Kind of Magic [Deluxe Edition]

Queen: Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); John Deacon (guitar, keyboards, bass); Brian May (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Roger Taylor (keyboards, drums, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Steve Gregory (saxophone); Spike Edney (keyboards).
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Town House Studios, London; Musicland Studios, Munich; Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland.
Some songs on this album appear in different form in the film HIGHLANDER.
Personnel: Brian May (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Roger Taylor (vocals, keyboards, drums); Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards); John Deacon (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Spike Edney (keyboards).
Photographer: Peter Hince.
A KIND OF MAGIC primarily functioned as a musical backdrop for the movie HIGHLANDER, but unlike Queen's other motion picture soundtrack (1980's FLASH GORDON), the album doesn't contain a single instrumental--they're all fully realized songs. Although it's not quite on par with their time-honored offerings from the '70s and didn't chart well in the States, A KIND OF MAGIC still contains more than a few classic Queen tracks.
For those who doubted Queen could still compose rip-roaring heavy metal, the lead-off track, "One Vision," silenced such concerns once and for all. With lyrics that describe Queen's show-stopping appearance at 1985's Live Aid benefit concert, "One Vision" is easily the album's high point. Other standouts include the majestic swirl of the title track, the beautiful yet melancholy ballad "Who Wants To Live Forever," the classy pop of "Friends Will Be Friends," and the first-rate rocker, "Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme)."