The GAMEReleased: June 30, 1980, EMI (Europe), Elektra (USA)
Charts: UK #1, USA #1…43 weeks in the charts, 21 weeks in Top 10, 5 weeks at #1
Argentina #1, Canada #1, Netherlands #1, Norway #2, West Germany #2, Austria #5, Japan #5, Sweden #7, Austrailia #11, New Zealand #11
2019
Iceland #92
Certifications :
Gold in the UK, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain
2x Platinum in Argentina
4x Platinum in the United States
Singles:
Crazy Little Thing Called Love b/w Spread Your Wings (live)
Released: October 12, 1979 (UK), December 7th, 1979 (USA)
UK #2, USA #1 (and others already posted)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6D_BAuYCI 185 Million viewsSave Me b/w Let Me Entertain You (live)
Released: January 25, 1980
UK #11, USA NR (and others already posted)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw3izcZd9zU 13 Million viewsPlay the Game b/w A Human Body
Released: May 30 UK
Charts: #14 UK, USA #42
Norway #6, Switzerland #8, Ireland #9, Netherlands #15, Canada #22, West Germany #40, France #42
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_5O-nUiZ_0 23 Million viewsAnother One Bites the Dust b/w Don’t Try Suicide (USA), Dragon Attack (UK)
Released: August 22
Charts: UK #7, USA #1
Canada #1, Israel #1, Spain #1, New Zealand #2, South Africa #3, Australia #5, Austria #6, West Germany #6, Ireland #6, Switzerland #8, Belgium #9, Netherlands #11, Sweden #12, France #24
and….USA Billboard Hot Disco Singles #2 and Hot Soul Singles #2 (do I insert a
or
here?)
2018-19
USA Hot Rock & Alt Songs #4, Canada #19, Italy #51, France #84
Certifications:
Gold in Greece
Platinum in Canada and Denmark
2x Platinum in UK
4x Platinum in Australia and USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE 539 Million viewsNeed Your Loving Tonight b/w Rock It (Prime Jive)
Released: November 3 (USA and select countries)
Charts: USA #42
Liner Notes:
Produced by Queen
Engineered and Co-Produced by Mack
Various other credits, thanks, and then….
"This album includes the first appearance of a Synthesizer
(an Oberheim OBX) on a Queen album"
The album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoYqfVzXAGw (also includes ‘A Human Body’ and ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’)
SIDE ONE
Play The Game (Mercury) 3:30
Dragon Attack (May) 4:18
Another One Bites The Dust (Deacon) 3:35
Need Your Loving Tonight (Deacon) 2:50
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Mercury) 2:42
SIDE TWO
Rock It (Prime Jive) (Taylor) 4:33
Don't Try Suicide (Mercury) 3:52
Sail Away Sweet Sister (May) 3:33
Coming Soon (Taylor) 2:51
Save Me (May) 3:48
June – July 79 Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Sail Away Sweet Sister, Coming Soon, and Save Me
all others February – May 1980
2011 Universal reissue bonus disc
Save Me (Live in Montreal, November 1981) / A Human Body (B-side to Play The Game) (Taylor) /
Sail Away Sweet Sister (Take 1 with guide vocal) / It's a Beautiful Day (spontaneous idea, April 1980) (Mercury) / Dragon Attack (Live at Milton Keynes, June 1982)
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The original demo of ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’, which would have two versions and a single made from this during the ‘Made In Heaven’ release, is a gem. It should have found its way onto this album in some form. ‘A Human Body’ was nice to finally have on disc, even if it was perhaps the worst song they’d ever released up to this point.
Live versions of ‘Play The Game’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Need Your Loving Tonight’, ‘Save Me’, and yeah, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ were all available from their ’80 tours.
A version of ‘Play The Game’ was made available on their ‘Forever’ release back in 2014, minus the synth intro
SANDBOX demo, by Brian in ’79. No vocals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J074_IC4uqk*********
No gatefold sleeve (after ‘Jazz’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’ would be the only studio LP to have one). Once again, no times were listed (?) but at least it had a lyric sheet, and then the somewhat startling set of band photos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(Queen_album)
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/reinhold-mack-queen-freddie-mercury-interview/
“I remember our first meeting in 1980 very well,” Mack, 70, tells uDiscover Music in an exclusive interview. “I was working with Gary Moore in Los Angeles and was told Queen would be in Musicland Studios, in Munich, and might need me. I bought a plane ticket and went to Munich. When I met Freddie, he said, ‘What are you doing here?’ I told him I had heard there might be a good chance Queen wanted to work with me. He said not really, because the band were coming off a Japanese tour and only had two more weeks to spend outside the UK. ‘Anyway,’ he suddenly said, ‘I hear they have these wonderful beer gardens….’actually the year was 1979…..and, of course Gary Moore would get mentioned
Despite their new surroundings, the band weren't in any rush to begin recording again, and used the initial sessions as a means of testing out the working methods between band and producer. In June 1979, the band started work on their new album, and so laid-back were the sessions that only four usable tracks were created: Coming Soon (which had been started during the Jazz sessions), Sail Away Sweet Sister, Save Me, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. An instant click was felt, and Mack was willing to explore more experimental methods of recording as opposed to Roy Thomas Baker's more tried-and-trusted approach. At the end of the month-long sessions, the band called a halt to the proceedings in order to prepare for what would be The Crazy Tour. queenpedia
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'The Game is a good pop album. It still has Freddie on most of the LVs (Roger LV after the intro of ‘Rock It’, Brian most LVs on ‘Sail Away Sweet Sister’). There are still some of the trademark backing vocals and guitar, just not as much, and the sound is certainly stripped down. It did fit the era well. My least favorite was/is AOBTD. I put ‘Spread Your Wings’ (studio) in its place when I recorded it onto a tape. And then Brian’s ‘Let Me Out’ when that became available. I eventually warmed to it many, many years later.
Considering two songs had been released 6-8 months prior, the album is incredibly short at 35 minutes, and, well, it just seems like a collection of songs put together. Can’t argue with its success, and still find it a pleasure to listen to.
And, most certainly, this was the end of their ‘golden era’.