The Works is the eleventh studio album by Queen. It was released on 27 February 1984 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Capitol Records in the United States.
The album marked a partial return to their rock roots, although with a much lighter approach. Many tracks still featured more electronics than rest of the band's discography. In comparison, however, rock was mostly absent on their previous effort Hot Space giving room to dance and funk with the use of analogue synths and brass. Recorded at the Record Plant Studios and Musicland Studios from August 1983 to January 1984, the album's title comes from a comment drummer Roger Taylor made as recording began – "Let's give them the works!"
The Works continued the band's steady decline in the US, peaking at #23 on the Billboard 200. Despite that, the album was a global commercial hit. The album spent 94 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at #2. It is estimated that the album has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
Track List[]
| The Works Track List | |||
| Side One | |||
| 1 | Radio Ga Ga | 5:44 | Roger Taylor |
| 2 | Tear It Up | 3:28 | Brian May |
| 3 | It's a Hard Life | 4:08 | Freddie Mercury |
| 4 | Man on the Prowl | 3:28 | Freddie Mercury |
| Side Two | |||
| 1 | Machines (Or 'Back to Humans') | 5:10 | May/Taylor |
| 2 | I Want to Break Free | 3:20 | John Deacon |
| 3 | Keep Passing the Open Windows | 5:21 | Freddie Mercury |
| 4 | Hammer to Fall | 4:28 | Brian May |
| 5 | Is This the World We Created...? | 2:13 | Mercury/May |
| Bonus tracks (1991 Hollywoods Records CD) | |||
| 10 | I Go Crazy | 3:42 | Brian May |
| 11 | Radio Ga Ga (extended version) | 6:50 | |
| 12 | I Want to Break Free (extended mix) | 7:19 | |
CD tracklisting[]
- "Radio Ga Ga"
- "Tear It Up"
- "It's a Hard Life"
- "Man on the Prowl"
- "Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')"
- "I Want to Break Free"
- "Keep Passing the Open Windows"
- "Hammer to Fall"
- "Is This the World We Created
2011 bonus tracks[]
- "I Go Crazy (B-Side)"
- "I Want to Break Free (Single remix)"
- "Hammer to Fall (Headbanger's mix)"
- "Is This the World We Created
- "Thank God It's Christmas (Non-album single)"
Charts[]
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF) | 1 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 16 |
| Austria (Ö3 Top 40) | 2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop) | 87 |
| Canada (RPM) | 22 |
| France (SNEP) | 14 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi) | 4 |
| Japan (Oricon) | 7 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 9 |
| Norway (VG-lista) | 2 |
| Sweden (Topplistan) | 3 |
| Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade) | 3 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 2 |
| United States (Billboard) | 23 |
| West Germany (Media Control Charts) | 3 |
| Studio Albums by Queen |
|---|
    
|
    
|
    
|