The Game | ||||
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Studio album by Queen | ||||
Released | 30 June 1980 | |||
Recorded | June – July 1979, February – May 1980 | |||
Studio | Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 35:39 | |||
Label |
EMI (Europe) Parlophone (Europe) Elektra (1980) (US) Hollywood (1991) (US) |
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Producer | Queen, Mack | |||
Queen chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Game | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
The Guardian | |
Record Mirror | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Smash Hits | 3/10 |
The Game is the eighth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 30 June 1980. It was the only Queen album to reach #1 in the US and became their best selling studio album in the US with four million copies sold to date, tying News of the World's US sales tally. The album received very favourable reviews. Notable songs on the album include the bass-driven "Another One Bites the Dust" and the rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", both of which reached #1 in the US. The Game was the first Queen album to use a synthesiser (an Oberheim OB-X).
The Game features a different sound than its predecessor, Jazz. The album's style would be augmented on Queen's next release Hot Space, and future Queen albums. At approximately 35 minutes 39 seconds, The Game is the second shortest of Queen's studio albums, with their subsequent soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon being shorter by 39 seconds. It is estimated to have sold 4 million copies worldwide.
Reissued on May 2003 on DVD-Audio with Dolby 5.1 surround sound and DTS 5.1. The 5.1 mix of "Coming Soon" features an alternate backing track, because the final master tapes were not found when mixing the album to 5.1.
The photo on the cover of the EMI CD is different from that originally used on the LP and cassette even though the Hollywood CD still has the original photo. The original photo (with Roger Taylor having folded arms and Brian May not having a hand resting upon his exposed hip) is shown in the article. This alternate photo was also used on the cover of the album in the Crown Jewels box set released in 1998, and on the DTS DVD-Audio edition of the album released in 2003.