alone with this one.
  

Special thanks to Beth Mann for the blog inspiration and title. Thanks Mann.