| The Cosmos Rocks | ||||
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| Studio album by Queen + Paul Rodgers | ||||
| Released | Germany, Austria: 12 September 2008 Europe: 15 September 2008 Japan: 17 September 2008[1] US: 28 October 2008 |
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| Recorded | 2006–2008, The Priory recording studio | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 58:46 | |||
| Label | Parlophone, Hollywood | |||
| Producer | Brian May Paul Rodgers Roger Taylor co-producers: Joshua J Macrae Justin Shirley Smith Kris Fredriksson |
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| Queen + Paul Rodgers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Cosmos Rocks | ||||
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The Cosmos Rocks is the debut studio album by Queen + Paul Rodgers released on 15 September 2008 in Europe and 28 October 2008 in North America.[2] It contains 14 new tracks written by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor. This is the first studio album of new material from the two remaining members of Queen since 1995's Made in Heaven, and is the only studio collaboration to date with Paul Rodgers.[3] The album hit #5 in the UK and #1 in Estonia, where it stayed for ten weeks.
Contents |
The band entered Roger Taylor's Priory studio in late 2006 having completed the American leg of their world tour. Sessions were initially scheduled around Rodgers' other touring commitments. On the previous tour the band had debuted a new song, "Take Love", which did not make the album. Throughout the promotion for his solo tour, Rodgers' also debuted songs such as "Warboys", and "Voodoo". John Deacon's continued retirement meant that bass duties are shared between Rodgers and May. The first single, "Say It's Not True" was released nine months before the album was released. The second single, "C-lebrity" was previewed on Al Murray's Happy Hour in April, five months before the album was released. The album's release came 17 years after the death of Queen's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, in 1991.
All songs written and composed by Queen + Paul Rodgers.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cosmos Rockin'" (Roger Taylor) | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Time to Shine" (Paul Rodgers) | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Still Burnin'" (Brian May) | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Small" (Taylor) | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Warboys" (Rodgers) | 3:18 |
| 6. | "We Believe" (May) | 6:08 |
| 7. | "Call Me" (Rodgers) | 2:59 |
| 8. | "Voodoo" (Rodgers) | 4:27 |
| 9. | "Some Things That Glitter" (May) | 4:03 |
| 10. | "C-lebrity" (Taylor) | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Through the Night" (Rodgers) | 4:54 |
| 12. | "Say It's Not True" (Taylor) | 4:00 |
| 13. | "Surf's Up... School's Out!" (Taylor) | 5:38 |
| 14. | "small reprise" (Taylor) | 2:05 |
| 15. | "Runaway" (Del Shannon/Max Crook, iTunes exclusive bonus track) | 5:28 |
Note: The Japanese edition includes a CD audio version instead of the DVD.
"Cosmos Rockin'" is a song dealing with partying and generally having a good time. Its working title was "Whole House Rockin'". May confirmed it was written by Taylor. Rodgers sings all the lead, with the chorus vocals dominated by Taylor. The introductory distortion is reminiscent of the 1985 hit "One Vision", and of the film dialogues from the beginning of the Flash Gordon album.
"Time to Shine" was written by Rodgers, according to an interview with the three of them published on May's website. It also features him singing all vocals.
"Still Burnin'" was written by May. It briefly samples the famous "stomp, stomp, clap" of the band's previous 1977 hit "We Will Rock You" from the album News of the World, also written by May. The song features Rodgers on lead vocals, coupled with Taylor who also sings during the 'call and response' style chorus. It is probable that Queen + Paul Rodgers recreated the 1-1-2 beat, as the sample does not sound identical to the 1977 version.
"Small" was written by Taylor, and is a commentary on nature.
"Warboys" was written by Rodgers as a protest song against war. It was given the subtitle "A Prayer for Peace" to make it clear as to what the intention of the song was. It was debuted as one of two new songs by Rodgers on his 2007 tour of Britain, although it was unclear whether this new song had been written for the then upcoming Queen + Paul Rodgers album. It first appeared on Rodgers' solo live album and DVD Live in Glasgow, and was later performed solely by Rodgers on acoustic guitar on a radio show after listeners called in to request something to be played from the new album. It was officially revealed as an album track in August 2008. It features Rodgers playing acoustic guitar, and also samples many rifle noises. Taylor also sings additional vocals on this track along with Rodgers' lead.
"We Believe" was written by May. It is the longest song on the album. It is mainly sung solely by Rodgers, but the end does feature singing from all three band members. An edited version of the song has been released as a promo single in Italy.
"Call Me", written and sung solely by Rodgers, is a bluesy rocker. The vocals are a lighthearted take on love.
Rodgers wrote "Voodoo, and like "Warboys", it debuted on his 2007 tour of the UK.
"Some Things That Glitter", a love song/piano ballad, was penned by May. The track features Rodgers on piano. An alternate version of the song is performed by stage actress and singer Kerry Ellis. It is featured on her debut album Anthems under the name of "I Loved a Butterfly". May produced the track and also contributed guitar.
"C-lebrity" was written by Taylor about obsession with instant stardom. It received its live debut on the series finale of ITV's Al Murray's Happy Hour. It was released as the second single from the album on 8 September 2008. Rodgers sings lead vocals, Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters sings additional backing vocals, and May plays bass guitar on the track. On 4 August 2008 the track was premiered for the first time on Ken Bruce's radio show on BBC Radio 2. The single reached #33 in the UK pop singles chart and #1 on the UK Rock Charts.
"Through the Night" was written by Rodgers about someone who believes their life is almost at an end, and asks the person they are in love with to help them through their hardship.
"Say It's Not True" was originally written by Taylor for Nelson Mandela's 46664 anti-AIDS campaign, and was debuted at the November 2003 concert. It features Taylor, May and Rodgers on vocals. It was released as a single on New Year's Eve 2007, but despite the fact that all proceeds went to 46664, it only peaked at #90 in the UK charts.
"Surf's Up... School's Out!", written by Taylor, harks back to the old Roger Taylor-written songs about youth and rebellion. The song is sung as a duet between Rodgers and Taylor, and also features Rodgers playing harmonica (a skill showcased on several Paul Rodgers-era Bad Company songs, including "Oh, Atlanta" from 1979's Desolation Angels). It is also the only Queen song to feature this instrument.
"Small Reprise" is a slower, shorter, mostly instrumental version of the earlier album track.
"Runaway, originally written by Del Shannon and Max Crook and released as Shannon's hit debut single in 1961, was originally planned to feature on the album but was later omitted, instead featuring as an iTunes store exclusive bonus track. The track was recorded during a jam session which lasted 12 minutes long but was later cut for the album.
"Take Love", believed to have been written by Rodgers, was debuted on the North American and Japanese legs of 2005/2006 Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour. The band attempted to record it for the album but could not quite get it to sound right, so they decided to leave it unrecorded.
Three singles were released from the album:
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Classic Rock | [4] |
| Financial Times | link |
| Mojo | link (Queen Cuttings) |
| Record Collector | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | link |
| The Guardian | link |
| Total Guitar | [6] |
Cosmos Rocks received negative reviews. According to critic review aggregator Metacritic, the album received an average review score of 42/100,[7] which ranks it at 28th place on Metacritic's "worst-reviewed"' albums list.[8] A review on website Pop and Rock gave it two out of five stars "the lyrics were stupid, trite, a bit offensive and bound to have an undermining effect on whatever musical efforts they put behind it".[9] PopMatters gave it a 7/10 review, stating, "Paul Rodgers breathes new life into Queen, while still keeping the band's tremendous legacy intact as they soldier forth with new material into the 21st century".[10] Mojo gave it three stars, stating, "Occasionally they stumble, as on the clunky 'Warboys.' But with Rodgers' imperious, Queen's second coming is vindicated".[11]
| Country | Charts | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | Certification | Sales | |
| Estonia | 1 | 10 | - | - |
| Czech Republic | 4 | 7 | - | - |
| Germany | 4 | 7 | - | - |
| Switzerland[13] | 5 | 7 | - | - |
| United Kingdom | 5 | 6 | - | - |
| Italy | 6 | 5 | - | - |
| Netherlands[13] | 8 | 7 | - | - |
| Greece | 9 | 1 | - | - |
| Austria[13] | 11 | 8 | - | - |
| Hungary | 15 | 1 | - | - |
| Finland[13] | 15 | 2 | - | - |
| Belgium Wa[13] | 16 | 7 | - | - |
| Belgium Vl[13] | 18 | 8 | - | - |
| Spain[13] | 20 | 6 | - | - |
| Denmark[13] | 24 | 1 | - | - |
| Sweden[13] | 24 | 5 | - | - |
| Portugal[13] | 25 | 1 | - | - |
| France[13] | 28 | 4 | - | - |
| Norway[13] | 31 | 1 | - | - |
| Canada | 33 | 1 | - | - |
| Japan | 40 | 6 | - | - |
| Malta | 20 | 2 | - | - |
| United States | 47 | 2 | - | 37,144 |
| Ireland | 47 | 1 | - | - |
| Australia[13] | 49 | 1 | - | - |
The "Rock the Cosmos Tour" began in September 2008 to promote the release of this album. The opening date was recorded for a DVD release, and was broadcast across digital video theatres across the United States on 6 November 2008 under the title "Let the Cosmos Rock". The tour included one of the largest open air concerts in Kharkiv, Ukraine which garnered 350,000 people. Over the course of the tour, Queen played to just short of a million viewers.
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