Queen revisited the cinema in the mid-80 s, recording a suite of songs for the enduring action-fantasy thriller Highlander. Adding the Live-Aid inspired anthem One Vision plus several more tracks, they came up with a Kind of Magic. The biggest Queen album yet when it was originally released. A Kind of Magic lingered on the British charts for 63 weeks as the band embarked on their biggest stadium tour to date. A platinum smash in it's original and CD releases, now restored to glorious analog 180 gram jet-black vinyl LP. Yes it's Phase II of Queen on Vinyl Collector's Edition re-issue program - every Queen studio album is to be released on vinyl LP's over the next two years. The original albums are being re-issued correct in every detail to the original releases, including inner sleeves, packaging and bonuses.
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)."
Queen: Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); John Deacon (guitar, keyboards, bass); Brian May (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Roger Taylor (keyboards, drums, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Steve Gregory (saxophone); Spike Edney (keyboards).
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Town House Studios, London; Musicland Studios, Munich; Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland.
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Rock
- Released: 8/31/2009
- Remember, for our lowest prices, always order directly from our official JocoRecords website!
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Tracklist
| One Vision | 5:11 |
| A Kind Of Magic | 4:25 |
| One Year Of Love | 4:27 |
| Pain Is So Close To Pleasure | 4:22 |
| Friends Will Be Friends | 4:08 |
| Who Wants To Live Forever | 5:17 |
| Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme) | 4:35 |
| Don't Lose Your Head | 4:38 |
| Princes Of The Universe | 3:33 |
