The Game (Queen album)
Encyclopedia
The Game is the eighth studio album
by British rock band Queen
released on 30 June 1980. It was the only Queen album to reach #1 in the US and became Queen's best selling studio album in the US with four million copies sold to date, tying News of the World
' s US sales tally. The album received very favourable reviews. 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 #1 in the US. The Game was the first Queen album to use a synthesiser, (an Oberheim OB-X
).
The album features a more pop/rock sound than its predecessor, Jazz. The album's style would be augmented on Queen's next release Hot Space
, and future Queen albums. At approximately 35 minutes 39 seconds, The Game is the 2nd shortest of Queen's studio albums, with their subsequent soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon being shorter by 39 seconds. It is estimated to have sold 12 million copies worldwide, including over 4.5 million in the United States.
Re-issued on 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, because the final master tapes were not found when mixing the album to 5.1.
The photo on the cover of the EMI
CD is different from that originally used on the LP and cassette even though the Hollywood CD still has the original photo. The original photo (with Taylor having folded arms and May not having a hand resting upon his exposed hip) is shown in the article. This alternate photo was also used on cover of the DTS DVD-Audio edition of the album released in 2003.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Sail Away Sweet Sister", "Coming Soon", and "Save Me
" were recorded from June to July 1979. The remaining songs were recorded between February and May 1980.
awarded The Game 4/5 stars, writing: "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." 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." 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." Allmusic awarded the album 4.5/5 stars, opining that it "finds Queen 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.[ The Game]. Allmusic. Retrieved 19 November 2010. George Starostin was also appreciative, describing the album as "catchy, diverse, well-written and atmospheric."
Creem
readers voted The Game the 7th greatest album of 1980. In 2008, Out
ranked the album #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 10 albums that left the most indelible impressions on their lives." Allmusic would go on to name The Game as Queen's best album of the 1980s.
Additional synthesisers by Mack.
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Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by British rock band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
released on 30 June 1980. It was the only Queen album to reach #1 in the US and became Queen's best selling studio album in the US with four million copies sold to date, tying News of the World
News of the World (album)
News of the World is the sixth studio album by British rock group Queen, released in 1977. Containing hit songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Spread Your Wings", the album went 4x platinum in the US, 2x platinum in the UK, and achieved high certifications around the world as...
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
" and the rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
", both of which reached #1 in the US. The Game was the first Queen album to use a synthesiser, (an Oberheim OB-X
Oberheim OB-X
The Oberheim OB-X is an analog polyphonic synthesizer. It was the first Oberheim synthesizer that was created with internal prewired modules and not with the bulky SEM modules. Because of this, it was more functional for live performance, and therefore more portable. It was introduced in 1979 and...
).
The album features a more pop/rock sound than its predecessor, Jazz. The album's style would be augmented on Queen's next release Hot Space
Hot Space
Hot Space is the tenth studio album by British rock band Queen, released in May 1982. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, Queen employed many elements of disco, pop music, R&B and dance music on Hot Space, being partially influenced by the success of their 1980 hit...
, and future Queen albums. At approximately 35 minutes 39 seconds, The Game is the 2nd shortest of Queen's studio albums, with their subsequent soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon being shorter by 39 seconds. It is estimated to have sold 12 million copies worldwide, including over 4.5 million in the United States.
Re-issued on May 2003 on DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
with Dolby 5.1 surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
and DTS
Digital Theater System
DTS is a series of multichannel audio technologies owned by DTS, Inc. , an American company specializing in digital surround sound formats used for both commercial/theatrical and consumer grade applications...
5.1. The 5.1 mix of "Coming Soon" features an alternate backing track, because the final master tapes were not found when mixing the album to 5.1.
The photo on the cover of the EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
CD is different from that originally used on the LP and cassette even though the Hollywood CD still has the original photo. The original photo (with Taylor having folded arms and May not having a hand resting upon his exposed hip) is shown in the article. This alternate photo was also used on cover of the DTS DVD-Audio edition of the album released in 2003.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Sail Away Sweet Sister", "Coming Soon", and "Save Me
Save Me (Queen song)
"Save Me" is a rock ballad by English rock band Queen from their 1980 album The Game. Written by guitarist Brian May, it was recorded in 1979, and released in the UK on January 25, 1980, nearly six months prior to the release of the album. "Save Me" spent six weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking...
" were recorded from June to July 1979. The remaining songs were recorded between February and May 1980.
Track listing
Reception
Record MirrorRecord Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
awarded The Game 4/5 stars, writing: "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." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
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." The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
gave a scathing review, writing: "After five years of unchallenging, dismal albums, this was supposed to be Queen's comeback. But no such luck." Allmusic awarded the album 4.5/5 stars, opining that it "finds Queen 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.[ The Game]. Allmusic. Retrieved 19 November 2010. George Starostin was also appreciative, describing the album as "catchy, diverse, well-written and atmospheric."
Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
readers voted The Game the 7th greatest album of 1980. In 2008, Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
ranked the album #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 10 albums that left the most indelible impressions on their lives." Allmusic would go on to name The Game as Queen's best album of the 1980s.
Queen comments on the record
Personnel
- Freddie MercuryFreddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
: lead and backing vocals, intro vocals on "Rock It (Prime Jive)", bridge vocals on "Sail Away Sweet Sister", piano, rhythm guitar on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", synthesiser - Brian MayBrian MayBrian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
: electric, acoustic and twelve-string guitars, backing vocals, piano, lead vocals on "Sail Away Sweet Sister", synthesiser - Roger Taylor: drums, electronic drums, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, lead vocals on "Rock It (Prime Jive)", synthesiser
- John DeaconJohn DeaconJohn Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
: bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, percussion, tape effects
Additional synthesisers by Mack.
Chart positions
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 5 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 1 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 10 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 11 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 7 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Albums Chart | 8 |
| West German Albums Chart | 2 |
Certifications
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Year-end charts
| Chart (1980) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 15 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 14 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 40 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 79 |
| UK Albums Chart | 46 |
| Chart (1981) | Position |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 44 |
| U.S. Billboard Year-end | 55 |