The Miracle of Queen

The Miracle was released in 1989 after a three year hiatus by Queen, after much speculation that the band had broken up. In retrospect, I think that the real reason for the period between releases was Freddie Mercury's illness, because the theme of the album seems to be one of hope, a point driven home by the lyrics of the album's title track. The Miracle also has the feel of a "comeback" album--Queen seems to be putting a fresh spin on their style, and the energy level of the album is definitely pegged into the red.

During the band's storied career, Queen showed their willingness to experiment with different musical styles. Their earliest work was marked by an infatuation with mythical themes, and heavy ponderous music. From there, Queen used classical music forms and richly textured harmonies to achieve a trademark sound, occasionally making brief forays into disco, blues, punk and pop, and even experimenting with synthesizers and other forms of electronic music. (their earliest albums all proudly proclaimed on the jackets that "no synthesizers were used in the making of this album".)

The Miracle seems to be a logical step in Queen's evolution as a band. I personally think that it's a bit "pop heavy", but it incorporates the tried and true formula that made this band legendary, and it rocks real hard to boot.

Party and Khashoggi's Ship do away with a little of the slick production that Queen was famous for, in favor of a more "in your face" raw musical punch. These tunes, as well as the expansive Was It All Worth It offer an introspective look at the price (and weight) of rock 'n roll superstardom. I Want It All provides timely political views in the context of Queen's style of arena rock--the lyrics are really pertinent to the apartheid situation in South Africa, and the impatience of the minorities there to achieve equality in all things.

The title track, The Miracle, gives us a message of hope--in light of Freddie Mercury's illness, this type of song is particularly appropriate for this album. Queen revisits its' fling with disco with The Invisible Man, a jaunty dance tune, and if you want to hear a guitar "laugh", check out Brian May's spectacular work on Rain Must Fall. Breakthru is a brilliant piece of pop with dance ideas, and My Baby Does Me is Queen's interpretation of the blues form. Finally, Scandal deflates the energy of the album a little, but doesn't do damage to the overall texture.

Hang In There, Chinese Torture, and The Invisible Man (12"version) are added bonus tracks that any fan of Queen will find interesting, partially due to the obscurity of the first two.

The Miracle was not quite Queen's farewell album--I think that the band recorded one or two more before the death of Freddie Mercury ended the career of Queen. It is a pretty fair representation of Queen's musical style, and it captures a lot of the energy and spontaneity that usually accompany albums that are "comeback" type albums. It's certainly great music by a legendary band, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading.