Rocktrospectiva: The Steady And Solid "The Miracle" Turns 35

 

Released on 22 May 1989 "The Miracle" was the thirteenth studio album by Queen, recorded as the band recovered from Brian May's marital problems and Freddie Mercury's HIV diagnosis in 1987. The recording started in January 1988 and lasted for over a whole year, It was also the last Queen album with a photo of the band on the front cover, and spawned "I Want It All", "Breakthru", "The Invisible Man", "Scandal" & "The Miracle".

The album reached number one in the UK, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and number 24 on Billboard 200, considered by many Queen's best album of the 1980s alongside "The Game", and it would be the band's penultimate album recorded with Freddie Mercury before his deceased on 24 Novemeber 1991. 

"The Miracle" began with "Party" a jam session between Freddie Mercury, Brian May and John Deacon, and even May signs lead on a small portion on the tune, "Khashoggi's Ship" started as a four-contribution of the band, the song was inspired about famous Adnan Khashoggi and a ship "The Nabila", it was one of the largest private yatchs in the world, "The Miracle" is one of the most complex songs on the record, Mercury and Deacon co-wrote the lyrics, and the whole band contributed to musical ideas, the heavy and vibrant "I Want It All" was composed in 1987, inspired by May's second wife Anita Dobson favourite motto, the song had an intro, verse, chorus and solos over the same chord progression and used this same thing on "The Show Must Go On" from 1991 "The Invisible Man" was inspired about a book May was reading at the time, Taylor wrote part of the song in the bath. 

Now we reach the half part of the album and this began with "Breakthru" which was a combination of two songs "When Love Breaks Up" by Mercury and "Breakthru" by Taylor, this song was released as a single and made the top ten in the UK, "Rain Must Fall" was a collaboration between Deacon and Mercury, a used a lot of latin percussion in order to have more space for vocal harmonies, guitar and keyboards, "Scandal", was written by May about the British press, in the wake of media-fuelled controversy about his recent divorce and also Mercury's rare public appearances due to his battle with AIDS, "My Baby Does Me", another collaboration between Mercury and Deacon, inspired by a simply track in order to eased off the album, and finally "Was It All Worth It", composed by Mercury and all the members contributed to music ideas, according to popular culture, this song reimains hugely popular among the Queen fanbase. 

According to critics, the album was so fantastic combining the forces of rock, pop, metal and clever melodies, the album never lets down, it's a must-have indeed, Mercury's voice is steady and solid and May's runs are powerful as ever, most of the 10 songs are collaborations between the four members, edgy pop with delicious hook, a quite sonic punch, recalling the bands powerful heritage, the perfect blend betweeen pop and heavy rock that made the album a worldwide smash. 

 

The Miracle Track List:  

1. Party

2. Khashoggi's Ship

3. The Miracle

4. I Want It All

5. The Invisible Man

6. Breakthru

7. Rain Must Fall

8. Scandal

9. My Baby Does Me

10. Was It All Worth It