Hot Space Queen (Vinyl Record)

Queen: Freddie Mercury (vocals); Brian May (guitar); John Deacon (bass); Roger Taylor (percussion). Recorded at Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland and Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany. 1982's HOT SPACE is by far the most controversial album Queen ever released. Coming off a major disco hit with 1980's "Another One Bites The Dust," the band decided to take it a step further and released an album comprised mostly of tunes crafted from the same dance mold. This wouldn't have been a big deal for some bands, but the majority of Queen's fans were rock n' rollers, not disco buffs. Looking back, the band admits some trepidation at releasing HOT SPACE when they did, but there are indeed many strong Queen compositions included. The most renowned track is the Queen/David Bowie hit collaboration, "Under Pressure," a tip of the hat to the then-thriving new wave sound that remains one of Queen's all-time best tracks. Other highlights include one of the band's most underrated songs, "Calling All Girls," as well as the anti-rifle protest "Put Out the Fire," and the charming love song "Las Palabras De Amor (The Words of Love)." Of all the dance-oriented material, the best is undoubtedly the U.S. hit "Body Language," while "Dancer" and "Cool Cat" are worthwhile listens as well.