whereas we were given the license to do what we liked, as long as
it complemented the picture.’
By the end of 1980, with nearly a decade of hits under
their belts, Queen had sold over 25,000,000 singles, and over
45,000,000 albums worldwide, amplifying the fact that they were
easily one of the biggest bands of all time, and they still had a long
long way to go...
1981 kicked off with a massive stadium tour of South America,
cementing a relationship with the band’s South American fans
that would last forever. This was the first time any major western
band had ever done such a huge tour in South America and
Argentine fans, in particular, showed their appreciation by buying
enough Queen records to ensure that every release of the band
to date was in the Top 10 Album Charts during the tour. Brian
May remembered the time fondly: ‘It’s a long time since we’ve
experienced such warmth from a new audience. We feel really
good about it now, as our ambitions have been partly realized,’
with Roger Taylor going on to add, ‘I was surprised we didn’t get
more criticism for playing South America. I didn’t think we were
being used as tools by political regimes, although obviously you
have to co-operate with them. We were playing for the people. We
weren’t playing for the government.’
The remainder of 1981 saw the band in the studio recording
disco-tinged tenth studio album, ‘Hot Space’. Once again sharing
the studio with another famed artist, this time instead of being a
comedic affair it was a productive one, as the band collaborated
with David Bowie for hit single ‘Under Pressure’. Also finding its
way on to the album, ‘Under Pressure’ netted the Queen/Bowie
combo a No. 1 in the UK, as well as providing the memorable riff
for Vanilla Ice’s 1991 hit ‘Ice Ice Baby’, prompting a lawsuit over
the unrequested use of the sample. The band also released their
first ‘Greatest Hits’ album in 1981, featuring all of their biggest
hits from the 1970s.
chris devlin
(Chris Devlin)
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