Search - Queen + Paul Rodgers :: The Cosmos Rocks

One of the worst albums ever

Pugs Malone | 10/18/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Queen : Queen + Paul Rodgers :: '60s Beach Boys : 80's-present Beach Boys



May, Taylor and Rodgers have dragged Queen's legacy through the mud, much like Mike Love did the same to the Beach Boys. Hell, even the lyrics are just as painful as Love's pandering to teenagers:



"Across seven seas through the Panama,

Now they're rockin' on beaches and they're rockin' in bars

Don't ask me how and don't ask me why

From Miami Beach down to old Bondi

There's a rock 'n' roll fever in every place

Next thing you know they'll be rockin' out in space"



"Music makes the world go round

I've been flyin' on the wings of the sound

It feels so good from way up here

I'm still a believer

Headin' for the stars"



"In an instant the mysteries of life will unfold

The myths and the dragons of time will explode"



"I believe there's just once chance in this world to hear our brothers

You believe there's a better way to listen to each other

We don't get what the other guy is saying

We hear the words but we don't understand

So around the world the same old anger raging

And we all cry for shame and the same old tragedy goes down"



Okay, I've tortured you enough, I'll stop now. Sure, the lyrics on regular Queen albums weren't always great, but they were never this banal.



Or maybe the better analogy is to Kiss' Psycho Circus, which, despite the fact that it was promoted as the return of the original lineup, featured only marginally more contributions from Ace Frehley and Peter Criss than Freddie Mercury's contribution to this album. Calling this "Queen" is just crass commercialism; I take this album's claim to being by Queen about as seriously as Bill Wyman takes age-of-consent laws. Everything is completely generic; aside from a few bits where May's distinct guitar tone is evident, it sounds nothing like Queen. It's just banal MOR/adult contemporary drivel imaginable that could've been played by anybody. Even "Hot Space II" would have been loads better than this. This isn't just terrible as a Queen album; it's a terrible album, period. This deserves to suffer the same fate as the Doors' post-Morrison albums: to be disowned and out-of-print forever. As it is, it'll be filling up bargain bins for years to come.



(I should note that I haven't actually heard the post-Morrison albums, and that they could be decent for all I know. It's just one of the best examples of albums being disowned by their creators that I could think of.)"

Queen Minus

dB | UK | 09/22/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, let me start by saying that I am a huge Queen fan. Or should that be, I was. I've had a massive problem with the way Queen's legacy has been dragged through the mud by Brian May and Roger Taylor. Performing with Britney Spears, Robbie Williams, Five (Remember them) and McFly in order to appeal to a younger audience really struck me as kind of pathetic. I've heard them excuse this as them wanting to keep the Queen flame alight, but in truth it has simply served to extinguish it altogether. After the release of Made In Heaven, they should have left well enough alone. That way their stature would have grown, like that of The Beatles maybe. Macca and the boys never had to demean themselves by continuing to perform under The Beatles banner with fly-by-night inferior popstars after the death of John Lennon. No silly Beatles musicals, or The Beatles featuring Britney Spears in a sad attempt to remain in the limelight. No adverts for soft drinks!



It always strikes me as odd that Queen add the plus sign to their name whenever they perform with another artist... Queen + Paul Rodgers, Queen + Robbie Williams, etc. It is clear to me that since the death of the IRREPLACEABLE Freddie Mercury, and of course John Deacon having left the band, they instead should have put the minus symbol next to their name. Queen -



I used to blush whenever Queen came on the TV or the radio, because everyone knew how big a fan I was and they would all instantly look at me, as if to say "Ooh, your boys are on". Now I blush for different reasons. It is so sad to see Brian and Roger desperately trying to cling onto their celebrity. Queen were such a force at one time. Powerful, mesmerizing, and largely misunderstood by fools who couldn't see past the overblown theatrics and high camp. Listen to the Innuendo album for confirmation of this. The title track is simply awe-inspiring stuff. The sheer audacity of that group. Show me any band now with that same sense of fun. There simply isn't one. Only the Foo Fighters come close, in terms of being able to make fun of themselves in music videos etc.



But after all this, and against my better judgment I'm still a fan. I had to have this album, if only for my inner fifteen-year old who would have loved to hear what Brian and Roger were capable of in old age. And in truth, it isn't awful. Paul Rodgers is undoubtedly a great vocalist in his own right. The songs are... well, pleasant enough. It is certainly well-crafted, but that's to be expected from these guys. In truth it isn't a 1 star album. How could it be when you have Brian and Roger at the helm. But Queen it ain't. And that's where my problem lies. This just lacks passion, spark and most disappointingly it lacks wit. Aah, Freddie's unique wit! How I miss him so. And this album just brings that to bear. If you're a completist you will already have this, like myself. You may never listen to it- I certainly don't, but you'll have it, because you have to. If though you are a casual fan, sidestep this release and go and get hold of some real Queen. The Queen that had Freddie in it. And John Deacon. The only Queen."