#161
June 25 1984
Roger Taylor
Strange Frontier
2.75 out of 5
Highlights:
Strange Frontier
Man on Fire
I loved Fun in Space. I mean, I LOVED Fun in Space. So much so that I resented the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody for the portrayal of Freddie’s solo album as a breach of trust with the band when Roger’s solo album AND his second both predated Mr. Bad Guy.
And I guarantee that I rank Fun in Space higher than anyone else. Because Queen.
So, I couldn’t wait for this album to come out. And what a disappointment it was for me.
Roger has always been upfront about his desire to be David Bowie. His music all screams Bowie. However here, he seems to also want to be Bruce Springsteen and, Roger, you are no Bruce Springsteen. His version of “Racing in the Street” is a misstep. Less so is his cover of “Masters of War”…well…actually I appreciate the bombast here…it works for 1984 America.
This isn’t ALL failure. The title track is a good little rocker and so is “Man on Fire”, the single but the rest of it…meh and, truth be told, this tracks aren’t that great, either.
If Roger had no ideas left for Queen these past couple years, he’s really out of gas here.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that his track “Let’s Get Crazy” from his first album is among my favorites of all time and every time that drum breakdown happens I stop what I’m doing and air drum to it. One of the songs I wish we had covered….
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