Queen
A Kind of Magic

One of the best Queen albums post '80s.

"A Kind Of Magic" is rightly considered the rebirth of Queen after the dramatic decline in quality of the previous albums, the Hot Space, the Works. The glory of the '70s with all the various experiments, of course, will never return, but the band still offers us many tracks that should not be underestimated.

The opening "One Vision," a song written for the first time by the whole band in an euphoric state after the extraordinary performance at Live Aid, is a great rock piece, with distorted vocals and, I would dare say, a minimal experimental touch, penalized by excessive length that may seem tiresome. It is followed by "A Kind Of Magic," falsely improvised, where Deacon shows off his bass talent with fun riffs and "Pain Is so Close To Pleasure," very similar to the title track, especially for the rhythm that recalls the Motown style, where Freddie, among other things, unleashes his highest falsetto since "Cool Cat".

"One Year Of Love": a melodic ballad penned by the popular spirit of the group, Deacon who, after a quarrel with Brian, decided to replace the guitar part with a sax solo. Also by Deacon but credited to Mercury (due to a decision by the bassist for the help received during the arrangement) "Friends Will Be Friends" which follows the false line of Queen stadium rock, akin to "We Are The Champions" and "We Will Rock You," without however reaching their fame and popularity. The splendid "Who Wants To Live Forever" composed by May in a car, that tells us the questions of life, splendidly interpreted by Brian who opens with his sweet and melodic voice and Freddie, who shows an enviable tenor vocal performance (he reaches one of his highest peaks even though at the time an avid smoker); it seems obvious to consecrate him as one of the most beautiful voices ever. "Don't Lose Your Head," Taylor, a piece with a very dark melody, obviously based on rhythm and drums, quite banal, also used in an anti-alcohol campaign. "Gimme The Prize" and "Princes Of The Universe" are the most hard rock tracks the Queen have ever composed; both inspired by the film, they demonstrate Brian's skill, especially in the intro of the first while the second is opened with choirs and virtuosity, a historical style of the band.

The CD edition also contains two remixes, "Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends" and "A Kind Of A Kind Of Magic," and a very interesting instrumental piece "Forever."

Excellent album then, definitely the best of Queen in their most "popular" sound along with "The Game", also promoted by the fantastic Magic Tour that strangely did not touch Italy, and which had its peak at the Wembley concert which has remained in the history of live music.