Hot Space

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Hot Space
Hot Space cover
Studio album by Queen
Released May 21, 1982
May 25, 1982 (U.S.)
Recorded 1981-1982
Mountain Studios, Switzerland
Musicland, Munich
Genre Rock / Disco
Length 43:29
Label EMI/Parlophone (Europe)
Elektra, Hollywood Records (US)
Producer(s) Queen and Mack
Professional reviews
Queen chronology

Flash Gordon
(1980)
Hot Space
(1982)
The Works
(1984)


Hot Space is an album by English rock band Queen, released in 1982. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, Queen employed many elements of disco and dance music on Hot Space, being partially influenced by the success of their 1980 hit "Another One Bites the Dust." This made the album less popular with fans that preferred the traditional rock style they had come to associate with the band,[1] though Hot Space did fit in with the Queen tradition of incorporating many disparate influences into their music.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  • 1991 Hollywood Records bonus track:
    1. "Body Language (1991 Bonus Remix by Susan Rogers)" (Mercury) – 4:45

[edit] Staying Power

The horn arrangement for "Staying Power" was added by Arif Mardin (who also produced Chaka Khan and added horn sections to Bee Gees and Arethra Franklin records).[2] Mardin's was the first authentic horn section Queen added to one of their songs; an earlier demo of the song had a guitar solo in place of horns.[3] "Staying Power" would be performed on the band's accompanying "Hot Space" tour, albeit much faster and heavier, with real drums replacing the drum machine and guitars and keyboards replacing the horns (this arrangement contained no actual bass, as John Deacon would play guitar in addition to Brian May). In Japan, the band released "Staying Power" as a single in July of 1982.

[edit] Dancer

The bassline of "Dancer" was played on synthesiser by writer/guitarist Brian May. The song itself — a tantalising fusion of rock and funk — is something of a follow-up to "Dragon Attack" from the band's 1980 album The Game in that it fuses heavy elements of music with danceable ones, as Led Zeppelin did.[2] The phone message at the end of "Dancer" is in German, and was recorded in a hotel room in Munich; it roughly translates to "good morning, this is your wake-up call". The lyrics of "Dancer" are also notable for being the only ones on the album that make reference to the album title itself.[4]

[edit] Back Chat

"Back Chat", written by bassist John Deacon, is the track most influenced by black music on the album. Deacon (who differed from his band-mates, in that he was the only one raised on soul instead of rock and roll) had chosen a no-compromise method of eliminating any rock elements from his songs for Hot Space. This act of defiance caused friction amongst fellow band members, particularly Brian May, who fought to retain some Queen sensibilities in their funk diversions.[5] The band finally decided to include a guitar solo on "Back Chat" after heated debate, only to see the song stall at #40 on the UK single charts with an uninspired performance video. The track would be performed on the Hot Space tour at a faster tempo, with a more rock-orientated arrangement. "Back Chat", the title, is an English idiom equivalent to the American phrase "back talk", referring to an argument between two people.

[edit] Body Language

Main article: Body Language (song)

"Body Language" is atypical among Queen songs, being the sole single released by the band that does not include guitar (save for during the closing strains, which are made more prominent throughout the 1991 remix). Mercury, who composed "Body Language" on synth bass, had previously explored the instrument's potential with his contributions to the Flash Gordon soundtrack.[5] The "Body Language" video, featuring scantily-clad models writhing around each other, proved somewhat controversial and was banned in a few territories.

[edit] Action This Day

"Action This Day", one of two Roger Taylor songs that appear on the album, was clearly influenced by the New Wave movement/style current at the time; the track is driven by a pounding electronic drum machine and features a synthesier solo, played by producer Mack on an Oberheim OBX-a. "Action This Day" takes its title from a Winston Churchill catchphrase that the statesman would attach to urgent documents, and recapitulates the "people on streets" theme of social awareness that Taylor espoused in many of his songs. The band performed "Action This Day" live on the Hot Space tour in a more conventional arrangement, replacing the drum machine and bass synth with a rock rhythm section.

[edit] Put Out the Fire

"Put Out the Fire" is an anti-firearm song written by Brian May, who recorded its guitar solo under the influence of alcohol (after many unsuccessful attempts).[5] Though never released as a single, "Put Out the Fire", the album's most 'traditional' Queen song, later appeared on the Queen Rocks compilation in 1997. A new video was also produced for the accompanying video compilation, featuring a live performance of the song intercut with footage of fire and explosions.

[edit] Life Is Real (Song For Lennon)

Mercury wrote "Life Is Real" as a tribute to John Lennon, whose murder had also previously prompted the band to perform his song "Imagine" on tour. Like Lennon's song, "Life Is Real" features a sparse piano-based arrangement and a melancholy tone, further emphasising the band's sorrow at the ex-Beatle's death.[6] It is also one of the few Queen songs whose lyrics were written before the music ("Killer Queen" being another).

[edit] Calling All Girls

The first Roger Taylor song to be released as a single (albeit in selected countries, including the US and Australia, but not the United Kingdom), "Calling All Girls" failed to create much of an impact on the charts, despite having an entertaining music video based on the George Lucas film THX 1138. Taylor composed "Calling All Girls" on guitar, and played the feedback noises during the song's break.[5] Queen rarely performed the song on tour, but a live recording from Japan in 1982 is commercially available on the Queen On Fire - Live at the Bowl DVD, where "Calling All Girls" accompanies the photo gallery. The single was released in July of 1982 and reached #33 in Canada and #60 in the UK.

[edit] Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)

Main article: Las Palabras de Amor

Brian May's lyrics for "Las Palabras de Amor" were inspired by Queen's close relationship with their South American fans, and have been interpreted as an allegory for the Falklands War.[2] A hit in the UK, "Las Palabras de Amor" marked the band's third appearance on Top of the Pops (the first and second being for "Seven Seas of Rhye" and "Killer Queen", respectively, in 1974). May played piano and synths on the track and sang lead vocals for the harmonized line "this time and evermore".

[edit] Cool Cat

"Cool Cat", written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, originally featured David Bowie on background vocals and even a few lines of rap during the middle eight. It has been rumoured that he was unhappy with the results and requested them to be removed. On the album version, Mercury sings the entire song in falsetto.[7] The alternate take with Bowie's vocals still intact is widely available on various bootleg recordings[8] and surfaces from an early 1982 vinyl "Hot Space" test pressing from the USA.

[edit] Under Pressure

Main article: Under Pressure

A now phenomenally famous duet with David Bowie, "Under Pressure" was the result of an impromptu jam session in the band's studio in Montreux. When it was released in 1981, the considerable numbers of Queen and Bowie fans ensured that "Under Pressure" reached #1 in the UK singles chart. Nine years later, its bassline and piano parts were sampled by Vanilla Ice to form the basis of his hit "Ice Ice Baby", creating a highly controversial industry event. Freddie Mercury was the primary director of this track, with Bowie being the main lyricist. Part of the chord progression is based on a rough demo of Roger Taylor's unreleased song "Feel Like".[3]

[edit] Charts

Country Charts Sales
Peak position Weeks Certification
Austria 1 Gold 25.000
United Kingdom 4 19 Gold 250.000
Japan 6 80.000
France 7 300.000
United States 22 21 Gold 600.000

[edit] Personnel

  • John Deacon - bass, guitar, keyboards
  • Brian May - lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, synth bass on "Dancer"
  • Freddie Mercury - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesiser
  • Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals, harmonized lead vocals on "Action This Day", rhythm and acoustic guitars on "Calling All Girls", keyboards, drum machines

With:

  • David Bowie: lead vocals & keyboards ("Under Pressure")
  • Arif Mardin: "Hot and spacey" Horn arrangement and production ("Staying Power")
  • Mack: production, keyboard programming ("Action This Day")

[edit] Miscellanea

  • The album title refers to the band's use of more spartan arrangements on this album, i.e. a conscious effort to leave "hot space" between the notes.
  • This is the first Queen album proper (meaning excluding the Flash Gordon soundtrack) in which drummer Roger Taylor does not sing lead vocals on any songs.
  • Queen's decision to record a funk album germinated with the massive U.S. success of "Another One Bites the Dust". In hindsight, while it seemed a carefully calculated move to capitalise on their incidental interest in "black music", it inevitably proved to be a major, if temporary, blow to their reputation. Despite the album's second single "Body Language" peaking at #11 on the U.S. charts, the entire project was largely ignored by both the rock and dance scenes.
  • Michael Jackson, who had been friends with the band at that point, later cited Hot Space as a building block for his own blockbuster album Thriller.
  • The cover art of U2's 1997 Pop album, Blur's 2000 Best Of compilation, and "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1994 Greatest Hits Volume II bear some similarity to the Hot Space cover. All of these covers bear similarities to Andy Warhol's silkscreen paintings.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Prato, Greg. Hot Space Review. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  2. ^ a b c Miccio, Anthony. On Second Thought. Stylus. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  3. ^ a b Queen Demos of Released Tracks (M-Z). Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  4. ^ Queen - The Complete Words. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  5. ^ a b c d Obrecht, Jas. Brian May Interview. Guitar Player (January 1983), archived at Andy's Queen page. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  6. ^ A Glorious Queen. Washington Post (1982-07-23), archived at Queen Archives. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  7. ^ Milward, John (1982-06-10). Hot Space Review. Rolling Stone, issue 371. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  8. ^ Queen Demos of Released Tracks (A-L). Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
Queen
John Deacon | Brian May | Freddie Mercury | Roger Taylor
History | Live performances | Songs
Discography
Studio albums: Queen | Queen II | Sheer Heart Attack | A Night at the Opera | A Day at the Races | News of the World | Jazz | The Game | Flash Gordon | Hot Space | The Works | A Kind of Magic | The Miracle | Innuendo | Made in Heaven
Live albums: Live Killers | Live Magic | Live at Wembley '86 | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions
Compilation albums: Greatest Hits | At the Beeb | Greatest Hits II | Classic Queen | Queen Rocks | Greatest Hits III | Stone Cold Classics
DVDs: We Will Rock You | The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert | Greatest Video Hits 1 | Live at Wembley Stadium | Greatest Video Hits 2 | We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions | Super Live in Japan
Related Articles
Ibex | Larry Lurex | Smile | The Cross | Queen + Paul Rodgers | We Will Rock You Musical
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