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Rating:
"The Works" brings the Queen back to the peak of appreciation from their large audience, acclaimed both for the visibility provided by the elaborate videos shot to support the singles, predictably opening the doors of the charts not only in the new and old continent, but also with the world tour that takes them to perform even in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Africa. Surely, the events that no fan of the queen will forget include their participation in the closing of Rock in Rio (January 1985) in front of more than 250,000 attendees (an unprecedented event for a single musical event!) and that media event - estimated to have been watched on television by about two and a half billion people - that characterized the history of '80s rock the most, called Live Aid (July 1985).
In October 1985, the Queen began to give shape to the successor of "The Works", alternating recording sessions between Musicland Studios (Monaco) and Townhouse Studios (London). It was during these sessions in Germany that the band received an irresistible proposal (but also a chance for revenge in the world of film...) to create songs for the first film by Russell Mulcahy ("Highlander" - The Last Immortal - with Sean Connery and Christophe Lambert), known up to that point as a brilliant director of clips for The Stranglers and Elton John and even more for the successful "Rio" and "The Wild Boys" by Duran Duran.
During the ongoing work on the new album, the band did not experience any overload of activity, even managing to draw further vital energy from their commitments, perfectly combining creation with a persistent desire for artistic growth, as present as at the beginning of their career. The proof of this is the adrenaline-filled "One Vision" (already released as a single and included in the contemporary soundtrack of the feature film "Iron Eagle"): keyboards and roaring guitar to welcome and rally all the distinctive traits, from the classic to the most modern, synthesizing the entire career of Mercury & Co.. The title-track elegantly recalls the work from two years prior, putting forth that engine of fresh creativity named Roger Taylor capable of producing success after success like never before. A great demonstration of heterogeneity of styles emerges with the exquisitely moving "One Year of Love" which will also find space on the &em>Highlander soundtrack, and the soul song "Pain is so Close to Pleasure" where high notes more familiar to Barry Gibb or Mick Jagger are expressed in an undeniably Motown-inspired atmosphere. The engaging "Friends Will Be Friends" follows perfectly to entertain those who - and not only them - have been swaying for years with a lighter in hand to the notes of "We Are the Champions" leaving to the incandescent "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)" with an initial Van Halen-esque citation, raising the voltage again, and then with the pounding "Don't Lose Your Head", confirming the writing prowess of a drummer decidedly above the ordinary. With "Who Wants to Live Forever" it is the figure of Brian May (who also sings the introduction) that stands out as a complete artist in all his expressions, conceiving an epic track in the verse and with an irresistible crescendo, giving life to a magnificent chorus elevated by the orchestrations that make it one of the gems of Mulcahy's film OST. In perfect alignment with what has been heard so far is "Princes of the Universe": a bolt from the blue that, untangling between melodic vitality and rhythmic firmness, grants the alternating time changes the right musical battlefield for the duel that in the spectacular video shot for the track, sees Christophe Lambert and Freddie Mercury face off with the iconic half-mast microphone.
We are in the presence of a fresh album that makes its way effortlessly into the listener's ears, leaving no doubt about the awareness of four musicians as yet (more) of a band than they had been in the past, so well-rehearsed that they live off mutual affinities, unity of spirit and intent; a band capable of making its statement in a little over forty minutes of music with an irresistible appeal, still able to convince the long-time fans of the satisfaction found for seasoned artists to always look forward without resting on their laurels, discouraging anyone who might have predicted an imminent abdication for the queen from a throne that is more stable than ever.
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."
