The Game (album)
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| The Game | ||
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| Missing image Queen_-_The_Dame.jpg Album cover | ||
| LP by Queen | ||
| Released | 30 June 1980 | |
| Recorded | June/July 1979 and February to May 1980 at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 39 min 09 sec | |
| Record label | EMI (UK), Hollywood Records (US) | |
| Producer | Queen and Mack | |
| Professional review | ||
| AMG | 4.5 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:5bknu3u5anxk) |
| Queen Chronology | ||
| Live Killers (1979) | The Game (1980) | Flash Gordon (1980) |
Released June 30, 1980, The Game was the first Queen album to reach the #1 position in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Though the album had simpler song arrangements then previous Queen albums, The Game launched Queen into global megastars. Notable songs on the album include the bass driven "Another One Bites The Dust" and the rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", both of which reached number 1 in the United States. The Game was the first Queen album to use synthesizers, and the album's popularity inspired the band members to continue using them heavily for the rest of the band's career, with somewhat mixed results.
The album's working title was "Play The Game", but Taylor voiced concern about its possible overtones of conformity, so it was changed to simply, "The Game".
"Dragon Attack", though credited to Brian May as composer, was actually the result of an impromptu jam by all four members. May found the really outstanding bits and edited them together. He then layered on heavy guitar arrangements to make it sound more complete and had the band add some additional harmonies through out.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was written by Freddie Mercury while lounging in the bath. He recorded the acoustic guitar himself in the studio before the band arrived and played the tape back for them. May said Mercury's playing was perfect and only added a Telecaster guitar solo to middle on the advice of producer Mack, rather than mimicking the Telecaster sound from his famous Red Special guitar. Mercury would go on to play rhythm guitar on all Queen's live versions, the only time he would sport an instrument other than the piano or tambourine.
Track listing
- "Play The Game"
- "Dragon Attack"
- "Another One Bites The Dust"
- "Need Your Loving Tonight"
- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
- "Rock It (Prime Jive)"
- "Don't Try Suicide"
- "Sail Away Sweet Sister"
- "Coming Soon"
- "Save Me"
- "Dragon Attack (1991 Remix by Jack Benson and R.A.K.)"
Singles
- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"/"Spread Your Wings (Live)" - Elektra E46579; released December, 1979
- "Play The Game"/"A Human Body (non album B-side)" - Elektra E46652; released June, 1980
- "Another One Bites The Dust"/"Don't Try Suicide" - Elektra E47031; released August, 1980
- "Need Your Loving Tonight"/"Rock It(Prime Jive)" - Elektra E47086: released November, 1980
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1980 | "Play The Game" | Pop Singles | 42 |
| 1980 | "Another One Bites The Dust" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1980 | "Need Your Loving Tonight" | Pop Singles | 44 |