WI: Queen's "The Works" is as big as " The Game" in the United States?

[Milton82]

In 1980, Queen released their biggest album in the US with "The Game". Then in 1982, they released "Hot Space", which flopped. Queen never regained the popularity they had in the US in 1980's until the death of Freddie Mercury. But what if that wasn't the case? In 1984 after taking a break, Queen released an album named the Works. Huge everywhere but the US, but what if not only was it a hit in the US, but it ends up as big as 'The Game'?

 

[overoceans]

Then in 1982, they released "Hot Space", which flopped.

Gee whiz, I can't figure out why.

"Ya got the cutest ass I've ever seen,
knock me down for a six anytime!!"

Sheer poetry.

Seriously though, my experience of Queen at a headbanger school in the early 80s was that they were viewed as irredeemably unhip. They were too "gay" to be acceptable to the testosterone-fueled metal crowd, and too bubble-gummy to appeal to the people who were into art-rock or punk or any of the other more cereberal forms of music. Another One Bites The Dust might have been a bit of an exception, I think that was seen as authentically rock(even though, at least according to the liner notes for Greatest Hits, it was aimed at African American stations in the US), but even that didn't seem to go very far in recovering their standing.

I think all I really know from The Works is Radio Ga-Ga and I Want To Break Free, with their Metropolis and drag-inspired videos, respectively. I guess if those became more famous in America, umm...they'd be sung more often today? Not sure what other sort of outcome you'd be looking for. I think Queen's overall reputation will be pretty much the same, though I suppose it'll be better for them to be remembered for THAT album as their de facto swan song, rather than Hot Space.

 

[overoceans]

I think if I had to formulate the problem with Queen's image, it would be that they were EXTREMELY talented at taking on a whole variety of genres, but never stuck around long enough to get a following among the respective subcultures.

So, for example, the redneck crowd will chant along with We Will Rock You at the monster-truck show, the headbangers will shake it to Fat Bottomed Girls, and the weekend-cowboy posse will square-dance to Crazy Little Thing Called Love, but none of them will consider Queen to be "theirs", in the same way that they might consider Ted Nugent, AC/DC, and Dolly Parton, respectively, to be "theirs".

Not that this had any negative impact on Queen's bank accounts, nor on their objective standing as musical geniuses.

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

I always thought that Queen's The Works could have been more succesful in the US if Queen would have accepted to do 2 "IWTBF" videos, the one we all know, and another for america as they were suggested...perhaps a parody of the A-Team for MTV, something recognizable, as the "coronation street" parody of the original video....

The other reason is Freddie didn't wanting to tour to the US until they got a hit in there, although other sources claim his fear for AIDS, something that I doubt due the promiscuous behave of Freddie at that time...and well, his live performance in 1984 was not good...due his smoking and heavy partying lifestyle caught his nodules...

I think "The Works" had all the potential to recatch US markets, but they failed and had little imagination to do so...specially their record label in there Capitol records...and Freddie himself whose life aiming seemed to be in other directions..

 

[overoceans]

I always thought that Queen's The Works could have been more succesful in the US if Queen would have accepted to do 2 "IWTBF" videos, the one we all know, and another for america as they were suggested...perhaps a parody of the A-Team for MTV, something recognizable, as the "coronation street" parody of the original video....

Was A-Team the actual suggested motif for an alternate video? Not sure how you would make that work with the song in question(which does not to me really imply "action-packed"). I agree that Coronation Street likely didn't win them any fans stateside.

 

[Hadley]

Was A-Team the actual suggested motif for an alternate video? Not sure how you would make that work with the song in question(which does not to me really imply "action-packed"). I agree that Coronation Street likely didn't win them any fans stateside.

Maybe compromise and do a parody of something British that was still well known in America like Monty Python (heck, get Terry Gillam to direct the video and try to get cameos from John, Michael, Eric, and Graham).

 

[overoceans]

Maybe compromise and do a parody of something British that was still well known in America like Monty Python (heck, get Terry Gillam to direct the video and try to get cameos from John, Michael, Eric, and Graham). [Plus Terry J, of course, RIP]

A parody of something that is already a comedy to begin with can be kind of hard to pull off. But yeah, something British, but well-known to Yanks, would be an idea. Maybe the Thunderbirds, or something sci-fi-ish like that, if it's not redundant to the Metropolis theme in Radio Ga-ga.