Roger Taylor
Fun In Space

THE REVIEW

1981, Roger Taylor leaves planet Earth for a short period to define his space-rock'n'roll.

No more Queen for a 33 RPM, between the muddled "The Game" and "Flash Gordon," Roger decides to delve into the group of songs he has recently written to create his first solo LP. Songs that his band could never have recorded, songs that have rock'n'roll as their backbone but are revisited with electronic sounds that give them a bold and especially curious space rock feel. Taylor plays everything by himself and goes heavy on synthesizers, filtered voices, and expansive and ethereal atmospheres like in the closure with the title track, which, when listened to with closed eyes, evokes the sensation of getting lost in the infinite space of the universe. This "Fun In Space" is the first step in the solo career of the drummer, which in the following years will develop into many other works, but this debut is truly a pleasant surprise because there is no trace of the "Queen" sound. Various styles are explored, with "Future Management" being an example of white reggae in the style of the Police, with "Laugh And Cry" being a sumptuous ballad, while with "Let's Get Crazy" Roger tackles a rock with a hint of Elvis that is very upbeat. Listening is always enjoyable because "Fun In Space" is very varied, having, in the author's desire to create, an extra gear that turns listening to a debut work into an interesting experience. An example is "In My Country I&II"; opened by the synthesizer, which then gives way to a very easy and enticing electric guitar motif that in turn introduces a hypnotic drum rhythm. 

In the end, it's an album I feel like recommending, it's worth much more than the various chapters of the early '80s Queen and brings to light Roger Taylor's eclecticism, previously partially submerged in the records made with the other three.