| Flash Gordon |
 |
| Flash Gordon, 1980 |
| Released |
8 December 1980 (UK),
27 January 1981 (US) |
| Recorded |
October - November 1980 at Townhouse, Advision, The Music Centre, Utopia, and Anvil Studios |
| Length |
35:16 |
| Label |
EMI |
| Producer(s) |
Brian May and Mack |
| Queen chronology |
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|
During preliminary sessions for The Game in the summer of 1979, Queen were approached by Italian director Dino de Laurentiis, slated to direct a film adaptation of the 1930s comic hero, Flash Gordon. When he was recommended to use Queen to provide a soundtrack for his film, the director infamously cried, "But who are the queens?" The band were understandably skeptical about delving into the world of film music, but were more receptive when they were given complete artistic freedom, as long as the music complemented the scene. Brian took a particular interest in the project, and worked closely with Mack on the production duties. For the first and only time on a Queen album, an individual - in this case, Brian - was co-credited as producer instead of Queen as a collective unit, which was pointed out by John in a 1981 interview as being a "very unusual thing for us, and we got [in] some trouble with it. Brian wanted to have a German producer, with whom he worked very closely in Munich, while we would have preferred an album from Queen. We did agree then, but were not very happy about it."
Demo sessions took place concurrently with recording sessions for The Game in the beginning of 1980, though it wouldn't be until a break in the band's touring schedule in October 1980 that they would be able to work on the project properly. Because of the short span of time (six weeks) they allowed themselves, sessions were often done separately and as individuals instead of as a band unit. To underscore the sci-fi feel of the film, the band used synthesizers more prominently than they had on The Game, with nearly every track using it as the lead instrument; because of this, sections of the album sound a lot like David Bowie's "Berlin trilogy" (Low, "Heroes", and Lodger), though while those albums have gone on to become classics and the template for which Bowie's albums would be judged upon, Flash Gordon remains the black sheep in Queen's discography.
Perhaps part of the band's mistake was issuing the soundtrack as a proper Queen album instead of a companion piece to the film. Once in the annals of Queen's discography, it's inevitable that the album is compared to previous albums and, because of the nature of the album (eighteen pieces of music, most barely over two minutes, and only two real songs - Flash's Theme and The Hero, which bookend the album - featuring any lead vocals from Freddie), as well as the reputation of highly camp film, it wasn't able to stand a chance. Critics were more than ready to rip into the band, while fans weren't sure what to make of it; because of this, the album only reached #10 in the UK, and a dismal #23 in the US, the first time since Queen II that a Queen album failed to reach the Top Twenty. Considering the success of The Game mere months prior, the relative failure of the album must have alarmed the band.
However, there are some fine pieces of music on the album, and, if one can get past the absurdly cheesy bits of dialog that pepper the songs, stands as a highly experimental and enjoyable listening experience. The synthesizers create a darker effect, and there are even moments of true beauty: John's stark Execution Of Flash leads effortlessly into Freddie's tour de force, The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash). Only the repetition of the thumping main theme spoils the effect somewhat, especially on the second side.
In 1991, the album was remastered by Hollywood Records, with a particularly offensive and downright boring remix of Flash's Theme tacked on as a bonus track. Because there were no known outtakes from the sessions (except for a piece titled The Dark which would later be issued as the introduction piece of Brian's first proper solo album, Back To The Light, as well as incidental pieces that would later be incorporated into Roger's Fun In Space album in 1981), it's hardly surprising the dearth of bonus material, but an awful rap remix of the main theme detracts from the spirit and fun represented in the movie.
Tracklists
|
2011 Universal Records CD
- Flash's Theme
- In The Space Capsule (The Love Theme)
- Ming's Theme (In The Court Of Ming The Merciless)
- The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction Of Dale)
- Football Fight
- In The Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise)
- Execution Of Flash
- The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash)
- Arboria (Planet Of The Tree Men)
- Escape From The Swamp
- Flash To The Rescue
- Vultan's Theme (Attack Of The Hawk Men)
- Battle Theme
- The Wedding March
- Marriage Of Dale And Ming (And Flash Approaching)
- Crash Dive On Mingo City
- Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations)
- The Hero
- Flash (single version)
- The Hero (revisited, October 1980)
- The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash) (early version, March 1980)
- Football Fight (early version, no synths!, February 1980)
- Flash (live version, Montreal Forum, November 1981)
- The Hero (live version, Montreal Forum, November 1981)
- iTunes-exclusive bonus videos:
- Flash / The Hero (live version, Morumbi Stadium, March 1981)
- Flash (alternate promotional video)
- Flash (Queen + Vanguard promotional video)
|
Credits
-
- John Deacon - bass guitar, synthesizer, guitar
- Brian May - guitars, vocals, piano, organ, synthesizer
- Freddie Mercury - vocals, synthesizer
- Roger Taylor - drums, vocals, timpani
- Howard Blake - orchestral arrangements
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-
Queen Talks
- Brian May, 1982 On The Record
- Interviewer: Was the Flash Gordon project time-consuming?
- Yes, and unfortunately we didn't have enough time. We were doing The Game and an American tour at the same time Flash was going on, so it was ridiculous. We put as much time as we could in. We would do a week here and a week there. I spent some time with the arranger and orchestra to try and get some coherence to it all. It was good experience, but next time I hope we have time to really pull the whole thing together as a unit.
- Interviewer: Did you use guitar for any of the album's strange effects?
- Yeah, some guitar and some synthesizer. I played some of the prominent keyboard synthesizer parts, but I think Freddie played most of them.
- Interviewer: Did the project present any unusual challenges?
- The main challenge was working for a boss who wasn't yourself. We had the director in there the whole time. The only criterion for whether something was good was whether in helped the movie.
Charts
| Country
| Release date
| First appearance in charts
| Peak position
| Chart run
| Weeks in chart
| Additional comments
|
| UK
| -
| 20 December 1980
| 10
| 17-20-20-12-10-14-21-26-33-47-53-41-68-73-59
| 15
| 1 week in Top 10
|
| USA
| -
| 27 December 1980
| 23
| 85-85-33-29-27-25-23-23-31-41-44-74-105-155-172
| 15
| -
|
| Austria
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
| Finland
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
| Germany
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
| Japan
| -
| -
| 12
| -
| 19
| -
|
| Italy
| -
| -
| 15
| -
| 15
| -
|
| Netherlands
| -
| -
| 13
| -
| -
| -
|
| Portugal
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
| Spain
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
| Sweden
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
| Switzerland
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
- Information supplied by Fedepeti, 24 August 2004
Singles
Reviews
- Record Mirror, 13.12.80
- Wham! Zam! Thok! It's Queen's aural feast from the movie of the same name, faeturing 'Flash's Theme', 'In the Space Capsule' and much more.
- Queen, of course, were the obvious choice to provide the movie's musical entertainment. the glitter kids could go completely over the top, especially the sometimes demonic of Mercury, sounding as if he's pitching himself at distant stars. What Queen have successfully done is to incorporate the knockabout spirit of the original thirties comic strip and add a few ideas of their own.
- 'Flash's Theme' is heroic material on a grand scale. A resounding pulse beat before Mercury goes into overdrive and his falsetto - loving every minute of it. 'In The Space Capsule' occupies a few moments of cold tranquility before some sinister drum beats and noises a la 'Doctor Who', is followed by a massive symphonic explosion.
- 'Ming's Theme' is as nasty as the villain it describes, full of cold sound effects and various aliens begging for mercy while the evil one despatches them with a laser sword. 'The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction of Dale)' is another chiller guaranteed to raise prickles down your neck before the quite Numanesque 'Football Fight'.
- The album's least elaborate track is 'In The Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise)' with some more stark beauty and our square jawed hero telling our bubbly heroine not to worry about a thing (or perhaps that should be don't worry about a Ming). 'the Kiss' is a perfect foil for such depression and finds Flash flushed and ready to fight another day.
- 'Arboria (Planet Of The Tree Men)' and 'Escape From The Swamp' are the album's most tense moments, many dark themes nurtured by Taylor who plays like a man possessed. Meanwhile 'Flash To The Rescue' moves with the speed of a spaceship on warp five as our hero comes charging through the cosmos. With 'Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men)' it provides the album's most epic moments. Funny, but it reminds me of 'The Ride Of The Valkyrie' in 'Apocalypse Now'. 'Battle Theme' is the obvious conclusion and allows May to indulge himself in many guitar heroics.
- From here on it's warp factor 10 ending in the glossy 'The Hero', which is the sort of stuff I haven't heard since Charlton Heston won the chariot race in 'Ben Hur'. Am album of truly epic proportions that warrants an equally epic five stars. (Robin Smith)
Sleeves
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