QUEEN: Late 80's Album Battle! A Kind of Magic vs. The Miracle
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- A panel of distinguished gentlemen join me for a deep dive discussion into the hit and miss world of late 80's era Queen. Grant Arthur (from Grant's Rock Warehaus) Todd Evans and John the Musicnut return to the channel to help me out with this one. What do we all think of these albums? Gotta watch to find out!
As a fan of Queen from the 70's it's very refreshing to hear a group of well informed guys making great critique of these albums. So often they are 'rubbished' and dismissed but i take a great deal of pleasure from both. Queen developed and evolved throughout and i like to think this period culminated with their final 'real' album Innuendo.
@@waynegoucher4503 Thank you Wayne! A different era for them but I think both albums are strong in different ways!
It's a Kind of Magic is a magical album. I was 17 when this album came out and it was perfect: Hard Rock, soulful love songs, avant garde electronica, sound scapey ballads. This is cutting edge Queen in 1986. The 80's were still a time of creative evolution and Queen were flexing on this album. A fan like myself hopes a band continues to evolve and innovate. When they don't, it's disappointing. This album proudly sits in the ranks of the best that Queen produced.
Weren't all of these guys all on another channel doing the Queen stuff just last year? Ryan Gavaleer or Peter Kerr? Someone like that.
Maybe, but opinions can change, you know.
It was on Ryan's channel. Todd and Grant were part of it along with Bill Schuster and Armando Venditti.
I think the “It’s better to burn out..” bit is quoting Def Leppard’s then relatively recent hit Rock of Ages? Obviously Neil Young had already said something very similar.
I agree with quite a lot of what was said. I think “Gimme the Prize” and particularly “Who Wants…” works much better in the film than on record - I always found those scenes rather moving.
Overall, I prefer The Miracle - not as good as any of the ‘70s albums but several very decent tracks, and the special edition versions with the chat and the real instruments are interesting.
I like both of the albums pretty much. A Kind of Magic wins by 0.5. or 1 point. I agree with Grants comment but 5/10 is a bit too strict. Cool show. Enjoyed it a lot.
Awesome thank you, I am glad you enjoyed it!
Todd, l saw Billy Squier open for Foreigner on the Don’t Say No/Foreigner 4 tour and l thought that Squier blew Foreigner off the stage! I was quite a wee lad back then. I was invited to see the Hot Space tour - and like a big dummy - l declined. (“Grady, you big dummy!!”) One of my biggest missed concert regrets ever!
Looking forward to this seismic show!
Cheers from The Big Apple. 🍏
Rock Out, Prog On and Pogo!
Your pal and ours,
~ The Magical, Tragical, Fantastical Davey Cretin from CRETIN CLASSICS.
Billy Squier rocks!
I dig both of them with a couple of side notes…
A Kind Of Magic seems like a compromised affair; half soundtrack, half regular Queen album to keep the sales rolling.
The Miracle is fine in itself, but some of the b-sides, included on the 2-cd version, are better than some of the weaker material included.
Beeing a Queen fan from a very early age (I was 6 when Freddie died and shortly afterwards I watched the wembley vhs and was hooked - so there you have my Queen-timeline in a nutshell) I listened to the greatest hits while I listened to the albums a bit later.
So. Both albums could go under the moniker „pain is so close to pleasure“. Both do have great tracks and stinkers side by side. While the „magic“-stinkers are like „outtakes“ from an otherwise great record the „miracle“-stinkers are hidden a bit better. „Pain/pleasure“ and „don’t lose your head“ are two of the lower Queen-songs and „my baby does me“ doesn’t do much for me (pun intended). The miracle- for me- is a better record as it’s a propper record while „magic“ is a mixed bag with different songs from different sessions patched together. Queen never did things like that at all (apart from that record). Queen always had different genres and different instrumentations on their records but never made records that were „a bit from that session and a few filler tunes from that session“… and it shows. When they did the magic tour they performed less songs from magic than the previous record „the works“. They just played the big songs („vision“, „magic“, „forever“ and a bit from „friends“ while 5 tracks from „the works“)… so I guess Queen didn’t think too much of the whole record while still loving those individual tracks. And even Roger Taylor later admitted he would have liked a full soundtrack record of highlander better than this record (or he said something in that vein). So… my conclusion is that both records do feature great tracks (vision, magic, princess, forever, friends, miracle, I want it all, the invisible man, breakthrough, was it all worth it and hang on in there - an underrated bonus track) and some - sometimes painful sometimes just bland - filler material….
Thanks for this very entertaining video! Anna
What an awesome comment. So glad you enjoyed it!
A Kind of Magic - 6/10
The Miracle - 6.5/10 - if they had included the song Too Much Love Will Kill You as originally planned, The Miracle would be a solid 9/10.
Thanks, I gave Kind of Magic 5 and Miracle a 6 so we are close to same page.
With Queen in the 80s people expected so much rather than just enjoy the music. Have been a fan since 1993 and think the later albums are just as good as the 70s albums.
Instead of “expecting” just accept the sound changed and if you don’t like it then don’t listen :)
Fair enough! Just enjoy them for what they are
Queen did the right thing, although the backlash to Hot Space resulted in the band playing it safe to some degree.
Magic!!! I love the Highlander samples. I love every track. I love it is associated with Highlander. Gimme the Prize is great
Do your research. The orchestra on WWTLF is orchestra. It says in the sleeve notes. The samples are ALL from the film. Duh. It's the first album I got on cassette.
I love both albums. Every track. But then I love every song they ever did. I think if you grew up or are influenced by their 70s peak then you won't like them. And the 80s production can be a game changer.
Its very clear you guys were not meant for 80s Queen. The Works is also fantastic.
Magic is awesome and you're all wrong. Ha☺️☺️☺️☺️
Thanks for the comment, we knew some of the views here might be controversial! Ha I do like the Works better than both of these! 😃
Don't know if you like Oasis, but would be great if you could do Definitely Maybe vs Morning Glory
That is a great idea!! Now on the list.
You Guys are breaking my heart on this episode! I love The Miracle! a 8/10 for me, I even have the deluxe box set! And I agree with A Kind Of Magic,
It's disjointed and thrown together from different projects. And I'm a fan of the Highlander movie so I don't mind those songs. a 5/10.
The Miracle wins for me. Both of these albums have some terrible filler tracks on them, but The Miracle just happens to have more good songs than Magic does.
I wish the Highlander songs were a separate project. The Miracle is a stronger album, I would do a reissue and take the first 2 tracks and replace them with Let Me in Your Heart Again and Face it Alone and its a classic. Side two.of a Kind of Magic is brilliant though, all Highlander. Side one is a up and down.
I agree I wish they had just done a separate Highlander soundtrack.
Grant's favourites so i hear
Not so much! Ha ha 🤣
Me, fighting to keep in mind.....It's easier to critique than to create!!! But I'm furious .....Well...I can't see this thru.Painful. Partially perhaps because I've seen the Highlander 3 times and appreciate how those songs fit. Also when Brian starts WWTLF, I'm sooooooo disappointed. Brian's singing is too weak for me. Yes, I find googobs of reasons to like both Albums.....yeah, cause we were losing Freddie, i.e., we had lost Queen as we knew them.
That was a word salad.
@@brandon1351 I dreaded being negative- kept writing ... but 'truth will out' a brilliant person once said. ....EDIT, plus I'm no way a 'musician' .
Neither album is all that great but I prefer A Kind of Magic. Some of the songs on The Miracle I absolutely detest, Khashoggi's Ship and Party.
All the singles on The Miracle are great. Plus "Rain Must Fall". That's 6 songs, right there.
Magic has trash like "One Year of Love", "Pain is So Close to Pleasure" and "Don't Lose Your Head". And although it's not a bad song,
"Who Wants to Live Forever" is depressing and not much fun to listen to. Which leaves two great songs and a handful of forgettable
Highlander tunes. 6 vs 2 = The Miracle wins.
Yeah, it was tough for me ....as to which was stronger, (as IMO they both have some flaws) but ultimately the Miracle sounds less "thrown together" and more of a unified effort.