Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Queen fan (they and the Beatles are my favorite bands).... That said, maybe I hold them to a higher standard, but this to me is not one of their best albums and is closer to one of their worst. Which isn't to say that it doesn't have its moments (it does!), but... this is the only Queen album that has 3 songs in a row that I would just as soon skip then try to listen to this entire album.
The opening "One Vision" is something of a new-era Queen classic. It's not nearly as adventurous as some of their bolder '70's material, but it's a good cut and a good opener. It was released as a single well ahead of the album to generate some buzz (hopefully) and was also licensed for use in the "Iron Eagle" movie, I assume so the song would get some wider exposure (Queen's U.S. audiences had been dwindling for years.....). The following "A Kind of Magic" is excellent though and the first of six songs either inspired by or used in the movie "Highlander". It's got a great groove, Freddie is on as usual and Brian May lends his distinctive (albeit subtle) guitar flavor as well. A nice start...
But then it bogs down with three Freddie Mercury and/or John Deacon penned songs that make this the worst album side in Queen's catalog despite the strong start. First is "One Year of Love", a rather lackluster ballad and quite possibly the sappiest song in the entire Queen catalog. "Pain Is So Close To Pleasure" follows and is just as bad. Same for "Friends Will Be Friends": it's a rather generic ballad, though I will easily take it over the previous two songs.
Fortunately, side 2 picks up. It's more consistent musically and thematically as all 4 songs have tie-ins with the Highlander film. It begins with the Brian May ballad "Who Wants To Live Forever". Still not Queen at their best in my book, but it's a powerful ballad with nice orchestration and the lead vocals shared by May and regular frontman Freddie Mercury are well done. Next up comes "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)" and perhaps the most powerful song on the album. It's heavy and Freddie Mercury roars accordingly. It gets my vote for best song on the album...
Roger Taylor's "Don't Lose Your Head" is up next and while it's a largely synth-driven song with electronic drums -- something many long-time Queen fans were not crazy about -- this one still works for me (although the version in the movie features less synths and more of May's guitar, and that would have been interesting to hear too). The album then closes with "Princes of the Universe", another solid rocker that is actually a little (too?) reminiscent of "Kurgan's Theme" in places, but nevertheless gives the album a superb closing (some critics mistakenly assumed Queen were a little full of themselves, writing about themselves as "Princes of the Universe" and panned them for big heads and oversized egos, not realizing the context of the lyrics as they relate to the Highlander film).
All told, this album is pretty inconsistent musically, particularly in the first half where 3 of the weakest songs in the entire Queen catalog hit the listener back-to-back-to-back. Thematically this album is a bit of an odd mix as well with six songs used in or inspired by one film ("Highlander"), two "other" songs with no film tie-in whatsoever, and then one other song licensed to another film ("Iron Eagle"). A stronger lineup of songs could have perhaps overcome this but this collection gets bogged down in it instead.
The Bonus EP is rather scant as well: we get alternate versions of "One Vision" and "A Kind of Magic" (neither of which trump the album version), a single remix of "Pain Is So Close To Pleasure", perhaps the worst song on the album, and a live version of "One Vision" that is indistinguishable from the version previously released on "Live at Wembley '86" (that cd was from the 7/12/86 show at Wembley, this bonus track was recorded from the night before, 7/11/86). "Forever" is an exquisite piano/orchestra only version of "Who Wants To Live Forever", and a great piece of music in my book, but this was also previously released on both the original 1986 release of this cd and the 1991 Hollywood remaster, so... nothing new. "Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends" is a rather pointless extended version of "Friends Will Be Friends" that also appeared previously on the original cd released of this title, which leaves "A Kind of Vision" as the lone track of interest for me: Roger Taylor has said that both "One Vision" and "A Kind of Magic" actually grew from the same lyrical idea, and here we get to hear the song before it splits in two: the music is that of "One Vision", but lyrically there are shades of "A Kind of Magic". Interesting to hear how these ideas developed, and yet it also doesn't cry out for repeated listenings.
All told, the 2011 remasters were pretty skimpy on the Bonus EP's, and they saved the skimpiest for one of their worst albums as "A Kind of Magic" doesn't feature much of the Queen brilliance from the 70's, though they recovered nicely with 1989's "The Miracle" and 1991's "Innuendo". This is still a worthwhile album for fans of the band, but if you're new to Queen and exploring, this would be one of the last titles I'd recommend. Instead, sample their 70's peak with "A Night at the Opera", "Sheer Heart Attack", "News of the World" or "Jazz". For a taste of the best from the latter half of their career, check out "The Game" or "The Miracle" or "Innuendo" over this one. If you've got all that and want more, maybe this one's for you too, but there are many Queen albums better than this one to explore first.
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A Kind Of Magic
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Page 1 of 1Page 1 of 1
Track Listings
| 1 | One Vision |
| 2 | A Kind of Magic |
| 3 | One Year of Love |
| 4 | Pain Is So Close to Pleasure |
| 5 | Friends Will Be Friends |
| 6 | Who Wants to Live Forever |
| 7 | Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme) |
| 8 | Don't Lose Your Head |
| 9 | Princes of the Universe |
| 10 | Forever |
| 11 | One Vision (Extended Vision) |
Editorial Reviews
This album boasts an entire 63 weeks on the U.K charts!
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 4.88 x 5.59 x 0.47 inches; 5.01 Ounces
- Manufacturer : Hollywood Records
- Item model number : 2120310
- Original Release Date : 1991
- Date First Available : July 27, 2006
- Label : Hollywood Records
- ASIN : B000000OAX
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #54,326 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #131 in Classic Rock Supergroups
- #331 in Classic Glam Rock
- #700 in Arena Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
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Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2012
Before I discuss the 2-CD expanded edition of "A Kind of Magic", I would like to caution those of you who order the "Import" editions of any of the 15 expanded 2-CD Queen studio albums. Amazon itself will likely supply the British import that you are expecting(which is housed in a rounded-corner "Super Jewel Box"), but be cautioned that many of the marketplace sellers are supplying Universal Music/Argentina editions. While the sound quality and music contents are identical to the UK Universal Music releases, or the very belated "Hollywood Records" U.S.A. editions , These Argentina imports(and the Hollywood Records U.S.A. product) don't have the "Super Jewel Box" packaging. Furthermore, the side-hinged thin 2-CD jewel boxes used in the Argentina releases are of very poor quality, and invariably, the hub will be broken on the side of the tray which holds "Disc Two", and the part of the tray that acts as the hinge will also be broken. Before buying the "Import" editions, ask the seller what the origin of their discs are.
Be cautioned that side-hinged 2-CD jewel boxes(particularly with clear trays) are not easy to find, and their cost will negate whatever money you may have saved by purchasing the Argentinian CD product.
Queen's 1986 album "A Kind of Magic" was more a compilation than album, combining some newly recorded material, some tracks recorded for the soundtrack of the film "Highlander"(though "a Kind of Magic" was re-recorded for this album, and is a vast improvement over the actual soundtrack version), and there's also some rummaging through the vaults for a couple of outtakes recorded with producer "Mack" that likely date to the sessions for "Hot Space".(invariably, when songs produced by Mack appear on post-1982 albums, they are outtakes from "the Game" or "Hot Space").
The album gets off to a great start with the group-composed, rocking "One Vision", followed by the memorable,pop-friendly re-make of "a Kind of Magic". "One Year of Love" is a saxophone-flavored M.O.R. ballad, that could well be a Freddie Mercury solo track. "Pain is So Close to Pleasure" is a falsetto-sung mid-tempo funk track that obviously dates to the "Hot Space" sessions with Mack. "Friends Will Be Friends" is a power ballad with some good guitar work from Brian May. It was a big hit in countries where the group still toured, but not in North America.
"Who Wants to Live" forever is a stirring, dramatic Brian May ballad(with shared Brian/Freddie vocals) from the "Highlander" soundtrack. The rocking "Gimme The Prize" & anthemic "Princes of The Universe"
were also featured in "Highlander". "Don't Lose Your Head" is a mediocre drum machine and synthesizer number.
The surviving group members made a conscious decision to limit each bonus disc to 30 minutes, which is unfortunate, because, for this album there was more potential bonus material(including 12" single versions) that could have been added.
As is, you get the (apparent) CD debut of the "Highlander" film version of "A Kind of Magic", which is rhythmically quite different from the hit, 7" single edit/remixes of "One Vision" & "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure", an instrumental piano version of "Who Wants to Live Forever", a live at Wembley version of "One Vision" and a fascinating demo called "A Kind of Vision" which shows how the lyric concept for "One Vision" has its' origins in an early version of "a Kind of Magic"
From a songwriting standpoint, Roger Taylor & Brian May make the strongest songwriting contributions on this album, and their input only increased(masked by group composition songwriting credits) on subsequent albums, as Freddie Mercury's health began to fail. Freddie himself admitted that this was an uneven album, but explained it by the need for all four songwriters to get their songs onto the album.
Be cautioned that side-hinged 2-CD jewel boxes(particularly with clear trays) are not easy to find, and their cost will negate whatever money you may have saved by purchasing the Argentinian CD product.
Queen's 1986 album "A Kind of Magic" was more a compilation than album, combining some newly recorded material, some tracks recorded for the soundtrack of the film "Highlander"(though "a Kind of Magic" was re-recorded for this album, and is a vast improvement over the actual soundtrack version), and there's also some rummaging through the vaults for a couple of outtakes recorded with producer "Mack" that likely date to the sessions for "Hot Space".(invariably, when songs produced by Mack appear on post-1982 albums, they are outtakes from "the Game" or "Hot Space").
The album gets off to a great start with the group-composed, rocking "One Vision", followed by the memorable,pop-friendly re-make of "a Kind of Magic". "One Year of Love" is a saxophone-flavored M.O.R. ballad, that could well be a Freddie Mercury solo track. "Pain is So Close to Pleasure" is a falsetto-sung mid-tempo funk track that obviously dates to the "Hot Space" sessions with Mack. "Friends Will Be Friends" is a power ballad with some good guitar work from Brian May. It was a big hit in countries where the group still toured, but not in North America.
"Who Wants to Live" forever is a stirring, dramatic Brian May ballad(with shared Brian/Freddie vocals) from the "Highlander" soundtrack. The rocking "Gimme The Prize" & anthemic "Princes of The Universe"
were also featured in "Highlander". "Don't Lose Your Head" is a mediocre drum machine and synthesizer number.
The surviving group members made a conscious decision to limit each bonus disc to 30 minutes, which is unfortunate, because, for this album there was more potential bonus material(including 12" single versions) that could have been added.
As is, you get the (apparent) CD debut of the "Highlander" film version of "A Kind of Magic", which is rhythmically quite different from the hit, 7" single edit/remixes of "One Vision" & "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure", an instrumental piano version of "Who Wants to Live Forever", a live at Wembley version of "One Vision" and a fascinating demo called "A Kind of Vision" which shows how the lyric concept for "One Vision" has its' origins in an early version of "a Kind of Magic"
From a songwriting standpoint, Roger Taylor & Brian May make the strongest songwriting contributions on this album, and their input only increased(masked by group composition songwriting credits) on subsequent albums, as Freddie Mercury's health began to fail. Freddie himself admitted that this was an uneven album, but explained it by the need for all four songwriters to get their songs onto the album.
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2022
I have long looked for a Highlander soundtrack album with Queen's music on it. The band and the movie studio had a falling out over creative control and royalties so Queen could not legally make a Highlander soundtrack album and Queen wouldn't allow the movie studio to make a soundtrack album with their music.
The solution for Queen was to produce an album that wasn't a soundtrack album and it has a second disc of "extra" recordings. Trust me, they had plenty of "extras", only thing that could have been better was to edit out some of the extras and maybe, just maybe, throw in "Who Wants to Live Forever" with the remaining members of Queen and Seal from the Freddy Mercury Memorial Concert at Wembley. There is a reason demos are demos and not the finished product, they could have easily removed a demo or two and given us that great performance. Excess is excess and yes, Queen with Freddy Mercury was about excess (why they were so great live), but the excess on the bonus EP becomes detraction on what otherwise is a great soundtrack album that isn't a soundtrack album (they left off one song from the movie and added a new song that fits the movie).
I will be listening to the disc with all of those great Highlander songs often, and less often the bonus EP (I still have to have Freddy performing One Vision at Wembley Stadium).
The solution for Queen was to produce an album that wasn't a soundtrack album and it has a second disc of "extra" recordings. Trust me, they had plenty of "extras", only thing that could have been better was to edit out some of the extras and maybe, just maybe, throw in "Who Wants to Live Forever" with the remaining members of Queen and Seal from the Freddy Mercury Memorial Concert at Wembley. There is a reason demos are demos and not the finished product, they could have easily removed a demo or two and given us that great performance. Excess is excess and yes, Queen with Freddy Mercury was about excess (why they were so great live), but the excess on the bonus EP becomes detraction on what otherwise is a great soundtrack album that isn't a soundtrack album (they left off one song from the movie and added a new song that fits the movie).
I will be listening to the disc with all of those great Highlander songs often, and less often the bonus EP (I still have to have Freddy performing One Vision at Wembley Stadium).
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023
Todo ok
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2023
I bought this album as a Christmas gift for my Nephew and His Wife.They collect vinyl and enjoy the music of Freddie Murcury and Queen.
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2022
Some don’t realize that this was the Queen soundtrack for Highlander. Plus a song they did for the forgettable Iron Eagle but there’s nothing forgettable about this CD. Queen could sweep you up with their music and this is no exception.
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2022
I was so pleased when this CD arrived two days earlier than expected. Great service of a product special to me.
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2022
Great album.
Top reviews from other countries
marcello silva
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gatefold
Reviewed in Brazil on May 30, 2022
Gatefold igual ao lançamento de época, remasterizado com qualidade de áudio.
Todd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Album
Reviewed in Australia on August 31, 2020
Absolute cracker of an Album one of Queens best
One person found this helpful
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Yasmin Novac
4.0 out of 5 stars
Serviço quase bom, álbum ótimo
Reviewed in Brazil on April 17, 2021
O disco veio com defeito e não dava pra usar. Na segunda tentativa veio ok, mas precisam tomar mais cuidado com isso.
Lisa williams
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant album
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2021
Being a huge fan of queen now for 40 years and over time I lost all my queen l.ps as well as cds. For a long time now I been telling my kids I love to try and get all my records again so for my birthday (2021) My son brought me a record player and my other son told me what ever albums I don't he will buy them and one of my albums was kind of magic record and 3 other records. 2 days ago I was able to listen to my record for 1st time in 20 years. The sound was amazing and my own opinion sounds better then cds or even streaming as can't beat records when it comes to sound.
4 people found this helpful
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Kev Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good but stick with your original vinyl copies if you have them.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2017
These 2016 SACD pressings from Japan keep on amazing me.
In no way can they compensate for the original vinyl pressings played on a good turntable with a good moving coil cartridge but they are the best we are going to get on the silver disc format.
The original masters were put onto Digital HDD a long time ago now so no matter what version you buy, a vinyl pressing will be of the digital HDD Master and they do show up faults in the original analogue masters.
I will give you an example, ''compression in Freddie Mercury's vocals'' it can be clearly heard when he is at full belt, its a unfortunate side effect of a digital master made from a analogue source, the higher quality player you buy the more you notice the faults and the less enjoyment you get from the recording.
Whilst these SACD versions are top notch, believe me they really drag every nuance from the original recordings, you may find you just can not enjoy them because of the compression used in the digital mastering process which really shows up in these SACDs.
I am glad i bought the all the 2016 pressings, true collectors items, £507.00 for all 15 discs in total but for serious replay i am sticking with my original vinyls from the 1970s upover, warmer sounding and a greater enjoyment factor.
In no way can they compensate for the original vinyl pressings played on a good turntable with a good moving coil cartridge but they are the best we are going to get on the silver disc format.
The original masters were put onto Digital HDD a long time ago now so no matter what version you buy, a vinyl pressing will be of the digital HDD Master and they do show up faults in the original analogue masters.
I will give you an example, ''compression in Freddie Mercury's vocals'' it can be clearly heard when he is at full belt, its a unfortunate side effect of a digital master made from a analogue source, the higher quality player you buy the more you notice the faults and the less enjoyment you get from the recording.
Whilst these SACD versions are top notch, believe me they really drag every nuance from the original recordings, you may find you just can not enjoy them because of the compression used in the digital mastering process which really shows up in these SACDs.
I am glad i bought the all the 2016 pressings, true collectors items, £507.00 for all 15 discs in total but for serious replay i am sticking with my original vinyls from the 1970s upover, warmer sounding and a greater enjoyment factor.
6 people found this helpful
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