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What’s the 4-1-1?
Queen's first album of the eighties was one of their finest works. The
band managed to maintain their classic seventies sound, but also threw
a few new elements into the mix - a sort of premonition to the experimentations
the band would perform in the years to come. As far as hits go, this album
features John Deacon's gritty hard rocker "Another One Bites The Dust"
(a far cry from his usual, optimistic and poppy tunes), and Freddie Mercury's
classic rockabilly tune, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." Both songs are
Queen classics.
Underrated stuff is plentiful on this record. "Play The
Game" is one of those classic Beatles-esque, Mercury tunes it's hard
not to love. "Dragon Attack" is an awesome jam that shows off the skills
of the whole band. "Need Your Loving Tonight" is one of those classic John
Deacon-penned
optimistic pop tunes it's hard not to adore. And who could forget Mercury's
pop tune, "Don't Try Suicide?" All of the songs on this album rule. It's
one of the best Queen albums.
Of course, the album isn't perfect. For one thing, the band started using
synthesizers on this album, and this was a turn-off to fans of the band's
old seventies hard rock sound. It also served as a premonition of the
band's future, in which many age-old fans would desert the band. Shortcomings
are minimal, though, and as such the album really shines.
The Verdict
This album is a must-own for any Queen fan. It's definitely one of
the band's finest works. There are a few albums every Queen fan,
no matter how big or small, should own, and this is one of them.
I strongly recommend picking this one up.
Did You Know?
Most Queen fans consider this to be the last "Classic Queen" album.
Future releases would feature a drastic change in sounds from the classic rock
of the past, heavily using keyboards, synthesizers, and an eighties pop sound.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Queen - Flashback Reviews
Queen + Paul Rogers - Return
of the Champions
Classic Album Series DVD: Queen - A Night
at the Opera
Queen - Stone Cold Classics
--Darth Kommissar
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QUEEN
