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The 1982 Hot Space tour had been grueling for each member of Queen: releasing an album that had been received with more of a mild cheer than a deafening roar, and then having to slog off on a lengthy tour to promote it to largely unenthusiastic audiences and dwindling numbers took its toll on the band, and a break from Queen activities was proposed for 1983. However, Freddie still felt the funk in his bones, and had gathered up a backlog of material that he felt was unsuitable for a Queen record, and, following a stay in Japan at the conclusion of the tour, began to assemble musicians and book studio time for what would become his first bona fide solo project. | The 1982 Hot Space tour had been grueling for each member of Queen: releasing an album that had been received with more of a mild cheer than a deafening roar, and then having to slog off on a lengthy tour to promote it to largely unenthusiastic audiences and dwindling numbers took its toll on the band, and a break from Queen activities was proposed for 1983. However, Freddie still felt the funk in his bones, and had gathered up a backlog of material that he felt was unsuitable for a Queen record, and, following a stay in Japan at the conclusion of the tour, began to assemble musicians and book studio time for what would become his first bona fide solo project. | ||
| - | There had been, of course, the Larry Lurex single from 1973, which was more of a Freddie solo project than a Queen project (even though Brian and Roger contributed guitar and percussion, respectively, to the A-side), but it wasn't conceived as such, nor was it promoted as a Freddie solo single – least of all because nobody had any idea who Freddie was at that time. With the passing of a decade, though, and having fronted arguably the world's most popular and successful band | + | There had been, of course, the [[I Can Hear Music (single) | Larry Lurex single]] from 1973, which was more of a Freddie solo project than a Queen project (even though Brian and Roger contributed guitar and percussion, respectively, to the [[I Can Hear Music | A-side]]), but it wasn't conceived as such, nor was it promoted as a Freddie solo single – least of all because nobody had any idea who Freddie was at that time. With the passing of a decade, though, and having fronted arguably the world's most popular and successful band, Freddie felt that a solo album was long overdue. His allegiances were still with Queen, though, and he never threatened to leave the band if he ever became too famous; but judging by the tensions and lukewarm band reception to material on [[Hot Space]], Freddie knew that there were some styles of music he wanted to explore that the others just were not be interested in. |
| - | Because of the perfectionist in Freddie, the sessions took place only when he felt he had a sizable amount of material ready for an album, with each note labored over until it met his precise requirements. While sessions probably didn't begin in earnest until the middle of 1983, they wouldn't conclude until early 1985, meaning that it took him a good two years | + | Because of the perfectionist in Freddie, the sessions took place only when he felt he had a sizable amount of material ready for an album, with each note labored over until it met his precise requirements. While sessions probably didn't begin in earnest until the middle of 1983, they wouldn't conclude until early 1985, meaning that it took him a good two years, off and on, to complete what truly was a labor of love. The reason work was sporadic was because Queen had commitments toward the end of 1983 to work on two albums – what eventually became [[The Works]] and the soundtrack for the film adaptation of John Irving's ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' – and tour South America in November. While the latter two projects were abandoned for various reasons, Queen work always took precedence, though Freddie continued to squirrel away material he felt was more suitable for his solo album. One song that began life as a Queen track was [[Love Kills]], originally destined for [[The Works]] but submitted to [[Giorgio Moroder]], who was working on an update of the 1927 Fritz Lang film ''Metropolis''. The update sparked an enormous amount of debate, because Moroder added a modern rock soundtrack in lieu of the original silence; however, it allowed Freddie a good deal of exposure, and [[Love Kills (single) | Love Kills]], released as a single in September 1984, hit #10 in the UK. Brian confirmed in the liner notes to [[The Solo Collection]] that the backing is essentially a Queen track, with his guitar and Roger's programmed drums, though it's not known if John's contributions were kept intact. |
''Mr. Bad Guy'', as it came to be, was deep-rooted in dance and disco, with some of the more bombastic explorations of Queen's trademark sound brought in so as not to alienate curious casual fans. | ''Mr. Bad Guy'', as it came to be, was deep-rooted in dance and disco, with some of the more bombastic explorations of Queen's trademark sound brought in so as not to alienate curious casual fans. | ||
Revision as of 16:59, 21 February 2009
The 1982 Hot Space tour had been grueling for each member of Queen: releasing an album that had been received with more of a mild cheer than a deafening roar, and then having to slog off on a lengthy tour to promote it to largely unenthusiastic audiences and dwindling numbers took its toll on the band, and a break from Queen activities was proposed for 1983. However, Freddie still felt the funk in his bones, and had gathered up a backlog of material that he felt was unsuitable for a Queen record, and, following a stay in Japan at the conclusion of the tour, began to assemble musicians and book studio time for what would become his first bona fide solo project. There had been, of course, the Larry Lurex single from 1973, which was more of a Freddie solo project than a Queen project (even though Brian and Roger contributed guitar and percussion, respectively, to the A-side), but it wasn't conceived as such, nor was it promoted as a Freddie solo single – least of all because nobody had any idea who Freddie was at that time. With the passing of a decade, though, and having fronted arguably the world's most popular and successful band, Freddie felt that a solo album was long overdue. His allegiances were still with Queen, though, and he never threatened to leave the band if he ever became too famous; but judging by the tensions and lukewarm band reception to material on Hot Space, Freddie knew that there were some styles of music he wanted to explore that the others just were not be interested in. Because of the perfectionist in Freddie, the sessions took place only when he felt he had a sizable amount of material ready for an album, with each note labored over until it met his precise requirements. While sessions probably didn't begin in earnest until the middle of 1983, they wouldn't conclude until early 1985, meaning that it took him a good two years, off and on, to complete what truly was a labor of love. The reason work was sporadic was because Queen had commitments toward the end of 1983 to work on two albums – what eventually became The Works and the soundtrack for the film adaptation of John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire – and tour South America in November. While the latter two projects were abandoned for various reasons, Queen work always took precedence, though Freddie continued to squirrel away material he felt was more suitable for his solo album. One song that began life as a Queen track was Love Kills, originally destined for The Works but submitted to Giorgio Moroder, who was working on an update of the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis. The update sparked an enormous amount of debate, because Moroder added a modern rock soundtrack in lieu of the original silence; however, it allowed Freddie a good deal of exposure, and Love Kills, released as a single in September 1984, hit #10 in the UK. Brian confirmed in the liner notes to The Solo Collection that the backing is essentially a Queen track, with his guitar and Roger's programmed drums, though it's not known if John's contributions were kept intact. Mr. Bad Guy, as it came to be, was deep-rooted in dance and disco, with some of the more bombastic explorations of Queen's trademark sound brought in so as not to alienate curious casual fans. (more to come) Tracklists
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