Queen went to Munich to record Hot Space, and two of the four band members, Roger Taylor and Brian May, did not enjoy the process. The album fell flat with Queen audiences, and it has been dismissed ever since. Now one music fan says it deserves a second chance.

The @top5records796 channel opens its countdown of the 10 most underrated albums of all time with Hot Space. These are records, the host says, that truly deserve another listen because they messed with expectations or arrived at the wrong moment.

Here is the story behind the record, and the nine others he picked.

Queen Heard Their Songs In Clubs And Did Not Like How They Sounded

In the late 1970s, the host says, Queen heard their own music through speakers in clubs and felt it did not sound danceable enough. Musical taste was shifting. Progressive rock, symphonic rock and even hard rock were falling out of fashion, and punk had been a fight that Queen tried to meet with News of the World.

Punk was not really their thing, and now disco and funk were the new sound. Roger Taylor and Brian May were not into it, but Freddie Mercury, who loved to go out, enjoyed it. John Deacon, the bassist who wrote “Another One Bites the Dust,” felt the funk too.

A Horrible Depressive Studio, But Mercury Loved Munich

So the band headed to Munich and a studio the host calls horrible and depressive. Mercury loved the city and its nightlife, even as the others were not having fun.

That uneasy mood is audible on the record, he says, as the band tries on a new sound and a new identity with songs like “Staying Power,” “Dancer,” “Back Chat” and “Action This Day.” He calls “Body Language” a wink toward the scene Mercury hung out in and says “Put Out the Fire” is a banger.

The album also holds “Calling All Girls” and “Life Is Real,” a song for John Lennon, and ends with “Las Palabras de Amor,” “Cool Cat” and the David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure,” recorded in Montreux. He sees it as a beautiful experiment with funk and disco, and notes Mercury described it as more black music because he was listening to artists like Aretha Franklin.

Fans Wanted Rock, Not Funk, And The Band Lost Its Footing

It just did not succeed, the host says. Queen did not find the right identity, and audiences were not expecting funk or disco from them.

The band toured the album and, for the first time on a tour, played all the songs of their last album. The host says it kicks in the studio and is even better live, at shows like Milton Keynes and Live at the Bowl. Looking back, he says, it is fine to admit that this record sounds funky.

Nine More Albums He Wants You To Hear Again

Hot Space comes in at number 10. At number nine is Lou Reed’s self-titled debut, which people often describe as the solo chance he missed after the Velvet Underground. The host hears dry directness and strong songs like “I Can’t Stand It,” “Walk It and Talk It” and “Lisa Says,” with Steve Howe on guitar and Rick Wakeman on piano.

At number eight is David Bowie’s Hours, an album he finds a little too slick but with songwriting he counts among Bowie’s peaks, including “Thursday’s Child,” “Survive” and “Seven.” Number seven is Rainbow’s Down to Earth, the record where many fans left after Ronnie James Dio departed. Graham Bonnet joined, and the host says he nails songs like “All Night Long” and “Since You’ve Been Gone.”

Number six is The Doors’ The Soft Parade, a cheerier record than fans wanted, with “Touch Me” and the title track. Number five is Roger Taylor’s 1994 solo album Happiness, which the host calls wonderful from beginning to end, and says Taylor may have the best solo career in Queen.

A Rock Me Amadeus Defense And A Pop Gem From 2007

At number four the host defends Falco 3, the Austrian star’s album that includes “Rock Me Amadeus,” a song he says he felt was unfairly put on a worst songs of the 80s list from Rolling Stone. He calls it a banger and praises “Jeanny” as one of the finest songs of the decade.

Number three is Mika’s Life in Cartoon Motion from 2007, with “Grace Kelly,” “Love Today” and “Relax, Take It Easy.” On Rate Your Music, he says, it sits at three out of five stars, and he rarely hears anyone talk about Mika.

Pink Floyd And Captain Beefheart Take The Top Spots

Number two is Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother. The host remembers a music teacher in the Netherlands playing the title track for the class, and says band members and biographers talk it down while he calls it a masterpiece. He says side two holds “Fat Old Sun,” which he says David Gilmour also counts among his best.

Number one is Captain Beefheart’s Unconditionally Guaranteed, which many fans set aside for being too poppy. He says Beefheart wanted to make pop, and it works, with “Peaches,” “This Is the Day” and “Happy Love Song.”

How To Give An Old Record A Second Chance

The host’s big idea is that listeners often reject a record when it clashes with their identity. It might be funk from Queen, a happier tone from The Doors or pop from Captain Beefheart, and he says he does not care who he is with regard to what he listens to. He just listens and enjoys.

That gives you an easy plan for your own record shelf. Pick one album you gave up on years ago, play it start to finish, and do not read the reviews first. Try a different format, because he suggests a 45 RPM pressing of The Soft Parade can reveal detail you may have missed.

Then ask yourself which album you think is truly underrated, which is exactly what the host asks his own audience to share in the comments.

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