CD Odyssey Disc 738: Queen

After this review I’ll only have two Queen albums to review. The ride isn’t quite complete yet, but I already know it will be a good one.

Disc 738 is…. Hot Space

Artist: Queen

Year of Release: 1982

What’s up with the Cover?  The early eighties were not kind to album covers. Here we have some sort of Andy Warhol inspired monstrosity. Worst of all, because of my slight colour blindness it is hard for me to even see the John Deacon and Roger Taylor drawing.

How I Came To Know It: Just me drilling through all of Queen’s albums. I had originally avoided “Hot Space” due to its reputation for being a bit disco, but after my friend Spence played a concert DVD of Queen from that era I realized how great they were. I went out and bought the studio album shortly thereafter.

How It Stacks Up:  I have fifteen Queen albums and they are all amazing in their own way, so it is hard to stack them up. Nevertheless, you’re not here to have me equivocate. I’ll put “Hot Space” in at #8 just behind “Sheer Heart Attack” and just ahead of “Innuendo.”

Ratings: 4 stars

Of all Queen’s albums, “Hot Space” is their most artistically fearless. In 1982 disco was already dead and heavy metal was starting to rise in the musical consciousness. The last thing in the world Queen’s hard rock fans were waiting for was a funky dance record. Queen gave us one anyway and then dared us to hate it. But we couldn’t do it – it was just too damned good.

The record serves notice early on that it is going to go new places, with the sexy-as-hell “Staying Power.” The song’s opening lyric is “See what I got/I got a hell of a lot!” and fittingly they then they show just what they’ve got. Thirty seconds in, before the elevator had even let me out on my walk to work last Friday, this song already had me dancing. It has everything, including Freddie, more Freddie, a horn section and just a dash of Brian May guitar and a John Deacon bass riff that is inspired.

Deacon featured prominently on 1980’s “The Game” as well, and he continues to show his stuff throughout “Hot Space.” On the album’s second track “Dancer” he brings a whole new awesome bass line. This time it is Brian May whose guitar builds up the foundation in place of horns. He infuses Deacon’s funk with the rock elements of Queen that you were anticipating a track earlier, but were denied because hey – delayed gratification can be fun too.  This is still a funky dance track, and because of the way the album starts with “Staying Power” your ear is ready for the marriage of dance groove and power chord.

After this the record shifts down a gear. The songs are still amazing, but the energy moves from the hot groove of the dance floor to the side lounges and VIP rooms. Here champagne and intrigue flow freely and sidelong glances are the only ones you want.

One of the album’s hits, “Body Language” makes its appearance here, but I found it didn’t have the forward momentum to hold my attention after all the sonic fun that had come before, and would come after. Given the other choices, I am surprised this was one of the singles.

The next high point on the album comes with a power anthem in the traditional Queen mold, with “Put Out the Fire.” This is a fist pumping chant of a song that has you reveling in the power of it all until you realize…it is about the opposite. It is a song about letting slights pass, forgoing gun ownership and generally putting out the fire inside before you go and hurt someone. All this in the purest rock song on the album; it is delightfully subversive.

It is fitting that the next song is a dirge for the recently shot John Lennon, “Life Is Real” and then before the album pulls you down too far (because remember, this is Queen’s dance album) “Calling All Girls” picks you back up. “Calling All Girls” is a dozen different sounds laced together with some bright and shiny chord strums from May’s guitar, sounding restrained but bright and eager. The song even features early record scratching which we would come to associate with rap music in a few years.

By the time we come to the album’s most recognizable hit, “Under Pressure” at the very end (and like “Staying Power” anchored by a Deacon bass riff) we’ve seen it all; horns, piano, synthesizer, Freddie’s voice, Brian’s guitar and all of it anchored by precision drumming of Roger Taylor. There are no more worlds to conquer and the only thing left to do is have David Bowie guest vocal, and so they do. And it is great. Not “Freddie Great” but great nonetheless.

“Hot Space” challenges your preconceived notions of what Queen represents and what they should sound like. Somehow the boys have taken a myriad of separate elements and made each feel like a perfect fit with the others. Along the way made you want to cut a rug on the dance floor to boot. This isn’t an album the casual fan will buy, but that casual fan just has a couple of greatest hits compilations anyway. How sad for them.

Best tracks: Staying Power, Dancer, Put Out the Fire, Calling All Girls, Under Pressure