Queen: The Complete Works

by Georg Purvis

  Those anticipating a Fun In Space II would be sorely disappointed. Gone were the quirky, darker sci-fi songs; Strange Frontier was rife with world-weary – sometimes bleak, occasionally optimistic – messages, chock-full of synthesizers and programming, and devoid of humour. In most cases, Roger was taking himself a bit too seriously, sounding far too determined to make an impact and change the world. “There’s all these different causes that really don’t amount to anything,” Roger explained to Ladd, who had just quoted – and praised – a verse from the title track about fallen freedom fighters. “Because if there’s one religious fanatic, there’s the terrible need to become fanatical about something ... There’s a great new conservatism among young people that seems to be, and I can’t understand it. Where’s all the truth and rebellious spirits gone? It seems that people, a lot of teens today are incredibly conservative, and I find that a bit disappointing.”

  Though most of the songs are strong – other than from ‘Abandonfire’, there is no real low point – and each song shows Roger’s impressive abilities as a multi-instrumentalist, the sound is sterile and over-produced, an issue that plagued most mid-1980s releases. Regardless, Roger had truly advanced as a songwriter, and seven of the originals could have easily rubbed elbows with any of the songs on The Works. The lyrics are consistent, with none of the tired jabs at politicians that would infect some of his later songs, and as a sophomore release, it’s a decent follow-up to Fun In Space. Not everyone was convinced, however; Sounds was particularly caustic in its review of the album, saying that “He can write the songs, but he can’t sing them like Freddie does. Which is why Queen get the hits.”

  Strange Frontier charted worse than its predecessor, peaking at No. 30 in the UK and not charting at all in the US, where its carefully constructed running order was completely and randomly shuffled around by Capitol. The singles were well chosen but performed poorly – ‘Man On Fire’ stalled at No. 66, while the title track barely cracked the Top 100, peaking at a disappointing No. 98. It was inevitable, then, that no solo tour would be forthcoming, but with Queen busier than ever in 1984, going fully solo was the last thing on Roger’s mind at that point.

  FREDDIE MERCURY

  MR BAD GUY

  CBS 86312, April 1985 [6]

  Columbia FC 40071, May 1985 [159]

  Columbia CK 40071, May 1985 [159]

  ‘Let’s Turn It On’ (3’42), ‘Made In Heaven’ (4’06), ‘I Was Born To Love You’ (3’39), ‘Foolin’ Around’ (3’29), ‘Your Kind Of Lover’ (3’33), ‘Mr Bad Guy’ (4’10), ‘Man Made Paradize’ (4’09), ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ (3’01), ‘Living On My Own’ (3’23), ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ (3’43), ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ (3’47)

  Musicians: Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano, synthesizer), Fred Mandel (piano, synthesizer, guitar), Paul Vincent (guitars), Curt Cress (drums), Stephan Wissnet (bass guitar, Fairlight, Kurzweil and drum programming), Jo Burt (Fretless bass on ‘Man Made Paradize’), Rainer Pietsch (arrangement on ‘Mr Bad Guy’), Mack (Fairlight, Kurzweil and drum programming)

  Recorded: 1983 to January 1985, Musicland Studios, Munich

  Producers: Freddie Mercury and Mack

  1982 was a taxing year for Queen: not only was the Hot Space album poorly received but its resulting tour was their longest in years, truly a labour of love. Freddie was becoming disenchanted with lengthy tours and the even lengthier time spent in studios, and was increasingly vocal in affirming that an extended break would be taken after the Hot Space tour. When Queen left the stage in Tokyo on 3 November 1982, it would be the last time all four would appear on a stage together for over a year.

  Freddie initially spent the first part of 1983 relaxing and enjoying the hiatus, but he soon became interested in recording a few songs he felt weren’t suitable for Queen’s sound. After expressing this idea to Jim Beach, Queen’s manager negotiated a one-time deal on Freddie’s behalf with CBS Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. The contract appealed to Freddie because it was simple and wouldn’t affect any of his work with the band. Freddie had no aspirations to become a solo star, explaining that it would be “silly to form a new band at forty.”

  Before sessions started in earnest, Freddie flew to Los Angeles to meet up with friend Michael Jackson, who was working on his Thriller album. (According to Brian, the King of Pop was inspired by the funkier moments on Hot Space to record his multi-platinum Thriller.) The two decided to record some material together. Three tracks – ‘Victory’, ‘State Of Shock’ and ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ – were recorded at Michael’s home studio, and both of them were excited at the prospect of working together in the future. However, personal conflicts later cooled the relationship, though Freddie diplomatically stated that “Michael Jackson and I have grown apart a bit since his massive success with Thriller. He’s simply retreated into a world of his own. Two years ago we used to have great fun going to clubs together but now he won’t come out of his fortress. It’s very sad. He’s so worried that someone will do him in that he’s paranoid about absolutely everything.”

  With the three Jackson–Mercury collaborations consigned to the vaults for the time being, Freddie continued working on songs for his own album but, before long, was contacted by Giorgio Moroder about the prospect of providing a song for the German producer’s contemporary update of Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film Metropolis, which would use rock music to complement the scenes. Initially, Queen were approached, and Brian and Roger especially were interested in incorporating some of the visual element of Lang’s sparse expressionist film into their live show, and a trade-off was suggested. ‘Love Kills’, which started life as a Queen track but was credited as a Freddie solo composition, was handed over to Moroder (who sneakily asked for a co-writer credit), and footage from the film was given to Queen.

  Meanwhile, in mid-1983, Freddie started recording material in earnest for his solo album at Musicland Studios with producer Mack and an assembly of German musicians plus Fred Mandel. Working with a backlog of songs either rejected for Queen albums (‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ and ‘Man Made Paradise’ were written and recorded for both Hot Space and The Works, but rejected both times) or written specially for this project, Freddie took his time with the album, perfecting it until it met his rigorous standards. “I’ve put my heart and soul into this album,” he explained to Record Mirror in January 1985. “It has some very moving ballads; things to do with sadness and pain, but at the same time they’re frivolous and tongue-in-cheek, because that’s my nature. I’ve wanted to do a solo album for a long time and the rest of the band have encouraged me to do it. I wanted to cover such things as reggae rhythms and I’ve done a couple of things with a symphony orchestra. It has a very rich sound and it’s very beat-oriented. I think it’s a very natural album, and I hope people will like my voice.”

  While the album is indeed rich and varied, it’s perhaps a bit too much so. He explored a variety of styles, all with aplomb, which is one reason why it was so successful, but most of those styles are dated by today’s standards, especially the synthesizer programming and drum-machines on nearly every track. It’s no surprise that the most successful songs were the ballads, where Freddie wears his heart on his sleeve: ‘Made In Heaven’, ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ and ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ are gorgeous and revealing, and were tastefully arranged with little of the excess Freddie prided himself on in Queen’s canon.

  Of the remaining eight experimentations – ranging from dance (‘Your Kind Of Lover’ and ‘Living On My Own’) to full-force disco (‘Let’s Turn It On’ and ‘Foolin’ Around’) – only the charming pop of ‘I Was Born To Love You’ and the grandiloquent title track stand out as superb. The former was considered so trifling by Freddie that it almost didn’t make the cut, with the vocalist scoffing at the record company’s idea that it would be a hit single. ‘Mr Bad Guy’ was full of the pomp and circumstance that summed up F
reddie perfectly, making it the perfect album title. The unfortunate cod-reggae of ‘My Love Is Dangerous’ (complete with dub sounds and heavily echoed vocals) was a low point on the album, and the strange, almost new wave rock of ‘Man Made Paradise’ was both unsettling and unwelcome.

  Nonetheless, Freddie was in fine voice throughout the album, redeeming some of the more lacklustre songs with an unquestionably powerful vocal performance, as if Hot Space and The Works had restricted him vocally and he seemed intent on breaking free. Without Roger and Brian to assist on the harmonies, and instead of enlisting backing vocalists, Freddie did them all himself, creating lush vocal tones that sound simultaneously Queen-like yet entirely like Freddie in his own right. “I was pleased with [the album],” he told The Sun that July. “I was also pleased with my voice. I like it husky. It’s all the smoking. That’s why I smoke: to get that husky voice.”

  Comparisons with Queen were inevitable, which may explain why Freddie chose distinctive musicians with their own styles. Instrumentally, the shining star was Fred Mandel, who infused a fresh sound into the keyboards that enhanced many of the songs; the piano work on ‘Your Kind Of Lover’ and ‘Living On My Own’ was superb. The other musicians certainly added their own styles to the music, but it’s difficult to listen to the album and not think how much Paul Vincent’s guitar on ‘Man Made Paradise’ sounds like a carbon copy of Brian May, or how Curt Cress’ live drums are reminiscent of Roger Taylor, and how much better the songs would have sounded as Queen songs.

  Along with the two non-album B-sides, ‘She Blows Hot And Cold’ and ‘Stop All The Fighting’, a further five ideas were recorded, most of them frivolous. ‘Gazelle’ and ‘God Is Heavy’ were minor efforts and Mr Bad Guy was better off without them, although ‘Money Can’t Buy Happiness’ and ‘New York’ were exquisite compositions that, if finished, would have made splendid additions. Sadly, one final song, ‘Love Makin’ Love’, didn’t make the cut and, though recorded again during sessions for A Kind Of Magic in 1985, it was fated to remain unreleased; only in 2000 on The Solo Collection did these five outtakes, along with several work-in-progress versions of the standard album tracks, finally get exposure. One of the original track listings for the album read: ‘My Love Is Dangerous’, ‘Made In Heaven’, ‘Let’s Turn It On’, ‘Living On My Own’, ‘Foolin’ Around’, ‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’, ‘Mr Bad Guy’, ‘Your Kind Of Lover’, ‘Man Made Paradise’, ‘Love Makin’ Love’, ‘Stop All The Fighting’ and ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’. Initially titled Made In Heaven, which Freddie revealed in interviews shortly before its release, the last-minute retitling to Mr Bad Guy (a far more apt title) and reshuffled order shows just how meticulous Freddie was.

  “Yes, I would like it to be successful,” Freddie revealed in 1985. “It matters to me a lot. I’ve made a piece of music which I want to be accepted in the biggest way possible. But I’m not worried about the fact that it might not be successful, because if it isn’t, I will just go out and make another one.” Fortunately, the album reached No. 6 in the UK, while peaking at a dismal No. 121 in the US; the reviews weren’t much better. People Weekly opined that Freddie “is not someone to take along on a sea cruise, since he can’t seem to resist going overboard. For this record, his first solo, he piles on the flourishes: a simple dance riff in ‘Let’s Turn It On’ is cluttered with overdubbing, echoes, and other studio tricks. Maybe he uses ornamentation because his songwriting is so vapid. The singles ‘Foolin’ Around’ [sic] and ‘Living On My Own’ have some melodic merit, but much of this album sounds like an uninspired cabaret revue.” Rolling Stone was, surprisingly, more complimentary: “On Mr Bad Guy, Freddie Mercury’s first solo album, he puts his shamelessly angelic soprano to work on a group of swooping numbers that he describes as ‘love songs, things to do with sadness and torture and pain, but at the same time they’re frivolous and tongue in cheek’. Cheek and overbite being Freddie’s operative mode, his trademark braggadocio and choirboy ebullience serve him well ... The tracks run the gamut from slick and exuberant Eurodisco to slick and exuberant ballads and existential musings (‘There Must Be More to Life Than This’). The record, co-produced and engineered by longtime Queen producer Mack, is meticulously gimmick-heavy, though lighthearted. Mr Bad Guy is unlikely to win Freddie many new converts, but Queen fans will eat it up.”

  The forerunner single, ‘I Was Born To Love You’, was a success, reaching No. 11 in the UK and even charting in the US, stalling at No. 76. Regrettably, the chart life of the other three singles – ‘Made In Heaven’ (No. 57), ‘Living On My Own’ (No. 50) and ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’ (No. 76) – was disappointing, though it did allow Freddie to return to work with Queen. “It’s probably brought us closer together and will enhance our careers,” he told The Sun. “It’s like painting a picture. You have to step away from it to see what it’s like. I’m stepping away from Queen and I think it’s going to give everybody a shot in the arm. But I’ll be working with Queen again. No doubt about that. Queen are gonna come back even bigger.”

  THE CROSS

  SHOVE IT

  Virgin V 2477, November 1987 [58]

  Virgin-USA 7 90857 1, January 1988

  Virgin CDV 2477, October 1987 [58]

  Virgin-USA 7 90857 2, January 1988

  UK track listing: ‘Shove It’ (3’28), ‘Cowboys And Indians’ (5’53), ‘Contact’ (4’54), ‘Heaven For Everyone’ (4’54), ‘Stand Up For Love’ (4’22), ‘Love On A Tightrope (Like An Animal)’ (4’49), ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress)’ (4’25), ‘Rough Justice’ (3’22)

  Bonus track on UK CD issue: ‘The 2nd Shelf Mix’ (5’49)

  US track listing: ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress)’ (4’23), ‘Shove It’ (3’26), ‘Cowboys And Indians’ (5’53), ‘Contact’ (4’50), ‘Heaven For Everyone’ (5’08), ‘Feel The Force’ (3’46), ‘Stand Up For Love’ (4’20), ‘Love On A Tightrope (Like An Animal)’ (4’48), ‘Rough Justice’ (4’13)

  Musicians: Roger Taylor (vocals, drums, percussion, programming, keyboards, guitars, bass guitar), David Richards (keyboards, programming), Freddie Mercury (lead vocals on ‘Heaven For Everyone’ (UK album version only), backing vocals on ‘Heaven For Everyone’ (US album version)), Brian May (guitar on ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress)’), John Deacon (bass guitar), Spike Edney (additional keyboards), Jill O’Donovan and Susie O’List (backing vocals)

  Recorded: Mountain Studios, Montreux; Townhouse and AIR Studios, London; Maison Rouge Studios, Fulham; Mediterraneo Studios, Siracusa, August-December 1987

  Producers: Roger Taylor and David Richards

  In May 1987, Roger started work on his third solo album, again playing all of the instruments, but was unsure of Queen’s future as a live band. Eager to play live again, he conferred with the other three and proposed the idea of forming his own band as a side project. They agreed it was a good idea, with the proviso that Queen would always come first.

  Advertisements were therefore placed in all the top music papers. Explaining his initial criteria for the band’s applicants, Roger told Sounds in 1988, “I was actually looking, firstly, for musicianship; secondly, attitude; and for people that would make a great working unit together. We didn’t want any session musicians getting paid by the note. We wanted a real group. U2 are a real group. They’re all in it together. There’s a lot of kinda half groups around these days; one or two people are getting money, the rest are on wages. Foreigner, for example; and Dire Straits. There are only two people in Dire Straits who are actually making the real money. I mean, it’s none of my business, but most of these people are just hired hands. That’s not a band. When you go to see a band, you don’t go to see a particular person, you go to feel the spirit of the whole thing.”

  The advertisements themselves, however, read only: “Drummer of a top rock band looking for musicians.” Roger deliberately kept his name out of the ad since he didn’t want to a
ttract fanboys; however, he was a little too vague, and the replies were thin. He revised the ad to read, “If you think you’re good enough and you want to be a star, call this number.” This did the trick, and he was inundated with calls from young hopefuls, among them drummer Josh Macrae, guitarist Clayton Moss and bassist Peter Noone. These three were ultimately selected as Roger’s new group after auditioning with ‘Cowboys And Indians’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’, two of Roger’s new songs. Spike Edney was enlisted as keyboardist, while Roger naturally took over the role of vocalist and, in a drastic shift of personnel, rhythm guitarist.

  They called themselves The Cross; they thought the name would be easy to remember yet slightly controversial, but they implied no religious connotation. Although the album had been virtually completed by the time the band was formed, they added some finishing touches to a few tracks, as did Brian, John and Freddie. When Roger played them his new songs and asked for their opinions, he also extended the offer for guest spots (the specifics of John’s bass contributions aren’t known): Brian contributed guitar to the raucous ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ and Freddie performed an impassioned lead vocal on ‘Heaven For Everyone’ (a track originally intended for A Kind Of Magic the year before) while also providing backing vocals on Roger’s own version, which was released only in the US.

  The resulting album, titled Shove It and an appropriate gesture to the British press, who had become increasingly interested in salacious details and less in the music, is an interesting amalgamation of modern and classic rock. Comprised of only eight tracks (nine in the US), the album is acceptable though not extraordinary. The songs are typical of Roger’s songwriting abilities, though there aren’t really any standout tracks, except for ‘Heaven For Everyone’ and ‘Feel The Force’, which could have – and should have – been Queen tracks. The lyrics don’t equal anything Roger wrote within Queen, and with the increased popularity of rap, Roger took his turn on ‘Cowboys And Indians’, comprised of some of the most toe-curlingly awkward verses written.