Flash Gordon (soundtrack)

Flash Gordon
Soundtrack album by Queen
Released 8 December 1980 (UK)
25 January 1981 (Japan)
February 1981 (US)
27 June 2011 (Remaster)
Recorded October – November 1980
Genre Rock
Length 35:01
Label EMI, Parlophone (Europe)
Elektra, Hollywood Records (US)
Producer Brian May and Mack
Queen chronology
The Game
(1980)		 Flash Gordon
(1980)		 Hot Space
(1982)
Singles from Flash Gordon
  1. "Flash"
    Released: 24 November 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment Weekly (favourable) [2]
Record Mirror [3]

Flash Gordon is the ninth studio album of British rock band Queen, and is one of the two film soundtracks Queen produced, along with Highlander. It is the album to the science fiction film Flash Gordon, and features lyrics on only two tracks. The track Flash's Theme was the only single to be released from the album, under the title Flash. The album reached number 10 in the UK charts and number 23 in the United States.

The album was reissued worldwide 27 June 2011 (excluding US & Canada, where it was released 27 September 2011) as part of the band's 40th Anniversary.[4][5] The reissue adds an EP of related tracks.

Contents

Background

There are two versions of the opening track. The album version (Flash's Theme) is the start to the film, with part of the dialogue from the first scene. The single version (Flash) features parts of the dialogue taken from various parts of the film. This version was also included on the Greatest Hits compilation from 1981. The single reached number one in Austria. The track is noted for its pounding, repetitive bassline and the camp humour of the snippets of dialogue from the film that it contains.

All but two of the tracks on the album (Flash's Theme and The Hero) are instrumentals. The album makes extensive use of synthesizers, which Queen had employed for the first time on their previous album, The Game, although to a much lesser extent.

Side A of the album, except for the opening track and Freddie Mercury's Football Fight (also chosen as a B-side for the Flash single), contains mostly synthesizer, vocal, guitar and drum soundscapes (accompanied by the movie dialogues), written and performed by Mercury, Taylor and Deacon. Side B, while starting with similar compositions by Deacon and Taylor, develops for the most part around the full-band rockier themes, mainly Flash's Theme and Battle Theme, composed and arranged by Brian May. The last track, "The Hero", while an individual song, reprises both motifs. Different takes of the song were used for the end credits in the film and for the album finale.

The album contains mostly the score performed by Queen, and only two short, uncredited fragments of Howard Blake's orchestral score (appearing in The Kiss and The Hero).

Track listing

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Flash's Theme"   Brian May 3:30
2. "In the Space Capsule (The Love Theme)"   Roger Taylor 2:21
3. "Ming's Theme (In the Court of Ming the Merciless)"   Freddie Mercury 2:53
4. "The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction of Dale)"   Mercury 0:58
5. "Football Fight"   Mercury 1:29
6. "In the Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise)"   Taylor 2:26
7. "Execution of Flash"   John Deacon 1:06
8. "The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash)"   Mercury, Howard Blake 1:47
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Arboria (Planet of the Tree Men)" (listed as "Man" on the 1982 U.S. LP, 5E-518-B) Deacon 1:41
2. "Escape from the Swamp"   Taylor 1:44
3. "Flash to the Rescue"   May 2:47
4. "Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men)"   Mercury 1:15
5. "Battle Theme"   May 2:20
6. "The Wedding March" ("Bridal Chorus") May 0:56
7. "Marriage of Dale and Ming (And Flash Approaching)"   May, Taylor 2:04
8. "Crash Dive on Mingo City"   May 1:01
9. "Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations)"   May 1:39
10. "The Hero"   May, Howard Blake 3:31

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1980/1981) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[7] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[8] 10
Dutch Albums Chart[9] 7
German Albums Chart[10] 2
Norwegian Albums Chart[11] 25
Swedish Albums Chart[12] 29
UK Albums Chart[13] 10
U.S. Billboard 200[14] 23

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r687298
  2. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275614,00.html?print
  3. ^ http://www.queencuttings.com/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=76
  4. ^ "Press Release: Second Five Albums Re-Issued on 27th June". Queen. 5 April 2011. http://www.queenonline.com/en/news-archive/press-release-second-five-albums-re-issued-13th-june/. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
  5. ^ Second Set of Re-issues: Out This Week! Queen. Retrieved 7 July 2011
  6. ^ May, Brian (22 April 2003). "Jena, Lady Mercy, Playing piano on early albums, Mr Pavarotti". Letters. http://www.brianmay.com/brian/letters/lettersapr03.html. Retrieved 26 July 2007. "Flash and The Hero (Flash Gordon) (plus organ on the WEDDING)" 
  7. ^ http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+Queen&titel=Flash+Gordon&cat=a
  8. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=53gtrvbfj0gk7r9b4sd40dtvu0&q1=Queen+Flash+Gordon&q2=Top+Albums%2FCDs&interval=30
  9. ^ http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+Queen&titel=Flash+Gordon&cat=a
  10. ^ http://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Soundtrack+%2F+Queen&title=Flash+Gordon&cat=a&country=de
  11. ^ http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+Queen&titel=Flash+Gordon&cat=a
  12. ^ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+Queen&titel=Flash+Gordon&cat=a
  13. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=39481
  14. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/queen-p5205/charts-awards/billboard-albums
Flash Gordon
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Songs

Side one: Flash's Theme · In the Space Capsule (The Love Theme) · Ming's Theme (In the Court of Ming the Merciless) · The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction of Dale) · Football Fight · In the Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise) · Execution of Flash · The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash)

Side two: Arboria (Planet of the Tree Men) · Escape from the Swamp · Flash to the Rescue · Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men) · Battle Theme · The Wedding March · Marriage of Dale and Ming (And Flash Approaching) · Crash Dive on Mingo City · Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations) · The Hero
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