The so called “die-hard” Queen fans must be so blind (or deaf) to give this pile of rubble a five star rating. This is pop rock mess (a bad one, by the way), one of thew worst efforts ever by Queen. I think even HOT SPACE is better than this swindle. The album is simply atrocious. “Gimme The Prize” and “Don’t Loose Your Head” are two of the worst songs ever recorded by this great band. Ballads “One Year of LOve” and “Love is close to whatever” are so pedestrian that they made me wanna vomit.

Also, drummer Roger Taylor seems to have asked the producer of this album (a guy called Mack) to give him the worst drum sound available at the moment. The drumming in this album is terrible, disgusting.

A KIND OF MAGIC has a cool cover, a good title track, and that’s all.
Rating: 1 / 5

I find the 5-star reviews here absolutely hilarious. This album is an embarrassment, and proof positive that Queen had exhausted all originality and creativity by the time this travesty was released in 1986.

Compare the bland, slick, by-the-numbers, synth-laden junk on this album to albums like “A Night at the Opera” or “The Game.” Where is there any of that distinctive Queen essence on this album? “One Vision” is an OK rocker, but “Gimme the Prize” is simply annoying. Freddie’s new penchant for extreme oversinging (perhaps due to his lack of interest in the material) is on display in both songs, as well as in John Deacon’s pleasant but utterly pedestrian “One Year of Love.” How lazy do you have to be to write lyrics such as “a shooting star right through my heart”?

“Don’t Lose Your Head” is a complete waste of time courtesy of the band’s worst songwriter (but fantastic drummer), Roger Taylor. “Pain is So Close to Pleasure” and “Friends Will Be Friends” are rare collaborative efforts from Deacon and Mercury, but both are lifeless and forgettable. But they are nothing compared to “Princes of the Universe,” which is without doubt the most embarrassing song Queen every committed to disc. Freddie Mercury had used his last worthwhile ideas on his 1985 solo album, “Mr. Bad Guy,” and this song, which substitutes noise for melody and features incredibly stupid lyrics, shows that he had nothing more to offer as a songwriter. It’s hard to believe that the man who wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “It’s a Hard Life” could write something this godawful.

Brian May’s “Who Wants to Live Forever” is by far the best thing here–haunting, beautiful, and majestic. Roger Taylor’s title song has a nice bassline and great guitar playing, but if this is a highlight of a Queen album, how far have they slipped?

Only someone with no real appreciation for what Queen produced in their creative prime could give this album a rave review. Unfortunately, the follow-up disc (”The Miracle”) was just as bad.
Rating: 1 / 5