Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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Before drumming with Queen, Roger Taylor was the drummer in the late '60s hard rock band, Smile, along with future Queen guitarist Brian May. In 1970, that group morphed into Queen with the addition of flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury. Over the next decade, Taylor would generally write one or two songs per Queen album, usually singing on his own compositions. The first member of the band to start a solo career, Taylor released his single "I Wanna Testify" in 1977. Although it failed to chart, that did not deter the drummer from recording a solo album, Fun in Space (1981). A modest success, the album showed Taylor performing more straightforward and political rock music than Queen. He followed with 1984's Strange Frontier, which sounded similar to Bruce Springsteen's music of the same period.

After Queen's Magic Tour in 1986, Taylor formed his own band, the Cross, for which he played guitar. The group released three albums between 1987 and 1991, but never received much interest in England. After Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in 1991, Taylor returned to a solo career, releasing Happiness? in 1994. Its first single, "Nazis 1994," was banned by Radio 1 and several stores as it was feared it would lead to neo-Nazi riots. Nonetheless, "Nazis 1994" became Taylor's first hit single in England and was followed by two other Top 40 U.K. hits, "Happiness" and "Foreign Sand." Electric Fire, which saw Taylor add some slight electronica elements to his rock sound, was released in 1998. In 2001, Taylor performed with May for Queen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From 2005 to 2006, Taylor again joined May for the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour, a partnership that resulted in the 2008 studio album The Cosmos Rocks. In 2013 he released his fifth studio album, the politically and socially conscious Fun on Earth. Also in 2013, Taylor saw the release of his solo career-spanning box set The Lot. This archival release was succeeded in 2015 by reissues of Fun in Space and Strange Frontier by Omnivore Records.

Biography by Geoff Orens, Allmusic.com

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Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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Queen drummer Roger Taylor's first solo album is a fairly strong set of up-tempo rockers and well-written ballads featuring Taylor's rough voice and effective croon. Much of the material is reminiscent of Taylor's work for Queen – more guitar-based and less bombastic than the work of his cohorts in that band. That's not to say Taylor doesn't get over-dramatic. On "Future Management" and "Magic Is Loose," Taylor's vocals are quite over the top. However, "No Violins" and "Let's Get Crazy" balance things out with some fairly straightforward rock numbers that show the influence of 1950s rock & roll. Surprisingly, Taylor, who rarely wrote a ballad with Queen, shows himself quite adept at writing slower pieces on the lovely "Laugh or Cry." The interesting sci-fi ballad "Fun Is Space" is a striking and beautiful mix of classic rock and futuristic keyboard backdrops. The true highlight of the album though is the marvelous "My Country Parts 1 & 2." A powerful anthem of disillusionment with politics and war, the middle of the song picks up in intensity with some fine drumming from Taylor. Not all the material here is as strong or as memorable, but the album is a fine addition to the collection of any fan of classic rock or Queen.

Review by Geoff Orens, Allmusic.com

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Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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With Strange Frontier, Roger Taylor seemed to try and cast himself as a British version of Bruce Springsteen, writing a set of songs that were similar to the gutsy and anthemic work of the American rock hero. The similarity went as far as the lyrics, many of which focused on working-class politics. Taylor even throws in a Springsteen cover, "Racing in the Street," for good measure. The differences between Taylor's music here and Springsteen's lie both in Taylor's production, which added some artsier ideas such as the symphonic break in "Killing Time," and in his vocals, which stray more into melodramatic territory than Springsteen ever has. For the most part, the concept works. The album is far from original, but Taylor is an accomplished enough songwriter that he doesn't come off like a poor man's Springsteen. The cover of Dylan's "Masters of War" is a bit bombastic but much of the rest of the album is fairly convincing with the title track and "Man on Fire" being among the highlights. Interestingly enough, Taylor's music is far more reliant on drum machines and synthesizers here than on his previous Fun in Space.

Review by Geoff Orens, Allmusic.com

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Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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Taylor's first official solo effort in ten years, Happiness? is a politically themed album that tackles various issues such as the rise of neo-Nazis ("Nazis 1994"), the plight of Third World peoples ("Revelation"), and political and religious hypocrisy ("The Key"). In large measure, Taylor has abandoned the upbeat rock that dominated his first solo efforts for a more produced record of ballads and mid-tempo tracks. And while the album sounds good, it's hard to come up with a truly memorable song here. Only "Dear Mr. Murdoch" and "Nazis 1994" have enough bile to really grab the listener's attention. The rest of the album offers professional yet rather bland material not helped by Taylor's simplistic lyrics. While Taylor's political and social sympathies are quite admirable, lyrics like "I went to the Ukraine/They don't have much to eat/No sugar on the table/But the people stay sweet," make it hard to be truly affected by his concerns.

Review by Geoff Orens, Allmusic.com

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Roger Taylor (Queen) - Solo Studio Albums Collection 1981-1998 (4CD) Japanese Releases

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With Electric Fire, Roger Taylor put together his strongest set of songs since 1984's Strange Frontier. Adding light touches of electronica to his highly produced rock sound, Taylor manages to sound somewhat current without bending over backwards to be hip like some artists of his generation. The former Queen drummer was also wise to stay away from writing as many ballads as he did for the less memorable Happiness?. The result is that, with "A Nation of Haircuts" and "No More Fun," Taylor wrote his best rockers in years. "Surrender," a powerful and anthemic duet about a crumbling marriage and spousal abuse, is another highlight. Meanwhile, "People on Streets" finds Taylor advancing some of his well-known populism over a subtle electronic groove. The ballad "Tonight" plays it a bit too safe, and the cover of Lennon's "Working Class Hero" was a mistake, but mid-tempo tracks like "Pressure On" and "The Whisperers" have a grand reflective air to them. Lyrically, Taylor still has his shortcomings, but when the music is as strong as most of Electric Fire is, it's not a major concern.

Review by Geoff Orens, Allmusic.com