If I step outside my personal taste boundaries and put aside my feelings for Queen in general, I can almost make a case for Hot Space being OK for what it is. And I also always support bands that reach for something different. But if you want to know what I really think, it's shit.
Bouncy, dance club music is so far outside the oeuvre of my fandom, I can't really judge Staying Power on anything other than how I respond to it: it makes me want to barf. I guess it sounds like John and Freddy are having some fun, but I'm struggling to find redeeming qualities.
I like the chorus a little more on Dancer, the instrumental break almost sounds like Queen and the groove has a tad more grit, but I'm being generous. Mostly it's the same vacuous bright '80s club pop that I could only tolerate for the cutest girls.
Back Chat at least has some style and atmosphere. Very Michael Jackson-esque in the best of possible ways. Again, not in my wheelhouse, but I appreciate it as a worthwhile experiment. Those synth drum fills in the break sound incredibly dated, but Brian's solo feeds nicely off the groove.
There are multiple candidates for worst Queen song on Hot Space. Body Language is definitely a finalist. It's both cringeworthy and icky.
Another candidate is Action This Day. It's weak and soulless — a B level composition wrapped in that terrible '80s production.
Call me predictable, but I like Put Out the Fire. And listening to it in the context of the album as a whole it sounds even better. I like catchy guitar riffs and anthemic choruses. There is nothing exceptional about the song, but after side one, this hits a cool drink of water in an arid desert.
I'm not a huge fan, but at least Life is Real sounds like a traditional Queen song. A pensive ballad with some dramatic flourishes, it's not a grabber, but it's not bad at all.
We'll get to discuss a lot of songs like Calling All Girls as this survivor moves through the '80s — inoffensive, mildly hooky pop rock songs performed with professionalism and not a huge amount of passion. I'd never go out of my way to put them on, but I won't stop what I am doing to hit fast forward either.
I'd have to say see above for Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love). It's sappier and a lesser song, but it fits. Barely.
I guess some of the kinder words I gave Back Chat might apply to Cool Cat. But it's really just not my cup of tea. It's got atmosphere, but it's not the atmosphere I want to soak in. Thumbs down.
It took a full album, but we finally get a song worthy of Queen's legacy with Under Pressure. The signature bass riff is catchy without being irritating like some of John's work on side one. Great atmosphere built through some vocal orchestrations and dramatic melodies and time shifts that are only enhanced by the contrasting vocal sounds of Bowie and Mercury.
Really, this album has one great song, one good song, one interesting song and a couple OK filler tracks. A very disappointing effort.
