The Game

Queen

Elektra, 1980

http://www.queenonline.com/

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/20/2004

Synthesizers were used on this record.

For their first few albums, Queen had one of the most bizarre liner notes on every album proudly boasting they used no synthesizers. But when 1980 hit, that all changed, just like it did for many other 70s bands that wanted to stay relevant. Synths were the way to go, so Queen went that way. What's funny is that the best-known songs on here don't even use the synth.

Where The Game varies from Queen's previous outings is not in the use of keyboard but in the lack of styles. Previous discs would have Broadway ballads next to acoustic ditties next to flat-out rock stomps. Here's, it's pretty much arena rock/pop, with variations on the theme that really don't distinguish the song.

The opening "Play the Game" shows the band's instrumental prowess at a peak, while "Dragon Attack" is another highlight, and in a break from previous albums (break #3), the obligatory ballad is actually a good one ("Save Me"). The other five songs don't have much to recommend. The Game is the point where the band turned pop and went all 80s on everyone, and it's where most fans stopped caring; after 1982's "Under Pressure," their popularity sank in the States. my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

 

 


Rating: C

User Rating: A-


Comments

An A from me....I love almost every song on this one.
 








© 2004 Benjamin Ray and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Elektra, and is used for informational purposes only.