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Queen: A kind of Magic

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Parlophone Records
Released: 1986
Time:
 53:35
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: ********.. (8/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.queen-fip.com
Appears with: Brian May, Roger Taylor,  Freddie Mercury
Purchase date: 2006.04.12
Price in €: 6,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] One Vision (Queen) - 5:08
[2] A Kind of Magic (R.Taylor) - 4:23
[3] One Year of Love (J.Deacon) - 4:26
[4] Pain Is So Close to Pleasure (J.Deacon/F.Mercury) - 4:19
[5] Friends Will Be Friends (J.Deacon/F.Mercury) - 4:07
[6] Who Wants to Live Forever? (B.May) - 5:13
[7] Gimme the Prize [Kurgan's Theme] (B.May) - 4:32
[8] Don't Lose Your Head (R.Taylor) - 4:35
[9] Princes of the Universe (F.Mercury) - 3:30
[10] Extra Magical Ingredients (Queen) - 3:20
        1. A kind of "A Kind of Magic"
        2. Friend will be Friends will be Friends
        3. Forever

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Freddie Mercury - Keyboards, Vocals, Producer
Brian May - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Fender Rhodes, Producer
Roger Taylor - Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer
John Deacon - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Producer

National Philharmonic Orchestra - Performing Ensemble
Michael Kamen - Orchestration
Lynton Naiff - String Arrangements
Joan Armatrading - Vocals
Spike Edney - Keyboards
Steve Gregory - Saxophone

Josh MacRae - Producer
Dave Richards - Producer
David Richards - Producer
Eric Tomlinson - Engineer
Mike Smith - Illustrations
Chuck Gamage - Illustrations
Roger Chiasson - Illustrations

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1986 LP Elektra 61152
1990 LP Capitol 12476
1992 CD Elektra 61152
2004 CD Toshiba EMI     67352

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Town House Studios, London; Musicland Studios, Munich; Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland. Some songs on this album appear in different form in the film HIGHLANDER. A KIND OF MAGIC primarily functioned as a musical backdrop for the movie HIGHLANDER, but unlike Queen's other motion picture soundtrack (1980's FLASH GORDON), the album doesn't contain a single instrumental--they're all fully realized songs. Although it's not quite on par with their time-honored offerings from the '70s and didn't chart well in the States, A KIND OF MAGIC still contains more than a few classic Queen tracks. For those who doubted Queen could still compose rip-roaring heavy metal, the lead-off track, "One Vision," silenced such concerns once and for all. With lyrics that describe Queen's show-stopping appearance at 1985's Live Aid benefit concert, "One Vision" is easily the album's high point. Other standouts include the majestic swirl of the title track, the beautiful yet melancholy ballad "Who Wants To Live Forever," the classy pop of "Friends Will Be Friends," and the first-rate rocker, "Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme)."



By the release of 1986's A Kind of Magic, Queen's stature as a prominent rock band in the U.S. had slipped considerably, while in all other parts of the world (especially Europe), they remained superstar hitmakers. A Kind of Magic was their biggest album yet in England, where it reached number one, remained on the charts for 63 weeks, and spawned several hit singles -- the epic title track, the tuneful pop/rocker "Friends Will Be Friends," and one of their most haunting ballads, "Who Wants to Live Forever" (also included was the Live Aid-inspired hit anthem "One Vision," which was originally released as a single in 1985). Most of the songs were written for the movie Highlander -- "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)," "Princess of the Universe," the aforementioned "Who Wants to Live Forever," etc. -- but instead of issuing just a movie soundtrack, the band added a few non-movie tracks and made an official Queen release out of it. It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but A Kind of Magic was their best work in some time. Queen would embark on a sold-out tour of outdoor stadiums in Europe upon the album's release, which would sadly turn out to be their final tour. [The 1991 Hollywood Records reissue appends a bonus track, an extended version of "One Vision."]

Greg Prato - All Music Guide



Alle haben wir "Highlander" gesehen, wenn nicht im Kino, dann doch bei einer der unzähligen Wiederholungen im Fernsehen. A Kind Of Magic ist zu weiten Teilen der Soundtrack zu dem legendären Film mit Christopher Lambert und Sean Connery -- und das hörbare "Highlander-Erlebnis" steht dem sichtbaren kaum nach.
A Kind Of Magic ist ein (im besten Sinn) typisches Queen-Album, großartig inszeniert, statt einfach nur eingespielt: pompöse Instrumentierung, super Angeber-Soli von Gitarrist Bryan May (etwa bei "Gimme The Prize"), und natürlich die großartige Stimme von Freddy Mercury. "Who Wants To Live Forever" ist ebenso unsterblich wie der letzte Highlander, und "One Year Of Love" ist so unbeschreiblich schwül schmalzig aufgenommen, daß Céline Dion dagegen wie Heavy-Metal klingt. Daß schließlich einer der coolsten Filmsprüche aller Zeiten ("It's better to burn out, than to fade away") im Original auf A Kind Of Magic zu finden ist, ist schon seit der ersten Veröffentlichung 1986 ein Segen für alle Fans von ausgefallenen Anrufbeantworter-Sprüchen.

Michael Ebert - Amazon.deaktion



In the wake of Freddie Mercury's grandstanding Live Aid performance, Queen has been filling stadiums in Europe. To paraphrase any one of a number of their songs, rock's reigning champs of bad taste could be ruling the world right now. But it'll be surprising if A Kind of Magic, the band's fourteenth LP, helps Queen to capitalize on the situation. The album, which might have been Queen's crowning moment, is absolutely bankrupt of gauche imagination. There's none of the stylistic strip mining that unearthed hooks like the ones from "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" or "Another One Bites the Dust," no ambitiously nutty concept recitals like "Bohemian Rhapsody." Dominated by barren slabs of synthscape and guitarist Brian May's orchestral fretwork, A Kind of Magic sounds like hard rock with a hollow core: it's heavy plastic. There's something endearingly campy about Freddie Mercury's brazen stage presence, but on record his mockoperatic delivery often sounds affected. And the slapdash quality of these songs makes him seem monumentally insincere: he ends the inspirational "One Vision" with a silly plea for fried chicken and a one-night stand. Freddie whisks optimistic falderal ("Friends Will Be Friends") and greedy demands ("Gimme the Prize") into a busy froth. His weird, piercing tenor is almost moving when wrapped around a melodic May guitar spurt on "One Year of Love," but most of the time he's histrionically going through the motions. The rest of Queen is coasting as well on a high-tech glide. Brian May tosses off virtuoso clichés while drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon plow through the electronic woofs and tweets. "We Are the Champions," from 1977, still sounds as insistent as a jackboot compared to this album's boastful closer, "Princes of the Universe," which veers into unintentional self-parody. The world-is-my-oyster lyrics seem more lazy than arrogant, and the music is a mechanical thud rather than a metalized threat. This band might as well put some pomp back in its rock. Its members are never going to make it as dignified elder statesmen.

MARK COLEMAN - Rolling Stones (RS 484)
 

 L y r i c s


One Vision

One man, one goal, one mission
One heart one goal just one solution
One flash of light, yeah one God, one vision
One flesh, one bone, one true religion
One voice, one hope, one real decision
Wo, wo, wo, wo, gimme one vision

No wrong, no right
I'm gonna tell you there's no black and no white
No blood, no stain
All we need is one world wide vision
One flesh, one bone, one true religion
One race, one hope, one real decision
Wo, wo, wo, wo, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

I had a dream, When I was young
A dream of sweet illusion
A glimpse of hope and unity
And visions of one sweet union
But a cold wind blows and a dark rain falls
And in my heart it shows
Look what they've done to my dreams

So give me your hands, give me your hearts... I'm ready
There's only one direction
One world, one nation, Yeah, one vision
No hate, no fight, just excitation
All through the night it's a celebration wo, wo, wo, wo yeah

One, one, one, one...

One flesh, one bone, one true religion
One voice, one hope, one real decision
Gimme one light, Gimme one hope
Just gimme
One man, one man
One bar, one night
One day, hey, hey
Just, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Fried chicken


A Kind Of Magic

It's a kind of magic, It's a kind of magic
A kind of magic
One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal
One golden glance of what should be... It's a kind of magic
One shaft of light that shows the way
No mortal man can win this day
It's a kind of magic

The bell that rings inside your mind
Is challenging the doors of time... It's a kind of magic
The waiting seems eternity, The day will dawn of sanity

Is this a kind of magic (It's a kind of magic)
There can be only one
This rage that lasts a thousand years, will soon be done

This flame that burns inside of me
I'm here in secret harmonies... It's a kind of magic
The bell that rings inside your mind
Is challenging the doors of time
It's a kind of magic

It's a kind of magic
The rage that lasts a thousand years
will soon be, will soon be, Will soon be (done)

This is a kind of magic, There can be only one
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be done, done

Magic, it's a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
Magic, magic, magic, magic
Ha ha ha, it's magic
It's a kind of magic


One Year Of LOve

Just one year of love, is better than a lifetime alone
One sentimental moment in your arms
Is like a shooting star right through my heart
It's always a rainy day without you
I'm a prisoner of love inside you -
I'm falling apart all around you - yeah

My heart cries out to your heart
I'm lonely but you can save me
My hand reaches for to your hand
I'm cold but you light the fire in me
My lips search for your lips
I'm hungry for your touch
There's so much left unspoken
And all I can do is surrender
To the moment just surrender

And no-one ever told me that love would hurt so much (Oooh yes it hurts)
And pain is so close to pleasure
And all I can do is surrender to your love
Just surrender to your love

Just one year of love, is better than a lifetime alone
One sentimental moment in your arms
Is like a shooting star right through my heart
It's always a rainy day without you
I'm a prisoner of love inside you
I'm falling apart all around you
And all I can do is surrender


Pain Is So Close To Pleasure

Oooh, oooh, pain is so close to pleasure, oh yeah
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all your life
Oooh, oooh, pain is so close to pleasure everybody knows
One day we love each other then we're fighting one another all the time

When I was young and just getting started
And people talked to me they sounded broken hearted
Then I grew up and got my imagination
And all I wanted was to start a new relation
So in love but love had a bad reaction
I was looking for some good old satisfaction
But pain is all I got when all I needed was some love and affection

Oooh, oooh, pain is so close to pleasure, yeah, yeah
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all your life
Pain and pleasure, Oooh, oooh, pain and pleasure

When your plans go wrong and you turn out the light
But inside of your mind you have to put up a fight
Where are the answers that we're all searching for
There's nothing in this world to be sure of anymore
Some days you're feeling good some days you're feeling bad
But if you're feeling happy someone else is always sad
Let the sweetness of love wipe the tears from your face
For better for worse so let's make the best of the rest of our years

Oooh oooh pain is so close to pleasure I told you so
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all your life
Pain and pleasure, Oooh, oooh, pain is so close to pleasure, yeah, yeah
Sunshine and rainy weather go hand in hand together all your life

All your life
Pain - pleasure ....


Friends Will Be Friends

Another red letter day, So the pound has dropped and the children are creating
The other half ran away, Taking all the cash and leaving you with the lumber
Got a pain in the chest, doctor's on strike, what you need is a rest
It's not easy love but you've got friends you can trust

Friends will be friends, When you're in need of love they give you care and attention
Friends will be friends, When you're through with life, and all hope is lost
Hold out your hands because friends will be friends, right till the end

Now it's a beautiful day, The postman delivered a letter from your lover
Only a phone call away, You tried to track him down but somebody stole his number
As a matter of fact, You're getting used to life without him in your way
It's so easy love because you got friends you can trust

Friends will be friends, When you're in need of love they give you care and attention
Friends will be friends, When you're through with life and all hope is lost
Hold out your hands because friends will be friends, right till the end

It's so easy love because you got friends you can trust
Friends will be friends, When you're in need of love they give you care and attention
Friends will be friends, When you're through with life and all hope is lost
Hold out your hands because friends will be friends, right till the end
Friends will be friends, When you're in need of love they give you care and attention
Friends will be friends, When you're through with life and all hope is lost
Hold out your hands because right till the end
Friends will be friends


Who Wants To Be Forever

There's no time for us, There's no place for us
What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away from us
Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever....?

There's no chance for us, It's all decided for us
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us
Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever?
Who dares to love forever?... When love must die

But touch my tears with your lips, Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever, And we can love forever
Forever is our today

Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever?
Forever is our today... Who waits forever anyway?


Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme)

...garage and water from the sprinklers
It also left a man's decapitated body lying on the floor
next to his own severed head
a head which at this time has no name

'I know his name'

Here I am I'm the master of your destiny
I am the one the only one, I am the god of kingdom come
Gimme the prize, just gimme the prize

Give me your kings let me squeeze then in my hands
Your puny princes, Your so called leaders of your land
I'll eat them whole before I'm done
The battle's fought and the game is won
I am the one the only one, I am the god of kingdom come
Gimme the prize just gimme the prize

'Now you die'
'I have something to say,it's better to burn out than to fade away...
There can be only one'

Move over, I said move over
Hey, hey, hey, clear the way
There's no escape from my authority - Didn't I tell you
I am the one the only one I am the god of kingdom come
Gimme the prize just gimme the prize
I am the one the only one, I am the god of kingdom come
Gimme the prize

'THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE'


Don't Lose Your Head

Don't lose your head, Don't lose your head

Don't lose your head (Don't lose your head)
No don't lose you head (Don't lose you head)
Hear what I say, Don't lose your way - yeah
Remember love's stronger, remember love walks tall

Don't lose your heart (Don't lose your heart)
No don't lose your heart (Don't lose your heart)
(Hear what I say) Hear what I say - yeah
(Don't lose your way) Don't lose your way - yeah
Remember love's stronger, remember love walks through walls

Don't drink and drive my car, Don't get breathalised
Don't lose your head
If you make it to the top, and you wanna stay alive
Don't lose your head

Don't lose your head
Don't lose your head (Don't lose your head)
No don't lose your head (Don't lose your head)
(Hear what I say) Hear what I say - yeah
(Don't lose your way) Hey don't lose your way

Remember love's stronger remember love conquers all
Don't lose your head, Don't lose your head
Don't lose your head, Don't lose your head
Don't lose your head, Don't lose your head


Princes Of The Universe

Here we are, born to be kings, We're the princes of the universe
Here we belong, Fighting to survive in a world with the darkest powers

And here we are, we're the princes of the universe
Here we belong, fighting for survival
We've come to be the rulers of your world
I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings
I have no rival, no man can be my equal
Take me to the future of your world

Born to be kings, Princes of the universe
Fighting and free, got your world in my hand
I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand
We were born to be princes of the universe

No man could understand, my power is in my own hand
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
People talk about you, people say you've had your day
I'm a man that will go far, fly the moon and reach for the stars
With my sword and head held high
Got to pass the test first time - yeah
I know that people talk about me I hear it every day
But I can prove you wrong cos' I'm right first time

Yeah, Yeah, Alright, Watch this man fly
Bring on the girls

Here we are, Born to be kings, We're the princes of the universe
Here we belong...
Born to be kings, Princes of the universe, fighting and free
Got the world in my hands
I'm here for your love, and I'll make my stand

We were born to be princes of the universe


 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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