For any band, recording a record is always a stressful process. It can be difficult to finalize the track order when three or five people disagree on how a song should sound, even though you want to make sure that every note is something you are proud of. Even though every member of the Queen appeared extremely diplomatic in front of the cameras. At some point during the recording of The Game, they had had enough of one another.
Their debut in the 1980s marked a significant tonal shift for the remainder of Queen’s career when compared to the rest of their catalog. It was odd to see them nearly abandon their rock roots on half of the tracklist. Pop hits like “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust” weren’t particularly new. Yet they represented a departure from their traditional style.
Despite the intense rock sound of a song like “Dragon Attack,” the band appeared more intent on producing a radio hit during half of the album’s recording sessions. The band members had always pushed and pulled against one another, but there had never been a line in the sand quite like this. While Freddie Mercury was off chasing pop trends, Brian May was in charge of the rock moments.
The Game is generally regarded as one of their better excursions, and tension is always the best motivator. Does that only apply to singles? There’s always a song like “Play the Game” that has the band’s best-ever harmony vocals in it. This helps balance out the dubious songs like “Don’t Try Suicide.”
Not that there wasn’t a struggle along the way; May told Louder, “We all walked out at various times.” Hard times are inevitable in any relationship. We most certainly did. Typically in the studio, never traveling…having the impression that you are not being heard or represented. Finding a compromise was difficult, but once you did, it was always worthwhile.
The people made all of the difficult decisions in the studio. “Another One Bites the Dust” went on to become one of the biggest hits of the 1980s, suggesting that Queen had found their pop sound. Mercury’s risk of dabbling with dance beats paid off, but for his next album, he had a terrible idea.
Even though Hot Space was produced with the best of intentions. Queen unquestionably produced their most dated material in the first half of the album. The album gives the impression that the band spent more time trying to make lightning strike twice than honing their craft. The song would be better titled “Yet Another One Bites The Dust.”
However, considering the number of awards The Game garnered at the time of its debut, Queen managed to strike the ideal balance between the extremes of their sound. They were capable of delivering stadium choruses and rocking when necessary. The fact that The Works followed Hot Space suggested that they had mastered the art of controlling their commercial side.
