A Kind of Magic [Bonus Track] [Hollywood]

Performer: Queen
Artist: Joan Armatrading
Engineer: Queen; Mack; David Richards; Eric Tomlinson
Producer: Mack; Queen; David Richards; Josh Macrae
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Queen: Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); John Deacon (guitar, keyboards, bass); Brian May (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Roger Taylor (keyboards, drums, background vocals). Additional personnel: Steve Gregory (saxophone); Spike Edney (keyboards). Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Town House Studios, London; Musicland Studios, Munich; Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland. Some songs on this album appear in different form in the film HIGHLANDER. Personnel: Brian May (vocals, guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Roger Taylor (vocals, keyboards, drums); Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); Joan Armatrading (vocals); John Deacon (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Steve Gregory (saxophone); Spike Edney (keyboards). Recording information: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England; Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland; Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany; Town House Studios, London, England. Illustrators: Roger Chiasson; Chuck Gamage; Mike Smith . Photographer: Peter Hince. Unknown Contributor Role: National Philharmonic Orchestra. A KIND OF MAGIC primarily functioned as a musical backdrop for the movie HIGHLANDER, but unlike Queen's other motion picture soundtrack (1980's FLASH GORDON), the album doesn't contain a single instrumental--they're all fully realized songs. Although it's not quite on par with their time-honored offerings from the '70s and didn't chart well in the States, A KIND OF MAGIC still contains more than a few classic Queen tracks. For those who doubted Queen could still compose rip-roaring heavy metal, the lead-off track, "One Vision," silenced such concerns once and for all. With lyrics that describe Queen's show-stopping appearance at 1985's Live Aid benefit concert, "One Vision" is easily the album's high point. Other standouts include the majestic swirl of the title track, the beautiful yet melancholy ballad "Who Wants To Live Forever," the classy pop of "Friends Will Be Friends," and the first-rate rocker, "Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme)." By the release of 1986's A Kind of Magic, Queen's stature as a prominent rock band in the U.S. had slipped considerably, while in all other parts of the world (especially Europe), they remained superstar hitmakers. A Kind of Magic was their biggest album yet in England, where it reached number one, remained on the charts for 63 weeks, and spawned several hit singles -- the epic title track, the tuneful pop/rocker "Friends Will Be Friends," and one of their most haunting ballads, "Who Wants to Live Forever" (also included was the Live Aid-inspired hit anthem "One Vision," which was originally released as a single in 1985). Most of the songs were written for the movie Highlander -- "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)," "Princes of the Universe," the aforementioned "Who Wants to Live Forever," etc. -- but instead of issuing just a movie soundtrack, the band added a few non-movie tracks and made an official Queen release out of it. It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but A Kind of Magic was their best work in some time. Queen would embark on a sold-out tour of outdoor stadiums in Europe upon the album's release, which would sadly turn out to be their final tour. [The 1991 Hollywood Records reissue appends a bonus track, an extended version of "One Vision."] ~ Greg Prato

Which CD - Performance 9 / Sound 9

Queen embodied 1970s glam rock--mixing heavy riffs and intricate vocal harmonies with a gender-bending image. Freddie Mercury's operatic voice and Brian May's guitar were multi-tracked ad infinitum to create pomp-rock in the grandest sense. In the '80s, Queen tried on rockabilly, disco, and more, but always returned to their arena-rock roots. The group ended with Mercury's tragic AIDS-related death in 1991.

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