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After the stunning success of their performance at Rock In Rio (considered by many to be the best live performance by Queen) and the The Works Tour that took the band around the world for over two years, Queen returned to the studio in 1985. The result is a gem in the realms of rock and pop, as well as their best album of the '80s (alongside the subsequent "The Miracle" from 1989), "A Kind Of Magic," released in 1986. Six songs from "A Kind Of Magic" were included in the soundtrack of the film Highlander.
It begins with a song that would immediately become a classic for the group, "One Vision", the perfect rock piece by Queen. The song almost teases the listener with its initial keyboard parts before revealing a heavily energetic rock riff emanating from Brian May's guitar. A powerful and sunny track, featuring, as always, a magnificent performance by Freddie Mercury.
Opposite to the hard rock power of "One Vision" is the sweet funk-inspired melody of the title track. Written by drummer Roger Taylor, the song is characterized by the unmistakable bass line of John Deacon and the delightful mini-guitar solos by Brian May. Another very well-accomplished track.
Following the first two songs, characterized by a decidedly "fun" atmosphere, comes a very melancholic ballad, "One Year Of Love". Once again, Mercury delivers an excellent performance, but the peak of expressiveness in the song is only reached by the sax solo played by Steve Gregory, saxophonist for Alan White of Yes and Fleetwood Mac.
Next is a lighter song, "Pain Is So Close To Pleasure", clearly inspired by Michael Jackson (a great friend of Freddie Mercury, by the way) featuring very high falsetto vocals.
Now it's the turn of two of my favorite songs in the Queen repertoire, the ballads "Friends Will Be Friends" and "Who Wants To Live Forever". The first, written by Deacon, presents a melodic pop rock musical base in full '80s style, dealing with the theme of friendship. The second turns out to be the most engaging and perhaps the most beautiful track on the album. The use of the orchestra, the choirs, the small instrumental pauses, and Freddie Mercury's powerful and expressive singing make this track fantastic, and it's almost impossible not to be moved after listening to it.
Of a completely different nature is "Gimme The Prize", characterized by powerful hard rock and May's sharp riff. Freddie offers his best performance of the album (at least in my opinion), reaching very high notes that will only be surpassed without falsetto in "Innuendo" and "The Show Must Go On". The track is enhanced by a great guitar solo and the instrumental interlude.
The next "Don't Lose Your Head" presents the only dip in tone of the album. The song revisits electronics, but not used as well as in more successful tracks like "Breakthru" or "The Invisible Man". A fairly unnecessary piece, which lowers the value of the album.
A choir introduces us to the final gem of the album, "Princes Of The Universe", which is closely tied to "Gimme The Prize", as it features the same riff. The song manages to wonderfully alternate between hard and rhythmic sections and more sunny and open ones. The music video shot for the song is very beautiful, where Freddie Mercury, armed with his famous half-microphone stand, engages in a duel with Highlander protagonist Christopher Lambert.
And so ends this "A Kind Of Magic", a complete work, a journey through numerous musical genres, an album that every rocker and non-rocker alike must absolutely have.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 A Kind of Magic (04:24)
It's a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
A kind of magic
One dream one soul, one prize
One goal, one golden glance of what should be
It's a kind of magic
One shaft of light that shows the way
No mortal man can win this day
It's a kind of magic
The bell that rings inside your mind
It's challenging the doors of time
It's a kind of magic
The waiting seems eternity
The day will dawn of sanity
Is this a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
There can be only one
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be gone
This flame that burns inside of me
I'm hearing secret harmonies
It's a kind of magic
The bell that rings inside your mind
It's challenging the doors of time
It's a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be, will soon be
Will soon be gone
This is a kind of magic
There can be only one
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be gone
Magic – it's a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
Magic, magic, magic, magic
It's magic
It's a kind of magic
04 Pain Is So Close to Pleasure (04:22)
Words and music by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon
Ooh ooh pain is so close to pleasure oh yeah
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all
your life
Ooh ooh pain is so close to pleasure everybody knows
One day we love each other then we're fighting one another
all the time
When I was young and just getting started
And people talked to me they sounded broken hearted
Then I grew up and got my imagination
And all I wanted was to start a new relation
So in love but love had a bad reaction
I was looking for some good old satisfaction
But pain is all I got when all I needed was some love and
affection
Ooh ooh pain is so close to pleasure yeah yeah
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all
your life
Pain and pleasure
Ooh ooh pain and pleasure
When your plans go wrong and you turn out the light
But inside of your mind you have to put up a fight
Where are the answers that we're all searching for
There's nothing in this world to be sure of anymore
Some days you're feeling good some days you're feeling bad
But if you're feeling happy someone else is always sad
Let the sweetness of love wipe the tears from your face
For better for worse so let's make the best of the rest of our
years
Ooh ooh pain is so close to pleasure I told you so
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all
your life
Pain and pleasure
Ooh ooh pain is so close to pleasure yeah yeah
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all
your life
All your life
Pain - pleasure ....
06 Who Wants to Live Forever (05:17)
There's no time for us
There's no place for us
What is this thing that builds our dreams
Yet slips away from us
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
There's no chance for us
It's all decided for us
This world has only one sweet moment
Set aside for us
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Who dares to love forever?
When love must die
But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Forever is our today
Who waits forever anyway?
09 Princes of the Universe (03:33)
Here we are - born to be kings
We're the princes of the universe
Here we belong - fighting to survive
In a world with the darkest powers
And here we are, We're the princes of the universe
Here we belong, fighting for survival
We've come to be the rulers of your world
I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings
I have no rival, no man can be my equal
Take me to the future of your world
Born to be kings, princes of the universe
Fighting and free, got your world in my hand
I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand
We were born to be princes of the universe
No man could understand, my power is in my own hand
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
People talk about you, people say you've had your day
I'm a man that will go far, fly the moon and reach for the stars
With my sword and head held high
Got to pass the test first time - yeah
I know that people talk about me I hear it every day
But I can prove you wrong cause I'm right first time
Yeah Yeah
Alright
Watch this man fly
Bring on the girls
Here we are
Born to be kings
We're the princes of the universe
Here we belong
Born to be kings
Princes of the universe, Fighting and free
Got the world in my hands, I'm here for your love
And I'll make my stand
We were born to be princes of the universe.(echo echo echo)
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Other reviews
By claudio1
The complete resurrection of Queen happens in 1986, the year in which "A Kind of Magic" emerges.
A masterpiece is the next track... Who Wants To Live Forever, a song of great depth and substance thanks especially to the presence of the orchestra.
By Danilo1987
The album, in my opinion, remains the best in Freddie Mercury and co.'s discography and definitely their best '80s record.
'One Vision' is a very powerful and rocking song in perfect Queen style, which will also open the concerts of the new (and unfortunately last) Queen tour.
By Axlspark
'Who Wants To Live Forever' is a MASTERPIECE!!!!!
The guitar intro in 'Gimme The Prize' is the best in Queen’s entire career.
By Io Ho Il Pene
This album is made up of songs, and now I’ll make the playlist so I can tell you what the songs are like: for example, 'Kind Of Magic', which in the background has quite psychedelic disco keyboard sounds, new genius sounds that renewed techno-rock where Freddy’s voice stretches out in all its fiery power.
If I were you, I would make this immortal album mine, and the 400 thousand souls at Wembley Stadium that night are the most striking demonstration of this.
By andrew1992
"A Kind Of Magic is rightly considered the rebirth of Queen after the dramatic decline in quality of the previous albums."
"Freddie shows an enviable tenor vocal performance... consecrating him as one of the most beautiful voices ever."
