The Works (Queen album)

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The Works is a rock album by English band Queen released in 1984.

After a two year break, Queen returned to the studio. Much had changed in the music world since their previous album "Hot Space", which was something of a commercial failure and a poorly received album by many fans. In the two years following, Mercury, May and Taylor indulged in solo projects, taking the chance to stretch in individual directions.

"The Works" was recorded at the Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, and Musicland Studios, Munich, from August 1983 to January 1984. It was the band's first album for EMI worldwide after the band nullified its recording deal with Elektra for the US, Canada, Australia and Japan and signed with EMI worldwide(they were on EMI since day one in Europe) and EMI's US affiliate Capitol Records in the US and Canada.

The album's title comes from a comment Roger Taylor made as recording began for the new album, "Let's give them the works!" And the band did just that, with a fusion of synth and hard rock, hailing back to the early days of their career. All of Queen's trademarks are present, from rich arrangements, powerhouse vocals and catchy guitar riffs, and the band pull no punches.

"Keep Passing The Open Windows" was written originally for a proposed film of the novel "The Hotel New Hampshire". Queen were to write songs for film, but the project fell through. This song was already completed and band liked it so much, they included it on the album. When the film was eventually made, Queen had already moved on and this song was not used.

For the first and only time in their career, all the songs (and two non-album tracks, "I Go Crazy" and "Thank God It's Christmas") from the album are used as either A-Sides or B-Sides on singles.

Contents

1 Track listing
2 Hollywood Records bonus tracks (US reissue)
3 Credits
4 Songs' story

Track listing

Side 1

"Radio Ga Ga" (Taylor) 5:49 *
"Tear It Up" (May) 3:28
"It's A Hard Life" (Mercury) 4:08 *
"Man On The Prowl" (Mercury) 3:28

Side 2

"Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')" (May/Taylor) 5:10
"I Want To Break Free" (Deacon) 3:20 *
"Keep Passing The Open Windows" (Mercury) 5:21
"Hammer To Fall" (May) 4:28 *
"Is This the World We Created...?" (Mercury/May) 2:13

(* singles)

Hollywood Records bonus tracks (US reissue)

"I Go Crazy" (May) (original B-side) 3:42
"Radio Ga Ga (Extended Mix)" (Taylor) 6:50
"I Want To Break Free (Extended Mix)" (Deacon) 7:12

Credits

Lead vocals: Freddie Mercury
Backing vocals: Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May except:
* It's A Hard Life: Mercury
* Man On The Prowl: Mercury
* I Want To Break Free: Mercury
Drums, drum-machines and electronic drums: Roger Taylor
Bass guitar: John Deacon
Acoustic guitar: John Deacon on 'I Want To Break Free', Brian May on 'Is This The World We Created"
Electric guitar: Brian May, John Deacon (rhythm parts on 'I Want To Break Free'), Freddie Mercury (rhythm parts on 'Man On The Prowl')#redirect [[Template:Fact]]
Piano: Freddie Mercury, except the finale in 'Man On The Prowl' (Fred Mandel)
Synth: Fred Mandel, except:
* Radio Ga Ga: Mandel, Mercury & Taylor
* I Want To Break Free: Mandel, Mercury & Deacon
* Machines: Mack & Taylor
* Keep Passing The Open Windows: Mercury

Songs' story

"Radio Ga Ga" was composed on keyboards, after Roger Taylor heard his toddler son saying "radio ca ca". He wrote it in LA and locked himself in the studio with a synth and a drum-machine. Afterwards John Deacon came up with a bass line suitable. Freddie Mercury reconstructed the track, both musically and lyrically. It was still credited to Taylor since Mercury was an arranger rather than a co-writer. Fred Mandel, their session keyboardist, programmed the synth bass line, and Deacon did a bass solo. Brian May used a glass slide for his guitar show-off.

"Tear It Up" is May's song, and the demo features him doing the vocals instead of Mercury. It was written as an attempt to revive Queen's old sound.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

"It's A Hard Life" is one of May's and Taylor's favourite songs from Freddie. May contributed with some of the lyrics, and the intro was based on Leoncavallo's Vesti la giubba, an aria from his opera Pagliacci. Mercury played piano and did most of the vocals, and conducted May about the scales he should use for the solo, which was thought as very Bohemian Rhapsody-esque.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

"Man On The Prowl" is a three-chord rockabilly Mercury composition, in which Fred Mandel plays the piano ending. Note that "Tear It Up", "It's A Hard Life" and this one are all synth-free. Freddie Mercury played rhythm guitar throughout the song^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, while Brian May played the solo using a Telecaster.

"Machines" came up as an idea by Taylor, and May collaborated with him and finished it. Producer Reinhold Mack programmed the synth-"demolition" using a Fairlight CMI II Sampler, and the song is sung as a duet between two Mercury (harmonising with each other) and a robotic Taylor (using a Roland VP330 Vocoder).

"I Want To Break Free" was written by John Deacon out of frustration. This pop song is best known probably because of its controversial video, featuring all four Queen members dressed up as women. The synth solo is played by Fred Mandel - live, however, May played it on guitar.

"Keep Passing The Open Windows" was written by Mercury in 1983 for the film Hotel New Hampshire. When the band rejected the project he'd got to change it in order to suit the album mood better.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} Mercury played piano and synths and wrote the lyrics after reading the quote in the book.

"Hammer To Fall" is May's other rock song in the album. Live versions were considerably faster and he sang it in his solo tours as well. Synths are played by Fred Mandel and most of vocal harmonies were recorded by May himself, particularly in the bridge (save for "oh no" which is Taylor).

"Is This The World We Created...?" was written in Munich after Freddie Mercury and Brian May watched the news. Mercury wrote the lyrics, May wrote the chords. The song was recorded with an Ovation but live they used May's Gibson Chet Atkins CE nylon-stringed guitar.

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