A Kind of Magic

by Queen

Overview

By the release of 1986's A Kind of Magic, Queen's stature as a prominent rock band in the U.S. had slipped considerably, while in all other parts of the world (especially Europe), they remained superstar hitmakers. A Kind of Magic was their biggest album yet in England, where it reached number one, remained on the charts for 63 weeks, and spawned several hit singles -- the epic title track, the tuneful pop/rocker "Friends Will Be Friends," and one of their most haunting ballads, "Who Wants to Live Forever" (also included was the Live Aid-inspired hit anthem "One Vision," which was originally released as a single in 1985). Most of the songs were written for the movie Highlander -- "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)," "Princes of the Universe," the aforementioned "Who Wants to Live Forever," etc. -- but instead of issuing just a movie soundtrack, the band added a few non-movie tracks and made an official Queen release out of it. It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but A Kind of Magic was their best work in some time. Queen would embark on a sold-out tour of outdoor stadiums in Europe upon the album's release, which would sadly turn out to be their final tour. ~ Greg Prato

Product Details

Release Date:	07/26/2024
Label:	Universal Japan
UPC:	4988031658987
Rank:	216850

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Queen   Primary Artist
National Philharmonic Orchestra   Primary Artist,Ensemble,Orchestra
Joan Armatrading   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
Roger Taylor   Drums,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Clancy Brown   Spoken Word
Christopher Lambert   Spoken Word
Brian May   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
John Deacon   Guitar,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass)
Steve Gregory   Saxophone
Spike Edney   Keyboards
Freddie Mercury   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards

Technical Credits

Roger Taylor   Composer,Executive Producer
Justin Shirley-Smith   Mixing,Engineer,Audio Supervisor
Michael Kamen   Co-Arranger,Orchestral Arrangements
Dave Richards   Producer
Adam Ayan   Mastering
Alvin "Red" Tyler   Composer
National Philharmonic Orchestra   Group Member
Gregg Jakobson   Composer
Jimmy Fortune   Composer
Queen   Composer,Producer
David Foster   Composer
Dennis Wilson   Composer
Kris Fredriksson   Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer,Audio Supervisor,Audio Restoration,Sound Supervision
Mike Smith   Original Illustration
Steve Riddel   Engineer
Mack   Engineer,Producer
Eric Tomlinson   Engineer
John Deacon   Composer,Drum Programming
Jan Kincaid   Composer
David Richards   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Mac Powell   Composer
Jim Beach   Management
Richard Gray   Sleeve Design
Peter Hince   Photography
Brian Zellis   Recording Equipment
Lynton Naiff   Arranger,String Arrangements
Chuck Gamage   Original Illustration
Joshua J. MacRae   Mixing,Engineer,Audio Supervisor
Roger Chiasson   Cover Illustration,Original Illustration
Jenny Robinson   Colorist
Reinhold Mack   Engineer,Producer
Chris Taylor   Recording Equipment
Brian May   Arranger,Composer,Executive Producer,Orchestral Arrangements
Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Kenny Loggins   Composer
Freddie Mercury   Composer