Forgotten '80s album classics: Queen's 'The Game'

Somebody explain why nobody talks about Queen's 1980 album The Game anymore? The 10 songs on it practically define the end of the '70s and start of the '80s in so many ways.

I can't imagine rollerskating as a teen without Another One Bites The Dust, but this song -- Play The Game -- is my official SIT80s earworm of the weekend. (Because trust me, you don't want track No. 2 off the album -- Dragon Attack -- as your earworm. Click the link. But you have been warned.)

The Game is up next as the Stuck in the '80s podcast honors the classic albums of the '80s. But first we want your opinion: What are the best tracks? Worst tracks? Underrated tunes? Where does this album stand among '80s albums? How many of you owned it when it first came out?

Tell us your Queen stories! You know it will make you feel better. And rest in peace, Freddie Mercury. We got your back.

Comments

[Chris Matthews]

Coming up this Saturday morning my essential album is The Game by Queen on Chris's Box of Records, only on 1radio.

Click here for more info - http://ow.ly/iBIt

[Ian from Baltimore]

LOVE the album The Game. Always have, always will.

[Brian]

Classic albums of the 80's - what a great idea. Albums I think are a thing of the past - the flow of side one, the flow of side two, what songs follow each other. Knowing that "Living Loving Maid" is going to roll right into "Ramble on" on Zep II (ok, not an 80's example, but you get the idea).

The Game has been in heavy rotation on my iPod lately, and I love listening to the entire album. Current favorites are "Save me", "Sail Away Sweet Sister" and "Need Your Loving".

Go and watch Queen's performace during Live Aid. Possibly one of the greatest live performance ever.

[dc]

Will the podcast feature playing "Another One Bites the Dust" backwards for the hiddens subliminal message? Can a CD play backwards? An MP3? Oh, how we miss the vinyl days.

[Mr. Paul]

I still think the opening line to "Another One Bites the Dust" is "Steamboats barrelling down the street..."

[Melissa]

This is one of those rare albums that I love every single song on the album. Sail Away Sweet Sister and Dragon Attack are my favs.

[DerekT]

I would rank this album in the top 25 of the best albums of the 80's. Somewhere between 20-25. The 80's had a lot of great albums, look at the greatest selling albums of all time and the 80's dominate the list. And my number one is Back in Black by ACDC, the best hard rock album of all time.

[DerekT]

The Game I think was the first album I actually bought. I remember back in Middle School during rain days, we would sit in the schools theater and they would play this album. Another One Bites the Dust was my favorite song that year until REO's Hi Infidelity come out. For some reason Don't Try Suicide was a popular song at my school.

[David]

I love "Dragon Attack" -- Brian May's guitar work is outstanding (as it always is for him!), and the bass line is stellar.

Overall, while not their best album, The Game is a spectacular effort from Queen. It does, as you mentioned, cap off the 70's and kick off the 80's.

[Marissa]

Chris, "Need Your Loving Tonight" reeled me in when I revisited the tracks on THE GAME.

Did Freddie ever go wrong on any thing he sang? I realize this is cliche' and overused for far less talented singers, but he could sing the phone book to me and I would have been awed.

[Bassnote]

Since you're talking about "The Game," you need to talk about the "Flash Gordon" soundtrack since it wwas recorded around the same time.

[Geri]

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[Kevy Metal]

The Game is one of the first rock albums I ever heard. I have fond memories of borrowing it from my brother's cassette collection along with Freedom of Choice and Highway to Hell, and playing these three over and over. I've never considered The Game a lost classic though. Play the Game is definitely an earworm and the song I remember most despite the ubiquitous Another One Bites the Dust.

[Rupe]

"Don't Try Suicide" was the flip side to the "Another One Bites The Dust" 45; I dug it, not having enough scratch to buy the actual LP.

How odd is the "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" video? Sort of a combination of 'Jailhouse Rock' and
'Grease'. Those hands clapping in the stage freaked me out; unsettling. Why did both Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger spend the early 1980s wearing knee pads?

[Stooge]

Dragon Attack is a highly underrated song...

[Chris Matthews]

Hi guys

I had forgotten all about this album, and you have inspired me to play this as my essential album on my weekly radio show.

I host a show called "Chris's Box of Records" on Saturday mornings here in the UK on 1radio - feel free to have a look at my website to see the sort of thing that I play.

Play The Game and Save Me are the two most obvious tracks to play from this album, but I don't want to play Crazy... or Another... Which track would you suggest that I play? Is Need Your Loving Tonight the best one to play?

My next show is on August 1st, so any help before then would be much appreciated.

Many thanks
Chris

http://www.boxofrecords.co.uk

[billyshakes]

I'm with Bassnote on this one....Need Your Loving Tonight was my favorite track off this album. The hits he listed are classic Queen rockers. The perfect Save Me is that hugely orchestrated Queen production that they do so well.

However, NYLT is like a bubble-gum pop song with elements of the 50s and 70s with syrupy sweet hooks that just dig in. It was my earworm about 8 months ago and I'll still stand by it as my favorite tune from the album.

[Marty]

That video is just painful.

[Marissa]

I had to get a refresher course of the tracks on this album. I can't match Bassnote's dissertation, but I will agree with Michelle that SAVE ME is perfection. It's what I expect from Queen.

[Bassnote]

Two of my favorite tracks are ones that didn't get any radio airplay: "Need Your Loving Tonight," and "Sail Away Sweet Sister." "Don't Try Suicide" is probably one of the worst tracks on the album, and I'm not big on "Rock It (Prime Jive)" either. The hits from the album ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites The Dust") are both songs that I sing along with if I hear them on the radio, but "Dust" was way over Played at the time. "Play the Game" is a great song, and has Freddie's great falsetto in it. I like "Coming Soon" and "Save Me," but the latter sounds like a hold out from one of their '70s albums.

My older brother was a big time Queen fan, so I heard this album a lot when it first came out (because we shared a room). We had a huge Queen poster in our room (5 feet by 3 feet) that had a collage of concert pictures on it. When I was old enough to buy my own music (I was only 12 or 13 when it came out) I bought this on a dual cassette with "A Night At The Opera" on the other side. All in all, one of Queen's best (and they had a lot of great ones), and definitely in the top 50 albums of the '80s.

[Michelle]

"Save Me" is perfection.

[Marissa]

While you were roller skating to Another One Bites the Dust, I was ice skating to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."