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The Game (Queen album)

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The Game
Studio album by
Queen
Released30 June 1980
RecordedJune–July 1979, February–May 1980
StudioMusicland Studios, Munich, West Germany
Genre
Length35:42
Label
Producer
Queen chronology
Live Killers
(1979) 		The Game
(1980) 		Flash Gordon
(1980)
Singles from The Game
  1. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
    Released: 12 October 1979 (UK)[6]
  2. "Save Me"
    Released: 25 January 1980
  3. "Play the Game"
    Released: 30 May 1980 (UK)
  4. "Another One Bites the Dust"
    Released: 22 August 1980 (UK)
  5. "Need Your Loving Tonight"
    Released: 18 November 1980 (US)

The Game is the eighth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 30 June 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US. The Game features a different sound from its predecessor, Jazz (1978). The Game was the first Queen album to use a synthesizer[7] (an Oberheim OB-X[8] ).

A critical and commercial success, The Game became the only Queen album to reach No. 1 in the US, and also became their best-selling studio album in the US, with four million copies sold to date, tying with the sales for News of the World. Notable songs on the album include the bass-driven "Another One Bites the Dust" and the rock and roll "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", both of which reached No. 1 in the US. It was reissued in May 2003 on DVD-Audio with Dolby 5.1 surround sound and DTS 5.1. The 5.1 mix of "Coming Soon" features an alternate backing track, as the final master tapes could not be found when mixing the album to 5.1.

Songs

[edit]

Side one

[edit]

"Play the Game"

[edit]
Main article: Play the Game (song)

"Play the Game" was written by Freddie Mercury. The song was released as a single in 1980, reaching No. 14 in the UK and No. 42 in the US. The song was performed live from 1980 to 1982.

"Dragon Attack"

[edit]

"Dragon Attack" was written by Brian May. The song was a live favourite, being performed from 1980 to 1985. On the UK release of "Another One Bites The Dust", it was featured as the B-side. Two remixes of the track were scheduled to feature on the cancelled BASIC Queen Bootlegs 1992 album. The first by Jack Benson and R.A.K. featured as a bonus track on 1991 reissues of The Game. The second was an instrumental remix by Dave Ogilvie. Stylistically, "Dragon Attack" is a funk rock song.[9]

"Another One Bites the Dust"

[edit]
Main article: Another One Bites the Dust

"Another One Bites the Dust" was written by John Deacon. The song is known as a funk song and was released as a single at the suggestion of American singer Michael Jackson, who was a huge fan of the group and would often see them in concert when they came to Los Angeles. "Another One Bites the Dust" was a worldwide success, reaching No. 1 in America and many other countries, and in the UK where it reached No. 7. After the success of the song, Queen recorded Hot Space, which was a more disco album. It is credited as Queen's best selling single, having sold 7 million copies worldwide. The song was played live from 1980 until the last tour with Mercury in 1986. Part of this song was performed during Queen medley songs by Extreme on The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992.

"Need Your Loving Tonight"

[edit]
Main article: Need Your Loving Tonight

"Need Your Loving Tonight" was written by Deacon. The song was released as a single in November 1980 and reached number 44 in the United States. The song was also played frequently during The Game Tour in 1980 and then less frequently in 1981, but was not played live thereafter.[10]

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"

[edit]
Main article: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was written by Mercury while lounging in a bubble bath in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, where Queen were staying during the making of The Game. In addition to playing guitar on the record, Mercury also played guitar in concert. The song peaked at No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for four consecutive weeks. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" also peaked at No. 1 in Australia, Canada, Mexico and Netherlands. The song has been covered by many artists. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites The Dust" were Queen's only No. 1 singles in the United States.

Side two

[edit]

"Rock It (Prime Jive)"

[edit]

"Rock It (Prime Jive)" was written by Roger Taylor. The song begins with Mercury singing the intro and then Taylor sings the rest of the song. The song was only performed live in North and South America, and in Japan, during The Game and Hot Space Tours respectively.

"Don't Try Suicide"

[edit]

"Don't Try Suicide" was written by Mercury, and is Mercury's third and final song on the album. The song has never been performed live. The song was the B-side on the American release of "Another One Bites the Dust". In 1992, DJ Muggs remixed the track for inclusion on the later cancelled BASIC Queen Bootlegs compilation.

"Sail Away Sweet Sister"

[edit]

"Sail Away Sweet Sister (To the Sister I Never Had)" was written by May and features him on lead vocals. The bridge was sung by Mercury. The song was recorded in June/July 1979. It has never been performed live by Queen, but has been by Guns N' Roses and by Brian May himself during the Another World tour in 1998. The song was sampled by Das EFX on their 1998 track "Change" from the album Generation EFX.[11]

The song has also been on compilation albums Deep Cuts, Volume 2 (1977-1982) and Queen Forever.

"Coming Soon"

[edit]

"Coming Soon" was written by Taylor. Mercury and Taylor share lead vocals. The song had been started during the Jazz sessions.

"Save Me"

[edit]
Main article: Save Me (Queen song)

"Save Me" was written by May, in tribute to a friend whose marriage had recently ended. May played most of the instruments on the track including acoustic and electric guitars, piano and synthesizer. The song was performed live from 1979 to 1982. When live the song features a short piano entrance absent from the studio version. The song peaked at No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart.

Artwork

[edit]

The photo on the cover of the EMI CD is different from that originally used on the LP and cassette release, even though the Hollywood CD still has the original photo. The original photo (with Roger Taylor having folded arms and Brian May not having a hand resting upon his exposed hip) is shown in the article. This alternate photo was also used on the cover of the album in the Crown Jewels box set released in 1998, and on the DTS DVD-Audio edition of the album released in 2003.

Tour

[edit]
Main article: The Game Tour

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Chicago Tribune[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Guardian[14]
Record Mirror[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[16]
Smash Hits3/10[17]
Uncut[18]

Record Mirror wrote in a contemporary review, "After Zeppelin and even before the Scorpions, Queen are the most exciting band I've ever seen or heard. And I'm sure all you lovers of quality music will agree."[15] Rolling Stone felt that it was "nice to hear a Queen album with songs, not 'anthems'," but opined that "these guys know how this music should sound and feel, but they can't bend enough to get with it."[19] The Washington Post gave a scathing review, writing: "After five years of unchallenging, dismal albums, this was supposed to be Queen's comeback. But no such luck."[20] Steve Taylor, writing for Smash Hits, was equally as dismissive, writing "sandwiched between two slabs of Queen's usual symphonic and/or choral pomp-rock [...] lies a filling of utterly unoriginal corn".[17]

Creem readers voted The Game the seventh greatest album of 1980.[21] At the Grammy Awards in 1981, Queen and Mack were nominated for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) while "Another One Bites the Dust" was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[22] Queen received an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group, while "Another One Bites the Dust" received the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single.[23]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the album's "disco rock blends" showed a band that has "turned away from rock and toward pop", "turning decidedly, decisively pop, and it's a grand, state-of-the-art circa 1980 pop album that still stands as one of the band's most enjoyable records."[4] AllMusic would go on to name The Game as Queen's best album of the 1980s.[24] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters called The Game a "regular ol' rock album".[1] In 2008, Out ranked the album number 28 of 100 in a poll of "more than 100 actors, comedians, musicians, writers, critics, performance artists, label reps, and DJs, asking each to list the ten albums that left the most indelible impressions on their lives."[25]

Band appraisal

[edit]

Yeah, that was when we started trying to get outside what was normal for us. Plus we had a new engineer in Mack and a new environment in Munich. Everything was different. We turned our whole studio technique around in a sense, because Mack had come from a different background from us. We thought there was only one way of doing things, like doing backing tracks: We would just do it until we got it right. If there were some bits where it speeded up or slowed down, then we would do it again until it was right. We had done some of our old backing tracks so many times, they were too stiff. Mack's first contribution was to say, "Well you don't have to do that. I can drop the whole thing in. If it breaks down after half a minute, then we can edit in and carry on if you just play along with the tempo". We laughed and said "Don't be silly. You can't do that". But in fact, you can. What you gain is the freshness, because often a lot of the backing tracks is first time though. It really helped a lot. There was less guitar on that album, but that's really not going to be the same forever; that was just an experiment.

— Brian May[26]

Track listing

[edit]

All lead vocals by Freddie Mercury unless noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Play the Game"Freddie Mercury3:30
2."Dragon Attack"Brian May4:18
3."Another One Bites the Dust"John Deacon3:35
4."Need Your Loving Tonight"Deacon2:50
5."Crazy Little Thing Called Love"Mercury2:42
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Rock It (Prime Jive)"Roger TaylorRoger Taylor with Mercury4:33
7."Don't Try Suicide"Mercury 3:52
8."Sail Away Sweet Sister"MayBrian May with Mercury3:33
9."Coming Soon"TaylorMercury with Taylor2:51
10."Save Me"May 3:48
Total length:35:42
Bonus track (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue)
No.TitleLength
11."Dragon Attack" (1991 bonus remix by R.A.K. and Jack Benson)4:19
Total length:40:01
Disc 2: Bonus EP (2011 Universal Music CD reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Save Me" (Live at the Montreal Forum, November 1981) 4:18
2."A Human Body" (B-side to "Play The Game")Taylor[27]3:44
3."Sail Away Sweet Sister" (Take 1 with guide vocal, February 1980) 2:34
4."It's a Beautiful Day" (Original spontaneous idea, April 1980)Mercury[28]1:31
5."Dragon Attack" (Live at the Milton Keynes Bowl, June 1982) 5:15
Total length:17:22
Bonus videos (2011 iTunes deluxe edition)
No.TitleLength
6."Vocal Improv/Dragon Attack" (Live at Morumbi Stadium, Sao Paulo, March 1981[29][30])5:02
7."Save Me" (Live at Seibu Lions Stadium, Tokyo, November 1982[31])3:56
8."Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Saturday Night Live, September 1982[32])3:58
Total length:29:38

Personnel

[edit]

Queen

  • Freddie Mercury – lead vocals (1–5, 7, 9, 10), co-lead vocals (6, 8), backing vocals (all tracks), piano (1, 7, 8), synthesiser (1), acoustic guitar (5)
  • Brian May – electric guitar (all tracks), backing vocals (1, 2, 4–8, 10), acoustic guitar (7, 8, 10), synthesiser (8, 10), piano (10), lead vocals (8)
  • Roger Taylor – drums (all tracks), backing vocals (all but 3), electric guitar (9), synthesiser (6, 9), lead vocals (6, "A Human Body"), co-lead vocals (9), percussion
  • John Deacon – bass guitar (all tracks), electric guitar (3), acoustic guitar (4), piano (3)

Additional musician

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[56] 2× Platinum 120,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[57] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[58] Gold 130,000[59]
Canada (Music Canada)[60] 6× Platinum 600,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61]
original release 		Silver 25,000[61]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62]
reissue 		Gold 10,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[63] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[64]
sales since 2009 		Gold 25,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[65] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[66] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[67] Gold 7,500^
Poland (ZPAV)[68]
2008 Agora SA album reissue 		Platinum 20,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[69] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[70] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[71] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Queen: Queen 40 Limited Edition Collector's Box Set Volumes 2 & 3". PopMatters. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  2. ^ Ingalls, Chris (26 August 2020). "Funk Rock and Synthesizers in Munich: Queen's 'The Game' at 40". PopMatters. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. ^ Smith, Troy L. (10 November 2022). "Every No. 1 album of the 1980s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 13 December 2024. The Game is the sound of Queen making a conventional pop album – a hybrid of disco and rock...
  4. ^ a b c The Game. AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  5. ^ August 2016, Malcolm Dome29 (29 August 2016). "Queen albums ranked from worst to best". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "BPI certifications".
  7. ^ Baker, Theodore; Nicolas Slonimsky (1965). Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians: Centennial Edition (5th ed.). Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028655257. The album yielded ... 'Play the Game,' which featured the group's first use of the synthesiser...
  8. ^ Reed, Ryan (8 June 2020). "How Queen Embraced the Synthesizer on "Play the Game"". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  9. ^ Ingalls, Chris (26 August 2020). "Funk Rock and Synthesizers in Munich: Queen's 'The Game' at 40". PopMatters. Retrieved 4 August 2022. Guitarist Brian May brings his considerable chops to songs like his own composition "Dragon Attack", a slinky funk-rock workout with lots of solid riffs and stinging leads (at times reminiscent of the extended guitar workouts on "Brighton Rock" from 1974's Sheer Heart Attack).
  10. ^ Wild, Andrew (2018). Queen: Every Album, Every Song. Sonicbond. p. 71. ISBN 9781789520033.
  11. ^ Das EFX (1998). Generation EFX (liner notes). EastWest Records America. 7559-62063-1.
  12. ^ Kot, Greg (19 April 1992). "An 18-record, 80 Million-copy Odyssey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2248. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  14. ^ Petridis, Alexis (15 December 2011). "Queen: Jazz; The Game; Flash Gordon; Hot Space – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  15. ^ a b Record Mirror review (archived at queenarchives.com)
  16. ^ "Queen: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  17. ^ a b Taylor, Steve. "Albums". Smash Hits (10–23 July 1980): 31.
  18. ^ "Queen – The Game CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  19. ^ Rolling Stone review
  20. ^ "Washington Post review". Washington Post. 21 August 1980. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010.
  21. ^ "Rocklist.net...Creem magazine selected readers". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  22. ^ "Here's complete list of the Grammy nominees". Eugene Register-Guard. No. 121. Eugene, Oregon: Guard Publishing. 21 February 1981. p. 36.
  23. ^ "8th American Music Awards". Rock on the Net. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  24. ^ The Miracle. AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  25. ^ "The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time)". Out. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  26. ^ On the Record 1982
  27. ^ "Queen "The Game" album and song lyrics". ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  28. ^ "Queen Demos of Released Tracks A-I Lyrics". ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  29. ^ "Queen "On Air": Live on Air album and song lyrics". ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  30. ^ "Queen "On Air": Live on Air album and song lyrics". ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  31. ^ "Queen "Live in Japan" video and song lyrics". ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  32. ^ "Queen Miscellaneous Live Song Lyrics". ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  33. ^ "Argentina" (PDF). Cash Box. 2 May 1981. p. 39. Retrieved 21 November 2019 – via American Radio History.
  34. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  35. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Queen – The Game" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  36. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0248a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Queen – The Game" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  38. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  39. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – Q". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Queen from the menu, then press OK.
  40. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – The Game" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  41. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Queen".
  42. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  43. ^ "Charts.nz – Queen – The Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  44. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Queen – The Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  45. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Queen – The Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  46. ^ "Queen | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
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  48. ^ "Austriancharts.st – Jahreshitparade 1980". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  49. ^ "Top 100 Albums". RPM. 20 December 1980. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  50. ^ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ23" [Top-23 international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1980]. Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
  51. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  52. ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  53. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 26 December 1981. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  54. ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1981". billboard.biz. 31 December 1981. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  55. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2019" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  56. ^ "Argentina" (PDF). Cash Box. 2 May 1981. p. 39. Retrieved 21 November 2019 – via American Radio History.
  57. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Queen – The Game" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  58. ^ "International Dateline-Brazil" (PDF). Cash Box. 5 May 1984. p. 27. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  59. ^ McGowan, Chris (26 January 1985). "Industry struggles". Billboard. p. 52. Retrieved 24 September 2021 – via Google books.
  60. ^ "Queen - Freddie Mercury's commemorative Canadian in-house sales award - 'Queen Rules Canada', 1992". 18 August 2023.
  61. ^ a b "The Game - Authentic Record Award - Presented to Queen". Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  62. ^ "Danish album certifications – Queen – The Game". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  63. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Queen; 'The Game')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  64. ^ "Italian album certifications – Queen – The Game" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "The Game" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  65. ^ "Queen – Freddie Mercury's in-house Mexican sales awards".
  66. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Queen – The Game" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Game in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  67. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Queen – The Game". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  68. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2009 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 8 July 2009.
  69. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979-1990. Iberautor Promociones Culturales. p. 914. ISBN 8480486392.
  70. ^ "British album certifications – Queen – The Game". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  71. ^ "American album certifications – Queen – The Game". Recording Industry Association of America.
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